Chapter 109 The Abandoned Eldest Daughter Makes a Comeback (33 chapters)
Go through more trials and tribulations to wear away this affected manner.
When he no longer has this appearance, let's see how he can still put on that disgusting act in front of Yunzhen.
Ultimately, Xiao Yuheng also harbored jealousy, and it was no less than anyone else's. It was just that he had experienced more, had more self-control, and knew better how to restrain himself.
Xiao Chengze immediately became anxious, "Where am I weak and frail? I'm perfectly healthy, I don't need to go to the martial arts arena!"
He doesn't want to leave Yunzhen.
Xiao Yuheng looked Xiao Chengze up and down, a slight smirk playing on his lips, and scoffed, "Is that so?"
Despite Xiao Chengze and Xiao Chengxu calling him an "old man," Xiao Yuheng is actually in the prime of his life, the most charming age for a man. Because he has been pampered since childhood, the years have not left any marks on his face. Instead, he has developed a mellow temperament after experiencing the world. His every move is full of the composure and gentleness of a mature man. In addition, his high position over the years has given this composure and gentleness a touch of undeniable authority, making him exude a unique charm.
Furthermore, his daily practice of martial arts and fitness, which he has maintained for many years, has enabled him to maintain a strong physique, upright posture, broad shoulders and narrow waist, and smooth and natural muscle lines that are not ostentatious or abrupt, but just right.
In contrast, Xiao Chengze, being younger, was noticeably thinner than Xiao Yuheng. His physique had not yet fully developed, still showing the immaturity and slenderness of a young man, far less robust and powerful than Xiao Yuheng.
His face was still young, and although his eyebrows and eyes resembled Xiao Yuheng's, he lacked his father's sharpness and profundity, and had more of a boy's innocence and gentleness.
Standing next to Xiao Yuheng, he resembled a sapling that had not yet grown, full of vitality but unable to hide his immaturity and weakness.
Xiao Chengze noticed his gaze and felt humiliated. However, the difference between him and Xiao Yuheng was obvious to the naked eye, which made it impossible for him to refute.
Xiao Chengze clenched his fist and finally uttered, "This is only temporary."
He looked at Xiao Yuheng with a hint of provocation in his eyes: "Father, I will grow up year by year until I reach my peak, while you will only grow old year by year."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuheng's aura suddenly darkened, and his originally gentle face was covered with a layer of frost, exuding a chilling majesty.
A slow, chilling smile spread across his lips.
"It seems that I have been too lenient with you, which has allowed you to provoke me time and time again."
Xiao Chengze knew he had angered Xiao Yuheng, but he simply couldn't control himself.
Whenever Yunzhen is involved, his rationality seems to be teetering on the edge of a cliff, and he only wants to defeat everyone who covets Shen Yunzhen, no matter what.
Xiao Chengze stared stubbornly at Xiao Yuheng, refusing to lower his head.
Shen Yunzhen sighed, realizing she was still too young and couldn't handle any stimulation.
If Xiao Chengxu were here, the response would likely be quite different.
Thinking about that scene, Shen Yunzhen felt a little excited.
As for the fact that these people were at each other's throats because of her, what does that have to do with her?
However, now was not the right time, so Shen Yunzhen decided to put aside her desire to watch the spectacle.
"Alright, Xiao Chengze, you can stay at Lanyue Palace for now and get familiar with the environment. You'll be on duty tomorrow."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuheng was the first to withdraw his gaze, turning to look at Shen Yunzhen. His coldness melted away like the first snow, and his whole demeanor softened once more.
"Let's go, Yunzhen."
Once again, he treated Xiao Chengze as if he didn't exist.
Xiao Chengze felt a lump in his throat, unsure whether to spit it out or not. He could only give a muffled reply and watch the two walk out of the hall.
Xiao Yuheng and Shen Yunzhen walked side by side along the palace corridor. A gentle autumn breeze carried the faint fragrance of osmanthus blossoms.
Xiao Yuheng turned his head to look at Shen Yunzhen.
The setting sun seemed to be giving its all, dyeing the sky a beautiful orange-red. The warm light was like a thin veil, gently falling and draping over Shen Yunzhen's shoulders.
Bathed in the soft light of the veil, she was breathtakingly beautiful, standing alone in the world. Even the magnificent clouds on the horizon paled in comparison, making everything else in the world pale in comparison.
Xiao Yuheng was instantly stunned, his heart pounding uncontrollably.
He gazed at Shen Yunzhen with almost greedy eyes, wanting to imprint every beautiful aspect of her in his heart.
At this moment, the long-suppressed love surged up again, as if it wanted to break through all obstacles and concerns, and seize and possess the person in front of it at all costs.
