C139

The fragrance of the flowers filled the sky, the petals reflected the moon, and all of the beauties scattered flowers around.

Flowers flew all over the place, and the fragrance of flowers filled the air.

She was the only one with white clothes and black hair. She looked plain and bland, yet she had suppressed all the makeup on the lake, making it look like she was embroidered with silk.

She stood quietly, focused, waved her sleeves, and danced.

In the middle of the melody, a soft singing voice floated out again. It was quiet and profound like the sighing of a lake.

However, He Lan Xue was familiar with this song and this dance. If he had hesitated just now, he was now absolutely certain that the woman before him was really Rong Xiu.

It was none other than the beautiful Wu Qingcheng from back then, the one that stunned the entire world.

At this moment, Rong Xiu's expression was so calm and serene that it was as if she was singing and dancing, as if the only thing left in the world was singing and dancing. There was neither expression nor the slightest hint of awkwardness.

He Lan Xue was stunned for a moment. She raised her glass and drank the wine in her hand in one gulp. The smell of the wine rose in his throat. His mind was a little muddled, and he couldn't think of a reason.

To him, this extremely beautiful singing and dancing had become a torment.

Finally, the singing stopped and the dancing stopped.

Yan Han turned his head and looked at him indifferently. "What does Young Master He Lan think of Xiu Niang's singing voice?"

"It's a heavenly sound." He Lan Xue spat out two words without hesitation.

"If Young Master He Lan likes it, you can take her away." Yan Han casually said as he waved his hand towards Rongxiu.

Rong Xiu's expression was dull as she walked over woodenly. Like a kitten, she curled up beside He Lan Xue's feet.

Like a water snake, Rong Xiu's hand wrapped around his thigh.

He Lan Xue's body stiffened before she calmly replied, "In that case, thank you very much, Young Master Yan."

"You're welcome." Yan Han smiled and continued, "Actually, I wanted to give Young Master He Lan another gift. Since Young Master has chosen Xiu Niang, I might as well throw it into the lake."

Through the carved window frames, he could already see a wooden pole hanging in the middle of the lake. And at the end of the wooden pole, hung an astonishingly large lantern — big enough to hold a person.

Changing the sword.

He pressed his palms together and gripped the wine cup tightly.

"Well? Which gift would young master Houlan like to take away? " Yan Han asked, looking at him with interest.

If only one of them could be taken away, who would he choose?

Yan Han was very curious.

"I'm very greedy." He Lan Xue was silent for a while, and then brightly smiled: "I will take both of these gifts."

"It will be heavy." Yan Han said with a smile, "I'm afraid that when the time comes, Young Master He Lan will feel burdened."

"As a person, I'm just afraid that I'll be bored to death. It's better to have a burden every now and then." Helian Xue's face was full of smiles, her beautiful peach blossom eyes were narrowed, and she appeared to be unconcerned. "I'm afraid Young Master Yan's invitation is not as simple as a gift, right?"

"It's just idle chatter." Yan Han said lightly, "There was originally an old friend of Young Master He Lan today, but before he left, news came from the palace saying that Consort Lan was about to come and that he might be a little late."

"It's fine, I have plenty of time right now. Besides, the beautiful scenery is like a painting, and the beauty is like jade. Why can't I wait?" He Lan Xue didn't think much of it as she replied. She then glanced worriedly at the wooden pole outside. Seeing that the wooden pole was as thick as a baby's arm and couldn't be broken in a short time, she immediately felt relieved.

Yan Han saw He Lan Xue's subtle expression and smiled. He couldn't help but believe her words.

He was indeed a person with many weaknesses. Anyone close to him was his weakness.

"Xiu Niang, since Young Master He Lan appreciates you so much, why don't you try and persuade him?" Yan Han urged again.

Upon hearing this, Rong Xiu's slim and supple body immediately climbed up from He Lan Xue's knees. She then wrapped her arms around his neck as she placed a cup of alcohol next to his mouth.

Her expression was normal, and she had a charming smile on her face.

He Lan Xue didn't feel uneasy. Her thin lips parted slightly, and the fragrant wine flowed down, splashing a little and soaking his clothes. However, the fat mark on his chest didn't diminish his appearance, instead, it looked more relaxed and comfortable.

"Young Master He Lan is indeed as I expected. He has an unbridled attitude on the throne of gold, and his style of poetry is that of a noble king." Yan Han praised with a smile, then he raised his hand, summoning all of the dancing girls over.

Unhappiness flashed through He Lan Xue's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

He smiled sweetly as he strolled around the dance floor with the dancers.

At the end of the wooden pole, there was someone holding a large blade, ready to swing it at any time.

He couldn't act rashly.

Once again, Murong Xiu brought his wine cup over. One cup after another, without him realizing it, dozens of cups had appeared.

All of you came here to try to persuade me. Aren't you going to ignore Young Master Yan?" He suddenly stood up, grabbed Yan Han's wine cup, and casually handed it to the girl beside him. He said with a smile, "Even if I am more liked than this Young Master Yan, you guys shouldn't be so biased, ah. He was looking at it all by himself, and it was not very sad.

When Yan Han heard this, Ji Nu also seemed to come back to her senses, and quickly came over to urge Yan Han to drink.

Yan Han drank a few cups of wine, then turned his head to look out the window. It was already dusk.

The imperial palace.

Pei Ruochen raised her head and looked at the sky, which was dyed red like the setting sun.

