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☆, Chapter Nine: The Woman Behind the Scenes
The following morning, a thin veil of rain shielded the summer sun from the dust and heat. Passing through the main gate, one arrives at the royal palace of the Yilong Kingdom. At the very front stands a magnificent building with a double-eaved, nine-ridged roof—the Ganfeng Hall, the main hall where the emperor and his ministers hold court daily to discuss state affairs. Its intricate brackets and yellow-tiled roof are striking. Nine stone pillars stand side-by-side in front, each carved with a coiled dragon, soaring and rising through the clouds, symbolizing the enduring prosperity of the Yilong Kingdom!
Walking along the stone-paved path beside the main hall, a wide lake comes into view around the bend, with several white marble bridges leading directly to the steep hillside behind. This lake directly separates the main hall from the complex palaces behind it, effectively reminding people of the rule that "the empress dowager must not interfere in politics."
Looking across both banks, the lake and mountains meet, with colorful palaces layered on the mountains, stretching from the mountainside all the way to the lake. These palaces are sometimes connected like a row of pillars, and sometimes sparsely arranged, with rich and diverse structural forms, some even having half of their structure buried by flowering trees.
At the highest point of the hillside lies the Empress's palace—Phoenix Feather Palace. The marble floor of the main hall is so polished that it reflects one's image, lending the palace a cold and imposing atmosphere. Low couches are placed against the wall, flanked by six sets of rosewood tables and chairs; this is where the Empress receives guests.
At this moment, the Empress dismissed all the palace maids and eunuchs around her, leaving only herself and Su Zhengyang in the main hall.
The Empress was glaring angrily at Su Zhengyang. She was furious at her son who was so incapable of achieving anything. She saw that the sons of the other concubines were gaining more and more favor from the Emperor, while the position of Crown Prince that she had worked so hard to secure for him was in jeopardy. And yet he still had the mind to indulge in his little backyard all day long.
"Do you still want to be the Crown Prince?" the Empress said through gritted teeth, clearly disappointed in him.
"Yes! Of course I want to!" Su Zhengyang knew his mother was angry, so he had to become serious. Over the years, he had clearly known that among his many brothers, he was the weakest, while his mother was the strongest. If it weren't for his mother's hard work in clearing obstacles for him, his petty tricks would probably have already buried him or caused him to perish in this chaotic harem.
Hearing his naive answer, the Empress became even more furious: "When you have time, instead of coming to the palace more often, you go and mess around with that lake in your backyard. You should know that it was a feng shui lake that your mother specially asked a feng shui master to choose the site for you and had specially dug! Why did you go and fill that lake up for no reason?"
Su Zhengyang looked at the Empress innocently: "Mother, it's all because of Xue'er..."
The Empress decisively interrupted him: "Xue'er, Xue'er, all you care about now is Xue'er! Why don't you pay more attention to your Crown Princess? That woman is your key to securing your throne. Without her father, would our Yilong Kingdom be so peaceful?"
"Is it really only his father who can protect our territory? Besides, even if he is, what can we get from her? I really don't understand why I have to win her over!" Su Zhengyang was very indignant.
There are some things the Empress doesn't want to explain too clearly to her son. She knows her son best; he's utterly naive. If it weren't for her managing everything behind the scenes, the position of Crown Prince would probably have already belonged to someone else!
In two days, the General will be returning to the capital in triumph once again. Who knows how the Emperor will reward him! His rank has already risen as high as it can go. He is now on equal footing with princes, and his family members are all ladies of high rank.
However, she could only shake her head helplessly, sigh, and not want to say anything more. She simply told him, "No matter what, be nicer to Leng Yiqing these next few days. Her father will be back the day after tomorrow!"
While responding to the Empress's words, Su Zhengyang absentmindedly replied, "I know!" Just thinking about the mess on the bed made him unable to treat her the same way as before; there was always a barrier between them.
"Go back! Remember your mother's words, take good care of Qing'er, come to the palace often, and help your father!" After seeing Su Zhengyang off, the Empress sat alone on the low couch, weeping. She had climbed step by step to the position of Empress, and painstakingly secured the position of Crown Prince for him. Who could understand the bitterness she had endured? But now that her son was so disappointing, she felt that all her hard work and sacrifices over the years were in vain.
Outside the door, a light drizzle was falling. When the wind blew, it drifted and sprinkled, washing away the filth in the air and the dust on the ground. It probably washed away all the fatigue too!
She slowly walked into the rain, letting the rain soak her thin clothes. The summer rain was cool, seeping into her heart and making her more clear-headed. It also nourished her parched heart, which had been buried in the mundane world day after day, allowing her to regain a bit of her own firm confidence, so that she could still stand proudly in the harem.
---Aside---
To be honest, I really like this empress. Being a mother is never easy.
Chapter 10: An Unexpected Visitor
After returning from the Crown Prince's residence, Su Yunmo couldn't calm down. Seeing the obvious distrust in Su Zhengyang's eyes, he knew that there must be many secrets behind the Crown Princess's disappearance that he didn't know or hadn't been able to find out. Later, he vaguely heard that the Crown Prince had been furious with the Crown Princess.
