Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Li Xiang's voice had already been heard: "Your Majesty has arrived!"

The Third Prince had just finished persuading Concubine Yang when he saw two palace maids coming in before the emperor. The Third Prince recognized that they were the two palace maids from Qianzheng Hall.

The two palace maids swiftly saluted and greeted Concubine Yang and the Third Prince, then walked to Concubine Yang's bed and said, "Don't blame me, Your Majesty!

The third prince opened his eyes wide, and saw two palace maids deftly lowering the bed curtains layer by layer until they completely covered Concubine Yang's figure.

The Third Prince stared at this scene with wide eyes, but Concubine Yang froze for a moment before reacting and calming down. This was standard procedure for the Emperor to visit sick concubines, and she was well aware of it. A son of a wealthy family wouldn't sit in the hall, let alone the Emperor, who held the highest position of authority!

In just a few breaths, Emperor Shenwu strode in. Two palace maids placed a chair seven or eight steps away from Concubine Yang's bed, bowed to the emperor, and then quietly retreated behind Emperor Shenwu.

The Third Prince had already prostrated himself on the ground: "Son greets father! Long live father!"

Emperor Shenwu sat on the chair.

Concubine Yang said weakly from behind the bed curtains, "I, your humble servant, look on in dismay. I pay my respects to Your Majesty!"

Emperor Shenwu said: "It's alright, Chengluo, stand up!"

After the third prince stood up, he stood aside.

Emperor Shenwu had summoned Imperial Physician Zhao and Imperial Physician Ma and casually ordered, "Bring the prescription. How is Concubine Yang's condition?"

This wasn't Doctor Zhao's domain; he was merely a balancing act to ensure the Emperor didn't come to Yuyang Palace that night, to reassure the Third Prince and Concubine Yang. After all, he was the Emperor's personal physician and the head of the Imperial Hospital. Concubine Yang and her son must have known this well.

So it was Imperial Physician Ma who stepped forward to explain it in detail to the emperor. Emperor Shenwu looked over the prescription and found it to be quite good. He was not completely ignorant and had dabbled in some medical sciences. "The prescription is quite good."

After asking the imperial physician, he asked Concubine Yang: "How were your meals? How was your sleep? How are you feeling? Have your symptoms improved?"

Concubine Yang replied to each one: "It's fine! Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty!"

After asking questions, Emperor Shenwu gave his usual instructions: "Rest well, just lie down."

After saying this, he stood up and looked at the Third Prince, who lowered his head slightly. "Chengluo, your mother's condition has stabilized, and she is being carefully cared for by the imperial physician and palace servants. You have neglected the Imperial Academy for several days, so you must not slack off any longer."

Concubine Yang, behind the bed curtains, grew anxious upon hearing this, fearing that the Emperor Shenwu would have a bad impression of his son. "Your Majesty is right. It's all my fault, and I've even implicated Luo'er. Luo'er, you must listen to your father's teachings."

The Third Prince bowed his head and replied, "Yes, Father! I will follow your instructions."

Emperor Shenwu waved his hand and walked out of the palace, followed by the voices of a group of palace servants bidding him farewell. It had been less than a quarter of an hour since the emperor entered Yuyang Palace, and the Third Prince felt as if this shouldn't be the case!

The third prince stood up from the ground. He looked at his mother behind the bed curtains, hesitated for a moment, and then walked out of the hall.

Emperor Shenwu was moving very fast. He had already arrived at the gate of Yuyang Palace. The third prince arrived in a hurry. Emperor Shenwu had already boarded the dragon chariot. The eunuchs who were carrying the dragon chariot sped up after receiving the order. In a short while, Emperor Shenwu had caught up with Lan Qingwu who was walking slowly on foot.

The third prince arrived at the palace gate and opened his mouth to call out to Emperor Shenwu, but he just happened to see Emperor Shenwu on the dragon chariot stretching out his big hand, about to invite Lan Qingwu to get on the chariot.

The third prince immediately shut his mouth. He watched with his own eyes as Emperor Shenwu helped Lan Qingwu onto the dragon chariot. The dragon chariot was moving very fast, and in a moment, the third prince could no longer see the tail of the dragon chariot.

The Third Prince returned to his bedroom in a sullen mood. Concubine Yang had already ordered the maid to draw back the heavy bed curtains. Seeing her son, Concubine Yang asked, "Where have you been? Luo'er, your father is right. You can't neglect your studies any longer. You must return to the Imperial Academy tomorrow!"

The scene of the Emperor Shenwu helping Lan Qingwu onto the dragon chariot kept replaying in the Third Prince's mind. For some reason, he blurted out, "Mother, aren't you sad?"

Yang Fei was stunned for a moment: "Why are you sad?"

The Third Prince said, "When our mother was ill, it was said that our father was always there, feeding her medicine and taking care of her. You've heard these rumors, haven't you? Could it be that..."

Don’t you really care?

Concubine Yang sighed, "What are we concubines like? Compared to the Empress? Relatively speaking, your father still gives enough face to the concubines with children. Especially this time, mother didn't even expect your father to come and visit!"

Concubine Yang glanced at her son and said, "And Your Majesty has always been like this towards the six concubines. Before the Empress entered the palace, he was even more indifferent and indifferent to the six concubines."

The Third Prince remained silent. He couldn't understand why his father favored the Empress so much, even exclusively, after she returned. Was it simply because of her beauty? There were women in the harem whose looks surpassed the Empress's, so why was that?

Concubine Yang seemed to understand her son's thoughts and spoke, "My son, do you think it's just because of the Empress's beauty? The harem is filled with beauties, and there has never been a shortage of stunning beauties. But your father himself is not one who values ​​beauty."

Concubine Yang recalled, "Once, the Empress hosted a banquet and chatted with His Majesty about everything under the sun. Concubine Wen, who prided herself on her talent, couldn't even get a word in. Mother discovered that the Empress was incredibly knowledgeable, covering astronomy, geography, current affairs, folk customs, and more. Her words were insightful and often pointed."

Concubine Yang fell silent. She had long since discovered that the Empress never cared about the short-term gains and losses of the previous dynasty or the harem. She always looked at the big picture of the world, and all she did were things that would benefit the people of the world for decades or even centuries to come. For example, she changed the laws on women's prisons, established benevolent institutions in every prefecture and county, and even established support institutions within the imperial city to provide elderly palace maids and eunuchs with a place to rely on in their old age...

"The Empress's vision and personal charm can't be learned. I still remember that when she was a female student, she was outstanding. She topped all the national female examinations. Mother even admired her for a while!"

The Third Prince also fell silent. He suddenly understood what the Empress had said to him. She couldn't control people's hearts. She could invite the Shenwu Emperor to Yuyang Palace, but she couldn't control what he would do after he came! She couldn't control whether the Shenwu Emperor would come a second time. These were all the wishes of the heart and could not be changed by external forces.

The Third Prince looked at his mother, who had been radiant since the Emperor's arrival, and swallowed his words that it was only because of his request to the Empress that his father came to visit Yuyang Palace.

The third prince already felt something was wrong, and his mother would definitely not feel good when she found out.