Chapter 46 Chapter 46 [VIP]
The emperor was silent for a moment.
He is very tall, and even if he is just standing tall and slender, he can bring a strong sense of oppression.
"I don't mean anything else," the emperor said softly, "I just want to remind you, A'luo."
He looked into Yuan Mu's eyes, his expression gentle.
The emperor's finger bones were long and white, and he rubbed them very lightly.
"We haven't divorced yet," he said slowly, "Ah Zhang should be calling you sister-in-law."
The heavy rain outside all night finally stopped.
But the sky was still dark and gray, with an indescribable gloom.
Inside the office, bright lights shone long, and the curtains were made of brand new moon-white brocade with floral and bird patterns. Even Yuan Mu's outer robe was a clean sky blue.
She stood in the light, but could not feel the warmth.
Yuan Mu suppressed his emotions and whispered, "But Concubine Yuan is dead."
The emperor smiled gently and said softly, "Who said Concubine Yuan was dead? Was there an official document stating so? Did the royal family bury her?"
He had recently turned twenty-eight.
Compared to the cold and cruel emperor in his youth, the emperor today is more powerful, but also more invulnerable.
Yuan Mu stood in front of him, and his aura was weaker.
She was well taken care of by the King of Chu and had lived a carefree life for the past two years. All her childhood regrets were completely made up for.
After calming down, Yuan Mu looked like a weak girl.
Having just experienced such a thing last night, the emperor didn't want to make Yuan Mu feel uncomfortable, so his expression changed after he finished speaking.
He raised his arm and put it around Yuan Mu's waist.
"You didn't eat anything yesterday. If you don't eat again, you'll have a stomachache." The emperor looked at Yuan Mu, "Have some lunch first. I'll have someone call him over right away."
His voice was very soft: "You'll see him after you finish your meal, okay?"
The emperor's voice was filled with doting and indulgence, a pampering that was even more intense than before.
It was as if Yuan Mu was a willful child.
Yuan Mu lowered his eyebrows, his eyes full of annoyance, but he said nothing more.
The emperor had ordered lunch to be prepared long ago and kept warm on the stove so that she could have a delicious meal as soon as she woke up.
The two hadn't shared a meal in a long time.
The emperor, as before, carefully served the dishes to Yuan Mu and didn't eat anything himself during the meal.
Yuan Mu still had a poor appetite, but she was a little hungry after not eating much for a day and a night.
She held the jade chopsticks and ate her meal carelessly, turning her head every once in a while to see if the King of Chu was coming.
The emperor concealed the barely perceptible coldness in his eyes.
After Yuan Mu finished her meal, he took a handkerchief and gently wiped the corners of her lips.
Yuan Mu rejects contact with the opposite sex, but if someone serves her, he will not be overly disgusted.
The King of Chu had not arrived yet, and Yuan Mu was a little anxious.
"Maybe something delayed him," the emperor said softly. "You know, he's a laid-back guy. He's often late even for big banquets."
He looked gentle and caring, as if showing the concern of a brother.
But Yuan Mu didn't want to hear a word the emperor said.
She held the cup, half-closed her eyes, and didn't even look at him.
Another half a quarter of an hour passed before the King of Chu finally arrived.
He seemed to have just returned from outside. He was wearing a military uniform, a rare sight. His black armor exuded a chilling aura, and he wore a straight-bladed Qinglong sword at his waist.
The King of Chu's clothes were slightly wet. When Yuan Mu heard the sound of the message, he immediately turned around, but he did not see her immediately because of the screen.
"Royal brother," he said in a low voice, "the matter of the border states is due to my inability to manage my subordinates."
The emperor slowly stood up, took Yuan Mu's hand and brought her to the King of Chu.
He shook his head slightly, then said, "It's A Luo who wants to see you."
The King of Chu was stunned for a moment, and only noticed Yuan Mu's presence when she walked out from behind the screen.
The emperor said in a contemptuous voice: "A Luo has something to tell you."
Yuan Mu's hand was suddenly held by the emperor, but before she could lose her temper, she was in front of the King of Chu. Their meeting yesterday was too hasty.
Before we could say a few words, it was over.
After the emperor walked away, Yuan Mu had a lot to say to the King of Chu, but after thinking for a long time, the first thing that came to his mind were tears.
She cried and said, "Did I cause you any trouble..."
The waiter couldn't see the scenery clearly because of the screen.
The King of Chu embraced Yuan Mu and whispered, "He didn't implicate me. Your Majesty is still my brother, no matter what. What else can he do to me?"
She wrapped her arms around his neck, buried her face in his shoulder, and couldn't stop crying.
