"Your Highness, this is food sent by the Emperor. He says you have never tasted anything like it in the Central Plains. Please try it quickly!"
Looking at the things Xiao Shunzi brought, Li Qingzhou couldn't help but feel curious. "Shouldn't His Majesty be in Consort Gui's palace at this time? Why would he be thinking of sending food to me?"
"Your Highness, this is a specialty snack from the Noble Consort's palace, said to be from the Northern Frontier! Alright, Your Highness, please accept it quickly, this servant still needs to return and report!"
Xiao Shunzi put down his luggage and left.
Looking at the things on the table, Li Qingzhou felt incredibly proud. His own era in the harem might be just around the corner!
She raised an eyebrow and smiled. Gentleness really is the ultimate weapon!
Geng Yulin had already thrown a tantrum in the palace. Not only had his power been divided in half, but after the banquet today, he had gone to call the emperor first, only to be met with Ruan Yumu's cold laughter. He had let Yelü Yanyun get the benefit for nothing. He deserved to die!
Since the new ladies entered the palace, she couldn't compare to the original group, and she couldn't control the new ones either. She originally thought that since the ladies-in-waiting all came from her own circle, they would definitely be more obedient. Who knew that one by one they were completely useless and were snatched away by the two princesses from the Northern and Southern Frontiers.
For the past six months, the Emperor has been extremely busy. In addition to the numerous affairs of the court, he also has to attend to the women in the harem, but he just can't get a turn. I'm afraid it'll be his turn to be gang raped soon!
Ruan Yumu relies on her two sons. Occasionally, when she throws a small tantrum, the emperor will come to see her. She works herself to the bone, but her merits are never praised. However, when she makes a mistake, the emperor immediately finds fault with her. After finally getting rid of the empress, the position of empress has become vacant. Seeing how powerful the Yelü family is, could the emperor be planning to make Yelü Yanyun empress?
Since Qi Jingxuan realized his neglect of his children, he now visits the Princess at Yongshou Palace every two days and frequently visits the two young masters at Yujing Palace.
Yongshou Palace was inhabited by all sorts of enchanting women. Before long, the news of the Emperor's exclusive favor towards Yongshou Palace spread far and wide. After all, there was Qiao Siyu, who was skilled in dance and had a beautiful appearance, as well as Xi Yun, who was kind, gentle and sensible, and Fu Lu Si Yue, who had bright eyes and a beautiful face. She was skilled in swordsmanship, dance, music, chess, calligraphy and painting. No wonder Qi Jingxuan always had the people from Yongshou Palace serve him in bed. They were all skilled in the eighteen martial arts.
In the evening, Qi Jingxuan visited Consort Yi in the west courtyard of Qianqing Palace.
"Aaaaaah! Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!"
Qi Jingxuan grasped Lu Shiyi's hand and sat down on the stool. "I know everything. Stop spacing out. Look how much weight you've lost in the past month. Sit up, I want to have a good talk with you."
He turned to look at the people in the room and gestured for them to leave first.
"Today, I am not the Emperor, and you are not Consort Yi. I will tell you a story. Long, long ago, there was a woman and a man who fell in love. On the boundless grasslands, in that horse farm, they lived a carefree and joyful life. But as they grew older, due to power, status, and other reasons, the man was sent to fight on the frontier. However, before that, the man kept his promise and married the woman, giving her the position of his principal wife. The man's family was powerful and influential, while the woman's family had nothing. They only had a father, who was a stable boy at the horse farm. This love, which was not favored by the world, ultimately..." As a result, after marriage, the woman was constantly busy at home. She had a troublesome mother and her sisters-in-law who were always causing her trouble. But for the sake of love, she endured it all silently, never telling her husband about these problems. Her husband rarely came home. He would only return after each war to spend some time with her before leaving again. Several years passed, and the woman had no children of her own. Later, rumors spread in the army that the general was in poor health, and that the man, for the sake of his pride or perhaps because he had his eye on a better woman, actually divorced her and married a new general's wife.
After Qi Jingxuan finished speaking, he turned to look at Lu Shiyi, as if this were also her story with General Xi. Lu Shiyi leaned against the bedside with tears in her eyes, unwilling to say a word.
"If you don't want to talk, I won't force you. This story is from someone I know, and it resonates with me deeply. If you've really thought it through, here's your exit token. You may leave on your own. I will not stop you! Nor will I cause any trouble for your family. I am the Emperor, and my word is law."
It wasn't until Qi Jingxuan said those words that Lu Shiyi snapped out of her emotional reverie. Almost without thinking, she accepted the Emperor's token, immediately got out of bed, and knelt on the ground, saying, "Your Majesty, I thank you! Long live the Emperor!"
"Since you've made up your mind, take some extra travel money. The journey is long, and I will send someone to escort you. You've been in the palace for so long, and thankfully nothing has happened between you and me. That's enough to show that you've done right by General Xi. I wish you happiness."
Lu Shiyi was afraid that the Emperor would change his mind, so she immediately started packing her things. Xiao Shunzi didn't understand why she would give her own concubine to someone else.
"Your Majesty? Have you made your decision?"
Qi Jingxuan took a deep breath and slowly walked to the highest point of the Qianqing Palace. "Little Shunzi, look, now the entire capital is under my feet, but there are still some things that I cannot obtain!"
Qi Jingxuan let Lu Shiyi go, just as he reconciled with his past self. Perhaps General Xi is different from General Qi of the past, or perhaps they are the same. But from now on, it's all Lu Shiyi's path, and he won't interfere with her choices.
If I had known earlier, I probably would never have brought her into the palace. If only there were free love in this world, regardless of social status or power, as long as two people truly love each other.
But how could that be? Just like the Book of Songs says, "A man's infatuation can be escaped, but a woman's infatuation cannot!"
Men have love, wives, and careers, but what about women? They have nothing but their husbands.
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