Chapter 118: The Empress's Side Story (Part 1)
When the emperor and empress returned to Luoyang, it was already the third month of spring.
Because both of them were injured, their travel speed slowed down considerably. By the time they returned to Luoyang, everything was reviving and spring was in full bloom.
Along with the Emperor and Empress, another piece of news returned, shocking the court and the public: General Helan Yi, the General Who Guards the West, had colluded with the enemy and betrayed the country.
In the past, the Helan family made great contributions to the establishment of the Great Qi Kingdom. Helan Yi even won several battles last year and was granted official titles and ranks. The Helan family was so glorious at that time, but now they have been accused of treason.
The man has been executed.
Rumor has it that His Majesty ventured deep into the heart of the Northern Rong territory and personally captured and killed them alive.
With the emperor personally conducting the trial, the evidence was naturally irrefutable.
Helan Yi had long harbored the intention to collude with Rongbei. He presented the Daqi defense map and later leaked military secrets. Each and every one of these incidents was shocking. Furthermore, the Lu family had previously presented numerous pieces of evidence that the Helan family was profiting from the drought in the northwest.
This military family, which had been based in Longxi since the previous dynasty, rose from humble beginnings to prominence through blood, sweat, and battle. It took them decades to build their empire, but now their collapse is only a matter of moments.
However, the two top families, the Lu family and the Helan family, have fallen to the point of mutual destruction because of a marriage alliance. It seems that the Lu family has won, but how can the two tigers not be severely damaged in their struggle?
Lu Cheng has completely lost his two children, and Empress Dowager Lu has also passed away. Since the end of the year, Prime Minister Lu has suddenly fallen ill and has been bedridden ever since. Among the many sons of the Lu family, few can shoulder the responsibility.
Judging from this trend, the decline of the Lu family is inevitable...
This situation was just one of many when the emperor and empress were not present. In addition, there were many other government affairs that piled up like snowflakes, filling the desks in the study of Xuande Hall.
In the Xuande Hall, when the founding duke Jia Li saw the emperor step into the hall, the first thing he did was to kowtow and present the jade seal, which symbolized the power to oversee the country, to the emperor with both hands.
"His Majesty has finally returned to the capital."
Xiao Zhuo raised his hand to signal Jia Li to rise. However, after three months apart, the man in front of him looked much thinner and more haggard, with sunken cheeks. The officials behind him were also pale-faced, but their expressions were relieved.
Xiao Zhuo knew how hard everyone had worked these past few days, so he ordered an imperial edict to be drafted to reward the officials and to let them go back to rest.
As Jia Li and the other officials gradually left, he entered with him and whispered, "It's been almost three months since Your Majesty left. In these three months, I've been overwhelmed by these government affairs every day, and I haven't even been able to see my wife at home more than a few times."
"Apologize to the Duchess on my behalf," Xiao Zhuo said with a smile as he entered the study. He immediately noticed the neatly organized memorials on the table. "I know you've worked hard. Once this matter is settled, there will be no disruption to the court. I grant you a few months of leave to rest and spend some quality time with your wife."
Jia Li sighed and said, "I cannot see Her Majesty the Empress. Is Her Majesty currently in Changqiu Palace?"
"The Empress has settled her younger brother and elder sister in her residence outside the palace."
After speaking, there was a long silence before Xiao Zhuo looked up and saw Jia Li looking puzzled.
Xiao Zhuo then said, "It is her adoptive parents' younger brother raised in the Northwest, and that eldest daughter of the Yuan family."
**
After Yuan Chaolu entered Luoyang, he did not return to the palace, but instead brought Ji An to the front of a mansion.
This residence is located in the most prosperous area of Luoyang. It was the one where Yuan Chaolu temporarily lived before her marriage. However, after she entered the palace, the residence was left vacant and uninhabited.
She led her entourage across the threshold, saying, "You will stay here for the time being. It's close to the palace, making it easier to find me there. The main market of Luoyang is right outside the mansion. Once you're done tidying up, you can go for a stroll in the streets."
As Ji An walked in, he was awestruck by the grandeur of the courtyard. "Is this Luoyang? When you first came here, did you feel out of place, coming from the countryside? Did people look down on me?"
Yuan Chaolu stopped and said, "I also felt awkward when I first came here, but why should they look down on you? You will get used to this place sooner or later. If you want to go out, then go out. If you are too scared to go out alone, I will come out of the palace to accompany you when I have time."
Ji An: "I'm not afraid, I'm..."
He laughed and said, "Then you can keep me company."
Yuan Chaolu led him to the main hall. As they crossed the threshold, they saw a familiar, slender figure standing below, who must have been waiting for a long time.
