Lanting

Capítulo 111

Before he could finish speaking, Hudutai glanced at Lu Li with an embarrassed look on his face, while Lu Xiu watched the developments with excitement.

"Pulling along?" Lu Li asked casually, swirling the contents of his cup with a smile.

I buried my head in my food, my face covered in grease, when Hu Dutai turned to the side and calmly drank his wine. Lu Xiu, on the other hand, had a sly grin on his face.

“No wonder, no wonder…” Lu Li slowly raised his eyes. “The soldiers I sent to spy on me only told me that the Empress was in the commander’s tent every time they came back, without saying what she did. It seems that they don’t want me, the emperor, to lose face.”

"Which spy?" Hudutai and I raised our heads almost simultaneously and asked in surprise.

Lu Li smiled slightly, "Look how anxious you all are. Would I use such a despicable trick?" He then looked at Hudutai, "However, one should not covet a friend's wife."

Hudutai coughed softly, but Lu Li pointed at me and said, "Of course, this woman is different... good things are meant to be shared among brothers..."

I looked at the other two faces, which were flushed with laughter, and finally couldn't resist standing up and snatching all the meat from their plates.

At night, everyone dispersed. A warm light was lit in the carriage, and I leaned against Lu Li's chest, idly fiddling with his collar.

Lu Li grabbed my hand and smiled faintly, "What? Are you unhappy?"

"What does it mean to share good things with everyone?" I asked casually.

"Of course, we should share some of the good stuff with everyone." He deliberately beat around the bush.

"That's great! I won't have to go back to the capital then."

He leaned closer, looking at me with a half-smile, "I can divide it, but I can't give it away—"

He suddenly lifted my face, and before I could react, his lips were on mine… Suddenly, the world spun around me; his intense masculine scent was like a conquering attack. I couldn't break free, and could only surrender to it…

"Master—" she called softly as she woke up in the middle of the night.

"kindness?"

"Eagle Song, she..."

"kindness."

Aren't you surprised?

"She's your father's woman." (This is bad for your health.)

"kindness?"

He gently put his arm around me and said, “I knew they were after me and the princess, so I went to rescue the princess first.”

"Yes, I expected it." I sighed softly.

"Aren't you angry that I abandoned you?! Actually... I've been worried about you here. Even though I knew they wouldn't hurt you, I still couldn't help worrying about keeping you warm, about you and the baby." He smiled slightly. "I could only play along, deliberately spreading the news that I was seriously injured in Lingbei. She thought that three blows were enough to kill me, she underestimated me." My heart sank. He even planned this. Of course, he has the country on his shoulders, how could he let a woman cause him any harm?

"But if that first strike had been even slightly heavier, it would have been very dangerous."

"So what?" He actually smiled. "Anyway... she failed."

"Since you knew it was a trap... why did you still come?"

Lu Li's smile froze, and he sighed softly, "You are my wife."

I sat up gently, looking at his silent, deep gaze in the darkness, my voice hollow, "If my father were to shake the stability of the nation, you would become his enemies, wouldn't you?"

"You will always be my wife." He frowned slightly.

I turned to face him, "Yunniang, she..."

“It’s my sister,” Lu Li said softly. “My half-sister.”

In the dead of night, he held my hand even tighter; he dared not loosen his grip, and I dared not break free.

The early spring of the first year of the Deyou era arrived in peace and harmony. Following the enthronement ceremony was the investiture ceremony for the empress. Donning this phoenix robe, I was now, rightfully, the empress. The crimson court dress embroidered with golden phoenixes draped over my body. Just as the maidservants fastened the last clasp, Granny Jing led all the maidservants to kneel in unison, "Long live Your Majesty the Empress!"

Seeing that Granny Jing was so excited that she shed tears, I was suddenly touched.

"Thump—thump—thump—"

As the auspicious bells rang, I was fully dressed and immediately set off for the Chaoyang Main Hall, where a thousand people were paying their respects. From afar, I could hear the joyous music playing, and supported by seven or eight palace maids, I slowly walked towards the center of the hall.

I stepped out of Chongming Palace, and what greeted my eyes was a scene of civil and military officials prostrating themselves on the ground, shouting "Long live the Emperor!" The rising sun enveloped my entire body in golden light, and I breathed in the cool morning air. I was the second empress of the Rong family.

As I walked along the red carpet into the main hall, my hair piled high in the clouds, I appeared graceful and elegant. The surrounding officials knelt as I stepped forward, and I continued until I reached the feet of the emperor, who sat on the dragon throne in the main hall, before gently bending my knees.

