Chapter 19 Like

Su Jingyao lay lazily on the beauty couch, her brows slightly furrowed, her eyes lightly closed, and she began to think carefully about today's show.

She still clearly remembered the plot of the novel. When Jun Zechen was still the crown prince, the Eastern Palace did not take in any women except the original owner.

When Emperor Jingsheng was critically ill, he called Jun Zechen for a secret talk. Although she didn't know the specific content of the secret talk, Jun Zechen's personality changed drastically because of this conversation.

Dressed in a dragon robe, he is cold, majestic, unfathomable, and his emotions are unobservable.

The emperor's majesty and indifference permeated almost his entire life, and his tender feelings for Ling Yue were completely worn out in the dozen years after he ascended the throne.

After he ascended the throne, he began to select beauties at the suggestion of his court officials, and later he showed favor to the concubines without distinction.

Almost any concubine who pleased him would receive his favor.

Among the five beauties selected by the Queen for Jun Zechen yesterday, An Jinyan was the one that impressed her the most, because she was the first woman favored by Jun Zechen after he ascended the throne, and was also the most favored concubine in the harem who later competed with Queen Ling Yue.

Ling Yue's halo as the heroine is probably because she had Jun Zechen's true love in the early stage, and gained Jun Zechen's support and trust in the harem struggle in the middle stage. Otherwise, she would not have been alive under the suppression and conspiracy of a group of favored concubines.

Later on, Jun Zechen's love for Ling Yue faded because of Ling Yue's changes, and in the end, the two became husband and wife for life.

But after Jun Zechen became emperor, women never stopped coming to him. When he stopped loving Ling Yue, it also meant that he no longer loved anyone. He no longer had the ability to love, and he didn't understand love.

Ling Yue lost her love in the harem struggle, but she secured the throne of queen. Every time she saw the cold Jun Zechen, she would miss the young man she used to be.

Every time Su Jingyao thought about the plot of the novel, she felt a little regretful for reading it.

It is a sweet and affectionate novel, but it turns out to be a sad novel. However, this novel does speak volumes about human nature.

Now, probably because of her butterfly effect, the empress not only sent five women into the East Palace, but also sent the future favorite concubine An Jinyan to Jun Zechen in advance.

The corners of Su Jingyao's mouth slowly curled up into a smile. Was she going to start the palace fighting mode early?

Jun Zechen will ascend the throne next year. Originally, the Crown Princess would not get pregnant, and there were only two of them in the Eastern Palace. She was not in a hurry to get pregnant, but now five women suddenly came, and it seemed that Jun Zechen would definitely favor them.

Thinking of this, Su Jingyao frowned slightly. This butterfly effect completely disrupted her plan. She had originally planned to wait until Jun Zechen ascended the throne before getting pregnant.

Tsk.

It seems that contraception cannot be continued now.

After all, she was going to give birth to Jun Zechen's eldest son.

When Jun Zechen stepped into Xiyan Palace, the little woman was lying quietly on the beauty couch with a dull look in her eyes, and there was no palace maid serving her.

After returning to the East Palace from Yu's study, Jun Zechen's mind was filled with thoughts.

What my father said does make sense. He really shouldn't invest too much emotion in a woman.

Originally, he planned to comfort Ling Yue because An Shun reported that Ling Yue had been depressed since returning from the tea-tasting banquet, and even kept sending people to inquire when he would be back.

Jun Zechen felt annoyed when he heard An Shun's report. He didn't want to continue discussing women's matters with Ling Yue. He couldn't make any promises to Ling Yue.

To him, these women were just tools for bearing children, so what's wrong with pampering them? But why did they always look so heartbroken? He didn't know how to comfort Ling Yue, nor did he know how to get along with her.

So, Jun Zechen turned around and came to Xiyan Palace.

Jun Zechen slowly approached the woman. He had an upright posture and each step was accompanied by a steady strength, as if the whole world was at his feet.

The woman's soft hair fell on her chest like a waterfall. Her hair was as smooth as silk, as if it was woven from the finest silk threads.

The silk dress fluttered like flowing clouds and fell to the ground, as if in a dream. Her face was so beautiful that it made people intoxicated and almost unable to take their eyes off her.

Jun Zechen gently picked up the dazed woman, put her on his lap, and then held her tightly.

He buried his head deep in the woman's smooth neck, looking a little lonely.

Su Jingyao was startled by his sudden action and only came to her senses after being picked up by someone.

She turned her head slightly and looked at Jun Zechen who had his eyes closed, feeling a little confused.