"Sister, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
The woman paused slightly, turned around and saw her. Her eyes lit up, and she took a few steps forward, grasped Yuan Chaolu's hand, and after a while, lowered her voice: "How can you call me elder sister?"
Yuan Chaolu appeared before her, her legs now fully recovered, no longer needing a wheelchair, but still wearing the mask. "Sister, sister, sister, I'm going to call you sister now. We've finally gotten rid of the Lu family, sister, you can regain your original identity."
"But Your Majesty..."
"His Majesty knows."
Yuan Zhaobi was stunned, and saw a gentle look in the eyes of the person in front of her. "His Majesty knows everything. How could he blame you for deceiving the emperor? I want my sister to live with dignity and no longer have to show a mask to the world."
Yuan Chaolu turned around and introduced her to Ji An.
Yuan Zhaobi was gentle and kind, and her presence was like a spring breeze. She smiled and nodded, and spoke to him in a soft voice. Ji An was a little stiff at first, but she asked him in such a gentle way, and he gradually relaxed.
Yuan Chaolu said, "However, besides my younger brother, there is another person I would like to ask my elder sister to take a look at."
Yuan Zhaobi looked up and saw a woman stepping across the threshold and walking quickly towards the house. The woman had red eyes and had lost a lot of weight. When their eyes met, she asked in surprise, "Heyi?"
"It's me!"
Two friends who hadn't seen each other for months embraced tightly.
Yuan Zhaobi's voice was hoarse and tinged with emotion as she said, "Aju, you brought her back too."
Yuan Chaolu nodded. When she met her elder sister's senior brother in Longxi, she learned about Heyi's whereabouts from him. Heyi traveled a long way to deliver the antidote to Yuan Zhaobi. After Yuan Zhaobi woke up, he planned to return to Luoyang. Heyi was afraid that if she followed behind, her appearance or identity would cause trouble or be recognized by the Lu family. So she made up her mind to stay in the Northwest alone and wait for good news from Yuan Zhaobi.
“Heyi and her older sister grew up together. I knew her older sister would want to see her. Now that I’ve brought her here, you can all be reunited.”
Yuan Zhaobi raised her hand to wipe away her tears. Heyi had accompanied her as she escaped from the sea of fire and traveled all the way from Jiangnan to Luoyang. They had gone through life and death together and relied on each other for many years. When she was in danger or critically ill, Heyi was by her side.
She truly hadn't expected that Yuan Chaolu would keep her affairs so in mind.
“Sister…” She could no longer hold back and stepped forward to embrace Yuan Chaolu.
"The thing I regret least in my life is going to Longxi to find you."
Yuan Chao leaned his forehead against her shoulder, smelling the faint fragrance of orchids from Yuan Zhaobi's hair. The scent was not overpowering, but extremely gentle, seeping into one's heart and calming one's mind.
She said, "Sister, do you still remember what you said to me when you were lying on your sickbed in Longxi, holding my hand?"
Yuan Zhaobi looked up and saw Yuan Chaolu with tiny tears welling up in her eyes and a faint smile on her lips.
At that time, Yuan Zhaobi said...
Yuan Zhaobi's hand was held by Yuan Chaolu, the soft strength traveling from her fingertips to her heart. The girl parted her lips slightly and said, word by word, "I want to say that my sister is the same."
"May my elder sister be loved, live a peaceful and prosperous life, and enjoy wealth and honor for a hundred years."
**
As dusk settles, the palace lanterns gradually light up, like a layer of ethereal gauze, casting a soft glow over the vast imperial palace.
Inside the Xuande Hall, before the emperor's desk, ministers were reporting to him on the many events that had occurred in the court during the emperor's absence from the capital.
Xiao Zhuo leaned back in his chair, raised his hand to rub his forehead acupoints, looked up at the deepening night outside the window, and suddenly said, "Is it already evening?"
This sound interrupted the reports from the officials at the table.
Zhong Changjun, who had been by the emperor's side for many years, was extremely perceptive. He said, "It is evening. Her Majesty is still at the Yuan Mansion outside the palace."
"Has he not returned yet?"
"Never."
Xiao Zhuo then rose, dismissed his ministers, and was about to instruct Zhong Changjun to prepare a carriage to leave the palace.
But then they heard footsteps coming from the outer hall. "Is Your Majesty discussing me with your ministers behind your back?"
Yuan Chaolu walked in from outside the curtain, took off her thin cloak, and handed it to Zhong Changjun. Zhong Changjun took it, hung it up, and wisely withdrew.
The Empress wore a peach-pink silk dress. Her already beautiful appearance was further enhanced by the vibrant color, making her look like a lotus flower, delicate and charming.
Xiao Zhuo said, "This is not a discussion."
