The Queen sealed her heart and locked up her love, and the Emperor was trapped in the crematorium

Kunning Palace.

Xie Yaoqing glanced at Xiao Chengxu, who looked a little gloomy, and a trace of doubt appeared in her heart. She opened her red lips and asked calmly, "Is there anything troubling the emperor?"

In fact, this was just Xie Yaoqing's routine work, because Xiao Chengxu rarely discussed political affairs with her, and asking her would not bring any results.

It has been a rule since ancient times that the harem is not allowed to interfere in government affairs. Xie Yaoqing knows the pros and cons of this, so she will not risk the world's disapproval to break this taboo. She knows the principle of knowing when to stop. If Xiao Chengxu is unwilling to talk, she can't ask him about it.

After all, the Yongchang Marquisate was thriving. If she seemed to be overly concerned with the affairs of the previous dynasty, it might arouse the suspicion of Emperor Xiao Chengxu and make him jealous of the Marquisate.

Xiao Chengxu's eyes were fixed on Xie Yaoqing, as if he wanted to find the slightest trace of jealousy or pain through her calm face.

He longed to see her being jealous of him, or to feel the sadness and sorrow deep in her heart, to prove that she still cared about him.

Unfortunately, Xiao Chengxu was disappointed.

Xie Yaoqing's expression remained calm, and her eyes were indifferent, showing neither joy nor anger. If one had to describe Xie Yaoqing at the moment in one word, perhaps it could only be "happy" - her slightly raised eyebrows and mouth corners revealed that she was in a good mood at the moment, but this so-called "happy" had nothing to do with jealousy.

There is no woman in the world who can smile while being jealous of her husband.

Not to mention that Xie Yaoqing didn't know why Xiao Chengxu came this time, just in terms of the change in the relationship between the two, her mentality has changed. The vows of love they once made have long since become a thing of the past, and the deep affection they once had no longer existed. In this case, her words and deeds naturally changed accordingly, and she no longer had the intimacy and tenderness of the past.

"Does the Queen know..."

Xiao Chengxu spilled out all the so-called encounters in recent days, and then asked sternly: "Queen, what do you mean by this? Are you still going to be angry with me? You actually used the concubines in the harem to make me angry, and you know very well that I hate to see any of them the most. I have said long ago that taking a concubine was not my own will, but I had no choice. I always thought that the Queen could understand me and know me..."

At the end, Xiao Chengxu's face was full of disappointment, as if Xie Yaoqing had committed a heinous crime and completely let him down.

Xie Yaoqing couldn't help but sneer in his heart when he heard these words.

understand?

know?

How could she possibly understand the emperor who was so high up in the clouds? How could she understand the emperor's mind?

Once, she naively thought that she understood Xiao Chengxu, but it turned out that she was wrong. She had no idea what was going on in the heart of this man who slept with her every night. Every time she asked him, she either got a perfunctory answer or a "believe me" and boasting about his abilities.

She believed it.

But the result?

As a result, the entire Marquis's family suffered a devastating disaster, while she herself was demoted and imprisoned in the cold palace.

At this moment, she could no longer feel any empathy for Emperor Xiao Chengxu, and even felt fear and powerlessness when trying to understand him.

After understanding the reason why Xiao Chengxu was so angry, Xie Yaoqing suppressed her unhappiness and said softly, "Your Majesty, you misunderstood. I never thought of getting angry with Your Majesty. The past is over. I know I was wrong in the past. How can I still have the face to fight with Your Majesty and show my temper now?"

Xiao Chengxu was stunned when he heard this.

He could hardly believe his ears. The Queen actually declared that she was not angry with him.

So, what exactly does she want to do?

Xiao Chengxu took a deep breath, trying to calm his inner turmoil, and slowly asked: "Queen, why do you want to push me to another woman? Don't you know that apart from you, my heart can no longer accommodate anyone else? If so, why do you bother to test me in this way? Could it be that I really did something ruthless and unrighteous, and let you down, so that you, the Queen, would be the first to abandon me?"

"Betraying?"

When Xie Yaoqing heard these two words coming out of his mouth, she couldn't help but feel a palpitation. This word was too heavy, as if she had committed some unforgivable sin.

Xie Yaoqing narrowed her beautiful eyes slightly, blinked a few times in confusion, and her thick eyelashes like crow feathers trembled slightly. A trace of doubt appeared on her face, and she asked softly: "I have never thought of pushing the emperor away, and I have never intended to let other women get close to the emperor. Although I did not stop the concubines from seeking the emperor's favor, and even reminded the Jingshifang to arrange for the emperor to sleep with me, this does not mean that I don't value the emperor."

Then, Xie Yaoqing straightened her body slightly and continued in a firm tone, "Moreover, I believe that Your Majesty will not be confused by the concubines in the harem. I did not stop the concubines from competing for favors only because I knew my identity and responsibilities. As the queen of a country, I should be magnanimous and virtuous. Whether it is the ministers of the previous dynasty, the concubines in the harem or the people of the world, they all hope to see a queen with noble virtues, not a narrow-minded and jealous person. So, Your Majesty, please understand and do not misunderstand my painstaking efforts."

Even if the concubines tried every possible means to win the emperor's favor, their success still depended on Xiao Chengxu's will. If he did not favor her, then no matter how hard the concubines tried, it would be in vain. Xie Yaoqing really couldn't understand why she pushed Xiao Chengxu to other women. She just didn't stop other women from getting close to Xiao Chengxu.

She did not force Xiao Chengxu to spend the night with a concubine with a knife, nor did she tempt him to touch the concubine's green card with benefits.

Xie Yaoqing paused for a moment, gently pursed her lips and bit her teeth. Her originally beautiful face now revealed a trace of worry, grievance and melancholy.

"Your Majesty, do you know that my reputation is no longer as good as it used to be? I don't want to be despised by the world as a narrow-minded jealous woman, and I don't want to leave a bad reputation of jealousy in the history books. Your Majesty is a wise and virtuous monarch, and I am willing to be a virtuous queen to match him."

Xie Yaoqing lowered her beautiful eyes slightly, her eyes filled with sadness and loss.

Hearing this, Xiao Chengxu's face instantly became solemn, and his thoughts became more and more confused.

The Queen's words were not groundless. Compared to the beginning of his reign, the Queen's reputation was now much worse than before. Rumors about her jealousy spread like wildfire, and her harsh treatment of courtiers made her reputation even worse.

If the queen remained the same and did not change, the censors who often submitted memorials to impeach her would certainly not give up easily. Not only that, the many noble families with complicated relationships with the harem would also wait for an opportunity to move, add fuel to the flames, and even incite the dethronement of the queen.

From a rational point of view, Xiao Chengxu knew that what Xie Yaoqing said was absolutely right, and there was nothing wrong with her words and actions. They were both reasonable and fulfilled the duties of a queen.

However, on an emotional level, Xiao Chengxu found it difficult to accept this fact.

The queen now became more reasonable and sensible, and everything she did and said was in line with the secular standards for a queen, but he did not feel happy at all. Compared with the dignified and generous queen in front of him, who sat upright and reasoned with him, he missed the queen in the past who would argue with him and throw tantrums.

In other words, Xie Yaoqing didn't know what Xiao Chengxu was thinking, otherwise she would definitely say "What a bitch". Thinking back to the past, when she was being willful and throwing a tantrum, Xiao Chengxu always asked her to be well-behaved and sensible, but now, he wishes she could go back to the way she was before.

What kind of logic is this? When you don't have it, you always long for it, and when you get it, you start to miss the past. He is so greedy, he wants everything. Does he have to enjoy all the benefits in the world alone?