Ping Zhao Lu

"Brother Jin..."

Rong Yu'an staggered to his feet, his expression filled with regret, but his heart was filled with joy. "I'm sorry, I was so scared that I forgot for a moment that we were in the palace and disturbed your good time with His Majesty..."

Xu Zhouye lowered his eyes, no emotion visible on his face.

On the wedding night, the queen was alone in the empty room.

The development of things was really no different from the previous life. What Rong Yu'an did was just to damage his reputation in the palace in the future and make it difficult for him to move forward.

Xu Zhouye raised the corners of his lips, looked up at him, shook off his sleeves, stood up and approached him step by step.

"Brother Jin, you, you still won't forgive me?" Rong Yu'an couldn't help but feel frightened, and his legs and feet involuntarily retreated until he had no room to retreat, and Xu Zhouye stopped.

Xu Zhouye's expression was indifferent. He suddenly grabbed his neck and said, "You unruly thing." He was so strong that the veins on the back of his hand were prominent. "In front of me, you have to call yourself a commoner."

Rong Yu'an opened his eyes wide in shock, his face and neck flushed red, and his expression began to become distorted due to suffocation, "You...you, let go!"

Hearing this, Xu Zhouye pushed harder, "Don't you understand what I'm saying?"

Rong Yu'an's mind was blank. He didn't hear what Xu Zhouye said at all. He struggled desperately based on instinct.

"You, let go first..."

Rong Yu'an was out of breath, "Please..."

Hearing the plea for mercy, Xu Zhouye finally let go and threw the man aside. He looked down at the man lying on the ground gasping for breath and asked, "How does it feel?"

Rong Yu'an's chest heaved, his face full of grievance. "Yu'an..." Just as he opened his mouth, Xu Zhouye grabbed him and slapped him in the face. "It's only been a short while since I said that, and you've already forgotten?"

Rong Yu'an was completely dumbfounded. He covered his red face and stared at the person who attacked him in disbelief. He was speechless for a moment.

Xu Zhouye had never treated him like this!

Could it be that all the kindness I showed him in the past was just an act?

The more I thought about Rong Yu'an, the angrier I got. After thinking it over again and again, I decided to swallow my anger and observe him for a few days.

Xu Zhouye is not as easy to control now as before.

He pursed his lips and saluted Xu Zhouye politely, "Yes, I understand. Thank you, Your Highness, for the lenient punishment."

Xu Zhouye narrowed his eyes and thought: This person is not as simple as I imagined, but he is a patient person.

*

Golden Palace

Chu Yunxiao leaned against the Arhat couch, listening lazily to the report from his subordinate Shang Jiu.

"After His Majesty left, the Queen almost strangled Rong Yu'an to death and even slapped him." Shang Jiu truthfully reported what he saw and heard tonight.

Chu Yunxiao propped up his head with one hand, looking lazy. "It seems the rumors are not true."

From their first meeting half a year ago, he knew that his queen was not a pushover.

Shang Jiu frowned and hesitated, "Before, the Queen treated her sworn brother very well. Everyone in the Duke's Mansion witnessed it. She never beat or scolded him, let alone verbally. But tonight, she almost…"

"You mean, the queen is definitely not a good person?" Chu Yunxiao revealed his concerns in one sentence.

Shang Jiu remained silent, his expression solemn: "Perhaps Rong Yu'an did something to offend the Queen."

Chu Yunxiao raised his eyebrows and tapped the table lightly with his index finger wearing the jade pendant.

This idea is exactly the same as his.

"Do you want me to go and investigate?" Shang Jiu asked.

"No need." Chu Yunxiao's expression was calm, and his tone was calm. "I am not interested in the trivial matters between them."

"Yes." Shang Jiu nodded, then bowed and took his leave.

*

At the same time, Weiyang Palace.

A charming woman with a high bun leaned on the chaise longue, eating oranges peeled by a palace maid while happily reading a storybook.

When she saw the exciting part, she was interrupted by the palace maid Zhilan who came to report, "Your Majesty, His Majesty did not stay at Fengluan Palace tonight."

"If you want to stay overnight, then stay overnight. I'm not..." Halfway through her words, Xie Yushu suddenly sat up straight, and the notebook in her hand dropped to the ground. "What did you say? His Majesty didn't stay overnight in Fengluan Palace!"

Zhilan was startled by her sudden change, lowering her head and hesitantly replying, "There should have been, but then... the Queen's brother suddenly broke into the Queen's palace, and not long after, His Majesty left in anger."

"Leaving in anger?" Xie Yushu frowned. "Are you sure you didn't see it wrong?"

"It's absolutely true. I saw it with my own eyes. Your Majesty's face turned completely black." Zhilan described it vividly, fearing that her master would not be satisfied.

Xie Yushu put her hands on her hips, her expression solemn, "She has already caused His Majesty's dissatisfaction on her wedding night. I'm afraid she will be bullied by others as the queen."

Wouldn't this make that bitch Lin even more comfortable and successful?

This is not possible!

"The adopted son of the Duke's Mansion? I've heard of his name before. His name is... Rong... something, something An?"

"Your Majesty, Rong Yu'an." Zhilan was confused. "Your Majesty, are you going to..."

