Published at 11th of August 2023 9:52 am

Chapter 1281 1281 I’m Not an Outsider

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Chapter 1281 I’m Not an Outsider

When the Empress entered the door, she especially looked around. She breathed a sigh of relief after she didn’t find anyone else.

The eunuch led her to the emperor’s bedroom behind the Imperial Study.

It was very quiet in the emperor’s bedroom, where only the chief eunuch Derong was inside. When Derong saw the Empress coming over, he stepped forward and bowed.

“Is His Majesty getting better?” The Empress stood still, looked at the Emperor, who was lying in bed with his eyes closed, and asked in a low voice with concern.

“His Majesty remains the same, Your Highness,” Derong replied.

“What did the imperial physician say after seeing His Majesty?” the Empress asked again.

“The imperial physician advised that His Majesty would better continue recuperating,” replied Derong.

“Then follow his advice to recuperate quietly. Why didn’t His Majesty go back to his residence? It’s sort of inappropriate to live here!” The Empress frowned, but she was very satisfied that the Emperor was still living in the Imperial Study in such a situation.

The Emperor had his own residence. In contrast, this bedroom was too simple.

“His Majesty is not in good health, and it’s convenient for him to stay here,” Derong lowered his voice and said..com

“Nonsense! His Majesty needs to have a good rest in his current state. How can he deal with national affairs as usual?” the Empress scolded Derong in a low voice, looking like she was considerate of the Emperor.

Derong lowered his head, but he did not respond.

After that, the Empress’ expression softened. “I didn’t mean to say that you did not take good care of His Majesty. However, you should be more concerned about his health. You can’t let His Majesty work too hard to affect his health.”

Derong was the closest chief eunuch to the Emperor, so the Empress could not offend him at any time.

“Yes, I will persuade His Majesty,” Derong said in a low voice. Then he looked at the Emperor lying in bed. “His Majesty has just rested. Your Highness, how about you come again next time?”

The Empress naturally sat on a chair on the side and said, “How can I leave at ease while His Majesty is still ill? Previously, I stayed in my Palace for self-examination, so it was inconvenient for me to take care of His Majesty. But now that I come out, I can’t leave His Majesty alone.”

Since the Empress had decided to take care of the Emperor, she had to come early.

Derong looked at the Emperor, who was lying in the bed, and said to the Empress with a flattering smile, “Your Highness, you’d better go back. His Majesty doesn’t like anyone to stay by his side.”

“Even including me?” the Empress said with her face darkening, “I’m not an outsider. I’m really worried about leaving His Majesty in your care.”

The Emperor was not in good health when the Empress couldn’t let anyone take this advantage at this time. Since she had shown up here, the Empress couldn’t let others such as Consort of Virtue, Consort Ming, etc. take advantage because she could know what had happened in advance by staying here.

The Emperor, who was lying on the bed, opened his eyes and said coldly, “What are you worried about, me or your position as the Empress?”

Derong hurried forward to help the Emperor up.

The Empress did not expect that the Emperor would wake up and say something so embarrassing to her. Her face immediately flushed. She stood up and revealed a sad look. “Your Majesty… I’m really worried about you… It is not a big deal whether I am the Empress or not. I’m willing to exchange my empress’ position for your health, Your Majesty.”

As she spoke, her eyes turned red.

“You can go back now.” The Emperor looked a little relieved, but he waved his hand and said, “I won’t keep anyone here. I feel a headache if I do. If you have nothing else to do, just go back to your Palace.”

“Your Majesty…” The reason why the Empress could talk to Derong like that was that Derong was just a servant even if he was the Emperor’s henchman. However, it was different now. The person in front of her was the Emperor. No matter how capable the Empress was, she did not dare to go against the Emperor. So she had to look at the Emperor with tears in her eyes and said sadly, “Your Majesty… I am your wife!”

“You can leave now. I’m tired.” The Emperor closed his eyes slightly and then said with a cold look in his eyes.

Seeing that the Emperor was so indifferent, the Empress had no choice but to bow to the Emperor and left reluctantly. When she walked out of the Imperial Study, the sadness in her eyes disappeared. She glanced at the Imperial Study behind her, and said to Derong, who had sent her out, “Are there any other consorts or concubines living here in the evening?”

“No, His Majesty likes to be quiet,” Derong told a lie calmly.

Hearing that, the Empress breathed a sigh of relief. She was afraid that others would take advantage of the accident that happened to her in the past few days and get closer to the Emperor earlier than her. It was the best since that was not the case.

Just then, a palace maid behind the Empress stepped forward and handed Derong a pouch. The Empress said, “Please take good care of His Majesty. I will definitely return a great reward to you in the future.”

Derong took the pouch and said, “Your Highness, please!”

Seeing that Derong had received the banknote in the pouch, the Empress became kinder. She nodded to Derong and left with her servants…

When Chu Liuchen returned to the mansion, Shao Wanru had not gone to bed yet. She was embroidering a small sachet under the candlelight.

Hearing the voice coming from outside, she looked up and met Chu Liuchen’s smiling charming eyes. Shao Wanru put down the sachet in her hand and was about to get up.

Chu Liuchen walked quickly to her side and reached out to hold her shoulders. “Why haven’t you slept yet? It’s getting so late.”

“It’s not quite late,” Shao Wanru said with a smile.

