allonlinenovel Chapter 370 Nightmare
Chapter 370 Nightmare
The Emperor's sword-like brows furrowed ever tighter, his entire face stern and cold. "Your Majesty, you wish to see a criminal? On what pretext? And what will you do after you see him? Will you ask me to release the Abandoned Prince? Does Your Majesty know that such an action would lead to widespread discussion?"
Empress Dowager Li's face was pale, with lines faintly visible at the corners of her eyes. She had been frowning frequently lately, with deep wrinkles on her forehead. "I know this puts the Emperor in a difficult position. I can go there concealing my identity. This is just a mother wanting to see her son. He poses no threat to you now, so please let me see him!"
The air seemed to be frozen, and there was silence in the hall. After a moment, Emperor Shenwu sneered softly and left Quanhe Pavilion without saying a word.
Two days later, Emperor Shenwu ordered his men to return to the palace.
In Fengqi Palace, Ruping and Ruhan were teasing Lan Qingwu and joking with him. Ruping said that the weather outside was cooler, so they might as well go out for a walk.
Ru Han also said, "Your Majesty, I see you've been stuck in the palace all day. Why don't you go out for a walk?"
Lan Qingwu said helplessly: "Aren't you bored? Never mind, go out for a walk!"
If Ruhan knew that she would encounter such a situation, she would never let her young lady go out for a walk.
When they reached the south of the Imperial Garden, they saw Emperor Shenwu sitting on a stone chair on a pavilion not far away. Lan Qingwu was at the corner. From her angle, she saw a young and beautiful woman kneeling in front of Emperor Shenwu. The woman knelt down in front of Emperor Shenwu, and her slender hands held a cup of tea to offer to the emperor. Emperor Shenwu looked at those hands, stretched out his big palm and gently grasped the snow-white fingertips.
Lan Qingwu's pupils shrank slightly, and Ruhan and Ruping's expressions also changed. Ruhan said anxiously: "My Lady..."
Emperor Shenwu heard some noise and when he looked up, Lan Qingwu had already turned and left without saying a word.
Before Ruhan followed Lan Qingwu, he did not forget to secretly glare at Emperor Shenwu.
Emperor Shenwu narrowed his eyes and looked at Lan Qingwu's back as he left the pavilion, but he turned around and went back to Qianzheng Hall.
Back at Fengqi Palace, Ruping and Ruhan were still cautiously watching Lan Qingwu's face, afraid that she would be sad again. Unexpectedly, Lan Qingwu looked completely normal and simply instructed, "Go and issue the imperial decree! Ruhan, you must handle this matter outside the palace. If you need people or money, go to the Lan Mansion. Make sure this matter is handled properly!"
Ruhan had no choice but to obey the order and leave the palace. Before leaving, he did not forget to give Ruping a look, indicating that Ruping should comfort her young lady.
Ruping nodded seriously and watched Ruhan leave the palace.
Lan Qingwu, however, acted as if nothing had happened and went to visit the Seventh Princess immediately.
At night, Emperor Shenwu threw down the memorial in his hand and said casually, "Is no one coming?"
Li Xiang said blankly, "Who's coming?"
Emperor Shenwu looked sideways at Li Xiang with dissatisfaction. Li Xiang smiled and said, "Your Majesty, the Empress must be waiting for you to have dinner! You've been busy all day, take care of yourself!"
Emperor Shenwu nodded and said, "Let's go to Fengqi Palace!"
Li Xiang thought to himself, you haven’t been to other palaces in recent years!
When he arrived at Fengqi Palace, Li Xiang just wanted to slap himself. The Queen Mother had indeed prepared a sumptuous dinner for His Majesty. Most of the dishes were His Majesty's favorite. The rich soup exuded an enticing aroma. The Queen Mother even thoughtfully prepared a bottle of good wine for Emperor Shenwu to cheer him up. The crystal clear glass bottle was filled with fine wine, and it seemed that they complemented each other so well!
Emperor Shenwu stood in front of the dining table with a dark face. Li Xiang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. Everything seemed fine, but the bad thing was that the Empress herself was not there.
A young palace maid replied tremblingly, "Your Majesty, the Queen... went to see the Seventh Princess. I heard that the Seventh Princess hasn't been eating well in recent days. The Queen is worried, so... just..."
Emperor Shenwu sat down with a gloomy face. Li Xiang looked at the gloomy face of Emperor Shenwu and hurriedly waved away the little palace maid, "Go down!"
Li Xiang hurriedly served the dishes to Emperor Shenwu and said, "The Empress is so thoughtful. Your Majesty, please try this soup!"
Emperor Shenwu took a few bites and then stood up and walked out of the hall. Li Xiang followed him with his heart beating fast.
Emperor Shenwu walked all the way to the Seventh Princess' Palace. The Seventh Princess's soft and sweet voice came from the palace, mixed with Lan Qingwu's gentle words.
Emperor Shenwu's heart relaxed at once, and he stepped into the hall.
