Confession
To Zhao Fanghua's surprise, even though she returned to Penglai Villa covered in blood and carrying the injured Shuyu, no one seemed to ask or care about this matter.
The guards, palace maids, and eunuchs, like designated NPCs, followed her orders and sent the person to Lirongyuan without saying a word.
The imperial physician arrived quickly. Stroking his beard and squinting his eyes, he said simply that he had hit his head and had some blood clots in his brain, but as long as he could wake up, he would be fine. He prescribed some medicine, told him to rest well, and then bowed and took his leave.
After Zhao Fanghua waved away the crowd, he stayed alone in the room, staring at Shuyu lying quietly on the hospital bed in a daze.
Everything Shuyu is going through now is what she is suffering for her.
Whether it was the beating she received on her behalf at the Princess's Mansion, or the head collision caused by Shen Xiujin's push on Lishan Mountain, it was all because of her.
At a certain moment, she even wondered if she was really a disaster star as others said, who had killed her parents in her previous life and brought trouble to others in this world.
Looking at Shuyu's pale face, Zhao Fanghua had already made up his mind.
A true warrior dares to face the bleakness of life and the bloodshed. (Note)
Since escaping is useless, let's face the challenge head-on.
When Li Xi came to report that the princess wanted to see him, Zhao Qinglan didn't invite her in as usual. He lowered his eyelids and said indifferently, "No."
Li Xi was stunned when he heard this. A few days ago, the emperor had also refused the eldest princess's request for an audience, but it was obvious that the two were having an argument. But today...
Looking at the emperor's expression, it seemed that he really didn't want to see her.
But weren't the two of them fine this morning? How come the emperor's attitude took a 180-degree turn in just a day and a half?
Li Xi shook his head and decided to stop thinking about things he couldn't figure out and focus on serving the emperor.
The heavy door of Wanhe Hall closed again, and silence returned to the hall.
Zhao Qinglan likes to be alone. Apart from Li Xi, who serves as her personal attendant, there are very few other palace maids and eunuchs serving her.
Most of the time he was like a wild beast entrenched in his cave, silently licking his loneliness. But suddenly one day, a lark flew into his cave and chirped at him.
At first he felt that she was annoying and just wanted to drive her away, but gradually, he actually began to look forward to her coming.
He knew clearly that she came with a purpose, which was to use his powerful strength to help her drive away the crows that were harassing her.
But when the crow was driven away, he felt empty inside.
The first time Zhao Fanghua took the initiative to find him was to exchange for an imperial edict to break off the engagement with Shen Xiujin. He came to her again because he spread false information that he was about to reuse Shen Xiujin.
Everything she did for him was for Shen Xiujin.
Now that Shen Xiujin is dead, she naturally has no reason to please herself anymore.
So, why did she come running here now?
To run away with the little mute?
Zhao Qinglan laughed at himself.
When he was young, he hoped that he would never follow in his father's footsteps, but instead become a good emperor who worked diligently for the people.
After learning that he was not the descendant of the previous emperor, he thought about how to keep this secret and live well.
Later, when he had grown stronger, he thought about how to seize power from the Queen Mother so that he would no longer have to worry.
Now, when everything is ready and only an opportunity is needed, he suddenly has the idea of throwing it all away.
He looked at the memorials on the table and suddenly felt a little depressed and uneasy.
The palace door was pushed open again with a creaky sound.
Zhao Qinglan finally found a way to vent his inner irritation. He asked, "What's wrong now?"
Li Xi looked at Zhao Qinglan's cold gaze and felt his heart skip a beat. He said cautiously, "Your Majesty, the eldest princess is still waiting outside..."
Zhao Qinglan said impatiently, "Let her wait as long as she wants. I don't have time to see her today."
Li Xi quietly raised his head and glanced at the gloomy emperor. After a quick look, he said, "The princess knelt down to beg for an audience with the emperor... Your Majesty, look..."
Zhao Qinglan clenched her hand holding the brush. Could she really do this for the little mute?
Zhao Qinglan snorted coldly, "I said I don't have time to see her today! If she wants to kneel, then she can kneel."
"Yes." Li Xi sighed secretly and quietly retreated.
Zhao Fanghua's heart sank completely when he saw Li Xi come out and shake his head at him.
Li Xi walked quickly to Zhao Fanghua and advised, "Princess, please go back. The Emperor is very busy with government affairs today and I'm afraid he doesn't have time to see you..."
Zhao Fanghua still held onto a glimmer of hope: "Did you tell him I was kneeling?"
Li Xi felt a little reluctant and sighed, "Alas, I have said it, but the Emperor...Princess, please go back."
Zhao Fanghua felt a little disappointed when she heard this. Didn't they have a good relationship? She even knelt down and begged for an audience, so why was Zhao Qinglan so cruel as to refuse to see her?
She was also puzzled. When they parted in the morning, Zhao Qinglan seemed to be in a good mood and was always sticky with her. How come he decided not to see her in just half a day?
It is said that serving the king is like serving a tiger, and now it is finally her turn.
