novelraw Chapter 1282 - 478: Palace Schemes Pale Before Rebellion (Part 15)_2
Chapter 1282 - 478: Palace Schemes Pale Before Rebellion (Part 15)_2
Yes, what Lady Hu excels at the most is maintaining her perfect image of a loving mother in front of the Emperor.
This time... hehe, a happy accident!
When she saw the suddenly appearing Emperor Yongcheng at the manor, Lady Hu only felt she didn’t come in vain this time.
She managed, once again, to "move" His Majesty.
Lady Hu was pleased but still had to deliberately show a worried expression for her daughter.
Suppressing her joy, she led Emperor Yongcheng into the inner courtyard with a trace of worry on her face.
Zheng Nianer: ...
Ugh, she really didn’t want to have any close encounter with that rotten cucumber.
Huh?
Wait—
Close encounter?
It didn’t necessarily have to be a kiss or XXX, right?
This was ancient times, even though the dynasty was fictional, and the societal ethos was relatively open.
Still, no matter how bold the ancients, they couldn’t just nibble on each other upon meeting.
Holding a small hand or "accidentally" sharing a hug could count as a close encounter.
Zheng Nianer had an idea, and she continued to feign weakness lying on the couch.
Upon hearing Lady Hu’s announcement, she pretended to be surprised, struggling to rise from the couch despite her illness.
As Emperor Yongcheng stepped inside, he happened to see this scene.
He was deeply concerned, fearing that his little best friend, still unwell, might fall off the couch.
Rushing forward, Emperor Yongcheng reached out to support Zheng Nianer.
On Zheng Nianer’s side, she was worried it wouldn’t be "safe" enough.
She secretly gritted her teeth, rolling over with force, her body heading toward the ground.
Emperor Yongcheng reacted quickly, directly catching Zheng Nianer squarely in his arms!
Her back was tightly pressed against the Emperor’s chest, as if her whole being was curled up in his embrace.
Zheng Nianer felt that such an action, even placed in later times, would count as "close contact."
Sure enough, at the moment she rolled into the Emperor’s embrace, a mechanical voice echoed from the depths of her sea of consciousness—
"Ding! Novice task complete, awarded ’Sick Beauty’ aura once! Aura is in use, please fully experience it, Host!"
"Sick Beauty" aura?
What ghost?
Could it mean that with such an aura, she could resemble Xishi, looking delicate and alluring even when sick, instead of haggard, slovenly?
Zheng Nianer was muttering to herself, unaware that her entire demeanor had transformed.
The original remained a little white flower under the guidance of her birth mother, Lady Hu.
But in the past, she was pretending to be pitiful and innocent!
And now, with the added attribute of the ’Sick Beauty’ aura, Zheng Nianer’s whole presence had changed.
Her appearance didn’t change, yet she exuded a heart-wrenching charm.
A face pale and thin from illness might just look purely pitiful or even somewhat unattractive on ordinary people.
But on Zheng Nianer, with the ’Sick Beauty’ aura activated, it became a pathological beauty, a frailness that invoked compassion!
Emperor Yongcheng was drawn, never before had he noticed that his little best friend could appear so endearingly pitiable and heart-wrenching.
Nianer had fallen ill before, too, but often she didn’t look very appealing.
Now, even with disheveled hair, without makeup, she looked particularly stirring.
"It must be because I haven’t seen Nianer for so long, I... I miss her too much!"
The Emperor didn’t suspect his little best friend had a change of heart or encountered some adventure.
He only believed it was because he hadn’t seen her for too long, and with little best friend bedridden for days, this caused her initial change!
Realizing this, Emperor Yongcheng felt more tender, guilty, "I’m sorry, Nianer, it’s all my fault! I should have come to see you earlier!"
"But don’t worry, things will be over soon—"
As soon as Duke Dingguo’s youngest daughter entered the palace, he secured the support of the military merit nobles led by Duke Dingguo and smoothly took the throne, not only could he bring Nianer back to the capital, but officially receive her into the harem!
Emperor Yongcheng has made some progress after the grind of the past few months.
He finally knew what was most important.
The grand wedding, taking the throne, were his top priorities.
True love, wet nurse, these needed to be temporarily set aside.
"...Not aggrieved! How could it be considered aggrieved?"
Lady Hu, hearing Emperor Yongcheng’s hesitant explanation, hurriedly replied with eyes full of tenderness: "I know my Erlang treats me well, towards Nianer with true affection!"
"However, you are the Emperor, you bear the burden of the country and the people, and the late Emperor’s entrustment!"
"Hence, everything must prioritize the bigger picture!"
Lady Hu was indeed skilled at sowing discord.
She clearly knew Empress Dowager He’s deep-seated animosity with the late Emperor, yet she deliberately mentioned the late Emperor before Emperor Yongcheng from time to time.