Song Xingzhi vivió durante el reinado del emperador Huizong

Capítulo 220

"Do you know why I called you here?" The Empress composed herself and asked Ru Feng very kindly, without putting on any airs.

Seeing her like this, Ru Feng breathed a sigh of relief and honestly shook his head.

The Empress sighed softly, gazing at the vast forest outside the door, and asked, "Do you know where this is?" Before Ru Feng could answer, she said, "This is the former Empress's residence, the place where Mu Wenchen's mother lived."

Ru Feng looked around and couldn't believe that the mother of the nation lived in such a place. It wasn't as magnificent as he had imagined. Apart from the grove of trees outside the gate, everything else looked quite ordinary.

"This place is very ordinary, but what is extraordinary is its owner. The woman here was once the most noble and favored woman in the Violet Kingdom." The empress spoke of the past with a calm and even tone.

After hearing this, Ru Feng was somewhat surprised, and finally understood why the emperor treated Wen Chen so specially.

Don't be fooled by the current emperor's good looks; he wasn't always like this. From birth, a red spot appeared on his right cheek, initially only the size of a fingernail. As time passed, the spot grew larger, eventually covering his entire face by the time he was twelve. Because of this, the emperor almost lost his right to the throne. Even though his mother's family was very powerful, they were still disliked, especially since he had a twin brother.

Just then, the most beautiful woman in the Kingdom of Shinan arrived. She was only sixteen years old, yet exceptionally beautiful. Initially, she was merely a concubine, but the emperor doted on her immensely. He not only allowed her to choose this very remote palace, but also had the palace entrance remodeled to resemble that of an ordinary wealthy household. He even let her uproot all the flowers and plants and plant trees from her hometown…

In short, this concubine received the emperor's utmost favor.

Surprisingly, this beauty liked the current emperor very much, and did not mind his appearance or his gloomy personality. On the contrary, she treated him very well and even spent her days tinkering with things to cure the emperor's red spots.

At this time, the emperor was fifteen years old, and Wen Chen was three years old.

After the emperor's red spots were cured, the old emperor forbade the emperor from coming here, and also forbade Wen Chen from clinging to his mother. So the emperor had no choice but to live with Wen Chen. This seems unbelievable, but Mu Wen Chen was indeed raised by the emperor. When Mu Wen Chen was six years old, her mother suddenly disappeared, and the emperor soon passed away, thus beginning the struggle for the throne.

If Ru Feng didn't understand the Empress's meaning at first, she finally did now, because the Empress's expression suddenly changed. She smiled coldly and said, "Think about it, a beautiful sixteen-year-old girl and a twelve-year-old boy, who spent three whole years together."

Ru Feng raised an eyebrow, looked at her, and remained silent.

"Do you know how he raised Mu Wenchen? From the moment Mu Wenchen was born, he only allowed Mu Wenchen to stay by his side, and all the servants were eunuchs or guards; there wasn't a single woman among them. When Mu Wenchen was six, the emperor and empress passed away. For Mu Wenchen's safety, he sent him away to learn martial arts from an old monk. He stayed in the deep mountains for seven years, during which time he never saw a woman. When Mu Wenchen was thirteen, he came down the mountain, and immediately many secret guards appeared around him, all of them men. At the same time, Mu Wenchen went to far fewer places. Fortunately, Mu Wenchen seemed to be like his mother, almost without desires, and he didn't like to be around people."

Ru Feng couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong with this?" Isn't it just letting his younger brother take over the secret guards? Could this be another dark side of the emperor? But how did the empress know all this?

"Hmph, what's wrong?" The Empress gripped the armrests of her chair tightly, her delicately drawn eyebrows furrowing, a hint of sadness flashing in her eyes. "Do you know? The Emperor restricts Mu Wenchen's contact with women. Even when he returns to the palace, Mu Wenchen won't see any women. Even I have only seen them a few times. The most... the most terrifying thing is... the Emperor actually showed Mu Wenchen those shameful and filthy erotic pictures!"

Ru Feng suddenly remembered the erotic pictures under Mu Wenchen's pillow and the mandarin ducks playing in the water embroidered on the bed curtains. She couldn't help but wonder what Wenchen usually used that secret room for.

