Chapter 27 The Tree Hole Became a Spirit, and the Next Moment, She Was Plunged By by a Man...
The bright moonlight streamed in through the window lattice, and the blood-stained golden-winged phoenix hairpin with pearl in its beak gleamed coldly in the moonlight.
Lin Mu picked up the gold hairpin, his gaze remaining lowered throughout, and ordered his men to remove the cold corpse from the ground.
The door closed gently, and the fluttering curtains that filled the room seemed to be gently held down by an invisible hand, finally falling slowly and returning to stillness.
At first, the woman in his arms only sobbed softly, her delicate shoulders trembling slightly. Then, her cries grew louder and louder, as if she were releasing the emotions of someone who had survived a calamity.
Pei Muwei's front was almost soaked through with the Empress Dowager's tears.
He reached out and stroked the woman's silky black hair, his voice low and deep: "Is the Empress Dowager injured?"
The young empress dowager shook her head, her fingers tightening around his lapel as if grasping at the only piece of driftwood. She buried her head deeper, her fluttering eyelashes brushing against his neck, her voice choked with sobs.
"Eunuch Su said he wanted to kill the Emperor. He broke free of his ropes and tried to get up. I...I panicked and pulled off the phoenix-winged hair ornament from my head, and then...and then..."
She was so frightened that tears streamed down her face, and her words came out in broken sobs.
Pei Muwei gently patted the woman's slender back, as if to comfort her: "It's all in the past, Your Highness, please don't think about it anymore."
Chu Yueyuan gradually stopped sobbing, her voice hoarse: "Pei Qing, this is the first time I've killed someone, and I'm so scared..."
She looked up carefully at his expression, then asked softly, "When Pei Qing killed someone for the first time, were you afraid?"
Pei Muwei's gaze narrowed slightly. The Empress Dowager's question about his first time was from a very long time ago, so long ago that when he recalled it from his sealed memories, his thoughts were momentarily hazy.
When he was about eight or nine years old, the palace servants who played pitch-pot with him during the day quietly sneaked into his bedroom at midnight, their daggers gleaming coldly.
The palace servant said in a sinister tone, "Your Highness, please don't blame me. Blame it on your blood for defiling the royal bloodline. I was just following orders."
He shouted loudly for his mother and for the guards in Chonghua Palace. The boy's terrified cries echoed in the empty palace, but no one answered.
In the end, the frail eight- or nine-year-old boy displayed a strong will to survive and actually killed the palace servant.
As the thick, warm blood splattered onto his face and body, the salty, fishy smell made him nauseous.
The first person he killed was sent by that person.
The skill that allowed him to survive was also taught by that person.
How ironic!
Pei Muwei concealed the ripples in his eyes and said in a calm voice, "It's been too long, I've long forgotten."
The little Empress Dowager in his arms gradually stopped sobbing. Her delicate, butterfly-like shoulders trembled slightly, and her voice was weak: "Pei Qing, I'm so scared. Do you think Eunuch Su's spirit will come looking for me to take revenge?"
Being a timid young woman, she killed someone in a panic and then couldn't help but start having wild thoughts.
His long fingers ran through the woman's silky black hair, and he hooked a strand of her hair around his fingertip. His voice was slightly cold: "There is a high-ranking monk from the Baohua Hall in the palace. If he dares to come, the Empress Dowager will have a monk take away his soul."
The young empress dowager breathed a sigh of relief: "Then I can rest assured..."
"Pei Qing?"
"Um?"
The pair of jade-like arms that were wrapped around his neck and shoulders tightened gently, like vines climbing up the cold, clear glazed tiles. The woman's voice was ethereal as smoke: "Will you protect me and the Emperor forever?"
Pei Muwei lowered his eyes to look at the timid woman in his arms and said calmly, "As long as the Empress Dowager keeps her promise, I will ensure the safety of Your Highness and the Emperor."
The woman, like a docile kitten, softly hummed in response.
