Peach Blossom.

Chen Ji could hear that behind him, Chen Chong was still struggling, Chen Xin and Chen Wei kept persuading her, Chen Liang sighed, Chen Mi was helped by his soldiers to seek medical treatment, and Shen Yuan kept asking Shen Meng about the real cause of death of the two bodies in the tomb...

But he acted as if he hadn't heard it. He just walked down the mountain in the rain and went straight to the carriage he and Si Rong had taken when they came.

Lifting the car curtain, he saw Si Rong sitting quietly in the car, her clothes all dry.

He suddenly felt much more at ease and secretly thanked his luck that Si Rong got on the car before the rainstorm came, otherwise, if she caught a cold, who knows how her condition would have developed.

"Is this the birthday gift the emperor gave me?" Si Rong was very calm when she asked this question.

She didn't turn her head, but she knew who lifted the curtain.

Chen Ji's eyes were deep. He was not sure whether Si Rong had heard what he had just said outside the Shen family's tomb.

But he felt that no matter whether Si Rong heard it or not, the time had come for them to have a showdown. "I'm sorry, I can't lose Tao Ye."

"So, I am insignificant in the emperor's heart?" Si Rong's voice was light, as if she had no strength left in her body.

"No... I tried really hard... I tried to reduce the harm to you... If it weren't for you, what Shen Hui had done over the years would be enough for her to die ten times." Chen Ji's words were obviously sincere, but he still felt very unconfident at the moment he said them.

"In that case, I have to thank you?" Si Rong smiled, but her smile was dismal and her face was pale.

Chen Ji explained softly again: "That's not what I meant."

Outside, the wind was getting stronger and the rain was getting heavier. Chen Ji had just stepped one foot onto the carriage when Si Rong held it back with her hand.

"From now on, you and I will not eat at the same table, ride in the same carriage, or sleep on the same bed. There will be no more ties between us." Si Rong pushed Chen Ji's legs out of the carriage and pulled the curtain.

Every word and every move seemed very natural; her voice was not loud and her movements were very gentle.

But precisely because he didn't notice Si Rong's excessive emotions, Chen Ji felt her indifference and ruthlessness even more.

The wheels of the carriage began to turn, and Chen Ji just watched, silently watching the carriage carrying Si Rong away.

The heavy rain continued to fall, completely soaking Chen Ji's clothes from the outside to the inside. His hair and clothes were stuck to his body. He suddenly realized that it was still quite cold today...

The carriage went farther and farther away. Si Rong gently lifted the curtain a little and saw from afar Shen Yan standing in the same place as before, staring at her carriage, halfway up the hillside of the Shen family's ancestral tomb.

A childhood memory suddenly flashed in Si Rong's mind.

That was in Yongchang. Before Si Yuan was named King of Yongchang, the father and daughter lived in the Bai family. In order to gain a foothold, Si Yuan became the Bai family's son-in-law.

One day, Si Rong saw her stepmother Bai Yu sew a beautiful dress for Si Xiu, who walked unsteadily.

At that time, Bai Yu looked at Si Xiu with such loving eyes.

Si Rong kept hiding in the corner and watching secretly. As she watched, she couldn't help but burst into tears.

"Rong'er, what's wrong with you?" Si Yuan came back from outside and saw Si Rong standing outside the door with tears in her eyes.

Young Si Rong didn't say anything, but just instinctively looked inside the door.

Si Yuan followed Si Rong's gaze and saw the new clothes on Si Xiu, and Bai Yu who was squatting and adjusting his cuffs. The scene was filled with happiness.

Of course he knew how sad Si Rong would feel when compared with such happiness.

Dissatisfaction was inevitable, and Si Yuan couldn't help but speak up, "Did you just make new clothes for Ash?"

Bai Yu turned around when he heard the voice, and faced with such questioning, he did not feel the slightest bit of shame.

It should be said that Bai Yu showed a very calm attitude, "Is there any problem with me making clothes for my son?"