“No? But I heard His Majesty complaining that I came back late,” Yuan Chaolu said as she came to the desk. “It’s not easy for my sister and I to see each other. I rushed back in the evening just to see His Majesty. When we first got married, we only moved to Chanxu Temple for a short stay, and His Majesty said that I had forgotten him. Now that I’m back, hearing such words, I’m truly heartbroken.”
Yuan Chaolu glanced at the memorial and said, "I thought you would come to the Yuan residence to pick me up in person."
Xiao Zhuo said, "I already had this plan in mind."
“Really? I don’t believe it,” she said, turning to return to Changqiu Palace.
The next moment, she was pulled back from behind and her body was pressed against the table. She looked up at the man and saw his eyes illuminated by the candlelight. His face was close to hers, and Yuan Chaolu avoided his warm breath as he held her chin.
"The Empress said she was in a hurry to return and see me?"
Yuan Chaolu realized what it meant to be trapped in one's own web, feeling completely confined between his arms and the table, forced to answer whether it was yes or no.
He pressed on again, and Yuan Chaolu avoided the question, but her ears flushed slightly from his breath.
His deep voice filled her ears, and his hand moved up her waist, causing a slight tremor.
She denied it again. The peach-colored ribbon of her dress was entwined by his slender fingers. He looked into her eyes, his gaze locked on hers, and his fingertips curled up little by little, slowly, bit by bit, pulling on the ribbon of her dress.
The dim candlelight cast the figures of the man and woman onto the wall. The room was quiet, making the sounds of breathing and heartbeats particularly clear.
Yuan Chaolu suddenly raised her hand and grasped the skirt sash. Through the sash, she could clearly feel his strength, and she could smell the cool scent of his robes in her breath. However, she could not control her consciousness and felt her whole body getting hot under his deep gaze.
The man's hand, with its distinct knuckles, pressed against her back, circled along her waistline, revealing her incredibly soft waist.
It's like a spark meeting dry tinder; it ignites instantly.
She felt as if she were being slowly engulfed by a ball of fire. Suddenly, her fingertips lost their strength, and she watched helplessly as the ribbon of her skirt was completely pulled away.
The silk and satin fell to the ground, and his lips pressed down upon it.
"Ugh..." Their breaths mingled, and the temperature became scalding hot.
He lifted her up and kissed her on the table. There were mountains of memorials all around, which restricted her movements. Yuan Chaolu braced herself with her arms behind her back, and when she accidentally touched them, most of the memorials tipped over.
There was a rocking chair in the hall. He pulled her down, supporting himself with only one arm beside her, but he frowned and hissed.
Yuan Chaolu asked, "What's wrong?"
She looked at his arm and suddenly realized that he had an injury there.
Xiao Zhuo propped himself up with his other hand, pressing down on Yuan Chaolu's body. He suddenly lifted himself up, causing the rocking chair to sway. He said, "My arm hurts so much, I can't hold on for long."
Yuan Chaolu sat up. "Shall I call the imperial physician for you?"
Xiao Zhuo raised his head, his eyes looking at her quietly, and said with some helplessness, "My arm hurts so much that I really can't exert any force."
What does it mean to be unable to exert force...?
He lay down on the chair, his fingertips encircling her waist and pressing against her body. She sat on him, then slightly raised her waist, causing the rocking chair to sway gently.
Yuan Chaolu looked at him and saw the corners of his lips slightly upturned.
"I'll have to trouble my cousin to do it for me tonight."
Yuan Chaolu's cheeks flushed with a drunken hue, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and then he placed his hands on the armrests on both sides of the rocking chair, deliberately leaning his body down a little. I saw his neck tense up and his Adam's apple bob up and down.
With a "clack," Yuan Chaolu placed her hand on his belt and gently untied it. As she placed her hands on it, she could feel and see his waist and abdomen contract slightly through the silk.
"Does Your Majesty really intend to have my cousin do it? But my cousin is quite reckless."
Xiao Zhuo placed his hands on her legs, which were straddling his sides, hooking them around the hem of her dress, his fingertips entwining them, slowly tightening his grip. "Cousin, lend a hand. In the past, I was the only one serving you, and every time you woke up the next day, you were always refreshed and full of energy."
Yuan Chaolu bit her lip, leaned down, her long hair cascading down her face, and said softly, "I think Your Majesty is doing very well, clearly full of energy."
"Then my cousin can give it a try," he said lazily, his eyes burning with an intense heat that was hard to look away from.
The rocking chair was already incredibly cramped for one person, and with Yuan Chaolu added, it became even more restrictive, shaking uncontrollably with the slightest movement.
With a creak, the chair leg scraped against the brick floor, leaving a short, piercing sound that echoed repeatedly in the silent hall.
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Sorry for the long wait, my darlings! This chapter was written slowly, so here's a red envelope for you~
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