With the calming sandalwood scent emanating from the man lingering around her nose, Chu Yueyuan closed her eyes.
Alas... the protection of treacherous officials always comes with conditions.
————
The dawn breaks through the clouds and dispels the endless night.
For all living beings in the world, it is a brand new day.
For Chu Yueyuan, it was a day of struggling to survive.
Sunlight streamed through the floral-patterned brocade curtains and onto the bed. Chu Yueyuan sat on the bed, her gaze calmly fixed on her hands.
Ten slender, white nails, each as delicate as a scallion, were neatly trimmed and painted with pale pink nail polish. Several layers of silk were wrapped around the base of her right thumb.
As the saying goes, "To kill a thousand enemies, you lose eight hundred of your own."
Last night, the golden-winged hairpin with phoenixes holding pearls not only pierced Eunuch Su's carotid artery, but also cut her palm.
Chu Yueyuan did not regret her choice.
Although after learning the truth she wished she could dig up her sister Chu Wanxi's remains from the imperial tomb and scatter them to ashes, Xiao Yun was innocent after all.
Chu Yueyuan couldn't bring herself to transfer her resentment onto an innocent child.
Moreover, given the current situation, Xiao Yun is a crucial factor in stabilizing the old and new forces in the court. If he dies, this balance will be broken, and a bloody storm will inevitably erupt in the court. In that case, she, the puppet empress dowager, will be doomed.
Xiao Yun absolutely cannot die! Even though he does not carry the blood of the late emperor.
Chu Yueyuan raised her other uninjured hand and pressed her throbbing acupoint: Could she have been a tree spirit in her past life? Otherwise, why would she always be involved in all sorts of secrets in this life?
It's a shocking secret that must remain buried deep inside, one that cannot be revealed to outsiders.
Last night, the situation was urgent. Before she could get the truth out of Eunuch Su about Xiao Yun's biological father, she heard that the Regent was coming. She had no choice but to take his life first.
Was Xiao Yun's biological father secretly disposed of by the late emperor, or is he still alive?
If that person were alive, would he know that Xiao Yun was his flesh and blood?
The lover who could secretly conceive a child with Chu Wanxi must have access to the imperial city. Is this person a palace guard? Or a powerful official whom Chu Wanxi met at a palace banquet?
As Chu Yueyuan was lost in thought, the soft curtain adorned with flowers was lifted from the outside, letting in the midday sun.
"The Empress Dowager has finally woken up!"
Jin Tong stood by the bed, holding a sandalwood tray, and said with concern, "It's time to change the dressing, Your Highness. This servant has come to change the dressing."
Chu Yueyuan stretched out her right hand, and after unwrapping the layers of gauze wrapped around her tiger's mouth, a bloody wound was revealed.
Jin Tong carefully wiped away the clumps of medicine powder around the wound with a damp cloth soaked in strong liquor, her eyes filled with heartache as she said:
"Thank goodness Your Highness is so lucky. If Eunuch Su had broken free of the ropes before you... Oh dear, just thinking about it makes me shudder. Commander Lin looks so tall and strong, yet he failed to protect Your Highness. The Regent should really give him a good beating!"
Chu Yueyuan smiled faintly: "This matter is not the fault of Commander Lin. It was I who insisted on interrogating Eunuch Su on my own."
"Your Majesty, you must never act so recklessly again... Last night, His Highness was carried back by the Regent covered in blood. I thought you were injured, and I was so frightened I almost lost my mind..."
Upon hearing Jin Tong mention what happened last night, Chu Yueyuan gently furrowed her brow.
It wasn't that she was deliberately clinging to Pei Muwei; it was simply that she didn't dare look directly into the man's dark eyes.
Chu Yueyuan had witnessed in the council hall how officials with grievances hidden in their hearts would be stripped of their backbone and kneel on the ground, trembling like leaves, after being coldly glanced at by a man, and confessing all their crimes in one go.
Those dark, cold eyes seemed to possess a natural allure, capable of seeing right through a person, inside and out.
