Chapter 16 Chapter 16 [VIP]
Yuan Mu first met Helan Zhen in Qingyun Temple.
In March, a big event happened in Jingzhao.
The queen was given poisoned wine and died, the prince was demoted to a commoner, and the new crown prince was the fourth prince, who was known for his absurd behavior and could not win the support of the people.
The first to rise up in arms was King Zhao, who used the slogan of "clearing the court of corrupt officials".
He is the emperor's uncle and younger brother. He has been guarding Jizhou for many years and is extremely loyal.
When King Zhao sent his troops south, both the government and the people were shocked.
His rebellion was like opening a taboo that could not be touched.
Soon the whole world fell into chaos.
Yuan Wei was still in Shuofang when the incident happened, but even if he was in the capital, he might not remember Yuan Mu.
At the beginning, it wasn't that chaotic.
But gradually, food and clothing became a problem.
Many servants in Zhuangzi fled to avoid disaster. The nun of Qingyun Temple was worried about Yuan Mu and temporarily took her to the temple.
She was born on the fifth day of the fifth month, an unlucky month and an unlucky day.
On the Dragon Boat Festival of that year, Yuan Mu officially came of age.
The nun of Qingyun Temple watched her grow up and personally held a simple coming-of-age ceremony for her.
The orchid wood hairpin inserted in Yuan Mu's hair was carved by the nuns themselves.
She had never felt any warmth in her life, nor had she ever felt the love of her family.
When she was raised by her grandmother, the old lady had strict rules and often punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall.
Yuan Mu was afraid of the dark and did not dare to make his grandmother angry. He did not dare to argue at all when he was falsely accused.
Later, when he arrived at Zhuangzi's place, he met Aunt Yu and his concubine's younger sister.
My aunt is very nice, and my sister is very nice too, but they are family members whose blood is thicker than water, and Yuan Mu is more like an outsider.
On the day of her coming of age, Yuan Mu felt for the first time that there might be someone in this world who loved her and cared about her.
They read scriptures, washed the rice dumplings, and picked flowers.
After dinner, Yuan Mu walked towards his residence holding the flowers and mugwort leaves.
There was a beautiful wreath in her hair, and her unmade face was so pretty that she looked like a fairy favored by the god of spring.
After he turned fourteen, Yuan Mu's face began to grow.
Her originally childish face became even more gentle and beautiful.
The older nun stroked Yuan Mu's face and said in a gentle voice, "Nannan is a blessed girl. She will live a good life in the future."
No one has ever said this to Yuan Mu.
The biggest ones she heard were always mournful prophecies like "disaster", "calamity", and "destruction of the family".
Yuan Mu walked on the bluestone slabs holding a bouquet of flowers.
It rained last night. She stepped on the remaining rain on the bluestone slabs and walked back to her residence in the sunset glow, as happy as a child.
Yuan Mu was born at dusk.
She had an instinctive love for the evening glow and did not think that the setting of the golden sun was a sad thing at all.
The sky is a dazzling golden red.
The fiery clouds change into various shapes.
Yuan Mu can read and write, but the most profound book she has ever read is the Nanhua Sutra.
She couldn't think of any words to describe such a scene.
She was just happy.
The happiness seemed a little too full, so much so that when I was about to walk into the residence, an inexplicable sense of loss surged in my chest.
Yuan Mu lives in a more secluded place, she does not live with the nuns.
Yuan Wei had no demands on Yuan Mu, and he didn't bother to care about her life or death.
All he cared about was her chastity.
After all, she is a girl from the Yuan family. No matter what, she cannot bring disgrace to the family.
Yuan Mu pushed open the small door and walked in. The lonely little house was not as quiet and tidy as before.
Lying on her soft little bed was a wounded young man.
He was wearing a military uniform and seemed to have suffered a serious injury in the abdomen. Even the black clothes could not hide the blood that was oozing out.
Beside the young man were two men also wearing military uniforms.
One of them seemed to be a medical officer accompanying the army, and was bandaging the young man with a long white cloth. The other one was so anxious that he was sweating profusely as he took off the young man's coat that was soaked with blood.
When they saw her approaching, a murderous glint flashed in their eyes.
Yuan Mu had never seen such a horrifying scene.
The room was filled with a thick smell of blood, and she could barely stand.
