"I have always been well. Thank you for your concern, Your Highness." Xia Tong lowered her head and spoke calmly.
He had seen many women of all kinds, but only the one in front of him was so distant and indifferent to him from beginning to end. Xiao Jing narrowed his eyes to hide the dark color, and there was no abnormality on his face.
"It seems that the Regent treats the Princess very well." He said in a calm voice.
According to spies, the two never consummated their marriage, but the person before him still showed no resentment at all. Did she not care at all, or was she deliberately hiding it?
Xia Tong didn't know why the other party was concerned about her married life, but she still replied calmly: "The prince has always been concerned about me."
It’s unpleasant to speak against your conscience!
Xiao Jing said nothing, just stared at her steadily, his eyes full of depth.
Xia Tong felt very uncomfortable being stared at by him. At this moment, Eunuch Li suddenly walked out of the hall. When he saw the scene outside, his eyes swept over the two of them, as if he had discovered some huge secret. He quickly lowered his head and pretended that he saw nothing.
"The emperor invites the princess to the palace for an audience."
When Xia Tong saw him, she felt like she had seen a savior. She couldn't wait to bow to the male protagonist, then walked in with her skirt lifted. She really couldn't stand such a weird male protagonist.
But the man behind her looked back at her, pursed his lips, and then walked away.
The inner hall was magnificent and elegant, with a red carpet on the floor. The air was filled with a strong smell of medicine. The huge inner hall was empty. Xia Tong followed the eunuch and walked in gradually. Only then did she see a hunched figure leaning on the dragon couch in the bedroom.
"Your Majesty, the princess has arrived." Eunuch Li whispered in a pinched voice.
The next moment, Xia Tong bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty, I greet you. May your Majesty be healthy and well."
The curtain on the dragon couch was drawn, and only a figure could be vaguely seen from inside. A pretty palace maid was feeding medicine beside her. After a while, as the person inside waved her hand, the palace maid bowed and retreated with the medicine bowl in hand. When she passed by Xia Tong, she inadvertently glanced at her again.
"Ahem..." The person behind the curtain suddenly waved his hand, his voice old and hoarse, "Please take a seat."
After he finished speaking, Eunuch Li immediately brought a mahogany stool over and then slowly retreated.
The strong smell of medicine in the room was a bit pungent, but what puzzled Xia Tong even more was what exactly did the old emperor want to do by summoning her?
After a moment, a weak voice was heard in the silent bedroom, "I heard that the Queen was very satisfied with you being the Crown Princess."
Lowering her head slightly, Xia Tong replied respectfully, "It is because I am unlucky that I cannot marry His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
If she marries the male protagonist, she will definitely be labeled as a vicious female supporting role, which is tantamount to seeking death.
The room was silent. As the curtain in front of the dragon couch was slowly opened, a skinny hand suddenly stretched out, and an old man with wrinkles on his face sat up from the bed while coughing. Xia Tong wanted to get up and help him, but was rejected by the other party with his hand.
The old man was thin, with his bright yellow pajamas hanging loosely on his body. His eyes were sunken and cloudy, and were gray and misty. He did not have the slightest aura of an emperor. He looked like an old man who was experiencing a last burst of vitality and could pass away at any time.
Xia Tong had always heard that the current emperor was unwell and had no intention of managing state affairs, so she thought there was some conspiracy. But now she realized that she was overthinking it.
"Ahem..." The old man coughed twice tiredly while sitting on the couch. After drinking a sip of hot tea, he turned his gaze back to Xia Tong. "I think you are a good person, but Jing'er is unlucky."
Xia Tong lowered her head, "Your Majesty, your words are too serious."
The woman opposite was pretty and charming. Although she was not the most beautiful one, she had a kind of calmness that made people feel calm, as if all the glitz and glamour were incompatible with her.
The old emperor coughed twice with his handkerchief, and a gleam of light flashed in his old eyes. "You and the Regent already have an engagement, and now it is just a matter of time."
