Peach Blossom.

The drizzle outside the window was falling, crackling on the ground.

Tao Ye lay quietly on the bed, listening to the sound of rain falling, her head feeling empty.

She was alone in the room now.

Tian Le had lived in the palace for many days and was really worried about her father. Tao Ye had already woken up, so Tian Le pleaded with Chen Ji to go back home and live there, and instead go to the palace every day to check Tao Ye's pulse. Chen Ji agreed.

Before leaving the palace, Tian Le also told Tao Ye about it. Tao Ye could naturally hear it, but there was no difference between hearing it and not hearing it.

Ever since Tao Ye was no longer in a coma, she slept for very short periods of time and never dreamed of Wang Jing again. It was as if Wang Jing had completely disappeared from her life.

Did he really disappear?

Every time she thought of this, Tao Ye felt as if she had been struck by a bolt from the blue, and she felt cold from head to toe.

The rain outside was getting heavier and heavier. Tao Ye had been lying there motionless for too long. Her whole body was stiff and numb, and every cell in her body had lost consciousness.

Suddenly, she felt a slight movement in her stomach.

She realized that she had been motionless for many days, but the child was not. The child was still moving. That was probably the only thought Wang Jing left for her...

Child...are you hungry?

Tao Ye asked herself in her heart.

"If you keep sleeping day and night like this, without eating or drinking, even if you can hold on, the baby in your belly will starve to death..." Tian Le had told her.

Tao Ye remembered that there should be food on the table. It was sent by Tian Le before he left the palace, and he repeatedly urged her to eat.

She slowly pressed her fingers against the bed and tried to get up. Only then did she realize that it was really difficult for her to move after not getting up for so long.

When the two maids guarding the door outside saw Taoye was about to get up, they hurried in and helped Taoye to the bedside.

"Get out." Tao Ye said these two words coldly.

The maids did not dare to disobey and had to go out again.

Tao Ye just tried to stretch her arms, moving little by little, and finally sat up by herself. She pushed her legs and shook them slightly left and right. Gradually she regained consciousness, put on her shoes, and took two steps forward.

She looked at the food on the table, picked up a piece of light and soft pastry, put it to her lips and took a small bite.

Maybe because she hadn't eaten for many days, this bite was so uncomfortable for her that she almost choked. She quickly drank a sip of water, but choked again.

She pressed her chest, suppressed her cough, and forced herself to swallow.

As for what the food tasted like, Tao Ye had no idea. At this moment, she remembered that Wang Jing had lost his sense of taste a long time ago, and now... she felt as if she had lost her sense of taste either.

Tao Ye had never known that food could be so difficult to swallow.

She really couldn't eat any more, so she put the cake down again and turned to walk towards the bed.

However, after taking just one bite, Cai Ling, who was peeping through the window, saw it and hurriedly reported it to Chen Ji as if it were a big deal.

When Chen Ji heard that Tao Ye was willing to eat, it was like joy from heaven. He hurriedly followed Cai Ling to spy on her.

By then Tao Ye had returned to the bed and vaguely heard footsteps approaching the window. She glanced sideways and saw that the window paper did not cover the window completely and there was a small hole in the corner.

It turned out that someone had been peeping, and Tao Ye casually pulled the curtain beside the bed.

Before Chen Ji could see Tao Ye, he only saw the shaking curtain.

No one in this world likes to be peeped at or monitored, and he understands this best.

"In the future...if there is no special need, you don't have to watch her so closely. As long as she doesn't become depressed or escape from the palace, try to let her be free as much as possible." Chen Ji whispered to Cai Ling.

Cai Ling obeyed the order.

Chen Ji scanned the room through the crack in the window again and said, "Also, replace the food in the room as soon as it gets cold. It's so cold, so you need to replace it more frequently. She may want to eat or not want to eat. When you replace it, try not to disturb her."

Cai Ling took the order again.

The rain was still falling. Although Chen Ji held an umbrella, when he returned to the bedroom, his body was still a little wet, and his hair stuck to his face.

He took out a small mirror and while fixing his temples, he saw two small scars at the corner of his right eyebrow.

That was a prank Shen Hui played on him when he first came to Beijing from Yongchang that year.

He clearly remembered that Tao Ye trimmed his bangs for him personally, which not only covered the two scars but also made him look younger.

He still remembered the night when he drank too much at Mei Xiang She and bumped into the railing on the second floor and almost fell down. It was Tao Ye who pulled him up.

He looked at the small mirror in his hand again, which was also given by Tao Ye. At that time, Tao Ye had not yet fallen in love with Wang Jing, and her eyes were full of sincerity towards him.

At that time, Tao Ye, unwilling to be misunderstood by him, actually cut her neck with a sword. Not only was she injured, but she also bled green, exposing her special identity.

At that time, Tao Ye cried bitterly after he drank the so-called "poison wine" given by Si Yaoci, and also accepted his affectionate kiss.

At that time, Tao Ye, in order to cover his departure, plunged herself into a sea of ​​fire, and then escaped from danger. She did not blame him at all.

That night at the foot of Ghost Mountain, the two of them sat around the campfire and talked for a long time. He said goodbye to her because he was preparing to travel far away to Yongchang.

Tao Ye looked very sad at that time, so he said to her, "If you can't bear to leave me, why don't you come with me!"

Tao Ye's answer was: "I... I'm lazy, and I'm afraid of a life of wandering. The days when you don't know where you'll be tomorrow make you feel insecure... I hope to stay in one place stably, even if life is not particularly abundant, even if I have to endure the wrath of others..."

