Chapter 37 Promotion and Virtue
The rain was incessant, with no sign of stopping. The branches of the trees swayed in the wind, and the chill it brought penetrated the bones of the people, making them shiver uncontrollably.
Cold raindrops slid down my cheeks, and everything in front of me seemed blurry and hazy.
Half a moment has passed.
Wen Wanyu's limbs were numb, he had a severe headache, his body was weak, and he leaned weakly against Bai Su.
Zi Lian, holding an umbrella, took the opportunity to embarrass him, "Miss Wen, only half a minute has passed. There's still an hour and a half left. Even if you're not feeling well, I still want you to kneel for two hours."
Bai Su glared at her angrily.
Immediately, he touched Wen Wanyu's forehead and found it was incredibly hot. Bai Su couldn't help but angrily retorted, "Who can endure being punished by kneeling in the rain for two hours? What's more, the young lady is already weak. If something happens, can you bear the responsibility?"
Zi Lian dismissed him and said leisurely, "So what? This is the order of Empress Zhao Yuan. I dare not disobey. I hope that Master Wen will persist."
"Rules are dead, but people are alive." Wen Wanyu closed his eyes, his lips pale.
Bai Su became more and more anxious, and could only use his body to shield her from the rain, choking with sobs, "Our young lady really can't hold on any longer."
Zilian sneered and tried to pretend he didn't see it.
However, the moment she turned around, she was completely dumbfounded——
The emperor is here.
The emperor didn't even look at her, his eyes were fixed on the person kneeling on the ground.
Xie Junyao frowned. The rain did not make her look disheveled, but made her even more eye-catching.
Raindrops continued to fall on her face, melting into tiny drops that flowed down her cheeks. Her clothes were completely soaked and her hair was messy.
"She." Xie Junyao's voice was filled with the imminent threat of a storm: "Fifty strokes of the cane."
This her, is self-evident.
Wen Wanyu heard the voice. She forced herself to open her eyes, stretched out her delicate hands to tug at the corner of his clothes, a thin mist covering her eyes. "Please seek the Emperor's protection."
Xie Junyao's heart softened. Ripples began to form in his heart.
He was an emperor, so what was wrong with him protecting a concubine?
He squatted down and stroked her face. She rubbed her face in his palm like a lazy cat.
I wiped away the water droplets on her face with heartache, not knowing whether they were rain or tears.
Said: "Okay."
Wen Wanyu smiled, and finally couldn't hold on any longer, she fell into his arms, but her hands subconsciously grabbed the hem of his clothes.
Like a ship that has been drifting on the sea for a long time, it finally found a safe haven that belongs only to her.
Xie Junyao bent down, picked up Wen Wanyu, who was already delirious with fever, and strode towards Chang Lixuan.
Li Dexian held an umbrella for Xie Junyao and Wen Wanyu while ordering the eunuchs, "Didn't you hear what the emperor said? Hurry up and take her away and give her fifty lashes of the cane."
Zi Lian threw away her umbrella in fear and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please spare my life, Your Majesty, please forgive me... Empress Zhao Yuan, please save me..."
His voice was trembling and sharp, and his body was shaking, which was completely different from the condescending and sarcastic look he had just had.
The sound soon died down because her mouth was tightly covered by the eunuch, leaving only the sound of her struggling.
Fifty strokes of the cane resulted in disability if not death. If one died, the body would be thrown into a mass grave; if one survived, they would be assigned to the Xinzheku.
Li Dexian was almost a head shorter than Xie Junyao, so it was very inconvenient for him to hold the umbrella.
His only responsibility was to protect the emperor's body from harm, so he often let the rain fall on Wen Wanyu.
Whenever this happened, Xie Junyao would always glance at him and tell Li Dexian not to bother with him.
When they arrived at Changlixuan, Qingdai and Siyun were stunned to see the emperor holding the fainted young lady, and then ran to the small kitchen to boil water.
Xie Junyao placed her on the bed very gently.
Her hand was still tightly grasping the corner of her clothes, unwilling to let go.
Xie Junyao couldn't bear to pry her hands apart, so he just sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at her quietly.
