Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Upon hearing this, Empress Dowager Li's face turned extremely grim. The voice of Emperor Shenwu came again: "Have you forgotten what the Crown Princess of the Li family did back then? I, for your sake, resolved the matter by making a big deal out of it and even allowed her to give birth to the baby in her womb. If Father knew what the Li family did back then, I'm afraid the outcome would not be the same as it is now!"

Empress Dowager Li suppressed her anger and said, "But Mingzhu is still pregnant. She did this because the Emperor dotes on the Empress too much. She only wanted to make the Empress suffer with the cold food, but she didn't intend to kill her! How about this, after she gives birth safely, I will punish her by making her copy scriptures..."

"No need!"

Emperor Shenwu interrupted Empress Dowager Li and said, "She was being exploited because she had the intention to harm others. I have made up my mind. Let her stay in her own house. She is not allowed to leave without my permission!"

Empress Dowager Li said anxiously, "How can that be? The two princes are getting married these days, and in two months it will be New Year's Day. If Mingzhu isn't even allowed to attend the family banquet, outsiders will think she's fallen out of favor, and she'll feel wronged! Emperor, are you worried about the Empress? If all else fails, I'll go talk to the Empress. Ultimately, as long as the Empress forgives Mingzhu..."

"Mother!"

Emperor Shenwu said patiently, "From ancient times to the present, no perpetrator has ever demanded forgiveness from the victim! I have been tolerant enough towards Mingzhu. Let's wait for some time before we discuss this matter. This is a good opportunity for her to prepare for childbirth. If I didn't know she was being used, I would never let her go!"

Empress Dowager Li looked at Emperor Shenwu's steadfast attitude and twirled the Buddhist beads in her hand. "Well! What about the Fourth Prince..."

"I have my own arrangements!"

Empress Dowager Li really couldn't control the Fourth Prince. She was not very close to her grandson on a daily basis and only asked about his affairs verbally. The Fourth Prince's maternal family was of commoner origin and had no power, so it was impossible for them to give the Fourth Prince any support or way out.

The reason why Emperor Shenwu treated the Fourth Prince in this way was also related to that dream. In the dream, the Fourth Prince was ambitious, ruthless, and had no brotherly love. In the dream, after Emperor Shenwu's death, he first colluded with the Li family and poisoned the Second Prince through someone from the Li family. Not long after, the Second Prince, who became the new emperor, died, and the Fourth Prince took the opportunity to ascend to the throne. The First Prince, who was on the border of the Xisha Kingdom, naturally would not submit to the Fourth Prince who had killed the emperor to ascend to the throne. He led his army into the imperial city in the name of revenge for the new emperor, opposing the Fourth Prince. After one died and the other was injured, the Shi family, who had been behind the scenes, took the opportunity to nominate the Third Prince, who had a weaker temperament and was easier to control, as the new emperor! This also led to the chaotic internal strife in the Dasheng Dynasty for more than a decade.

The Fourth Prince had arrived at Chuxiu Palace. His mother, Concubine Bai Guiren, had already learned from the palace servants that the Fourth Prince was going to the Imperial Mausoleum. Seeing the Fourth Prince, Concubine Bai could no longer contain her anger and burst into tears, hugging him. "Your father is so cruel! How could he do this to you? Is it because of your mother's affairs that you have been implicated? I went to see your father, I went to plead for him... You can't go to the Imperial Mausoleum. If you go, you won't be able to come back! You haven't even gotten married yet..."

The Fourth Prince said calmly, "My father has given me permission to marry in the Imperial Mausoleum! He has also given me the special permission to stay with my wife!"

Lady Bai’s crying suddenly stopped!

Although the Fourth Prince appeared calm on the surface, tears welled up in his eyes as he left. He spoke to Noble Lady Bai word by word, "Mother, please take good care of yourself in the palace. Your son will return one day!"

