novelraw Chapter 159 Truly Unrestrained
Chapter 159 Truly Unrestrained
Song Shuangning smiled charmingly.
Her almond-shaped eyes widened suddenly, and she deliberately feigned surprise, saying, "Your Majesty, I am truly taken aback. I have only been in the palace for a little over a year, how could I have ever dared to covet the rank of Consort?"
Xiao Yan's smile deepened, deliberately teasing her: "Since Ningning has no interest in this, let's postpone the promotion. You've already prepared yourself anyway. No rush."
"Ah...ah...?"
Song Shuangning's smile immediately vanished, and her almond-shaped eyes widened slightly.
Why doesn't he play by the rules?
She puffed out her cheeks, looking aggrieved.
Seeing this, Xiao Yan chuckled and quickly pulled her into his arms, patting her back and coaxing her, "I was just teasing you, it was just a joke, why are you so angry?"
Song Shuangning gently broke free from his embrace and turned her back to him.
Xiao Yan chuckled helplessly, then pulled her close from behind, resting his chin on her soft shoulder, and coaxed her in a low, gentle voice, "Are you really angry? Alright, alright, it's my fault."
Song Shuangning remained silent.
Xiao Yan leaned closer, his thin lips brushing against her temple, and pleaded softly, "I know I was wrong, Consort Zhao, please forgive me."
Song Shuangning's almond-shaped eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance as she gently slapped away Xiao Yan's hand from her waist, her voice tinged with a hint of irritation: "Does Your Majesty have some strange quirk? You make me angry every single day."
Xiao Yan reached out and pinched her puffed-up cheeks.
"What kind of fetish is this? It's probably... I just like to see your almond-shaped eyes pouting when you're angry, and your eyes crinkling when you smile, and then I patiently coax you."
In this way, life becomes vibrant and no longer... dull and tasteless.
Furthermore, only when he could make Ningning smile or puff up her cheeks in anger did he feel a sense of satisfaction that Ningning had him completely in her heart.
He lowered his head and nuzzled Song Shuangning's face with the tip of his nose. "Ningning is like a charming kitten. The way she puffs up when teased and the way she becomes docile when coaxed are both extremely cute."
Song Shuangning: "..."
Isn't this considered a fetish?
Once outside Yaohua Palace, the smile on Xiao Yan's face gradually faded, and he reverted to being the cold and ruthless emperor who reigned supreme and kept everyone at arm's length.
Li Fuquan followed closely beside him, replying in a low voice.
Upon hearing these few words, Xiao Yan turned and headed towards the Phoenix Palace.
Phoenix Palace.
Upon hearing the announcement from outside the palace, the Empress was slightly taken aback, then rose to greet them.
"What brings His Majesty here today?"
Xiao Yan remained silent, walked straight to the sandalwood chair at the head of the table, sat down, took the teacup offered by the palace servant, and looked down at the tea leaves floating in the cup.
"Today, Consort Shao came to pay her respects, saying that during the Dragon Boat Festival palace banquet, the food served to Consort Zhao was secretly poisoned."
The Empress was surprised, then seemed to understand something, and a look of sadness appeared on her face. "Your Majesty's words... could it be that you doubt me?"
Xiao Yan stared at the Empress with cold eyes, his gaze unwavering.
"Rongcheng from the Imperial Kitchen has confessed. On the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, he presented you with the menu, and it was with your approval that he dared to secretly poison the food at Consort Zhao's banquet. Empress, do you still not admit it?"
A sudden thought struck the Empress.
Rongcheng.
Rongcheng was exceptionally attentive to her, deliberately flattering her, and even sent her the menu on the eve of the palace banquet for her to review.
This is a trap. The moment she accepted the menu, she had already fallen into it.
Someone meticulously plotted to frame her.
"No, not your concubine."
The Empress bit her lower lip; those four words were too pale and too weak to be convincing.
What a clever scheme to use someone else to do the dirty work! What a deep and cunning mind!
She originally thought that all the concubines in the harem were under her control, but in the end she was shocked to find that even within these red walls, there were still hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Xiao Yan seemed to see through her thoughts, his voice as cold as frost: "The Empress knew long ago that Consort Zhao was pregnant, and wanted to take advantage of the chaos during the Dragon Boat Festival banquet to make her move. You have already mastered these methods."
"emperor…"
How could you say such hurtful things?
The empress's eyes filled with tears as she stared blankly at the emperor who had been with her day and night for decades.
Every word is piercing to the heart; nothing could be more so.
Xiao Yan flicked his sleeve and stood up, leaving behind a cold, indifferent back view and a chilling statement:
"The Empress is also tired. From now on, she should rest and recuperate in Fengyi Palace. She no longer needs to concern herself with palace affairs."
The Empress forced herself to sit down, her body swaying precariously.
The hall was unlit, and the dim twilight seeped in through the cracks in the windows.
She sat there, from the warm afternoon sun shining obliquely, until the last ray of sunset completely disappeared on the horizon.
She had been with the Emperor for decades; how could she not understand the Emperor's unspoken meaning?
The Emperor knows everything about how she became the Empress Dowager on the Second Prince's jade tablet and how she eliminated the Yun family.
After an unknown amount of time, a tear finally escaped from my eye.
Tears welled up and rolled down her chin. The Empress suddenly raised her hand and wiped them away fiercely with her sleeve.
In her memory, her mother held her hand and warned her word by word: "Tears are the most useless thing in the palace. They cannot win pity; they will only make you a laughingstock."
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
Consort Qing stayed in her room to recover from her injuries. She applied the best wound medicine from the palace to the wounds on her arms and the backs of her hands. It was said to be of the highest quality, but it still did not improve and she was still in a lot of pain, so much so that she had no energy all day.
While she was recuperating from her injuries, Consort Yuan became pregnant, and news that the Emperor intended to make her a concubine spread like wildfire.
Qing Xiuyi was already irritated by these wounds, and upon hearing this news, her heart felt even more heavy.
She looked down at the crisscrossing scars, her nose tingled, and tears streamed down her face.
What if it leaves a scar?
The lines were so ugly they were glaring.
Especially in the summer when clothes are thin, these scars are impossible to hide, and people will point and whisper about them.
Even the emperor would find it ugly.
Qing Xiuyi was extremely depressed.
Her gaze slowly shifted to the table, where several bottles of wound medicine and various books were placed, all specially sent by the Empress.
The wound medicine was specially made by the Empress's maternal family and is very effective in removing scars. The books were also specially chosen by the Empress to keep her company while she recovered from her injuries.
Qing Xiuyi picked up the top book and initially flipped through it casually, but as she read further, she gradually sat up straight and her gaze became fixed.
When she read that the woman in the book was pregnant but still didn't restrain herself and became intimate with her husband, ultimately suffering a miscarriage, she slammed the book shut.
After a long pause, she suddenly chuckled softly, a smile that lingered on her lips with a hint of irony that was difficult to decipher.
She muttered to herself, her tone somewhat ambiguous, "She really doesn't know how to restrain herself."