Si Yuan looked at Bai Yu, his eyes filled with endless disappointment, "Can't you make one more for Rong'er?"

Bai Yu sneered and asked calmly, "Last time you walked ten miles just to buy your daughter the soft pears she wanted to eat, why didn't you buy an extra one for Ah Xiu?"

Si Yuan was immediately angry when he heard this, "Don't you know? That day was Rong'er's birthday!"

Bai Yu couldn't help but smile, and his smile was helpless: "Then do you know what day it is today?"

Si Yuan did not answer because he did not pay attention to what month and day it was.

Bai Yu looked at Si Yuan, still with a slight smile on his face, but that smile gradually turned into a mockery: "You may not understand, your son also has a birthday."

"Or should I say... you don't even remember that you have a son." Disgust gradually appeared in Bai Yu's eyes. He picked up Si Xiu and walked out of the house. He passed by Si Yuan without stopping and continued to walk out.

Si Yuan no longer looked as confident as before, but he did not give in. He looked at Bai Yu, who was walking hurriedly, and changed his words: "Rong'er is a motherless child, so I can't help but favor her more. I hope you can understand."

"A child without a mother?" Bai Yu nodded, smiling, but his tone became more harsh and his voice became louder: "You really found a good excuse! But in the eyes of everyone in the mansion, Ah Xiu is like a child without a father!"

The sudden scolding frightened the timid Si Xiu in her arms, and he burst into tears.

The crying made Bai Yu's anger subside a little. She slowly calmed down her emotions, but she still looked at Si Yuan with disdain, "You probably forgot a long time ago that every stitch and thread on you and your daughter's body, every grain of rice you eat, was spent by my Bai family. What qualifications do you have to question me?"

Seeing her stepmother getting angry at her father, Si Rong felt indescribable fear in her heart. She snuggled up behind Si Yuan, slightly revealing half of her head, and secretly glanced at Bai Yu's face.

Si Yuan gently embraced Si Rong with his sleeves. He was too weak to argue any more. Living off his daughter was the lifestyle he had to choose in order to support her.

"One day, if I become rich, I will definitely return to you all the money Rong'er and I have spent, with interest." Si Yuan lowered his head and did not look at Bai Yu again.

His face showed shame, frustration, unwillingness and helplessness. In short, he didn't have the courage to face Bai Yu again.

"Then I'll be waiting. I'll have to charge you a high interest." Bai Yu's voice was sonorous and powerful. There was a sarcastic smile on the corner of her mouth. She turned around and walked farther and farther away while holding Si Xiu.

Si Yuan stood there dejectedly, not saying a word.

When Bai Yu's back disappeared, Si Rong came out from behind Si Yuan, grabbed Si Yuan's hand, and said tremblingly: "Dad... don't quarrel with Madam Bai because of me... I'm so scared..."

Si Yuan slowly squatted down, hugged Si Rong, and said nothing.

Si Rong leaned on Si Yuan's shoulder and couldn't help crying more and more sadly: "I don't want new clothes, I just want my own mother..."

The words she said when she was a child were still ringing in her ears. Si Rong sat in the carriage, looking at Shen Yan who was becoming increasingly unclear, and couldn't help but tears rolling down her cheeks.

It turns out that her biological mother, whom she missed day and night, was still alive, living a wealthy life with another noble identity, during the years when she and her father lived under the care of others...

Thinking of this, Si Rong lowered the car curtain again, not wanting to see Shen Yan again.

Chen Ji watched the carriage disappear from his sight and breathed a sigh of relief.

He no longer wanted to care about the mess inside and outside the Shen family's ancestral tomb, so he led a horse from the foot of the mountain, mounted its back, whipped the horse, and walked in the rain, letting the rain make his clothes heavier.

After returning to Xuanji Hall, Chen Ji went straight to the side hall.

This time, he finally had the face to see Tao Ye. Facing the closed door, he couldn't help but smile slightly.

Cai Ling saw from afar that water was dripping down the edge of Chen Ji's skirt. She was shocked and wanted to help him: "How could the emperor get so wet? He will get sick from the cold!"