So when the Regent helped her up, she leaned against his warm chest, sobbing as she said that she had not yet recovered from the shock and that her limbs were weak and she could not muster any strength.
Chu Yueyuan clearly felt the man stiffen. She was secretly delighted and was about to take the opportunity to ask Lin Mu to help her back to Zichen Palace.
The next moment, she was picked up by the man.
The regent, who was known for his fastidiousness, did not seem to mind that she was covered in blood.
The man's arms were strong and powerful, and his long, well-defined fingers encircled her shoulder. The cool sandalwood scent emanating from him dispelled the bloodstains on Chu Yueyuan's body. She quietly raised her eyes and caught a glimpse of his taut jawline and thin lips in the moonlight.
The man's lips were slightly downturned, giving him an inexplicable air of asceticism, like a celestial being untouched by worldly dust, making one's heart stir with romantic thoughts, wanting to pull him down from the high clouds to the mortal world.
Chu Yueyuan thought to herself that she, a young widow, was not qualified to cause the immortal lord to fall from his pedestal.
What if it were her celestial sister?
Chu Yueyuan shook her head, immediately rejecting the idea. Before the King of Chu forced the emperor to abdicate, the regent had been guarding the Western Rong in Beiting and had no opportunity to enter the capital.
After changing the dressing, she glanced at the sun outside the window, frowned, and asked, "Why hasn't the Emperor returned yet?"
At this hour, Xiao Yun should be returning from his studies in the Imperial Study. After last night's commotion, Chu Yueyuan felt uneasy as long as Xiao Yun wasn't under her watchful eye.
While tidying up the medicine bottles, Jin Tong comforted the Emperor, saying, "Last night, the Empress Dowager slept late. Xu Mama was worried that the Emperor would disturb His Highness's sleep, so after leaving the study, Xu Mama took the Emperor to the Imperial Garden to catch butterflies. The Regent sent a team of guards to accompany the Emperor and his party."
Chu Yueyuan finally felt at ease and went back to sleep for a while.
Inside the study of the Hall of Diligent Governance,
Lin Mu, dressed in a round-necked, narrow-sleeved blue martial robe and a leather belt, kowtowed and knelt on the ground, willingly accepting his punishment.
"This humble official was careless in his work and failed to find the silver scissors hidden on Eunuch Su's person, which almost allowed this man to harm the Empress Dowager's health. I implore the Regent to punish me!"
Pei Muwei, seated behind a rosewood desk adorned with dragon patterns, opened a memorial to the throne, his expression calm, and said in a low voice:
"Last night, the Empress Dowager pleaded with me. Since the Empress Dowager has spoken, you shall be given twenty strokes of the cane as punishment. Prince Chen and Prince Liang are about to enter the capital, so your punishment will be postponed until you have finished your duties, at which point you can go to the Ministry of Justice to receive your punishment."
Lin Mu quickly kowtowed and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
He paused, then continued, "These past few days, I have thoroughly investigated the palace servants who had dealings with Eunuch Su. When Emperor Shang was alive, Eunuch Su was the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Palace, and many people fawned over him. However, after the late Emperor's death, his status plummeted, and he had almost no one to associate with him anymore. After searching for many days, I have not found any of his accomplices. I can confirm that the assassination of the Emperor was carried out by Eunuch Su alone."
"This humble official inquired with the Empress Dowager whether Eunuch Su had made any last words before his death. The Empress Dowager said that Eunuch Su had a grudge against Consort Chun from many years ago and had always held a grudge. Knowing that he was suffering from a terminal illness and would not live much longer, he wanted to assassinate the Emperor to vent his anger."
"However... these are only the Empress Dowager's side of the story. Therefore, I consulted the coroner who examined Eunuch Su's body and discovered that he was indeed suffering from a serious illness and his lifespan was nearing its end..."
Lin Mu wanted to continue investigating what grudges Su Gonggong and Consort Chun had before their deaths, but strangely enough, all the palace servants who had served Consort Chun had either died from serious illnesses or been sent to the Shenxing Division for forced labor and died. Not a single one of the hundred or so people had survived.
