After reading my mind, Daddy, why don't you smile?

Zhao Ying paused, feeling even more regretful. She sobbed and said, "Father, if I hadn't kept this a secret, you wouldn't have been separated from our mother for ten years..."

Everyone could see that Emperor Jianxi missed Empress Xiaomin, and all the civil and military officials in the court were moved.

Emperor Jianxi sighed and said with emotion: "That being said, if it weren't for this incident, I probably wouldn't have been able to make up my mind to agree to your mother's request..."

Zhao Ying raised her head from Emperor Jianxi's arms and looked at him with puzzled eyes.

Emperor Jianxi explained: "When your brother brings your mother back, our family of four will be reunited."

Zhao Ying's heart trembled.

A family of four……

Shangguan Shu, who was standing by, was also shocked by these four words. He thought that Emperor Jianxi was really deeply in love with Empress Xiaomin and was willing to abandon all the six harems for her.

I have to say, Queen Hyomin is quite resourceful...

Shangguan Shu could not help but glance at Zhao Ying. Under the warm sunlight, the woman's delicate face was white with a rosy glow, her crow-feather-like eyelashes were trembling slightly, with undried tears still hanging on them, and her watery eyes were red. Compared with her usual elegance and grace, she now looked a little more naive like a little girl.

It really wanted to take his soul away...

Shangguan Shu forced himself to turn his head, a sarcastic smile appearing at the corner of his lips.

Zhao Ying would treat Emperor Jianxi like this, treat the Crown Prince like this, and treat... Wei Fu like this, because they were the people closest to her and the ones she trusted the most, but she would not act like a spoiled child to him like this.

It didn’t happen before, and it definitely won’t happen in the future.

The knot in Zhao Ying's heart was suddenly untied by the words "a family of four". She burst into laughter and seemed to think of her previous behavior. She really lost her dignity. She lowered her head in shame and agreed: "Okay! When the mother comes back, our family of four will be reunited!"

The father and daughter talked and both looked a little more relaxed. Emperor Jianxi thought of Zhao Ying's health and asked her to go back and rest.

Zhao Ying wanted to take Yue'er away, but Emperor Jianxi wanted to keep Shangguan Qingyue for a few days to relieve his boredom, so Zhao Ying had to leave by herself.

When Shangguan Shu saw that the father and daughter had finished their conversation, he stepped forward and picked up Zhao Ying horizontally.

Zhao Ying was stunned for a while. She didn't want to let him hug her, but then she thought about how she had been kneeling on her knees all night and she would never be able to go back to the Duke's Mansion. She also didn't want to make a scene with him in front of Emperor Jianxi. So, she would just ride him like a horse!

Shangguan Shu held Zhao Ying very steadily. When his hands touched Zhao Ying's cold body, his arms stiffened, and then he pulled Zhao Ying into his arms like a baby.

As soon as Zhao Ying touched the warm breath emanating from the man's body, she felt comfortable both physically and mentally. She couldn't help but move closer to him to warm herself, but... he was not someone she could warm herself from.

Let’s keep his warmth for Huai’an.

She doesn't need to.

Zhao Ying curled up her frozen hands into her arms like a shrimp.

Shangguan Shu felt a pain in his heart when he saw this, and he hurriedly said goodbye to Emperor Jianxi, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else, I will take the princess away."

Emperor Jianxi waved his hand, "Go..."

Shangguan Shu turned around holding Zhao Ying, quickened his pace, and almost ran.

Fortunately, the carriage was parked nearby and the charcoal stove inside had already been lit.

There was a small cup still hot on the stove.

Shangguan Shu carried Zhao Ying onto the carriage and quickly took off her cold cloak. "Ying'er, you've suffered."

Shangguan Shu habitually wanted to hold her in his arms to keep her warm, but was gently pushed away by Zhao Ying.

When Zhao Ying saw his hand reaching out to her, she subconsciously dodged, with a hint of fear in her eyes...

"You...you don't have to come over, it's fine like this..."

Guan Shu’s madness that night was still vivid in Zhao Ying’s mind. Now that she was alone with him, Zhao Ying couldn’t help but feel frightened.

Shangguan Shu saw Zhao Ying's expression one by one. Shangguan Shu frowned and said nothing. He just took the small cup off the stove, took a bowl and spoon, scooped a bowl of bird's nest porridge, and brought it to Zhao Ying. He whispered, "You must be hungry after kneeling all night. Drink the hot porridge first!"

Zhao Ying stared at the bowl of porridge in front of her, her eyes suddenly filled with tears. After a while, she pursed her lips and took it silently.

The frozen fingertips had just warmed up, and they were still trembling as they gripped the spoon handle.

As the hot porridge entered my stomach, a wave of heat rushed into my limbs and my stiff and cold body suddenly felt comfortable.

But my heart feels sore.

Her Runlang...is really good to her.

So good that it is beyond reproach.

He would return to Qianyuan after her birthday banquet and cook a bowl of longevity noodles for her. After she kissed him, his eyes would be as bright as the stars...

After days of training his soldiers and when he was so tired that he could hardly open his eyes, he would ride all night from the capital to pick a wintersweet just because she wanted to see it. He would then place it next to her pillow before dawn so that she could see it as soon as she opened her eyes.

He did not believe in gods or Buddhas, but when she was about to give birth, he would pray to all the gods and Buddhas in the capital and hang amulets in front of her delivery bed.

At the beginning of their marriage, every time she caught a cold and got upset, he would carry her on his back and hold her in his arms, talking to her in a funny way, like coaxing a baby.

Thinking about the past, she sometimes even had an illusion that her Runlang and the traitor who wanted to seize her Zhao family's kingdom were two different people. How could they be the same person?

For example, at this moment, she had this self-deceiving thought again.

All the sweetness becomes a bone-eating poison in the face of lies.

She really shouldn't have.

Shangguan Shu's hoarse voice came from my ears, "You don't have to be afraid of me... I was also very angry last time, and in the future... I will definitely not treat you like that..."

There was a note of guilt in the man's voice.

"I..." Shangguan Shu hesitated for a long time before speaking, "I don't know why, but when I heard you mention your cousin, I couldn't control myself..."

Zhao Ying was really hungry, and her bowl of bird's nest porridge was soon empty. Shangguan Shu refilled it for her, but there was only some left in the small bowl.

Shangguan Shu looked at Zhao Ying awkwardly, Zhao Ying smiled awkwardly, and Shangguan Shu also smiled when he saw this.

The two of them were less tense than before.

“Let’s go home and eat!”

Zhao Ying nodded.

She looked at Shangguan Shu and continued the previous topic, saying seriously, "What a coincidence! My cousin also told me privately that he couldn't stand your usual cold and elegant demeanor. He said that you are a big and strong military officer, why should you pretend to be elegant?"

Shangguan Shu was stunned for a long while after hearing this, and then his brows were drawn into a shape of "川".

He asked calmly, "What else did he tell you about me?"

Zhao Ying thought about it seriously and said truthfully: "He also said that from a man's perspective, he could see that you have me in your heart...you like me."

Zhao Ying laughed at himself and avoided Shangguan Shu's gaze. "It seems that he was wrong."

Shangguan Shu's heart was struck by these words.

like?

What does it mean to like?

In the past, he had used these two words to deceive Zhao Ying many times.

But until now, he didn't feel that he liked Zhao Ying.

Pity? Guilt? Desire?

The only thing it can’t be is love!

There was always a voice in his mind telling him clearly that the woman he loved was Huai'an.

But why, when he thought of this, his heart felt empty...

Not only is it empty, but it also hides a kind of fear...

What is he afraid of?

At this point, what else could he be afraid of?