Chapter 172:

Layue, with Qiaoning’s help, proactively cooked a bowl of lily bulb porridge.

Eating some lily bulb porridge in spring is quite good.

Xuanming Hall.

Upon hearing that Concubine Shen requested an audience outside, Emperor Jing smirked slightly.

However, he quickly concealed his expression and spoke nonchalantly, “Let her wait.”

Lai Xi glanced at the emperor’s expression, clearly delighted yet pretending otherwise. Mentally shaking his head, he headed toward the door.

Sure enough, before he reached the door, the emperor spoke again, “Forget that. Summon her! Coincidentally, I feel a bit hungry.”

Such an obvious pretense amused Lai Xi, who couldn’t help smiling as he hurried to the door to summon Concubine Shen.

It had been several days since Layue last saw the emperor. Seeing his expressionless face, she slightly curtsied.

“Your Majesty, I greet you.”

The emperor glanced at her without speaking.

Layue remained in her curtsy, and soon enough, the emperor finally couldn’t help himself and snapped, “Why don’t you get up?”

Smiling, Layue rose, “Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“What brings you here?”

Layue smiled sweetly, “I just cooked a bowl of lily bulb porridge. I thought it was the perfect time to drink this porridge, so I brought it over for Your Majesty.”

Placing the small basket she carried on a nearby table, Layue looked at the emperor with eager eyes, as if asking for his opinion.

Seeing her like this, the emperor felt a surge of affection. No wonder he had fallen for her so deeply. Without receiving her response, he would become endlessly resentful.

“Since you brought the porridge for me, serve it quickly.”

Layue responded with an enthusiastic “Okay.”

As the emperor tasted the porridge, he felt an unusual fullness in his heart.

However, upon tasting it, he found the flavor quite ordinary. Seeing Layue’s sparkling eyes, he knew she was definitely waiting for his praise, and that the porridge had definitely been personally made by her.

“Uh…”

He had barely reacted when Layue was already expectantly looking at him.

Unable to hold back any longer, the emperor put down the porridge bowl and pulled her into his arms.

“Did you personally make this porridge?”

“Of course! Does Your Majesty like it?” Layue naturally knew the porridge was average compared to the palace chefs, but it was filled with her heartfelt effort, wasn’t it?

The emperor intended to say it was delicious, but what came out of his mouth was “Acceptable.”

Upon hearing this, Layue pouted.

But soon recovered, “I will try harder; it will definitely be better next time.”

Smiling, the emperor lifted her chin.

“You heartless little thing, you haven’t come to see me for so long. If it wasn’t for your family, you probably wouldn’t have come at all, right?” The emperor sounded somewhat pitiful.

Before she arrived, the emperor had planned to ignore her, make her stand outside for half a day, and then give her a hard time. Yet upon hearing of her arrival and seeing her, he found himself unable to bear it.

He thought to himself, “It’s just my petty temper; why should I make her suffer?”

It was merely making trouble out of nothing, causing unnecessary unhappiness.

Upon hearing the emperor’s words, Layue immediately realized that he must have been scheming. She had been wondering why she had to come to the palace to see the child.

Pouting, Layue complained, “Your Majesty is heartless. Yue doesn’t know when I offended you. I was so worried, I didn’t dare come. And yet, Your Majesty never came to see Yue either. I was terribly anxious. When I finally received news from my family, it felt like a godsend. So, I came right away.”

Layue looked quite pitiful as she spoke.

Seeing her so endearing, the emperor immediately felt tender.

Kissing her lips gently, he coaxed, “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gotten angry with you for no reason.”

“Your Majesty, I don’t know what I did wrong. If it’s because of what I said, then you have misunderstood me. Do you think I’m not jealous?”

Since Layue brought it up, the emperor pinched her cheek, “You’ve never been jealous.”

His words carried a subtle undertone of complaint.

Layue became serious, “Your Majesty, you have truly misunderstood me. I never cared about Princess Diwa. What I said was the truth. If you truly liked Princess Diwa, you wouldn’t have married her off; you could have arranged a political marriage. And regarding the incident in the imperial garden, I understand it was all prearranged between you two. In that case, I genuinely believe there’s nothing between you. It would be better to watch out for other concubines in the palace!”

Hearing this, the emperor felt relieved. He had always known this, but because he loved her, he had somehow gotten stuck in a rut. Her explanation immediately softened his heart.

“Perhaps you don’t understand, but since the smallpox incident, I have realized that the only one who truly cares for me in this world is Layue. I only love you, Yue. But after giving my heart, I found that you don’t love me as much as I thought you did.”

The grievance in his words was evident.

Layue had never seen the emperor like this. Usually, he was the epitome of masculinity, but today he seemed like a child needing comfort.