Zhao Fanghua felt vaguely uneasy. Could it be that the guards had reported to him that she had returned covered in blood, and he blamed her for it, so he deliberately disappeared?
In that case...
Zhao Fanghua looked at the tightly closed Wanhe Hall, shook his head, and said with a firm look in his eyes: "I will kneel here and wait."
No matter what, she was the one who did something wrong, and there was no reason for her to put the blame on others.
If Zhao Qinglan didn't see her for a moment, he would kneel for a moment; if he didn't see her for an hour, he would kneel for an hour; if he didn't see her for a day, he would kneel for a day.
He would see her one day.
Perhaps, because she had been kneeling for such a long time, Zhao Qinglan couldn't bear it and didn't want to punish her too much.
Thinking of this, Zhao Fanghua felt a lot more relieved.
Zhao Fanghua didn't know why, but she had some vague expectations for Zhao Qinglan in her heart. He definitely wouldn't have the heart to let her kneel down like this.
As dusk fell, candles began to light inside and outside the Wanhe Hall.
Zhao Fanghua felt her legs were numb and her knees ached slightly. She pinched her calves and felt secretly annoyed: Zhao Qinglan wouldn't really just ignore her, would she? Then, would she still want to keep her legs?
Yingluo, who was waiting beside her, felt so distressed that she said, "Your Highness, why don't we go back today and come back tomorrow when the Emperor is in a better mood."
"No!" Zhao Fanghua rejected it outright.
If she had surrendered to Zhao Qinglan immediately after the incident, Zhao Qinglan might have given her a lighter sentence considering her good attitude towards admitting her guilt.
But she couldn't even bear this little bit of hardship, and really wanted to go back and enjoy a comfortable life. Zhao Qinglan might think that she treated human life as a joke, and might want to make her suffer.
Zhao Fanghua looked at the tightly closed door of Wanhe Hall and secretly prayed that Zhao Qinglan would not be so heartless.
Perhaps Zhao Fanghua's prayers moved the heavens, and soon, Li Xi came over with a happy face: "Princess, please come in, the emperor wants to see you."
Zhao Fanghua's face lit up with joy. She ignored the pain in her knees and legs and quickly got up. As if she was afraid that Zhao Qinglan would go back on her word, she grabbed the hem of her skirt and headed straight for Wanhe Hall.
As soon as Zhao Fanghua entered the hall, he knelt down with a plop: "Your Majesty, I greet you."
A cold snort came from the high seat, and Zhao Fanghua felt a little confused.
She looked up in confusion, but Zhao Qinglan's face was hidden in the shadow of the candlelight and could not be seen clearly.
For some reason, Zhao Fanghua felt a little uneasy.
Zhao Qinglan looked at Zhao Fanghua kneeling on the stage, his heart as calm as water. As expected, after solving the trouble with Shen Xiujin, Zhao Fanghua was no longer willing to play the role of brotherly love with him, and now, she was even unwilling to pretend.
The children's playing house finally ended at this moment.
The deep mother-son relationship with the Empress Dowager is fake, and the deep sister-brother relationship with Zhao Fanghua is also fake.
Zhao Qinglan thought that if he didn't see her, he could deceive himself and imagine that they were still as intimate as they were in the morning.
But as the sky outside was getting darker, he couldn't bear it anymore and summoned her into the hall.
Even though he knew that what she said next would completely end their relationship.
Everything will return to the original starting point.
Zhao Qinglan spoke calmly, just as he had the first time Zhao Fanghua came to see him: "My Imperial Sister, what brings you to see me?"
Zhao Fanghua closed his eyes and earnestly prostrated himself before Zhao Qinglan: "I am guilty."
Zhao Qinglan frowned. The current situation seemed a little unexpected to him. He blurted out, "What?"
Zhao Fanghua gritted his teeth, encouraged himself in his heart, and with the mentality of trying everything possible, he shouted out all his crimes.
"I killed Shen Xiujin on Mount Li, and I have come to the Emperor to apologize!"
After finishing this sentence in one breath, Zhao Fanghua breathed a sigh of relief. This sentence was not as painful as she had imagined.
While Zhao Qinglan was still trying to react, she quickly explained, "But I didn't kill him on purpose. He tried to get back together with me, but I refused. Then, seeing that I only had Shuyu with me, he became malicious and intended to do something bad to me. I had no choice but to kill him to protect myself. Shuyu can testify for me; she was even injured by that scumbag Shen Xiujin while trying to save me. Oh, and the imperial physician can testify as well!"
After these words were spoken, the hall fell into silence.
Zhao Fanghua waited for a long time but received no response from Zhao Qinglan. She carefully raised her head from her palm and tilted her head to look at Zhao Qinglan on the high seat. She was puzzled. Just when she was wondering whether she should remind him again, Zhao Qinglan's slightly hoarse voice rang out.
"Is this the reason you came to see me?"
Zhao Fanghua was filled with questions: What else? Is there anything else besides this?
Although puzzled, since the other party was the emperor after all, Zhao Fanghua nodded vigorously: "Yes."
The hall fell into silence again, and a light laugh suddenly sounded, which seemed particularly out of place in this silent palace.
So it was because of this matter...
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