Chapter 19 Chapter 19 [VIP]
Yuan Mu didn't wake up until evening.
In the afternoon, the snow outside was getting heavier, the sky was getting dark, the snow was getting deeper, and the white snow was pouring down on the steps. Under the light of the palace lanterns, it looked like a white brocade.
My body was in severe pain, and there were still deep red and light red marks on my wrist bones from being pinched for so long.
When Yuan Mu stood up, her legs were weak. When the palace maid saw her wake up, she hurried forward to support her.
She slept for a long time, but felt even worse.
Yuan Mu supported his forehead and said softly, "Water."
The tea was prepared earlier.
The tea Xi Lanyan brought was very novel and was homemade.
It is between scented tea and plain tea, not overly sweet, not bitter either, and has an exceptionally rich aroma.
Yuan Mu drank a few more sips in the morning, so the emperor asked someone to bring him the prescription.
The palace maids waiting outside came in one after another, placed the tray on the low table, and then presented the cups filled with tea to Yuan Mu.
Yuan Mu slept too long and his throat was very sore, so he drank a large cup before putting it down.
The palace maid originally wanted to serve dinner as well, but Yuan Mu waved her hand, put on her coat and went straight to take a bath.
The water in the bathtub was also prepared earlier.
Yuan Mu walked over the transparent glass screen and stepped into the warm pool, his wet black hair draped over his snow-white shoulders.
She half closed her eyes and let her body continue to sink.
Yuan Mu has a slender figure, fair skin and delicate bones, and is surrounded by cherry blossoms. When immersed in water, her skin is as white as snow.
Even the deep red pinch marks and finger marks were made to look like new flowers in the snow.
She didn't want to think about anything, she just wanted to take a break in the bath.
Even if my body sinks deeper and deeper and I almost suffocate, it doesn't matter.
But not long after, someone walked in.
Yuan Mu's shoulders trembled slightly, and the desire to avoid was extremely strong. She had cried so hard at noon, and now her tone was still hoarse: "Don't come over."
She simply couldn't take any more.
Yuan Mu's eyes were red and there was a hint of water in his eyes.
Her fear was also bluffing, revealing her powerlessness, and tempting people to torture her more cruelly.
But fortunately, the person who came was not the emperor.
The maid held a tray filled with bathing supplies, rose water, ivory combs, and peony oil.
In addition, there are two small food boxes and a jade pot.
The food box contained偃月 crystal shrimp dumplings, crispy lamb flatbreads, and crispy mountain dumplings with lychee sauce.
They are all small portions, exquisite and elegant, and fragrant.
The jade pot is filled with a pot of clove glutinous rice balls. The white jade balls are round and crystal clear, and the clove sweet soup is warm and sweet.
The maid stepped forward and whispered, "My lady, it's this servant."
Her footsteps were very light, and when she half-knelt down, the warmth from her clothes moved towards Yuan Mu.
At a certain moment, Yuan Mu thought of the time when he was held in Aunt Yu's arms as a child.
She pursed her lips and looked up at the maid: "What do you want? I can bathe by myself."
Yuan Mu was not used to being served, especially when his body was covered with marks of being tortured.
This was a very obvious thing. Everyone in the Qingning Palace and everyone around the emperor knew her identity.
But Yuan Mu still didn't want to be exposed too much in all this.
This is a self-deceptive practice.
But she also wanted to save some face for herself.
The maid said a little awkwardly, "Your Majesty has urgent matters to attend to. The eunuch said that they might have to discuss matters all night long. They won't be coming here tonight. Let Your Majesty rest early."
She put the tray aside and looked up at Yuan Mu.
"Your Majesty doesn't eat much at noon, and you don't like the medicinal food in the evening," the maid whispered, "so I thought I'd bring you some snacks first."
Yuan Mu's eyes opened slightly.
But she quickly regained her composure, resting her white jade elbows on the edge of the pool, listening quietly.
The maid's originally nervous expression gradually relaxed.
She patiently explained, "Your Majesty is not here today, so you can bathe a little longer."
The maid curled her lips and smiled, saying, "If you are tired, just have some snacks."
"...Thank you." Yuan Mu pursed his lips.
The maid arranged the snacks and bathing supplies, and then prepared to leave.
But Yuan Mu stopped her.
