Everyone in the palace learned of this news the next day. Chu Hongzhen’s orders arrived at Weiyang Palace along with all kinds of gifts such as exotic treasure, fabric, and Chinese herbs.
Imperial consort Su told Nanny Liu to give Yuan Qing a huge gift and congratulated her before leaving.
All the maids and servants were dismissed, leaving only imperial consort Su in the hall.
She touched the gifts with a smile on her face.
The gold hairpin in her hair gently swayed with every step to sparkle brightly and made her look captivating.
Cheng Xiaoxiao and Chu Hongyi made a great team when they fought imperial consort Zhao.
Chu Hongyi certainly felt that way. He even decided that Cheng Xiaoxiao was his best friend and only second to his fourth older brother.
Cheng Xiaoxiao grudgingly accepted Chu Hongyi as her partner in crime.
Now that everything was over, Cheng Xiaoxiao went h
Chu Hongyi couldn’t help feel happy when he heard her excited voice. “Sure! As you wish.”“Heheh. I didn’t expect you to be so nice. Let’s go.” Cheng Xiaoxiao frolicked to the bun stall after she heard what Chu Hongyi said. “Boss, I want 20 buns! I want every flavor you have!”Chu Hongyi wasn’t able to keep up with Cheng Xiaoxiao. By the time he came close enough, he could hear Cheng Xiaoxiao decisively made an order.“Xiaoxiao, we can’t finish 20 buns, right?” Chu Hongyi was slightly worried that Cheng Xiaoxiao would overeat before they got to the good stuff. He couldn’t just buy buns for Cheng Xiaoxiao now that they were finally out. “Don’t worry! I’m a big eater! I can eat heaps!” Cheng Xiaoxiao patted Chu Hongyi’s shoulder nonchalantly. “Oh yes. You need to eat too! Boss, 20 more!”Cheng Xiaoxiao turned to talk to the hawker as she gobbled the 20 buns which the hawker had just packed for her.
Cheng Xiaoxiao gestured for Chu Yunshen to stop before she jumped down and walked over to Wan Xia. Wan Xia could sense a warm furry cat rubbing her hand as though she was comforting her. “Meow…” Cheng Xiaoxiao wanted to tell her to stop crying and hug her. She leaned against Wan Xia intimately and didn’t want to leave. Wan Xia raised her head to look at Chu Yunshen pitifully without daring to touch Cheng Xiaoxiao.Chu Yunshen saw the cat’s behavior and couldn’t help feeling upset. Despite his kindness towards her, the ingrate got along with anyone who gave her food and was far friendlier to people other than him. Wan Xia didn’t dare to move without Chu Yunshen’s order. Her eyes were red and slightly swollen, so she must have cried for a long time. Cheng Xiaoxiao couldn’t help feeling guilty and rubbed Wan Xia’s arm even harder.Wan Xia finally couldn’t bear it and furtively
Chu Hongyi behaved rather imposingly as he kept a straight face while he nodded to the servants with his child-like face. The moment the servants were gone, he reverted to his usual hilarious self. “Xiaoxiao, did I look serious? Do I resemble Brother Yunshen?”Cheng Xiaoxiao almost laughed out loud. Since Chu Hongyi couldn’t even stay serious for three seconds, he was not even 10% as imposing as Chu Yunshen. The more they walked, the more deserted the place seemed. In the end, they halted in front of some old and lifeless rooms where no one else could be found. In the distance, the faint sound of a crying woman could be heard as the cold wind gusted. Chu Hongyi had goosebumps when he got there.“Where the hell are we?” Chu Hongyi furtively went close to Cheng Xiaoxiao’s ear and begged, “Xiaoxiao, let’s go. This place is so creepy and there is no sunshine at all. It’s so scary…”Since Cheng
Imperial consort Mei’s voice suddenly sounded sad, but she continued sharing this absolutely tragic story with Cheng Xiaoxiao. “I was too naïve to think that an emperor was capable of true love. He simply wanted to claim my father’s troops and I was just a pawn. I kept getting miscarriages because of him, but he ended up doting on the prime minister’s daughter.”“I finally gave birth to Chun’er in the end. One day, he begged for milk cake, so I promised to give him a piece the next day, but he ended up accidentally falling into a lake and drowning to death. He was such a smart boy. How could he have fallen into the lake?”Cheng Xiaoxiao felt her scalp go numb as she listened to the story. For time immemorial, an emperor’s love never lasted. She wondered how many women died spending their best years in the harem. “The man whom I loved told me I was the one who caused my boy’s death as he embraced another woman. He wanted to send m