But Yuan Mu had a very good impression of Master Wang.
She was nearly abducted by human traffickers at a Lantern Festival party, but was rescued by a soldier stationed nearby.
There have been frequent riots in the capital these days, with burning, killing and looting occurring frequently.
Only the king's army was still maintaining order.
So Yuan Mu subconsciously rushed to the young man's side and asked anxiously, "Are you Master Wang? Is this young man okay?"
She couldn't tell the difference between the twelve imperial guards, she only knew that the one dressed like that must be the king's teacher.
The injured young man raised his eyes slightly after hearing Yuan Mu's voice.
He had a pair of very beautiful phoenix eyes, which were deep in color, but like glass, and were soaked in the glow of obsidian.
The young man's bloodstained face was pale, and his clothes were so ordinary, but his face still carried a strong impact.
His blood was almost drained,
"Excuse me, young lady," I said, "I have nothing to do."
He must be a sergeant.
Yuan Mu, she has met too few men outside her family, and she has encountered too little warmth.
So on that night, her fate was actually sealed.
Yuan Mu rescued the injured young man.
There is a female nun in Qingyun Temple who knows medicine, but her identity cannot be known to the public.
Fortunately, the military doctor who accompanied him had superb medical skills and saved him from the brink of life and death.
The young man woke up from his coma the next afternoon.
Yuan Mu came back after finishing his homework and saw him getting up to drink tea.
They were all soldiers. They were ambushed last night, and then they were separated from the team and ended up here.
Yuan Mu heard from the military doctor that their chief general had been killed in a trap set by a traitor, and now that the capital was unstable, they might be beheaded at any time.
It was clearly a terrifying thing, but he had a smile on his face, looking surprisingly calm.
"Miss, please take care of us brothers for a few days," the military doctor said humbly, "We will definitely reward you handsomely one day."
They had no military rank, their positions were very low, and they all seemed to be from military households.
Soldiers are also divided into different levels. The lowest level is the military household. They have to serve in the army for generations. They are very similar to the musicians and workers, or even lower-class.
There are unwritten rules when two armies fight: workers are not to be killed, but to be taken away for their own use.
Military households are different.
They were quite prosperous in the previous dynasty, but now they are like slaves bound to the imperial power.
Yuan Mu quickly stepped forward, supported the young man who was about to fall over, and whispered, "Let me help you."
His face was so pale that it was bloodless, and his slender finger bones were so white that they were almost transparent. It was obvious that he had not fully recovered.
The young man looked at her, was silent for a moment, and said politely, "Thank you, young lady."
Yuan Mu poured him some tea and sat down with him on the bed.
She had never seen the world and didn't know what to say to him, so the sergeant who was traveling with him left some money for her as a reward for taking care of him.
No reward without merit.
Yuan Mu found a few yellowed old books and said haltingly, "Can you read? It doesn't matter if you can't read. I can read to you."
They are all Taoist scriptures, containing many profound things.
Yuan Mu has studied for so many years but still doesn't understand anything.
The young man shook his head and said softly, "I can't read."
His expression was very gentle, his words were clear and slow, revealing an indescribable elegance, making him look like a young master from an aristocratic family.
The candlelight flickered, Yuan Mu held the book and read to the young man for a long time.
She was not well-educated and stumbled when explaining those complicated words.
The young man listened very carefully, and his brows, which were slightly furrowed due to pain, gradually relaxed.
He smiled and praised: "You will definitely become a very powerful female champion in the future."
Yuan Mu actually didn't understand anything, but when she heard the young man's words, her face flushed with shame, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but rise: "Thank you, my dear."
They chatted for a long time.
During the conversation, he spoke softly and said softly, "I don't know your name yet, my name is Helan Zhen, and my ancestral home is Wuchuan Town."
Helan Zhen simply crossed out his name.
He even has such a nice name.
Yuan Mu opened her eyes wide and subconsciously wanted to say the name, but thinking of her father's reputation as a hated man after the crown prince was deposed, she did not dare to say his real name.
She stammered, "A Luo, the Luo of Luoyang."
Yuan Mu was not confident about her name. Her full name and nickname were both taken from the family tree.
Helan Zhen didn't frown after hearing this. He said softly, "So it's the Luo in 'I've traveled the world for a long time, but only saw Luoyang.' It's a nice name."
