The Favorite of the Sick and Weak Lady - Chapter 73

Jiang Wanrou, along with Chen Yu and a few others, came out of the mansion to greet her upon hearing of her return. With no outsiders present, Xiao Yu bent down to help her up. “Let’s dispense with these formalities from now on,” she said.

Jiang Wanrou shot her a glance and chided, “You’re an emperor now, why do you still act like a child? Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at?” Her tone was full of pride.

Her troublesome child had finally made something of herself.

Wait, that’s not right!

Jiang Wanrou froze. She’d been so wrapped up in her happiness these past two days that she almost forgot her child’s new status. Now that she was emperor, wouldn’t she have to take on a harem? What about her identity?

And this troublesome child was fond of women. What if she couldn’t control herself?

And what about her good daughter-in-law? Surely, that child wouldn’t betray her feelings, would she?

Jiang Wanrou belatedly realized the gravity of the situation, and a sense of panic washed over her. She instinctively looked at Xiao Yu with an expression that seemed to say she was a heartless woman.

“…” Xiao Yu was puzzled. What was with her cheap mother’s expression?

What had she done? Why was she looking at her like that?

A chill ran down Xiao Yu’s spine.

Fortunately, Jiang Wanrou quickly realized her blunder and put a smile back on her face. She affectionately pulled Song Luoning inside the mansion.

“…” Xiao Yu blinked.

Even as emperor, she could still be ignored. But she was used to it. Her cheap mother always treated the eldest miss better than her own biological daughter. It was as if the eldest miss was her real child, but there was one thing she got right—she wasn’t her biological daughter.

Still, that didn’t diminish the mother-daughter affection she felt for this cheap mother.

Xiao Yu smiled, habitually touching her nose, and followed the others.

Equally solitary was Liang Chengqiu. Xiao Yu nodded to her, a warmth she didn’t even notice herself flashing in her eyes.

They were a comfort to her. She made up her mind to bring them all into the palace once she returned. As for Liang Chengqiu, making her a personal bodyguard would be a good idea.

Once the group arrived at the side hall, the servants began to set the meal on the table. Perhaps they had been informed of their arrival, as there were a few more dishes than usual and the food was more refined. The group sat around the dining table just as they used to.

“Ayu, is the food in the palace like this too?” Chen Yu asked, unable to contain her curiosity.

“You should address her as ‘Your Majesty.’ Don’t be so informal,” Jiang Wanrou interrupted, giving Chen Yu a reproachful look.

“I’m just curious,” Chen Yu stuck out her tongue, and looked at the young maid, who giggled.

“What did I tell you before?” Jiang Wanrou glared at the two of them.

They were getting more and more undisciplined. It was one thing to be playful and lighthearted on a normal day, but how dare they be so presumptuous in front of the emperor? If it weren’t for Ayu, anyone else would have had their heads chopped off.

Xiao Yu laughed along, holding Song Luoning’s hand. “Mother, just let them be,” she said with a smile. “We’re all family. She can call me whatever she wants.”

Song Luoning looked at her, nodded in agreement.

Seeing that neither of them objected, Jiang Wanrou sighed and instructed them, “It’s fine when you’re at home, but you can’t be like this in front of outsiders.”

The two of them giggled again. Jiang Wanrou shook her head, and her eyes suddenly filled with a hint of moisture. She had truly turned her life around, and she felt it was all thanks to her daughter-in-law. Ever since she married into their family, that troublesome child had been like a different person, and now she was an emperor.

It was truly a good thing.

The meal was full of laughter and conversation, and the atmosphere was especially harmonious, as if they were back in Chenjia Village.

After dinner, Xiao Yu and Song Luoning went to the courtyard where they used to live for their afternoon rest. The room’s furnishings were the same. Although they had only been gone for two days, walking into the room felt like a lifetime had passed.

“Wife, I miss our home a little,” Xiao Yu said with a hint of nostalgia.

The house in Chenjia Village might have been small, but she had designed and built it herself. Every brick and tile held memories. If she could, she would want to go back there. Though it was a simpler, harder life, at least it was peaceful and free from all this scheming.

Song Luoning glanced around the room, her gaze resting on Xiao Yu. She didn’t say anything, likely knowing that they could never return.

Once they entered the palace, the palace became their home, and they would have to stay there for the rest of their lives. It might even be difficult for them to leave the palace like this in the future. A sense of sadness washed over her at the thought.

“Alright, it’s a good thing to be able to come here occasionally,” Xiao Yu said, taking Song Luoning’s hand and sitting on the edge of the bed. She continued with a knowing tone, “There are so many memories here.”

Memories?

What memories? The absurd images of the two of them in this very place instinctively flashed in Song Luoning’s mind. Her face turned red. This scoundrel was an emperor now and still so indecent. She tried to get up but it was too late. With a gasp, she was pulled into Xiao Yu’s embrace. “What are you thinking, my wife? Why is your face so red?”

“…” Song Luoning’s breathing hitched, her heart filled with shame and annoyance. She no longer cared about propriety. “Let go of me first.”

She was now completely certain that this scoundrel was doing this on purpose. It was absolutely infuriating.

The bed curtains had been pulled down at some point. Before she could react, Song Luoning felt a spinning sensation, and she was pressed down onto the bed. For a moment, she forgot to breathe. It had been more than a month since the last time they had been intimate, and while they had shared some close moments since, they had never crossed the line.

Now, both of their breaths were a bit ragged.

“Don’t… it’s daytime. Not in the daytime…”

Xiao Yu licked her lips, not caring whether it was daytime or not. The last shred of her reason vanished. Song Luoning felt her vision go dark as her lips were captured by another pair of hot lips. They sucked, they bit, without any pattern.

