Chapter 145 Chapter 145
[Chapter 145]
Xiao Dongdong at the side tilted his head to look at his father and mother, but no matter how he moved his little hands, his father and mother ignored him.
She burst into tears out of grievance, and the entire inner hall was filled with the sound.
Ruan Yun ignored the emperor in front of her and placed her soft hand on the emperor's chest. She saw that the emperor's dark eyes were slightly drooping, his face was full of red clouds, and even his lips were swollen. The lip balm on his lips had completely faded, but they were still bright red.
"Move..."
Ruan Yun's voice was trembling. She closed her eyes and hugged Dongdong.
Now he fell in A'niang's arms, and stopped crying after moving. However, there were still a few tears on his face. He looked so pitiful, just like Ruan Yun.
Seeing Ruan Jun's flustered look, Yan Shiyu rubbed his brows, closed his eyes tightly to suppress the charming feeling in his heart, and because of the kiss just now, his originally angry mood was lightly soothed.
When the emperor looked over, Ruan Yun went straight to the side hall with Dongdong in her arms, voice trembling.
Yingning and the others had been waiting for the Empress there for a long time. When they saw the Empress rushing in, they thought something had happened. However, when they saw the Empress's slightly swollen red lips, they could not help but smile.
Ruan Yun glanced at them in the bronze mirror and said, "I was too lenient with you."
Ying Ning covered her lips, trying to suppress the smile on the corner of her lips, "Don't worry, Madam."
There was a dressing table specially set up for Ruan Yun in the side hall. Ying Ning took the lip balm and saw Ruan Yun put it down again on her lips. "Your Highness, you don't need lip balm now."
It was just a joke from Yingning, but Ruan Jun pursed her lips, feeling heavy-hearted.
Although this was not the first time the emperor had done this, the way he looked just now was so unfamiliar to her. Could it be that the emperor had discovered something?
Although she felt it was wrong to suppress it, Ji Yubai was not sure.
There is nothing in this world that can be hidden from the emperor.
Ruan Jun pinched her palms to keep herself calm. In the past, Young Master Yu had asked the emperor directly where she was from. At that time, the emperor had asked her directly. Now that it was Ji Juebai who asked her, would the emperor be able to tolerate it?
Ruan Yun's breathing was a little heavy. Ying Ning was putting makeup on Ruan Yun. Seeing the queen like this, she couldn't help but ask, "What happened?"
Thinking of where they were at the moment, Ruan Yun shook her head and whispered, "Let's talk about it when we get back to the palace."
No matter whether the emperor finds out or not, she has to keep it a secret.
Dongdong was still young, and by the time Ruan Yun finished dressing up, he had already fallen asleep in his wet nurse's arms.
Seeing Dongdong's well-behaved appearance, Ruan Jun's eyes revealed a lot of tenderness.
There were footsteps in front of her. Ruan Yun looked up and saw that it was the emperor. Just as she was about to stand up, she was held down by Yan Shiyu. He placed his big hand on her small hand, and Ruan Yun could feel the heat in his palm.
"Do you want to go over now?" Ruan Jun did not forget what the emperor had just said. She dismissed the attendants and watched the wet nurse move the baby.
Yan Shiyu's eyes naturally fell on Dongdong, and soon returned to Ruan Yun. He rubbed his brows and said, "No need, it's still early."
Ruan Jun nodded, and her hand naturally covered the emperor's forehead, gently pressing it for Yan Shiyu.
But she was brought up to be delicate, and her hands lost strength after a while.
Yan Shiyu sensed something was wrong and pulled her in front of him. "Are you slacking off?"
Ruan Yun's charming face fell into Yan Shiyu's eyes, and naturally a look of resentment emerged in her almond-shaped eyes, "My hand hurts."
Yan Shiyu hit her unhappily and sneered, "Every time I ask you to serve me, you complain of being tired after just a few times."
Ruan Yun quickly pressed her red lips against Yan Shiyu's and said, "Your Majesty, please don't say anything."