Pei Muwei put down the memorial, his dark eyes gleaming with a mysterious light. After a long pause, he said in a low voice:
"Investigate this matter secretly. Also, transfer another group of capable guards to guard Fengqi Palace and Zichen Palace, and carefully check the people around the Empress Dowager and the Emperor again."
"Your subordinate obeys."
Just as Lin Mu was about to get up and leave, he suddenly remembered something. With a complicated expression, he took out a gold hairpin from his sleeve and placed it respectfully on the table.
"Your Highness, this is the half of a gold hairpin left in... Eunuch Su's neck. I have examined it and found that this hairpin is not made of pure gold, but contains red gold, making it very hard. That is why the Empress Dowager was able to pierce Eunuch Su's throat in a moment of desperation."
Unexpectedly, the young empress dowager, a woman of gentle temperament and soft voice, was ruthless and deadly when she struck, no less so than the female swordsmen he had trained.
Lin Mu swallowed hard.
Pei Muwei stared at the half of the gold hairpin that shimmered with light, as if he had thought of something. His eyes shimmered, and he curled his lips into a smile: "This is not the first time she has used a phoenix hairpin to stab someone."
His long fingers traced the exquisitely carved, ornate gold hairpin, his voice growing deeper, tinged with a hint of indulgence:
"This time you've made some progress."
———
Not long after, Prince Chen and Prince Liang arrived in the capital, and a special welcoming banquet was held in the palace.
Under the cover of night, the candlelight shone brightly, illuminating the magnificent palace. Inside, the sounds of string and wind instruments filled the air, their melodious music like heavenly music. Officials held wine cups, clinking glasses and exchanging toasts, creating a lively scene.
The two princes who had come from afar, along with their wives and children, sat at the head of the table.
Prince Chen was around forty years old. He wore a Shu robe with a begonia purple python pattern. He was on the plump side, with bright eyes and a ruddy complexion. He had a neatly trimmed beard, which showed that he must have been a handsome and elegant man in his youth.
The King of Liang was older and thin. He wore a maroon robe embroidered with silver birch patterns. A hideous scar under his left eye extended to his earlobe, distorting the left side of his face and giving him a gloomy aura.
Prince Chen raised his glass to the Regent first, smiling broadly, and said:
"Thank you for hosting the banquet at Yaohua Palace, Your Majesty and Empress Dowager. Baling is not a wealthy place, but Junshan Silver Needle tea is our specialty. On this trip to the capital, I have specially prepared fifty catties of Junshan Silver Needle tea for Your Majesty and Empress Dowager to enjoy."
The civil and military officials in the palace were secretly astonished. The conditions for picking Junshan Silver Needle tea were very strict. It could only be picked within seven days before and after Qingming Festival each year. In order to maintain the superior quality of the tea, strict rules such as not picking on rainy days, not picking when the leaves change color, not picking when the leaves are hollow, and not picking when the leaves are bent were also established.
Tea farmers need to pick 100,000 tender tea buds to harvest one pound of Silver Needle tea. Even experienced tea farmers can only harvest a maximum of four ounces a day. Every year, only a little over ten pounds of Junshan Silver Needle tea is offered as tribute from Baling.
Prince Chen's generous gift of fifty catties of Junshan silver needles, equivalent to three years' worth of annual tribute, demonstrates his sincere sincerity.
Pei Muwei raised his glass and drank the wine with elegant posture and gentle tone: "Third Brother, you are very thoughtful."
Prince Chen's smile grew even wider: "My ninth brother is benevolent and honest, and he reduced the tea tax from one-fifteenth to one-thirtieth. In recent years, Baling has enjoyed favorable weather and abundant harvests, and the people are prosperous and healthy. The common people are all grateful to the Regent and His Majesty!"
Prince Chen spoke respectfully, and after a few words, all the officials in the hall raised their wine cups in praise of the Regent's new reforms, which benefited the people and ensured that the Great Qi would prosper in the future.