This is what Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty said.
If Yuan Mu had a little experience, he would realize that Helan Zhen was definitely not an ordinary military household.
But she was too naive.
Yuan Mu raised her eyes in confusion. It was the first time she heard this ordinary little word and such a nice explanation.
Her cheeks flushed slightly, and she said shyly, "Helan Zhen is also very nice."
Yuan Mu really likes being with Helan Zhen.
She learned how to change dressings from the military doctor, and also learned some ways to use a dagger from Helan Zhen.
He was like a very tired traveler who had finally had a chance to breathe. Whenever he looked at her, his eyes were filled with a gentle emotion as calm as flowing water.
Yuan Mu hasn't met many men.
Most of them were arrogant, cold and unfeeling. This was the first time she had seen such gentle people.
During the half month that Helan Zhen hid in Qingyun Temple, they spent almost every day together.
Yuan Mu was at the age when her love began to blossom. One day, when she returned to the courtyard, she fell and hurt her knee.
Helan Zhen was rolling up her sleeves and changing the water in the bouquet of flowers on her desk. When she heard her low crying voice, she immediately walked out of the room.
Yuan Mu's legs were covered in blood, and she rubbed her eyes and walked back.
He Lanzhen's pupils shrank slightly, and she immediately picked her up: "How are you hurt? Did someone bully you?"
Yuan Mu actually rarely cries.
Tears are only useful when shed for the one you love.
No one will take care of Yuan Mu, so Yuan Mu will not cry.
But when Helan Zhen asked this, her tears suddenly burst out and she cried like a child.
Helan Zhen thought Yuan Mu was really bullied.
The young man was handsome and elegant, but there was a coldness in his eyes.
He concealed his anger and said softly, "Talk to your brother, okay?"
While helping Yuan Mu bandage his wound, Helan Zhen asked him about the situation in a roundabout way.
She couldn't stop crying and said stumblingly: "I wasn't bullied, I just fell down on the way back..."
It rained early in the morning and the bluestone path was slippery.
Yuan Mu was in a hurry to get back and fell to the ground without paying attention.
Helan Zhen hugged Yuan Mu, her brows still slightly furrowed, as if she didn't believe it.
It took her a while to explain it clearly.
When Helan Zhen's brows finally relaxed, Yuan Mu realized that she had been held in his lap the whole time.
Her face suddenly turned red.
There was war raging outside, but during those days in Qingyun Temple, they lived a peaceful life as if they were in a paradise.
The accident happened after Helan Zhen left.
He stroked Yuan Mu's hair and said softly, "My lady, you are so kind. I will repay you with gratitude one day."
Soldiers are always forced to do things against their will.
Yuan Mu hugged Helan Zhen's arm, not caring about her shyness: "Will you come back again?"
He Lanzhen lowered her eyes and said softly, "I definitely will."
He made a solemn promise.
"Wait for me here," He Lanzhen's almond-shaped eyes flickered slightly, "Okay, A'Luo?"
Qingyun Temple is located deep in the mountains outside Beijing, and ordinary nobles never visit it.
In this chaotic world, it is a quiet place.
Yuan Mu, with tears in his eyes, replied, "I will always wait for you."
But the good times did not last long. Within two days after Helan Zhen left, this place was captured.
Yuan Mu had never seen such a big fire. Half of the mountain was on fire. The madness of the rebels was beyond her imagination.
The older nun desperately brought Yuan Mu out and said in a hoarse voice, "You must survive, A'luo."
Before Yuan Mu could respond, the nun died.
She followed her memory, hiding alone in the dark night, and it took her almost the entire night to return to the farm.
There's no one here anymore.
Only Aunt Yu and her concubine sister Yuan Yin were still hiding in the cellar.
The information was so confusing that no one could find their way.
Aunt Yu covered Yuan Mu with a thick blanket and asked tremblingly, "I heard that the deposed crown prince has returned. Did you hear anything on the way?"
Yuan Wei was an accomplice of the deposed crown prince, but he was a very versatile person, so even after the crown prince lost power, he still did not fall completely.
The most important thing for aristocratic families is that they all prosper together and suffer together.
Aunt Yu was asking about the deposed crown prince, but what she was really concerned about was Yuan Wei's situation.