Her voice was hesitant, as light as the wind about to dissipate into the water: "Can you tell me your name? It doesn't matter if you can't."
There are many palace servants in Qingning Palace, but their relationship with Yuan Mu is very distant.
This was actually not the case when Yuan Mu first entered the palace.
At that time, the guards would talk to her, and the palace maids would secretly help her pass messages out of pity for her.
But after the emperor found out that Yuan Mu drank the contraceptive soup, he no longer allowed them to have any in-depth contact with her.
They dared not act recklessly or disobey the emperor.
In addition, whenever Yuan Mu spoke a few more words to someone, the emperor would think she was seducing them.
He was cruel and decisive in his killings, and no one dared to betray him.
.
She was not originally from Qingning Palace. The number of people here was fixed, and they all came from Ziwei Palace.
In other words,
She was originally framed and was to be executed. Yuan Mu happened to pass by that day and was killed by the executioner.
The maid curled her lips and whispered, "My lady, my name is Jinzhi, which means "gold" and "zhi" means "branch".
This is not a name given to her by a master, but her real name.
After saying this, Jinzhi left quietly.
Yuan Mu watched her walk out of the bathroom, then lowered his eyes and opened the lunch box.
Her black hair was wet and draped over her round, snow-white shoulders, with drops of water dripping down.
Yuan Mu was lying on the edge of the pool, supported by her elbows. Most of her body was still in the water, with only a thin blanket wrapped around her shoulders.
The water in the bathtub was steaming, and the white mist covered the embarrassing marks on her body.
In the silent and empty tall palace, there is only the sound of gurgling water.
Yuan Mu picked up the jade chopsticks. She never had any preferences when it came to meals. Even if she had a poor appetite, she would always eat a fixed portion of each dish.
This is the dining etiquette of the noble families.
This is especially true in the Royal Family.
Having preferences means having weaknesses, and having weaknesses means being exploited by people with ulterior motives.
Throughout history, countless people have died from this.
The emperor was very strict with Yuan Mu, and he also set an example himself.
But under the rules, people always have selfish desires.
Yuan Mu didn't know how attentive the maid named Jinzhi had to be to be able to detect her favorite snacks from so many dishes.
She held the jade chopsticks and picked up a crescent-shaped crystal shrimp dumpling.
The shrimp meat is plump and juicy, and tastes very delicious.
But Yuan Mu's tears inexplicably fell.
The scene before Yuan Ying's marriage flashed through her mind.
Yuan Ying's condition worsened rapidly at that time, and doctors were coming in and out of the mansion every day.
Yuan Wei and Madam Cui found for her all the imperial physicians, medical doctors, and traveling doctors who could be found.
But being sick was still too painful, and Yuan Ying was so sick that she almost died.
All the sisters in the family came to take care of the sick. To put it nicely, they were serving their elder sister. To put it bluntly, they wanted to borrow some life from them.
Yuan Mu had been in Qingyun Temple for a long time and had heard that the elderly people in the aristocratic families would occasionally do ridiculous things in order to live longer.
But she didn't care about it.
Although Yuan Mu's fate is very bad, she doesn't really believe it.
If everything the Taoist monk said was true, she would have died before the age of seven or eight.
The pain that illness brings to people is extremely severe.
When Yuan Ying was in the most unbearable situation, she grabbed Madam Cui's hand and called out in a hoarse voice, "Mother, life is too hard. Please help me, my daughter, and let her be free."
Her face was covered with tears, and Mrs. Cui's face was also covered with tears.
"Good Ah Ying, you are going to be the queen..." Madam Cui said tearfully, "In half a month, you will be the master of Yifeng Palace..."
Yuan Ying cried out loud, but she didn't say anything about committing suicide.
Living is really a painful thing.
But with her obsession with the position of queen, Yuan Ying managed to hold on.
Yuan Mu had a hard life when she was young, but it was not that painful in the end because she had no desire for the future.
Later she got pregnant, so she became more and more miserable.
In fact, sometimes people can survive as long as they have a little warmth.
But now Yuan Mu was confused again.
Is this warmth good or bad?
-
The problem was with the military affairs in the northern border. The emperor did not close his eyes all night and did not leave the palace for a moment since he arrived at the meeting hall.
Not long after he returned from Shuofang, something happened in the northern border again.
