Chapter 33 Chapter 33 [VIP]
It was useless for Yuan Mu to resist.
With the emperor, she had no choice in many things.
This time, the emperor did not use any conciliatory tactics. He directly placed Yuan Mu under house arrest in the Ziwei Palace.
Although this is not much different from her previous life when she was confined in Qingning Palace.
Yuan Mu was always forced to sleep late at night.
The emperor kissed the side of her neck, his large palm resting on her flat belly. His voice was slightly hoarse, "Do you think our child is already here?"
Yuan Mu was held by him and pressed against the soft snow-white skin.
She has been fed a lot of tonics recently. When she first entered the palace, she drank them all day long. Later, she stopped drinking them, but now the emperor has started feeding her again.
Tonics are good for your health, but they always have an annoying side effect.
The only benefit is that it makes people sleep more.
Yuan Mu would rather sleep soundly all day long. She has been sleepy recently, and the medicine for her health care made her sleep even more.
When the emperor was not in the Ziwei Palace, she spent most of her time sleeping.
The only time he would wake up was during mealtimes, when he would play with the kitten.
I don’t know how many days passed like this.
The marks on Yuan Mu's neck completely disappeared after applying the medicine, and his skin became snow-white and as smooth as mutton-fat jade.
The emperor asked Aunt Yu and Yuan Yin to come twice more.
They are living very well now, but after a few words, Aunt Yu started to persuade Yuan Mu to have a child as soon as possible.
Only the crown prince is the foundation of one's life.
Yuan Mu was tired of hearing this. She had been feeling very emotional lately, so she couldn't help but say something harsh: "If you keep saying that, don't come to see me anymore."
She remained calm on the outside, but felt extremely suffocated in her chest.
But how could Aunt Yu be so cruel to her?
Not long after, I submitted another post.
Yuan Mu didn't answer the call. Her day was slightly delayed for two days. Normally, Yuan Mu wouldn't care at all.
But now she is like a frightened bird.
There is a special person in the palace to record this matter. Yuan Mu's daily life is relatively regular, and occasionally it will be advanced or delayed by a few days.
The maid prepared brown sugar ginger tea in advance, and Yuan Mu held the cup and drank a lot.
She really didn't want to take tonics anymore. She would rather drink the brown sugar ginger tea that she didn't like before and never touched tonics again.
The emperor rubbed Yuan Mu's belly, leaned over and kissed her forehead, and said helplessly: "Then don't drink it for the next two days."
Yuan Mu never considered Qingning Palace his home, but when he was in Ziwei Palace, it was no different from living under someone else's roof.
She didn't want to obey the emperor, but she didn't dare to disobey him too much.
The emperor is ruthless and there will be no good consequences if you anger him.
In the past few days, he never mentioned letting Yuan Mu leave the palace, as if he had never mentioned it before.
The emperor never keeps his word.
Yuan Mu was feeling depressed, but because he was filled with anxiety about his daily life, he didn't care too much.
She had not left the palace for many days and was almost unable to bear the boredom.
The external talent show was in full swing, with beauties vying for beauty, but it was not until the last day of the talent show that Yuan Mu finally had the opportunity to step out of the Ziwei Palace.
The selection process went very smoothly, and the happiest people were the royal family members.
Their marriages cannot be decided by themselves and must be selected by the royal family.
Yuan Mu only found out at the end that the selection was not for palace concubines, but for female officials and the wives and concubines of princes and dukes.
She turned her eyes away from the list and met the emperor's gaze, who was looking at her with a smile.
He was like the beautiful pheasant called peacock, unique to Nanzhao, who spared no effort to display his tenderness and charm.
It’s just that the emperor did not give Yuan Mu the power to choose whether to accept it.
"Having one ancestor in the palace is enough," the emperor said softly, "I have no interest in serving others."
It would have been better if he hadn't spread her knees apart and kissed the sides of her legs when he said this.