Li Dexian saw that the emperor had no intention of changing out of his wet clothes. Wearing wet clothes for too long would cause a cold, so he said anxiously, "Your Majesty, your clothes are wet too. I've sent someone to get them. Please change them first."
"No rush." Xie Junyao slowly reached out his hand and brushed the loose hair stuck to Wen Wanyu's cheeks behind her ears.
"When will the imperial physician arrive?"
Li Dexian said, "I have already sent someone to urge them."
…
It was already the afternoon of the next day when Deng Wen Wanyu woke up.
Wen Wanyu held up his heavy head.
Still a little confused.
She was punished to kneel and was drenched in rain for a while. Then the emperor came, but she had no memory of what happened after that.
When Qingdai saw her wake up, she put down the basin and pouted, about to cry: "My lady, you are finally awake. You scared us to death."
Wen Wanyu glanced out the window and said, "I seem to have slept for a long time."
It was so bright outside that it felt like I had teleported to the next day.
"You slept for almost the whole day. You scared me to death."
Wen Wanyu smiled weakly at her.
Thinking of Bai Sulai, regardless of the discomfort in his body, he struggled to sit up: "Bai Su was also caught in the rain. He was also slapped. What about her? How is she?"
Qing Dai helped her sit up and said, "My lady, don't worry. Bai Su has a low fever and is resting in the house after taking medicine."
Wen Wanyu nodded.
She recalled the past two months. Since entering the palace, she had been cautious and patient, thinking that "sleeping on straw and tasting gall with three thousand soldiers of Yue could conquer Wu", but in the end, this was not the path that suited her.
Blindly tolerating and hiding your edge will only make them worse.
It’s better to change the path. If no one offends me, I won’t offend anyone. If someone offends me, I will give him a needle in return. If someone offends me again, I will cut the grass and eradicate it completely.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Qing Dai smiled and said, "My lady, you are already a virtuous person!"
"Deyi?"
"Well, the emperor has promoted you!"
Qingdai whispered, "The Emperor demoted Xu Zhaoyuan another rank! She's now a Concubine."
Wen Wanyu just nodded, his face calm.
————
Jinxiu Palace
Concubine Wan listened quietly to Hua Shan's story. After a moment's silence, she suppressed her anger. "How is Concubine Xu now? Is she crying and making a fuss?"
"Your Majesty, your guess is correct. Concubine Xu cannot accept being demoted twice in one day and then confined for three months. She is crying and making a fuss, begging to see the Emperor."
Concubine Wan frowned and blurted out, "Useless thing."
Even at this time, he still knows how to cry and make a fuss.
"The maid died?"
Painted Shan replied, "When he was caned thirty times, he was already on the verge of death. I heard that when he died, his eyes were still glaring with anger."
It sounds bloody and makes people feel uneasy.
Concubine Wan closed her eyes and rubbed her brows: "Why did Concubine Xu have a conflict with Wen Deyi?"
"...Xu Jieyu seemed to be waiting in front of Wuyou Palace on purpose, deliberately making things difficult for Wen Deyi and venting her anger. After Wen Deyi said something, Xu Jieyu became even more furious and made Wen Deyi kneel on the ground, but no one knew what they said."
"Is the Emperor still in Changlixuan?"
Hua Shan glanced at Concubine Wan's face before saying, "Your Majesty, the Emperor is still in Changlixuan."
Since it was Wen Deyi who said something that caused Concubine Xu to lose control and make him kneel down, it was obvious that Wen Deyi had deliberately provoked Concubine Xu's anger. Even Painted Fan knew about this, but Concubine Xu didn't know it.
Concubine Wan had a vague suspicion that Wen Wanyu was more difficult to deal with than anyone else.
The emperor not only promoted her position, but also demoted Concubine Xu's position.
No matter what, Concubine Xu can no longer be relied upon.
"Write a letter to father and eldest brother, asking them to find a way to rescue Lin Fenyi's brother. Do what you can, but don't involve the Yang family. Also, ask them to investigate the Wen family."
Hua Shan nodded: "Yes, don't worry, Your Majesty."
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