I don’t know whether Tao Ye’s words were true or just excuses, but Chen Ji believed them.

Not only did he believe it, he also made a solemn promise: "Give me some time, I will create the life you want for you, a stable, prosperous life where you will not be bullied by anyone and you don't have to look at anyone's face. When the time comes, I will come to pick you up."

However, the next time they met, Tao Ye was with another man, the person he hated most in his life.

He often fantasized, if he had not left at that time, if he had stayed with Tao Ye, would the outcome have been different?

Unfortunately, at that time, he always regarded revenge for his father as the top priority in his life, and his mind was full of how to use Si Yuan's power to overthrow Chen Xi and take back everything his father wanted to leave him.

The most direct consequence of this was that Si Yuan granted him a marriage.

Why could Wang Jing request to annul his marriage with Si Yao and marry Tao Ye as he wished just because he had made contributions to Si Yuan?

Why did he have to accept the arranged marriage and marry Si Rong, who was spying on him, and be submissive to him every day after he had made contributions to Si Yuan?

Why? Why?

All the way to today, Chen Ji doesn't know whether he is too successful or too unsuccessful.

Looking at the mirror, Chen Ji smiled again and again.

"Your Majesty, the Left Prime Minister requests to see you." At the door, a report came from the eunuch Zhuo Jin.

Chen Ji suddenly remembered that it was he who sent someone to summon Chen Liang to the palace.

Just before he went to see Tao Ye, he was worrying about who would be the queen.

The vacancy of the throne of Queen has aroused much criticism. If the ceremony of enthroning the Queen could be held in the first month of next year, it would be a good omen for the beginning of the new year. Now that the first month of the year is not far away, Si Rong refuses to enter the palace, which makes him helpless.

"Let him in." Chen Ji ordered Zhuo Jin.

Zhuo Jin then shouted outside, "Summon the Left Prime Minister to come in."

A servant outside collected Chen Liang's umbrella. Chen Liang walked quickly into the hall and paid homage to Chen Ji.

"Uncle, please stand up." Chen Ji stood up and walked over to help Chen Liang up personally: "Is your injury better, uncle?"

Chen Liang bowed and said, "It's just a minor injury. Thanks to Your Majesty's concern, I'm much better now."

Chen Ji nodded and waved to Zhuo Jin.

Zhuo Jin hurriedly stepped out of the door and closed it.

Here, Chen Ji motioned Chen Liang to come forward and went straight to the point: "I called my uncle here because of the matter of establishing the queen... Rong'er hates me and refuses to enter the palace. If this matter is delayed for a long time, the rumors outside will be even more disadvantageous to me. Is there any way to make her change her mind?"

Chen Liang smiled slightly and bowed again: "Your Majesty, I have been thinking about this matter for many days. I do have an idea, but I am afraid Your Majesty will not listen."

Chen Ji was puzzled. "If the idea is feasible, why wouldn't I listen to it?"

Chen Liang smiled and said, "I'm afraid it will take a long time to expect Princess Si Rong to listen to my advice. I think the only way to succeed is to put pressure on her. My idea has three steps. I hope Your Majesty will agree to listen to me patiently before I can speak."

Chen Ji had no choice but to nod: "Uncle, just tell me!"

Chen Liang said, "The first step is to have the King of Hexi and Madam Han move to Yongfu Palace."

Chen Ji frowned and thought deeply. Yongfu Palace was located outside the inner palace and within the second palace wall. It was also the residence of the princes when Qi was first established. This location was suitable for Chengzong's concubines and Si Yan to live there... But everyone in and outside the court knew that Yongfu Palace had been abandoned long ago. When the Zhao brothers rebelled and Zhongzong fled to the west, many concubines and princesses who did not have time to escape were driven to Yongfu Palace to be humiliated and killed...

"Will this anger Rong'er? I can't just force her into the palace. Since she is my queen, I should also make peace with her. Otherwise, how can we get along in the future?"

Chen Liang smiled and shook his head. "So there must be a second and third step. Please ask the emperor to take Madam Zhang into the palace while granting the King of Hexi a place to live..."

Hearing this, Chen Ji couldn't help but feel a little resistant, but he had already promised Chen Liang that he would listen patiently, so he had no choice but to listen first.

"Giving Madam Zhang an official title is the second step. As for the third step, I will secretly have someone tell Shang Yun that the emperor ordered the Prince of Hexi to move to Yongfu Palace because of Madam Zhang's instigation.

Because Madam Zhang was going to enter the harem, it was not appropriate for Madam Han, the King of Hexi and others to stay there, so they had to clear the house. If Princess Si Rong could take the position of the empress and suppress Madam Zhang, she could certainly make the decision to ask the King of Hexi to move out of Yongfu Palace.

Based on my understanding of Shang Yun, he will go to persuade Princess Si Rong. Shang Yun is the person Chengzong trusts the most, and he is also the only minister Chengzong summoned alone before his death. The princess should listen to his words at least.

When the princess enters the palace, the emperor will demote Madam Zhang's status as a punishment, which will be equivalent to increasing the princess's reputation. Then, the ceremony of conferring the title of empress will be held, and slowly, the relationship between you and the princess will ease..."

After hearing what Chen Liang said, Chen Ji couldn't help but smile: "You gave me this idea. Was it Zhang Xiaowan who gave you this idea?"