The Emperor's uncle loves me! My paranoid wife, don't run away

The night is as dark as ink, the sound of the wind is like a ghost's whisper, and the shadows of the trees outside the window are swaying, like peepers lurking in the darkness.

Shen Runing's eyes, with a hint of coercion, fell quietly on Concubine Jing, with a half-smile, waiting for an answer.

At that moment, Concubine Jing felt fear in her heart.

It was as if as long as she nodded, Shen Runing would kill her in the next second.

But now that things have come to this, what else can she do?

She and her father, King Jingyuan, had their paths blocked. The world had changed, and it was difficult to influence their position.

Perhaps, if they choose Shen Runing, they can still have a way out.

Concubine Jing took a deep breath and spoke softly, "Yuyao has told you, right?"

Shen Runing smiled slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes: "You told a story."

Concubine Jing nodded, and then her thoughts returned to the past again.

The past.

In the midst of this chaos, Concubine Jing entered the palace on her father's orders to meet the late queen.

She was arranged to enter the palace quietly in the silent night, riding in an inconspicuous sedan chair with green curtains. The palace road was dark, and only the chirping of insects could be heard all around, as if the palace had fallen into deathly silence.

When she arrived at Fengyi Palace, the bitter smell of medicine hit her nose, mixed with the smell of incense, heavily shrouding the air, making people feel depressed.

Inside the bedroom, the candlelight was dim.

Behind the gauze curtain, a frail figure lay quietly on the bed.

"You came."

The late queen's voice was faintly weak, as if nothing in this world could cause her any more trouble.

Concubine Jing was slightly stunned. She thought that her entry into the palace was secret and the late queen should not have known about her arrival.

But she didn't look surprised at all, even as if she was expecting it.

Her heart sank.

She did not rush to salute, but stood in front of the bed, looking at this woman who was once noble and unparalleled but now looked haggard.

The late queen was extremely beautiful. Even though she was weak, she still had a natural dignity. Her eyes fell quietly on Concubine Jing, as if she could see through everything about her.

"King Jingyuan asked you to come?"

Concubine Jing nodded slowly: "Father asked me to come and tell... tell a story."

The late queen smiled lightly, as if sarcastically sighing, "I have been ill for a long time, and it is time to listen to a story to ease my mood."

At that time, Concubine Jing knew nothing about what was happening in the imperial city, and she didn't understand why she had to come and tell stories to the late queen.

Of course, I don’t know what this story means.

Shen Runing was a little impatient.

Looking at Concubine Jing’s face, which was beautiful despite her illness.

Her fingers gently fell on the side of Concubine Jing's face. Her fingertips were warm and cool, and they slowly moved down along her delicate jaw, across her slender neck, and finally stopped above her collarbone.

At that moment, Concubine Jing felt her whole body stiffen slightly, as if she was being stared at by a poisonous snake lurking in the dark, ready to be torn apart if she was not careful.

She swallowed unconsciously and looked up at Shen Runing.

The smile on the other person's lips was still there, but his eyes were as deep as the sea, making them hard to see through and understand.

"Royal Concubine, what did you say?" Shen Runing's voice was neither hurried nor slow, as if she was just asking casually, but the hand that fell on Royal Concubine Jing's neck did not move away. Instead, it tightened slightly, revealing a sense of oppression.

Concubine Jing's breathing stagnated for a long time. She whispered, "Shen Runing, are we on the same ship now?"

Shen Runing chuckled, his posture lazy, like a cunning fox watching its prey fall into the net.

"I can be in the same boat with anyone," she said, narrowing her eyes meaningfully.

"only……"

Imperial Concubine Jing frowned slightly and asked in a deep voice, "Just what?"

Shen Runing knocked on the table and said indifferently: "I just don't know if we are going in the same direction."

As soon as these words came out, Concubine Jing's heart was immediately stirred.

Of course, she understood what she was hinting at - the premise of working together is to have the same goal, rather than taking advantage of each other and then turning against each other.

He lowered his eyes, thought for a moment, and then slowly spoke: "After the Golden Scale War is over, Your Majesty..."

"My father and I might become abandoned children."

Shen Runing sneered and withdrew his hand, but there was no trace of surprise in his eyes, as if everything was within his expectations: "Oh, Your Majesty has always been suspicious. If Prince Jingyuan has lost his usefulness, it is not surprising that he is abandoned."

Concubine Jing sighed softly, a trace of struggle flashed across her eyes, then she raised her eyes, looked at Shen Runing, and spoke in a decisive tone.

“Tian Yan originally belonged to King Ruyang, and now belongs to Luo Mian.”

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became more depressing.

Shen Runing was silent for a few seconds, then slowly laughed.

"Our direction."

“Much the same.”

Concubine Jing finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if she had made up her mind at this moment.

Her fingers tightened slightly, and her tone was low and complicated: "Back then, I didn't know what that simple story meant."

"But as the days and months change, and the cycle repeats itself..." She took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes, as if to let everything from the past settle down.

“It slowly dawned on me.”

Concubine Jing's voice echoed softly in the silent palace, with a hint of depth and emotion. Memories that were far away emerged in her eyes, just like the time that had passed, gradually becoming an untouchable fantasy.

"It's a story called 'The Choice of the Phoenix'."

Shen Runing's eyes narrowed slightly, as if she had heard the beginning of a puzzle. Her gaze was fixed on Concubine Jing, waiting for her further narration.

"A long, long time ago, there was a mythical bird called the Phoenix, which lived among the sea of ​​clouds for generations. The Phoenix clan had an ancient curse - every time a newborn phoenix hatched, the mother phoenix's life would come to an end."

"When the little phoenix Chiyu was just born, his mother was already very weak, but she still used up her last bit of strength to wrap Chiyu with her feathers to protect him from the wind and frost at high altitudes."

"Little Phoenix didn't understand. He looked at his weak mother and couldn't understand why she was like this."

"He asked his mother, 'Mom, why are you doing this?'"

"The mother phoenix gently stroked his tender wings and smiled tenderly. She said: 'My child, the life of the Phoenix family is like a blazing flame. Only by burning ourselves can we light up the hope of the next generation.'"

"After saying this, she turned into a ball of fire and drifted away in the wind, while Akabane's wings grew, and she was finally able to soar between heaven and earth on her own."

"Later, Chiyu became the greatest king of the Phoenix Clan. His wings burned with the glory of his mother, illuminating the entire sea of ​​clouds."

A moment of silence fell over the two of them.

There seemed to be a suffocating feeling of oppression in the air, just like the inner turmoil of Concubine Jing at the moment.

Then she spoke again, her tone low and complex: "The continuation of life sometimes requires sacrifice. Leaving the mother and leaving the child is not ruthless, but the deepest love in the world."

Shen Runing muttered to himself.

"Go away, and keep the child."

"What a good plan to leave the mother and keep the child."