“What’s the matter?” Lian An lowered his voice subconsciously when he saw the beautiful woman in front of him.
“My Lord, there’s someone coming after me. Quick, quick, let me on and I’ll tell you more.” He Yuxiu seemed very frightened as she turned to look at the darkness. Her face was as white as snow, and her lips were trembling. She looked petrified as she picked up her skirts and ran toward Lian An. She tried to clamber onto the horse carriage with her limbs. Lian An’s heart softened when he saw how terrified and pitiful she looked and he extended a hand to help her into the carriage.
Even though Lian An did not know what happened, he could not refuse the pleading look in those familiar eyes.
“Let’s go.” Lian An ordered the driver after He Yuxiu settled down beside him.
“Yes.” The driver answered and the carriage started moving again.
It could be perhaps He Yuxiu was too flustered or because she did not expect the carriage to suddenly start. He Yuxiu started to fall as the horse carriage began to move. Lian An hurriedly stretched out a hand to catch her. However, she fell very suddenly and knocked into him. As such, he held her even more tightly and the two rolled around.
The driver heard sounds coming from inside the carriage and called out. “My Lord…”
“It’s alright. Continue driving.” Lian An’s steady voice emerged from inside the carriage. His gaze seemed to have its own mind and focused on He Yuxiu’s beautiful face. He looked at how pitifully He Yuxiu was looking at him. She seemed as if she did not know what to do. Furthermore, her clothes were half undone and the two of them had fallen against each other earlier…
Lian An was pressed against He Yuxiu, lying on top of her. Her clothes, which were half-opened, were in a mess. Lian An might have tugged on her clothes, resulting in He Yuxiu’s clothes being in disarray, revealing her soft and supple skin. Her skin was incredibly soft…
Lian An’s mind felt like stuffed cotton. He could only think of how the girl in front of him was exactly what he dreamt of and wanted for many years. He grew excited. After many years of thinking and dreaming as a youth, he could no longer tell who was in front of him. He could not help but slowly lower his head…
King Xuan’s Manor had only been on lockdown for a few days when the guards at the doors left. However, the guards outside King Yan’s Manor continued standing there, tall and upright. In the past in King Yan’s Manor, only King Yan was restricted from leaving. The others could still leave and enter as they would. Not even You Yue’e’s leaving and entering was restricted. Mingguo Manor would send things over from time to time as well.
However, the manor was guarded heavily now. It was impossible even for a bird to fly over the manor, much less for a person to visit it.
Something big was about to happen and the entire King Yan’s Manor was gloomy and dark. Even the air in it felt heavy. Nobody knew how the Emperor would punish King Yan in the future…
Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong went to the palace early in the morning. The two of them had recently been released and should go to the palace to give their thanks.
Mo Xuetong still looked sleepy after boarding Feng Yuran’s extremely luxurious horse carriage. She leaned on Feng Yuran’s shoulder drowsily. Feng Yuran saw that she seemed a little tired and wrapped his arms around Mo Xuetong, pulling her into his embrace. He leaned against the couch so that she could sleep better.
The horse carriage sped along steadily and they arrived at the palace before long.
“Tong’er, we are here.” Feng Yuran patted Mo Xuetong’s soft and pale face softly. She was deeply asleep and only scrunched her brows and pouted slightly. He could not help himself and placed a soft kiss on her lips with a smile.
Feng Yuran saw that Mo Xuetong still did not wake up. As such, he shook her helplessly.
Mo Xuetong was deeply asleep when she felt someone shaking her. She opened her eyes slightly and saw Feng Yuran’s face hanging right in front of her. His long lashes were almost touching her face. She could not help but make a soft sound. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, looking innocent and confused. Feng Yuran felt that she was extremely loveable.
“Wake up, my lazy piglet.” Feng Yuran patted her soft cheeks. Then, he laughed and got off the carriage laughing before she could get angry. Mo Xuetong was thinking about getting angry but he had already run off. She could only get off the carriage. Feng Yuran was waiting for her there and he reached out to help her off the carriage.
