Chapter 277 Dream of Joy
Kyoto, the former site of the Ning family.
It was a sunny afternoon. Ning Wanshuang sat on the warm seat in her boudoir, chin propped up, staring eagerly at the towering buildings in the east of the city.
The building covered with glazed tiles shrank into a tiny dot of light in her eyes.
But she recognized that it was Chaoyang Palace, where the emperor lived.
"Yingxiang, what do you think the emperor is doing right now?"
"Miss! You mentioned the emperor again!"
Yingxiang quickly made a silent gesture to Ning Wanshuang and lowered her voice and said, "The master has informed the court that you have a hidden illness and cannot serve in the palace. You are also not allowed to mention the emperor at home. If the master hears you, he will be unhappy again."
"Humph, what is Daddy unhappy about?" Ning Wanshuang rolled her eyes unhappily and said unhappily:
"I'm tired of listening to his old nonsense. Why is marrying into an imperial family not a good fate? If it's not good, why do all the girls from official and noble families in the world rush to enter the palace? Besides, I'm not entering the palace for wealth and fame. The emperor really likes me!"
She held Yingxiang's hand, her eyes twinkling, "You saw it that day, too. There were so many beautiful girls from famous families, but the emperor only talked to me. I don't understand why father didn't let me marry the emperor?"
Yingxiang advised her, "The position of the queen has been decided. Miss can only be a concubine if she enters the palace now. The master does not want Miss to suffer such an injustice."
"That's not right." Ning Wanshuang pouted and shook her head, "Wasn't mother also Dad's concubine? The daughter of the Duke of Nanyuan loved Dad and begged the late emperor to grant her marriage.
But Daddy said he would not agree to anything and insisted on marrying Mother. The late Emperor did not allow it, so Daddy took Mother as a concubine. Then he never married again, but he forced the late Emperor to acknowledge Mother as his wife. Mother did not feel wronged that day, so how could I feel wronged? "
Yingxiang said: "But the situation is different now..."
Ning Wanshuang argued, "What's the difference? They both really like each other, so what's the difference? Is it just because he is the emperor?"
Yingxiang couldn't argue with her, so she simply changed the subject and said, "Let me prepare some food for the young lady. You can sneak in a little, and the master won't know."
"I won't eat!" Ning Wanshuang said angrily, "I said I'm on a hunger strike, and if daddy doesn't let me marry the emperor, I won't eat in my life!"
——"Wan'er~"
The voice of Ning Xiuqi, the eldest son of the Ning family, came from the courtyard.
Ning Wanshuang couldn't help but smile at first, but her face soon darkened and she turned her face away as if she didn't hear anything.
"Wan'er? Are you still angry?"
Ning Xiuqi walked behind her with a smile and deliberately pulled her hair, "Turn around and see what I brought back for you."
“What?” Ning Wanshuang turned around proudly, and seeing Ning Xiuqi hiding something mysteriously behind his back, she started to tease him, “Let me see it!”
She snatched a roll of bright yellow silk with dragon patterns from Ning Xiuqi's hand.
After unfolding it, I realized that it was an imperial edict.
It was an imperial decree to welcome her into the palace as a concubine!
Ning Wanshuang was so happy that she almost went crazy. "This... the emperor took me as his concubine? The emperor really took me as his concubine! But... didn't father not want me to marry into the imperial family?"
"Dad doesn't want to, but he can't bear to see you acting like this."
A strong and teasing voice came from behind Yu Ning Xiuqi.
Then, Ning Baichuan walked in with a stern face.
He put his hands behind his back and pretended to be serious. "You are my only daughter. You are crying, making a fuss, and going on a hunger strike. Are you deliberately trying to make me feel uneasy when I go into battle?"
He stretched out his hand, clasped his knuckles, and tapped Ning Wanshuang's forehead lightly.
"You...you have become so thin because of this. Dad just can't understand, is life in the palace really that good?"
Ning Wanshuang covered her forehead and playfully stuck out her tongue at Ning Baichuan, then took his arm very intimately and leaned on his shoulder.
"What's so good about the palace? There are so many rules, and it's not as comfortable as home, but..."
She suddenly raised her eyes, her face full of youth and tenderness, and looked towards the direction of the imperial city with hope.
"There's someone my daughter likes in there."
Ning Baichuan sighed helplessly, "You are already a married woman, and you are not ashamed to say these things in front of your father and brother. But the emperor also likes you very much. Look, you are the first concubine when you enter the palace, which shows how much the emperor loves you."
"That's right!" Ning Wanshuang raised her chin towards her father and brother proudly, "But I never care about status. Mother married father as a concubine. Later, father never married a wife. Didn't the late emperor compromise and allow father to make mother his wife? It shows that they have each other in their hearts and don't care about superficial titles like wife or concubine."
"Okay, okay, why are you so busy?"
Madam Ning, wearing an apron, walked towards the crowd with a big smile on her face, "My little ancestor~ Now that your father has agreed to your request, are you willing to eat? Tomorrow your father and brother will go to the front line again. If you don't eat this farewell meal, you will have less time to reunite with your family when you enter the palace in the future!"
"Ah? Are you leaving again?" Ning Wanshuang pestered her father and brother and said coquettishly:
"When will Daddy and Brother come back this time?"
"I'll be back soon."
"Then Daddy and brother must come back soon. Also, brother, don't forget that you promised to buy me a magnolia hairpin! The emperor likes that flower, and I like it too!"
Ning Xiuqi rubbed Ning Wanshuang's head lovingly and said with a hearty smile:
"must."
*
——"My queen? My queen?"
A familiar voice called out to her, prompting Concubine Chen to slowly raise her heavy eyelids.
She saw that she was still lying in the familiar boudoir, and all the furnishings had not changed. She suddenly thought, "Madam, you are finally awake!"
Liu Yue's eyes were red as she helped Concubine Chen to stand up and lean against the head of the bed.
"Your Majesty has been in a coma for five days with a high fever. This frightened me..."
Concubine Chen felt dizzy.
As she frowned, she caught a glimpse of a magnolia hairpin on the bedside, so she took it out and held it in her hand, asking:
"This is......."
Liu Yue cried and said, "It is a relic found on the young master... The imperial envoy sent it here to return it to the queen."
Ning Xiuqi was obsessed with defending his country on the battlefield. He was still unmarried at the age of 23 and had a poor memory.
The gift he promised to give to Concubine Chen finally fell into Concubine Chen's hands five years later.
Concubine Chen tightly grasped the hairpin.
The sharp tip of the hairpin pierced into the delicate flesh of her palm.
It seemed to pierce her heart.
"Brother... Daddy..."
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