Вдовствующая императрица Сяосюань

Глава 186

Ru Feng was even more astonished. The emperor had twice deposed and twice reinstated the empress; he must truly love this woman before him. But the empress's expression seemed quite hostile towards the emperor, and yet the emperor showed no sign of distress! How strange!

Ru Feng smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you don't look like you have a son as old as the Second Prince at all. When I first saw you, I thought you were only about twenty years old." Ru Feng was telling the truth; whether others thought it was a compliment was none of her concern. However, this Empress was truly beautiful, possessing a unique气质 (qi zhi, a kind of refined elegance or aura). Ru Feng felt she looked very familiar, while Yu Jue and Yu Xuan seemed to have combined the best features of both, making them quite handsome.

The Empress smiled slightly and said, "You are quite the smooth talker. Come, let me see you." The Empress released Ru Feng's sleeve, circled around him, and said, "Ru Feng is truly handsome, as expected. No wonder so many people have come to me these past few days, all wanting me to grant them a marriage."

"Your Majesty flatters me," Ru Feng said, bowing her head. It's just a pretty face, isn't it? Is it worth her traveling all this way to see it? Ru Feng forgot that she seemed to have been proud of her appearance more than once.

However, the Empress's gaze was truly sharp, as if she could see right through him. Except for lacking the Emperor's coldness, her gaze was on par with his. Ru Feng sighed inwardly and glanced at the Emperor again.

The emperor's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Empress, I was just testing Rufeng's talent. As for the marriage, let's not rush it. There will be many young ladies at the flower viewing party tomorrow, and I believe Rufeng will definitely meet a woman he likes. I promise you, I can grant you the marriage."

Ru Feng had no choice but to quickly express his gratitude.

The Empress looked at the Emperor and said, "Oh, then Your Majesty can take your time with the examination. I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave now." With that, she bowed to the Emperor, glanced at Ru Feng, and with the Emperor's permission, quickly left, just as she had hastily arrived.

Ru Feng glanced at the Empress's back; she looked familiar. He thought for a moment, but couldn't quite place her. So he stood with his head bowed, awaiting the Emperor's next move.

The emperor remained silent for a long time, and Ru Feng naturally dared not speak either. She stood still, breathing in the air that carried the scent of the lake, waiting with a bittersweet sense of unease.

The emperor took a few steps, turned his back to the small bridge connecting to the land, pinched Ru Feng's chin, and said softly, "Ru Feng, you are really attractive."

Ru Feng's heart clenched instantly, and she stared wide-eyed at the emperor.

The emperor leaned down slightly, his eyes meeting Ru Feng's; their breaths were audible.

"I've heard that you... like men?" the emperor said, his fragrance familiar, the same one he often smelled on Wen Chen!

While Ru Feng was still in a daze, she heard the emperor speak again: "What a charming enchantress!" He suddenly stroked Ru Feng's face.

Ru Feng's eyes widened even more, and her hands, hidden in her sleeves, clenched involuntarily. Damn it, she really wanted to punch that big round face of his!

"Your Majesty, are you flirting with me?" Ru Feng blurted out, putting distance between himself and the emperor, trying to calm himself down so that he wouldn't impulsively hit the emperor and end up dead.

The emperor suddenly burst into laughter: "Hahaha... Rufeng, you are truly a treasure."

Ru Feng stood a foot away from the emperor, head bowed, silent. He chuckled, "Laugh your teeth out! Really, they're brothers, how come Wen Chen is so kind, and the emperor so wicked?"

Over there, someone hurried by and reported, "Your Majesty, envoys from the Kingdom of Spring Vine and the Kingdom of String of Pearls have arrived."

Upon hearing this, Ru Feng breathed a sigh of relief. Sure enough, the emperor glanced at Ru Feng and said, "You may leave now. You must come to the flower viewing party tomorrow."

Ru Feng responded and quickly withdrew.

Halfway across the small bridge, Ru Feng met Yu Jue, Yu Xuan, and the Crown Prince.