Yuan Mu's voice was weak: "Then can you take me home?"
There were tears in her eyes and her eye sockets were slightly red.
"Something happened in the border states, and I sent the mutineers there," the King of Chu said in a low voice. "I'll be there soon to deal with it, so I might not be able to look after you."
the back of the hand.
"Shuofang may be in chaos," the King of Chu said softly, "is that a good thing?"
His almond-shaped eyes were drooping, the dark light flickered.
, almost dead.
She cried and said, "You don't want me anymore, do you?"
Yuan Mu is sometimes very brave, but in front of the people who love her, she is more willful and fragile than a child.
"No," the King of Chu said in a low voice, "Go back to the capital with my brother first. After I finish dealing with things here, I will go back to see you."
I don’t know how many of his words are true and how many are false.
Yuan Mu felt a sudden pain in the acupoint on his forehead.
She didn't want to cause trouble for the King of Chu at all, and she also knew that as the emperor's blood relative, the King of Chu had many difficulties.
But at this time, Yuan Mu's chest still hurt uncontrollably.
She turned her face away and said in a sharp voice, "Then go away, and don't come to see me, your sister-in-law, again."
The King of Chu was silent for a moment, then said softly, "Take care in the future."
Yuan Mu was in a state of confusion.
She herself issued the order to expel the guest, but after the King of Chu left, she burst into tears.
The emperor came back at this time. When he heard Yuan Mu crying, his expression changed slightly and he walked quickly to her.
"Why are you crying?" He picked her up. "Did Ah Zhang say anything?"
At this time, the emperor looked like a gentle savior.
But Yuan Mu knew very clearly that he was the culprit behind all this.
How could the King of Chu be the real power in Shuofang? He came here simply to gild his reputation. Even if there was a huge crime, it would not fall on his head.
The emperor did this because he wanted to take her back by force, but was unwilling to bear her anger and resentment.
Yuan Mu cried weakly and beat the emperor's chest wildly.
"I will always hate you," she cried, "Do you like to steal other people's lovers again and again?"
The emperor was a man used to being at ease.
In this world, there is nothing he cannot do if he wants to.
The carriage back to Jingzhao is ready.
The emperor didn't indulge Yuan Mu all the time. He pinched her jaw and whispered slowly, "Who did I steal?"
"It was someone else who stole my person," his eyes were dark, "and you won't allow me to take her back?"
The Emperor's memory has been restored.
But memories are just memories. His temperament had been completely changed by the chaos of that year and the pain of the past two years.
The emperor was paranoid and sinister, and he only concealed some of his behavior in front of Yuan Mu.
His voice was cold and gloomy: "A Luo, if I were you, even if I still had a little affection for the King of Chu, I would not dare to show any disrespect in front of the Emperor."
"If you really like him," the emperor stared into Yuan Mu's eyes, "you'd better follow me back to Jingzhao now."
"The people who started the rebellion in the border states came from the Prince of Chu's palace," he whispered. "They used the reputation of the Prince of Chu to plot rebellion."
The emperor's voice was cold: "Think about it yourself, if I want to deal with Ah Zhang now, is it easy?"
He clamped his knuckles under her jaw, not hard, but making it impossible for her to resist.
Yuan Mu was forced to raise his eyes and meet the emperor's gaze.
There were tears in her eyes, like a flower kept in a greenhouse, revealing innocence and ignorance, and her hatred was direct and unconcealed.
The King of Chu really took good care of her.
Yuan Mu returned all the three years of hands-on palace education that the emperor had given him.
He didn't know whether to be relieved or what to do.
The emperor was filled with all kinds of emotions, but when he saw the tears in Yuan Mu's eyes, he didn't have the heart to say anything harsh.
"Come back to Jingzhao with me," he said softly, "Your health needs to be taken care of, otherwise the longer you wait, the worse it will get."
The emperor picked up Yuan Mu, stroked her thin back, and held her on his lap.
"Be good," he said gently, "I won't do anything to Zhang."
Every word the emperor said was full of undisguised threats. Even if he spoke in a gentler tone, it could not change the fact that he was threatening her.
But what he said was right.
If the emperor had wanted to, he could have easily gotten rid of the King of Chu last night.
He seemed to be very kind to the King of Chu, full of tenderness, indulging the King of Chu in everything and allowing him to do whatever the King of Chu wanted.
But the emperor was essentially a very cruel person.
If you love your son, you will plan for him in the long run.
If he truly trusted the King of Chu, he should have cleared the King's bad reputation, selected capable people to assist the King of Chu, and gradually entrusted the King with important positions.