His heart was filled with anxiety, constantly worrying about Leng Yiqing, until this morning when the Emperor mentioned preparing a welcome banquet for the General. Only then did his heart settle down, and he even accepted the task of hosting the banquet for the General. Feeling relieved after the morning court session, he returned to his residence to retrieve some rare items he had brought back from overseas. Under the pretext of delivering them, he went to the Crown Prince's residence.
The Crown Prince's residence was unusually quiet in the morning, with the women busy with their own tasks in their respective courtyards. The Crown Prince had not yet returned; he guessed that he had been kept behind by the Empress again, as he had noticed the Crown Prince going to the inner palace after the morning court session.
So he headed straight for Qingxin Pavilion and saw a slender figure busy under the eaves in the distance. She looked like she was practicing martial arts, but she didn't seem to be practicing martial arts at all. She was dancing, but there was no music and no rhythm at all! He really didn't know what she was doing, so he decided to just ask her directly.
"What is Yiqing doing?" Su Yunmo asked with a smile as he stepped forward.
"Royal Uncle!" Leng Yiqing was very curious about his arrival.
"What exactly are you doing? This isn't dancing, nor is it practicing martial arts," Su Yunmo continued to ask.
"It's nothing! Just exercising! Hehe, exercising!" Leng Yiqing dared not tell him that this was called radio calisthenics, a daily exercise at school, otherwise he would definitely think she was crazy.
Seeing her comical appearance, Su Yunmo couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, stop practicing, you're like a monkey! Come in, your royal uncle has something to say to you!"
Being looked down upon like that, but since he was an elder and she wasn't very familiar with him, Leng Yiqing didn't say much. She stopped exercising, led him into the main house, and instructed Xiao Xiang to prepare some chilled white fungus soup for the prince, thus sending her away.
They sat down side by side at the round table. He told her that her father was coming back and noticed the worry in her eyes. He looked at Leng Yiqing tenderly, but she suddenly turned her head away, avoiding his gaze.
He gently stood up, leaned close to her ear, and Su Yunmo whispered, "Don't worry, I'm here! I'm hosting a welcome-back party for your father, and I'll come with him to see you. I'll give you some pointers so they won't notice you have amnesia."
Leng Yiqing suddenly turned her face, staring blankly at him. Inadvertently, the tip of her small nose brushed against the tip of his cold nose. At such close range, she saw her own panicked gaze reflected in his deep eyes.
Faced with someone she hadn't interacted with much, yet who was always thinking of her, she almost lost herself. However, the faint musky scent emanating from him and the warm breath on his nose made her forget to look away, and her cheeks gradually flushed crimson.
Su Yunmo suddenly took a step back and sat back in her seat, secretly feeling smug.
A moment later, Xiao Xiang brought over the white fungus soup. Leng Yiqing then realized her earlier lapse in decorum, having completely forgotten that she was in the Crown Prince's residence.
"This servant greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!" A distant voice rang out, and Leng Yiqing's heart leaped again. She knew that Xue'er had been terrified that day, prompting Su Zhengyang to go to great lengths to find craftsmen to fill in the lake overnight. This morning, Xue'er's complexion hadn't been good either; she guessed Su Zhengyang had come because of this.
After paying her respects, Leng Yiqing sat back down. Her foot injury had only just healed, and Su Zhengyang didn't scold her. Although she didn't want to listen to her mother's advice that morning, she figured her father would be back in a few days, so it was best to behave herself and not upset her.
"Why is Imperial Uncle here too?" Actually, he had heard that the Prince had come straight here, so he made a special trip to see him. He didn't even know when his Crown Princess and his Imperial Uncle had become so close.
"This girl saw a lot of interesting things at my place, and since she liked them, I brought some over. Seeing that you hadn't returned to the manor yet, I came here first. I was just thinking of sending some over to my other nieces-in-law later!" As she spoke, she called over the servants at the door, who carried over a pile of small items and local specialties brought back from out of town.
Su Zhengyang thought he could use this opportunity to pick a fight with Leng Yiqing and Su Yunmo, but he didn't expect Su Yunmo to be so well prepared, so he couldn't say anything more.
---Aside---
Sorry everyone, I need to prepare for exams, so updates to this post might be sporadic, but I promise I'll finish it! Thank you all for your continued support!
Chapter 11: A Different Kind of Her
After days of eager anticipation, Leng Yiqing finally saw her father return to court, and her foot injury also healed on this day. Although she didn't have a good impression of Su Zhengyang, she still didn't want her father to make things difficult for him because of her. Because she felt that in modern times, he was her husband, and in ancient times, he would still be her husband. Was this fate? Even if he didn't cherish it, she still wanted to cherish it.
The weather was perfect; it was a bright and sunny day. To welcome her father, she had specially changed into a pink palace dress, the hem embroidered with pale blue butterflies poised for flight, and draped with a layer of white gauze. Her silky black hair cascaded casually down to her waist, making her skin appear even whiter and more delicate, and enhancing her captivating beauty.
