"Where is the emperor?" Wen Fuyue gasped and asked the little eunuch at the palace gate.
"Your Highness, the emperor is in the side hall," the little eunuch replied respectfully.
The side hall? Wen Fuyue was really too exhausted to run. She pulled Wen Yu and slowly made her way towards the side hall.
It was so strange. Wen Fuyue was quite curious. During her long stay here, she had never seen Wei Sinian go to the side hall. Moreover, the door there was always closed. She had no idea what it was used for. However, the side hall looked magnificent from the outside, no less grand than other palaces.
Lost in thought, Wen Fuyue had already reached the side hall. When the guards at the door saw her, their expressions suddenly froze for a moment. Then they exchanged glances with their companions.
"Your Highness, please wait a moment."
"The emperor is inside?" Wen Fuyue asked. "There's no need to announce me. I'll just go in directly."
How could that be allowed!
Seeing Wen Fuyue directly step past them and walk inside, the guards didn't dare to stop her. This was Concubine Wen, the only concubine summoned by the emperor since he ascended the throne. She was deeply favored. Even if they were given the boldest of guts, they wouldn't dare to stop her!
One of the quick - witted guards immediately rushed past Wen Fuyue and ran inside.
But it was a moment too late. Thinking of the sweet potatoes in her arms that were about to turn cold, Wen Fuyue quickened her steps and stepped into the main hall.
As soon as she entered, a cold gaze landed on Wen Fuyue, making the smile on her face freeze instantly. She was stuck with one foot in and didn't know whether to go in further or withdraw.
"Concubine?" Wei Sinian's voice was as cold as ice, with a hint of surprise and barely detectable panic. He suddenly stood up from his chair and walked towards Wen Fuyue.
[Oh my god!!! Should I just run away! Help!!!]
Wen Fuyue was shocked. Looking at the scene in front of her, she was completely at a loss for words.
In the middle of the main hall, a blood - covered man was kneeling in a strange posture, looking as if his bones were broken. He didn't even have the ability to react to the sound of her intrusion. He was just sitting there numbly, as if his life was coming to an end.
An Fu stood behind Wei Sinian. When he saw Wen Fuyue break in, his face was full of panic. His usual calm demeanor was gone.
[What should I do!!!]
Hearing Wen Fuyue's inner thoughts as he got closer, Wei Sinian just pursed his lips. He looked at An Fu and ordered, "Take care of this. I'll leave with the concubine first."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
This time, Wen Fuyue came to her senses and jumped out of the main hall like a rabbit. Only then did she belatedly smell the nauseating smell of blood in the hall. She instinctively retched and turned pale.
"Concubine?" Wei Sinian heard it and immediately stepped forward.
Seeing Wei Sinian approaching, Wen Fuyue instinctively dodged, then looked at him awkwardly.
Realizing Wen Fuyue's evasion, Wei Sinian's eyes darkened slightly, but he said softly, "Yueyue came to find me. Is there something you need?"
[... Can I say I came to bring sweet potatoes? I accidentally stumbled upon a torture scene. Oh my god! I can't take it!]
"Nothing. I just saw that Your Majesty hadn't come for a long time, so I came to look for you," Wen Fuyue's voice trembled slightly, obviously still shaken by what had just happened.
Sweet potatoes? Wei Sinian frowned. His eyes fell on Wen Fuyue's hands, and a smile appeared on his lips. He said gently, "What's in Yueyue's hands?"
It was so nice. Yueyue actually remembered to bring something for him. It was just unfortunate that today, just as he had caught the spy used by Wei Sijing and the queen mother to pass on messages, Yueyue came.
Thinking of this, Wei Sinian suddenly felt a headache coming on. His gaze towards Wen Fuyue also carried a hint of unease.
"Sweet potatoes," Wen Fuyue made up her mind. She took out the sweet potatoes and handed them to Wei Sinian, saying respectfully, "I don't know if Your Majesty likes them."
"Thank you, Yueyue," Wei Sinian took the sweet potatoes and smiled.
Looking at the man in front of her, Wen Fuyue just couldn't bring herself to smile. She could only force a stiff smile on her face.
She had forgotten. This man was the emperor, a king who held the power of life and death over countless people. And this was not modern society. The person in power held her life in his hands.
Could such a person really know what love was? Or rather, would he really give his heart to someone else?
Wen Fuyue was just in a daze for a moment. Wei Sinian didn't hear her inner thoughts. He just saw that Wen Fuyue finally stopped trembling and her eyes calmed down.
That was good. He let out a sigh of relief and tightened his grip on the slightly cold sweet potatoes in his hand.
...
The hunting ground was quite far away. Wen Fuyue set off early in the morning. After two days of bumpy travel, she finally arrived there at dusk on the third day.
The incident in Wei Sinian's side hall was really a headache. At first, Wen Fuyue was extremely conflicted and unconsciously became cold towards him.
So in the past few days, Wei Sinian had been exuding a cold aura, making people afraid to approach.
However, on the day they arrived at the hunting ground, Wen Fuyue felt as if her whole body was falling apart. Her legs were completely numb.
[I can't take it anymore... I'm going to die here. Oh my god! I need to rest!]
Hearing Wen Fuyue's rare lively inner thoughts in the past few days, Wei Sinian just said gently, "Concubine, rest for a while first. The tent still needs some time to be set up. I have some matters to attend to now. Concubine, you can look around, but remember not to go too far."
"Yes."
Hearing that Wei Sinian had matters to attend to, Wen Fuyue immediately perked up. She walked away with Wen Yu, then stretched and said, "Wen Yu, where are our sweet potatoes? Let's first find a place where we can roast them. After roasting, we'll find Concubine Lan to eat them!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
Wen Yu and the others immediately sprang into action. Some went to gather firewood, and some started the fire. The sun was about to set, and there were open spaces all around. However, since this was Wei Sinian's territory, few people passed by.
Wei Sinian was very busy and didn't come for a long time. Wen Fuyue felt relieved. She said to Wen Yu, "Wen Yu, go and find Concubine Lan."
After Wen Yu left, seeing the fire gradually dying down, Wen Fuyue said to An Fu, "An Fu, send some people to find more firewood. Remember to go in groups and pay attention to safety."
"Yes."
After sending out several people, the number of people here suddenly decreased a lot. It became quiet all around, and only the sound of the fire burning the wood could be heard.
The fragrance of the sweet potatoes gradually wafted over, making Wen Fuyue, who was starving, almost drool. She immediately picked up a small twig and wanted to dig out the sweet potatoes from the fire.
When Wei Sijing came, he saw the woman in front of him dressed simply, with a bright smile on her face. She was clumsily using a stick to try to dig something out of the fire.
She was very beautiful. Especially now that the sun had set, the woman's face looked a bit hazy in the light of the fire, making her look like a beautiful fairy in the mountains.
Seeing Wen Fuyue's actions, Wei Sijing couldn't help but let out a soft laugh.
"Who!" Wen Fuyue was startled. She looked up and saw the man from last time looking at her. She immediately widened her eyes warily.
"If the girl doesn't mind, I can..."
Living in this area, she might be the daughter of some minister. Wei Sijing guessed the identity of the woman in front of him, and his voice carried a hint of amusement.
Before he could finish this sentence, it was interrupted by a cold voice.
"Brother, you haven't been back to the capital for a long time. You may not recognize her. This is my concubine. You should call her sister - in - law."