But Yuan Mu knew nothing.
She is a person who has no expectations for the future and is tired of the world.
Living or dying doesn’t matter to Yuan Mu.
But when Aunt Yu asked this, she subconsciously thought of Helan Zhen. The situation is so chaotic now, is he okay?
...Is he still alive?
Yuan Mu lived a precarious life in Zhuangzi again.
Midsummer passed quickly.
It's hot in July and the weather is getting cooler.
Yuan Muchai saw Helan Zhen again. He was much thinner than before, dressed in a black suit, with a murderous look in his eyes.
He seemed to have been looking for her for a long time.
When Helan Zhen came over that night, Yuan Mu thought it was a rebel soldier. She was trembling with fear. When she saw it was him, tears suddenly fell from her eyes.
His rank seemed to have become higher, and behind him followed a group of soldiers wearing helmets, their faces hidden in the darkness.
Not long ago, Zhuangzi was robbed by passing soldiers.
Yuan Mu was trapped in the fire and almost died. He was completely separated from Aunt Yu and his sister.
She spent a long time alone in the basement of the side room.
"We're stationed nearby," He Lanzhen hugged Yuan Mu, "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about Qingyun Temple."
His voice was hoarse: "Are you okay, Luo?"
Helan Zhen looked apologetic, as if she felt guilty about the promise she had made to her.
Yuan Mu burst into tears and spoke intermittently, "That day, I heard that the rebels had invaded the capital, and I thought you would never come back..."
She cried so hard that her little face was all red.
He Lanzhen leaned over to wipe her tears and whispered, "I won't die."
"Even if it's just for Miss A'luo," he smiled softly, "I will keep living."
They spent half of July together.
Under Helan Zhen's care, Yuan Mu's chin gradually became thicker.
He treated her so well that her love almost drowned her.
On the day of the Ghost Festival, a grass market was set up near Zhuangzi.
Although it is a time of great chaos, we still have to celebrate the festival.
At this moment, the people are in dire straits, lives are being lost, corpses are everywhere, and the water in the moat is dyed red with the blood of the soldiers after the fierce battle.
At this time, Buddhist temples and Taoist temples were more popular.
Everyone hopes that their deceased relatives and friends can peacefully move on to the next life.
Someone was selling jade bracelets in the grass market. The jade was extremely impure green and the material was also very crude.
But Yuan Mu's eyes lit up.
She was just fifteen years old, still at the age where she liked these little gadgets.
Helan Zhen bought the thin bracelet for Yuan Mu, and then solemnly put it on her wrist: "I'll bear with it for now, young lady. I will give A Luo something better later."
He smiled gently under the moonlight, like a graceful young man.
Yuan Mu shook her head heavily, her voice weak: "This... is already very good."
She raised her watery eyes and looked at Helan Zhen, and tears fell the moment she lowered her head.
He Lanzhen picked up Yuan Mu and wiped away her tears with his hand. He said softly, "Why are you crying?"
He is leaving again tomorrow. The world is so chaotic now and I don’t know when we will see each other again.
Yuan Mu grabbed Helan Zhen's sleeve, and she tried hard to hold back from saying "Take me away".
She has a very bad fate and can't do anything.
Following him would only be a burden.
But Helan Zhen seemed to see through Yuan Mu's thoughts. She held her hand and kissed the back of her hand.
His lips were cold, but the back of her hand felt like it was burned.
"Are your parents still home?" He Lanzhen asked softly, "When I come back next time, we..."
Yuan Mu didn't care about anything else and nervously covered his lips.
This kind of words are the most unacceptable. The protagonists in the storybooks who say this kind of words often don't have a good ending.
But Yuan Mu's worries and sadness just now disappeared in an instant.
She was born into a noble family, but she could not be considered a noble lady.
Yuan Mu knew no etiquette and was just like a country girl in the countryside. If she had never stayed in a Taoist temple, she would be even more vulgar.
She has the reserve of a girl, but she is not rigid either.
"My father is still alive," Yuan Mu said in a low voice, "but I...but my family background is not good."
It's not just not good. Her father is now a traitor who is hated by everyone. He can't even stay in Jingzhao. It's even hard to say whether he is alive or dead.
Helan Zhen laughed softly.
"A Luo doesn't look down on my military background," he said with a smile, "I'm already very happy."