In front of the Orchid Palace, the royal doctors were still streaming in like an unending stream. Pei Ruolan was about to be born, and it had been five hours since the beginning of her pain.

The imperial doctors who had come out of the house were wiping their sweat as another batch entered. As for the babies, they never came out.

Outside the hall, between Pei Ruochen and Pei Ruolan, was a long corridor. However, even from such a distance, he could still hear her piercing screams.

Her voice was a little hoarse now, and she was exhausted.

Pei Ruochen could only stand quietly outside the door. Although she was Ruo Lan's elder brother, she was a vassal. She was not allowed to enter the inner palace, nor was she allowed to enter the concubine's delivery room.

The only man who was qualified to go in and comfort her, He Lan Chun, was not here.

He'd gone to Grand Preceptor Rong's estate before his concubine was born, because he'd learned from Pei Ruochen that she'd contracted epilepsy and was recuperating at home.

Thinking up to here, Pei Ruochen's lips curved up into a mocking smile. Murong Xiu really did have epilepsy. She was probably not at the Grand Preceptor's estate, but in He Lan Xue's arms.

In the past, when his father had fought with him, Pei Ruochen had never cared too much for this old man who had risen to the top with his connections. Now, she knew what kind of rival he was: a man who was willing to sacrifice his own daughter in exchange for his own glory and wealth was even more terrifying than a general who could fight for power.

As long as a person had feelings, they would have weaknesses.

If he had no feelings, he would have no weaknesses.

Even though it seemed like he had nothing better to do, in truth, he was so deep that he had no weaknesses to follow.

As for why he was willing to form an alliance with her, even now, Pei Ruochen was not very confident in her ability. She wanted to let him know whether or not he would allow her to say: The Chundi Emperor is becoming more and more headstrong, and is extremely wary of him. The reason why he is betraying him now is only for her sake in the future.

This request was obviously low, so low that Pei Ruochen had no choice but to be more cautious.

This was an old fox, and his appetite definitely wasn't limited to just this.

What's more, now that the Chundi Emperor had suddenly paid a visit to the Grand Preceptor's estate, if he couldn't hand over the Empress, how would things end?

Yan Han was still waiting for him at Lin Bo Lake …

Pei Ruochen's wandering mind was quickly pulled back to reality by her cries. He once again looked at the setting sun. For some reason, he suddenly felt an extreme pain in his heart, as if a needle had suddenly stabbed into his heart.

Before the pain had subsided, an imperial physician ran over and asked breathlessly, "Sir, something bad has happened to Lan Fei. Sir, what if something happens? Should we protect Lan Fei or the little prince?"

"Is it the little prince?" Pei Ruochen was shocked, and hurriedly asked.

"It's the little prince, he's about to come out." The imperial physician's face was pale, cold sweat pouring from his forehead. "Milord, hurry and make your decision. If you're too slow, the imperial concubine and the little prince won't be able to protect you!"

Pei Ruochen asked in a daze, "Has His Majesty returned?"

"His Majesty hasn't returned to the palace yet. My lord, you are the only one here who can speak. Please make your decision quickly!" The imperial physician was anxious. He abruptly knelt down and kowtowed several times.

If he encountered such a situation and chose the wrong one, the Royal Hospital might not be able to escape its doom.

Pei Ruochen was the prime minister of the Heavenly Court and also the brother of Imperial Concubine Lan. If he were to choose her, he would have a shield to protect her.

The little prince or Ruo Lan?

Pei Ruochen's mind was blank and she could not stand up straight.

How should he choose?

The little prince was the most important step in all of their plans. Without him, everything would have been in vain.

However, Ruo Lan was his sister, not just a tool for bearing children. She was his sister who had watched him grow up, watched her grow up, watched her grow up to be beautiful, watched her enter the palace, and gradually become the imperial concubine with a graceful demeanor. In the future, she would become the empress dowager, a mother to the world, so how could she leave the world at the best of times?

"Save …" Pei Ruochen mumbled out a single word like she was sleepwalking. No matter what she decided, she could not say it.

So what if he chose his sister? Since he was wary of Pei Ruochen, he would definitely not let his nephew become the emperor in the future. From then on, just like all the white-haired Palace Mistress from ancient times, he would be miserable, cold, and old, or waiting for the next generation to change so he could see the sunlight outside the palace.

Pei Ruochen thought back to her father's cautious expression when he warned her. Ruo Lan held her belly, her expression of hesitation and gentleness. When He Lan Chun looked at him, he was wary and indifferent. Behind the respectful actions of the people in the imperial court, there was jealousy and suspicion that were like wolves and tigers. He had limitless glory, but every step he took, he would step on the thorns and stare at everyone like a tiger eyeing its prey.

If it wasn't for the little prince...

If it wasn't for the little prince...

The Pei clan would never have another chance to rise to prominence. He, Pei Rulan, and all the servants and servants of the Pei clan would fall and scatter like monkeys.

"Bail, drop, blood, pulse." He finally said it out loud, word by word, hard and harsh, the words as if they had turned into reality, into sharp nails, fresh blood poking out from his lungs, needle by needle, and when they came out of his mouth, his bones were aching, his mouth was full of blood, he could neither speak nor move.

The Imperial Physician watched in horror as Pei Ruochen spat out a mouthful of blood. He was stunned for a moment before recovering his senses and hastily running back.