Jingdi sat in the Taihe Hall, his brows knitted tightly, his mind in turmoil, filled with thoughts of Yao'er leaving the palace.
"Lukxi, what should I do about Qin Zhao Yun?"
Jingdi stopped his steps and looked at Lu Xishi beside him.
Lu Xishi bowed his head, pondered for a moment, and then said cautiously, "Your Majesty, perhaps Princess Qin is merely acting on impulse, after all. She is pregnant with the heir to the throne and her emotions are easily swayed. Why not give her another chance? You could send someone to Xinghua Palace to express your intentions."
Jingdi frowned, "I am the supreme sovereign. Should I bow my head again? Besides, she is so stubborn. Even if I go, she may not even accept to see me."
Lu Xishi dared not speak further, merely standing silently with his head bowed, his body as if frozen in place. The grand hall fell into a dead silence.
For a moment, there was silence.
"Check if Qin Zhao Yun has recently contacted anyone outside the palace. Also, keep a close eye on her attendants, Li Wuling and He Hu, in her palace."
The emperor's voice was icy, like the cold wind of winter, carrying an tone of command that left no room for doubt.
Lu Xishi's heart trembled, and he quickly agreed, turning to leave but was called back by the emperor, "Wait a moment. Go and get some rare medicinal herbs and the prenatal education books I wrote myself. Bring them all to Xinghua Palace and tell her that they are expressions of my own heart."
At this moment, Xinghua Palace, the branches of the apricot trees in the courtyard gently swayed in the breeze, shedding a few petals, as if whispering about the sorrow of the palace women.
Yu Yao was discussing plans to leave the palace with Li Wuling and He Hu.
"Madam, the palace is heavily guarded. It won't be easy to leave."
Li Wuling said with concern.
Yu Yao raised an eyebrow slightly, "The palace is mine, and I have my own way. I just need to wait for the right opportunity. There are eyes everywhere in this palace, so we must act cautiously."
He Hu nodded in agreement, "Madam, what should we do now to prepare for it?"
Yu Yao was about to speak when she suddenly heard a commotion outside.
"Madam, Grand Master Lu Xishi has arrived, saying that the emperor has sent over some things and a few books on prenatal education."
Xiao Qingzi walked in, bowing respectfully to report.
Yu Yao heard this, her eyes flashed with a complex emotion, unexpected and disdainful, "Just accept it. Tell them that I thank the emperor's kindness."
But she had no intention of leaving; she simply instructed Xiao Qingzi to respond on her behalf.
As the night fell, a black silk-like cloth gradually covered the entire palace.
Jingdi sat alone in the imperial study, the candle on the table swaying slightly in the faint breeze, its light bouncing off the walls.
Jingdi sat alone in the imperial study, flipping through documents in his hands but unable to focus on a single word.
He put down his pen and gently massaged his forehead, thinking to himself in secret, "Yaoer, what are you thinking? Why are you so determined?"
Finally, he couldn't hold back anymore, got up, put on the outer robe and went to Xinghua Palace.
However, he did so quietly, without taking anyone along.
When Jingdi arrived at the entrance of Xinghua Palace, he saw that the door was tightly shut and silent, as if even the wind had stopped.
He took a deep breath, hesitated slightly, and directly climbed over the wall.
Yu Yao didn't know that the Emperor would come, so the bedroom door was not locked against intrusion.
At this moment, she was taking a nap on the bed, and a few unreadable storytelling books were scattered nearby.
The candle flames burned quietly on the side, occasionally making a slight crackling sound.
Jingdi approached her silently, afraid of waking her.
He gazed at her sleeping face, and a sense of unprecedented tenderness and guilt emerged in his heart.
He extended his hand to caress her cheek but stopped halfway, and finally only gently wrapped her in a thin quilt.
"Yaoer, do you know that my heart has never left you."
He whispered in her ear, his voice full of helplessness and depth of emotion.
Yu Yao seemed to feel something, her eyelashes trembled slightly, but she did not wake up.
Jingdi sighed and turned to leave, but heard her soft voice behind him, "Your Majesty, you've come."
He was shocked and turned around, seeing that Yu Yao had already woken up and was staring at him fixedly, her eyes complex, like a deep lake with bottomless water, "Your Majesty, there is something I wish to say."
She had thought about this matter for a long time, and in fact, the Emperor wasn't really at fault.
As a king, it was natural for him to have three thousand concubines, and enjoying himself with other concubines was also very normal.
He was like the sun in the sky, radiating light to the entire land, and it was impossible for him to only shine on this one small flower.
