Chapter 103 The Abandoned Eldest Daughter Makes a Comeback (27 chapters)
Xiao Chengxu did not let go; instead, he hugged Shen Yunzhen even tighter, as if he wanted to merge her into his very bones.
"I won't let go, Yunzhen, I won't let you go."
His tone was resolute, carrying a sense of desperate madness.
Since he didn't firmly refuse just now, he won't back down now either.
Shen Yunzhen smiled gently, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
Her hands slowly climbed up his back, gently tracing his back, and a slight tremor ran through the places her fingertips touched.
"Are you really not going to release him?" Her voice carried a hint of seduction and mockery. "Perhaps it's your father's men who have arrived."
Having made his decision, Xiao Chengxu would not back down.
Although he was far weaker than his father at this time, they were already on opposite sides and destined to fight each other. Now, it was just a matter of breaking the ice ahead of time.
It's just a bit more difficult, and the chances of winning are slim, but Yunzhen is willing to take the initiative to reach him, so what reason does he have to back down?
For Yunzhen, even if there is an abyss of no return ahead, he is willing to risk everything for her.
As for those rumors, Father Emperor has absolute power, and he can also use ruthless methods!
A resolute yet ruthless light flashed in Xiao Chengxu's eyes.
His hands gripped Shen Yunzhen's waist tightly, pulling her even closer to him.
"Well, they're here now."
His tone was calm, yet it carried a resolute determination.
This will be a good opportunity for him to see that a young man like him, in the prime of his life, is the most suitable for Yunzhen. As for the Emperor, he is already old and should know his place.
Shen Yunzhen's fingers gently caressed his cheek, her fingertips lingering on his lips with a hint of ambiguity, while her other hand stroked the back of Xiao Chengxu's head, the movement gentle yet with an irresistible force, slowly pressing his head towards her.
Then, Shen Yunzhen placed a light kiss on his lips, "This is your reward."
Xiao Chengxu's breath hitched, and his eyes instantly flashed with an astonishing and intense light.
He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing with an irrepressible longing.
"Yunzhen, can I...can I still kiss you?"
Tsk, why even bother with a kiss?
Shen Yunzhen didn't answer, but simply smiled, pushed Xiao Chengxu onto the couch, and then leaned over him, sitting on his waist, looking down at him with an undeniable air of authority, and commanded:
"Please me."
At this moment, Shen Yunzhen was stunningly beautiful, like a bewitching enchantress from an ancient legend, possessing a captivating charm that was breathtakingly beautiful, making people willing to fall at her feet and become her captives.
Xiao Chengxu looked at Shen Yunzhen pressing down on him, his breathing becoming heavier and heavier. His hands unconsciously clenched the brocade quilt on the bed, his knuckles turning white from the force.
"Yun Zhen..." he murmured again, his expression dazed.
Shen Yunzhen tapped his chest with displeasure, "What are you still standing there for?"
Xiao Chengxu seemed to awaken from a dream...
The air inside the hall seemed to freeze at that moment, leaving only the two people's rapid breathing and heartbeats.
Xiao Chengxu's rationality had long been thrown to the winds. At this moment, he only had eyes for Shen Yunzhen, nothing else. He even completely ignored the approaching footsteps.
Before either of them noticed, footsteps stopped at the palace entrance, followed by a slight creak as the door was quietly closed.
Bihe glanced at the tightly closed palace doors, secretly wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, stepped back a little, and warily scanned her surroundings.
...
...
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window lattice onto the two of them, casting a soft golden glow on the ambiguous atmosphere of the room.
Only when the sun had completely sunk below the horizon did the palace gradually return to calm.
Xiao Chengxu held Shen Yunzhen in his arms, gently stroking her hair with his fingertips, and whispered, "Yunzhen, I should go."
Shen Yunzhen responded lazily, without even opening her eyes.
Xiao Chengxu looked down at her, his heart filled with longing, but he also knew he could not stay any longer.
He gently kissed her forehead and whispered, "Wait for me."
Shen Yunzhen waved her hand impatiently, "Let's go."
Xiao Chengxu smiled indulgently and dared not tease Shen Yunzhen any further.
He took a deep breath, struggling to suppress the surging greed and reluctance in his heart, got up, dressed, and looked deeply at Shen Yunzhen, as if he wanted to engrave her in the depths of his soul.
After a long while, he finally couldn't resist lowering his head and gently kissing Shen Yunzhen's lips before getting up and leaving.
As he walked out of Lanyue Palace, Xiao Chengxu glanced back at the tightly closed palace door before continuing forward with firm and powerful steps, like a warrior about to go to battle.