Rather than allowing the King of Chu to act recklessly and do whatever he wants.
Those who are involved are often confused.
Yuan Mu had never been able to see this matter clearly before. When she was in the palace, she even envied the emperor's kindness to the King of Chu.
But when she thought about this problem clearly, her palms were covered with cold sweat.
Few people know that the late emperor did not die of natural causes, but was executed by order of the emperor.
The emperor was a man who could indifferently kill even his own father, let alone the King of Chu. He might have some feelings for his younger brother, but definitely not so much that they could overshadow anyone else.
Even Yuan Mu may be more important to him than the King of Chu.
Yuan Mu was held in the emperor's arms, and every inch of her snow-white skin expressed her rejection of him.
But she didn't say anything to refute it.
The King of Chu rescued her from the palace and gave her two years of a dreamlike life.
Yuan Mu had no way to repay this.
All she could do now was to stop dragging him down with her.
Yuan Mu clenched his knuckles tightly, bent his snow-white neck, and his black hair fell apart, revealing his soft white neck.
The emperor once liked to leave a kiss on this place, and he wanted to do so now.
He grabbed Yuan Mu's waist and said softly, "I won't touch you, just kiss you, okay?"
-
The emperor brought Yuan Mu back to Jingzhao that afternoon.
She didn't sleep well at night and started sleeping as soon as she got in the car. She wrapped herself in a thick blanket and curled up in the corner.
The emperor asked people to prepare incense so that Yuan Mu could sleep more peacefully.
She was tired and sleepy, and she never woke up again after falling asleep.
During the meal, the emperor coaxed Yuan Mu to eat and drink tea, and she reluctantly ate a little, and then fell into a deep sleep again.
The carriage moved steadily and quickly.
On the morning of the fourth day, the imperial carriage drove into the palace again.
In the past two years, the layout of the imperial palace has changed greatly. The original plum garden was razed to the ground by the emperor and turned into a clear lake.
After the Qingning Palace caught fire, the entire palace was basically burned down.
The emperor converted this place into a new flower garden, planted with Yuan Mu's favorite flowers and plants, and also had a special lotus pond.
It was built according to the lotus pond of Qingyun Temple, and the fish raised there are exactly the same golden and red koi.
In a secluded place on the mountain not far from the Ziwei Palace, a brand new Qingning Palace was built. The overall layout remained unchanged, and there was even the same hot spring at the back.
However, the new location of Qingning Palace is much closer to Ziwei Hall than the old location.
Today, this palace is the most luxurious and beautiful palace in the entire harem.
The original Yifeng Palace was renamed and turned into a palace for banquets.
In the midsummer at the end of May, all you see is lush green, the mountains and forests are verdant, and the flowers and plants are competing for beauty.
Compared to the previous oppressive palace, the current one is more elegant and more in line with Yuan Mu's aesthetics. Noticing her gaze, the emperor said softly, "It was changed according to your preferences. Do you like it?"
She couldn't help but kick him and cursed in a low voice: "Stupid ruler."
The emperor was not angry. He had a smile on his face and looked good-tempered no matter what Yuan Mu said.
Yuan Mu turned her head away, but when she arrived in front of the Ziwei Palace and saw the young figure, her heart and soul trembled.
When she left the palace, the little prince was still in swaddling clothes and had just passed the hundredth day.
In the blink of an eye, he has grown up to this size.
Yuan Mu had heard the King of Chu mention the little prince, and had also heard the emperor talk about the little prince for a long time.
But the feeling when I saw him in person was still different.
Yuan Mu lifted up her skirt and got off the imperial carriage. The little prince was wearing a gold-woven robe and was held by a eunuch. His small face was as white as snow in the sunlight.
He is somewhat similar to Yuan Mu, with the same clear blue eyes and the same snow-white skin.
The little prince had only seen Yuan Mu's portrait, but when he raised his eyes and saw her for the first time, he knew that this was his mother.
He jumped down from the eunuch's arms and ran to her side: "Mother!"
The child's voice is very soft and babyish.
Yuan Mu raised his hand and hugged him, his eyes full of moisture and his throat choked slightly: "A Fei..."
It is already very heavy for a child over two years old.
Yuan Mu's strength is not that great, and her health is not that good either.
After she held the child for a while, the emperor took the child away.
"You are so big now," the emperor whispered, "you can't always be held by your mother. She can't hold you."
The little prince said aggrievedly, "I'm not heavy, Father..."
Yuan Mu frowned when he heard this, looked at the emperor coldly, and then carried the little prince back.
