Chapter 30 A long-lost, indescribable sense of pleasure...
If the Yuan Dynasty were to openly select the Prince of Yan, it would inevitably offend the emperor. If they did not express their gratitude at this time and conveniently let bygones be bygones, who knows when they would have the chance to meet the emperor again.
But if the emperor were chosen instead of the Prince of Yan, perhaps there would never again be such a natural opportunity to let the Prince of Yan show his vulnerable side and evoke his sympathy...
Yuan Chaolu finally turned her head to look at the person beside her. The Prince of Yan seemed to notice something, "Second Miss?"
She reached out and gently tugged at his sleeve, leading him two steps behind the pillar. "It's getting late, and the palace gates will probably be locked soon. I don't know if we can still make it in time. I'm worried that it will be inconvenient for Your Highness to travel at night, so perhaps you should go back first. I'll go with His Majesty first."
As she finished speaking, she clearly saw Xiao Luozhi's eyes dim for a moment.
A moment later, he raised the corners of his lips, a casual smile on his face: "Go ahead, it's important for you to thank your brother."
Yuan Chaolu hummed in agreement, slowly releasing the corner of his sleeve from her palm. She was about to leave when she turned back and said, "Last time, the Prince of Yan asked me when I would be free. Tomorrow evening, I will have some free time and can leave the palace."
Xiao Luozhi's originally dull eyes suddenly sparkled with a faint light: "Really?"
Yuan Chaolu smiled and said, "Your Highness mentioned earlier that you acquired some paintings from the Wu region, is that right? If Your Highness would like to invite me to appreciate the paintings, we can meet outside the palace gates at this time tomorrow."
Yuan Chaolu received his definite reply and turned to walk forward. When she was almost in front of the emperor, she suddenly realized that she was downwind and could clearly hear her conversation with the Prince of Yan.
However, the emperor's expression remained unchanged. Yuan Chaolu did not know how much he had heard, so she did not go forward, but followed him from a distance, a few feet behind the emperor.
Palace maids held ram's horn lanterns, swaying them in the night, their hazy light spilling onto the bluestone slabs.
I walked along the winding corridors, past the meandering palace paths and swaying flowerbeds. I did not encounter a single palace servant along the way.
The emperor's entourage was here, and the palace servants all made way early.
This was the first time she had experienced the privileges and conveniences that came with being in such a class. The magnificent palace was cold and desolate, with countless dangers lurking in the shadows. She felt like she was walking on thin ice in it, but to the emperor, it was all he owned.
Yuan Chaolu raised her head and looked at the figure in front of her, outlined by the moonlight.
Several days have passed since we parted at Chanxu Temple.
The image of me pulling his hand to cover my chest flashed into my mind.
She should have clearly understood the implication in his eyes that he had mistaken her for someone else, and noticed the resistance in his actions, but she made one mistake after another, even going so far as to hold onto his palm and refuse to let go, allowing him to apply force...
Yuan Chaolu felt a faint warmth spreading across her chest, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.
His Majesty was as pure as a gentle breeze and as bright as the moon, and all under heaven submitted to him. He was praised by the people as a flawless immortal. From the moment she first met him, she could hardly detect any fluctuations in his emotions. When she did that, he smiled and withdrew his hand, repeatedly saying "very good" to her. He must have been offended and furious.
But there was still one thing that kept troubling Yuan Chaolu: what exactly did he do to her the night before?
When she woke up then, she felt a burning pain in her chest, as if needles were pricking her. But now, the figure before her, bathed in moonlight, was majestic like a flawless jade mountain, completely unlike someone who would do such a thing to her. Could it be that she was just imagining things...?
Lost in thought, he lost track of where he had wandered off to. All around him was quiet and deserted; the palace servants had long since dispersed, and only he and the emperor remained on the long corridor.
Yuan Chaolu called out, "Your Majesty."
