Chapter 285 The Emperor Wants to Be Family
During the day, after finishing his official duties, the emperor would habitually go to the empress's palace.
When he arrived, he remembered that Zhao Huajing had told him yesterday that he would be leaving the palace today to attend the opening ceremony of the Women's Academy.
At this moment, the head of the Empress's palace returned to report that the Empress had gone to the Lin family after the opening ceremony.
The Emperor thought that the Empress was not close to her family, and that the only person she was on good terms with in the capital was Yuan Hongqu from the Women's Academy. He felt at ease letting the Empress go to the Lin family.
Lin Ruhai only had one daughter and had no intention of remarrying. Given his physical condition, having another son would be virtually impossible.
The Emperor has always admired Lin Ruhai. Even if the Empress and the Lin family have more interactions, he will only approve and will never stop them.
Even after dinner, he took a walk to the Queen's palace, but the Queen still hadn't returned.
The emperor suddenly felt a void in his heart, a feeling he had never experienced in the past thirty years.
He decided to go to the Lin family's house as well to pick up Zhao Huajing and take her home.
Upon arriving at the Lin family's residence, he did not send anyone to report to them, but instead had someone lead him to the Lin family's study.
When Lin Ruhai was not at home, the small hall next to the study was where the Lin family received ordinary guests.
Yuan Hongqu met Mi Ling here today, and later Zhao Huajing and Daiyu also came over.
The Emperor was in a playful mood today and actually stood outside eavesdropping for quite a while before finally leaving.
Then they intercepted Zhao Huajing's carriage here.
"I was worried because you hadn't returned for a long time. Only when I saw you did I feel at ease."
Zhao Huajing never imagined that one day, the current emperor would say something like, "Come home with me."
She was overjoyed for a few seconds, but quickly regained her senses: This is the Emperor, how could he say such things like an ordinary couple? He probably just saw something and was moved to say those words. I must not take it seriously.
Although the two often talk nonsense, they have never touched on this topic.
When two people who have lost their homes at a young age talk about such things, it's inevitable that they'll recall the hardships and trials of the past, and they both avoid discussing these topics.
A gentle night breeze was blowing, and the early spring nights were still quite chilly. Although Zhao Huajing was dressed warmly, she couldn't help but shiver.
It wasn't the cold night, but the emperor's sweet and doting tone that made her feel a little uncomfortable.
Zhao Huajing was even thinking to herself: Had she done something wrong and angered the Emperor? Was this a way of giving her a little treat before he was going to punish her?
"Five...Your Majesty, have I done something wrong?"
Zhao Huajing didn't dare to look up at all and asked cautiously.
The Emperor's laughter reached my ears:
"Jing'er, I see you are at ease and relaxed in front of Yuan Hongqu, but you can't do that in front of me? Or do you only see Yuan Hongqu as a member of the Jiaojiao family, and not as your husband, as your closest person, as family?"
The Emperor had tried his best to speak in a calm and casual tone, but Zhao Huajing was still frightened by his words.
"Your Majesty, from now on I will abide by my duty and will not have too close a relationship with Mr. Yuan."
Her teacher had taught her that a wise person knows when to yield and that one should say the right thing to the right person, especially when facing the emperor.
The Emperor's heart is as unfathomable as the bottom of the sea.
That is something that can never be fathomed with the mindset of an ordinary person.
The Emperor looked at Zhao Huajing helplessly.
"Jing'er, shall we go back to the Lin family and say it again in front of your Mr. Yuan? When will you finally consider me family? I will not be your partner!"
"Uh." Zhao Huajing looked up and saw that the Emperor was already somewhat angry, and she couldn't help but feel a little flustered.
“Your Majesty, you have always been Hua Jing’s family.” She blurted out.
The Emperor sighed as he looked at her insincere expression.
"You went to the Lin family to find Yuan Hongqu in order to help me, but you ended up getting yourself into trouble. What can I say to you!"
The Emperor saw it clearly: Yuan Hongqu was always lazy. Given her abilities, she could have easily solved this problem without much effort. But she insisted on having her two students do this project... dragging the Empress into it as well.
Now, if they were to empower women according to their ideas, it would likely cause shock in the government and the public, and they themselves might also be the subject of controversy for some time.
Leaving that aside for now, the Emperor felt incredibly jealous whenever he thought about the tone Zhao Huajing used when speaking to Yuan Hongqu.
“I heard what you were saying to your junior sister and Yuan Hongqu. You were more comfortable around Yuan Hongqu than around me, and you spoke to her more casually because you treated her as family, while I was just your superior.”
The emperor realized this, and the sourness in his tone could almost burst the carriage.
"So that's why Fifth Brother is upset about this." Zhao Huajing understood immediately and smiled.
"Fifth Brother, the relationship between Mr. Yuan and me is really more than just that of teacher and student. Back in Yangzhou, if it weren't for Mr. Yuan's unwavering protection of me all those years, it's hard to say whether I would have even made it to the capital."
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Huajing decided to tell the Emperor about what happened back then.
Prior to this, the Emperor only knew that Zhao Huajing was Yuan Hongqu's personal disciple, so her relationship with Yuan Hongqu was much better than with others.
The carriage swayed gently, and the streets were exceptionally quiet after the curfew, with only the sound of the carriage moving. The hustle and bustle of the daytime seemed to have faded into the background, like a play that had just ended.
"Mr. Yuan's fiancé was beheaded while protecting me on my way to the capital, and the bandits even delivered his head to Mr. Yuan..." Before she could finish speaking, Zhao Huajing's face was already streaked with tears.
"My master initially forbade me to go to the capital, saying it was not a good place. But I was determined to go and clear my mother's name... In the end, my master couldn't dissuade me, so he taught me how to protect myself and arranged for someone to escort me to the capital..."
Zhao Huajing kept this past event buried in her heart.
“If it weren’t for my willfulness, Mr. Yuan wouldn’t be all alone. If the Emperor had met Mr. Lin, he would know that he and Mr. Yuan were truly a perfect couple… But I ruined everything. All these years I thought Mr. Yuan would never forgive me, and I felt uneasy every time I saw him. But tonight I realized that Mr. Yuan still treats me the same as before. I owe Mr. Yuan so much, it’s not an exaggeration to consider him family.”
After hearing this, the Emperor looked at Zhao Huajing with even more heartache.
"Mr. Lin is loyal and righteous, and Mr. Yuan is a man of great integrity. How about I best reward them and build a shrine for Mr. Lin?"
The Emperor gently coaxed Zhao Huajing.
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