Ping Zhao Lu

Chu Heyuan sat quietly at the desk, dipping the brush in his hand into ink intermittently, absent-mindedly copying the "Thousand Character Classic" in front of him.

Ever since I heard that the Queen was ill that afternoon, I began to feel worried.

Shi An, who was sitting beside him, saw his uneasiness clearly and said softly, "If Your Highness is so worried, why not go and take a look yourself? That would put your mind at ease."

Chu Heyuan shook his head slightly and replied calmly, "Father will take good care of you."

Although I said this, I still wanted to go and see it.

He liked the queen very much. Even though they were not blood relatives and they had not spent much time together, for some reason, the queen always gave him an indescribable sense of intimacy. Every time he saw the queen's gentle smile and caring eyes, he felt a warm current in his heart.

He didn't like her because she was not like the Empress Dowager, who looked kind on the surface but was always trying to harm him behind his back.

Chu Heyuan rested his chin on one hand, the other holding a pen as he mechanically moved across the paper. His handwriting was crooked and disorganized. Clearly, his mind had long since wandered to another world, completely absorbed in his worry about his father's condition.

Shi'an saw through the Crown Prince's thoughts at a glance, so he slowly said, "Your Highness is the Crown Prince, and the Queen is your father. Now that the Queen is not feeling well, it is only right that Your Highness go and visit her in person."

Hearing this, Chu Heyuan, who was writing at the desk, paused slightly with the brush in his hand, and ink dripped onto the white paper, smudged out a small patch of black.

He turned his head slightly, looked at Shi'an, and asked softly, "But it's getting late. Will my father think that this is inconvenient or even that I'm in the way?"

Shi'an looked puzzled and quickly explained, "His Majesty's love for you is well known to everyone. How could he dislike you?"

However, Chu Heyuan shook his head gently, sighed softly, and said, "I'm afraid that if I go there rashly, it will disturb the good things between my father and my lord."

Shian: “…”

After all, I thought the prince was too naive.

The prince nowadays is really becoming more and more... crooked.

What will happen when he grows up!

Thinking of this, Shi'an couldn't help but sigh softly, lamenting the changes in this child.

At this moment, Chu Heyuan saw that Shi'an hadn't responded for a long time. He stood up and walked quickly to Shi'an. He stretched out a hand and waved it in front of his eyes. He raised his voice and shouted, "What are you doing? Come with me to visit father."

Shi'an came back to his senses immediately after being called out by him, and quickly caught up with Chu Heyuan.

*

At this time, Xu Zhouye was sitting at the table preparing to enjoy his dinner.

The dishes on the table were all watery and looked rather bland.

Although his diet was usually quite light, for some reason, looking at the food in front of him today, he couldn't muster any appetite at all.

Chu Yunxiao, who was standing by, took in his expression. He curled his lips slightly and said slowly, "This is what the Queen said. To be pure in heart and desire, naturally, all aspects of this must be truly achieved."

Faced with Chu Yunxiao's words, Xu Zhouye remained silent, a look of helplessness on his face. However, Chu Yunxiao seemed oblivious and continued to place some dishes into the bowl in front of Xu Zhouye.

Xu Zhouye lowered his head and looked at the food in his bowl. He couldn't help but frowned, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly.

After a brief pause, he seemed to have suddenly come up with a brilliant idea, and his originally dull eyes instantly became bright.

Then, he raised his head, met Chu Yunxiao's gaze with a broad smile, and said in a brisk voice, "Your Majesty, do you still remember what you said... that you would cook for me personally so that I could taste it?"

Hearing this, Chu Yunxiao's hand holding the chopsticks suddenly paused, as if he was lost in a brief memory. After a while, he nodded thoughtfully, then gently placed the chopsticks on the table and asked, "What do you want to eat?"

"Yangchun noodles!" Xu Zhouye answered without hesitation. At this moment, his mood had become particularly happy because of this thought.

"That's all?" Chu Yunxiao frowned slightly, feeling a little surprised.

This level of requirement was too easy for him, it was simply a piece of cake. Thinking of this, Chu Yunxiao couldn't help but reveal some doubts and dissatisfaction in his eyes.

Xu Zhouye nodded seriously and said slowly: "The last time I was out of the palace on business, I tasted it once at a small street vendor. The unique taste is still unforgettable to me!" His words were full of nostalgia for that gourmet experience.