This was the last peaceful night they spent together.
Three days later, Yuan Wei ordered his men to capture Yuan Mu and bring him to the battlefront.
When Yuan Mu saw him, he had only one thought in his mind - he was not dead yet.
Not only was he not dead, but Yuan Wei seemed to be gaining power again. He smiled and said, "This is my daughter Yuan Mu. Envoy Yan, take a look. Are you satisfied?"
Yuan Mu looked at his father in shock.
She thought that with her status, she would have to stay in the boudoir for the rest of her life.
She didn't expect Yuan Wei had another trick up his sleeve to use her.
This was the first time Yuan Mu disobeyed him like this, and she struggled and said, "I won't marry you!"
The envoy surnamed Yan was not angry at all. He said kindly, "Don't marry me, Miss Yuan."
"I have a little son at home," he said patiently, "not much different in age from you, and he is very gentle, considerate, and handsome."
"I won't marry!" Yuan Mu said in a trembling voice, "I... I already have a husband I love, and I can't marry anyone else."
Her words were childish.
Yuan Wei's face turned cold instantly.
He had Yuan Mu taken away and said something to the envoy again. When he came back, he had a forced smile on his face.
Yuan Mu was very frightened, but Yuan Wei slapped him immediately.
She fell to the ground, her eyes still filled with fiery stubbornness.
"You must marry me even if you don't want to," Yuan Wei's voice was terrifyingly cold. "Take her back and keep her under strict watch."
Yuan Mu returned to the Yuan Mansion after a long absence.
She was extremely anxious. Although she was provided with fine clothes and delicious food, her face became increasingly thinner.
Until one day in August, Yuan Mu found a way to escape from the Yuan family.
Yuan Wei has connections everywhere. If he wants to, he can lock Yuan Mu up and kill him at home.
But he didn't expect Yuan Mu to be so bold.
In the heavy rain, she saw Helan Zhen for the last time.
After returning, Helan Zhen would come here regularly, but Yuan Mu seemed to have evaporated from the face of the earth and never appeared again.
This was his last visit, as he was about to leave for the north.
Yuan Mu no longer cared about anything else and hugged his neck crying.
They got close to each other for the first time in the dilapidated side house of the farmhouse.
Her father is going to marry her to someone else.
Yuan Mu cried and said, "You must come and marry me..."
The curtains swayed, and Helan Zhen said in a low, hoarse voice, "Okay."
However, Helan Zhen never came back.
The one who came back was the cruel, murderous and heartless emperor. He hated Yuan Mu for not being perfect and used her as a tool to torture her.
He had no mercy on her in bed, and his eyes were always on her sister.
She is a despicable substitute, a plaything and a reproductive tool.
It wasn't worth his second glance.
All the solemn promises made in the past have turned into smoke.
If Yuan Mu also forgot all this, she would not actually be in pain. She was destined to be like a floating duckweed and had to rely on someone to survive.
She would obediently serve as a concubine to her brother-in-law and obey all the arrangements of the emperor and empress.
But she just remembered everything and just loved Helan Zhen so much.
Yuan Mu tried to tell the emperor about the past, but he had long forgotten their relationship.
He just felt that she was physically defective and unfaithful.
There is no room for change in what the emperor has decided.
He used some almost cruel means to make her never dare to mention He Lanzhen's name in front of him again.
Gradually, Yuan Mu would occasionally forget what happened.
But in certain desperate moments, his figure would always appear in front of her eyes again and again.
She should have died long ago, should have died in the war, should have died in the sea of fire, should have died in the collapse.
But when she thought of the gentle and smiling person still waiting for her, Yuan Mu, who was weak and helpless, managed to survive the entire chaotic world.
But she didn't expect that the sequel of this story would be so absurd.
-
Yuan Mu's face was stained with blood.
What flowed from her eyes seemed to be blood.
The past events replayed before Yuan Mu's eyes like a kaleidoscope.
Those treasured beautiful memories that kept her alive seemed to be polluted and became hateful after the emperor asked that question.
For a moment, Yuan Mu even began to doubt whether Helan Zhen was a person she had imagined when she was in too much pain.
She often had this doubt when the emperor used those cruel means to force her to forget Helan Zhen.
Now this confusing illusion has arisen again.
