Today, everyone in the Wang family says that he is living a carefree and happy life in Yongshou Palace.
Did she take the initiative to go to him, only to be humiliated?
She's not that cheap.
Lu Xingjian reached out and grabbed her wrist: "Come back to Xiaoyuan with me."
Su Wanwan hid her hands behind her back, her expression becoming even colder:
"Since I bear the title of Empress, I must fulfill my duties as Empress and reside in Kunning Palace."
"If Your Majesty wishes to stay at Xiaoyuan, you may bring Consort Yanruo or someone else with you."
Lu Xingjian's aura suddenly turned cold.
A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips: "You married me, is this the only thing you care about?"
Su Wanwan didn't want to argue with him any longer, so she calmly said, "If that's how you want to think, then so be it."
"From now on, we should treat each other with respect. There's no need to tear each other apart and lose face."
Su Wanwan has no plans to return to Xiaoyuan.
Living in Kunning Palace has a very practical advantage—it allows you to keep your distance from him.
If a couple abstains from or reduces sexual activity, the chances of getting pregnant can be greatly reduced.
Otherwise, given his desire for her to get pregnant and his methods, she would really have a hard time escaping.
Besides, he was already very close to Maggie, and she didn't want to be intimate with him anymore.
Lu Xingjian stared at her expressionlessly for a long time, then finally turned and left, leaving behind only two words:
"what ever."
As he turned the corner, Lu Xingjian quickened his pace, his anger still burning, and kicked a white marble pillar lampstand by the roadside.
Meng Yue, who was jogging behind, replied nervously:
"Your Majesty, this servant has come today specifically to deliver news of your presence at Yongshou Palace back to Xiaoyuan."
"I thought Her Majesty the Empress returned to the palace today to persuade you to go back..."
Lu Xingjian's temper flared, and he impatiently interrupted him:
"Don't mention her to me again!"
Meng Yue was so frightened that he lowered his head and dared not speak.
Oh my!
Who is it that asks Yunxi so many times a day when there's nothing else to do?
The Empress is raising Yunxi.
What's so interesting about a cat's daily life—eating, drinking, playing, and sleeping?
Isn't this a roundabout way of asking what the Empress is doing?
He told her the truth: the Empress just read books and played with the cat; she didn't even leave her room.
The emperor even got angry.
Meng Yue couldn't figure out what was wrong with the Emperor's anger.
The Empress has always preferred quiet, so what's there to be angry about?
These past few days, the Emperor has been incredibly difficult to please; he finds fault with everything.
These servants were all on tenterhooks, walking on tiptoe and barely daring to breathe, for fear of incurring the wrath of others.
In other words, Miss Ma was bold; despite being met with various cold treatments, she remained enthusiastic and went to great lengths to invite the Emperor to Yongshou Palace.
She prepared a banquet and personally performed a dance.
However, the emperor never seemed to be in the mood.
He absentmindedly held the wine cup, not drinking, and kept looking towards the entrance of Yongshou Palace.
It's as if they're waiting for someone to come.
Meng Yue suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if he understood something.
When he heard that the Empress had left Xiaoyuan and returned to the palace, he was so happy he almost flew away and immediately reported the news to the Emperor.
The emperor's face remained expressionless; he merely shifted his posture lazily and gestured for a dancer to pour him wine, acting as if he owned the Yongshou Palace.
Meng Yue couldn't understand what the emperor was thinking.
Is he hoping that the Empress will get jealous and cause a scene?
But the Empress has always had a very good temper; she's not that kind of person.
really.
The Empress did not come to Yongshou Palace, but instead went to Renshou Palace.
The Emperor didn't even bother to watch the Hu Xuan dance that Miss Ma had carefully prepared; he turned and walked out, hurrying towards Renshou Palace.
Unexpectedly, the Empress's attitude was cold and indifferent, refusing to offer any way out and instead acting as if she was determined to break off the relationship.
That's the Emperor!
Say a few sweet words and coax them, and they'll make up, right?
How can this situation be resolved?
Meng Yue is now in a real bind.
He had no power to persuade the emperor when he was angry.
"Your Majesty, the Princess Consort has prepared a banquet and performances at Wan'an Palace. Would you like to join us?"
Yanruo gave Meng Yue a lot of money.
Meng Yue naturally had to create some opportunities for Yanruo.
Lu Xingjian paused for a moment before realizing that the princess was Yanruo.
Because there was no formal investiture ceremony or official title, people could only refer to her as "Princess" based on her maiden name.
It sounds a bit incongruous; it's more like a prince's concubine.
Lu Xingjian scoffed coldly, his tone indifferent:
"What's the use of finding her?"
Meng Yue was surprised and bewildered.
Does the Emperor mean that only Miss Ma will be of any use?
As expected.
The Emperor slowed his pace and waited for the Empress and her entourage to turn around before swaggering into Yongshou Palace.
Seeing this, He Ying's eyes immediately reddened, and she held Su Wanwan's arm and whispered:
"Your Majesty, let's hurry and persuade him to come back. Husbands and wives shouldn't hold grudges overnight."
He Ying had no idea why they had fallen out.
But the Emperor suddenly turned cold, and the Empress was also so aloof; the two must have had a fight.
Su Wanwan remained noncommittal and returned directly to Kunning Palace.
The emperor and empress were not an ordinary couple.
Because their relationship is intertwined with the power that everyone craves, it's impossible for it to be pure.
Even something as ordinary as childbirth, which every couple goes through, requires them to be extremely cautious.
Compared to the emperor's favor, which can be withdrawn at any time, what is more reliable is the power held in one's hands.
Many positions in the palace are currently vacant.
Lu Xingjian's people occupied the core positions, but there were still many vacant positions where people could be placed.
Previously, Lu Xingjian had been very persistent and wouldn't allow her to return to the palace, so she didn't have the opportunity to promote some people who were willing to pledge allegiance to her.
Now that the two of them are in a cold war, she has the time to put these things into action.
Fortunately, after the previous round of severe rectification, there were far fewer people with ulterior motives in the palace.
Putting aside everything else, the corpses that the Palace Attendant kept carrying out were enough to intimidate those palace maids and eunuchs who were originally just nobodys.
Now Lu Xingjian has become a generous spender, allocating 750,000 taels of silver to the Nine Borders at once.
Those who initially disliked him, both inside and outside the court, now found him kind and approachable, and their underhanded tactics diminished considerably.
As for his doting on Ma Ji, putting aside feelings and looking only at it from a benefit perspective, it's actually a good thing for Su Wanwan.
People like Wang Shi will no longer regard Su Wanwan as a thorn in their side.
He Jin, the head eunuch of the Xixin Division, soon came to Kunning Palace to pay his respects.
He bowed and scraped, flattering her: "These days Your Majesty has been recuperating in the West Garden, and this servant has been thinking of you constantly. Day and night, I have been burning incense and praying to the Bodhisattva to bless Your Majesty with good health."
They were practically weeping to show their loyalty.
Su Wanwan said in a calm tone, "Alright, report if you have anything to say, otherwise you may leave."
He Jin's small eyes darted around, and he quickly got to the point: "Your Majesty the Empress, the court is discussing opening up military positions to allow officials to pay silver to redeem themselves for their crimes."
Su Wanwan paused, looked down at the teacup in her hand, and didn't speak or interrupt him.
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