As everyone clinked glasses and toasted each other, the King of Liang, who had remained silent until now, suddenly let out a cold laugh:
"A strong medicine is not suitable for treating chronic diarrhea. The new reforms have only been in effect for less than three months. Such immediate and miraculous effects have not yet reached a poor and remote place like Liangzhou!"
The atmosphere in the hall froze for a moment. The officials looked at each other in bewilderment. Even Prince Chen, whose smile was as serene as that of Maitreya Buddha, stiffened and quickly tried to change the subject with a smile: "Second brother has a low alcohol tolerance. He started talking nonsense after just three cups. Ninth brother, please don't take it to heart..."
King Liang looked disdainful, and was about to retort when he was suddenly interrupted by a clear voice:
"Prince Liang is humble, and the people of Fujian are outstanding and the land is blessed with abundant resources, which also produce excellent fruit. Seven years ago, the prince sent a hundred-year-old pomegranate tree to the palace for the late emperor to admire. Just a few days ago, this pomegranate tree bore large, red fruit, which is a good omen!"
The officials looked up at the sound and saw the young empress dowager wearing an amber-yellow silk skirt with magnolia patterns, and a white gauze as thin as a cicada's wing as an outer garment, which seemed to swirl around the woman's beautiful shoulders and neck like clouds. A gold foil and pearl flower was tied around her waist, which accentuated her slender waist. Her makeup was elegant and her appearance was ethereal and beautiful, and she was incomparably radiant.
The woman parted her lips slightly and said softly, "Yesterday, I peeled a pomegranate for the Emperor to taste, and it was very sweet!"
The young emperor, seated on the dragon throne, nodded and echoed in his childish voice, "Mother, are you referring to the tree in the Imperial Garden that bears red fruit? Those fruits are sweeter than honey!"
Children's words are innocent and truthful.
The seemingly unintentional question and answer between the young empress dowager and the young emperor easily defused the tense atmosphere in the hall.
King Liang glanced at the handsome man on the dragon throne, a flash of resentment crossing his eyes, and continued drinking in silence with a gloomy face.
The noisy and lively atmosphere of the banquet was quickly restored.
Pei Muwei picked up the gilded dragon-patterned wine vessel, turned to pour a cup of wine for the young Empress Dowager beside him, his handsome features smiling, his voice deep:
"This wine is the newly brewed 'Duck Blossom Wine' from the Imperial Household Department this year. It's not very potent, so the Empress Dowager can drink a few more cups without any problem."
The man's slender fingers gripped a wine goblet inlaid with agate and gilded. A section of his wrist was exposed beneath the python-patterned sleeve, revealing smooth wrist bones and clearly visible, winding veins beneath his pale skin, exuding a heart-stopping tension.
After Eunuch Su died, the Regent sent Lin Mu to ask her a few questions.
Chu Yueyuan lowered her gaze without showing any emotion. She had overheard some court affairs in the council hall and learned that Prince Chen and Prince Liang had different intentions for coming to the capital this time. Prince Chen wanted to get a share of the salt fields left by Prince Shu, while Prince Liang was worried that the regent would use a banquet to strip the military power of his troops.
The regent needed to deal with the two vassal kings and required this puppet empress dowager to maintain a facade of peace, so he naturally wouldn't delve into the cause of Eunuch Su's death.
This suited her perfectly.
Chu Yueyuan met the man's deep, dark eyes, raised her glass with a smile, and smiled brightly.
"Thank you for your trouble, Minister Pei."
Just as she was drinking the sweet fruit wine, the Regent added in a low voice, "Besides, the Empress Dowager's dress tonight looks quite fitting."
"Cough cough..."
That scoundrel Pei is shameless; he always targets the snake's vital spot with a blunt instrument.
Caught off guard by the man's teasing, Chu Yueyuan choked on her drink, her fair cheeks gradually flushing red, her eyes shimmering with tears, adding a touch of coquettish charm.
