C26

I looked back at the Queen in surprise. Her expression was even more shocked than mine, and in addition to her shock, there was also a sense of bewilderment. Her gaze swept across my and Yang Liang's face as she asked in a deep voice,

"Su'er, what does this mean?"

Yang Liang was very calm. He paid his respects with great respect and kneeled before the empress. He raised his head and looked straight at me. His eyes were filled with eagerness as he said in a loud and clear voice.

"This son has always loved and adored Little Sister. In this life, I will not marry Little Fei. I plead for mother's consent!"

Yang Liang's sudden confession caused my heart to skip a beat. I never thought that he would dare to say such words in front of the empress. In my heart, I have always thought that Yang Liang was the most calm and meticulous, yet he dared to commit such a disrespectful crime for the sake of his children's affair.

"Pah!" Stunned for a moment, the Queen stretched out her hand and without hesitation left five slender finger marks on Yang Liang's face, reprimanding him:

"She is your sister-in-law!" The Queen's voice was filled with uncontrollable astonishment and anger. Her hands were trembling in anger, something I had never seen before. I was so scared that my knees buckled and I knelt down as well, not daring to let out a single breath.

Without the slightest fear, Yang Liang allowed the blood from the corner of his mouth to flow in a straight line, neither dodging nor dodging, neither wiping nor moving, as he said firmly:

"Little Ling'Er has not been married to Second Imperial Brother, so she can't be counted as Imperial Sister-in-Law!"

"Y-you unfilial son!" The empress pointed at Yang Liang with trembling hands, unable to speak for a moment. She propped up the chair behind her and slowly sat down, one hand on her chest, her face still ashen.

Yang Liang raised his head, and stared straight at the Queen, and said word by word,

"Second Imperial Brother often goes out to war. If Little Sister follows him, wouldn't it mean that she has to bitterly defend him every day? Moreover, this son grew up with Little Qiao. How could this friendship be comparable to that of the Second Imperial Brother? Title? Rules? But it's all set by the people, as long as the Queen Mother is willing to agree, then nothing will be a problem! "

"Don't call me mother! I don't have an unfilial son like you!" The empress was so angry that she turned her face away from Yang Liang. When I peeked at her from the side, I noticed that a teardrop had fallen from the corner of her eye. This is the only time I've ever seen a queen cry. Even the usually iron-willed Empress Dugu could cry at any time. If she wasn't extremely sad, how could she have done so?

The empress was furious. If these words came from someone else, they would have been long gone. But Yang Liang was her most beloved youngest son, so it was obvious what kind of feeling she had.

At this moment, I can't think about the Queen's feelings anymore. What I want to think about is whether I can still protect myself or not. Yang Liang was the empress's own son. She would scold him, but she still doted on him. As for me, a princess who came from a foreign country to be his concubine, even if I have been doted on for the past few years, isn't it because of Yang Guang's illustrious military exploits?

I didn't dare imagine that if I said even half a word wrong, my little life would not last until tomorrow, so I lowered my head and did not say a word, only desperately wept. Yang Liang, oh Yang Liang, saving me is you, and the one who harmed me is also you. If I knew this would happen, why did you have to repeatedly save me?

The study was extremely quiet. The leaves outside the window rustled in the breeze. A few birds flew over and stopped on the windowsill to chirp into the room. They seemed to be determining whether the person inside was real or not, so why wasn't there the slightest movement?

After what seemed like half a century, the Queen finally opened her mouth and calmed down.

"Ling`er, what do you think?"

I straightened the jadeite hairpin that had slightly loosened in my hair and looked at the Queen with eyes as calm as water. I said at a moderate pace,

"In my heart, there is only Prince Jin, who will serve at his side for the rest of his life."

The empress seemed to heave a sigh of relief as she lifted the golden threads of cloud silk between her arms and left her seat. She looked slightly gratified as she said,

"Ling'Er, you really didn't disappoint me. I didn't love you for nothing these past few years."

Then, without even looking at Yang Liang, he walked out and said to Ying Xiu,

"Pass my imperial decree. The King of Han, Yang Liang, has reached adulthood, and has immediately ordered him to leave the palace. He is to remain within the Residence of Duke Han, and cannot enter the palace unless given a edict!"

I can't bear to look at Yang Liang, for him, I only have guilt. However, my eyes didn't manage to catch a glimpse. With just a glance, my heart was like boiling water in a pot, rolling up and down, scorching my internal organs until they faintly hurt.

Lowering my head, I walked guiltily out of Yang Liang's study and followed the empress out of the cold room.

The next day, at the Yongan Palace.

The empress, dressed in a luxurious robe, sat high above me. I prostrated myself on the ground and paid my respects. After a night of trembling, I received a summons from the empress this morning.

"Get up and sit."

"Yes." I was so respectful that I didn't dare to be the least bit dry.

The empress's face was unsightly, and there seemed to be more lines at the corners of her eyes. Due to her good maintenance, time had not left much of a mark on her face. However, the events of the day before had left her extremely haggard.

The queen stared straight at me, her eyes showing neither joy nor worry, and I sat on the low couch, afraid to speak. After a long while, the empress's face calmed down a little. She gave a faint sigh and said:

"Sigh, little Ling, we cannot keep you in the palace anymore."