The figure stopped. Yuan Chaolu lowered her eyes politely and said, "This humble woman has many things she wishes to say to Your Majesty tonight, but she does not know how to begin. The first thing is to thank Your Majesty for stepping in to help this humble woman out of this predicament today. The second thing is..."
She gently clenched her hands beneath her sleeves, raised her head, and saw the emperor standing in the shadows by the corridor, half his face bathed in moonlight, looking at her with an inscrutable gaze.
The palace servants should be attending to him, so why are they nowhere to be seen? There must be only one possibility: that he gave the order.
Yuan Chaolu composed herself and stepped forward. As she approached, she smelled the fragrance of gardenias carried by the evening breeze from the corridor.
A cool breeze blew gently in the summer evening, lifting the stray hairs at her temples. Yuan Chaolu raised her head, her eyes reflecting the emperor's sharply defined face. He was looking at her with a smile, but the smile seemed utterly insincere.
She took a deep breath: "The second thing is to apologize to His Majesty."
The Emperor asked softly, "What is there to apologize for?"
This was a difficult question to answer. Yuan Chaolu could only manage to squeeze out a sentence after a long pause: "Please forgive my daughter for offending Your Majesty at Chanxu Temple."
The emperor shook his head. "Tell me, what did you do?"
Yuan Chaolu replied again: "My daughter's behavior was improper, her words were unruly and lacked decorum."
She was already quite tall for a woman, but she was still far shorter than him. So the emperor lowered his face slightly to accommodate her and let her tell him everything she had done.
“I accidentally fell into His Majesty’s arms,” Yuan Chaolu said, her voice trembling. Forced by his indifferent gaze, she could only steel herself and continue, “Afterwards, I took His Majesty’s hand and placed it on…”
At this point, she found it difficult to continue. Yuan Chaolu's ears turned so red they almost bled. She felt that he was really holding a grudge and said, "At that time, I mistook Your Majesty for the Prince of Yan, which is why I lost my composure for a moment."
The Emperor asked, "Would you have acted the same way if you were facing the Prince of Yan?"
Yuan Chaolu was taken aback, let out a puzzled "Ah", and then lowered her head, her gaze falling on the silvery silk on his robe, and said, "This subject knows that she has committed a capital offense. She has been repenting at home for some time, but she is worried every day about Your Majesty's punishment."
Xiao Zhuo laughed and said, "Since you know you deserve to die, have you thought of how to atone for your sins and admit your mistake?"
A gentle evening breeze caused the palace lanterns to sway. Yuan Chaolu heard the rustling of flowers behind her, remained silent for a while, and then said, "Your Majesty's intentions are clear. Your Majesty teaches me poetry and books, hoping that I will learn etiquette. However, because my foundation is weak, I always feel resistant. But poetry and books have not done me any harm. I will definitely study diligently in the future and live up to Your Majesty's wishes."
Xiao Zhuo asked, "Anything else?"
Yuan Chaolu pondered for a moment, thinking that since he valued her studies so much, he must like a well-educated young lady. So she said, "I will be obedient and dutiful, and I will not be as rude as before."
Xiao Zhuo raised an eyebrow slightly: "Were you like this before?"
These words came out of nowhere, and Yuan Chaolu was puzzled, looking at him with blank eyes.
Yuan Chaolu, having been stared at by him for a long time, turned her head slightly. Just then, a breeze came, and a few strands of her black hair fluttered in the wind, inadvertently brushing against his cheek. He did not flinch at all, his gaze calm as still water, letting the black hair brush against his face, spread out, and linger on his cheek.
"Your Majesty asks how I should admit my mistake?" Yuan Chaolu said sincerely. "After much thought, I understand that I should not disappoint Your Majesty's kindness in teaching me. Why don't I return to Your Majesty's side and study my lessons diligently again?"
"You want to come back?"
Yuan Chaolu immediately nodded: "I do."
No, not at all.
Her eyes were clear: "I hope Your Majesty will give me another chance. I know that Your Majesty summoned me to the palace because you want to give me another chance, right?"