The two walked into the palace and arrived at Emperor Zongwen’s Qianqing Palace before long.
The lead eunuch Liu Xi had already received notice that they were coming and was waiting for them at the door. He hurried up to welcome them with a smile when he saw them and said, “Your Highness, My Lady, His Majesty is waiting for you inside!”
“Father is alone in here?” Feng Yuran strode forward with wide steps while asking casually. Mo Xuetong looked like a dutiful wife, following behind him closely.
“Consort Zhao is here as well. She’s chatting with His Majesty,” Liu Xi answered with a smile.
Mo Xuetong saw a consort’s palanquin when she entered earlier. It was hidden behind the side doors and she could not tell if it belonged to the Empress. She realized then that it was not the Empress who was in the palace, but Consort Zhao. The Emperor doted on Consort Zhao a lot and her palanquin looked very similar to the Empress’s.
They entered the doors as they spoke and saw Emperor Zongwen seated in the middle of the hall. The beautiful woman who wore elegant make-up was Consort Zhao of Mingyue Palace.
Consort Zhao was dressed up beautifully. She wore a plain colored skirt that was embroidered with peonies. Her blouse was a light red color that was made of silk. A piece of cloth was tied under her chest, high above her waist, causing her full blossom to look even fuller. Peonies embroidered with gold thread covered her dress from top to bottom. The threads glowed brilliantly and eye-catchingly.
Consort Zhao was no longer elegantly and plainly dressed like when they first met her. Instead, she was dressed luxuriously and elegantly, like a rich woman. Her every move made her seem even more striking and alluring.
Feng Yuran strode up, ignoring Consort Zhao. He bowed to Emperor Zongwen and said, “Greetings, Father.”
Mo Xuetong knelt beside him and bowed deeply.
“Consort Zhao is here, so greet her as well.” Emperor Zongwen said to Feng Yuran in a good mood.
The two did not bow as deeply this time. Feng Yuran bent slightly and Mo Xuetong curtsied. Consort Zhao was not the Empress and did not rank highly. As such, they did not have to greet her with much ceremony.
“Your Majesty, King Xuan is growing more and more sensible. If my sister were still around, it would be great if she could see that King Xuan is now married. I will go and burn incense for my sister when I return to my palace later. I will let Elder Sister know that King Xuan is doing well.” Consort Zhao wiped the corners of her eyes with her handkerchief, looking slightly touched.
It was as if she were the only one left in the world who missed Consort Xian the most.
“You are so kind, my dear consort.” Emperor Zongwen’s eyes darkened when Consort Xian was mentioned. He did not notice that his voice grew softer as he spoke and sighed.
Feng Yuran harrumphed unhappily and turned his head, ignoring Consort Zhao. He had not gotten along with Consort Zhao since he was a child. After the death of Consort Xian, he had been suspicious of Consort Zhao. However, he was too young then and could not seek revenge for his mother. Then, he left the palace for many years. The matter had been buried since many years had passed when he returned. It became even harder to find out what happened then.
Consort Zhao’s expression grew stiff. However, she turned to look at Mo Xuetong and took a few steps forward. She held Mo Xuetong’s hand and said gently, “Your Majesty, look at how great Consort Xuan is. She looks like a fairy and King Xuan married her. He is so lucky. I heard that King Xuan is ignoring the other women in his courtyard for Consort Xuan. It shows that he really likes Consort Xuan.”
Emperor Zongwen smiled and nodded as Consort Zhao praised Mo Xuetong. He knew his son very well. Feng Yuran must really like Mo Xuetong to actively ask Emperor Zongwen to allow him to marry her. Furthermore, when Mo Xuetong married Feng Yuran, Feng Yuran had been gravely injured and was lying in bed. The Emperor did not expect Feng Yuran to be completely healed so quickly. As such, he felt that Mo Xuetong was Feng Yuran’s lucky star and liked her very much.