The flesh at the base of Yuan Mu's legs was very tender, but on that snow-white skin, in addition to pinch marks and finger marks, there were also blatant bite marks.
Facing her was a polished, translucent mirror.
The mirror, which is more than nine feet long, can reflect everything clearly, even the tears at the corners of Yuan Mu's eyes are distinct.
The beauty and debauchery of palace life cannot be told to outsiders.
But half an hour before leaving the palace, Yuan Mu was still arguing with the emperor. The marks on her snow-white neck were obvious, and she wanted to cover them with makeup, but he refused.
He sat in the armchair and said calmly, "Your previous injury has just healed. It's not good to use cosmetics."
Since when did he get to tell me how to put on makeup?
Yuan Mu sat in front of the dressing table, his eyes calm, and said irritably: "Then don't kiss here."
She frowned, holding the kitten in her arms, and her temper was still a little irritable.
The emperor's face turned cold and he whispered, "Then you can stay in the palace."
Yuan Mu was so angry that he was shaking. Ever since he took it out, he seemed to be more and more confident.
"If you don't want to go out, then don't go out."
The emperor frowned and said,
Yuan Mu was so angry that he took the kitten to the terrace and pulled the curtain down heavily.
The emperor had a lot of things to do, and before a quarter of an hour had passed, he left the palace for something.
When Yuan Mu heard the noise, he left the terrace and sat back in front of the dressing table.
"Go on with your makeup," she whispered as she petted the kitten.
Yuan Mu's brows were still furrowed. Her face was so beautiful that even without makeup, her stunning beauty was unmatched.
What she wanted most was to cover up those embarrassing marks.
He had said he wanted to leave the palace earlier, and he had already agreed with the Empress. How could the Emperor leave the palace for any reason? It was clearly a deliberate act to give Yuan Mu a way out.
The doting and love he showed her was obvious to everyone who served him nearby.
The maid covered her lips and smiled, then said softly, "Yes."
The sedan chair was also prepared in advance.
Yuan Mu fed the kitten something to eat, then lifted her skirt and got into the sedan chair.
She hadn't been out for so many days that she felt an inexplicable sense of relief when she came into contact with sunlight.
The banquet was held in the evening and many people attended, but the protagonists today were the royal family members and their future wives and concubines.
The golden crow sets in the west, and the setting sun melts gold.
The twilight was somewhere between crimson and gilded, still warm when it shone on my body, and I felt a little sunburned.
Yuan Mu stayed in the palace all year round and was very sensitive to changes in the weather outside.
Peach blossoms are in full bloom, and pear blossoms are exuding their fragrance in the night.
The ladies attending the banquet were wearing spring dresses and walked hand in hand. Their scarlet pomegranate skirts fluttered slightly in the night breeze, as if they were preparing for an outing.
The vitality of spring is reflected in all aspects.
It was only after she felt the freedom she hadn't felt for a long time that Yuan Mu realized how depressed she had been today.
Even when the soft spring breeze brushed across my face, the oppressive feeling in my chest, like a maggot in my tarsal bone, did not change.
But before she even stepped into the banquet, the Xi brothers and sisters began waving at her, and standing next to them was the King of Chu.
Xi Lanyan cried very hard that day. Yuan Mu always wanted to ask her what happened, but he didn't have the chance. However, seeing Xi Lanyan smiling at this moment, the matter should have been resolved.
Yuan Mu was wearing a light red palace dress today.
Her eyebrows are decorated with flowers and her lips are painted with vermilion.
She didn't often wear bright colors, and her face, as beautiful as a pear blossom in full snow, seemed to have a little more life in it, no longer so cold.
So beautiful that it's kind of alluring.
Xi Lanyan's face was full of smiles, and she said softly, "Long time no see, sister."
There are many banquets in the palace, but they are relatively fewer in the cold winter. After the beginning of spring, there will be more and more banquets, big and small.
Yuan Mu never shows up, which makes people suspicious.
Xi Rongjing looked at Yuan Mu and said with a smile, "I didn't have time to say it before, but I would like to congratulate Her Majesty first..."