After saying this, Xia Tong was startled and couldn't help but secretly look up at the old man not far away. She didn't expect that he actually knew the villain's life experience, which was not mentioned at all in the text. In this case, he should also know that it was he who ordered the unjust death of the villain's father. How dare he keep the villain in the court now?
Or was it too late by the time he found out?
"I was deceived by treacherous officials and this unjust case happened. Gu Aiqing is a talented person. I am seriously ill. Without him, the court will be in chaos. Besides... I also believe that he will repay evil with kindness."
At this point, the old man coughed twice, his eyes fell on Xia Tong, "If I remember correctly, your grandfather should have canceled your marriage with Gu Aiqing, but now he is willing to treat you so well without holding a grudge, which shows that he has great righteousness in his heart and does not stick to trivial matters."
Looking at the sickly old man, Xia Tong found that she had been wrong. A tiger is always a tiger, even if it is dying, it is still the king of beasts. How could the other party have sat in this position for so many years and not know anything? She just didn't know what his plan was.
She said that the villain was a person who repaid evil with kindness. Even if she believed that the other party was afraid, she would not believe it. However, he knew the villain's origin very well, but he still dared to give him such great power. Is he really not afraid?
"I am not very clear about these, but since the emperor thinks so, it must be true." She said with her head down.
The bedroom suddenly became quiet again. The old emperor took a sip of hot tea and said nothing. For a moment, the atmosphere became weird.
Xia Tong folded her hands on her legs. Even though her expression was normal, she was very nervous inside. The other party definitely called her here for more than just these words.
"I am not feeling well, and the regent has been sharing the government affairs. He must be too busy to handle everything on weekdays. You have just got married, will you blame me for disturbing your honeymoon?" The old man looked at her kindly.
Xia Tong wasn't sure what the other party meant, and didn't know how to respond. She always felt that there was a trap waiting for her to fall into. For the moment, she could only smile shyly and stop talking.
“Ahem…”
Another violent cough was heard in the room, and the old man was shaking from coughing. Xia Tong asked tentatively, "Why don't you go call the imperial physician?"
"No need!" The old emperor waved his hand, took a handkerchief to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, and said in a hoarse voice, "It's just an old problem, it's nothing serious."
"Hey, Your Majesty, you...you can't go in--"
As the noise outside the house grew louder, a tall and straight figure suddenly walked in. He was wearing a dark brocade robe, with a hint of indifference on his stern face. Behind him was a group of imperial guards who looked at each other in bewilderment, and it seemed that no one dared to stop him.
"Your Majesty, the Regent insisted on coming in, and I..." Eunuch Li was apologizing with an embarrassed look on his face.
Seeing the person coming, Xia Tong immediately stood up and went over. She didn't expect that this villain was so loyal and actually came to save her.
Waving his hand to let the people leave, the old emperor just looked at the visitors calmly, and said with a smile, "I heard that something happened to Xia girl, and I want to see how serious her injuries are. My dear minister, are you afraid that I will eat her?"
The atmosphere in the room was a little awkward. Xia Tong immediately bowed and saluted, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I only have some minor injuries, nothing serious. As long as you are healthy, it will be a blessing for all the people."
"Hehe...hehe...ahem...what a talkative girl..." The old emperor laughed, "Li Changlu, I remember there is a Tianshan Snow Lotus in the storehouse, go get it and give it to the princess to recuperate."
"I'll go right away!" The eunuch hurried out.
Gu Qin did not speak. His dark eyes were bottomless. He just looked at the old man in front of him calmly. Suddenly, he bowed slightly and said calmly, "It's time to take the medicine. I won't disturb the emperor's rest."
Seeing the man leave, Xia Tong had no choice but to bow and slowly retreat, leaving the person in the room still coughing day after day.