She whispered, "If you can't speak, you can sew your mouth shut."
The emperor was stunned for a moment. Yuan Mu was very rude to him and his words were always sharp, hitting on his sore spots.
But the feeling of being told this by her alone and being told this for her son was completely different.
The emperor followed behind the two of them and lowered his voice: "You said this to me because of him?"
His voice was a little emotional, not at all like a man in his late twenties.
But Yuan Murili ignored the emperor.
"A Fei is not serious," she said softly, "it's your father who is very annoying."
The little prince was held in Yuan Mu's arms. He was a very smart and strong child, but when she gently pinched his little face, tears suddenly welled up in his eyes.
"I'll be a good boy from now on, mother," he said, rubbing his eyes. "Can you come visit me more often in the future?"
The little prince hugged Yuan Mu's neck and said in a low voice: "I have always missed you, mother."
The same words, spoken by different people, feel completely different.
Yuan Mu's heart was shaken. She stroked the little prince's face and said softly, "Mother has been missing you too."
They were returning to Jingzhao along the Lingzhou Road. They stayed in Xianyang last night and got up early in the morning to rush back. They had not yet had lunch.
The little prince had lunch with Yuan Mu for the first time.
He had learned to eat by himself earlier, but Yuan Mu still gently helped him put on his napkin and put the cut vegetables and meat on his small plate.
Yuan Mu had little contact with children, except for his younger sister Yuan Yin.
But she was a very well-behaved little girl, and most of the time it was Aunt Yu who took care of her.
Yuan Mu would at most play with Yuan Yin.
The little prince was also very well-behaved. Yuan Mu watched him eat his meal obediently, and a certain empty place in his heart inexplicably softened.
Her kinship is weak, but that doesn't mean she doesn't desire family affection.
The little prince looked like the emperor, and his phoenix eyes were exactly the same as his, but his eyes were full of water, exactly like hers.
Yuan Mu stayed with the little prince the entire afternoon, looked at his room, read the books he was studying, and played with him outside for a long time.
The emperor wanted to join in, but neither of them liked him very much.
He had no choice but to go to the front hall to discuss matters.
The kitten had grown a lot. Yuan Mu didn't know if it still remembered her, so she leaned over and called out, "Mimi, I'm back."
It is a very majestic Persian cat with long hair and beautiful heterochromatic eyes.
The little prince pulled Yuan Mu's sleeve and said softly, "Mimi is fierce, mother."
But the little cat, which was always so majestic, did not snort at Yuan Mu when she approached. Instead, it rolled over in front of her, revealing its snow-white belly.
She picked up the grown kitten.
The little prince's eyes widened as he looked at Yuan Mu in disbelief: "Mother is so amazing."
Yuan Mu reached out and stroked the kitten. Her expression was gentle and calm.
The dusk was dim, and the rosy glow of the sunset shone on her face, making her snow-white complexion even more lively.
It's time for dinner.
The emperor leaned against the palace door, watching the scene calmly without saying a word for a long time.
This is a very common scene, but for him, it is a beautiful scene that he dared not even imagine in his dreams.
The rest of life is long.
The emperor was willing to spend his entire life to make up for Yuan Mu.
His life, power, and time are all worthless. Their only meaning is to make her smile as beautiful as a flower.
The emperor also brought back several maids that Yuan Mu had trusted when he was in the Prince of Chu's mansion.
Including the old servant named Jinzhi.
He even had people carefully collect all the precious things that Yuan Mu had brought with him from the Prince of Chu's residence and bring them back to the Ziwei Palace.
The emperor placed the peony flower she carved with his own hands in his study with selfish motives.
Yuan Mu had never given him anything. Every year on his birthday, he would prepare the gift himself and then have someone send it to him.
But it doesn't matter, he is unimportant.
It was not until the little prince's stomach growled that Yuan Mu took his little hand and returned to the palace.
Perhaps this is the power of blood.
The two of them had only been together for one afternoon when they became so close that no one else could fit in; even the emperor seemed like an outsider.
Yuan Mu picked up some food for the little prince, and the emperor served the food to Yuan Mu.
Throughout the dinner, his whole attention was focused on serving her.
But Yuan Mu still didn't even look at him. The two of them played Nine Rings together and fed the kitten.
They did not separate until the little prince was taken away to bathe.
It's getting late.
Yuan Mu glanced at the clepsydra and went into the bathroom. The emperor wanted to follow him in, but Yuan Mu drove him out.
After bathing, the emperor personally helped Yuan Mu dry his hair.
