Wei Huaixu was not surprised at all to see her.
"You have entered my bedchamber without prior notice. When did you become so disrespectful?"
Liu Shushu snorted lightly, "Why didn't you say I had no manners when you were lying in front of me, covered in wounds?"
Wei Huaixu lifted his eyelids, glanced at her, and said coldly, "Don't mention the past in front of me. I'll remind you again, be careful what you say to me in the future, otherwise, I can't guarantee that you can sit securely on the throne of Empress."
"Well, you..." Liu Shushu laughed, but there was a hint of bitterness in her voice. "I should have expected this. You can even do this to your own brother and biological father. I shouldn't have hoped to be the exception."
"Stop acting crazy here, go back to your palace!"
"No! Wei Huaixu, have you forgotten? You promised me that you would only have me as your wife in this life! But we have never consummated our marriage. Now you want to marry another woman, and even treat her with the respect due to an empress, but with the title of a concubine. How am I, the empress of a country, supposed to live like this?"
Wei Huaixu frowned, staring at her for a long time before saying, "Liu Shushu, have you forgotten? We made a promise from the beginning: you would help me conquer the world, and I would make you the most honored woman in the land. I have already defied all opposition to make you empress, fulfilling my promise. What more do you want?"
"But because of you, my reputation is ruined. Even if I become empress, I will not be able to win people's hearts. You know I hate Liu Qingying to the core, yet you treat me like this for her sake. I will not accept this!"
"If you're not happy, then keep it to yourself!" Wei Huaixu's eyes were cold and his voice was as cold as ice: "What I do is none of your business! I have been more than kind to you, so I hope you will not be ungrateful!"
Liu Shushu was startled by the fleeting yet incredibly clear killing intent in his eyes, and took a step back in a daze, almost losing her balance.
After a moment, she knelt down, trembling, and said blankly, "Your Majesty, I take my leave."
After leaving the Imperial Palace, Liu Shushu seemed to wake up from a dream.
“Yes, how could I forget? This person is not Wei Huaixu at all. He is Yin Shuli, a demon who crawled out of hell to take lives. How can I place my hopes on him? It seems that I have forgotten the pain of the past after living a good life for too long.”
She murmured softly.
"I was so foolish, I was so angry I lost my mind. He's riding high right now, how could I be so stupid as to go and provoke him? He's the emperor, he's not to be questioned, I should be going along with him..."
Once she had sorted out her thoughts, Liu Shushu put away her dejected state and returned to her palace with an air of authority.
She now resides in the former palace of Consort Yan, while the palace that should have been the Empress's residence is currently under renovation. During the palace coup, Prince An's men destroyed many palace buildings, and now repairs are underway throughout the palace.
"I have to learn to back down. I must consummate my marriage with the Emperor before Liu Qingying enters the palace," she thought to herself.
...
Qingying had been secretly inquiring about Wei Dongchen's whereabouts for the past few days. She was relieved to learn that he was indeed safe and that the Emperor's summons was on its way.
"You've become the Emperor's concubine just like that. How heartbroken the Crown Prince will be when he returns and finds out," Xie Jiaoying couldn't help but feel sorry for Wei Dongchen.
"That's why I entered the palace before he returned, to prevent him from causing any more trouble and incurring His Majesty's wrath."
The Prince Yu's mansion is in a very awkward situation. Although it did not participate in the rebellion, Prince Yu is the biological son of the Empress Dowager in the Cold Palace. The more favored he was in the past, the more desolate he is now.
Because of her, Wei Huaixu already harbored resentment towards Wei Dongchen. If any further trouble were to occur, Wei Huaixu would likely not tolerate him.
"If it weren't for Princess Yu, you two would have been married long ago."
"Perhaps we were truly destined to be apart."
Xie Jiaoying ate a segment of orange, frowned and said, "Actually, if you ask me, it's a good thing that you didn't marry into the Prince Yu's mansion."
"Oh? How do you know?"
“Since Princess Yu looks down on you so much, you’re bound to be tormented by her if you marry into the family. You know, the conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been an age-old problem. Even if Wei Dongchen chooses to stand on your side, the princess is still his mother. It’s not good to leave him caught in the middle forever. For the sake of family harmony, you, as the younger generation, will eventually have to compromise.”
Qingying looked at her and smiled, "You seem to know a lot about these things in marriage."
"You'll understand once you've seen enough. My cousin's mother-in-law is a difficult person to deal with. My cousin has only been married to her for less than three years, and she's already practically turned into a turtle by herself."
"What's the meaning?"
"Just swallow your anger every day."
"Hahahaha..." Qingying was so amused by her funny words that she laughed until tears welled up in her eyes.
Finally, Xie Jiaoying advised, "Once you enter the palace, you can no longer trust Emperor Wei... He treated you the way he did before, saying it was just a temporary measure, but in the end, you still suffered. A man like that is capable of anything for his own benefit. If he can abandon you once, he can abandon you a second time."
“I know.” Qingying’s gaze became somewhat distant as she slowly said, “I will not consider him my husband.”
"ah?"
“He is the emperor, and I am a concubine. In the palace, only by receiving his favor can we live a good life. In order to enjoy happiness, I have to treat him as my master.”
Xie Jiaoying gave her a thumbs up, "You're amazing."
Qingying smiled gently, "Don't worry, once I rise to prominence, you'll definitely get your share of the benefits."
"Alright then, I'll be counting on Your Highness's meteoric rise to power."
The two looked at each other and suddenly burst into laughter.
...
The auspicious day chosen by Wei Huaixu was the sixth day of the sixth lunar month.
On this day, Qingying, dressed in her wedding attire, came out of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and entered the palace through the left gate of the palace in a decorated carriage. The procession was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, creating a lively atmosphere.
The people were talking about it, saying that the new emperor was showing great favor to his concubine, and that the procession for taking her in was even more grand than when he married the empress.
Leaving aside the irregular phoenix coronet and embroidered robes and the bridal carriage, the betrothal ceremony itself was enough for them to boast about. The emperor betrothing his imperial concubine was unprecedented since the founding of the Eastern Lin Kingdom.
Everyone was waiting to see the queen make a fool of herself.
She herself, with an air of dignity and virtue, personally greeted Qingying at the palace gate with a smile and escorted her into the newly built Baoyi Palace.
Looking at her gentle expression, Qingying couldn't help but feel a sense of awe. "She's really amazing. She's only been in the palace for a little over a month and she's already mastered a mask. It's even better than her disguise skills."
Liu Shushu held her hand and said gently, "I am truly happy that my sister has come to the palace. We sisters must take care of each other in this palace."
Looking out for each other?
It's more like they're mutually repulsive.
Qingying silently complained to herself.
But she smiled innocently, "Great! Since you entered the palace, my residence has become much quieter. I've been thinking about you day and night, hoping to continue to be by your side. Now my dream has come true."
Pretending, anyone can do that.
The two of them were exchanging barbs, making even Eunuch Yu, who was watching from the side, tremble with unease.
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