Emperor Zongwen was very pleased when he saw how harmonious the two were.
He smiled and said, “Anping is naturally the best. I thought that she is very sensible. Look, Old Eight is much more sensible now.”
Mo Xuetong blushed at the two’s teasing and did not know what to say. She lowered her head and allowed Feng Yuran to deal with the situation.
Feng Yuran lifted his head up high when Emperor Zongwen praised Mo Xuetong. He seemed to be in a good mood and he was full of smiles as he looked around. It was as if he were the one being praised and he looked very self-satisfied.
“King Xuan is so handsome and Consort Xuan is beautiful. Their child will be very adorable. Your Majesty, I want to hug Elder Sister’s grandson for her!” Consort Zhao dabbed at her lips with her handkerchief, changing the topic suddenly with a smile.
“They are still young. There’s no hurry,” said Emperor Zongwen with a smile, “they will naturally have children when they are slightly older.”
“Your Majesty, they are not young. There are many people their age who are already parents in the capital. Look at how handsome King Xuan is. If you have a grandson like him, he’ll be very adorable! If Elder Sister were here, she would definitely think the same. Your Majesty, what do you think!”
Consort Zhao mentioned Consort Xian once more. Feng Yuran and Mo Xuetong had only entered the palace not long ago and only said a few words. But Consort Xian had already been mentioned twice.
Mo Xuetong’s eyes were slightly cold and she slid up closer to Feng Yuran without anyone noticing. She had a bad feeling. Consort Zhao was not someone who would do anything without her reasons. She kept mentioning children and the deceased Consort Xian. She had to be up to something. However, they did not know why she had been waiting so early in the morning in Qianqing palace for her and Feng Yuran.
Mo Xuetong did not believe in coincidences when it came to Consort Zhao.
Consort Zhao reminded Emperor Zongwen and he immediately nodded and said to Feng Yuran, “Old Eight, you’re not getting any younger and should have children. Now that you have a wife, you should consider having children.”
“That’s right. Anping, even though you are a little young, there are many women your age who have children. Now that King Xuan is favoring you, you have to take the opportunity. I heard that there are many women in King Xuan’s back courtyard. They did not have any concubine-born children because there was not a consort in that manor. Now that you have joined the manor, you have to have a child first before those women do.”
While Consort Zhao sounded as if she were helping Mo Xuetong, she was actually hinting blatantly that Feng Yuran was not a loyal man. He doted on Mo Xuetong so much right now because they were still in their honeymoon phase. If Mo Xuetong were to lose favor in the future, who knew what would happen? Consort Zhao was sowing dissent and Mo Xuetong was aware of that. As such, she smiled and did not say anything! Anyway, she would not be at a disadvantage with Feng Yuran around!
Feng Yuran’s expression turned dark. His eyes lit up with a devilish glint and he smiled. “Many thanks for your concern, Consort Zhao! Father, Consort Zhao truly cares a lot for me. Look, she even knows what’s happening in my back courtyard. She cares more about me than Mother did. Speaking of which, Father, I thought Mother was around when I first came. Consort Zhao’s dressing really looks a lot like Mother’s. I thought it was Mother’s phoenix robes at a glance.”
The Empress was the Emperor’s legal wife and her clothes were bright red.
Consort Zhao’s clothes were a little overboard today. The color of her shirt was very close to the bright red of the Empress’s robes. Coupled with the large and bright red peonies, they resembled the Empress’s phoenix robes greatly.
Upon hearing that, Emperor Zongwen felt that it was slightly inappropriate as well. Even though he did not have feelings for the Empress, he still had to show her the necessary respect.
The Emperor turned to look at Consort Zhao and seized her up. There was a hint of dissatisfaction in his eyes. No matter how much the Empress displeased him right now, she was still the legal wife and Empress of the palace. He had to show her that respect and must not allow his favored concubine to embarrass her. It would be wrong for him to allow others to comment on this.
