Wearing a book, hooking him up

After Jun Zechen finished reviewing all the memorials in his study, he slowly raised his head and looked out the window at the sky. The rosy clouds in the sky were as gorgeous as brocade.

Before I knew it, it was already this time.

He stretched his slightly stiff body, stood up and walked towards the bedroom.

The steps were steady yet a little anxious.

As soon as I stepped into the bedroom, a palace maid from Yude Hall came out of the bedroom.

"Slave, please see His Highness the Crown Prince."

The maid quickly bowed and saluted, with awe in her voice.

Jun Zechen nodded slightly and walked straight in without looking around.

At a glance, the bed was empty, and the beauty was no longer there.

"Where's the concubine?"

Jun Zechen's brows slightly frowned, his face darkened, and his voice unconsciously rose a few degrees.

"Your Highness, the concubine just said that she was weak and had no appetite, and she has returned to Shuining Palace."

The palace maid at the door had been waiting at the door of the bedroom since she saw the prince coming. When she heard the prince's question, she immediately walked in quickly and answered respectfully, keeping her head lowered and not daring to look directly at the prince.

Jun Zechen sat on the bed, his face changing from gloomy to bright, his emotions difficult to understand.

Is he being petty again?

Because I didn't accompany her in the afternoon?

But I just told her when I left that we would have dinner together in the evening, so why did you suddenly go back to Shuening Palace?

Jun Zechen was full of doubts.

He raised his eyes and looked at the palace maid, his gaze seemed to be able to penetrate people's hearts.

"The concubine has been resting in the bedroom this afternoon. Has she done anything wrong?"

"Your Highness, the concubine woke up half an hour ago and seemed to like the flowers on your bedside. She even asked me to bring a small basin of water. Then she sat on the bedside and fiddled with the orchid."

The maid lowered her head and answered respectfully.

I can still recall the scene at that time.

The concubine looked really beautiful.

She had just woken up, wearing a light gauze dress, her cloud-like hair casually tied to one side, with a few strands of hair hanging beside her cheek.

Her slender jade fingers lightly dipped into the water, and water droplets sparkled on the fingertips, as crystal clear as pearls. Then the concubine lazily and casually touched her wet fingers to the cymbidium in the vase.

The posture is charming and attractive, and the flower beauty is even more beautiful.

No wonder His Highness likes such a beauty. He even lets the concubine rest in his bedroom, an honor that the Crown Princess has never had before.

After recalling it, the maid straightened her expression.

She continued, "The concubine doesn't like other people in the bedroom. When she was fiddling with Huilan, the servants all left. A quarter of an hour ago, the concubine suddenly felt a little unwell, so she returned to the Shuining Palace."

She paused, then added: "The concubine looked a little pale at the time, and she looked uncomfortable, and her steps were a little flustered."

After hearing this, Jun Zechen turned his head to look at Huilan at the head of the bed, his eyes filled with indescribable complex emotions.

She...found out?

"You all stand down."

Jun Zechen spoke in a cold voice and did not say much.

After everyone left, Jun Zechen shifted his gaze to Huilan. There were drops of water on the petals, and there seemed to be traces of water on the long leaves as if they had been run by fingers.

The water droplets on the leaves are shaky, as if they will fall at any time.

But Jun Zechen's gaze did not stay on the flowers for too long. Instead, he moved his gaze downward and stared at a delicate pattern in the middle of the vase.

He reached out his hand and touched it gently.

wet.

Jun Zechen's eyes became darker, like a bottomless cold pond.

Then he pressed the mechanism, and the secret letters inside were left intact. Jun Zechen took out all the secret letters again, without even changing the order.

Did she restore it on purpose? Did she not want him to know that she had read these secret letters?

Jun Zechen took out several secret letters related to the Su family. When he turned to the last page, he found water stains on it.

Is this... a tear?

Jun Zechen had a complicated expression and he tightened his grip on the letter paper.

Cried?

Isn't that quite courageous? Since you saw it all, why didn't you confront him?

What was she thinking when she saw these letters?

Scared?

Jun Zechen never had women living in his bedroom, and his Yude Hall was guarded by secret guards every day. He protected his place very strictly.

However, the East Palace's study would summon some ministers from time to time, so Jun Zechen would put some secret letters in the bedroom.

Unexpectedly, the first time I let her in to rest, she was discovered.

This is a smart move.

Sometimes Jun Zechen thought she was stupid, because in a place like the palace, disguise was the most necessary, but she never concealed her emotions, including her vanity and scheming. She was honest and fearless.

He thought she was smart because she was a talented woman who could appreciate poetry with him and a chess friend who was on par with him. Now he had discovered another advantage of hers: she was very meticulous.

To Jun Zechen, the closer something is to his eyes, the less deliberate it is. So Jun Zechen simply put such a confidential letter in plain sight, which would not arouse suspicion.

But I didn't expect that this little girl had such sharp eyes.

Jun Zechen also has a headache about the Su family.

Ever since he found out that he couldn't bear to be kind to her, Jun Zechen has hinted to the Su family many times, but that old fox Su Hongyu has been trying to mediate with him and has not shown any attitude.

