Jiang Wang chuckled softly twice, then gently picked her up and placed her on the daybed in the study where he rested.
The chirping of cicadas outside the west window startled the eunuch on duty. "Quickly summon the cicada-catching team! If you disturb His Majesty's peace, you'll regret it!"
Sitting on the edge of the daybed, looking at the girl whose sleeping face was as serene as Sleeping Beauty, Jiang Wang felt an unprecedented calm. He... seemed to have not had such inner peace for a long time. The last time was when his mother was still alive.
His mother was quiet and gentle, never vying for anything. He always felt that his father must really like her. The emperor would bestow precious objects or gold and silver upon others, but when he came to his mother's place, he would always bring her favorite Yangzhou pastries.
The scene in his mind shifted... His mother was lying on the edge of the bed, coughing up blood, struggling and begging the Empress to forgive him, but Yin Rong used torture instruments to tear off her fingers one by one... Jiang Wang's chest heaved, and he exhaled a breath of turbid air with difficulty, finally suppressing the evil thoughts that were lurking in his heart.
Some things, when held too tightly in one's mind, become inner demons.
Shen Mingzhuang slept soundly. When she woke up again, an hour had passed. The lanterns outside the palace were being lit. For some reason, she felt a little cold. In the sweltering heat of summer, in this quiet, deep palace, she actually felt a bit cold.
She was covered with a thin, bright gold dragon-patterned blanket, and a faint light shone in from outside. She got up, rubbed her eyes, and slowly walked out.
"I heard there was some crying and commotion at Yuexiu Palace, but it has quieted down now. Consort Song ultimately dared not disobey His Majesty's wishes."
Beside the dragon-shaped desk, Tan Yonglin skillfully ground ink, while Jiang Wang's gaze remained fixed on the documents in front of him. Upon hearing this, he gave a blank "hmm."
Tan Yonglin had some fine beads of sweat on his forehead, it was hard to tell whether it was from nervousness or the heat.
When he saw Shen Mingzhuang come out of the adjacent cubicle, he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger, and the current emperor's mind is even more unpredictable. It's best to find someone the emperor favors to handle matters like this. Otherwise, if he accidentally says the wrong thing, he might lose his head.
Jiang Wang also saw her, glanced at her, and then looked back at the documents. "Go get something to eat after you've rested."
Then he said to Tan Yonglin, "Send over the Concubine's Smile wine from Lingnan, and instruct the kitchen to send over the warm porridge."
His tone remained calm throughout, yet it sent turmoil through Tan Yonglin's heart, leaving him unable to calm down for a moment.
Just now, when the kitchen staff brought over the porridge, His Majesty said it wasn't necessary. But now that Shen Fengmo has woken up, he's busy preparing both tribute fruit and dinner. If he still treats this young girl as just another ordinary Fengmo, he won't have to do his job!
"yes!"
Shen Mingzhuang had just woken up and was still a little sleepy. He walked to the dragon desk and ground ink again. "Is Concubine's Smile lychee? I heard that it is produced in abundance in the Lingnan area. It is not an easy task to transport it into the palace."
Jiang Wang glanced sideways, recalling how timid and cautious she was when she first arrived, and then looking at her relaxed and casual demeanor now, he couldn't help but smile, "If it weren't for that, I wouldn't have been in such a hurry to let you enter the palace."
Shen Mingzhuang then snapped out of his daze, stunned by the words. So this was the reason his plans had been disrupted and he had to enter the palace ahead of schedule? "Just for a few concubines to smile, is Your Majesty really going to such lengths?"
Jiang Wang loved watching her smile. When she smiled, her eyebrows curved, her round eyes sparkled like stars, and the dimples at the corners of her mouth were full of tenderness, which made him very happy.
"You once said that you would eat three hundred lychees a day and not mind being a Lingnan native forever. But the late emperor was still alive then, though I remember it all." I remember everything you said.
A lively look appeared in Jiang Wang's deep eyes, and for a moment he exuded a youthful exuberance, full of vitality like the rising sun.
Shen Mingzhuang felt a pang of tenderness, a mixture of amusement and exasperation, and murmured softly, "How could I, Your Majesty, possibly deserve such concern from me?"
Ultimately, she simply didn't want to enter the palace, regardless of the reason. However, seeing the way Jiang Wang looked at her stirred up a strange emotion within her.
Just as they were talking, a noisy commotion broke out outside, sounding particularly jarring in the usually solemn and quiet study.
"Royal brother!" a sharp female voice rang out, "You dog servant, how dare you stop me? Do you have two heads?"
The warmth on Jiang Wang's face gradually faded. By the time Princess Jiayuan rushed in, he had already regained his usual expression and was sitting upright like a dignified emperor.
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