Why does Jun Zechen's expression look so weird today?

He seemed to be a little hurt.

Su Jingyao frowned slightly. What happened?

Although she didn't understand what was going on, Su Jingyao still reacted quickly, gently hugged Jun Zechen back, and asked with concern: "What's wrong, Your Highness?"

Her voice is so soft and gentle that it makes people feel relaxed when listening to it.

"Yaoyao, do you know what love is?"

Jun Zechen's voice was light, without much emotion in it.

Su Jingyao smiled like a flower, held Jun Zechen's handsome face with both hands, stared at him with eyes as gentle as water, and said softly: "I think about your highness every day, does this count as love?"

Jun Zechen looked at her with his dark eyes, he didn't know the answer.

Because it was he who asked Su Jingyao to change, and it was he who wanted her to focus all her attention on him, but he didn't know whether she really liked him in her heart.

But now he felt that the answer didn't seem to matter, because he couldn't respond to anyone's likes.

"But love can change, so what can I do? Yaoyao is thinking about me today, who will she be thinking about tomorrow?"

Jun Zechen frowned slightly, and his words were stinging.

"Time passes, regimes change, and things in the world change constantly. Your Highness, why should you pursue eternity?"

Su Jingyao looked calm, and then she continued, "It's just a scene, a passer-by, an experience. When we part, no one needs to explain to anyone."

She looked at Jun Zechen intently, her eyes full of sincerity.

Her words were actually alluding to Jun Zechen and Ling Yue. She wanted Jun Zechen to let go of the guilt in his heart.

Jun Zechen obviously understood.

Then Su Jingyao gently put her red lips close to Jun Zechen's ear. Her voice was charming, as if to pull Jun Zechen into the abyss.

"Your Highness, just follow your heart. I will always be yours."

Jun Zechen hugged Su Jingyao's waist tightly. Her words surprised him, but also made him feel relieved.

He reached out and pinched Su Jingyao's chin, staring at her closely with his deep eyes.

"Even if I don't like you anymore, you don't care?"

Su Jingyao's eyes suddenly brightened up, sparkling, "Your Highness, do you mean that you like me now?"

"I am so happy."

Her face blossomed with a brilliant smile, as beautiful as a blooming spring flower.

Jun Zechen was stunned. He didn't expect Su Jingyao's focus to be like this.

"I like you, are you happy?" Jun Zechen asked with some surprise in his tone.

Su Jingyao nodded, "Before I married Your Highness, Your Highness already had a wife, and his wife was his sweetheart, and he may even have many women in the future, but I only have Your Highness. If Your Highness doesn't like me, I can accept it, but if Your Highness likes me, I will be very happy."

"If I don't like you anymore, won't you be sad?"

The reason why Jun Zechen asked this was because Ling Yue was like this now. Ling Yue was afraid that he would fall in love with Su Jingyao, so she had been monopolizing him for the past few days, and he saw it all.

But.

Ling Yue's possessiveness towards him made him feel a little annoyed.

"Then I have a message for Your Highness." Su Jingyao raised her head slightly, with determination and persistence in her eyes.

Su Jingyao got off Jun Zechen lightly, with a graceful figure, like a lively fairy.

She walked slowly to the couch beside her and sat down.

On the low table above the couch were the pens and inks she used for daily calligraphy practice, emitting a faint scent of ink.

Su Jingyao picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, turned her wrist slightly, and wrote fluently on the paper.

She looked focused and serious, and every stroke of her pen contained her emotions. After a while, a beautiful paragraph of words appeared on the paper, with beautiful handwriting, as moving as flowing water.

After writing, Su Jingyao raised the corners of her mouth, revealing a naughty and cute smile.

She stood up, holding the paper in her hand, and walked towards Jun Zechen.

"Your Highness, please take a look." Her voice was clear and pleasant, as sweet as a silver bell.

Jun Zechen slowly unfolded the paper in front of him, and the few sentences that came into his sight shocked him.

The spring breeze and I are both passers-by, while you carry the autumn water and the starry sky.

I am lucky to meet you, even though it is sad, it is still love.

"Your Highness, I accept all the endings of my life. I am not afraid and I will never regret it."

Su Jingyao looked at Jun Zechen firmly, with genuine emotion flashing in her eyes.

Jun Zechen looked at her steadily, his heart surging like waves and unable to calm down.

He could feel his heart pounding, an overwhelming surge of emotion.

He knows.

At this moment, Jun Zechen likes Su Jingyao very much.