How could she withstand the emperor's many tricks? It would have been fine if it was dark, but now it was broad daylight and she was almost dying of embarrassment.
When Yan Shiyu saw her red lips, which were not rouge but red in color, he moved his lips and teeth and drove straight in.
Ruan Yun choked twice, but was ultimately unable to resist the emperor's invasion and could only endure the emperor's kiss.
…
The imperial procession landed outside Shoukang Palace. The snow on the palace road had not melted yet, and it looked like it was about to fall again.
Ruan Jun had a shy look on her face, and even though she pursed her lips, a hint of red still showed through.
The eunuch's shrill voice reached the inner hall. The Queen Mother coughed and pushed away the medicine cup handed to her by Concubine Xian. She shook her head, wiped the corners of her lips with a handkerchief, and returned to her normal state.
As soon as she entered the inner hall, Ruan Yun smelled the odor of medicine.
As she assisted in managing the harem, she naturally knew that the Empress Dowager invited imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau every day. However, this matter had always been handled by the Empress Dowager, and she had never asked about it, for fear that the Empress Dowager would be unhappy.
The strong smell of medicine alone shows that the Queen Mother is very ill and has been ill for some time.
I secretly looked at the emperor's face. There was no sign of relaxation in his eyes. His eyebrows were sharp and his eyes were starry, with slanted eyebrows reaching his temples, as if he didn't smell it.
While I was still thinking about what to do, the two of them had already walked up to the Queen Mother.
Concubine Xian placed the medicine cup on the support and looked up at the emperor cautiously, but the emperor's eyes did not fall on her at all, which made Concubine Xian seem to remember what happened that night again.
Her eyelashes covered her pupils, and only then did she stop the tears from falling.
Concubine Xian tried to calm herself down and forced a smile at the Queen Mother, "I will take my leave now."
But the more Concubine Xian acted like this, the more distressed the Queen Mother felt.
She coughed softly and covered her lips with a handkerchief, saying, "No need. The emperor is not an outsider."
Concubine Xian felt the emperor's gaze on her, just like that night, but she couldn't adapt to the naked gaze.
Yan Shiyu spoke first, "The Queen Mother's health is getting worse, why don't we ask a doctor to take a look?"
The Queen Mother ignored Yan Shiyu's words and asked, "Your Majesty's complexion is getting better and better. I think it is caring to have the Third Prince by your side."
Ruan Jun immediately bowed and grabbed the skirt at the side of her body, "Yes, the Third Prince is very well-behaved."
The empress dowager's gaze first fell on Dongdong who was standing behind Ruan Yun. Dongdong had already woken up when she entered the palace.
"Hold it here, let me see it."
The wet nurse glanced at her own queen, and seeing that she did not object, she carried the third prince to the queen mother.
The Queen Mother looked at the moving appearance. If she still had any resentment just now, it had dissipated a lot now. "He does look a bit like the Emperor when he was a child."
There was tenderness in the Queen Mother's eyes, but she only glanced at the baby for a few seconds before letting the wet nurse take the baby away.
When Ruan Yun saw the Queen Mother's action, she clenched the handkerchief in her hand.
The Queen Mother doted on Concubine Xian, and she also doted on the Second Prince, her son. In the past, she always hugged the Second Prince more, but now she just glanced at him.
Ruan Jun bit her lips, the tension in her heart was even more intense than before.
The Queen Mother coughed softly and said, "I am old and have been ill for so many days. All I want to see is my children and grandchildren. Although Concubine Xian often brings the Second Prince to Shoukang Palace, there is still something missing."
Ruan Jun's hands were shaking, and her watery almond-shaped eyes looked towards the emperor first.
Yan Shiyu held Ruan Yun's hand and patted it gently, saying in a calm voice: "If your mother feels that the palace is lonely, it would be good to select some young men of the right age from the royal family and bring them into the palace to be raised by your side."
The Queen Mother waved her hands and said, "I am an old woman. It would be too much of a burden for them to have their children enter the palace. If Concubine Ying Gui is unwilling, then it's fine."