"Is this all you care about forever?" Yuan Mu asked in a daze, "Only my chastity?"
"I don't understand, Li Congliu," she said, shaking her head. "If you care so much, why did you force me to enter the palace?"
Yuan Mu's words were too direct and too sharp.
The emperor was stunned for a moment, and he said subconsciously: "It's not like that, A Luo..."
There were palace maids and guards nearby, but Yuan Mu could no longer suppress his emotions.
"If it weren't for you," her voice trembled, "I would have gotten married!"
Yuan Mu's thoughts were in a mess.
She looked at the emperor and said incoherently: "If you want a reproductive tool, why do you care about my chastity?"
She was simply confused.
Yuan Mu growled in a hoarse voice, "Didn't you know that I wasn't a virgin that night?"
"You still know that I have someone in my heart," her voice trailed off, "and I still can't let go of that person."
Yuan Mu raised her wrist. Her wrist bones were bruised and stained with thick blood.
But she wiped the crude bracelet very clean, without a trace of dirt on it.
The King of Chu was standing outside. When he heard Yuan Mu's words, he widened his eyes slightly and was a little surprised.
The emperor's face looked horrifyingly ugly.
"Don't mention him yet, Luo," he whispered, "Calm down first, okay?"
How could Yuan Mu calm down?
The nearly half-hour-long breakdown she had just experienced was not as despairing as the emperor's words.
Why would Yuan Mu rather die than take off the thin bracelet on his wrist?
Because this is her only evidence that Helan Zhen existed.
Qingyun Temple and the village were both burned down in the war, and all the people around Helan Zhen who had seen Yuan Mu were killed.
If everyone says that a person does not exist, does that mean he really does not exist?
Yuan Mu used to be so determined.
But now she was suddenly extremely confused.
Could it be that the person named Helan Zhen, the spiritual pillar that allowed her to survive in long-lasting pain, really did not exist?
Helan Zhen is gentle and polite, with a gentle temperament.
Even if I am of humble status, I will never look down on others.
The emperor was cold-blooded and merciless, and brutally murderous.
The arrogance and ingratitude of the royal family flow in his blood, making him the cruel embodiment of imperial power itself.
Apart from their appearance, what else are the similarities between these two people?
Yuan Mu looked at the cold corpse.
"He didn't touch me," she murmured, "Only Helan Zhen touched me."
The people who accompanied the emperor knew the inside story.
Even so, I still felt frightened when I heard Yuan Mu's straightforward words.
The emperor couldn't bear to hear that man's name, even more than Yuan Mu's previous fiancé.
No one dared to offend him, but Yuan Mu told the matter openly.
There was uncontrollable anger in the emperor's eyes.
He stopped hugging Yuan Mu and stood up, looking down at her with a deep chill in his voice: "Okay, then tell me the whole story now."
The emperor said coldly, "You should know that there are different rules for dealing with a concubine having an affair and a foreign minister offending a concubine."
"Zhang Qin is an official appointed by the court, the only son of Minister Zhang, and he's getting married next month," he said, gazing into Yuan Mu's eyes. "I can't understand why he would choose to take such a risk, offending Concubine Yuan, and resorting to such despicable means."
The wound, which had not yet healed, was pierced by the sharp blade and began to bleed again.
Yuan Mu's black hair was disheveled, her eyes were shaking, and her body was trembling slightly.
"Are you asking me?" she said, unable to bear it. "Are you asking me why I was almost assaulted?"
The King of Chu silently dismissed all outsiders.
Most of the secrets in the imperial palace are taboo. If they hear one more word, they will be beheaded tomorrow.
"Actually, I've always wanted to ask you," Yuan Mu raised his head, "Why do you keep holding on to me?"
"Which woman in the palace doesn't want to bear a child for you?" She was really confused. "Even if you want a woman with the surname Yuan, the Yuan family has plenty of women."
Yuan Mu drank some wine during the meal, but her drunkenness had long since faded away.
However, at this moment, her mind was dizzy and she could hardly distinguish between consciousness and reality.
"Don't you know?" Yuan Mu questioned, "I don't want to enter the palace, nor do I want to be your concubine."
Her long hair was so black that it seemed to have been immersed in the night, making her bloodstained face look exceptionally pale.
The interweaving of black and white, coupled with the dark red bloodstain, creates an almost breathtaking beauty.
