"Your Majesty," Su Wan'er said coquettishly, her face flushed with shyness.
These words undoubtedly assured her of something, and while she was happy, she also became worried.
She has been in the palace for almost two years and has received all kinds of favors, but there is still no sign of pregnancy.
...
Heart-wrenching cries came from inside the house. Juan'er stood at the door, looking at the tightly closed door with great worry.
"Consort Mo, you must take care of your health."
Consort Mo held Ye Lisheng's clothes in her arms, but his scent on the clothes had slowly dissipated.
On the first night before he went to Lanyi, he said some strange things to her.
"Mother, how have you been lately?"
Consort Mo looked at him with a kind smile and gently stroked his face: "My son has grown so much."
"I still remember how little you were back then. It must have been tough growing up all by yourself all these years!"
“Mother, I am not tired at all. On the contrary, I am very happy.”
She knew he was lying, and she also knew he had been holding back a lot.
How can a person not get tired?
“These days I keep dreaming about the time when you were just born.”
"Mother, those things are in the past. You don't need to blame yourself or feel guilty!"
"Your son is doing very well, and isn't he standing right here in front of me now?"
She burst into tears as soon as she finished speaking, crying out, "Where is it good?"
“Look at all those injuries on your body. Every time I think about them, it feels like my heart is being torn apart.”
"Mother, it's all in the past!"
"I have come to bid you farewell. I have been ordered to escort Ling Shuang to Lan Yi for a marriage alliance."
Consort Mo looked at him nervously and asked, "I heard there's some unrest in the Lan Yi court. Will you be in danger on your trip?"
"Why don't you go and tell your father that he wants to spend more time with me and that we shouldn't go?" She looked nervous, and her hands were trembling.
“Mother!” Ye Lisheng’s cold voice rang out.
"There are some things that I, your second son, am destined to do." His voice was neither loud nor soft, but it carried an unyielding authority.
She looked at him with loving kindness, her eyes shining with hurt.
"I haven't taken care of you all these years. I don't even know how many times you've been on the verge of death."
"But now that I'm back, I know how many people in this court want to see you fall. My heart aches for you as your mother!!!"
His hands, clenched into fists beneath his wide sleeves, shone with an endless allure, his dark pupils as captivating as an icy pool.
When he was a child, while others could snuggle in their mothers' arms and act spoiled, he could only hide his emotions under a cold exterior.
What he feared most was the Chinese New Year. Every year at that time, firecrackers would go off and laughter would fill the air, but all he would have to do was endure endless coldness and silence.
He didn't say anything more, but smiled, his smile as warm as the rising sun: "Mother, this New Year's Eve, I would like to bring okra to dine with you!"
Those two short sentences brought her immense peace of mind: "Good! Good!"
"Tell me what she likes to eat, and I'll have the kitchen staff prepare extra."
"good."
...
Recalling the scene of saying goodbye to him, her heart ached as if it were being torn apart: "I should have tried my best to stop you from going. Now, where can your mother find you?"
...
As Ye Liming stood by the window, he burned the note in his hand to ashes, and his furrowed brows relaxed.
Just then, a commotion arose outside the door. He frowned and asked, "Eunuch Song, what's going on outside?"
"Your Majesty, that is Juan'er, Consort Mo's personal maid. She's been insisting on seeing you!"
Ye Liming was startled, but his face remained angry: "I want to see what kind of trouble she'll cause!"
"yes!"
Juan'er was being trampled underfoot by several eunuchs. A bright yellow hem of her dress came into view. Juan'er struggled to lift her head, grabbed the hem of his dress, and pleaded, "Your Majesty, this servant begs you, may I ask you to go and see Consort Mo?"
"She has been locked in her room and crying for a long time. I'm afraid she'll ruin her eyes if she keeps crying."
Just as a hint of reluctance appeared in Ye Liming's eyes, he saw Su Wan'er walking towards him in the distance and stepped on the back of her hand.
"Does someone as lowly as you think you can order me around?"
"How dare you! Why don't you immediately apologize to the Emperor?" Su Wan'er shouted sternly.
Then, feigning concern, he pleaded on Juan'er's behalf, saying, "Your Majesty, you should go and see Consort Mo!"
"Although she did something wrong, and Prince Anyang talked back to you like that, even a day as husband and wife is worth a hundred days of kindness. Consort Mo must be in great pain at this time after losing her loved one."
This wasn't persuasion at all; it was clearly kicking him while he was down!
"My beloved concubine is truly kind-hearted."
"Then I will go see her for your sake. You rest here for a while, and I will be back soon."
"yes!"
"Xiao Cui, you go with the Emperor and take the ginseng soup to Consort Mo while you're at it!"
"Yes, this servant will certainly deliver it!"
...
As soon as Ye Liming stepped into the courtyard, he saw all the maids being driven out, their faces filled with panic.
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
"Where is Consort Mo?" he asked.
The palace maid pointed to a large, leaking water vat, and at that moment he already had a bad feeling.
He looked up and saw Consort Mo sitting on the ground with her hair disheveled and her face blank.
Her face was streaked with tears, and she looked extremely pitiful.
Juan'er knelt down and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Mo just tried to commit suicide by jumping into the vat, but fortunately this servant reacted quickly!"
"Your Majesty, please save the Imperial Concubine!"
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