“Then let’s have a rest now.” Seeing her soft smile, Chu Liuchen felt a little relieved. His eyes were no longer so cold in the place out of sight of Shao Wanru.

It was really getting late. After they freshened up and went to bed, Chu Liuchen held Shao Wanru in his arms and closed his eyes. He had a sort of complex mood today.

“Is there anything special for you to go to the Palace?” Shao Wanru sensed something was wrong with Chu Liuchen’s mood and asked softly.

“Nothing special,” Chu Liuchen said vaguely, turned his head, and kissed Shao Wanru’s fair and tender ear gently. Then he opened his eyes slightly, with a deeper look in them. “How is Infanta Qinghua now?”

“She is getting better, but she still can’t recognize anyone,” Shao Wanru said. She had always visited her mother these days. At present, her mother’s condition was neither good nor bad, but it was next to impossible for her to get recovered. The only thing Shao Wanru could do was to take good care of her mother. But her mother could recognize her grandmother, which made her grandmother surprised, delighted, and excited.

As for Shao Wanru and Hao’er, Infanta Qinghua did not know them.

“Maybe it is a good thing. At least she doesn’t have to experience the pain of losing your father anymore.” Chu Liuchen heard the sadness in Shao Wanru’s tone and comforted her.

Realizing that Chu Liuchen was implying something, Shao Wanru thought for a while and said, “I understand.”

Then, Shao Wanru took the initiative to hug Chu Liuchen and pressed her head against his chest. “Who did you meet in the Palace?”

Chu Liuchen kept silent for so long time that Shao Wanru almost thought that he wouldn’t answer. After a long time, Chu Liuchen said lightly, “Consort Lan.”

“Sure enough, it was Consort Lan!”

Shao Wanru had already understood the reason why Chu Liuchen was a little emotional. She moved slightly and said, “You… Don’t be sad.”

“You’ve guessed it, haven’t you?” Chu Liuchen said in a deep voice.

This time, Shao Wanru fell silent. After a long time, she said, “Sort of.”

“Haven’t you ever thought that Consort Lan is my mother, the one who gave birth to me?” Chu Liuchen smiled bitterly, and his dark eyes were full of sadness. “With such a mother, I would rather she be like Infanta Qinghua.”

Shao Wanru did not say anything. She knew that Chu Liuchen did not need her to say anything. Since he wanted to say it, she would like to be a very good listener. If he did not, she would not ask. Since the wound had been scabbed, it would hurt a lot if it was dug out again. With Chu Liuchen’s background, if he was just the son of the deceased emperor, he had no reason to abandon himself.

Apparently, he hated everything about himself, even including his life.

She hugged him tightly and gave him silent support.

“Consort Lan is my mother. She is also the former Empress. However, my Uncle the Emperor is my biological father. In contrast to an illegitimate child, my identity is even more shameful, and it was given by them,” Chu Liuchen said sarcastically in a cold and gloomy voice.

“I’ve been shameful for so many years, during which I have been the nominal son of the deceased emperor. But now, I want to participate in the competition for the throne.”

Shao Wanru’s heart skipped a beat. She had guessed it, but it was another thing when she heard it so clearly. She didn’t expect that Chu Liuchen would say it so frankly. For a moment, she didn’t know what to say. She just hugged him more tightly, leaned her head against his chest, and comforted him silently.

Chu Liuchen had always been deep-minded and had never been discomposure like this before. It could be seen that he had been stimulated in the Palace just now.

Chu Liuchen felt that Shao Wanru was holding him more tightly with her slender arms silently. Thinking of how she was trying to give him warmth, Chu Liuchen couldn’t help feeling warm in his heart, and he reached out to embrace Shao Wanru tighter. No matter how others treated him, at least he had Shao Wanru.

Such a warm feeling diluted the gloom in his heart.

“Don’t be sad,” Shao Wanru said softly, but her voice was especially clear and strong in the night. “Maybe she has her own difficulties.”

“What difficulties could make her do such a thing? She even gave up her position as the Empress and was only willing to follow that man as a third-rate Consort Lan. Her family was demoted, and so was herself. She was not upright, and she was plotted against, resulting in that I was poisoned before I was born. She has done enough for a man!”

Chu Liuchen said coldly. Sensing his hatred and anger in the darkness, Shao Wanru patted his arm gently and said, “It’s okay. You have me. Even if the others give up on you, you still have me! What’s more, Consort Lan may have some other reasons.”

“What reasons can make her do such a thing!” Chu Liuchen said coldly.

“How about … I get close to Consort Lan and try to find out?” Shao Wanru suggested.

“No need. Just let her be!” Chu Liuchen cut off this idea of Shao Wanru coldly. He did not want to know anything, nor did he have an interest to know. If he hadn’t noticed that Consort Lan was behind the screen just now, Chu Liuchen wouldn’t have lost control of his emotions suddenly.

Shao Wanru stopped talking and leaned against Chu Liuchen’s chest gently, trying her best to calm Chu Liuchen down. Unlike Chu Liuchen, who had hated Consort Lan for a long time, Shao Wanru did not think that Consort Lan, a gentle woman, could do such a thing as Chu Liuchen said, based on her impression of Consort Lan when they met.

“Could there be some secret behind this?” Shao Wanru wondered.

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