She lay on the soft couch with her eyes half closed. Her long, thick black hair was as smooth as silk and had the fragrance of rose dew, which made people feel at ease for no reason.
Ever since the fire in Qingning Palace, the emperor's mind has never been so calm.
Yuan Mu was a little tired after traveling for several days.
Her long eyelashes drooped, as if she was asleep.
The emperor gently carried Yuan Mu back to the inner hall. He pulled aside the curtain and carried her inside.
The summer is hot, and the palace has long been using ice jars.
Yuan Mu's sleeping face was peaceful, her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her cold temperament was greatly reduced.
The emperor covered her with a brocade quilt and then turned off the light in the outer room.
Just when he thought Yuan Mu was already asleep, she suddenly asked softly, "Are you going to take him away from me this time?"
Yuan Mu's words were so casual that he didn't even lift his long eyelashes.
But the emperor felt as if a sharp blade had suddenly pierced his heart, causing him to feel a sharp and long-lasting pain.
"Never again, Luo!" he whispered, "What happened before, I..."
Yuan Mu didn't listen anymore, she gently interrupted him: "Stop talking, I want to sleep."
She turned sideways without even glancing at him.
The joy of the whole day has completely disappeared at this moment.
The emperor's eyes and brows were immersed in darkness, his finger bones were pale, pressed on the quilt, he tried to lift them up countless times, but finally put them down.
There was a throbbing pain in his chest that had been lingering all night, but he seemed not to feel it and just looked at her masochistically all night long.
The next day, when the court meeting came, Yuan Mu was still asleep.
The emperor then drew aside the curtain and left her side. While drinking tea, he covered his lips and coughed twice, but when his knuckles fell, they were stained with blood.
The eunuch exclaimed, and hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, would you like to ask the imperial physician to come over?"
The emperor took a handkerchief and wiped away the blood.
He said calmly, "It's okay."
Then the emperor left directly and went to the front hall to prepare for the court meeting.
Yuan Mu was sleeping very soundly. She hated Ziwei Palace very much and was in a very bad mood every time she came here.
Perhaps it was because she was not tortured by the emperor before going to bed, or perhaps it was because she was so happy playing with the little prince.
She slept very well this time and woke up at noon.
The little prince has already finished a lesson with his teacher. He is very smart and precocious, but the emperor did not push him too hard. He just let the little prince learn some simple things with the teacher first.
He has a very strong ability to learn, a calm temperament, and never feels tired in class.
Yuan Mu's face flushed slightly, and she said dryly, "A Fei got up really early."
But the little prince did not expose her. He said softly, "Are you hungry, mother? Let's have lunch."
Yuan Mu pinched his little face and said softly, "Okay."
Her spleen and stomach have always been not very good, and she didn't eat much. It was only because she was accompanying the little prince that she ate more.
The emperor had just returned from Shuofang and had a backlog of matters to deal with. He did not even return to the Ziwei Palace at noon and had been discussing matters in the front hall.
Yuan Mu spent a few peaceful days like this.
The emperor did not deliberately release the news, but he did not hide the fact that Yuan Mu had returned to the palace.
Many people thought he was crazy before. Concubine Yuan had passed away a long time ago, but he still stubbornly believed that she was not dead.
But nowadays, more people are going crazy.
Countless powerful officials in the court could not help but feel insecure and reflect on whether they had been disrespectful in the past.
The harem was exceptionally peaceful. After the fire in Qingning Palace, a large number of people involved were sentenced to death.
After the Yuan family's disaster, the court and the country experienced a major shock. Everyone knew how pathological the emperor's concern for Yuan Mu was.
The concubines in the palace now only hope that no disaster will happen again this time.
Now that the six palaces are in decline, everyone is trying to protect themselves. Yuan Mu has been back in the palace for so long, but no one dares to get close to her, not even to hand her a letter.
The first guest of Ziwei Palace was beyond Yuan Mu's expectations.
She sat in front of the desk, looking at Xi Rongjing, whose face looked unfamiliar, and said softly, "I saw Mr. Xi's invitation and thought it was Ah Yan who wanted to come over."
Xi Rongjing's image as a gentle and elegant young man is well-known both in the court and the country.
But more than two years have passed, and his appearance and temperament have changed a lot, making people feel gloomy for no reason.
Yuan Mu ordered tea for Xi Rongjing and placed it in front of him personally.
Just as she was about to withdraw her hand, Xi Rongjing grabbed her wrist and said in a low voice, "You don't want to stay with the emperor, right?"
He lifted his eyelids and stared at her.
There was a hint of sickness in Xi Rongjing's eyes, and he said softly, "I can take you away, A'luo."
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