Ruan Yun's almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly. Today she had wanted to persuade the Emperor to visit the Queen Mother more often, so as to prevent Concubine De from being the good person. However, she did not expect that the Queen Mother would give her a difficult problem first.
Before the emperor opened his mouth, Ruan Yun stood up and bowed softly to the empress dowager. "Dongdong is young, so it is inevitable that he will make trouble sometimes. If the empress dowager does not mind, I will bring Dongdong to pay my respects to the empress dowager every day."
The empress dowager didn't even look at Yan Shiyu. When she thought of the Ming family's affairs, she couldn't stop coughing.
Waving her hands and sitting on the couch tiredly, the Queen Mother said: "Forget it, it's just a small matter, you go down first, I have something to say to the Emperor."
After hearing this, Ruan Yun did not dare to delay and quickly stood up, pulling her soft hand out of the emperor's hot palm. Ruan Yun hid her hand in her sleeve and stepped back.
Concubine Xian left with Ruan Yun, and Aunt Jingqiao led the two into the side hall.
As soon as Ruan Yun entered the inner hall, Concubine Xian said quietly, "Sister Ying is so lucky. She was born as a palace maid, but now she has become a noble concubine."
Just as she finished speaking, Concubine Xian suddenly became mean, "Do you feel very proud of yourself?"
Ruan Yun suppressed the panic caused by the Queen Mother's words, stood up and faced Concubine Xian, saying, "Sister, what are you talking about?"
Concubine Xian sneered, "Do you know why I entered the palace? And why did I go to Mount Putuo with the Queen Mother for four years? But because I am the daughter of the Ming family, the emperor hates it most when the Queen Mother mentions the Ming family, but in the Queen Mother's heart, the Ming family is naturally important."
Ruan Jun looked at her calmly, "Sister, you should tell the Queen Mother or the Emperor."
Concubine Xian's eyes became fierce, "Yes, you look at me now and think I'm so happy. At that time, I was in Putuo Mountain. When I heard the emperor asked me to return to the palace, do you know how happy I was? It was just like when I first entered the palace and my aunt held my hand and let me be by the emperor's side. I was just as happy."
But in an instant, Concubine Xian threw her sleeves and said, "But the child I raised was actually Concubine Du's child. She has a deep hatred for you. It is you, your existence that makes the emperor dislike the second prince, and he also hates me!"
Ruan Yun did not want to argue with Concubine Xian. Now Concubine Xian blamed everything on her, but the person Concubine Xian should blame the most was actually the Queen Mother.
Judging from the few words that Concubine Xian said now and the emperor's attitude, she could tell that the emperor's alienation from the empress dowager was closely related to the empress dowager's personal preference for the Ming family and her neglect of the emperor when he was young.
He said in a cold voice: "The Second Prince is the Emperor's son, so the Emperor naturally likes him. Sister, you are overthinking it."
Concubine Xian laughed, her smile tinged with sadness, "Am I overthinking, or are you fooling me? Concubine Shu is gone, and I am raising the Second Prince. There is only one person in the harem who can compete with you now."
She passed by Ruan Yun, no longer gentle and considerate as before, and said sinisterly: "I am waiting to see you fall from your height."
Ruan Yun suddenly grabbed Concubine Xian's sleeve and asked in a calm voice, "Do you know something?"
A trace of panic flashed across Concubine Xian's eyes. She tried to shake off Ruan Yun's hand, but she held it very tightly.
"What is the Imperial Concubine doing?" Xian Fei quickly calmed herself down, "I don't understand what the Imperial Concubine is saying."
Ruan Yun didn't quite believe it. Why would Concubine Xian suddenly say such things to her? Why was Concubine Xian's personality like that?
Even though the two of them didn't have much contact, Concubine Xian would never say such things, and she suddenly mentioned Concubine Shu and Concubine De.
Ruan Yun took a step forward and repeated the question:
"I'm asking you, do you know something?"
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