“Mm~”

With a soft sigh, a tongue slid in, entwining with hers, dancing…

Song Luoning slowly closed her eyes. In her passion, she tilted her chin slightly, exposing her slender neck to the other person’s eyes. The alluring hollow of her neck, like a white jade cup, was filled with intoxicating wine. Xiao Yu’s eyes darkened, and she pressed her lips to it, the fine, dense kisses falling like spring rain.

“Husband~” The heat within her made her unsure whether to push away the root of her mischief or to throw herself into it like a moth to a flame, knowingly entering a dangerous situation. She reached the peak of desire again and again, crying and trembling.

Song Luoning clutched the bedsheets tightly.

“Your Majesty, there’s a message from the palace asking you to return immediately.” A sudden voice interrupted the two of them, who were lost in their desires.

Song Luoning’s body froze. She frantically pushed Xiao Yu away. “Stop…” The word was a sob. Her eyes were sparkling with tears, like a little kitten that had been bullied badly.

Xiao Yu calmed her breathing. “What is it?” she asked in a rather unfriendly tone.

Outside the door, Cui Zhu was startled. She stopped her knocking and instinctively pulled back her neck. When the two went into the room, they had seemed so happy. Why were they fighting again?

No wonder she had heard some strange sounds faintly in the courtyard just now. She hadn’t heard them clearly and thought she was mistaken. The miss was really something. She knew her husband was the emperor now, so why didn’t she just go along with him? What if she got angry and chose a concubine?

Just as the young maid was looking worried, the door opened from the inside. Xiao Yu came out with a grim expression, giving her a cold look. “It better be a real emergency,” she said, her voice a clear threat.

She then walked away.

Oh…

Cui Zhu wanted to cry. She also hoped it was a real emergency. The look her husband had just given her was as if he wanted to kill her.

She didn’t care about anything else and quickly went into the room.

“Huh? Miss, are you hot? Why is your face so red?” Cui Zhu asked in surprise. They knew they were coming today, so there was ice in the room. How could it still be so hot?

Could it be that the miss’s health…

It had to be. The miss had always been weak. It looked like she would have to tell the imperial kitchen to prepare some nourishing food for the miss.

“…” Song Luoning froze, her face turning even redder. She hid her embarrassment by using her little finger to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. After a moment of silence, she said calmly, “Since you’ve come to the palace with me, there are some rules you need to learn. Go back to the prime minister’s mansion for a few days and let Madam Zhang teach you the rules.”

?!

No, why was the miss suddenly sending her to learn the rules? The miss only ever used this to scare her when she made a mistake. Cui Zhu’s eyes widened in disbelief as she looked at her miss.

Song Luoning closed her eyes for a moment, not wanting to argue with her. When she opened them again, her eyes were clear, and her face had returned to normal. “Are you not listening to what I say?”

“No, that’s not it.”

What a mess!

Cui Zhu put on a bitter face and bowed, resigning herself. “This servant will go now.” Who did she offend to be the innocent bystander of her masters’ argument?

Upon arriving at the front hall, two palace servants were respectfully waiting. When they saw Xiao Yu, they immediately knelt and saluted.

Xiao Yu glanced at them, walked to the main seat and sat down, her expression softening a little. “What is the matter?”

The palace servant replied, “Reporting to Your Majesty, the Grand Princess has been waiting in the palace and says she has an important matter to report.”

What could Princess Xiao Qin’ya want with her?

“Did she say what it was about?” Xiao Yu pressed.

“No, she did not,” the servant replied.

Xiao Yu was silent for a moment, then stood up. “Let’s return to the palace.”

Regardless, she had to go back and see what was happening. Her position at court was already difficult, and she couldn’t afford to offend anyone. The Grand Princess suddenly sought her out, so it was best not to ignore her. She immediately went to the back courtyard and told Song Luoning about the situation, and the two of them returned to the palace together.

In the imperial study, the Grand Princess had been waiting for a long time. When she saw Xiao Yu return, she gave her a complicated look.

“What happened?” Xiao Yu asked.

“Something has happened to Xiao Chengze.”

The male protagonist?

Xiao Yu frowned in confusion. Hadn’t she sent him to guard the imperial tombs? Was he causing trouble again?

She shouldn’t have let him go.

“On the way to the imperial tombs, the guards escorting him encountered a masked assassin. The twenty-nine guards and Xiao Chengze were all killed. Only one survived to report the news.”

After hearing this, Xiao Yu was shocked. Killing thirty people in one go… this person’s martial arts…

She quickly asked, “Did he remember any of the person’s physical features?”

If she had remembered, she wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to come back. Xiao Qin’ya shook her head.

“In what situation would the other person need to leave a survivor to report the news?” Xiao Yu asked again.

Xiao Qin’ya paused, thinking for a moment, and said seriously, “He wants us to know that Xiao Chengze is dead.”

“So, if it were a revenge killing, the killer wouldn’t need to risk being identified to report the news. What does the killer mean by this?” Xiao Yu couldn’t figure it out.

Xiao Qin’ya frowned. “What do you think…”

Xiao Yu pursed her lips. If she could figure it out, she wouldn’t have asked her.

Now, she could only investigate and then make a decision.

The two looked at each other and nodded, both seeing a sense of determination in the other’s eyes.

Xiao Yu immediately ordered the Grand Minister of the Ministry of Justice and the Minister of the Ministry of Punishment to come and handle the case together.

She herself did not dare to be careless. She left the imperial study and went directly to find Song Luoning, telling her the whole story. The eldest miss had always been intelligent, and perhaps she could understand what she couldn’t.

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