Shen Yunzhen paused for a moment before lazily getting up. "Someone, bring some water."
She had no intention of hiding it at all, and was not afraid of people finding out that she and Crown Prince Xiao Chengxu were engaging in indecent acts in Xiao Yuheng's harem.
In fact, she didn't care what others thought of her. To her, those opinions were nothing but fleeting clouds, insignificant and not worth mentioning. In her long life, they were less noticeable than a speck of dust, unable to cause the slightest ripple.
Of course, this is on the premise that these people don't come dancing in front of her. If they do, Shen Yunzhen wouldn't mind teaching them a lesson.
Bihe was extremely flustered, but in the end, she still chose to firmly follow in Shen Yunzhen's footsteps.
"Yes, young lady."
The Imperial Study.
Xiao Yuheng sat upright at the head of the table. He should have been handling memorials, but he didn't move at all and just sat there blankly.
On the desk, a mountain of memorials was piled up haphazardly, the vermilion inkpad box was open, and the imperial brush was casually placed aside, the ink spreading and staining the Xuan paper with a dark red hue.
But he ignored it, his eyes were blank, and he looked like a clay statue.
Xiao Yuheng only snapped out of his daze when Li Degui strode into the hall.
His gaze sharpened again, a hint of urgency and anticipation in his eyes. "Has he left?"
Li Degui bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince has already left Lanyue Palace."
"call--"
Xiao Yuheng breathed a sigh of relief, and his body, which had been stiff since Xiao Chengxu left, finally moved, and he slowly leaned back.
Li Degui remained hunched over, his back bent into a taut bow. Fine beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, sliding down his cheeks, and his clothes were completely soaked with perspiration.
He dared not raise his head, and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty... the Lan Yue Palace is calling for water..."
"boom--"
Xiao Yuheng's mind went blank for a moment. He opened his mouth, but his throat was so dry and tight that he could only make a few weak breaths.
After a long while, he finally found his voice again.
"What did you say?"
Li Degui fell to his knees with a thud, his forehead hitting the ground heavily, his voice trembling even more violently: "Your Majesty, the Lanyue Palace is calling for water..."
These words struck Xiao Yuheng's heart like a heavy hammer.
His fingers unconsciously gripped the armrest tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force, yet he still couldn't suppress the surging pain in his heart.
"I've called for water..."
He repeated the three words in a low voice, hoarse and broken, as if each word carried a thousand pounds of weight, making it hard for him to breathe.
His gaze gradually became unfocused, and everything in front of him seemed to become blurry, except for the image of Shen Yunzhen, which appeared clearly in his mind.
"His Majesty……"
Li Degui knelt on the ground, his voice trembling, but dared not say another word.
He could sense the suppressed emotions emanating from Xiao Yuheng, about to burst forth, yet being forcibly held back, only churning and burning within.
Xiao Yuheng slowly closed his eyes.
Never mind, we were prepared for this, weren't we?
From the moment he first saw Yunzhen, he knew that there was a close relationship between her and Chengxu. Even though he brought her back to the palace, he did not actually intend to possess her.
He just... wanted to be closer to her.
He dared not ask for anything more.
However, after bringing the person back to the palace, perhaps because he had returned to his own territory, his possessiveness swelled uncontrollably, causing him to develop some unrealistic fantasies.
It's better this way; he's fully woken up and won't fall into a daze later, thus incurring Yunzhen's disgust.
His decision to send Chengxu to Lanyue Palace was, in fact, a decision he had already made long ago.
He couldn't always protect Yunzhen; from now on, Chengxu would be the one to stay by her side.
"Your Majesty, you...you must take care of your health..."
Li Degui's voice was choked with emotion; he had never seen Xiao Yuheng so distraught.
In his memory, Xiao Yuheng was always the strategist, calm and composed emperor, but at this moment, he was like an ordinary person who had lost everything.
Xiao Yuheng did not respond, but just sat there quietly, like a clay or wooden puppet, devoid of any life.
Even with the clearest understanding, I still feel a heart-wrenching sadness.
"Your Majesty..." Li Degui's voice rang out again, tinged with a hint of caution, "Would you...would you like to go and take a look at Lanyue Palace?"
"You may leave."
Xiao Yuheng waved his hand, his voice filled with unconcealed weariness and bitterness.
At this time, it was not appropriate for him to appear in the Moon Embracing Palace.
He was able to get close to Yun Zhen and receive her special treatment, all because of his sense of propriety.