But in the end, he managed to suppress the impulse thanks to his strong self-control.
He forced himself to look away, gazing ahead, letting this doomed love grow freely in his heart.
Xiao Yuheng's hands clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning white from the force, but his expression remained as calm as ever, and even his voice did not change in the slightest.
"Yunzhen, the Mid-Autumn Festival is approaching, and the palace will hold a banquet as usual. Would you like to attend?"
Shen Yunzhen raised her eyes slightly and looked at Xiao Yuheng with curiosity.
"Mid-Autumn Festival banquet? What's the process like? Is it going to be a big affair?"
Xiao Yuheng shook his head. "It's just a gathering of the royal family. Although it's not a grand event, it's still quite lively. You spend all your time in the palace, which must be too dull. The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is very lively and can help you relieve your boredom."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yunzhen raised an eyebrow slightly, her tone tinged with a hint of mockery: "This Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will not only be attended by members of the imperial clan, but also by your concubines, right? If you invite me as well, aren't you afraid of trouble in your own backyard?"
Xiao Yuheng said without hesitation, "Ignore them. If you want to go, then don't let them attend."
Shen Yunzhen was always carefree, but she never expected that Xiao Yuheng would be so cold-hearted when facing the woman who had followed him for many years.
It was only at this point that he finally revealed a hint of his dictatorship and domineering nature.
Xiao Yuheng, who has long sat at the pinnacle of power, is not a kind and understanding person. All his actions in front of Shen Yunzhen are simply his willing compromises.
Shen Yunzhen said, "Aren't you afraid they'll be disheartened by this? Putting everything else aside, the Empress has to attend, right?"
"It's alright."
Xiao Yuheng smiled but didn't say anything more.
He was the emperor with real power, and had long held great power, so he was not afraid of the advice and obstruction of his court officials.
As for whether this move will cause instability in the Empress's position and thus affect the stability of the country, as long as he continues to show his regard for the Crown Prince, the Great Zhou will not fall into chaos.
Yes, he has no intention of changing the crown prince and will do his best to support the crown prince to ascend the throne.
"So, are you willing to go?"
Xiao Yuheng pressed for details, but didn't say much about the affairs of the inner palace.
He was unwilling to talk about those women in front of Shen Yunzhen.
He didn't harbor resentment, after all, it was a decision he had made in the past, but he... really didn't want to face them anymore.
His union with them was based on responsibility and balance, nothing more.
If he had known he would meet Yunzhen in the future, he would never have followed the conventional path of marriage and children; instead, he would have chosen a different life without hesitation.
Whether there is an heir or not doesn't matter, since there are plenty of people in the royal family anyway.
As long as he can maintain the stability of the Great Zhou Dynasty, protect the people's safety, and ensure peace and prosperity year after year, then he will have done right by his ancestors.
As for the rest, that's his private matter, and no one else has the right to interfere.
Unfortunately, the world loves to play tricks on people, and there was absolutely no possibility between him and Yunzhen.
He had no regrets about being able to steal this brief moment together.
Yes, no regrets...
Xiao Yuheng kept reminding himself to suppress all his resentment and unwillingness.
Shen Yunzhen nodded without much hesitation: "Alright, I'm free anyway, let's go take a look, but..."
Xiao Yuheng was overjoyed and quickly asked, "But what?"
"Let's arrange the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet the same way we did in the past. There's no need to make the concubines avoid it."
Shen Yunzhen had no intention of making things difficult for these women. They had no grudges against her, so why would she needlessly put them in an embarrassing situation?
As for anything else, that's all.
She wasn't exactly a kind and understanding person.
Shen Yunzhen didn't care about Xiao Yuheng's special treatment, nor did she feel particularly happy.
For her, everything was taken for granted.
Xiao Yuheng's smile faded slightly, but he perked up again: "Alright, I'll come pick you up on Mid-Autumn Festival."
"OK."
The two walked slowly and leisurely.
Shen Yunzhen estimated that the distance was about right and stopped walking.
"Let's go back."
She was just taking a walk and didn't plan to go too far.
Xiao Yuheng said gently, "Alright, then I'll take you back."
Shen Yunzhen glanced at him but did not refuse.
The two strolled slowly back to Lanyue Palace.
Upon reaching the palace gates, Xiao Yuheng stopped and suddenly said softly, "Yunzhen, I have already given the order that from now on, neither the Empress nor any of the concubines will bother you again."
Clearly, he was already aware of the Empress's actions today.
Shen Yunzhen turned to look at him, and before she could speak, Xiao Yuheng continued, "As for Chengze, since he has won your favor, let him stay."
In fact, Xiao Yuheng's reason for imprisoning Xiao Chengze was very simple: it was out of jealousy.