The investiture ceremony begins—

Accompanied by solemn music, he slowly rose and walked step by step from the dragon throne to me.

"Get up."

He gave the order, then reached out and gently helped me up. He turned and took the huge phoenix seal from the master of ceremonies, then personally placed it in my hands… his warm hands touched my cold hands…

"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"

He held my hand behind his back, gently stroking it, his voice soft yet firm in my ear, "This is our world! Mine is yours too!"

Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Emperor's Nervousness

The emperor ascended the throne and quickly appointed an empress. Then it was announced that the empress was pregnant and gave birth to a prince. The harem was both shocked and worried.

Fu Jing, who had been demoted to a lower-ranking concubine, was shocked. She couldn't understand how that woman, such an absurd woman, the one with the least reason and the least right, had received a unanimous vote, even her most opposed father had abstained from voting. That was because she didn't know that just before the empress's investiture, Lu Li had issued an ultimatum: if he continued to deem Rong Zhaozhi unqualified to become the crown prince, then he himself would also be ineligible to ascend the throne. This was a final, desperate measure; preventing Rong Zhaozhi from becoming empress was tantamount to blocking his path to the throne. Who would dare oppose the emperor's ascension? It was clearly a death wish; who would dare not vote in favor?!

By the time the news of that woman's pregnancy arrived, Fu Jing had smashed everything in her room that could be smashed, and there was nothing left to smash! She finally had to admit that she had lost, and lost badly and shamefully!

What worries me are those women who tried to gain favor. They probably have no chance to please the Emperor now, so they'd better just focus on serving the Empress. They might even be able to get a decent rank. I've heard that woman often distributes her rank as a perk.

Lu Li granted a general amnesty, and all the civil and military officials rushed to congratulate him, with the list of gifts alone filling the East Palace Hall.

The desk in the warm chamber of Chaoyang Palace was piled high with documents such as childcare manuals. A few months ago, Xiao Si discovered the emperor's fondness for reading these books, though back then it was done secretly. Now, the entire chamber was covered in them; when tired, he simply used them as pillows and blankets. At the young emperor's command, all civil and military officials went home to consult their wives for advice and write lengthy memorials. Some wrote recipes, some on preschool education, some recommended wet nurses, and some designed the Crown Prince's palace. The sheer volume of submissions overwhelmed the officials in the Diligent Governance Hall who had to work overtime every night to categorize and select the best ones to present to Chaoyang Palace. In short, everyone's eyes were now fixed on the Eastern Palace, on the woman who seemed to know nothing but sleeping and eating.

The Imperial Hospital was the busiest, with no one daring to be careless. If even a needle fell out in the Eastern Palace, the imperial physicians would tremble with fear. In order to welcome the young emperor, the Imperial Hospital even compiled a record of the Empress's arrival in the first year. It was recorded that Rong Zhaozhi's daily life from morning to night was meticulously documented, down to how many hours she took a nap at noon, how many bites of food she ate, and even the hairs that fell out in the morning had to be carefully collected and counted by the palace servants and reported to the Imperial Hospital every day.

That day, the Emperor spent an hour at the Imperial Hospital reviewing the records of several days' worth of good news, and even the kneeling physicians looked guilty. Lu Li finally put down the book, frowned, and asked, "Do any of you ministers have a prescription for treating insomnia caused by excessive tension?"

Pregnancy anxiety?! The imperial physician pondered to himself, "That woman in the Eastern Palace seems to eat and sleep well, I've never heard of her being anxious." So he kowtowed and said, "Is Your Majesty worried that the Empress is anxious? You can rest assured, the Empress has already given birth twice, and judging from her recent condition, she shows almost no signs of anxiety."

Lu Li slowly stood up from his seat, walked slowly to the medicine furnace on the side, personally tested the medicine with the medicine testing spoon, nodded and said, "It's not Your Majesty, it's me who's nervous."

The imperial physician was sweating profusely; he'd never heard of prenatal stress affecting a man...

Lu Li's brows furrowed again. He'd heard that woman was up to her old tricks again today. She'd gone to the Changyin Pavilion's stage to watch Bao Zheng's furious execution of Chen Shimei. He was so angry his teeth ached. Going to see a play on such a windy day! Of all the plays, why did the troupe have to put on a "Cut Off Chen Shimei" story that had her, someone who never watches plays, so captivated? It seemed like all the theater troupes in the capital would have to close down tomorrow! She, on the other hand, wasn't worried at all. He, meanwhile, had been so nervous that he'd barely been able to fall asleep for several nights while clutching his parenting manual.

