In the past, Emperor Han Cheng doted on Zhao Feiyan and Zhao Hod, and the two of them killed many of the imperial concubines and sons of concubines, but Emperor Cheng turned a blind eye to them and allowed them to do as they pleased.
Even if there isn't a woman as vicious as the Zhao sisters, if I let this go on, I'll probably let Queen Dugu's spirit go, and I'll also let down my Zhao'er. Furthermore – Yang Guang is my husband after all.
I looked at Grandma and nodded slightly. With a grateful smile, I said,
"Thank you grandma for your guidance. Little'er will definitely not be willing to fall. Zhao'er and the tens of thousands of civilians in the south are all part of Little'er's responsibilities."
The old granny let out a long sigh of relief. With a face full of smiles, she said:
"This old servant knew that a princess isn't like an ordinary person. She naturally wouldn't covet a temporary peace. The only thing we can do is endure, and make a big deal of it. "
I had a smile on my face and sadness in my heart. I pulled Grandma to sit on the beauty bed and said,
"Grandma, you've been in the Liang Palace for many years. Tell me about the Liang Palace."
Beneath the windowsill, a few red peonies were blown away by the warm spring wind. The peonies were as big as bowls and overflowing with fragrance. It was a time of spring, when the pavilion was so quiet that only the rustling of leaves could be heard. I leaned against my mother-in-law and closed my eyes, listening to her story after story in the Liang Palace.
The whole afternoon passed in such silence.
When I saw Yang Guang again, I put on a gentle smile and walked to the study room. Yin Yan offered a cup of personally made tea and said softly,
"Guanglang, you've worked hard. Take a rest and have a cup of tea."
After I overheard Yang Guang and Yang Su's conversation that day, I did not give him a good look, every day he would put on a cold expression to reject me. Today, when I came to the study room, not to mention Yang Guang, even I, who had been meticulously planning for a few days, felt very uncomfortable.
"Beloved concubine is kind." Yang Guang's eyes revealed traces of tenderness as he stared at me, holding the tea cup in his hand. He even forgot to bring it to his mouth.
Today, I was wearing a light blue gauze dress with a silk ribbon tied around my arm and a yellow ribbon tied around my waist. My graceful figure could be clearly seen. There was no precious jewellery in her hair, only a white jade hairpin that held her hair in an oblique angle. Her two temples were pierced with a budding green peony. Her eyebrows were like mountains, and her eyes were filled with a faint smile.
Seeing Yang Guang staring at me foolishly, I knew that I had achieved my goal, so I giggled, walked around the wide rosewood desk, and slowly headed towards Yang Guang's side. With every step I took, my heart tensed up even more, to the point that when I arrived in front of Yang Guang, I looked even more embarrassed than before.
Yang Guang got up, waved away the servant girl, and held the bashful me in his arms, and said gently by his ear:
"My beloved concubine is already a mother, yet she is still as shy as a little girl. I wonder if I'll still be like my little girl and get mad at me for being alone? "
Listening to his teasing, I lowered my head with a sincere expression and said:
"In the past, it was chenqie who was too petty and petty. I would like to request Guang Lang not to lower himself to chenqie and not to be indifferent to chenqie like he has been these days. How can chenqie not know that chenqie is very worried, afraid that you won't be chenqie?" When he finished, he was on the verge of tears, teardrops were pooling in his eyes as he looked up pitifully at Yang Guang.
Yang Guang's eyes were full of pity. He wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes and hugged me even tighter as he ridiculed me:
"How could I bear to part with you? How could a woman from the outside compare to a concubine? You little Jealousy. "
I pressed my face against his chest. Although my heart was as sharp as a needle, I still spoke gently and gently.
"Chenqie only loves Guanglang wholeheartedly and doesn't want to part ways with him anymore." After saying that, I raised my eyes to look at her, filled with grievance and reluctance.