He was only halfway through his words when the King of Chu stopped him.
The King of Chu coughed twice and winked at Xi Rongjing. Yuan Mu looked at them in confusion. Before he could ask any questions, he was led by Xi Lanyan to the banquet.
"Ignore them, sister," Xi Lanyan said with a smile, "Let's go over there quickly."
She seemed to be in a much better mood.
Men and women were seated separately at the palace banquet. Yuan Mu arrived a little late, and the banquet started immediately. She had no time to think about it, and followed Xi Lanyan quickly over.
The concubines have always had to sit together.
She let go of Xi Lanyan's hand and said softly, "Let's talk later."
Then the two of them separated.
Even so, as soon as Yuan Mufu sat down at the table, countless eyes fell on her.
Those gazes were much more focused than last time. She didn't understand what was happening and followed the palace servants to her seat.
Yuan Mu's position was low, so he always sat in the corner and his seat was almost fixed.
But just as she was about to sit down, the palace servant led her forward.
He didn't stop until he reached behind the four concubines.
Yuan Mu sat down next to Concubine De. Opposite him was Concubine Shu, who was making tea with her bare hands. Next to her stood a girl who seemed to be the girl from the Zhou family whom he had seen that day.
The seating arrangements at palace banquets are very particular, indicating one’s ceremonial status.
Yuan Mu was slightly startled. When he looked up, he heard Concubine De whisper, "If we really follow Feiyan and Hede's old ways, then I wasn't wrong that day, was I?"
There was a hint of sarcasm in Concubine De's voice, but it was so low that it could only be heard if one was very close.
There were some fine lines on her bright face, and she looked a little sick, for some reason.
The palace is not a stagnant pool. Although no one is favored, there are always open and secret struggles.
Empress Yuan hasn't come yet.
Yuan Mu lowered his eyes, picked up the cup, and took a sip: "Then, Madam De Fei, who does she want to be in this old story?"
She drank tea quietly, with dim starlight in her light-colored eyes.
"It's good to be born with a beautiful face," Concubine De laughed sarcastically. "She's already getting married, and she can enter the palace to become an empress. I don't have that blessing, so I'm just wasting my time by your side."
She leaned back and waved the folding fan in her hand.
Defei raised her voice a little, and the people in front and behind her could hear it a little.
But the Concubine Shu opposite seemed to have heard nothing, and was still instructing her sister beside her: "Look, the tea should be divided like this first, and then ordered like this to make it look good."
The fighting in the palace will never stop.
Yuan Mu felt tired and didn't want to pay attention to anyone.
But when the virtuous concubines heard this, they all chuckled and said, "We are all unlucky people, and we can't be the protagonists in the storybooks."
"Hey, what do you mean?" Concubine De curled her lips. "After all, we are legitimate ladies of a noble family. Having His Majesty's protection is enough."
"It's a pity Xiyu, she had originally agreed to enter the palace," she sighed, "but someone interrupted her halfway."
Defei pulled Shufei in, and the girl next to Shufei also raised her head.
Yuan Mu was surprised, and then he remembered that someone had said before that when the emperor was the crown prince, he liked gentle and quiet girls with bookish airs.
Shufei's younger sister was grown just to suit the emperor's preferences.
Concubine Shu smiled slightly but said nothing more.
At a certain moment, Yuan Mu's heart seemed to be gently stabbed, and she thought she was completely exhausted.
But just like that day in front of the Ziwei Palace, she still had some subtle emotions.
This is not something Yuan Mu can control.
The emotions accumulated over the years have not faded and are still playing tricks on me.
Yuan Mu was not a girl who grew up in the harem. Even though she listened to Yu Yi Niang's words more, she was still very annoyed about this matter.
Especially when you become the protagonist.
There are too many overt and covert attacks in the palace. The emperor doted on her today and said he would give her the position of queen.
But how can you take a man’s words in bed seriously?
