Pei Qianhao coincidentally walked out from the palace hall and stopped beside Su Xi-er. “Xi-er, it’s already late; follow me back and rest.”
Su Xi-er didn’t listen, but instead looked at Du Ling again. “Elder Sister-in-law’s arms are covered with scars from being whipped. Do you know who’s been bullying her in your absence? Even if your marriage was arranged as a result of her being the daughter of the Great General, you still have a responsibility to your wife.”
Du Ling turned around and gazed at the Queen Palace. “Follow this King to the Grand Empress Dowager’s abode tomorrow. Prince Hao, let my younger sister rest on a warming jade bed for four hours each day over the next few days.” He then turned away and simply walked out.
Su Xi-er still wanted to add on, but Pei Qianhao held her back, whispering in a low voice. “He’s the King of the Western Region; he naturally knows what to do. Oftentimes, the monarch of a country is unable to do as they please.”
Seeing Pei Qianhao’s solemn countenance, Su Xi-er couldn’t help but comment, “It’s always like this for monarchs; and an imperial harem of this size is already considered small.” There were 20 women in the imperial harem when Empress Mother was still alive, but after she died, that number gradually grew to more than a hundred.
That’s how it is supposed to be for a monarch. Even if they don’t wish for it, they will still have many women. Fortunately, A-Jing isn’t a monarch.
“A-Jing, I said too much to Du Ling just now.” She grabbed Pei Qianhao’s hand as they walked outside the palace.
Even if she hadn’t mentioned it, Pei Qianhao was still able to tell that she wasn’t in a good mood, so he squeezed her hand in return. Taking her into his arms, he embraced her as they continued walking.
“Xi-er, were you reminded of your empress mother?”
Her heart trembled, and she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve. “Tan Ge gave me this before she died, telling me to place this before her mother’s tombstone. Only when one is between the boundary of life and death will they think of the person most precious to them.”
There was no love in this life of Tan Ge’s, and even her affinity with her family was fleeting.
“Are you going to help her?”
“Mmm, no matter how vicious a person is, there will always be something they care about, and that will always be their purest desire.”
“Xi-er, when the Grand Empress Dowager wakes up, you will officially enter the genealogy of the Western Region’s Imperial Family. You will possess everything; the identity and influence of the imperial princess, and more than that, you will announce to the world the everlasting alliance between Beimin and the Western Region.”
As the leader of the four nations in the Central Plains, Beimin taking the lead in this matter would shock the world.
The first to follow in Beimin’s footsteps would be Nanzhao, and once two of the Central Plains’ nations had allied with the Western Region, it would only be a matter of time for the others to follow.
“Not bad, with an everlasting alliance, there will be few wars in the future.” Su Xi-er smiled and stood on tiptoe to peck Pei Qianhao’s lips.
Pei Qianhao tightened his arm around her waist while his other hand cupped her face, deepening the kiss.
Their tongues entangled, and heated breaths started to colour the cold air. It was only when Pei Qianhao noticed a cold breeze that he hugged Su Xi-er tightly and started to head indoors. Her body can’t stay in the cold air very long.
The next day, the Imperial Physician Institute was hard-pressed with three puissant figures they had to treat: the Grand Empress Dowager, the Queen, and Lord Huyan.
Du Ling left Huarong Palace, the place where Xian Yue’s daughter resided, early in the morning. He had stayed in her repose palace for the express purpose of pacifying the left faction after having imprisoned and stripped Xian Yue of his military tally. Otherwise, although Du Ling would be able to control the troops of the left faction, he would never win their hearts.
Upon walking out, he spotted Su Xi-er standing nearby in a red dress while Pei Qianhao stood beside her. Seeing how blissful his sister was, Du Ling let out a sigh of relief.
There have been too many things happening in the royal court that need to be handled.
When Du Ling had issued the imperial edict informing the court of the fake imperial princess, the court had been thrown into a frenzy. The uproar only grew when they learned that the true imperial princess was Princess Consort Hao.