When this kingdom was seized from the Yuan family, it was already a mess that had accumulated for hundreds of years.
The late emperor was incompetent in his later years, and the empire that had been finally pacified during the reign of Emperor Gaozu was once again in tatters after a series of rebellions.
The peace and prosperity we enjoy today is all based on the hard work of the government and the people.
The emperor was accustomed to spending the whole night dealing with matters.
The scholars serving him had changed twice, but there was no sign of fatigue in his eyes.
There is a big court session in the morning.
The wind and snow outside never stopped.
After a night, the snow piled up to the knees.
Jingzhao is a livable place, but the palace city is not. The climate is hot and humid, with cold winters and hot summers, and frequent rain and snow.
The emperor changed into court robes, didn't look at the snow for long, just drank a cup of tea, then asked about Yuan Mu's situation and went directly to the front hall.
Hearing the palace maid say that she had nightmares last night and didn't fall asleep until dawn, he frowned slightly and whispered, "Send the imperial physician over."
Yuan Mu had no appetite and could not sleep.
This problem has been around for years.
Sometimes, when the emperor saw her tossing and turning in the middle of the night, he thought it would be better to fuck her harder and make her fall asleep due to exhaustion.
But the situation is urgent and I don’t have time to ask more questions right now.
The emperor wore a crown with twelve jade tassels swaying in front of his forehead.
He had an extremely powerful aura, and looked even more dignified when he wore court robes. His every move and gesture exuded the majesty of an emperor.
After the court meeting, the emperor did not even change his court robes, but went straight to the Xuanzheng Hall to discuss matters. Military affairs were the most tedious and time-consuming.
By the time things were almost done, it was almost dusk.
The emperor leaned back and waited for the others to put away the documents, then picked up the cup and drank tea.
The eunuch came to report Yuan Mu's condition, saying that she didn't have a good appetite today, so she had some porridge and didn't eat anything else.
It's really outrageous.
The emperor frowned and couldn't help feeling a little angry.
Yuan Mu had been on a hunger strike before, and after that her spleen and stomach felt uncomfortable for a long time.
The imperial physician spent a lot of effort to take care of her, and the recipes for her medicinal food had to be changed countless times.
During that period, half of the Imperial Hospital was busy studying ancient books and discussing stomach diseases.
So even if Yuan Mu said she didn't want to eat, the emperor would force her to eat some. After returning from Shuofang, he often went to her place and personally monitored her daily life and diet.
Who would have thought that she would act so recklessly after just one day away.
The emperor's eyes darkened, and he whispered, "Let her come over."
He stood up and returned to the Ziwei Palace. His court robes were complicated, and by the time he changed into his casual clothes, it was already dark.
Yuan Mu didn't sleep well last night. When the emperor sent someone to call her over, she had already changed her clothes and was ready to take a bath and go to bed.
She didn't want to go over, but seeing that the person who came was the most important eunuch around him, she didn't dare to refuse.
Yuan Mu casually found a cloak and put it on, then got into the sedan chair.
The sky was dark and the snow was heavy outside.
Thousands of mountains are covered with white, and the branches and leaves are jade-like.
Yuan Mu was not in a good mood. She stroked the hand warmer with her eyes closed, and only raised her eyes when the sedan chair stopped in front of the Ziwei Palace.
The long steps are towering and reach into the clouds.
The wind was strong at night, and the eunuchs and palace maids escorted Yuan Mu towards the palace on the high platform.
Her outer coat was a pure snow color, and her fair face was wrapped in the furry brim of her hat, making her look as cute as a little fox.
After sending Yuan Mu into the main hall, everyone retreated.
Not all the palace lanterns in the hall were lit, and it was so dim that nothing could be seen clearly.
Yuan Mu was stunned for a moment, then pushed open the door and walked in.
But before she could catch her breath, someone grabbed her by the waist and pressed her against the door.
Yuan Mu was forced to open her body, her wrists were handcuffed above her head, and her legs were pinched and held apart.
A day and a night had passed, and she was still in severe pain.
Yuan Mu cried out in a tearful voice: "Don't, Your Majesty..."
Her eyes flickered. The darkness already brought her fear, and being tied up like this made her even more afraid.
But the person who controlled her said nothing. He just casually tied her trembling wrists with silk, then bit her lips hard and kissed her.