He never belonged to her.
And myself, just one of his many women, like one of the many flowers in the imperial garden, without even the right to be jealous.
If it were not for the Emperor's genuine feelings towards her, her behavior would have probably landed her in a cold palace.
She knew her mindset was wrong; it must have been since she found out that the Emperor had feelings for her that her mindset started to change.
She couldn't anymore see him as a emperor, she had higher expectations and desires, and couldn't bear to see him loving other women.
"Say it, I'm listening."
The emperor's voice held a subtle tension that was not easy to detect.
"I know that Your Majesty has feelings for me, for Princess Sushibai, and for the thousands of concubines in the palace. I don't seek exclusive favor, only to be understood by Your Majesty that I only want a soulmate, never to separate. If You cannot do so, I would rather bear this child and find a peaceful place to spend the rest of my life."
Yu Yao's voice was soft, but each word was heavy and impactful.
After hearing Yu Yao's words, Jingdi's eyes flickered with a struggle.
He stood there for a long time, as if he were thinking about something that was difficult to decide.
"Yaoer, I know my actions have caused you to feel disappointed. As an emperor, the affairs of the harem are complex, and I thought my preference for you would make you understand my heart, but I never expected to bring you such pain."
Jingdi's voice was hoarse, "My feelings for you are not like those for the other concubines. Since you stepped into my bedroom, every frown and smile of yours has deeply etched in my heart. But I cannot only think of you. There is the entire kingdom behind me."
Yu Yao raised her head, looked directly into the emperor's eyes, "Your Majesty, I understand your responsibilities. But I am just an ordinary woman. What I want is nothing but a pure emotion. The emperor can have many concubines, but I only want the emperor to have only me in his heart. I know this requirement is too much, so that's why I want to leave this palace and live my own life."
Jingdi's brows were knit tightly as he slowly said, "Yaoer, I know I have let you suffer. I have also tried to balance the harem, but I found that I cannot be indifferent to you. I can promise you that in the future, I will try to reduce the number of times I visit other concubines, but as an emperor, there are some things that I cannot completely control."
Yu Yao lightly sighed, "Your Majesty, I understand your difficulty. But the knot in my heart cannot be untied. I don't want to live in this deep palace, day after day waiting for Your Majesty's arrival and worrying that Your Majesty will be taken away by other concubines. This kind of life has exhausted me."
All the excuses are just not loving enough.
In the first plane, the male lead, Ye Beichen, at a later stage, in order to avoid anyone harming her and the child, actively dismissed his harem.
Comparing the two, the Emperor's love is really cheap.
This idea flashed through her mind but she did not voice it out, instead comparing it silently in her heart.
Jingdi, upon hearing her words, was filled with helplessness and bitterness.
Jingdi knew the pain that Yaoer was experiencing, but as an emperor, it was indeed difficult for him to be as exclusive and devoted as she expected.
"Yaoer, I will think over this matter again. I hope you won't be impulsive either, since you are still in this palace and there is my child."
Jingdi's voice was a bit low and also seemed sad.
Yu Yao slightly bent her knees and kowtowed, "My lady dutifully follows Your Majesty's command."
Jingdi looked deeply at her for a moment, then turned and left Xinghua Palace.
He walked back to the Taihe Hall, sat on the dragon throne, and his mind was troubled and restless.
Lu Xih saw the emperor's appearance and carefully brought over a cup of tea, "Your Majesty, please don't worry too much. The Qinshangou Concubine is currently carrying the imperial heir, and her emotions are more volatile is natural. When the concubine gives birth to the imperial son or daughter, perhaps her thoughts will change."
Jingdi waved his hand, "You don't understand. Yaoer's temperament is the most clear to me. If she has made up her mind, no nine-headed ox could pull her back."
Lu Xih dared not say more and stood silently beside him.
In the Xinghua Palace, Yu Yao sat on the bed, her eyes were somewhat empty.
Liu li and Hu He were watching by the side, their hearts full of worry.
"Madam, are you really going to leave the palace? Although the world outside the palace is vast, it's also full of unknown dangers for us women."
Liu Li whispered.
Yu Yao came back to her senses, "My heart is set. In this palace, I can never get what I want. It's better to go out and return my freedom."
Hu Po also tried to persuade her, "Madam, the words Your Majesty spoke today sound sincere. Can't you reconsider?"
Yu Yao shook her head, "His sincerity can last for how long? A man whose nature is to be promiscuous and capricious, expecting him to be faithful is impossible."
Today's words are said to give the other party a chance, also to give herself a chance, but the result still let her disappointed.