When she grows old and loses her beauty one day, her situation will probably be even more miserable than that of Concubine Yu.
After all, the emperor has always been brooding over her loss of virginity before marriage. When he likes her, he lets it go, but when he starts to get tired of her, the thorn in his heart will only get deeper and deeper.
Yuan Mu wanted to leave before the banquet officially started.
She had been in the palace for two years but still couldn't adapt to palace life.
Yuan Mu couldn't compete with others, nor did she want to compete with others, but she had been living a life of sharing her husband with countless people.
The appetizer had just arrived, but the aroma of the food made her feel nauseous.
When Yuan Mu pressed her lower abdomen, the maid hurried forward and said, "Madam, are you feeling unwell?"
The emperor hadn't had anyone follow Yuan Mu everywhere for a long time, but this time, all the people waiting not far away were his.
They were at a distance, so the palace servants couldn't hear what they were saying, but they could see what they were doing.
Yuan Mu has had a poor appetite these days. If he eats any meat, he will vomit it all out.
The meals in the palace were prepared with great care.
The maid hurriedly took Yuan Mu away from the table and took him to a nearby palace to rest.
After she left in a hurry, the expressions of the four concubines at the banquet became gloomy. They looked at each other and exchanged glances silently.
Yuan Mu used a little at noon, but as soon as she entered the hall, she couldn't help but started to retch.
The maid patted her back and said anxiously, "My Lady, do you want to ask the imperial physician to come over?"
Yuan Mu couldn't vomit anything, but her stomach felt very uncomfortable. She clenched the handkerchief tightly and frowned deeply.
"No need." She just said that and couldn't help but retching again.
Maybe there is something wrong with my spleen and stomach again.
But Yuan Mu really didn't want to drink the tonic. After she recovered, she whispered, "His Majesty is busy with many things every day. There's no need to report such trivial matters to him."
Her long eyelashes were slightly wet, and she was leaning back on the couch, but her face showed no strange expression.
After wiping his lips, Yuan Mu stood up and prepared to go back.
Empress Yuan said she was ill. She was in poor health and had often asked for leave from banquets before.
The emperor doted on her and never said anything.
When Yuan Mu returned, the four concubines were discussing the same matter. Concubine De sighed and said, "I really envy the Empress. I heard that there were cases of concubines having miscarriages while keeping vigil over the coffin in the past. Our Empress will never have to worry about this."
The atmosphere at the table was not very good.
They seemed to have just had an argument, and only Concubine Liang followed Concubine De's words: "Isn't that right?"
Concubine Liang was the last of the four concubines, and her status and background were inferior to the other two, but that was not something Yuan Mu could compare to.
Yuan Mu's background is too obscure. Although it's still relatively unknown to the outside world, everyone in the palace knows her background.
When she first entered the palace, many people were reluctant to greet her, thinking she was unlucky.
Yuan Mu also heard someone say, "Didn't they say she wouldn't live to be 20? How come she's still doing well? She looks healthier than her sister."
Her fair face was a little pale, and her eyes and eyebrows were listless.
Yuan Mu sat down silently. She had a poor appetite, so she picked up a piece of peach blossom mandarin fish with her jade chopsticks and ate it carelessly.
The moonlight was originally quite bright, but at some point, thick clouds gradually obscured its glow.
Yuan Mu did not respond to anyone. It was rare for her to leave the palace. If she left at this time, the emperor would only find a handle on her and would never let her out again.
He can even say in a nice way: "I'm doing this for your own good, okay?"
Yuan Mu was used to sarcasm since he was young.
Children living near Zhuangzi often threw stones at her window, openly cursing, "This must be the residence of that evil star!"
Yuan Mu doesn't care about these things.
She ate the fish slowly, perhaps because her stomach was uncomfortable and her mind was a little uneasy.
Yuan Mu always felt that there were eyes staring at her in the dark.
She waited for the second round of drinks before going to find Xi Lanyan and the others.