There was a hint of cruelty in his actions.
Yuan Mu was already used to being treated like this, but he still couldn't help but feel fear.
Is the man opposite really the emperor? Could it be someone else?
Her body was shaking, and before she could even struggle, she was slapped hard on the tip of her buttocks.
The delicate snow-white skin suddenly showed red marks.
Yuan Mu groaned with tears in her throat, and she called out repeatedly: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please don't..."
The voices were low and ignorant, yet charming to the core.
The man had no mercy and kissed her deeply and fiercely, as if he wanted to tear her apart and eat her.
But Yuan Mu was still frightened when his lips were bitten and bled.
Even if Li Conglu bullied her again, he never went so far.
Yuan Mu struggled non-stop, tears falling like broken strings: "Who, who are you? Let me go..."
She was in so much pain that she clamped her legs together even tighter.
Hearing Yuan Mu's desperate and frightened cry, the man finally stopped teasing her.
He picked her up with one hand, bent his slender finger bones, and lit the palace lantern beside him.
When the bright candlelight illuminated the emperor's face, Yuan Mu's crying gradually stopped. She sobbed and said, "Why did you scare me?"
She even forgot the honorifics and moved her ankles, showing a rare childish look.
The emperor was originally angry. He was busy all day and night, so he let Yuan Mu stay alone in Qingning Palace.
Who would have thought that while he was away, she would even skip the meal.
The emperor rang the bell to let the palace servant in, and pinched Yuan Mu's cheek with the other hand: "Who allowed you to skip breakfast, lunch and dinner?"
His voice should have been stern, but when he said it, it was filled with indulgence and doting.
Yuan Mu was still in shock, tears welled up in his sparkling eyes, and a gorgeous red hue lingered at the corners of his eyes.
The emperor was very strict in controlling Yuan Mu's food, clothing, housing and transportation.
Yuan Mu lowered her eyes and pursed her lips. He had kissed her so hard just now that her watery red lips were slightly swollen. As she lowered her head, her soft lips looked even more charming.
The emperor pinched her and said in a low voice, "Pretending to be pitiful?"
Yuan Mu straightened his waist and sobbed, "No..."
"I used it a little too much yesterday," she panted, "so I don't want to use it today."
Yuan Mu tried his best to distance himself from the emperor, but he grabbed her waist and forced her to get closer to him.
He calmly lifted the hem of her skirt and caressed her belly.
The emperor's way of judging whether Yuan Mu had eaten well was extremely simple and crude.
Her belly was flat and soft.
The palace servants were setting the table, and even though Yuan Mu was sitting on the emperor's lap, he didn't want to be seen in such a state of disarray.
She bit her lips tightly and her long eyelashes trembled constantly.
Fortunately, the meal was served quickly.
The emperor held the jade chopsticks and fed Yuan Mu until he was half full before he started eating.
He asked the kitchen to prepare a special sweet soup and whispered, "You must drink at least half a cup."
Yuan Mu had no choice but to hold the porcelain cup and start drinking.
She lowered her eyes and drank slowly with a slender spoon. She had not finished a third of the drink by the time the emperor put down his chopsticks.
The emperor couldn't bear to watch it anymore, so he took the spoon and fed Yuan Mu the rest himself.
Her flat belly finally bulged a little after dinner.
Serving Yuan Mu is a very troublesome thing.
She seems easy to talk to and accepts everything, but in fact she rejects everything and just wants to stay in the tent every day.
Like a kitten.
The emperor did not rest for a moment that day and night.
But after having dinner with Yuan Mu, his tense nerves inexplicably relaxed a lot.
The hidden fatigue and tiredness seemed to have all disappeared.
The emperor's mood also strangely improved a lot. He even pretended not to notice that Yuan Mu wore the outer cloak that he forbade him to wear again, and did not say anything about it.
She stayed in the palace all year round and felt tired after meals.
Yuan Mu yawned. She sat in the emperor's arms and gradually remembered the etiquette: "Do you have anything else to do later? If so, I won't bother you for now..."
She thought the emperor called her over on a snowy night just to watch her have a meal.
But the emperor interrupted her.
"I've been busy these days, so I don't have time to visit you every day," he said casually, "You can stay here for the time being."
When Yuan Mu heard the first half of the sentence, his eyes raised slightly.