Lan Qingwu was coaxing the Seventh Princess to eat. After taking only a few bites, the Seventh Princess wanted Lan Qingwu to sing for her. Lan Qingwu teased her, "When you finish your meal, you should sing a song for your mother."
The seventh princess nodded obediently and took a few more sips of the soup.
Emperor Shenwu had already walked in: "Yueyue is naughty again today?"
When the Seventh Princess saw the Emperor Shenwu, her dark eyes lit up. She cheered and jumped for joy, throwing herself into the Emperor Shenwu's arms: "Father, Yueyue misses you so much!"
Emperor Shenwu sat down naturally: "I heard that my Yueyue didn't eat well? I came to see!"
Lan Qingwu saluted and stood up: "Yueyue, please don't be rude. Pay your respects to your father."
The Seventh Princess was about to climb down and salute, but the Emperor Shenwu extended his arm and placed the Seventh Princess on a chair. "Little Princess, enjoy your meal! Stop moving around."
Lan Qingwu sat silently, strictly observing the rule of not talking while eating or sleeping.
Dinner ended in a weird atmosphere, but the Seventh Princess was completely unaware of it. After dinner, she pestered Emperor Shenwu to play with her for half a day.
Lan Qingwu just watched the father and daughter playing, and finally the Seventh Princess yawned.
Lan Qingwu hurriedly took the seventh princess to the bedroom, and a group of palace servants followed her in and helped the precious little princess to sleep.
Emperor Shenwu was waiting outside, drinking fragrant tea. Before he had even taken two sips, a palace attendant came out, knelt, and reported, "Your Majesty, the Seventh Princess is clinging to the Empress and won't let go. The Empress is worried and said she will sleep with the Seventh Princess today. Your Majesty, the Empress requests that you return to the palace and sleep!"
The palace maid didn't even look up from beginning to end. The hand of Emperor Shenwu holding the teacup suddenly stopped. After a few breaths, Emperor Shenwu put the teacup down and said, "Return to the palace!"
Li Xiang thought with a bitter face, which palace should we return to? Your Majesty, please explain clearly! But at this time, Li Xiang did not dare to ask.
Who knew that Li Xiang's days of watching Emperor Shenwu eat and eat were not over yet! Emperor Shenwu did return to Qianzheng Hall that day, but the next day, Li Xiang took the initiative to report to Emperor Shenwu: "Your Majesty, the Empress went to visit the Sixth Prince at noon today and had dinner with the Sixth Prince. You see..."
"Your Majesty, the Empress has gone to accompany the Seventh Princess again. I heard that the Seventh Princess had a nightmare at night. The Empress is very worried and will accompany the Seventh Princess to sleep for the next few days!"
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Emperor Shenwu heard it so many times that he gradually felt a hint of fun after his initial anger.
Within two days, even the Sixth Prince was caught between his father, the Emperor, and his mother, the Empress Dowager. At noon that day, the Sixth Prince and Lan Qingwu were supposed to be dining together when the Emperor Shenwu suddenly arrived at the Sixth Prince's palace.
The Sixth Prince watched as his mother only served him food, while his father, feeling neglected, gave him a cold look and said, "Eat more! You're growing!"
The Sixth Prince was speechless, thinking to himself, you two are having a quarrel, why are you putting your own son in the middle to make things difficult for you?
The Sixth Prince had a rare lunch in awkwardness.
The afternoon sun was shining brightly and the breeze was not dry. The Seventh Princess led a large group of palace servants to the Qianzheng Palace to find Emperor Shenwu.
The eunuch guarding the gate didn't dare to stop him and quickly let the little ancestor in.
The seventh princess ran into the palace, waving her chubby hands, and the air was filled with bursts of sweet floral fragrance.
"Father, Father, Yueyue is here to see you!"
When Emperor Shenwu heard the voice, he put down the red brush in his hand, strode forward and picked up the Seventh Princess. Soon, the Seventh Princess's "chuckling" laughter rang out in the hall.
After playing around for a while, Emperor Shenwu asked casually, "Has Yueyue been sleeping with your mother these days?"
The Seventh Princess nodded and said, "Mother smells so good, Yueyue loves it. Father, do you want to sleep with Mother, too?"
Emperor Shenwu: “…”
Emperor Shenwu coughed lightly and said, "Just let Yueyue stay with mother."
The Seventh Princess nodded and said, "My Queen Mother is not feeling well. Yueyue is with her, and she is happy."
"What's wrong with your mother?"
The Seventh Princess tilted her head and thought for a moment, "My Queen Mother's hands hurt every time I move them. Yueyue blows on them again and again, but my Queen Mother doesn't want her to see them! My Queen Mother says her hands are bruised and ugly, and can't compare to the delicate hands and skin of a beauty? Father, that's what you said, isn't it?"
The Emperor froze, a moment of guilt in his heart. That day, he had indeed been distracted and looked at the hands of a palace maid in Chuxiu Palace. But at the time, he was wondering when Lan Qingwu's hands would recover. His weak hands were much more beautiful and tender than the ones before him! Who knew that by such a coincidence, Lan Qingwu would see him in such a distracted state?