Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Concubine Qi recalled what Emperor Shenwu had said to her before she entered the palace: "In consideration of your brother's service in following me on the frontier, I will grant you a marriage."

She knelt on the ground and shook her head repeatedly: "Your Majesty, please do not grant me a marriage. I only want to follow Your Majesty. After entering the palace, I will serve Your Majesty wholeheartedly. Please Your Majesty, fulfill my sincere wish."

His elder brother Qi Zhinan sighed helplessly and knelt down, saying, "Your Majesty, I am willing to use my humble contribution today to exchange for my sister's service in the palace. Please grant this!"

Emperor Shenwu's tone was filled with disappointment and anger. "Qi Zhinan, do you understand that this is exchanging your future for mine? To me, it's just another ordinary concubine."

Qi Zhinan kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, my sister and I have been dependent on each other since childhood. I cannot bear to see her die. Your Majesty, please consider this as saving my sister's life. Once she enters the palace, she will only be your concubine. I will not say anything more!"

Emperor Shenwu frowned and remained silent for a moment: "In that case, confer the title of Noble Lady Qi on her. I can only give her a rank."

Qi Zhinan shuddered slightly, naturally understanding the meaning of the emperor's words. He looked at his sister, but saw that she was only immersed in the joy of being able to enter the palace, completely ignoring the meaning of the emperor's words and the bleak future waiting for him. At that moment, it was impossible for him not to be disappointed. Well, it was better than being desperate at home when the matter of marriage was mentioned. From then on, she entered the palace, and he, as a brother, had fulfilled his responsibility to her.

After this, he gradually faded from the emperor's inner circle and out of sight of the ministers, no longer valued and favored by the emperor. And as for his sister... from her increasingly silent and complaining eyes, he understood that she hadn't won the emperor's heart, and was now just an ordinary concubine in the harem, hoping for favor day after day. He'd already explained the truth, but how could he know until he hit a wall himself? He was afraid that even if she did, she wouldn't turn back!

Noblewoman Wen looked at her with an unwilling expression and said, "Who doesn't rely on family to enter the palace? Sister, Qingluan doesn't mean to criticize you, but you're rushing around recklessly, thinking that just your fiery sincerity can win the emperor's favor? How can the emperor's heart be won so easily? Sister, you used the wrong approach from the beginning!"

Noble Lady Wen paused and continued, "Sister, do you know who among these newcomers has won His Majesty's favor the most? Me? His Majesty only favors me a little for the sake of my grandfather. Concubine Li, with her stunning beauty, isn't particularly favored by His Majesty either. And Concubine Li, let alone Concubine Li, you see, she's been sharing the emperor's favor with Noble Lady Yi lately. It's really His Majesty's concern for the Empress Dowager's reputation."

"Sister, Concubine Yi also comes from a family of military commanders. You should go out more often and see how she does things. If you want to win the emperor's heart, you must regain his favor. In the harem, only you and I are truly devoted to His Majesty. If you don't pull yourself together, will you leave your sister to suffer alone in this harem?"

Concubine Qi met Concubine Yi during the first snow of winter. She was wearing a pure white cloak with dark patterns, and her slender white hands were used to catch the falling snowflakes. Concubine Qi slowly approached.

Lan Qingwu turned around and saw a beautiful woman in palace attire walking towards her. She bowed and asked, "Who is this..."

The senior palace maid behind Concubine Qi said, "This is Concubine Qi."

Lan Qingwu bowed again and said, "Greetings to Her Majesty Qi."

Concubine Qi nodded slightly, "You are Concubine Yi, right?" She looked at Lan Qingwu's pure and beautiful temperament and couldn't help but say, "She is so pure and beautiful, no wonder..."

Ru Ping behind Lan Qingwu couldn't help but frowned slightly and grasped Lan Qingwu's arm. Lan Qingwu paused and said, "I will take my leave first..."

Concubine Qi said, "Wait a minute. I rarely leave my palace. It's rare for me to meet someone I like. Could you please come to my palace and chat with me?"

Lan Qingwu frowned slightly and was thinking about how to refuse when he heard the sound of footsteps on snow behind him.