Originally, Jun Zechen thought that if Su Hongyu still hindered him from unifying the surrounding countries after he ascended the throne, he would directly strip him of his power. For Su Jingyao's sake, he could give him a title as a token of favor.

However, when these secret letters were written, the treatment of the Su family was not what we think now. It would be much more cruel.

she......

Jun Zechen put all the secret letters back, slowly stood up and walked out of Yude Hall.

After carefully disguising everything in the Yude Hall to be what she wanted, Su Jingyao almost "fled" under the gaze of the palace maids.

She walked hurriedly, her skirt flying, and she returned to Shuening Palace in a panic, as if something terrible was chasing her.

Su Jingyao would not be so foolish as to stand in the Yude Hall, impulsively pointing at the pile of secret letters and questioning a former emperor desperately.

Was she going to ask him, "Is your love for me fake?"

"Is your favor just a smokescreen to confuse the Su family?"

Or "Are you really going to deal with the Su family? Are you going to destroy the Su family?"

......

Different positions lead to different actions, and these "whys" are meaningless.

Besides, no matter what she asked, it would be beyond the rules for an emperor without love, not to mention that it was a taboo for women in the harem to touch upon state affairs. Su Jingyao would not be so stupid as to put herself in such a passive and disadvantageous position.

She just "accidentally" discovered the secret letter.

If Jun Zechen didn't care about her and was just using her, then he would either kill her or pretend he didn't know.

If Jun Zechen cared about her, he would definitely come and ask clearly, and "force" her to speak out what was in her mind instead of her asking proactively.

Kill two birds with one stone.

Su Jingyao, who was sitting on the couch thinking, had a serious expression on her face. Her delicate face, which she had carefully applied some powder upon coming back, now looked a little pale and bloodless.

Her brows were furrowed, her eyes seemed filled with deep worry and uneasiness, and her lips were tightly pursed.

Build up your emotions first.

Jun Zechen should be here soon.

"Master, His Highness will be here soon."

Miaoyun reported that she didn't know what happened to her master in Yude Hall.

Su Jingyao chuckled, but there was no trace of joy in her laughter.

"Let's go out and welcome His Highness."

She seldom waited for Jun Zechen to come outside the palace, but today she naturally had to follow the rules in front of him.

She slowly stood up, straightened her clothes and hair, straightened her back and walked out.

Before Jun Zechen arrived at Shuening Palace, he saw a graceful girl standing outside the palace from afar, with her head slightly lowered, quietly waiting for him.

The figure looked a little thin and lonely in the afterglow of the setting sun.

Today is the rule.

Jun Zechen's eyes darkened instantly.

He quickened his pace and walked over with big strides, bringing up a breeze.

"I pay my respects to His Highness."

Su Jingyao tried hard to keep her voice calm, but the slightly trembling ending of her voice seemed unable to completely hide the turmoil in her heart no matter how she disguised herself.

Jun Zechen helped her up and was about to take her hand to lead them into the hall, but Su Jingyao shrank back reflexively. Then, as if she realized something, she took the initiative to put her hand in Jun Zechen's.

Jun Zechen glanced at her sideways and didn't say anything about her abnormal behavior.

Inside the hall, the two sat opposite each other. Su Jingyao lowered her head with her hands folded, looking very polite and seemed a little uneasy.

Miaoyun poured the tea swiftly and then retreated quietly with everyone else.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Su Jingyao raised her eyes cautiously, raised the corners of her mouth, and tried hard to force a smile, but the smile seemed forced.

"Your Highness, would you like some tea?"

Jun Zechen looked at her quietly, pretending to know nothing. Did she know that her smile was ugly now?

For the first time, I felt confused and wondered what the woman in front of me was thinking.

After seeing the secret letter that showed that the family was being targeted by him, shouldn't we question him or even beg him not to do this?

"Didn't I ask you to wait for me for dinner?"

Jun Zechen's voice was low and no emotion could be heard, and he seemed to be testing her.

"I am not feeling well and I am afraid I can't eat anything. I don't want Your Highness to see me and affect my appetite, so I went back to Shuining Palace."

Su Jingyao's voice became smaller and smaller.

"Your Highness has not eaten yet. I will ask the palace maids to bring your meal."

Jun Zechen looked at her and felt that she was completely different from the bright and outspoken her in the afternoon, and he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

Her eyes were always bright when she spoke before, but now they were a little dim, and the smiling expression at the corners of her eyes disappeared. Instead, her eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes deliberately avoided him.

Jun Zechen's ring turned on his slender finger.

"No, I'm not hungry."

His tone was cold, and then he asked casually, "Did you water the orchids in the Solitary Bedroom today?"

When mentioning Huilan, Su Jingyao's body shook uncontrollably.

"I saw that the cymbidium was blooming beautifully, so I dipped some water to moisten it." Her voice trembled slightly.

Jun Zechen lowered his eyes, his deep gaze falling directly on the top of her head.

"Did you see the letter inside?"

"without......"

Su Jingyao subconsciously wanted to deny it, but when she looked up in an instant she saw the man's eyes as deep as the sea, as if he could see through everything.

Everything about her was exposed to him.

Su Jingyao's voice stopped abruptly.

She lowered her head and bit her lower lip lightly, her pearly teeth leaving a faint mark on her pink lips.

No more words were spoken, and the hall fell into dead silence.