It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

"This was found from that woman. She has been carrying it with her since she was a child. Your Majesty, please take a look and see if it belongs to the princess."

When Emperor Xuan saw the pair of tiger-head shoes, he was so excited that he couldn't express it in words. He stood up solemnly, walked to her, and took the shoes personally.

However, when he noticed the sea pearls inlaid on the uppers, his eyes, which were originally filled with joy, suddenly froze and turned into indifference.

Xue Fei watched this scene from afar and had a bad feeling in her heart.

Zheng Yinyin had not yet noticed this subtle change. She was secretly happy in her heart and looked forward to the emperor's further favor.

Emperor Xuan suddenly put away the sternness on his face and continued to smile at Zheng Yinyin, "Thank you for your hard work, Fourth Miss. I have been looking for my sister for more than ten years. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would never see her again in this life."

After he finished speaking, he called the eunuch beside him, "Come here, give me the reward!"

Zheng Yinyin was overjoyed when she heard this, and immediately knelt down to pay her respects, shedding tears of gratitude.

Emperor Xuan paused for a moment and said in a dignified voice, "A reward of ten thousand taels of gold and a thousand kilograms of pearls and gems!"

Zheng Yinyin's lips curled up into an unconcealable smile, and her voice was filled with joy and gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your kindness."

Emperor Xuan's eyes suddenly turned, becoming deep and complex, and he tightly grasped the tiger-head shoes in his hand.

He spoke again, his tone firm: "Prepare another boat. Today, I want to enjoy the rippling blue waves with Miss Zheng Si and swim in this boundless lake together!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." Upon hearing the voice, the young eunuchs hurriedly bowed their heads and agreed. They hurried their steps and in a flash they were busy beside the pavilion, preparing the small and exquisite boat.

The sunlight shines on their busy figures, casting a golden glow.

Zheng Yinyin looked up at the boat that would carry her and His Majesty to spend some time alone together, her fingers trembling slightly with an indescribable excitement and anticipation.

Her face was filled with an irrepressible smile and her heart was beating like a deer. Being able to go boating alone with His Majesty was undoubtedly the scene she had always dreamed of.

A man and a woman were riding on a boat together. There was no need for words to describe the feelings between them; they were understood without words.

Her cheeks were lightly flushed, and she felt an indescribable excitement and sweetness in her heart as she thought that her long-cherished wish was about to come true.

At this moment, the emperor stretched out his hand to her. It was a broad and powerful palm, with the majesty and tenderness unique to an emperor.

He gently took her hand and led her into the cabin.

The emperor's palms were cold, in stark contrast to the gentle smile on his face.

Zheng Yinyin felt the chill, but it was quickly melted by the joy in her heart.

She slowly sat down with him, and the boat swayed gently, slowly moving towards the center of the lake.

The boat was as light as a leaf, just enough to accommodate the world of two people, and everything around them became the background.

The emperor narrowed his eyes and stared at the shimmering lake in front of him. His eyes were deep and distant.

"This Changming Lake was dug by my father for my mother." He spoke slowly, his voice low and magnetic.

"There is also a Changming Lake in my mother's hometown. My father saw that she was homesick, so he mobilized manpower and material resources, and after months of hard work, we finally had this lake in front of us."

Zheng Yinyin listened and wondered in her heart whether His Majesty was using the parental relationship to implicitly express his deep affection for her?

The emperor held the shoe tightly in his hand and gently stroked the pearls inlaid on it.

"Unfortunately, my mother doesn't like this place very much and has only been here a few times." There was a hint of loneliness in his words.

When Zheng Yinyin heard this, although she had a thousand words in her heart, she didn't dare to speak easily. She just listened quietly, for fear of interrupting these heavy memories.

The emperor's fingers gently fiddled with the pearl, and suddenly changed the subject: "Do you know how the queen mother passed away?"

His question made Zheng Yinyin's heart tighten. She stammered, her voice as thin as a mosquito: "I don't know."

The emperor lowered his eyes, and his gaze turned cold and hard from an angle that she couldn't see: "I was forced by my father."

These words made Zheng Yinyin's smile freeze instantly. She tightly grasped the handkerchief in her hand, her body leaning against the side of the boat involuntarily, with turbulent waves surging in her heart.

The emperor seemed to be lost in a self-dialogue, and said in a faint voice: "That's why I hate him. I often wake up in my dreams and want to go to the imperial mausoleum. He is not worthy of sleeping with my mother."

His words were filled with deep hatred. "Later, I dug up the imperial mausoleum, took out my mother's ashes, and scattered them in this Changming Lake. I don't think my mother would want to rest in the same tomb with him."

Zheng Yinyin sat restlessly, her back straight, listening to this shocking story with mixed feelings.

The emperor slowly raised his eyes, his peach blossom eyes were full of indifference and gloom, and even revealed a hint of murderous intent that made people's heart palpitate: "My aunt often said that I look like my mother, but in fact I know that I am the same as that person."

He said decisively, "What we cannot tolerate most is being deceived."

After saying that, he suddenly pulled and tore off the fake pearls on the shoes. His action was so fast that Zheng Yinyin was caught off guard.

The handkerchief in her hand accidentally fell into the lake, splashing ripples.

"Your Majesty..." Zheng Yinyin's face turned from red to white, her eyes widened, full of fear and panic.

Her hands were shaking as she clutched the side of the boat, her nails digging deep into the wood. Her lips were slightly parted, but she was too frightened to make any sound.

The emperor spread out his hands, looked at the fake pearl, and sneered: "You are as bold as your aunt."

His tone was full of sarcasm, "How dare you fool me with a fake shoe!"

Zheng Yinyin loosened her grip on the side of the boat, knelt on the ground, and cried, "Your Majesty, I really didn't know that this pair of shoes was fake! It was only because it was so similar to your Majesty's that I dared to come and report it."

The emperor looked down at her, his eyes full of scrutiny: "Do you think I'm a fool? Tell me, where did this shoe come from?"

The style of that pair of shoes was unique, and no one knew about it except him and his sister, especially the exquisite embroidery, which was almost indistinguishable from the real thing.

Zheng Yinyin was trembling all over, tears rolling down her cheeks like beads from a broken string: "Your Majesty, I really don't know. I just picked up this shoe by accident."

"What about that peasant girl? Didn't you say she was my sister?" The emperor's voice was as cold as ice.

Zheng Yinyin gritted her teeth and tried to hold back her tears as she answered, "That woman deceived me, saying that she was a princess. I was confused for a moment and believed her."

The emperor bent down, pinched her chin, and forced her to look up: "Don't you understand by now? I hate being deceived the most!"

Zheng Yinyin's body trembled violently, and she begged for mercy incoherently from her throat: "Your Majesty, it is true. I was also deceived by that village girl. Please understand your majesty!"

The emperor loosened his hand, letting her fall to the ground, then he pulled out a dagger from his waist and stabbed it into the bottom of the boat.

With a "click" sound, a crack appeared on the bottom of the boat, and the lake water poured in silently, freezing cold.