Emperor Shenwu came walking on the snow. Not far away, he saw Concubine Qi talking to Lan Qingwu. He frowned slightly and walked quickly towards Lan Qingwu, holding her arm to stop her from bowing. Concubine Qi had already knelt in the snow. The emperor only heard her coldly ask, "Concubine Qi, why are you here?"

Lan Qingwu was embraced by his dragon-patterned cloak. She looked up at his expression and saw a fleeting flash of disgust in Emperor Shenwu's eyes. She only heard Concubine Qi reply, "I haven't left the palace for a long time. Today is the first snow of winter, and I came out to enjoy it."

Emperor Shenwu remained silent: "Then enjoy it." After saying that, he hugged Lan Qingwu and left.

Concubine Qi raised her head a while after the emperor left. A maid in the palace said, "Master, please stand up."

Concubine Qi knelt motionless, gazing at the Emperor who hadn't yet left and said, "Zi Han, did you see that? His Majesty couldn't bear to let Concubine Yi kneel in the snow. It turns out he had a heart. I thought His Majesty's heart was always so cold and hard, or that He had no heart at all."

Zi Han couldn't help but feel sad for his master: "Master..."

Concubine Qi continued, "When I first entered the palace, I was so happy to learn that I would be the master of Langhuan Palace. Langtonglang, Huan is my real name, and I thought Your Majesty had the same name as me... Now that I think about it, it's really ridiculous!" She couldn't help but laugh sadly.

Emperor Shenwu held Lan Qingwu's hand and said, "Have you been playing in the snow again? Your hands are so cold."

Lan Qingwu replied, "It's just that the dancing snow is beautiful."

Emperor Shenwu said, "I will take you to a place where you can watch and listen to the snow."

In the Listening Snow Pavilion, all four walls are made of transparent colored glaze. When you open the four doors outside the colored glaze wall, you can watch and listen to the snow while being inside the colored glaze wall, without being affected by the wind or cold.

Inside the glazed wall, Lan Qingwu closed his eyes tightly, quietly listening to the sound of snowflakes falling. Everything was silent, and the world was covered in silver. Only the pure white snow left a white world for everything.

The Emperor Shenwu opened his eyes at some point, quietly gazing at Lan Qingwu. He had always known that her weakness cherished all things and sympathized with the weak. She had saved many young girls in her youth at the border, and even opened the Qingciyuan with her friends in the Imperial City to rescue abandoned children and desperate girls. Her world was pure white, wasn't it?

Back in Suowu Palace, the floor heating brought a warm warmth. Emperor Shenwu stroked the cheek of the person in his arms and said softly, "It's almost the end of the year and I'll be very busy. Wait until I summon you again. If there's anything, let Ruping go find Li Xiang, understand?"

Lan Qingwu replied softly, "Okay."

The next day, Ru Ping talked about Concubine Qi: "That's how Concubine Qi entered the palace. She changed her career path for her brother. She was so infatuated that she was famous in the harem."

Lan Qingwu said calmly, "No wonder. In His Majesty's eyes, disregarding the future of the brother who raised her and insisting on entering the palace only makes her appear selfish and heartless." How could His Majesty accept such selfish sincerity? No wonder His Majesty is disgusted.

Ru Han laughed and said, "Ru Ping, you are amazing. This happened several years ago, and you still know it so clearly."

Ru Ping's heart skipped a beat. She looked at Lan Qingwu, but when she saw she had no reaction, she said, "I just got to know a few more people."

At noon that day, Emperor Shenwu went to the Wenhua Palace to visit Consort Wen. Although Consort Wen was already over five months pregnant and her pregnancy was already noticeable, she personally attended to the meal and meticulously prepared it. During the meal, she meticulously explained the various dishes to Emperor Shenwu, demonstrating her deep consideration.

When they were almost done, Noble Lady Wen said, "Seventh Brother, I want to have a small banquet, see the snow, drink some tea, or something. Otherwise, I'll get bored staying here all day."

Emperor Shenwu glanced at her and said, "You are pregnant now, why are you making such a fuss?" Concubines below the third rank were not qualified to hold a banquet. At most, they could be on good terms with someone and have private dealings with them.