After hearing this explanation, Chu Yunxiao's tense expression finally relaxed, a faint smile appearing on his lips. He raised his hand and gently stroked Xu Zhouye's hair a few times, saying softly, "Since the Queen likes it so much, I will make it for you to try." As he spoke, he made a move to stand up.

However, at this moment, Xu Zhouye smiled slightly, stretched out his hand and gently stopped Chu Yunxiao from getting up, and said jokingly: "Your Majesty, don't worry, you should finish these first, and don't waste them."

Seeing this, Chu Yunxiao had no choice but to follow his words and slowly sit back down. A helpless look appeared on his face, and he smiled bitterly and said, "The Queen is right."

*

Cining Palace

Queen Mother Jiang sat in front of the exquisite and gorgeous dressing table, her eyes slightly closed, and she lazily let the palace maid take off the dazzling pearl hairpins on her hair.

She just stared quietly at her reflection in the bronze mirror. Her face was no longer young, and time seemed to have left some obvious marks on her face.

She gently raised her hand and slowly stroked her cheek, unable to help but sigh: "Alas, time is really unforgiving..."

The maid standing by, intently combing the Queen Mother's hair, was at a loss when she heard this. She paused for a moment, but in that moment of pause, she accidentally pulled hard on Queen Mother Jiang's scalp.

"Hiss!" Queen Mother Jiang let out a low cry of surprise, and her originally calm face instantly became gloomy.

The maid trembled with fear, nearly dropping the comb in her hand. Then, she fell to her knees with a thud, kowtowed repeatedly, and begged for mercy, "Her Majesty the Queen Mother, please spare me! This servant did not mean to do this. Please forgive me!"

Queen Mother Jiang's face was filled with rage. She turned her head and glared fiercely at the palace maid kneeling on the ground. Her sharp eyes were like two cold rays of light, piercing the palace maid so much that she dared not look up.

After a while, Empress Dowager Jiang shifted her gaze to Nanny Liu beside her, and a subtle hint flashed in her eyes.

Nanny Liu, who had been waiting silently by the side, understood what was meant and immediately waved her hand, signaling the other eunuchs to hurry forward and drag the troublesome palace maid away for punishment.

The eunuchs mercilessly grabbed the palace maid who was begging and crying heartbreakingly, and dragged her out of the bedroom like a dead dog.

The annoying begging for mercy gradually faded away, and Queen Mother Jiang's calm face finally relaxed slightly, and the corners of her originally tense mouth also rose slightly.

She opened her red lips slightly and said slowly, "Alas, in this palace, no one or two can compare to Ke Xin, who is sweet-mouthed and considerate enough to please me!"

Nanny Liu understood the deeper meaning behind Empress Dowager Jiang's words. She quickly knelt and saluted, then respectfully replied, "Since the Empress Dowager misses Miss Kexin so much, then I will go and fetch her back to the palace tomorrow morning. It's been quite some time since that incident, and I don't think anyone would remember such a little maid anymore."

Hearing this, Empress Dowager Jiang smiled with satisfaction and nodded slightly, expressing her agreement: "Well, let's say that the girl has performed well in the laundry department and has changed her ways. She will never act rashly again. You can let her come back and continue to serve me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Nanny Liu responded quickly.

After a brief pause, Nanny Liu seemed to have suddenly remembered something important and continued, "Oh, by the way, Your Majesty, the Queen dealt with Kang Shili today."

Queen Mother Jiang remained calm, seemingly unfazed. She simply replied, "Let it be dealt with. I doubt he'd have the guts to bring this upon me."

Upon hearing this, Nanny Liu couldn't help but be amazed at the Empress Dowager's composure. She couldn't help but add, "In my opinion, the Empress is increasingly adept at establishing her authority. If this continues, I'm afraid the hearts of the palace will gradually shift to the Empress's side."

Queen Mother Jiang raised her head slightly, a disdainful smile curling up the corners of her mouth. She snorted and said, "Oh, you want to win people's hearts? How can it be so easy? The human heart is the most fickle thing in the world. It is like the erratic clouds, sometimes gathering, sometimes dispersing; it is also like the surging waves, fluctuating and unpredictable."

When one day in the future he loses all his power and prestige, who will be willing to follow him?

Those who used to flatter and curry favor with him will probably leave him like birds and beasts.

After all, most people in this world are opportunists. When they are in a high position, people will naturally follow them; but once they fall to the bottom, who will care about them?

Not only will they not care, they may even add insult to injury.