But she had just finished getting dressed and hadn't even had time to put on makeup when she heard a noisy commotion outside.
"Your Highness, the General is here!" Xiao Xiang exclaimed excitedly as soon as she opened the door.
Leng Yiqing quickly stood up and looked towards the door. She saw Su Zhengyang and Su Yunmo, dressed in formal attire, walking towards her with another middle-aged man in casual clothes. The three chatted animatedly, clearly enjoying themselves.
In her mind, a general should at least have some dignity! But all she could see on his face was a warm, spring-like smile. If Xiao Xiang hadn't told her, she definitely wouldn't have believed that he was a general.
But shouldn't she have gone to the front yard to greet them? Why did she run to the back so quickly?
Before they even got close, Su Yunmo shouted, "Yiqing, come out and greet your father!"
Leng Yiqing walked out of the room with a smile and strode towards that direction. The gentle breeze she created fluttered her dress and long hair behind her, giving the impression that she was drifting away with the wind. Su Yunmo was captivated by her sight.
"Father!" Leng Yiqing managed to call out sweetly, holding her breath with all her might. Her voice was so sweet it was almost sickeningly sweet! The three men in front of her nearly lost control.
The general couldn't stop smiling. His daughter had been married for less than a year before he went to the border, and now three years had passed. Looking at his daughter, still vibrant and lively, even sweeter and happier than before, he was confident she was doing well in the Crown Prince's residence. He felt much comforted and relieved.
He smiled and said, "Girl! I just got back from the Emperor's place, and your royal uncle kept urging me to come see you as soon as possible, saying you miss me a lot, don't you?" He thought that because he had been away from home for many years, his daughter didn't have much affection for him. Now that he knew that his daughter missed him so much, he felt very sweet in his heart.
Leng Yiqing was momentarily stunned. So it was Su Yunmo who arranged this for her. He had said, "Don't worry, I'm here..." and he had indeed kept his word. This private meeting was much better than being in a group where she couldn't tell which one was her father. Should she be grateful for this small thing he did for her? She was far too easily satisfied!
Su Yunmo returned her a reassuring smile and nodded gently.
"Of course! How could I not miss you after all this time you haven't come back to see me?" Leng Yiqing pouted, and in the blink of an eye, she was nestled in her father's arms. She didn't know what kind of relationship Leng Yiqing and her father had in the past, nor did she know if what she was doing was a bit much. But following Su Yunmo's words, shouldn't she act more affectionate?
Leaning against her father's chest, her gaze drifted to Su Yunmo beside her. Her gentle smile almost made Su Yunmo lose himself. He suppressed the turmoil in his heart, returned her a faint smile, and then turned his head to look at some unknown place.
Such eye contact between the two naturally didn't escape Su Zhengyang's notice. Ever since Su Yunmo brought her back, he had been paying attention to their interactions. Originally, the two didn't exchange many words, only politely greeting each other whenever Su Yunmo came here. When did they become so familiar? However, he couldn't show it now.
Amidst laughter and chatter, the three left the Crown Prince's residence and headed towards the most bustling restaurant in the capital. They had originally planned to drive, but how could Leng Yiqing easily give up this opportunity to go shopping? At her insistence, the others had no choice but to agree.
This was Leng Yiqing's first time visiting this place, and she was taking the time to properly explore the ancient streets and markets, so everything was new and exciting. The bustling main street was lined with shops, bustling with various carriages and pedestrians, and busy business owners warmly greeting passersby.
She would run to the jewelry stalls by the roadside to take a look, then stop at the snack stalls to buy some snacks she had never seen before, and occasionally watch those clichéd street performances... she was truly overwhelmed with choices! Her father bought her everything she saw.
It took us a long time to reach the restaurant. But was this really the most luxurious restaurant in the capital? Having seen so many modern five-star hotels, seeing this was simply speechless. The only thing was the dazzling gold signboard outside, the grand scale, the many seats, and the packed crowd. What else was there?
During the meal, the usually decisive general hesitated. Looking at his happy daughter, he felt reluctant to part with her. After much deliberation, he couldn't help but tell Leng Yiqing, "Girl, I can probably only stay for three to five days this time. The border can't be without me. I just wanted to come back to see you and know that you're doing well, then I'll be at ease."
"Father..." It wasn't reluctance, but deep emotion. Her father had traveled a long way back just to see her!
People who had been wandering around all day returned to their respective courtyards.
Before she knew it, the sun was setting. Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, a cool evening breeze, carrying the fragrance of various flowers, drifted into Qingxin Pavilion, washing away her day's fatigue. Immersed in this pleasant afterglow, Leng Yiqing gradually calmed all the turmoil in her heart.
---Aside---
Thank you all for your support! I'm going to start updating now!
Chapter Twelve: No Peace and Tranquility
The peaceful days spent nestled beside her father always seemed to pass too quickly, and before she knew it, the day her father was about to leave arrived. Although he wasn't her real father, he had visited her at Qingxin Pavilion every day these past few days, taking meticulous care of her daily life, allowing her to experience a rare and profound fatherly love.