Xiao Chengxu was forced into it, but Xiao Chengze was not; losing one person meant losing a piece of Shen Yunzhen's heart.
But since he had managed to escape, and Yun Zhen seemed to treat him differently, Xiao Yuheng changed his mind without any scruples.
A hint of surprise flashed in Shen Yunzhen's eyes as she said, her expression ambiguous, "You're quite generous."
The three members of the Xiao family, father and sons, are quite interesting, especially Xiao Yuheng. No one knows what his mentality was, but he sent both of his sons to her side, while he himself never showed any other feelings for her, always keeping a distance.
Xiao Yuheng smiled and said gently, "As long as you're happy, nothing else matters."
"Alright, it's getting late, you should go inside now."
By this time, the sun had completely set, leaving only a sliver of light on the horizon, and the autumn wind brought a chill.
Shen Yunzhen didn't want to be exposed to the cold wind, so she casually replied and walked into Lanyue Palace without hesitation.
Xiao Yuheng stood there, watching Shen Yunzhen's departing figure until she disappeared into the palace gates. Only then did he turn around with a heavy heart and head towards the Empress's palace.
There are some things that are his bottom line, and he must warn them again if they are violated again...
As soon as Shen Yunzhen entered Lanyue Palace, Xiao Chengze rushed to greet her.
"Yunzhen, you're back?"
At this moment, Xiao Chengze had changed into a eunuch's uniform. The azure cloth shirt, paired with a neat belt, gave him a unique charm, adding a touch of elegance to his already noble appearance.
However, the incessant chatter ruined the charm.
"Father is really something. It's so late, and he only just brought you back. He doesn't know how to be considerate at all. As you get older, you're becoming more and more careless..."
Xiao Chengze kept talking and followed Shen Yunzhen step by step until they entered the hall, at which point he finally stopped talking and began to fawn over her.
"Yunzhen, I made lotus seed soup. Would you like a bowl to warm yourself up?"
Shen Yunzhen said casually, "Just put it there, I'm going to change first."
With that, he bypassed Xiao Chengze and went into the bedroom.
Xiao Chengze's eyes lit up, and he quickly went to the small kitchen to serve a bowl of lotus seed soup.
After Shen Yunzhen came out after changing her clothes, Xiao Chengze presented her with the celadon bowl as if it were a treasure.
"I specially learned this from the imperial kitchen. Knowing that you don't like it too sweet, I deliberately used less sugar."
"Um."
Shen Yunzhen sat down on the carved armchair, took the celadon bowl, and stirred it with a jade spoon, creating wisps of steam.
Then, she picked up the jade spoon and took a bite.
Her lotus-colored sleeves slipped down halfway, revealing a jade bracelet with a lotus scroll pattern on her wrist, which gleamed warmly in the candlelight.
The turquoise shimmered slightly with her movements, causing Xiao Chengze's breath to catch in his throat, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily as he fell into a daze.
Just then, the sound of palace boots stepping on blue bricks suddenly came from under the corridor.
Shen Yunzhen put down the jade spoon and looked up, just in time to see Xiao Chengxu stepping in, wearing a black cloak.
His gaze swept over Xiao Chengze, who had suddenly appeared there, and his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
Xiao Chengze was also startled by the footsteps and turned to look at the doorway.
Upon seeing Xiao Chengxu, he immediately jumped up.
"How did you get here?!"
Xiao Chengxu slowly removed his black cloak, revealing a casual robe embroidered with a four-clawed golden python underneath.
He glanced at Xiao Chengze's indigo eunuch robes with a half-smile, then his gaze lingered on Shen Yunzhen. Seeing her calm expression, he finally responded to Xiao Chengze.
"That's what I should be asking you. Instead of reflecting on your actions at your residence, what are you doing dressed like this?"
Xiao Chengxu said with a smile, "However, Second Brother's eunuch uniform fits him quite well; he looks much more dashing than in his princely robes."
"you!"
Xiao Chengze felt his ears burning from that gaze.
Both princes were in love with Yun Zhen, but he was dressed as a eunuch while she was wearing a python robe, which represented the position of the crown prince.
The difference was simply too great. Even though Xiao Chengze had abandoned his sense of shame in order to stay by Shen Yunzhen's side at all times, he still felt an indescribable sense of inferiority.
Compared to his opponent, he was utterly useless and weak.
However, Xiao Chengze was not a weak-willed person, and he quickly adjusted his mindset.
"Second brother, don't you know? I'm Yunzhen's servant. Wherever Yunzhen goes, I follow. What's so strange about me being here? But you, second brother, this is Father Emperor's harem. I don't know why you're here."
As the crown prince, deeply trusted by your father, how could you sneak into the inner palace at night? Such behavior is surely inappropriate.
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