"Your Majesty, does the princess know... about the matter between your concubine and Your Majesty? Why are you in this room?"
Daylight had fully dawned.
Lan Miao propped herself up feebly, trying to sit up. But her whole body ached terribly. After a night of such turmoil, even this early - rising woman didn't have the strength to move.
Emperor Jingxiang, on the other hand, was content.
With a smile on his face as if he had achieved his long - awaited wish, he gently glanced at her lazy and charming face and stroked her cute nose.
"It was arranged by me, not the princess. The palace maid who led you here was sent by me. But after this night, even if she didn't know before, she should know now."
Emperor Jingxiang, bare - chested himself, hugged Lan Miao in his arms and whispered in her ear. He sounded quite proud.
Lan Miao couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Did everyone... know?
At this thought, she became more awake. It was already dawn, and she had to get up quickly to wash and send Xue'er to school.
Seeing that Lan Miao was about to get up, Emperor Jingxiang wrapped his arms around her slender waist again.
He said considerately with a smile, "Xue'er and Yu Jia have already got up and left the palace to go to school. You were still asleep just now. Xue'er came, but I told the palace maid to send her away."
"??"
Lan Miao looked puzzled.
Worry welled up in her heart.
"Your Majesty, why didn't you wake your concubine up? If Xue'er had come in, wouldn't she have known that Your Majesty was here too...?"
"Does your husband not understand your concerns? It was the palace maid who came out. Xue'er wasn't allowed to enter the room. Of course, she doesn't know that I'm with you." Emperor Jingxiang said slowly.
Lan Miao let out a soft breath. Why did she always feel like she was having an affair with the emperor?
She had to tell Xue'er about this gradually.
She couldn't let Xue'er discover it suddenly. What if Xue'er felt sad?
In an instant, Emperor Jingxiang also keenly sensed Lan Miao's worry and even felt a bit dissatisfied. "Do you think your husband is not good enough to be Xue'er's step - father?"
"Your concubine has been a widow for five years. It's hard for her to adjust for a while." Lan Miao said sincerely.
Just as she was about to continue, Emperor Jingxiang's long fingers touched her lips. "You are now your husband's woman, not a widow. You are a free person. Why can't you be with me?"
Hearing this overbearing and unreasonable remark, Lan Miao was stunned for a moment, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
No wonder the emperor had arranged for her to divorce the Marquis Mansion first.
"Your Majesty is so kind to your concubine..." Lan Miao murmured softly with her face pressed against Emperor Jingxiang's chest.
Warmth filled the room, and even the wind blowing in turned into an ambiguous atmosphere.
The clothes hanging on the screen fluttered.
The hot spring water in the pool rippled with a gentle gurgling sound. Everything seemed quiet and beautiful.
---
When leaving the palace, the children had already gone to school under the guidance of the palace maids. Even the Heir Apparent Li had gone to the Wenya Hall with them out of curiosity.
When Princess Kaiyun saw off Lan Miao and Emperor Jingxiang, she gave Lan Miao a meaningful smile.
She bowed slightly to Lan Miao.
"This princess is looking forward to good news from you. This princess is waiting to change the way she addresses you, Lady Lan."
Lan Miao sneered inwardly and bowed even lower to Princess Kaiyun.
Then she got into Emperor Jingxiang's carriage. The carriage drove back to the palace and headed straight for the imperial palace.
Back in the palace.
Instead of letting her return to the Lovesickness Pavilion, Emperor Jingxiang took her to the Yangxin Hall.
He hardly left her side.
While Emperor Jingxiang was reviewing memorials, Lan Miao was grinding ink for him.
They had meals together, and all the dishes on the table were Lan Miao's favorites.
In the afternoon, Lan Miao wanted to go back to the Lovesickness Pavilion to continue carving jade, but Emperor Jingxiang still wouldn't let her go. He asked the palace maids to bring the jade - carving tools. So while he was meeting with the ministers in the front hall of the Yangxin Hall, she was sitting under the window in the back hall, quietly studying the ancient books on jade carving.
The voices from the front hall inevitably drifted into her ears.
The emperor's voice was very clear. Occasionally, Lan Miao could hear him scolding someone. The ministers who had been scolded all fell silent. Lan Miao could even imagine their pale faces.
A smile appeared on Lan Miao's lips.
She lowered her head and continued to read the book in her hand. But then she faintly heard a familiar voice. Her hand trembled. It was Lan Cengui.
It seemed that all the ministers had left, and only Lan Cengui remained.
"Your Majesty, my little daughter, Lan Xin, has been imprisoned in the palace for a long time. She is young and ignorant and has offended Your Majesty. Please forgive her." Lan Cengui's voice was a bit agitated.
Lan Miao in the back hall could almost imagine Lan Cengui's flushed face.
When Lan Xin got into trouble, Qin Shi and Lan Cengui were both in a hurry. One came to her, and the other went to the emperor. She could still remember how the usually dignified and gentle Qin Shi had torn off her disguise because of Lan Xin.
And she, five years ago.
When Wen Lingzhou had an accident, no one in the Lan Mansion had come forward for her.
There had been no contact at all.
A dull pain shot through Lan Miao's heart, but it soon subsided.
It was just this moment of hesitation that made her miss what the emperor had said. She only heard the sound of Lan Cengui kowtowing on the ground.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Get out."
Then came Emperor Jingxiang's cold voice.
Lan Cengui should have left on his knees.
Lan Miao pulled her thoughts back and focused on the ancient book in her hand. The ancient book the emperor had found for her was really good. It recorded many methods of carving ancient jade from previous dynasties and solved many of her doubts.
Absent - mindedly, she didn't hear the soft footsteps approaching from behind.
Suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist.
"My lady, what are you thinking about?" Emperor Jingxiang whispered in her ear, kissing her cheek. His warm breath brushed past Lan Miao's ear, making her heart flutter.
She let out a soft laugh.
"The ancient book Your Majesty found for your concubine is really to her liking." Lan Miao waved the yellowed pages in her hand.
"Oh, so my lady wasn't thinking about me." Emperor Jingxiang's voice sounded a bit disappointed.
Lan Miao blushed. How could the emperor, a grown - up man, say such cheesy love words?
Looking at Lan Miao's smiling but silent expression, Emperor Jingxiang remembered how she had deceived him for so long with her innocent and serene appearance.
He had to play a little trick on his lady. When would his lady realize that he actually knew about that matter?
"My lady, did you hear what happened just now?" Emperor Jingxiang hugged her tightly, his eyes solemn.
Lan Miao knew that it was not easy to deceive Emperor Jingxiang. She said slowly, "Your concubine only heard Father's voice. She didn't hear clearly and doesn't know what happened."
If she had heard clearly, it would mean that she had been eavesdropping.
Lan Miao knew that Emperor Jingxiang liked her, but she was very clear - headed and always abided by her own principles, never overstepping the mark.
Her amber eyes were as sweet as honey.
Emperor Jingxiang was deeply attracted by them and stared at them for a long time. Then he said, "My lady, don't you have any questions to ask me? What did your mother, Qin Shi, want from you?"
Lan Miao's heart skipped a beat.
So the emperor knew everything.
"It is said that my younger sister, Lan Xin, has been imprisoned in the palace because she offended... Your Majesty. Mother wants your concubine to plead with Your Majesty to spare my younger sister." Lan Miao chose her words carefully and said slowly.
"Then does my lady want to plead with me?"