He sat on the beauty couch, looked up at the little woman who was standing in front of him, bending over and talking and laughing. His big hands couldn't help but hold her waist tightly and bring her into his arms.

He could no longer control his inner excitement and lowered his head to kiss Su Jingyao's delicate lips.

His kiss was passionate and deep, as if he wanted to melt her into his body.

Su Jingyao ran her hands through the man's black hair. She closed her eyes and felt the man's surging love at the moment with her heart.

Look, this is a man.

What they enjoy and are moved by is love without any burden or responsibility. There is no pressure, no need to give, just accept.

Even if you don't like it anymore, don't use it as a moral blackmail.

Su Jingyao can be whatever Jun Zechen likes.

Because she would not fall in love with him.

She was a little overwhelmed by the man's kiss.

She gently pushed Jun Zechen away, and Jun Zechen slowly let her go.

Su Jingyao said coquettishly, "But Your Highness is not allowed to deliberately make me sad. If I am sad too much, I will flood Your Highness's East Palace with my tears, hum."

There was a hint of coquettishness in her voice that made people's hearts melt.

Jun Zechen looked at her with burning eyes, and the words she said made Jun Zechen feel pity and heartbeat.

Why could her every move move his heart so much?

This feeling was completely different from the feeling Ling Yue gave him, and he couldn't describe it in words.

I just felt my heart beating wildly, and I wanted to suppress it but couldn't.

Jun Zechen could no longer control his emotions and kissed her delicate lips again.

The two of them were whispering in each other's ears, as close as glue and lacquer, as if they had melted into each other's tenderness and affection.

Qiluan Palace.

After returning from the tea-tasting party, Ling Yue seemed to have lost his soul. He sat blankly on the couch with a lifeless look in his eyes. It was as if all the life had been sucked out of him. He just sat there quietly without saying a word.

Meixiang stood aside, looking at her master with a worried look on her face. She sighed softly, and her sigh was filled with helplessness and heartache.

"Master, your Highness will have more and more women in the future, not less. You must firmly grasp your Highness's heart, sit firmly on the position of Crown Princess, and become the Empress who rules the country in the future. This is the most important thing." Meixiang said earnestly.

"Mei Xiang, you have seen the five women today. They are all beautiful and graceful. Your Highness has always been prejudiced against women in the capital, so he has always been defensive against them."

Ling Yue spoke slowly, with a hint of bitterness in her voice.

"But now that Su Jingyao has broken that line of defense, the women behind her will surely find it easier to break it, and your Highness's heart will be shared with more and more people. I know that as the Crown Princess, I cannot be jealous, but I can't help it."

Ling Yue lowered her head slightly and clenched her hands tightly together, her knuckles turning white from the force.

"Last night, I invited Your Highness to come to Qiluan Palace, but Your Highness declined on the grounds that he was busy with government affairs. Instead, he went to Xiyan Palace without giving me any explanation. In the past, Your Highness would send someone to explain everything to me in order not to upset me."

Ling Yue raised her head, a trace of pain flashing in her eyes.

"But what about now?" Her voice trembled slightly.

"Su Jingyao alone has taken away most of His Highness's favor, and now there are five more people coming."

Ling Yue's voice was full of sorrow and unwillingness.

"Master, you must not continue to indulge in the love affair with His Highness. His Highness needs to give birth to an heir. In a few days, the Queen's newly selected beauties will enter the East Palace, and Your Highness will definitely favor them." Meixiang said anxiously.

"You must not show any dissatisfaction, and don't make things difficult for them. The Empress does not like you to begin with, and you must not let the Empress find any problems with you before you become the next Empress." Meixiang's eyes were full of worry.

"Besides, how can the newly-arrived concubines have the qualifications to influence you, the master? You might as well sit back and watch the tigers fight and let them compete for favor. Fighting for favor is naturally the business of those concubines. You are the master of the East Palace, so you don't need to worry too much."

Meixiang's words were like a revelation to Ling Yue, causing him to fall into deep thought.

As Ling Yue listened to Meixiang's words, a glimmer of light gradually appeared in her eyes. She nodded slightly, with a hint of determination in her eyes.

Meixiang was right. His Highness needed an heir after all. Since it wasn't her, then any other woman didn't matter. She would just let them fight.

Isn't Su Jingyao kind and simple, and doesn't she live in harmony with the world? If more women come to the East Palace to compete with her for His Highness, can Su Jingyao still remain as pure and harmless as always?

A hint of anticipation welled up in Ling Yue's heart.