"Hahaha …" "He's someone that the Queen Mother taught him after all, but he's stubborn. No matter what happens in the future, Director Gu will not let you down. No matter how many girls he has by his side, his beloved concubine will eventually become her main wife or — Empress." Yang Guang said the last sentence very lightly, but very seriously, it didn't seem like he was just coaxing me for a moment of happiness.
I sneered in my heart. In the future, I will be destined to be together with many girls, and the only consolation I can give is Yang Guang's words. Is he truly in love with me, or is it out of sympathy?
That night, inside the Yuanxin Pavilion, there was a warm spring night. The love was boundless, and there was no end to the warmth and gentleness of the night. When I woke up in the morning and saw Yang Guangzheng staring at me with gentleness in his eyes, my heart warmed.
"Why is Guanglang looking at Chenqie like that? Is it because Chenqie's face has blossomed?"
"The beauty of loving an imperial concubine can cause a hundred flowers to be shamed, but how could there be any flowers that would dare to grow on an imperial concubine and take their own disgrace?" Yang Guang chuckled.
Such harmony, such gentleness, it was like a dream. If I didn't know too many secrets about him, I would be as blissful as when I first got married, right?
However, if there was no such thing as an 'if', then what he knew was true. The person before him was still the same. However, he was no longer the same person as before.
Seeing me lower my eyes and not say a word, Yang Guang just assumed that I was still awake, and gently covered the corner of my blanket, and said with a smile:
"My beloved concubine worked hard last night too. You should sleep more."
I shyly covered my face with my hands and ignored him. He laughed and said:
"I'm going to go to father's paper."
Yan Bi stood up and left the manor.
Ever since the empress passed away, I rarely entered the palace. As long as it wasn't because the emperor missed Zhao'er, he told me to enter the palace and I wouldn't step even half a step outside. Ever since Yang Guangyan had made peace with him, the number of times he had gone out to have fun had decreased. Aside from his busy days at the palace with the government, he spent most of his spare time in the palace with Zhao'er and me.
As usual, we had to go to the palace to have a feast together. Yang Guang went to the palace early in the morning to busy himself with government affairs, but he did not return to the palace.
Since it was a reunion day, there were only family banquets and no foreign subjects. The princes, princes, and princesses ordered their wives to dress up, and they did not intentionally put on makeup. The only difference was that the concubines were no longer as mediocre as before.
He looked haggard, his cheekbones were high, and his dragon robe was slightly loose. He was much thinner than before, and his eyes were no longer as sharp as before. Although he was still in high spirits, compared to a few months ago, he looked ten years older.
The woman beside him was no longer the Empress, but the newly appointed Madam Xuanhua, his aunt, the Honorable Master Chen of that year. Currently, Madam Xuan Hua was no longer as obedient as she used to be. Her words and actions were meticulous and prudent. She was instead a popular figure who could not be left behind for a single day in front of the emperor.
"Your Majesty, please drink a few more cups." Lady Xuanhua's phoenix eyes were blurred and her eyes were like silk. The emperor had long since been captivated by her persuasion and was drunk.
The other concubines did not want to be outdone either, so they all toasted the emperor. The emperor did not care about the presence of his children either, hugging them from left to right. Watching from the sidelines, I felt a chill in my heart. The empress had devoted her entire life to the service of the emperor, and now that her bones have yet to turn cold, the empress had already completely forgotten about her.
For an occasion like this, I wouldn't want to stay any longer, and I wouldn't want Zhao'er to watch. Although the empress had already passed, Ying Xiu was still dressed in plain clothes. When she saw me, she gave a silent bow and said,
"Your servant greets Your Highness!"
"There's no need to be so courteous, Ying Xiu. I'm just taking Zhao'er around for a walk. For the next few months, it will be just the same as it was before." I held onto my sleeves as I looked around.
Ying Xiu got up with a pale face and said with an indifferent tone:
"Your servant always feels that the empress hasn't gone far, that she's just watching from the sky, so Yongan Palace won't change either." Ying Xiu raised her head and spoke with anger and desolation.
I can understand her thoughts. The palace is no longer peaceful as it was back when the empress was here, and the emperor only knows how to have fun with his concubines every day.