In particular, the woman's glistening, rosy lips kept darting around in his eyes.
Pei Muwei's raised arm paused slightly in mid-air, then subtly moved away from the woman's slender back and quietly clenched it at his side.
"Your Highness, please be careful."
"Ahem... Thank you for your concern, Pei Qing."
The sight of the emperor and his minister sharing joys and sorrows was met with mixed emotions by the two vassal kings.
After a few cups of wine, someone in the hall suggested a sword dance to liven things up. Immediately, several generals from Baling were eager to test their skills against the Regent.
The Northern Court generals, led by Lin Mu, all booed and stood up straight, letting these Baling brutes get past them first.
In the blink of an eye, the beautiful dancers on the stage stepped down, and burly warriors took their place to compete.
The hall was brightly lit by candlelight, and the melodious string and wind instruments were replaced by rousing drumbeats. The musicians then played a magnificent piece, "The Qin King's Battle Song," which brought the atmosphere in the hall to a climax.
Chu Yueyuan sat on a red-gold phoenix chair with nine phoenixes carved on it, watching Lin Mu and a general from Baling spar with each other.
Lin Mu's swordplay was swift as lightning, and the Baling general he was fighting was equally skilled. The two were evenly matched in swordsmanship, and for a time, sword light flew everywhere, dazzling the eyes of the onlookers.
"May the Empress Dowager enjoy boundless blessings."
Chu Yueyuan was engrossed in watching when she suddenly heard a woman's voice from below. She lowered her gaze and saw a woman in a palace dress with dark floral patterns bowing to her.
This woman was none other than the first wife of the King of Liang, the Queen Consort of Liang.
King Liang was not handsome, but his queen was beautiful and dignified. The woman, who was over forty, had a waist that was no less than that of a young girl. Her jet-black hair was carefully styled in a jade-like bun, and she was graceful and charming.
She walked gracefully to the jade table, bowed slightly, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I thank you for helping the Prince out of that predicament."
When her husband was mentioned, Princess Liang frowned slightly, and an embarrassed smile appeared on her face:
"The prince is clumsy with words and not good at speaking. In fact, he has put a lot of thought into this trip to the capital. He specially ordered a local master craftsman to create two red jade stone carvings as a congratulatory gift."
Chu Yueyuan smiled slightly: "Prince Liang is a straightforward and courageous man. If it weren't for you taking a sword for the late emperor, there would be no emperor today. I wonder if your old wounds are getting better?"
Four years ago, Emperor Shang went on an incognito tour. When his dragon boat reached the vicinity of the Beiluo River in Liangzhou, he encountered the most powerful river bandits in the area.
These bandits thought they had encountered a fat fish from the capital, and without saying a word, they threw their grappling hooks onto the railing and swarmed aboard the dragon boat.
The host, Prince Liang, was also on the dragon boat. He fought fiercely against the river bandits, suffering several knife wounds. The horrifying scar on his face was from that time when he was protecting the emperor.
Fortunately, a scout from Beiting on the opposite bank of the Beiluo River spotted smoke signals on the river and informed Prince Yi, who was training his navy, of the matter. He is now the regent.
When Prince Yi learned that Emperor Shang and Prince Liang were in trouble, he immediately led his navy to rescue them, thus saving Emperor Shang, the golden dragon who had almost capsized in the ditch.
Princess Liang was surprised that the young Empress Dowager knew about this past event, and quickly curtsied and replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. His old injury has long since healed."
"Oh dear, Your Majesty, you and Princess Liang are blocking my view of the martial arts competition!"
Xiao Yun craned his neck to look at the situation on the arena, and angrily slammed his hand on the armrest of the dragon throne: "In the blink of an eye, how did Commander Lin lose!"
"Your Majesty, please watch your words and actions."
Chu Yueyuan had reminded Xiao Yun, and ordered the palace servants to offer a seat to Princess Liang. She smiled and said, "His Majesty is at a mischievous age, so please forgive him, Princess Liang."
