Huang Mengling felt that she was careless. She used to think Ye Zhou and Zhang Ru were really stupid. Now she realized that no Ye Zhou treated her as a wife, and no Zhang Ru treated her as a sister. Not to mention that she couldn't see Xuanyuan Hao at all now, she couldn't even enter the palace.
She also felt a little regretful for listening to her mother's words. It was a frivolous act for her to flirt with the men around her, intentionally or unintentionally. She had flirted with Tie Ren before, but Tie Ren ignored her and stayed away from her. Huang Mengling thought he was too cowardly and was afraid that Ye Zhou would find out.
Later, when he knelt and couldn't get up, she realized that Tie Ren's eyes were filled with undisguised disgust. But she didn't care. Her target now was Xuanyuan Hao. She didn't even care about Ye Zhou, so why would she care about Tie Ren? At that time, she thought, you hate me now, I will kill you in the future! Humph! Wait until I take down Xuanyuan Hao.
Initially, she had unintentionally flirted with him, but when she discovered that Xuanyuan Hao was actually interested in her, she felt elated and told her mother about it. Later, she wanted to strike while the iron was hot and make things happen with Xuanyuan Hao, but her mother told her to play the long game and catch the bigger fish.
She was puzzled. Her mother had been her father's mistress, then taken in as a concubine, and then forced the mistress to death to become his wife. Why couldn't she have sex with Xuanyuan Hao first? Wasn't that the same thing done to Ye Zhou?
Her mother said that your father was a playboy by nature, who liked women outside. He often said that a wife was not as good as a concubine, a concubine was not as good as a maid, a maid was not as good as a secret lover, and a secret lover was not as good as a person who could not be loved. Decent women were meaningless to him.
But Ye Zhou wasn't like that. He thought you were a good girl. How did you trick him? You liked him, and your family was a little rich, but your social status was too low, so you didn't deserve him, so you resorted to such a desperate measure. Ye Zhou thought you did this because you liked him too much.
Mother said that Xuanyuan Hao seemed to be of this type. If he liked your innocent and cute appearance, you couldn't seduce him into bed first. You could only be the kind and innocent type.
She believed her mother, but now, relying on such illusory emotions is useless. If she had been practical earlier, she would not have had no actual contact with Xuanyuan Hao.
It was also because she was too proud and too confident, and always felt that Xuanyuan Hao would find a way to find her and meet her.
But now, more than three months have passed and there is no movement at all.
Huang Mengling thought that fortunately her dowry and the people who came with her as a dowry could still be used.
Thinking about it this way, she felt that the eldest lady who had died long ago was still of some use. Her dowry did not all belong to the original mistress, but finally fell into the hands of her mother and daughter.
When Xuanyuan Hao returned to the palace that day, he saw a pot of pink peonies as bright as the morning glow on the desk facing the window.
He stood there in a daze for a moment, then walked forward and looked at the peony for a long time, remembering that pretty face.
Once upon a time, the four of them were in the Imperial Garden, where there was a pink peony. When they were alone, Huang Mengling said to him, "Peonies are beautiful, too, and pink is beautiful, but everyone only talks about the peonies as the most beautiful of all, their vibrant red. Actually, peonies never think of competing for anything. Just like this pink peony, it's happy to have a place in the garden and bloom. But because it's a peony, because it's pink, it's always looked down upon and disliked."
Xuanyuan Hao felt deeply distressed upon hearing this. What had this little girl done wrong? She simply loved him and wished they had met before they married. Now, because of this love, she had to bear such heavy thoughts. He even felt a little displeased looking at Zhang Ru from afar. Peony? A true national beauty? Outshining all the other beauties?
(Zhang Ru: ...What did I do?)
Looking at the pink peony now, Xuanyuan Hao was a little dazed. He wondered what had become of that innocent and lovely girl. Should he ask someone tomorrow? She must be six or seven months pregnant now. Xuanyuan Hao hesitated again.
In the Queen's palace, the old nanny beside Zhang Ru saw Baozhu coming. She was finishing the calligraphy practice assigned by the Queen in the courtyard. As she was writing, she said to the Queen, "In His Majesty's heart, the Queen is still different. I heard that the Queen Mother wanted to force someone in, but His Majesty refused decisively. He accepted Baozhu without saying a word and asked her to come for an hour every day. As husband and wife are one, there is nothing to hide from you."
Zhang Ru smiled but said nothing. If it weren't for that dream, if it weren't for what she saw under the Mid-Autumn Moon...
That dream was so long, so long that when she woke up, she asked the maid if she had been unconscious for several days and nights. That dream was as long as a lifetime, a miserable life.
After Baozhu finished practicing calligraphy, she showed it to the queen.
Zhang Ru looked at each of the pictures and praised them, saying, "Your writing is quite good." She then asked, "Is everything good, Your Majesty?"
In her dream, she disdained to do these things, but God made her have this dream, and let her and Ye Zhou see it during the Mid-Autumn Festival... She had to do something.
Li Baozhu thought for a moment and said, "Nothing special. I just stared at a pot of pink peonies for a long time."
Zhang Ru's grip suddenly tightened. In her dream, after Huang Mengling entered the palace and was named Consort Ming, Xuanyuan Hao planted a garden of pink peonies for her. Although she didn't know why, Huang Mengling always liked that flower.
Zhang Ru, in charge of the harem, was in charge of everything, so she immediately sent someone to investigate the pot of pink peonies. In her dreams, she always thought about their marriage, and she had done nothing wrong to Xuanyuan Hao and Huang Mengling. But she also had her own pride, and she disdained many things. As a result, she was passive everywhere, constantly oppressed and hurt for no apparent reason. When she wanted to protect those around her, she found she was powerless, and many things were too late...
The matter was soon investigated and it was found out that Huang Mengling was really generous. She gave away two shops and a set of headgear. She also gave away a eunuch who was out purchasing goods in the palace, a senior eunuch who was in charge of flowers and plants in the garden, and a palace maid who was the eunuch's concubine. She placed a pot of pink peonies in front of Xuanyuan Hao.
Huang Mengling can still mobilize money and people... Send someone to tell Ye Zhou.
Zhang Ru closed her eyes. The eunuch who was in charge of the flowers and bonsai in the garden did not take the pot of pink peony seriously. After all, the news he received was just that a merchant who specialized in flowers and bonsai wanted His Majesty to praise their flowers in order to do more business, so he just wanted to put them on display for His Majesty to see.
So when the eunuch was taken to the torture chamber, he thought he had let something slip, so he confessed that Prince Guanghuai had sent two pots of marigolds and asked him to deliver them to the Queen Mother. Prince Guanghuai was Xuanyuan Hao's younger brother, born of the same mother. If there was nothing fishy about these two pots of marigolds, they should have been sent through the proper channels.
Zhang Ru thought about it and went to Xuanyuan Hao Palace.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