But after hearing the second half of the sentence, she took some effort to control her expression.
Yuan Mu turned his head slightly and said hesitantly, "Wouldn't it be inconvenient? You still need to call people for meetings during the day."
She really doesn't like living in Ziwei Palace.
But recently the emperor has become more and more fond of keeping her locked up here.
"Nothing will be inconvenient," the emperor said softly. "As long as you eat and sleep on time every day, nothing will happen."
Yuan Mu became even more discouraged.
She really couldn't imagine that just because she didn't have a good meal for one day, she would end up like this.
Yuan Mu was in a state of confusion. She had already showered, so she made an excuse and said, "You go ahead and do your work. I'm going to bed now."
She was vaguely angry, and her always restrained expression became more lively.
The emperor looked at Yuan Mu's departing back and stood there silently for a long time.
-
The emperor has a lot going on lately.
Yuan Mu thought that he would be like before, busy with government affairs during the day and tormenting her at night.
But what I didn't expect was that this matter was really troublesome.
The emperor woke up very early every day and returned very late at night. Occasionally, he would call Yuan Mu to the Xuanzheng Hall to have meals with him.
She thought there would be more, but after the meal, he released her.
Yuan Mu occasionally woke up from a dream and happened to see the emperor returning. She got up to undress him, and after entering the curtain, he just put his arms around her waist and held her in his arms to fall asleep.
She lived quite comfortably in Ziwei Palace, and read books whenever she had free time.
The expensive and beautiful Persian cat with heterochromia was also kept here.
Yuan Mu didn't have the courage to raise a pet herself, but when it came to her feet, she would touch it and prepare some water and food for it.
Things changed on the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.
The sudden change in the northern border is finally going to be completely resolved.
The emperor summoned people to discuss matters in the main hall of the Ziwei Palace. It would be more appropriate to say that it was a discussion but that it was more like rewarding people based on their merits.
Tomorrow is the Lantern Festival, and there will be a banquet in the evening as usual.
Things ended just in time, and the banquet tomorrow night wouldn't be delayed.
The emperor was wearing a snow-blue robe with a white dragon tattooed on the sleeves. His brows were relaxed, revealing a rare youthful temperament.
All in all, the emperor is actually only twenty-four years old this year.
This is also a relatively young age among emperors of all dynasties.
As he was concluding his remarks, a cat's meow suddenly came from the inner hall, and a snow-white long-haired cat rolled out, followed by a little girl who appeared in a panic, chasing the cat.
She was wrapped in fox fur, looked very young, with a slightly childish look in her eyes. She called out in panic, "Mimi, come here!"
The fox fur is snow-white all over, without a single stray hair.
But compared to the innocent and beautiful face of this little girl, it is still far behind.
The Persian cat ran very fast, but fortunately the eunuch beside the emperor reacted quickly and skillfully grabbed the white cat and put it back into her hands.
The older eunuch smiled and said, "Be careful."
The little girl blushed with shame and dared not say a word. She looked up at the emperor.
The emperor glanced at her and said calmly, "Go back."
She bowed and turned away in a hurry.
This was a blatant misconduct in front of the emperor, but the emperor didn't even say a harsh word and let it go lightly.
Those sitting around the main hall were all top dignitaries of the first and second ranks. They looked at the girl in surprise, thinking she was a princess.
Only Yuan Wei and Yan Pushe's expressions changed.
After Yuan Mu returned to the inner hall with the cat in her arms, she was in a state of confusion. She buried her red face in the quilt and did not have the courage to lift it up for a long time.
A quarter of an hour later, the emperor sent someone to call her over, and Yuan Mu finally stood up with difficulty.
But when she saw Yuan Wei sitting on the armchair in the hall, her blood ran cold.
What happened that night replayed before Yuan Mu's eyes like a kaleidoscope.
She didn't have strong feelings for her father, even though he once pointed at her face and scolded her, "Why is it Yuan Ying who's sick and not you?"
Yuan Mu didn't have any deep feelings about it either.
In this respect, she is very similar to the emperor. They both believe that emotions are precious and should be used for important people.
But after that night, Yuan Mu could no longer be so calm.
The first time she saw Yuan Wei, she felt a strong sense of rejection.
Yuan Mu's voice trembled slightly: "Why are you here?"
She was both afraid of him and felt sick to her stomach.
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