Chapter 153 Night Visit to Lanxiang Pavilion
That night.
Orchid Fragrance Pavilion.
Emperor Zhaoheng had been busy for a long time, and it was nearly midnight when he stepped into the Lanxiang Pavilion.
He thought Narcissus had already gone to bed, but after asking Tinglu, he learned that Narcissus was in the warm spring in the west courtyard.
Emperor Zhaoheng went to the warm spring to find her again, and what he saw was Narcissus sleeping soundly on a soft couch next to the warm spring.
She must have been waiting for him. A book beside her had fallen among the orchids on the ground. She leaned against one of her arms, her skirt trailing to the ground, the thin gauze gently brushing against the grass in the wind.
"Xian'er".
He came to her side and softly called her name.
Narcissus seemed disturbed, but she wasn't fully awake. She just rolled over in place, but luckily the soft couch was wide enough that she didn't fall to the ground.
Emperor Zhaoheng gently tucked the stray strands of hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear and patiently combed them back.
"Hmm."
Narcissus then awoke, her eyes brimming with moisture, like a warm spring in the distance, and gazed directly into Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes.
"emperor......"
She hesitated, then, under Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze, rose and prepared to kneel down in the overgrown area.
However, before her knees even touched the ground, Emperor Zhaoheng supported her with his hand.
"Didn't I tell you? Don't kneel down so easily."
Emperor Zhaoheng sighed deeply, his sword-like eyebrows furrowed, as if he were somewhat angry.
"yes."
Narcissus sat on the couch, her hands folded in front of her.
The moonlight shone down, brighter than the palace lanterns among the orchids, clearly illuminating her profile and making her twin body appear even more rounded.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not sit beside her, but his gaze kept falling on her thin clothes.
"You're dressed so scantily, let's go inside and talk."
As he spoke, he turned to go into the room of Lanxiang Pavilion.
Shui Xian waited for Emperor Zhao Heng tonight, but he had not yet gone to bed. Naturally, the maids who served him closely were also not in bed, and they were all waiting for their two masters in the room.
Emperor Zhaoheng took a few steps in that direction, but did not hear any footsteps following him.
He turned around and saw that Narcissus was still sitting on the soft couch, her face down and tears streaming down her face.
She didn't even make a sound when she cried. If the moonlight hadn't shone on her tears, reflecting a dim light, Emperor Zhaoheng might not have even noticed that she was crying.
"Xian'er".
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart softened, and he turned back and sat on the soft couch beside her.
He turned her face towards him with his hand and gently wiped away the tears that rolled down her cheeks with his long, slender fingers.
"Why are you crying?"
Narcissus didn't turn her head away, but slowly raised her eyes and gazed at him with eyes that seemed to have been soaked in water.
"Your Majesty, I confess my guilt."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaoheng's heart tightened.
"What crime?"
"Your Majesty, I do not know, but whatever crime Your Majesty asks me to confess, I will confess."
As she spoke, tears began to fall as if they were free.
Looking at her aggrieved appearance, Emperor Zhaoheng felt a touch of amusement in his otherwise heavy heart.
"What kind of talk is this?"
Emperor Zhaoheng took the handkerchief she was holding and carefully wiped away her tears.
"I command you, do not say such foolish things again."
Narcissus's cheeks were smeared with his handkerchief. She snatched the handkerchief from Emperor Zhaoheng's hand with a little force and glared at him angrily.
"Your Majesty is not foolish... Your Majesty understands your predicament, and I am willing to suffer in Your Majesty's place..."
Although she didn't say it explicitly, Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't help but recall the previous times.
Indeed, regardless of whether he trusted Narcissus or not, it seems that Narcissus was the one who ultimately suffered injustice.
While Emperor Zhaoheng remained silent, Shui Xian continued speaking with a pitiful expression.
"It's not like I haven't been to the Cold Palace before. I can endure hardship, but I'm afraid it will cause suffering to the child in my womb..."
As she spoke, she gently stroked her clearly pregnant belly.
In that instant, seeing her so aggrieved, Emperor Zhaoheng had a moment of reflection.
He is clearly the most honorable emperor of the Great Qi, so why does he repeatedly allow his women and children to suffer injustice?
Emperor Zhaoheng quickly thought of Yongning. Since being poisoned, he had summoned almost all the best doctors in the Imperial Medical Academy and even sought out reliable experts from outside the palace, all to take care of Yongning's health.
Although those people assured him that the remaining poison had been cleared and would most likely not affect Yongning's health.
But as a father, the thought of his snowball-like child being poisoned still breaks his heart.
Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't help but feel a desire to protect him.
He reached out and hugged Narcissus tightly. "I will not let you and the prince suffer any more injustices. Trust me!"
Narcissus buried her head in his arms and nodded heavily.
Emperor Zhaoheng felt a surge of tenderness as she leaned against him.
He waited until she calmed down a bit before releasing her from his embrace, holding her shoulders and examining her from a distance.
Seeing her adorable face with red, tear-filled eyes, Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't help but tease her in a low voice.
"Didn't you severely punish Consort Yun and Noble Lady Yao this afternoon? Why are you acting all wronged now?"