Lies cannot hurt anyone.
The truth is the sharp knife that can pierce the chest.
Powerful restrictions can certainly suppress opposition voices, but they can never truly solve the problem.
The emperor had been on the throne for a long time and had witnessed the collapse of his father's power.
He understands this problem better than anyone else.
So although the emperor was cold-blooded and cruel, he was still not a tyrant.
On the contrary, he is extremely good at winning people's hearts.
Gaozu was a usurper of the throne. The young Yuan Dynasty's last emperor was brutally murdered by powerful officials, and many people were saddened by his death.
Therefore, even though Emperor Gaozu had made great achievements in both civil and military affairs throughout his life, some people still criticized him for murdering his way to the throne.
His father was also unable to successfully resolve the noisy noises of the previous dynasty's subjects.
But the emperor solved it.
He made use of the royal family of the previous dynasty, married a queen with the surname Yuan, overturned the verdicts of the emperor and his ministers who had died tragically, and firmly grasped power.
There was no more opposition.
At certain times, appeasement is far more useful than force.
However, in the case of Yuan Mu, the emperor adopted the most brutal suppression policy.
He didn't allow her to mention it, didn't allow her to ask, or even think about it.
The blood in the forehead was throbbing.
The emperor had never been so bloodthirsty. He looked down at Yuan Mu condescendingly, his hidden anger surging like a raging storm.
Yet he could do nothing.
The emperor pinched Yuan Mu's jaw, leaving a bloody mark on the white skin.
He had so many ways to punish her, and he had done so in the past.
Yuan Mu is afraid of pain.
As long as the pain is severe, she will agree to anything and do anything.
But the emperor could do nothing.
He is the master of the world and the most noble man in the world.
But in front of Yuan Mu, he could do nothing.
The emperor turned around and lowered his voice: "Take Yuan Zhaoyi back to Qingning Palace. She is not allowed to leave the palace until the matter is thoroughly investigated."
"Send the people from the Censorate and the Ministry of Justice here," he said coldly, "and conduct a thorough investigation of this case tonight."
The emperor left immediately after he finished speaking.
There was no light in Yuan Mu's clear eyes.
She was still sitting on the couch, silently looking at the corpse in the middle of the warm room.
Perhaps the word "look" cannot be used, because Yuan Mu's eyes are not focused at all. She is just looking in that direction, as if she is blind.
The palace maids came in at this time. They walked forward cautiously and called in a low voice: "Empress?"
But before anyone could get close, Yuan Mu suddenly fainted.
Her slender body fell down like a kite with a broken string.
The emperor was about to step out of the warm room. The unprecedented emotion made his brows ache. He could not stay with Yuan Mu any longer and could not hear anything she said.
He didn't know what he would come up with.
But when Yuan Mu fell unconscious, his expression changed in an instant.
The emperor turned around, walked quickly forward and picked up Yuan Mu. The usually calm emperor's face turned pale in an instant.
He shouted sternly, "Call the imperial physician!"
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Emotional overload can put a huge burden on the heart and lungs.
Yuan Mu didn't know about this at first. Her sister was in poor health and had been sick since the womb. She often felt uncomfortable all over her body.
The most important of these is heart disease.
But Yuan Mu never knew these things.
The first time she heard about this was when the emperor told her.
The emperor and Empress Yuan had a very close relationship.
Yuan Wei was a member of the prince's party. Yuan Ying was told at a very young age that she had the fate of a golden phoenix and would sooner or later become the queen.
When the emperor was the crown prince, Yuan Ying had no idea how many times she had entered the palace and seen him.
He treated her very well and even knew her illness very well.
Yuan Mu actually knew about this matter. She would return to the Yuan family every New Year's Eve. After all, her name had not been removed from the family tree, so she still had to worship her ancestors and wish them a happy new year.
She heard her cousins from the Yuan family mention the emperor jealously.
No one would not envy Yuan Ying.
She was so weak, yet she received so much love and care.
Not only is she loved by her father and brothers, but even the crown prince, whom all the women in Beijing want to marry, takes great care of her.
If Yuan Mu knew that this was his future brother-in-law, he would never get close to Helan Zhen no matter what.
But she didn't expect that fate would be so absurd.