If he lost his composure, Yun Zhen would definitely turn her back on him and leave without hesitation, which was something he could never accept.
Li Degui opened his mouth, wanting to say something more, but seeing Xiao Yuheng's distraught appearance, he swallowed his words.
He kowtowed deeply, then slowly rose and withdrew.
"etc."
Xiao Yuheng's lonely voice rang out.
Li Degui paused, then quickly turned back. "Your Majesty? What are your orders?"
"Keep your mouths sealed tight! Not a single word of what happened today is to be revealed. If even the slightest hint of it leaks out, I will have his entire family executed!"
Xiao Yuheng's voice was resolute and cold, exceptionally ruthless.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Li Degui respectfully accepted, and left with a sense of bewilderment and shock.
He hadn't expected that even at a time like this, His Majesty would still protect those two so much.
Miss Shen is one thing, after all, she is such a divine being, it is understandable that she acts a little recklessly, but His Highness the Crown Prince, as a son, should not do such an absurd and rebellious thing.
Well, he's just a eunuch, how could he possibly understand His Majesty's actions and methods? He'd better hurry up and keep quiet.
Although the people of Lanyue Palace had already gone through the process countless times, there was no guarantee that there wouldn't be any omissions. For the sake of his own life, he had to handle things properly.
Silence returned to the hall, leaving only Xiao Yuheng sitting alone in the same spot.
As night deepened, the flickering candlelight in the imperial study cast his long, lonely shadow.
“Yun Zhen…”
He murmured again, his voice filled with pain and confusion, lingering love, and resentment with nowhere to go...
Why did he only meet Yunzhen now? If he were to return to Chengxu's age, to when he was still single, would he truly be qualified?
He can stand openly beside Yunzhen, free from the constraints of his status and the passage of time, and embrace this love with equanimity.
Unfortunately, this was just wishful thinking on his part...
...
Shen Yunzhen is now a prominent figure in the capital. Countless infatuated and loving gazes are fixed on her, and many people are secretly watching her. In addition, neither Xiao Yuheng nor Shen Yunzhen intends to hide it, so the news of her entering the palace quickly became known to countless people and spread rapidly to every corner of the capital.
Whether they were high-ranking officials or ordinary citizens, everyone was talking about it.
"Have you heard? Miss Shen has been brought into the palace by His Majesty."
"Really? But weren't His Highness the Crown Prince and Miss Shen mutually in love? How did His Majesty take them back to the palace?"
"Miss Shen is so beautiful and graceful, who wouldn't be captivated by her? No wonder His Majesty acts this way."
"That's true, but Your Majesty, as the ruler of a nation, has countless beauties in your harem, yet you still brought Miss Shen back to the palace. This behavior is somewhat..."
“Who can argue with that? His Majesty is already thirty-seven this year, while Miss Shen is in the prime of her life, isn’t that a bit too much…”
Be careful what you say!
"Yes, yes, I misspoke."
"Is she really that beautiful?"
Those who had never met Shen Yunzhen couldn't help but ask in confusion.
No one else dared to discuss the matter with the emperor, so they immediately began to offer their own explanations.
"You haven't even seen Miss Chen? You're truly ignorant."
"Let me tell you, Miss Shen is the most beautiful woman in the world, unforgettable to all who see her. I was fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of her from afar, and her beauty made everything around her pale in comparison, as if the bright moon had descended to earth."
"Is she truly so stunningly beautiful?"
"Absolutely true! If I could see Miss Chen one more time, I would die happy."
Those who had never seen Shen Yunzhen's face couldn't help but yearn for it, and were very curious about what kind of beauty could captivate both the royal father and son at the same time.
The comments in the capital were unexpected for Xiao Yuheng. He had thought there would be a lot of comments that were unfavorable to Shen Yunzhen, so he had arranged for people to secretly guide the discussion. If anyone still insisted on belittling Shen Yunzhen, he would then use swift and decisive measures.
To everyone's surprise, without his people even lifting a finger, the people didn't say anything bad about Shen Yunzhen. Instead, they subtly belittled him, saying openly and secretly that he was unworthy.
Despite his sadness, Xiao Yuheng was also relieved.
Xiao Chengxu was also relieved, just like him.
He also kept a close eye on the rumors circulating outside, and would immediately intervene if anything seemed amiss.
When he learned that the people not only did not slander him, but also praised and admired Shen Yun, he finally felt relieved.
It is evident that Shen Yunzhen truly amazed many people. Born under the rule of the emperor, she made them break with convention, cast aside their awe of imperial power and worldly constraints, and choose to stand on her side.
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