Chapter 286: Lonely

While dazed, Yun Qin felt a warm hand on her waist.

She opened her eyes in shock and saw the silhouette of a man in the darkness.

"Your Majesty?" She asked in a hoarse voice.

"It's me." Huo Jinchi stretched out his hands to hold her and responded softly.

Yun Qin leaned against him and felt his slightly cool body temperature. "Did the emperor just come from Yanling Palace?"

Hawking Chi responded again in a low voice.

Hearing that he didn't want to talk much, Yun Qin didn't rush to ask. She rubbed against him and found a comfortable position, planning to ask after waking up the next day.

But just as she was about to fall asleep, she heard Huo Jinchi whisper, "She's been captured. When she's better, I'll have someone send her back to the border."

Here we go again...

Yun Qin could tell that he was worried about something.

She perked up and looked up, but the light was dim and she couldn't see his expression, so she simply reached out and touched his forehead.

"Your Majesty is unhappy?"

Huo Jinchi reached out and grasped her slightly cold fingers, shook his head slightly, and then realized that she couldn't see him, so he could only say, "I'm not unhappy."

"She is vicious and reckless, and is not suitable to stay in the palace." His voice was cold.

Not because of this, but because of something else?

Yun Qin rubbed her dry eyes and whispered, "Your Majesty has shown leniency by letting her reunite with her parents and brothers. This is already a great favor. I believe the Nie family can understand the emperor's painstaking efforts."

"General Nie is a man of great integrity. I am not worried."

Why else?

Yun Qin rested her head on his chest and asked bluntly, "What happened to the emperor?"

What's wrong?

Huo Jinchi didn't know why he was so upset, maybe it was really because of Nie Hongwan's curse.

If it were in the past, he would never take it to heart, and might even have sneered at it.

From the moment he ascended the throne of crown prince and began learning the ways of being an emperor, his vision no longer consisted of simple people or events, but only of the gains and losses involved and the people's livelihood that were affected by appearances.

Before his death, his father told him that he was ashamed of his ancestors. He enjoyed the joy of being an emperor, but could not endure the pain of being an emperor. He was unable to break away from his personal affairs, which brought disaster to the country and the people.

At that time he thought that he could endure hardships and be a good emperor, with all officials being honest and upright and the country being peaceful and prosperous.

This ambition has not changed, but he has now tasted the suffering of being an emperor as his father had talked about.

Just the two words "lonely and widowed".

If you have never tasted happiness, you naturally don't know pain. Hawking Chi is now feeling guilty and restless. To put it bluntly, he is just afraid.

He was afraid that what Nie Hongwan said would come true and that he was destined to be alone for the rest of his life, so he would eventually lose the person in his arms, just like when he met her, it was so unexpected.

Thinking of this, Huo Jinchi couldn't help but hold Yun Qin's arm tighter.

He didn't speak for a long time. Yun Qin was almost falling asleep in a daze, but was suddenly strangled and woken up again.

Even if you are a clay man, if you are woken up three or four times like this and you can't get anything out of it, you will get angry.

"If Your Majesty can't sleep, why don't you go outside and read a book?"

If you can't sleep, just go away and don't bother her!

Huo Jinchi buried his head in her hair, sniffing her fragrance, and chuckled, "Want to see the book you hid?"

"How did you find out?" Yun Qin was so surprised that she even forgot the honorific title.

Huo Jinchi laughed again, "Every time they hide in one place, I can't pretend not to see them even if I want to."

Yun Qin's ears were numb from his voice, so she covered her ears with her hands and said cunningly, "That's a chess manual, a chess manual."

Huo Jinchi snorted, "What is it this time? Is it a poor young man and a peasant girl, or a weak scholar and a pretty widow?"

Thinking of the contents of the book, Yun Qin's face turned red, and he stammered, "Ms. Jiao, the private school teacher..."

"Hmm." Huo Jinchi replied nonchalantly, but his fingers unbuttoned her front. "Tell me in detail. I want to hear it."

Yun Qin gritted her teeth slightly. Does this bastard want to hear a story?

"Your Majesty, I am sleepy..."

"Well, you sleep."

How could she sleep with the scalding palm already on her chest?

The man knew her too well and easily disrupted her breathing. He gently probed her with his fingers, causing her to drip with moisture. When she tilted her head back and sobbed, he leaned over and kissed her fragile neck.

There was no need to call for water. He did it easily and washed himself with tea. After shaking off the water droplets on his hands, he hugged her, kissed her trembling shoulders, and then carefully fastened her collar.

His fingertips accidentally rubbed against her skin, causing Yun Qin to tremble slightly. Her throat was choked with sobs, and she wanted to grab his hand.

Huo Jinchi held her hand with his backhand and coaxed her in a low, hoarse voice, "You are tired."

It seemed like he was encouraging her, but also like he was encouraging himself.

He took her into his arms again, stroking her back gently, "Go to sleep."

Yun Qin was already sleepy, and the spring tide had not yet subsided, and she was already feeling tired. She didn't even have the energy to scold him. She just hummed vaguely, then was enveloped by sleepiness and fell into a dark dream.

——

In the early morning, Yun Qin woke up and there was no one around her.

She raised her hand and touched the cold bed beside her, wondering if she had read too many novels and had a spring dream that left no trace.

Rong Xin, who had walked in upon hearing the noise, saw her actions and said, "The Emperor has gone to the morning court."

Yun Qin rolled her eyes, thinking it might as well be a dream.

The news had not yet spread, so the morning greetings naturally continued as usual.

Yun Qin yawned as she got on the sedan chair and walked slowly to the Queen's bedroom. Today she was sure that she would not be the last one to arrive.

Sure enough, when she arrived, the seat Nie had agreed to sit in was still vacant.

Liu Cainu glanced at her empty seat and said, "How come Nie is getting later and later every day? He served the empress in bed last night, which was a good thing. He should have come early to offer tea to the empress, right?"

Yun Qin knew that she was jealous, but she also had something to do with herself. She snorted coldly, "You came early, but you didn't see anything useful."

"Empress Xipin is really in a bad mood this early in the morning." Liu Cainu smiled at her, "What is wrong with you, Empress?"

Immediately, she looked at Fang Danying, thinking that she would definitely pick up her words and make a few sarcastic remarks about Xipin.

But she looked distracted, as if she hadn't heard what she said at all.

Liu Cainü's words fell to the ground.

Yun Qin snorted coldly and glanced at Fang Danying.

It's just one night, why does this guy act like he's lost his soul?

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard someone outside shouting, "The imperial edict has arrived!"

Everyone stood up naturally, and the Queen also got down from her seat and walked to the front to receive the order.

When Yun Qin saw Xu An come in, she was basically certain that the imperial edict should be related to Nie Danying.

As expected, the imperial edict stated that Nie had colluded to frame the empress dowager and had personally attacked and killed Li, but was eventually exposed.

The punishment was to be demoted to a commoner and sent back to his hometown.

Except for Yun Qin, everyone in the palace was so shocked that their eyes almost popped out.

After the shock, there was confusion. Only Fang agreed, and he looked surprised...

She had no intention of sleeping with the emperor, and she knew it best. She also thought that the favor Nie promised to show after sleeping with him was real, and she would definitely be trampled under his feet then.

However, she did not expect that the situation would take such a turn. Instead of being favored, she was demoted to a commoner and driven out of the palace.

Fang Danying almost laughed out loud.