But before long, cold sweat almost soaked Yuan Mu's back. Her stomach felt like it was churning and she wanted to vomit badly, but there was nothing in her stomach and she couldn't vomit.
She tried to suppress her discomfort, and when someone came to toast her, she simply took a sip.
The dishes were served quickly. The food at the banquet was very exquisite, but almost all the most delicate dishes were placed in front of Yuan Mu.
The more delicious the food, the stronger her urge to vomit.
Yuan Mu couldn't even wait for the second round of drinks, she pulled out a chair and stood up.
Defei was chatting with someone when Yuan Mu suddenly stood up and bumped into her elbow, causing the full glass of wine to spill all over Defei.
She screamed in surprise, her face instantly becoming ugly: "Yuan Zhaoyi!"
The wine soaked Defei's golden brocade robe, and the soft velvet was clumped together.
Yuan Muzhen didn't mean to do this, but seeing Defei's exasperated look, she couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips slightly.
She whispered, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Yuan Mu's smile faded quickly, but Concubine De still caught it. Her brows arched in anger, and she couldn't help but say, "Are you done with just an apology? Do you know how precious the material of this robe of mine is?"
"I don't know," Yuan Mu said softly, "Do you want me to compensate you? You can go find the eunuchs and maids in Qingning Palace."
Her words were direct and she showed no respect for the elders in the palace.
In fact, Yuan Mu had very good court etiquette and she never caused trouble.
But she had been with the emperor for too long and gradually became too lazy to maintain the relationship.
Yuan Mu's status was low, her character was rather timid, and her residence was also remote. When people in the palace counted people on their fingers, they often forgot about Yuan Mu.
Defei didn't expect that she would dare to speak like this.
She snapped, "What did you say!"
There was quite a commotion here, and the maid who was in charge of looking after Yuan Mu hurried over.
The virtuous concubine, the good concubine and the prudent concubine also stood up to mediate.
Yuan Mu's face didn't show any apology. She said softly, "Then what do you think we should do? How about I take off my dress and give it to you?"
She didn't notice it herself, but when she spoke like this, her expression and tone were very much like the emperor.
Yuan Mu had been with the emperor for too long, and had been influenced by him. He had acquired his demeanor and his bad temper.
After two years in the palace, she is no longer the innocent and kind girl.
Concubine De was so angry that she was fuming. She raised her hand and shook her wrist, wanting to slap Yuan Mu in the face.
The Shufei and Xianfei who were nearby hurriedly embraced her.
The virtuous concubine said repeatedly: "Sister, calm down. Yuan Zhaoyi didn't mean it."
"How about this," she bit her lip, "Yuan Zhaoyi, have a drink as an apology to your sister."
The wine jug is placed in the center.
The light fruit wine was sweet and appetizing. The four concubines loved it and drank countless cups in one night.
Yuan Mu wanted to go over and rest, and didn't want to bother with everyone else.
She held down the hand of the maid who was trying to dissuade her, poured a glass of wine into the cup, and drank it all in one gulp.
Yuan Mu's expression was calm. He turned the wine cup upside down, circling it towards the crowd, and said softly, "Now, Her Majesty, Concubine De, believes my apology, right?"
She actually didn't hate drinking, but the emperor never allowed her to drink too much.
Especially recently, he has been working hard to prepare her for pregnancy.
De Fei's expression softened a little, and her brows relaxed: "Be more careful next time!"
But as soon as she finished speaking, Yuan Mu, who was standing just now, suddenly covered his lower abdomen and fell to the ground.
The pain in my stomach was sharp, as if it was turning my intestines out.
Yuan Mu's eyes went dark. She covered her lips and just as she was about to cough twice, she suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Her thoughts were in a mess, but she suddenly recalled what the emperor had said before.
——Perhaps she was poisoned.
Yuan Mu was completely unprepared. After vomiting blood, her vision became even darker and she fainted in an instant.
The maidservant accompanying her nearby screamed, "My Lady!"