Yuan Mu had always known that the emperor loved her sister very much, but it was only after entering the palace that she realized the depth of their love.
That night she was enjoying the emperor's favor when a servant suddenly came to report that Empress Yuan had suffered a heart attack.
The emperor frowned and asked in a low voice, "Who provoked her again? Why has she been having heart attacks so often lately?"
Emotional overload can be very dangerous for people with heart and lung diseases.
Therefore, many things in the harem were actually handled by the emperor himself. His skills made it easy for him to deal with rebellion, not to mention these things in the palace.
Yuan Mu's knees hurt a lot. The bed was very soft, but it would still hurt if he knelt for a long time.
After the emperor left, she sat up and applied the ointment to her knees.
It was a very common thing.
But Yuan Mu's tears fell inexplicably.
Tears fell down, melting the ointment that had just been applied.
Yuan Mu's palms were sticky, she hugged her knees and cried for a long time.
This happened a long time ago.
But when Yuan Mu woke up, his old memories suddenly became extremely clear.
Because her chest hurt so much, it hurt so much that she couldn't breathe.
The sticky feeling on my body was gone, the thick smell of rust disappeared, replaced by the scent of rose water.
This is Yuan Mu's favorite bath scent.
She is a very clean person and usually takes a bath twice a day in the summer.
But Yuan Mu stayed in a pool of blood for so long yesterday.
The sun outside was setting in the west, and it was already dusk.
How long had she slept? One day, or two?
Yuan Mu had no answer, nor did she have the mind to think about it anymore, because she had just sat up when someone outside the curtain walked over.
The emperor and the imperial physicians.
He looked hesitant and walked up to her very quietly, but he didn't look at her. Instead, he gestured to the imperial physician to feel her pulse first.
Zhang Yuan was Yuan Mu's personal physician.
He was very familiar with her body, and every question he asked was to the point.
"Don't worry, it's normal to feel heart and lung discomfort," Zhang Yuanzheng whispered. "It will be better after a while."
Hearing the words "nothing serious", the emperor's expression improved a little.
Like a parent checking a child's pulse, he whispered, "She doesn't sleep well and keeps having nightmares. Let's change her herbal diet."
Yuan Mu acted as if he didn't see him or hear his voice.
She just looked at Zhang Yuanzheng and nodded lightly.
"Medicinal food cannot last long, Your Majesty," Zhang Yuanzheng paused, "Your Majesty is deeply depressed and needs to be relieved."
No other imperial physician dared to speak to the emperor like this.
But the emperor was silent for a moment and just said "OK" softly.
After having the imperial physician sent away, he returned to Yuan Mu's bedside.
Qingning Palace is very large and spacious, with hot springs and distant mountains behind it. It is a very open area in the entire harem.
Apart from its remoteness, this place has no disadvantages.
Even remoteness implies quietness in a disguised sense.
You should know that Defei and Shufei also lived with concubines of lower status.
Yuan Mu was the only person living in Qingning Palace from the beginning to the end.
But sometimes, this palace is really too big, and at night, it makes people feel boundlessly lonely.
The emperor walked lightly, and his movements were even lighter when he sat down beside Yuan Mu's bed.
He wanted to touch her face and forehead.
Yuan Mu likes to be kissed on the forehead. When she is bullied badly, she will be much more restrained if you touch her forehead.
But when the emperor's hand was about to reach Yuan Mu's face, it fell down.
"I've had a thorough investigation into Zhang Qin's case," he said softly. "He committed adultery with Marquis Boring's widow. He accidentally bumped into you that day."
The emperor whispered, "I will execute all those involved."
"No one will know what happened that day," he looked up at Yuan Mu, "and there's no need to worry about any consequences."
Yuan Mu lowered his eyes, as if he didn't hear a word.
It was at this time that the emperor touched her face.
"I'm sorry for making you feel wronged," he said in a very light tone, "Is there anything you want? As long as I can give it, anything is fine."
The emperor's words were almost cautious.
He touched Yuan Mu's forehead gently, as if he was protecting fragile glass.
"I don't want anything," Yuan Mu's long eyelashes trembled, "I just want to leave the palace, Li Congliu."
Her voice was weak and hoarse, not much louder than crying.
But just this one sentence, like a huge tripod weighing a thousand pounds, fell heavily on the emperor's heart.
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