Ye Zhen was carried by Mo Rongzhan to the bath to wash her body. The water in the bathtub was still warm. Her entire body was weak and her eyes were swollen from crying. No matter what he whispered in her ear, she didn't say as much as half a word.
Mo Rongzhan wasn' t angry at her silence. He only smiled and reminded her, "Yaoyao, I've already tasted your entire body. You can't marry anyone but me. Remember."
Remember his head! Ye Zhen's heart was filled with resentment. She wished she would never see him again.
Ever since she found out that he had saved her father and brother, her feelings for him had become very subtle. She wanted to escape him but couldn't avoid his entrapment. However, she no longer held the same feelings for him as before. Loving him came with too heavy a price and she was unwilling to start over again.
Mo Rongzhan was well aware he was in the wrong today. Although he truly didn’t wish to coerce her, he was still brimming unprecedented happiness in the aftermath. He cocooned her in his embrace for a long time and kissed her forehead when he saw that her eyes were about to open. “Then I'll go now. If you don't want to enter the palace, I'll come and see you in a few days."
Ye Zhen thought to herself that she was leaving the capital after dawn. If he came looking for her, he would not be able to find her.
"You really don’t want to say a few words to me?" Mo Rongzhan asked in amusement.
The back of Ye Zhen's head was the only reply he got.
"Then I'm leaving." Mo Rongzhan kissed her hair and finally left reluctantly.
Ye Zhen turned around after he left. She bit her lower lip and thought back to how she had just uncontrollably hugged him. She was so ashamed that she wanted to dig a hole to bury herself.
Why did he treat her like this? She hid her face in the blanket. She was resistant to Mo Rongzhan in her heart, but for some reason, when she heard him coaxing her while attempting to please her, her heart practically softened.
However, she did not want to be soft nor was she willing to be soft-hearted! She had too many reasons to shun him. As long as she remembered the two years of loneliness and bitterness in the Wang Fu*, she would never yield her stand and marry him.
[*Prince = Wang, Fu= mansion/palace]
Tomorrow…
Tomorrow, she would be able to temporarily avoid him and could also take this time to figure out what to do next.
She had sweated and tossed about by Mo Rongzhan for a long time. Now that she had relaxed a little, she fell asleep.
No one noticed that outside in the corner of the courtyard, a slender figure stood silently all night.
Lu Lingzhi had been standing here when the night fell. He originally planned to think clearly about some things here, but when he was about to leave, he saw a familiar figure appearing in the courtyard.
He knew who it was. Tang Zhen's words had been echoing in his mind.
The emperor really likes Yaoyao…
After four hours, he saw the emperor leave in the dark. He(LL) felt an indescribable pain in his chest. He wanted to rush in and question Yaoyao. What had she and Mo Rongzhan been doing for such a long time? But he could not. Once he entered, many things would become difficult to deal with.
Lu Lingzhi gazed at the small courtyard and considered what to do next.
It seemed that the emperor did not intend to bring Lu Wushuang back to the palace. Everything they had done had been in vain. If he had known earlier… That the emperor was so fond of the new and hated the old… Back then, he wouldn't have listened to his sister and let Ye Zhen drink that cup of poison. Now that she(YZ) was dead, his heart had been taken away.
If Ye Zhen was alive… Perhaps the emperor wouldn't have liked Yaoyao so much.
He shook his head with a bitter smile. There were many things in the world that he had known for a long time. Since he had already taken the first step, he could only continue walking for the Lu family.
In these two days, he had to think of a way to see Lu Wushuang first. If the emperor really wanted to marry Yaoyao as the empress, then the only person who could make Shuang'er leave Nian Tzu Temple would be Yaoyao…
♚
Imperial Palace, Xinhe Palace
Xu Huiru's complexion looked a little pale. She raised her eyes to look at the delicate and pretty face in the mirror. In the entire capital, she believed that she wasn’t bad. Even with the number one beauty, Ye Zhen, back then, her limelight hadn't diminished in the slightest. She thought that without the late Wang Fei, no one could compare to her. Unexpectedly, Lu Yaoyao had appeared.
She could not forget what she had heard in the imperial garden today. The emperor actually… He actually wants Lu Yaoyao to become Empress!
He is serious!
Although she hadn't been with the emperor for long, she knew that he wasn’t flippant with his words. Since he told the little prince that he wanted Lu Yaoyao to become Empress, then he must… He would do it.
Lu Yaoyao is a princess! How could he fall in love with his nominal sister?
Xu Huiru couldn't help but feel jealous. She loved him so much, but he didn't care about her. He actually fell in love with Lu Yaoyao.
"Xianfei, the emperor shouldn't be here tonight. Please rest early." Qian Lan walked in and saw that Xu Huiru was still sitting in front of the dressing table. She couldn't help but whisper to her.
"Of course he won't come." Xu Huiru sneered. Even if he comes, it’s just a disguise. Perhaps he and Lu Yaoyao have already had secret meetings between themselves and done many embarrassing things.
Qian Lan saw that the previously intelligent girl had become so gloomy and bitter. Her heart ached for her mistress. “Your Highness, this servant will wait on you to rest."
"Qian Lan, you heard the emperor's words today. What do you think I should do?" Xu Huiru held her hand and asked. She had been under the impression that if she performed better, she would definitely be able to get Mo Rongzhan's favor in the future. Who knows, she might even become the empress. However, it was only today that she only found that no matter how hard she tried, she would not be able to defeat Lu Yaoyao in the end.
"Xianfei~" Qian Lan didn’t know what to say. The emperor liked Lu Yaoyao and she wasn’t even a real princess. Moreover, to the emperor, what kind of woman could he not have? What did her identity matter?
Xu Huiru's eyes filled with tears. “Will the empress dowager still agree?"
"Empress Dowager likes Lu Yaoyao, I'm afraid….." She wouldn’t obstruct the emperor's decision.
"Lu Yaoyao…!" Xu Huiru looked down at her hands. “You can't remain in this world”
Qian Lan was shocked. “Your Highness, what are you going to do?"
Xu Huiru gently shook her head. “I can't do anything, but others can. Tomorrow, you can send a letter to Big Brother for me. Leave this matter to him."
"Xianfei, what if the emperor finds out?" If the emperor found out, she would die.
"If I don't take the risk, and when Lu Yaoyao becomes the empress, do you think I will still have a way out?" Xu Huiru asked with a cold smile. She and Lu Yaoyao could be considered to have fallen out with each other. If they were to fight over the same man in the future, how could she tolerate her?
Lu Yaoyao had the love of the empress dowager and the emperor. If he wanted to deal with her(XH), it would be as easy as turning his hand over. So she(XH) could only strike first.
♚♚♚