While Ru Feng was still pondering, the Empress said bitterly, "Those erotic pictures were made by two men! And look at the way the Emperor looks at Mu Wenchen..." She couldn't finish her sentence, her eyes staring blankly ahead, unfocused.

Ru Feng suddenly realized why Wen Chen had never seen a woman's body, and why he remained a virgin despite his appearance. It must be the result of the emperor's careful protection.

"What a pervert!" Ru Feng cursed inwardly.

"I thought I was seeing things. It turns out the emperor really did have evil intentions towards his brother." Ru Feng slapped his thigh and looked at the empress.

“While it’s normal for men to like other men, Wen Chen is, after all, his own brother. This is inappropriate.” Ru Feng shook his head. More importantly, Wen Chen was his lover, and his rival in love was actually the emperor? This was too much. No wonder the emperor was so opposed to him.

The Empress finally came to her senses and looked at Ru Feng, saying, "Although I don't know why he allowed Mu Wenchen to choose a wife during this time, nor do I know whether he likes the former Empress or Mu Wenchen, it's obvious that he doesn't like you. Ru Feng, for the sake of our friendship, you should quickly find a way to be with Mu Wenchen." The Empress finally revealed her purpose.

Ru Feng nodded hurriedly and said, "I really want to too. I want to marry Mu Wenchen right now, but there seems to be a problem. It seems that the Empress Dowager doesn't like me. She prefers Yi Han."

The Empress narrowed her eyes and sneered, "Empress Dowager? Hmph, an old woman who can't see things clearly! Ru Feng, I'll help you persuade her, as long as you marry Mu Wenchen quickly."

Ru Feng looked at the Empress and vaguely knew why her affair with Wen Chen had aroused her urgency.

"You like the Emperor, don't you?!" Ru Feng said with certainty. Although the Empress's actions and expressions towards the Emperor seemed cold, the way she spoke just now was incredibly gentle, sometimes even jealous.

The Empress looked at Ru Feng in astonishment, and finally smiled and said, "Xuan'er said you were careless, but now it seems they were all wrong. In fact, you are meticulous despite your rough exterior."

Ru Feng scratched his head, chuckled, and said, "Yu Xuan never says anything nice to me; he's always bullying me."

The Queen's face darkened, and she stared at Ru Feng with a melancholy gaze, saying, "Why do you have to be a woman? If you were a man, you would be a friend worth having."

Ru Feng was puzzled: "Being a girl doesn't stop me from making friends with anyone."

"I don't believe you don't understand. Both of my sons are infatuated with you," the Empress said softly, her eyes sharply fixed on Ru Feng.

Ru Feng then understood what she was talking about and could only awkwardly scratch his head.

"I know it's not your fault when it comes to matters of the heart," the Empress said calmly, then added softly, "So you and Mu Wenchen should just disappear from their sight. It's better for both of you."

Ru Feng looked at her with surprise as her expression returned to its icy state, and silently lowered his head.

"Go back now, and don't mention today's events to anyone," the Empress said slowly, her eyes lowered, not glancing at Ru Feng again, radiating an icy aura that kept everyone at arm's length.

Ru Feng then had no choice but to stand up, walk out of the courtyard, and suddenly realize he had just had a dream.

Ru Feng shook his head with a wry smile. This could be considered a royal secret, right? He just didn't know why the Empress would tell him.

As soon as they stepped out of the courtyard, they saw Mu Wenchen.

"What did she say to you?" Mu Wenchen asked hurriedly.

"She forbids me from telling anyone." Ru Feng honestly shook her head, watching Mu Wenchen's face darken instantly.

Mu Wenchen couldn't bear to say goodbye to Rufeng, so he picked her up and said, "I'll take you out of the palace. Your grandfather just came to urge me to give you someone again. He's waiting for you outside the palace gate."

"Wait a minute." Upon hearing this, Ru Feng hurriedly grabbed Mu Wenchen's collar and asked, "Did you say anything to my grandfather?"

Mu Wenchen smiled, kissed Ru Feng's lips, and said, "I told him that I plan to go to your house to propose marriage tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Ru Feng's face immediately fell.

Chapter 165 Marriage

"What, you don't want to?" Mu Wenchen's face also fell.

Seeing his pale face, Ru Feng quickly comforted him, "How could that be? I wish I could be with you every day, so we could stay together openly and honestly."