Before Cai Ling came closer, Chen Ji had already walked quickly to the eaves of the corridor. He knocked on the door as if he didn't hear Cai Ling's words: "Tao Ye! Tao Ye! I'm back!"

In a blink of an eye, Cai Ling came out from the next door, took out a cloak, and put it on Chen Ji: "Your Majesty, please change your clothes. It's not too late to talk later."

"I'll just say something to her first..." Chen Ji reluctantly responded to Cai Ling and stared at Tao Ye's door.

The door finally opened and Tao Ye appeared inside. She was dressed casually and her hair was loose, looking like she had just woken up.

Chen Ji couldn't wait to step forward and hold Tao Ye's hands: "Tao Ye, I have announced to them that you will be made queen, and no one can stop us..."

"Sister Cailing is right. The emperor should at least change his clothes first. Otherwise, how can he get married if he is sick?" Tao Ye smiled with her eyes curved and her voice soft.

Chen Ji smiled and nodded, then immediately went to change his clothes. When he came back, Tao Ye's door was open.

This time when she entered the room, Tao Ye took the heater and put it in Chen Ji's arms, and they sat hand in hand.

Chen Ji was so cared for by others that he had forgotten all his unhappiness.

"Where did the emperor go today? Will your ministers agree to let me become the queen?" Tao Ye looked at Chen Ji with a puzzled look on her face.

Chen Ji smiled and said, "I am the one who wants to marry you. Who cares if they agree or not? I just need to tell them. I don't need to ask for their consent."

Tao Ye forced a smile but shook her head: "How can I feel at ease if the emperor says so? When the time comes, they will move Princess Si Rong out. She is your legal wife, how can I take over her?"

"Si Rong's mother, Shen Yan, is actually still alive. The Ministry of Justice found out that she had killed her mother and sister in her early years and impersonated her sister Shen Hui. Her crimes are grave. If the daughter of such a criminal were to live in the harem, it would be hard to convince the public. I went out today just to verify this matter. The case has been solved, with both human and material evidence. The Left Prime Minister Chen Liang, the Minister of War Chen Chong, and Shang Yun all witnessed it with their own eyes. How can I make excuses for it?" When Chen Ji spoke this matter openly, he seemed to be full of pride from head to toe.

"Oh?" Tao Ye stared at Chen Ji, always feeling that the pride she felt was a little false.

She just smiled and asked, "Isn't Shen Hui... Boss Shen from Meixiangxie?"

Chen Ji nodded.

Tao Ye asked again: "Then how does the emperor plan to deal with Boss Shen?"

"She is nominally my mother-in-law after all, so I can only give her a lighter sentence and temporarily confine her to her house. However, I have already ordered a search of Meixiangxie, and all her properties have been confiscated. Those who have mortgaged Meixiangxie will also be taken into the palace as slaves."

"Is that so..." Tao Ye smiled knowingly and praised, "Your Majesty is wise. He lightly punished Boss Shen and gave Princess Si Rong a favor. Confiscating the property can also fill the national treasury. I heard that the Shen family is the richest family in Beijing."

Chen Ji smiled and nodded, saying, "But Shen Hui is not the only rich person in the Shen family. Shen Meng has much more property under his name than Shen Hui."

Tao Ye shook her head, and then smiled and flattered: "Hey, 'leave a way for others so that we can meet again in the future', Your Majesty is the most far-sighted person."

Chen Ji felt embarrassed by Tao Ye's praise, and his heart was as warm as the stove in his hands.

He put down the hand warmer, held Tao Ye's hand again, and asked with a smile: "Then... I will choose a day to hold the ceremony of crowning the queen, and we will officially get married, how about that?"

Tao Ye smiled faintly and held Chen Ji's hand, interlocking their fingers. "Your Majesty is so kind to me, how can I not appreciate it? But... in order to reduce worries, before we get married, Your Majesty must agree to three conditions of mine."