The noisy banquet suddenly turned into a chaotic mess. The four concubines nearby turned pale and hurriedly retreated, calling out, "Quickly call the imperial physician!"
Yuan Mu's thoughts were all in a mess.
She had already fainted, but the pain in her abdomen was so severe that it forced her to wake up from the confusion.
Today's palace banquet is a grand banquet, and there are accompanying imperial physicians nearby.
Yuan Mu was brought here by a maid and nearby guards.
The imperial physician was drinking and chatting happily with someone. When he saw the woman with plain makeup being brought in, he didn't even stand up at first.
Later, when he heard that it was Empress Zhaoyi from the palace, he hurriedly got up.
"What's wrong?" the imperial physician asked repeatedly, "Did you drink too much?"
The maidservant was so anxious that tears were about to fall. She knelt on the ground with a plop and said, "Please, sir, save our queen. She...she might have been poisoned!"
There was darkness in Yuan Mu's mind.
All her consciousness was chaotic, and only the pain in her abdomen was so sharp.
Perhaps because the pain was too severe and he had a premonition of death, Yuan Mu suddenly wanted to see the emperor for the last time.
But Wei Cong said, "I know you are in a hurry, but His Majesty is currently discussing urgent military matters that have just been reported from the northwest. I'm afraid he doesn't have time to visit Empress Zhaoyi."
"The Rouran have suddenly attacked our border!" he whispered. "The northernmost border town has fallen! We should prepare to send troops tonight."
The guards responsible for protecting the palace banquets have always been strictly disciplined and never bend the law for personal gain.
What’s more, such a big thing suddenly happened in the Northwest.
Of course the maid knew how much the emperor loved Yuan Mu.
But no one dared to consider whether her status was worthy of military and national affairs.
The emperor was the most heartless, but he also paid the most attention to state affairs.
Yuan Mu's closed eyes moved slightly, his long eyelashes trembled again and again, and finally he closed his eyes.
To him, she was nothing more than a toy that suited his fancy. He had been paying close attention to her recently on a whim, but in the final analysis, she was just an embellishment in his busy life.
It was because she was disobedient that she felt particularly fresh to him.
When the heat of the moment subsided, everything between them was completely over.
Yuan Mu didn't want to cry, but she was in so much pain.
The pain was so severe that it felt like I was dying.
-
The turmoil and storms in the northwest seemed to have no end. Last time, the emperor personally went to Shuofang to supervise the army, and the royal army broke through the soft royal court in one fell swoop.
I thought the situation over there would be over, but unexpectedly, another big incident happened in the blink of an eye.
It seems like life can never be peaceful, there are always all kinds of chaos.
The emperor also understood why many monarchs became lazy in state affairs in their later years.
He originally wanted to pick up Yuan Mu after the banquet. He wanted to give her a lot of honors and favors, the more the better, so much that no one could match her, whether it was decency in front of others or respect behind their backs.
Even if we cannot make her the queen right now, we must not reduce her due treatment in the slightest.
But the emperor did not expect that this military matter would come so urgently.
He asked people to report Yuan Mu's situation regularly, but once he entered the Xuanzheng Hall, he had no time to listen.
During the meeting, someone came to say that Yuan Mu seemed unwell. The emperor listened to half of the words and said, "Let her wait for a while. I will go back to see her after I finish my business here."
His nerves were tense and he was focused on the military affairs at hand.
So the emperor was unable to react immediately and wondered why Yuan Mu, who usually avoided him like the plague, would suddenly let someone talk about such a thing.
Military and national affairs cannot be delayed. If it is delayed for a quarter of an hour, thousands of civilians may die.
The emperor was very meticulous in his work, and it was already late at night when the matter was completely dealt with.
He glanced at the clepsydra and thought that Yuan Mu would be angry if he still hadn't come over so late.
But as soon as he walked out of the palace, what the emperor saw were the servants kneeling on the ground. At that moment, his instinct beyond common sense made his chest suddenly surge with strong palpitations.
He subconsciously realized that something had happened to Yuan Mu.
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