He couldn't help but be nervous. Not to mention the consecutive premature births—every delivery was a life-or-death ordeal! Besides, the previous two times, he hadn't been able to protect the baby, nor share in the joy of parenthood with her. But now, more than anyone else, he longed to experience the entire process, from the child's birth to their growth. This time, he wanted to be completely integrated into her and their child's lives.

Xiao Si walked towards them and stopped outside the Imperial Hospital. Lu Li gave him a look. "Is the show over?"

Xiao Si then hurriedly reported, "I only read half of it. I fell asleep before I got to the exciting part."

"She slept well!" Lu Li thought to himself. Thankfully, the child wasn't watching.

"The sedan chair is ready."

Lu Li nodded, "I'll go pick it up right away!"

A high stage was erected at Changyin Pavilion, and all the actors knelt on it, not daring to take their bows, because the most esteemed woman had not yet woken up. Without her approval, who would dare to take their bows? The viewing platform opposite was also silent. In fact, ever since it was discovered that the woman had gone to sleep, the drums and gongs had stopped. Even more pitiful were the famous actors and actresses who stood on the stage, making gestures and mouth movements without uttering a sound—a living, breathing silent performance. This was Xu Liang's order; the Empress must not be awakened. Nalan Xi, sitting on the viewing platform, had long been restless. Watching the silent performances for so long was utterly boring; even the beheadings were silent, clearly different from the execution grounds at Caishikou. If Xi Wen hadn't kept holding him back, he probably would have run onto the stage and started dancing. The prince and princess sat quietly to the side. They had originally been in the South Study with the old man, but this woman had dragged them out to watch a play, saying it was a play that boys must see and girls must understand. She claimed that she had personally selected the play to educate the prince, but it was nothing more than her indulging in the erotic spectacle of beheadings.

The emperor's dragon carriage entered silently from below the platform, startling the crowd who were about to shout "Long live the emperor!" But Lu Li gestured for silence while looking up at the viewing platform, searching for that figure. The crowd swallowed back their congratulations, their gaze following Lu Li's as he looked at the woman sleeping soundly, completely unaware of what was happening.

Lu Li told everyone to stop behind him, afraid that too many footsteps would wake her, and walked slowly onto the stage by himself.

The woman was fast asleep and had no idea that she was being gently lifted into someone's arms.

Princess Dali, who had already been granted the title of Consort Lan, was utterly stunned. The rank was decided after Lu Li and Lu Xiu discussed it. They were afraid that if it was set too low, Dali would not be able to accept it, and if it was set too high, the women in the East Courtyard would throw tantrums and they would not dare to accept it. In the end, they managed to get by with the awkward title of Consort Lan.

Although he was her husband, she had only just met him today. He was even more handsome and elegant than she had imagined. Though she couldn't discern his emotions on his face, she could sense the warmth emanating from him. She had only heard that he was as cold and aloof as ice in court, his word was law, and he commanded respect without anger. But today she saw him so gentle. Was this his usual demeanor in the harem, or was it only towards that woman?!

Consort Lan wondered if she should go up and say hello. After all, he was the one who rescued her from the Mongols, and he didn't even know her. Her beauty was renowned far and wide; she wondered if his gaze would linger on her even a fraction longer. With this thought in mind, Consort Lan stepped out of the crowd.

Fu Jing watched Lan Pin's outrageous behavior with great interest. She wished there was a woman in the world with a stunningly beautiful face like Lan Pin to suppress that woman's arrogance. Even if the Emperor only glanced at her, there would still be a chance.

Consort Ning, standing beside her, had long been indignant. The Emperor was still embracing the Empress, and she was already trying to seduce him? Where was her sense of propriety?! She had always been loyal and devoted to the Empress, and naturally couldn't tolerate such a shameless woman! Consort Ning wanted to get up to stop her, but Xu Liang stopped her. Xu Liang had also noticed Consort Lan's overconfident actions, and she only sneered, "Let her give up on that idea." The women of the harem should all know that they didn't live for the Emperor, but for the Empress. Following the wrong master was just asking for trouble. Consort Lan had only recently entered the palace; even if no one had told her, she should understand some things to some extent. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity?