The Fourth Prince, Zhou Chengyu, secretly made up his mind that one day he would return to this magnificent imperial city! What mattered if he was born in humble circumstances? He would step into this imperial city again, retrieve his mother, and tell the almighty emperor that he was no less powerful than his legitimate son. As both were princes, why should he give way to the legitimate son?

In contrast to this bleak situation, the fifth prince's wedding was held in a grand ceremony. His princess consort was the legitimate daughter of the Dali Temple's Secretary. After keeping a low profile for several years, the fifth prince finally got married in his own house.

Emperor Shenwu had his eyes on the Sixth Prince, and he was extremely cautious in selecting the Sixth Prince's wife. The marriage was postponed to next year, and he would wait until the spring to carefully select a few noble ladies. The candidate for the principal wife would also be decided at that time. Lan Qingwu also agreed very much. After she had recuperated for a few months, it would be just right for her to marry him.

After the fifth prince's wedding, Lan Qingwu's body had mostly recovered.

That day, after Emperor Shenwu finished his work in the front hall of Qianzheng Hall, he walked towards the back hall.

In the bedroom at the rear hall, the floor heating was warm. Lan Qingwu was only wearing a bright yellow nightgown. She held a book in her hand but did not turn the page for a long time.

Emperor Shenwu looked at Lan Qingwu at the door for a moment. He did not let the palace servants inform them and waved his hand to let them all leave. Ruhan, who was guarding Lan Qingwu, also quietly left.

The slight sound of footsteps finally startled Lan Qingwu. She put down the book in her hand and was about to stand up to salute.

Emperor Shenwu took the book from Lan Qingwu and pulled her into his arms: "What? Are you unhappy? Is there something wrong?"

Lan Qingwu shook his head gently: "I want to go back to Fengqi Palace. I have been staying in Qianzheng Palace for such a long time. I am afraid that the old masters of the previous dynasty will have something to say."

The Shenwu Emperor sniffed the delicate fragrance of Lan Qingwu's hair and said absentmindedly, "What did you say? I didn't hear you! Was that what I was thinking about just now?"

"Your Majesty, are you not going to let Ruo Ruo go back?"

Emperor Shenwu played with Lan Qingwu's green jade hand and found that the scars left by the poisonous bee were gone. "If you don't want to go back, then don't go back. Don't you want to see me sooner?"

Emperor Shenwu thought that Lan Qingwu had hardly had a few days of peace in these years, so he hugged her even tighter.

Lan Qingwu adjusted his posture in the arms of the Divine Martial Emperor, leaned against his shoulder and said, "But you are so weak that you don't even have any space of your own!"

The Emperor tightened his arms around Lan Qingwu and lowered his head to kiss her delicate lips. As their lips and tongues intertwined, the Emperor ripped off Lan Qingwu's nightgown. Lan Qingwu struggled slightly beneath the Emperor, her hands resting on his shoulders as she panted slightly. The Emperor released her lips, his eyes dark and deep. "Why? Why are you rejecting me? A few days ago, you used the excuse of feeling unwell to keep me away from you, and now you're still doing this?"

Lan Qingwu didn't know how to answer, but Emperor Shenwu knew her dilemma well: "Is it because of Concubine Yang?"

The Shenwu Emperor lifted Lan Qingwu up and sat him in his arms. "Ruoruo, do you think you could control me if I favored someone else over the years? Or do you think your few words could bind me for so many years?"

Lan Qingwu's eyes immediately turned red, but she still said softly, "I feel that it was I who asked Brother Heng to stay with me alone. After that, the harem was like nothing, which also made them feel very dissatisfied..."

The Shenwu Emperor's phoenix eyes fixed on Lan Qingwu, and he spoke word by word, "Ruoruo, it's true that you wanted to monopolize me at the beginning, but after that, all the decisions were mine! You can't influence me! I'm also very greedy and want your undivided attention. I have your whole body and soul, and I want to possess and enjoy it forever! So, as an emperor, I indulged myself! It was I who wanted to protect you forever, so the matter of Concubine Yang is my responsibility, do you understand?"