After the failed attempt to pretend to be dead, the sickly child was favored by the treacherous mini

After returning from the Golden Palace, Xia Hong locked himself in the study room of the Golden Palace.

Xia Hong didn't dare to see Zhong Yuanyuan.

For women all over the world, this position and title represents absolute honor, but for Zhong Yuanyuan it is a shame.

Xia Hong knew it, but he still did it.

Xia Hong, who was caught off guard by Li Yuan's death, suddenly felt a change of mood when he mentioned Zhong Yuanyuan.

He was afraid that Zhong Yuanyuan would take the throne of Empress Dowager, walk back to the court officials, use her former power to recruit officials for Xia Territory, and then force him to lose control of the court.

He's afraid.

He has always been a little afraid of his eldest sister-in-law Zhong Yuanyuan.

But the more afraid he was, the more Xia Hong wanted to trample the fear in his heart under his feet.

Therefore, when he issued the final decree, he swallowed the word "Empress" and uttered the words "Imperial Noble Consort".

Shen Jinmo, who was brought back to the Golden Palace, stood outside the red wooden door, his sharp eagle eyes calmly looking at the snowstorm that had never stopped.

Listening to the heavier breathing in the hall than before, Shen Jinmo silently sensed that the king of a country was acting in the name of guilt but was actually testing him.

Shen Jinmo felt somewhat fortunate in his heart. If Xia Hong had not personally overturned his so-called sincerity at the last moment, he would have had to suffer heavy losses if he wanted to escape from the palace today.

Xia Hong's debt to Zhong Yuanyuan will eventually turn into extraordinary forgiveness towards Shen Jinmo.

Forgive a sword that accidentally turned against its master and wounded him.

Between the red, white and golden colors that the eyes touched, a figure wearing a white dress and a purple cloak appeared.

Zhong Luoyue personally carried the food box and walked among the carved beams and painted buildings with several palace maids and eunuchs.

Although the distance was still far, Shen Jinmo had already knelt on his knees towards the person who was coming.

He did not greet or look up, but just knelt on the ground reverently.

Stopping in front of Shen Jinmo, Zhong Yuanyuan helped Shen Jinmo up with one hand, and the palace maid who had been instructed behind her handed him another food box.

The time for lunch had long passed, and Xia Hong wanted to demonstrate his true repentance by going on a hunger strike, so Shen Jinmo naturally couldn't eat anything.

Zhong Yuanyuan pointed to the side hall and said, "Go in and have your meal first. The emperor will summon you later if he has something else to do."

Shen Jinmo took the lunch box steadily and grasped the handle of the lunch box: "Have you eaten yet?"

Nodding lightly, Zhong Yuanyuan urged gently, but with an irresistible tone: "Good boy, go ahead."

The sound of the side hall door opening was heard, and Zhong Yuanyuan walked towards the study.

Without knocking, Zhong Yuanyuan pushed open the heavy wooden door with one hand, glanced at the king who was sitting on the steps in the hall with his head lowered, and walked towards the table.

He opened the lunch box, took out the noodles and placed them on the wooden table: "Your Majesty, do you want to chat while we eat?"

It seemed like something that required Xia Hong's consent, but when Zhong Yuanyuan said it, it sounded like a calm decision.

Xia Hong raised his head slightly and looked into the eyes of Zhong Yuanyuan who was sitting in front of the eight-immortals table.

The person in front of him had a calm expression, showing no signs of anger or resentment.

Xia Hong felt mixed emotions.

A fact that made Xia Hong extremely helpless came to light.

Zhong Yuanyuan didn't care at all about the status given to her by Xia Hong.

No matter whether Xia Hong gave Zhong Yuanyuan the title of a talented person or a heir to a country, Zhong Yuanyuan didn't care.

He stood up from the ground silently, and all his emotions were slowly suppressed as he walked towards where Zhong Yuanyuan was.

Picking up the chopsticks and taking a bite of the warm noodles, Xia Hong felt much more relieved.

"Did Yuan Yuan make this himself?"

"Ah."

Xia Hong ate the noodles a little more vigorously, his eyes and eyebrows showing a bit of smile: "I can taste it in one bite, only the noodles made by my eldest sister-in-law are this delicious."

During those days of uprising, the only time we could eat noodles was on our birthdays or New Year’s Eve.

Every year during those years for Xia Hong, this bowl of noodles cooked by his eldest sister-in-law was indispensable.

Therefore, his eldest sister-in-law must also remember those years and those good things.

After eating half of the bowl of noodles, Xia Hong slowed down his eating speed, and the guilt in his heart became more real.

"Yuanyuan, I promised you the position of queen, and I will definitely give it to you in the future."

"Now that Zhong Luoyue has been deposed, the affairs of the harem are completely handed over to you."

"No."

Refuse.

Zhong Yuanyuan was the first person in the harem who dared to directly reject Xia Hong.

Over the years, Xia Hong has long been accustomed to it.

"Is the eldest sister-in-law still angry?"

Just by asking this question, Xia Hong felt a tinge of excitement in his heart.

If Zhong Yuanyuan answered "yes", Xia Hong felt that he could change the decree tomorrow and make Zhong Yuanyuan the queen.

However, it is not necessarily.

"No." A very gentle voice, with Zhong Yuanyuan's words of explanation: "I came to the emperor's side not to be his concubine, but to be Yu'er's mother."

After a pause, Zhong Yuanyuan added: "And the hostess of this golden palace."

As for the rest, it's not important.

Xia Hong tightened his grip on the chopsticks, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, but it disappeared in an instant.

"Then why are you unwilling to manage this harem for me?"

"The harem is the emperor's harem, not the harem of this golden palace."

After another long silence, Zhong Yuanyuan picked up the teacup and took a sip: "I am old now, and I really can't stand the complicated calculations in the harem."

"What's the big deal?" He finished his noodles and the soup. "If anyone doesn't obey you, just give the order to kill him."

"With me as your backer, you don't have to be afraid of anything."

Zhong Yuanyuan once again skipped Xia Hong's words and cleared the dishes herself: "I just asked Xiao Mo to have dinner. Do you want me to call Xiao Mo in for the emperor?"

The cause and effect of today's incident had already reached Zhong Yuanyuan's ears. Based on her understanding of Xia Hong, Shen Jinmo, who was deeply involved in it, might not end up well.

Rather than saying that Zhong Yuanyuan came here today to comfort Xia Hong, it would be more accurate to say that Zhong Yuanyuan came here for Shen Jinmo.

She wanted to bring Xia Hong back to his senses. She couldn't let him make an inappropriate decision in anger.

Xia Hong helped Zhong Yuanyuan to stand up: "I will take care of it, Yuanyuan, go back and rest first, I will come to have dinner with you later."

After personally sending Zhong Yuanyuan off for a while, Xia Hong took the oil-paper umbrella from Eunuch Lin and said, "Call Wang Heng over. I have something to say to him."

Shen Jinmo walked out of the side hall, refused the oil-paper umbrella handed to him by Eunuch Lin, and walked alone to Xia Hong's side in the snow.

The snow fell heavier and heavier, landing on Shen Jinmo's official hat and robes, and soon accumulated into a thick layer.

The king and his ministers, who were gathered together for a conversation, did not speak a word. They just walked quietly in the snow.

Xia Hong raised his head and looked forward, taking in the snow-covered palace and the world.

Shen Jinmo looked down at his feet, seeing the bloody footprints left behind wherever the boots passed.

The ground under Shen Jinmo's feet was stained with thick blood, and every step he took was a record of the people who died in vain.