His words were only teasing, not blaming.
But Shui Xian pretended not to understand, and gently twisted her shoulder, shaking off Emperor Zhaoheng's hand that was holding her shoulder.
"Your Majesty thought that Your Majesty came to blame me today. I had finally gained Your Majesty's trust, but after going through all this trouble, Your Majesty still wants to blame me on behalf of Consort Yun and Noble Lady Yao."
"What kind of talk is this?"
Emperor Zhaoheng wanted to hold her hand, but Shuixian deliberately pulled her hand away, refusing to let him hold it.
"I had just left the garden when I overheard Consort Yun and Noble Lady Yao making sarcastic remarks about me around the corner. How could I possibly tolerate this? If..."
Before she could finish speaking, Emperor Zhaoheng interrupted her.
"Why are you saying such hurtful things again?"
He raised his hand, gently stroked the bridge of her nose, and finally tapped the tip of her nose with his fingertip before putting it down.
"Where did I say I wanted to blame you? If I wanted to blame you, why would I have reprimanded them?"
"real?"
Shui Xian's eyes lit up. When she looked over at that moment, Emperor Zhaoheng felt that the light in her eyes was brighter than the moonlight at night.
"How could I lie to you!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's thin lips curled into a faint smile. "I granted you the power to assist in managing the six palaces so that you could control them. Today's matter is a minor one. I have already severely reprimanded them and told them not to come to me with similar trivial matters in the future."
Narcissus blinked slightly, seemingly moved by his attitude.
Seeing that she seemed about to burst into tears again, Emperor Zhaoheng quickly took her hand and led everyone to stand up.
"It's late and the dew is heavy. You're dressed too lightly. Come back with me quickly, or you'll catch a cold here."
His deep voice was filled with doting affection for her, "I don't care if you punish the concubines, but if you catch a cold and harm the unborn child in your womb, I will punish you!"
As the two walked from the direction of the warm spring, past the screen, and into the house, Narcissus felt the night breeze.
Emperor Zhaoheng took off his cloak and draped it over her.
The warmth replaced the cool night breeze. Narcissus adjusted her cloak and smiled gratefully at him.
Emperor Zhaoheng gazed at her, a smile unconsciously appearing on his handsome face.
The man's smile was faint, but his affection was genuine.
What Tinglu, who was guarding the door, saw was such a harmonious scene of the emperor and empress arriving hand in hand.
The anxiety that had been building up since she saw Yi Guichun finally subsided completely.
Fortunately, the Emperor still cares about the Empress.
Tinglu admired the Empress more and more. She had been flustered, and even more worried when the Empress punished Consort Yun and Noble Lady Yao, fearing that the Emperor would punish the Empress for it.
However, the empress at that time was extremely confident and told her to rest assured.
Unexpectedly, just as the Empress thought, the Emperor really did not blame her!
As she entered, Shui Xian glanced up and met Ting Lu's bright, sparkling gaze.
She seemed to know what Tinglu was thinking and what Tinglu was worried about, and gave her a faint smile.
Emperor Zhaoheng will stay overnight at Lanxiang Pavilion tonight. After receiving the order, Tinglu will make the arrangements.
Shui Xian then went to the inner chamber with Emperor Zhao Heng. Shui Xian usually valued her privacy, so there weren't many people serving her in the inner chamber.
At this time, the inner room was empty, and Emperor Zhaoheng, knowing Shui Xian's personality, did not find it strange.
As Shui Xian set aside the cloak bestowed upon her by Emperor Zhaoheng, and turned to personally pour tea for him, she heard him suddenly speak in a deep voice:
"When we released Lady Yi from the Cold Palace, we had already restored her to the rank of Consort."
Upon suddenly mentioning Yi Guichun, Shui Xian paused in her tea-pouring motion and slowly put down the teapot.
Noticing the calm gaze of the narcissus, Emperor Zhaoheng took the teacup and gently stroked the outer wall of the white porcelain cup with his fingertips.
He continued, "She woke up tonight and revealed that the Empress Dowager arranged for her to come here, all for Yi Xingyao's great victory in the Northwest..."
"It's good that she has regained her senses, so it's a double blessing."
"I have considered this, and now that she has recovered, I will restore her to the rank of Consort."
After listening, Narcissus remained silent for a long time before saying, "Your Majesty... are you explaining something to me?"
Emperor Zhaoheng pursed his thin lips, a hint of displeasure rising to his face.
As an emperor, why would he need to explain his decision to a concubine?
Then, meeting Narcissus's tender gaze, he changed his words from reproach to a gentle reply.
"I hope to gain your understanding."
He knew how much Shui Xian had suffered at Yi Guichun's hands, but now was a time when he needed people, and he couldn't directly slap the Yi family in the face.
Narcissus: "Your Majesty is very happy... He will come and explain to me..."
Emperor Zhaoheng felt relieved to see that she was obedient and compliant.
"Xian'er, I will never let you down."
He stood up and pulled her into his arms, his voice hoarse and deep.
However, unseen by him, Narcissus's originally gentle eyes gradually turned cold.
Yi Guichun, only when you leave the Empress Dowager's protection.
This time I will finally get my revenge!
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