After taking her seat, Princess Liang glanced at the young emperor, who was dancing and gesturing on the dragon throne, and sighed with a smile: "My grandson is a year older than the emperor. He is as mischievous as a monkey. His Majesty is so young yet he can accept the homage of all the officials without changing his expression. It must be because the Empress Dowager has done a good job of raising him."
She smiled, her eyebrows arching: "His Majesty's eyes and mouth resemble those of Consort Chun. When he grows up, he will surely be a man of imposing stature."
Chu Yueyuan raised her eyebrows slightly and asked curiously, "Has Your Highness met my sister before?"
Princess Liang nodded: "Four years ago, when the late Emperor came to Liangzhou, I had the honor of seeing the dignified appearance of Consort Chun."
How... is this possible?
Previously, Chu Yueyuan had reviewed Chu Wanxi's daily records in the harem, hoping to find clues from her movements and see if she could find out the man she was having an affair with.
However, the records of the daily life of the imperial harem do not mention that Chu Wanxi went to Liangzhou.
Chu Yueyuan suppressed her surprise and poured herself a cup of wine without making a sound. She asked casually, "But I heard that when the late emperor went out of the palace incognito that time, he went to Liangzhou to inspect the local troops and did not bring any concubines with him."
Princess Liang sat to Chu Yueyuan's lower left. She tilted her head back and leaned closer to the young Empress Dowager, lowering her voice as she spoke:
"Your Majesty, you may not know this, but there is a Guanyin Temple in Liangzhou, where the Guanyin statue that grants children is extremely efficacious. Back then, the late Emperor took several concubines to Liangzhou specifically so that they could pray to the Guanyin for children and pray for imperial offspring. This matter concerns the continuation of the royal bloodline, so all the concubines who accompanied the Emperor traveled in secrecy..."
"Consort Chun is a blessed woman. I heard that she became pregnant with the Emperor's son not long after returning to the capital. Of all the concubines who went to the temple to worship that year, only Consort Chun was chosen by the Goddess Guanyin..."
Chu Yueyuan had no interest in listening to the flattering words that Princess Liang said afterward.
The doubts that had been lingering in her mind for days suddenly became clear and transparent, like clouds dispersed by a gentle breeze.
It turns out that Chu Wanxi and Prince Yi had met in Liangzhou.
Xiao Yun just turned three, and if you add the ten months Chu Wanxi was pregnant... it all fits together perfectly.
There, the Guanyin Bodhisattva who grants children manifests, and it is clearly a green crown descended from heaven and placed on the head of the Emperor.
Chu Yueyuan slowly raised her eyes and looked at the tall and handsome man on the martial arts stage.
After Commander Lin's defeat, Pei Muwei removed his gold-trimmed python-patterned court robe amidst the commotion and changed into a simple and capable bamboo-patterned long robe with arrow sleeves. He was slender and upright, with no less noble air about him.
He drew his sword, and as the blade left the scabbard, a dazzling sword light illuminated his beautiful phoenix eyes.
The man's face was calm as water, but his sword skills, honed over many years on the battlefield, exuded a fierce aura. The sword's edge flashed with cold light, and its momentum was like a rainbow. The general from Baling opposite him was soon unable to defend himself and staggered as his long sword was knocked from his hand.
"good!"
The spectators were thrilled, applauding and cheering. The Shu King, who lost the match, showed no sign of worry, and smiled as he comforted his generals.
After the sword dance competition, the noble ladies at the banquet had flushed faces, their eyes sparkling with desire, and their silk handkerchiefs were almost torn to shreds.
The young man is handsome and otherworldly, like a god descending to earth. Any woman who sees him would be captivated, let alone the lonely beauty who has secretly loved him for many years and suffered countless hardships in the harem.
Chu Yueyuan stared at the spirited man on the stage, her fingers slowly tightening on the white jade wine cup, her heart pounding uncontrollably as if it would burst out of her chest.
Could it be that Xiao Yun's father is him?
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