Chapter 665: Bestowal of an Engagement (1)
It seemed like he had to be more careful in the future.
Chu Lian hesitated before asking, “So the accessories and storefront you gifted me previously were all bought with the money from the silver mines?”
A corner of He Changdi’s lips lifted. He reached out to hold her more securely so that her body wouldn’t lean over and touch the cold windowsill.
Just by seeing that smile of his, Chu Lian knew that she had guessed correctly.
She admonished him, “You, you really just used it without any shame! If you look at it more strictly, you committed graft!”
He Changdi’s deep gaze fell upon the flushed cheeks of the woman he loved in his arms. He sighed inwardly. Although his wife was smart and cunning, she was too inexperienced and merciful. If she really met someone with no holds barred when it came to scheming, she would definitely fall into their traps.
“Rest assured. The silver I spent was barely the tip of the iceberg compared to the size of that silver mine. The government has its own laws, even if it was His Highness and I who discovered that silver mine, there are some laws we can’t circumvent selfishly. Lian’er, don’t worry. I’ve only taken what I deserved.”
Chu Lian was a little confused by He Changdi’s answer, but she didn’t continue questioning.
She didn’t understand the twists and turns of the politics in court, so she wouldn’t comment thoughtlessly. However, she now knew that her lunatic husband wasn’t a stickler for the rules. Instead, he was even more cunning than a fox.
Chu Lian laid back down on He Changdi’s firm chest. She twirled a single lock of his long, black hair in one hand, continuously winding his hair around her finger.
“I know that Imperial Concubine Wei found out. So you really went to pick herbs for Imperial Princess Leyao that night?”
Chu Lian glared at him, thinking that her husband was just too honest. Why had he so obediently gone to do Imperial Concubine Wei’s bidding? Even if she had blackmail on him, couldn’t he have been a little smarter about it?
“No,” He Changdi replied in a calm voice.
Chu Lian: “Ah?”
“I didn’t go out to pick herbs for Imperial Princess Leyao. In actual fact, the imperial physicians weren’t lacking for supplies. All she was trying to do was to make life difficult for me. I simply went out to the forest and knocked out the attendants that she had sent to follow me. All I did was wait in the mountains until midnight before turning to the camp.”
He Changdi had only done all that for show. Although he wasn’t afraid of Imperial Concubine Wei’s threats, he was still an official and someone that the emperor had personally administered. As much as Imperial Concubine Wei tried to throw her weight around, she couldn’t interfere with the workings of the court, so she wouldn’t be able to affect him much.
However, it was different for Chu Lian. Even if Imperial Concubine Wei wouldn’t touch him, she could use her identity to pressure Chu Lian. While they had been camped out at the hunting grounds, their tent hadn’t been too far off from the emperor and Imperial Concubine Wei’s tents.
It would have been all too easy for Imperial Concubine Wei to find some excuse to punish Chu Lian.
However, there was something strange about it all. Over the two days in the hunting grounds, ever since Chu Lian had fallen off her horse and started recuperating in her tent, Imperial Concubine Wei seemed to have forgotten about her entirely. She hadn’t even mentioned Chu Lian once. This was something that He Changdi had yet to figure out.
He had followed along with Imperial Concubine Wei’s requests to prevent her from taking out her temper on Chu Lian.
As for picking herbs on the mountain in the middle of the night, he really hadn’t done it all.
He didn’t even recognise any of the herbs Imperial Concubine Wei had ordered him to collect. She had sent him out in the darkness of the night too. It would be even stranger if he had been able to find any herbs.
After he had knocked out the attendant Imperial Concubine Wei had sent to follow him, he had simply rested against a tree. Laiyue had even helped to start a fire to keep them warm. He Changdi had waited there until midnight before returning to camp. He had also picked a few random weeds off the forest floor to hand over to Imperial Physician Zhou. Imperial Physician Zhou was smart and he would understand what to say to Imperial Concubine Wei.
However, fighting a cold war with his wife was rather terrible. Even though He Changdi had only been sitting next to a tree with a cloak around him and a fire burning merrily before him, he hadn’t been able to get rid of any of his fatigue.
It was only when the cold of the night had completely chilled his body that he had rushed back, all tired out.
Chu Lian glanced at him, “He Changdi, you have to remember this. In the future, even if we quarrel and hate each other, we still have to give each other a chance to explain things, okay?”
She didn’t want this situation to happen again, where he would avoid her when she wanted an explanation from him. Nor did she want to wait until he regretted things and wanted to explain, as it would be too late.
Both of them were in the wrong for the conflict this time. Although they were clearly in love, if they really split up just because of such a small misunderstanding, it would be too regretful.
“Alright, Lian’er, I promise you.”
Chu Lian wrapped both her arms around his narrow waist and breathed in his fresh and sunny scent.
He Changdi saw that her eyelids were already fighting to stay open the moment she leaned her head against his chest. He whispered gently by her ear, “Do you want to take a nap?”
Chu Lian made a light ‘mm’ in agreement and slipped away into sweet slumber.
She had been on tenterhooks these few days. Now that their misunderstandings had been resolved, the tension had melted away, leaving her in a relaxed state. Pregnant women were
He Changdi looked down at the woman in his embrace. He carefully shifted his left arm so that she would move into a more comfortable pose against his shoulder. He pulled over a nearby wool blanket and laid it over Chu Lian’s slender little figure.
Chu Lian seemed to have been startled by his action, even in the midst of sleep. A wrinkle developed between her brows as they drew together. He Changdi bent over and placed a light kiss on her forehead, like the touch of a feather, causing her brow to relax.