Xie Yushu casually took some grapes from the fruit plate and stuffed them into her mouth, mumbling, "This restless creature! Tomorrow, when we pay our respects, I will ask the Empress for permission to keep him in the Weiyang Palace as a clerk!"

Zhilan looked surprised, "My Lady, are you going in the wrong direction?"

Shouldn't he have been giving the Queen a kick when she's down? Why was he still offering her help?

"We're heading in the right direction." Xie Yushu beamed, picking up the unpeeled orange and shaking it in her hands. "One more enemy is worse than one more friend."

……

The night was dark as Rong Yu'an walked alone on a secluded path outside Fengluan Palace. Covering her swollen face, she cursed, "Bitch, you're just relying on your status as queen to show off your power. What's so great about that?"

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, and just fell into the ears of the virtuous concubine who came out to relax.

"Who is so bold as to speak ill of the Queen?"

The one who spoke was Cui Huan, the personal maid of Concubine Xian.

She quickly walked towards Rong Yu'an, who was stunned. "Who are you? How dare you speak disrespectfully to the Queen!"

Rong Yu'an glanced at the beautiful woman slowly approaching from behind the palace maid, and quickly knelt on the ground, saying in a trembling voice, "Your humble servant... Your humble servant spoke without thinking, please forgive me, Your Excellency!"

The virtuous concubine glanced at him coldly, "You look unfamiliar. Are you serving beside the queen?"

Rong Yu'an looked flustered and bravely revealed his identity, "I am, I am the Queen's sworn brother..."

Upon hearing this, a trace of surprise crossed Concubine Xian's dignified face. She then waved her hand to signal the maid beside her to help him up. "So it's Young Master Rong. I've always heard that Young Master Rong is so handsome and talented that even women would feel inferior to him. Now that I've seen him, I find that he is indeed as stunning as the rumors say."

Rong Yu'an was so overjoyed by the praise that he forgot his previous gaffe for a moment. He smiled back and said, "Your Excellency is too kind. Your Excellency is so graceful and elegant. You are the most beautiful person I have ever seen, as beautiful as a peony!"

"You have such a clever tongue." Concubine Xian chuckled softly, "It's really unfair for you to follow the Queen without any status in the palace. Why don't you..." After a pause, "follow me, and you will definitely get all the benefits. What do you think?"

Hearing this, Rong Yu'an's eyes lit up slightly, and he immediately bowed and said, "Thank you for your appreciation, Your Excellency. I am willing to do it!"

From the moment he left until now, this noble lady had never blamed him for insulting Xu Zhouye. This showed that this person was intent on becoming Xu Zhouye's enemy. As long as he could please her and follow her influence to get closer to the emperor...

Thinking of this, the smile on Rong Yu'an's face deepened.

……

The next morning, Xu Zhouye stretched, got up and let the palace servants help him wash up.

Qing He said regretfully as she tied his hair, "If it weren't for Young Master Rong's deliberate actions, His Majesty would never have abandoned you... Now everyone in the palace is making fun of you, Your Highness."

"Relax." Xu Zhouye looked calm. "They are just small things."

How to catch big fish without casting a long line?

After one stick of incense, a report from the eunuch came from outside the door.

"The Emperor has arrived——"

Xu Zhouye paused slightly, thinking back to this day in his previous life, Chu Yunxiao did not appear here, but went to the Cining Palace early in the morning to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager.

Why did I come to him first in this life?

"Queen?"

A low voice called out and Xu Zhouye, whose thoughts were drifting, suddenly pulled him back. He looked up and saw the emperor standing before him. He quickly bowed and saluted, "Your humble servant respectfully welcomes His Majesty. May His Majesty be blessed."

Chu Yunxiao glanced at him coldly, "Stand up, and follow me to the Cining Palace to pay my respects to the Queen Mother."

"Yes." Xu Zhouye withdrew his bowing hand and walked behind Chu Yunxiao.

Qinghe and a group of palace servants followed.

"Come forward." Chu Yunxiao turned his head and glanced at the person walking behind him, and extended his hand to him.

Xu Zhouye was stunned and said hesitantly, "This is against the rules."

Chu Yunxiao raised his eyebrows, pulled the man to his side with his backhand, and leaned close to Xu Zhouye's surprised expression, whispering in his ear: "I am the rule."

Xu Zhouye didn't respond, his eyelids drooped, his eyelashes trembled slightly, and his cheeks were hot.

Can't help but tease.

Chu Yunxiao stepped back, his eyes passing over his slowly reddening ears, a playful smile on his lips, "I remember that the Queen wasn't as well-behaved as she is today last night. If I had stayed then, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to get up today."

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of the palace servants around them changed.

Now it seems that His Majesty has not neglected the Queen!

Xu Zhouye was stunned for a moment, then hesitantly extended his hand.

The moment they made contact, she was tightly embraced by Chu Yunxiao's warm palm. "You are my queen, so naturally you can stand by my side. And only you can stand shoulder to shoulder with me."

Chu Yunxiao's tone was calm and solemn when he spoke, as serious as if he was swearing a promise.

Xu Zhouye smiled, gladly accepting the emperor's favoritism at the moment, "Your Majesty is absolutely right."