After exchanging greetings, Ru Feng gave Yu Jue and Yu Xuan a sharp, imperceptible glare with a mournful look that left them bewildered. Considering the presence of the Crown Prince, they refrained from asking any questions.

"What did General Yuchi say to Father Emperor just now? Why does he look so pale?" the Crown Prince asked slowly, glancing at Yu Jue and Yu Xuan.

Ru Feng could only respectfully reply, "It's nothing, they just asked me about some trivial matters."

The Crown Prince snorted, gave Ru Feng a strange look, and said, "Never mind then, we have other things to do, so we'll be going now." With that, he took the lead and stepped forward.

Yujue and Yuxuan followed, but Yuxuan whispered, "Rufeng, let's talk again tonight." As she spoke, she gave him a flirtatious wink.

Ru Feng blinked, glared at him angrily, and then obediently left.

With a young eunuch leading the way, Ru Feng wasn't worried about wandering off into random places. However, he was no longer in the mood to admire the magnificent architecture; he was in a terrible mood. To make matters worse, at a bend in the road, the young eunuch disappeared, and a woman appeared instead.

This person was petite, with an oval face, pink lips, and a touch of childishness. She wore a pink brocade satin dress, and her whole person was like a delicate peach blossom.

"This woman seems familiar!" Ru Feng sighed. With her excellent memory, she naturally recognized her as the woman she had met on her first visit to the palace. That time, the woman had pretended to sprain her ankle, but Ru Feng had ignored her, causing the woman to leave in anger. At the time, Ru Feng had assumed the woman was sent by Wen Chen, but it turned out her assumption was far too naive.

But why did she show up again this time? And in broad daylight? Is she going to stage another sprained ankle performance?

So when Ru Feng saw her, he simply smiled and nodded, intending to walk past her and leave.

"Wait!" the girl shouted, her eyes wide as she stared at Ru Feng.

Ru Feng had no choice but to stop and look at her helplessly, asking, "What are your orders, Miss?"

"Hmph, do you think you're so great just because you're good-looking? You didn't even want to talk to me just now?" The girl strode up to Ru Feng, put her hands on her hips, pointed at Ru Feng's nose, and looked up at him.

"Miss, just say what you need to say. I need to leave." Ru Feng looked at the girl in front of him helplessly, only then realizing that the girl was actually very beautiful.

Her features were exquisitely beautiful, with fair skin, and she had a pair of incredibly captivating eyes. Her amber pupils weren't large, but they shone with a cleverness and mischievousness, making her as adorable as a little fox. Although she was still young, it was already clear that she would grow up to be a great beauty.

However... when Ru Feng saw her clothes, he thought that because of the makeup, she looked a bit old-fashioned and out of place, which was a waste of her lively and lovely temperament.

"What a lovely little girl," Ru Feng sighed, looking into her eyes and smiling. "Miss, you have very beautiful eyes."

The girl's face flushed instantly. She immediately lowered her hand, which was pointing at Ru Feng, and stammered, "You... what nonsense are you talking about? Be careful, or I'll punish you!"

Ru Feng bowed respectfully and said jokingly, "This humble subject greets Your Highness!"

"Huh? How did you know I'm a princess?" the princess asked, puzzled.

Ru Feng replied irresponsibly, "Just a guess!"

"Hmph!" The princess snorted and glared at Ru Feng.

Ru Feng smiled and asked, "Did the princess call me for something?" In front of this lovely princess, Ru Feng didn't want to be bound by so many rules and regulations, so her answer was rather casual.

Ru Feng glanced around; it was just a corner, overgrown with vegetation, and seemingly deserted. However, to avoid trouble, Ru Feng decided to end his conversation with the princess quickly, so he said, "If there's nothing else, I'll be going now," and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" The princess suddenly grabbed Ru Feng's sleeve, pouting and looking at the ground with dissatisfaction.

Ru Feng sighed softly and said, "What exactly do you want to say? What an immature little brat."