In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of autumn. Leaves swirled and fell from the tree, dancing like butterflies.
In the pavilion in the garden, there was a rare hint of laughter.
"Ling Ling, come, open your mouth." Fu Yuheng was in a good mood as he held a piece of pastry and teased the little girl in front of him.
"Ah …" Ling Tian, on the other hand, was exceptionally well-behaved, with his small eyes rolling around as he revealed a fawning smile.
However, the action of a young adult made Shen Qingwan, who was at the side, laugh. As for Fu Lingling's mother, Zhao Yuanrong, he could only helplessly look at the father and daughter pair, but his heart was also gratified.
"It has been a long time since I have been like this." Fu Yuheng carried Fu Lingling and looked at the chrysanthemum in the garden with eyes that could not be hidden.
In recent days, all sorts of things had been happening, and he was busy with all kinds of official matters. However, there were very few times where he had the leisure to do so.
"That's right, it's been a long time since the emperor has smiled so happily." Zhao Yuanrong also followed along, and looked at Fu Lingling with eyes full of tenderness. Her daughter might really be her lucky star.
Fu Lingling's appearance was originally pleasing to the eyes, and coupled with her lively and quick-witted appearance, there were many people in the harem who liked her a lot.
Fu Lingling swallowed the dim sum in her mouth, a puzzled look appearing in her eyes. "I feel that royal father is very happy whenever I see him." The little head gently tilted to the side and then looked towards Fu Yuheng as if asking for confirmation.
Seeing her like this, he laughed out loud, "Yes yes, Ling Ling is my royal father's fruit of joy!" As she spoke, she gently nuzzled her head.
Hearing his words, she continued to eat her snacks proudly.
After some time, Fu Lingling's face revealed an exhausted look. Zhao Yuanrong knew that she must be tired since he was just a child, "Your majesty, looking at Ling Ling, he seems to be tired. Furthermore, since you have carried her for so long, I'm afraid that it's about time for you to get tired.
Fu Yuheng looked at the little girl in his arms whose eyelids had already begun to move, and patted her head lovingly. Then, he placed her in Zhao Yuanrong's hands and said, "Go."
After the two of them left, he turned to look at Shen Qingwan, "My beloved concubine, is there anything you want to say?" With a teasing look in her eyes, she looked at the handkerchief that had been crumpled in her hand, as if she had seen through her thoughts long ago.
Shen Qingwan was startled, she never thought that he would be able to see through her. Soon after, she felt relieved, the two of them are probably the same kind of people, that's why she could guess what they are thinking.
"Chenqie indeed doesn't know when to speak." After pondering for a moment, he frowned. He had always had a knot in his heart when he heard what Wu Ling said. Since she said that what happened at that time was wrong, there must be a reason for it. But after all, it had already been so long, and now that the palace had finally calmed down, she didn't know if it was appropriate to bring it up now.
"If there's anything you want to say, just say it. If you're worried that I'll blame you, I promise that no matter what you say today, I'll forgive you." He had already made many exceptions for her, so he didn't need this one.
"This …" Even though he said that, she still hesitated, but thinking about Wu Ling's depressed look, she gritted her teeth in the end. "Chenqie saw that there seems to be a misunderstanding between the Emperor and Big Sister Shufei, but she doesn't want to see the Emperor and Big Sister Shufei distressed, so she wanted to ask about the reason behind this." Shen Qingwan took a glance at his expression as she was afraid that he would be displeased.
Fu Yuheng was stunned. He had thought that it would be related to the General Shen, but he didn't expect that she wanted to ask him about the grudge between him and Wu Ling. Thinking of this, he sighed.
"This matter has been going on for quite some time." Wu Ling entered the palace a year or so earlier than Shen Qingwan and it had been almost a year since she entered the palace. If that was the case, it was two years ago. Fu Yuheng's mind drifted away. He remembered that when he first met Wu Ling, she was just like Shen Qingwan. She was a cold and aloof woman, but her courage was much smaller than hers. He remembered shouting at her when they first met, and then her tears came.
Seeing him reminiscing, Shen Qingwan didn't want to disturb him, so she just waited quietly. Only after a long while did he regain his senses.
"This matter will start from the matters of the Wu Shang Shu back then." Fu Yuheng's expression was one of enlightenment. He was indeed a little reckless for what happened that year. Back then, when the Wu Shang Shu's family found out about Wu Shang Shu's corruption, in addition to the crime of cheating the Emperor, they were all destroyed by him. Of the remaining two children, one was still in prison, and the other was Wu Ling, who had been forced by him to enter the palace as his concubine. However, he did not investigate deeply when he was convicted. When he thought about it later, there were still some suspicious points.
He had only said these things indifferently from his mouth. After all, it had been two years. All the regret he felt before had faded a lot now. However, he still felt somewhat ashamed of Wu Ling. After all, if she had not entered the palace, she would not have fallen into the water in the harem.
Shen Qingwan's heart ached a little for him as she listened to him speak. He was probably still in her prime two years ago. It wasn't impossible for her to understand that she had made the decision on impulse.
"Then why hasn't the emperor overturned the case?" Even though he had already been convicted, he could still restore Wu Shang Shu's innocence. However, just as he said that, a bitter smile appeared on his lips. He was stunned for a moment and realized that there was something wrong with his words.
"How can I not?" "But … I am the Emperor …"
It was just a sentence, but it already made Shen Qingwan understand a lot, because he was the emperor. A single decision could cause many people to change their positions, if they could not convince the masses, how could they stabilize the throne? Moreover, the Wu Clan collapsed because of his decision. Whether they die or run away, now that she had released the descendants of the Wu Clan, how could she not take revenge?
Shen Qingwan was a little speechless, if her thoughts were too simple, she thought that as long as the case was reversed and the Wu Shang Shu was acquitted, everything would be solved, but she forgot that as the emperor, every decision he made would cause a huge ruckus in the imperial court.
"Chenqie has spoken wrongly …" Shen Qingwan lowered her eyes. She had thought that she could help Wu Ling resolve the worries in her heart, but she didn't expect that at this point, she would have to back down.