Tonight, she remained bold, daring to speculate on the emperor's intentions. While claiming to be respectfully admitting her mistake, every word she uttered was actually testing the emperor's bottom line.
Just like that day at Chanxu Temple, she awkwardly yet boldly took his hand, making him feel as if he were holding hot coals, experiencing her rapid, pounding heartbeat.
Xiao Zhuo found it laughable; no one had ever dared to do such a thing to him before.
As evening approached, she stood in the Penglai Palace, neither humble nor arrogant, demanding justice for herself and making the princes apologize to her. Her actions were unrestrained and even reckless, and Xiao Zhuo had already pieced together a rough understanding of her.
This woman is definitely not as weak as she previously appeared.
Yuan Chaolu said, "I know that Your Majesty still pities me and wants me to enter the palace to receive instruction from female officials, doesn't that right?" Her voice trailed off with a slight upward slant.
Xiao Zhuo gazed at her, his eyes reflecting the moonlight like a still lake.
No, you don't know.
Yuan Chaolu, even I don't know what I'm doing. Why was I summoned to the palace again?
He had intended to have no further connection with her after their parting at Chanxu Temple, but after returning to the palace, he unintentionally asked the palace servants several times where her studies were.
This shouldn't have happened.
Even knowing that her pitiful past was nothing more than a pity-seeking tactic, half-truths and half-lies, I shouldn't believe her too easily. But the way she lied was just too convincing.
Like a demon in a mountain stream that eats people's hearts, smiling as a flower, yet plotting to bewitch people.
The days of quiet meditation in the Buddhist temple were too monotonous. Even with the power of heaven and earth in his hands, it was difficult to stir up any emotions in his heart. So when she appeared, he felt a ripple of emotion that he hadn't felt in a long time.
On the parade ground, she rode her celestial horse, and his praise for her was not the perfunctory pretense he showed to others.
So he still wanted to see what else she could do to stir his heartstrings.
The night breeze swept through the corridor, and her hair fluttered in the wind, a strand brushing against his cheek. Xiao Zhuo tilted his head back slightly and felt her suddenly approach, a strand of her hair still wrapped around his neck like seaweed.
Xiao Zhuo felt a strange sensation emerging in his body, a long-lost and indescribable pleasure.
Afraid of offending him, Yuan Chaolu stood on tiptoe and reached out to untangle her tangled hair. Her fingertips inevitably brushed against his neck, and she saw his prominent Adam's apple slide lightly under her fingertips, causing her wrist to tremble slightly.
They both recalled the scene at Chanxu Temple, where she tried to kiss him but he avoided it, and her lips brushed against his Adam's apple, creating a similar rolling motion.
Yuan Chaolu seemed oblivious, raised her head and laughed, "In that case, I will take my leave now. I will come to pay my respects to Your Majesty again after school the day after tomorrow."
“Tomorrow.” He raised his long eyebrows slightly.
Yuan Chaolu thought to herself, "I have an appointment to meet the Prince of Yan," but she still said, "Okay."
She smiled and turned away, hiding her trembling fingertips in her sleeve when the emperor couldn't see her.
Tonight she had hoped to ease tensions with the Emperor somewhat, but things hadn't gone so smoothly. Offending the Emperor would bring her no benefit whatsoever, so she should naturally treat him with utmost respect.
After taking a few steps, Yuan Chaolu turned back and bowed gracefully, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has truly treated me very well."
Xiao Zhuo watched her receding figure, then looked up at the lanterns under the eaves. Moths were tirelessly drawn to the dim yellow light, only to be burned by the raging flames.
My younger sister-in-law is too trusting of people, easily trusts them, and acts without considering the consequences. Sometimes she does things with a "scorched earth" mentality, leaving no way out. She has never been taught many principles of life.
In this case, it would be bad if one encountered someone with ulterior motives.
He needs to be taught a lesson again, doesn't he?
A cool night breeze and a thin mist gently brushed across Xiao Zhuo's aloof face.
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Author's note: Morning Dew: If you think I'm special, it's because of my personal charm.
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