As Layue tightened her grip on his arm, the emperor continued, “Whether you believe it or not, I truly love you. My feelings are sincere, witnessed by heaven and earth. Since I’ve given my heart, I won’t allow your indifference. I want you to love me more than those little kids, to put me first in everything.”

At this moment, Layue looked at the emperor. He seemed like a big boy wanting candy, ready to get upset if he didn’t get it.

She was moved by his words, but even so, she couldn’t help thinking that the emperor was often fond of manipulating emotions. Was this another form of reassurance?

But thinking about herself, she had no prominent family background, nothing worth gaining favor through.

Thus, she felt confused again.

Seeing her confused expression, the emperor naturally understood that emotional matters couldn’t be resolved quickly. Her current state indicated that she had feelings for him.

Perhaps she hadn’t even realized her own feelings yet. If she were truly heartless, how could she have saved him twice at the risk of her life?

After thinking through these things, the emperor relaxed quite a bit.

“Do you know? You’re afraid. You’re afraid that after giving your whole heart, you’ll find out I was just amusing myself with you. Right?” The emperor asked seriously.

Coming back to her senses, Layue murmured, “Perhaps it’s because Your Majesty hurt me deeply in a past life, so in this life, I’m just scared.”

Holding Layue in his arms, the emperor spoke in a deep voice, “If I wronged you in a past life, then in this life, I must treat you even better.”

They could finally open their hearts to each other. Although Layue didn’t say much, the emperor had truly revealed his innermost feelings.

“In the future, I will love you, protect you, tolerate everything about you, and I won’t get angry with you anymore. As for the people and matters in the palace, I will handle them for you. I won’t let you suffer the slightest harm.”

Layue silently buried her face in his chest, saying nothing more.

Finally, they had reconciled, although others might have suffered during this time.

This matter was never really big; it was just that both had been stubborn, causing this prolonged estrangement. Fortunately, everything had now cleared up.

***

The palace returned to its usual state, with Consort Shen still enjoying exclusive favor in the Pepper Chamber. Some astute individuals had already grasped the situation.

Now, no matter the emperor’s mood, even if it was bad, others couldn’t find any loopholes.

Previously, many had tried to curry favor by offering food, but all were scolded. Only Concubine Shen, with just one bowl of porridge, managed to restore the emperor’s good mood.

Some superstitious people couldn’t help but think about destiny.

Perhaps Emperor Jing and Concubine Shen were truly destined for each other.

Now that the emperor and their lady had reconciled, the people in Qing’an Palace were also in high spirits. Otherwise, the palace atmosphere had been quite strange.

“My Lady. Lady Li requests an audience,” Xing’er entered.

After the last time Layue refused Zhu Yuning, their interactions had decreased.

“Quickly invite her in.”

Zhu Yuning was still as usual, but her attire was more plain, and she wore no jewelry.

Seeing her like this, Layue wanted to say something but ultimately changed the topic at the last moment.

“Senior sister, please sit,” she showed no sign of embarrassment.

Zhu Yuning was the same.

Both managed to understand each other in this awkward situation.

“Your complexion looks really good!” Zhu Yuning examined Layue and smiled.

Previously, everyone in the palace knew about the emperor’s disagreement with Concubine Shen. Now that they had reconciled, everything was clear again.

Layue smiled happily, “Senior sister looks just as good too! Good complexion isn’t exclusive to me.”

Zhu Yuning smiled, “Perhaps I’ve just thought about more things.”

Layue didn’t ask about her future plans, and Zhu Yuning had no intention of sharing either.

Remembering that she indeed had something to discuss today, she didn’t delay and said after a moment’s thought, “Actually, I came today to remind you of something.”

“Eh?” Layue was puzzled.

“I had intended to come earlier, but since you and the emperor had a disagreement, it wouldn’t have been appropriate for me to visit then, so I postponed until today.”

After saying this, Layue became even more curious.

Zhu Yuning didn’t drag her feet, “Be careful of Bai Youran.”

These seven short words made Layue’s heart race.

Layue didn’t ask further questions or why Zhu Yuning said this. Since she meant well, Layue accepted it.

“Thank you, senior sister, for the reminder.”

Zhu Yuning smiled and shook her head, “Since we entered the palace, we have been on good terms. Although initially, I had my own motives, over time we have developed genuine sisterly feelings. Previously, I didn’t understand, but now I realize that once two women fall in love with the same man, it’s impossible for them to be truly close friends. Fortunately, we don’t love the same person.”

Layue understood that Zhu Yuning saying these words meant she had truly let go.

“Yue sincerely thanks you, senior sister, for your many reminders. As for the motives, regardless of what they were, as long as the outcome is good, everything is fine.”

The two smiled at each other.