Not long after, a eunuch in a green robe suddenly appeared in the room. He looked at the door, walked to the couch with a serious expression, and helped the old man to the dragon couch.
"The regent prince really cares about the princess. He left the affairs of the Council Hall and rushed over here. However, the princess also has a kind of demeanor that other women do not have. No wonder the queen took a fancy to her."
The eunuch lowered his voice, as if he was on guard against something. The old man slowly leaned against the head of the bed, his cloudy old eyes now full of brilliance, "That's very good."
——
After escorting them all the way to the palace gate, Li Changlu bowed and nodded, respectfully seeing them off, "Your Highness, take care. I will go back to serve the Emperor first."
Xia Tong handed the box of Tianshan Snow Lotus to Qing'er, and stepped onto the carriage while lifting her skirt. The wind blew, bringing an inexplicable chill.
Gu Qin's eyes were filled with gloom. He glanced at the eunuch indifferently and said in a low voice, "Li Changlu, you are so courageous."
After saying this, Li Changlu could only continue to smile apologetically and watched the other party get on the carriage. Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and he swallowed unconsciously out of fear.
The carriage gradually drove away from the palace gate, and the atmosphere in the carriage gradually became a little weird. Xia Tong leaned over and secretly glanced at the gloomy man next to her. She didn't understand how she had offended him, so she could only boldly find a topic to talk about. "The emperor... just asked me some unimportant things, but... he mentioned your... relationship with my family, and seemed to know everything."
This old man is really hard to figure out. He called me over just to chat?
"You are timid and cowardly." The man glanced at her coldly, picked up a bamboo scroll and started reading it.
That three-dimensional profile was perfect to the extreme. Xia Tong swallowed her throat, suddenly moved over quietly, gently pulled the other person's sleeve, and said softly, "Did I say something wrong?"
She behaved neither humbly nor arrogantly. She shouldn't have embarrassed him, right?
The man ignored him, still exuding an aura that kept strangers away.
Xia Tong didn't know what was wrong with the other person, so she could only close her eyes and pretend to take a nap. Anyway, she could never guess what the other person was thinking, so maybe it would be fine after a while.
The carriage was shaking slightly, and the noisy sounds of the busy city outside made people feel upset and unable to concentrate.
Putting down the bamboo slips, Gu Qin rubbed his forehead with a tired hand. He felt that the biggest surprise in all his plans was this woman. But it would be a pity to abandon her, and it would be useless to keep her. But why would he be so worried about a woman?
His shoulder sank, and he glanced out of the corner of his eye, only to see a small head leaning on his shoulder, with long flowing beads swaying with the carriage, the delicate little face was so calm, and the rosy little mouth was gently pursed, with a layer of almost invisible glow.
Frowning, Gu Qin wanted to push the woman away, but his big hand stopped as soon as it touched the thin shoulder. He turned his head and looked at the palm-sized little face with complicated eyes. She always asked for food on weekdays, but why was she so thin?
When his eyes touched those rosy lips, the man's eyes dimmed. Suddenly, he slowly lowered his head and covered that rosy little mouth as if possessed by a magic power.
It was soft, with a hint of sweetness, yet more delicious than any pastry. The man's throat rolled, and he instinctively took in the soft and fragrant taste, reluctant to leave.
"Your Majesty, we're here."
Suddenly, the driver's voice was heard outside. The woman's eyelashes fluttered slightly. Gu Qin immediately released his hand from her waist and continued to sit there reading as if he didn't want anyone to approach him. After Xifeng left, it turned out that the others were all tactless people.
"It's so cold..." Xia Tong muttered and slowly opened her eyes. She clenched her fists and looked back at the angry man next to her. She couldn't help but lean over and asked, "But what did I say wrong today?"
She was so well behaved today, but this guy is really moody!
Putting down the book in his hand, the man's stern features showed no emotion at all. When his eyes inadvertently swept across the rosy little mouth, his voice gradually became hoarse, "Go back home."
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