“Is that so?” Imperial consort Su spoke intentionally. She had closed her eyes as she thoroughly enjoyed this rare occasion when her son massaged her, but swiftly opened them when she heard what he wanted. She studied Chu Hongyi without sparing any details. “Why did you charge in here to ask for the dress?”Chu Hongyi turned awkwardly and refused to make eye contact with imperial consort Su. “I was curious and wanted to look at it.”“Do you know that this dress was made using mystical plants from the Divine Penglai Island? According to the envoy who sent the tribute, this dress has celestial qualities. I am reluctant to wear it normally. Your father only gave me the dress when I gave birth to you since he knew how much I adored it.”“Of course I know this. You are a natural beauty, so you don’t need it to complement your good looks.”Chu Hongyi stood by the side as he pushed imperial consort Su’s arms and implored her
Even though Chu Yunshen ignored Cheng Xiaoxiao, he secretly observed Cheng Xiaoxiao’s every move with his head lowered. He watched as Cheng Xiaoxiao ran over to appease him by acting adorable and apologizing hard in front of him. Despite keeping up a straight face, he softened up on her quite a bit.Sure enough, he couldn't expect the cat to be patient. Fortunately, she made an attempt to appease him. Chu Yunshen sighed inaudibly as he shook his head helplessly.He resigned himself to this fate as he carried Cheng Xiaoxiao and placed her in his arms comfortably.Chu Yunshen was surprised by his instincts. When did he start caring about the cat so much?The moment he recalled Cheng Xiaoxiao sneaking out to hang out with Chu Hongyi, Chu Yunshen felt angry.Even though he cared about the cat so much, she was friendly with anyone who gave her food.Chu Yunshen naturall
It was not entirely clear whether the county magistrate was fearful because he offended Chu Yunshen or he was surprised by the visit.Chu Yunshen pursed his lips slightly and ignored the county magistrate as he knelt before him. Instead, he walked up to the desk and sat down. There was a stack of opened letters on the desk. Chu Yunshen flipped through them leisurely as he looked at the county magistrate kneeling on the ground. “You sure seem rather busy to me!”The county magistrate was so anxious that more sweat oozed from his forehead as it trickled down his face onto the bluestone tile on the ground. He gasped as he knelt and contemplated. The god of hell had just seen his correspondence with Su Ming. How could he explain himself now?No one had announced Prince Jing’s arrival. Otherwise, he would be able to do something about the letters.Chu Yunshen seemed capable of reading the county
Cheng Xiaoxiao laughed gloatingly. Cheng Xiaoxiao didn’t care about the plotting and scheming. She was simply delighted at seeing Xiaowu disappointed. Served him right for trying to be a smart aleck. Despite how sensible it sounded, Xiaowu wasn’t as smart as he thought. No matter how smart he was, Chu Yunshen was always three steps ahead of him. Cheng Xiaoxiao buried her head in Chu Yunshen’s arms and almost suffered internal injuries from suppressing her laughter. Since Chu Yunshen was unable to see her expression, he was worried that she was unwell and weary from travel or unable to acclimate. The moment he saw Cheng Xiaoxiao smiling brightly when he finally turned her face around, he instantly realized that she was just being mischievous. “You’re so naughty.” Chu Yunshen didn’t know what to do with Cheng Xiaoxiao. He sensed a real love-hate relationship with her as he tapped her head. He couldn’t