Consort Lan had already reached Lu Li's side, but Lu Li's gaze was fixed on the woman in his arms, and he had no time to notice the person beside him. Consort Lan was not in a hurry, but instead followed Lu Li. Taking advantage of Lu Li's slow pace, she quickened her pace and blocked his way. Only then did Lu Li look up at the person blocking his way. He wanted to say "Move aside" but was afraid of waking the sleeping person, so he said nothing and walked around Consort Lan towards the sedan chair outside the garden.

Consort Lan stared blankly at the Emperor as he cautiously stepped into the sedan chair. She clenched her handkerchief tighter and tighter, tears welling up in her eyes. She felt so wronged; he treated her like air! He didn't know that in Dali, people crowded the streets and alleys hoping to see her, yet they couldn't even get a glance from her. Now that she stood before him, he ignored her with disdain, ruthlessly crushing her self-esteem.

As the sedan chair began to move, Consort Lan's eyes were already blurred with tears.

Suddenly the curtain was lifted, and the person inside stretched out their hand. Consort Lan, clinging to her last glimmer of hope, forced a smile and went to greet them, "Your Majesty—"

The person in the sedan chair nodded to her, their gentle gaze warming her heart, but a single sentence chilled her to the bone.

"Could I borrow your handkerchief?!"

Consort Lan stood there stunned for a long time before handing over a handkerchief. Lu Li quickly took it, and the curtain was immediately drawn. A cold breeze lifted a corner of the curtain, and Consort Lan watched, almost heartbroken, as the usually taciturn king gently held the handkerchief to wipe the sweat from the sleeping man's brow. His movements were so tender that she had never seen anything like it before. Consort Lan was utterly captivated by that tenderness; it was a happiness that only ordinary people could experience, yet it was happening to the two most noble people in the world.

Consort Lan's heart trembled. One voice was clear: she had fallen in love with this man at first sight. Another voice was even clearer, yet it froze her heart. But… his eyes seemed to have no room for anyone else, not even her, so small…

The people from Changyin Pavilion were still kneeling, their legs completely numb. They looked at each other, bewildered. Was it really over?! Xu Liang simply said, "Disperse," and the group helped each other to their feet, walking stiffly out. As they left, they all thought that they would never come to join in such a spectacle again. The play had turned into a silent drama, and their knees were so sore they couldn't get up. But since that woman had summoned the entire harem to watch the show, even if they were going to die of illness tomorrow, they dared not refuse to come today.

However, after a while, news came that completely dispelled their concerns—the Emperor had ordered all opera troupes in the capital to cease operations for three months.

Chapter Twenty-Eight: An Ordinary Couple

During the day, Lu Li would always eat and sleep in the East Palace. This time of year was the time to enter the palace. I had mentioned it to Lu Li once or twice, but seeing that he didn't react much, I put it aside and didn't bring it up again.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has arrived," Liu Shang called softly from behind.

I regained my composure, quickly stood up, and went to the main hall where I saw Lu Li had already entered. His court robes were soaked by the rain. I took the court hat he handed me and turned to look at the heavy rain outside.

“Being an emperor isn’t easy, look at you working from dawn till dusk.” She pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the water off his face. “Tomorrow you can be a leisurely emperor, and we can go see the world.”

He smiled slightly, "I'll take you for a walk around sometime when I have some free time." As he spoke, he shook his court robe and noticed water stains on the ground: "Come with me to change your clothes."

I got up and walked into the flower hall, turning back with a smile: "Go change yourself! I'll go call a few kids for dinner!"

At the round dining table, several children sat obediently, each holding a bowl, sipping their sweet soup with a spoon. Lu Li sat down at the table and softly asked Yin'er, "Which one did Mother make herself?"

Yin'er put down her chopsticks with a serious expression and said in a dignified manner, "Mother said that good children are not picky eaters, and so is Father."

Lu Li was speechless for a moment, then awkwardly picked up his chopsticks, glanced at me with a smile, and asked, "I heard you showed off your skills in the kitchen today. Which dish?"

I glared at him and said, "You even tried to steal the desserts that were made for the kids. Aren't you ashamed?" As I spoke, I pushed the bowl of hibiscus soup that the kids had almost devoured over to him. Lu Li took it with great joy, not caring at all that it was leftovers.

"Has Prince Rui's meal been delivered?" I asked Xiaoxia behind me.

"Several maids are on their way to deliver it."

"How's his cold these past few days?" I asked, while placing a piece of fish on Yin'er's plate.

"I've taken several doses of the medicine, but there's still no improvement."

Lu Li ate a few bites, then wiped his mouth with a handkerchief. "These past few days, Zhi'er hasn't been eating well either. Should we send a royal physician to take a look?"