Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

The three years of national mourning finally ended, but Lan Qingwu's grandmother, already terminally ill, passed away soon after. Lan Qingwu was forced to mourn for another year. Madam Lan, hoping to marry her during this period of mourning, sent a messenger to the Lin family to discuss the matter. The young master of the Lin family replied, "I dare not accuse Miss Lan of being unfilial or unrighteous. Wait until she passes the imperial examination next year, and then we can arrange the engagement and marriage."

Madam Lan was very upset and complained to Lan Qingwu why he had to be so stubborn and observe the three years of national mourning! She was already nineteen years old this year. What other young lady would live to this age?

Lan Qingwu woke up from her memories. Yes, this year was March of the fourth year of Shenwu. She was already nineteen years old. In this dynasty, she was truly an unmarried woman of advanced age.

The Dasheng Dynasty, a thousand-year-old imperial city, shimmering with splendor and grandeur. Inside De'an Palace, Emperor Shenwu awoke from a dream. He sat up, his wife, Concubine Jiang, of aristocratic family, beside him. He gently rubbed his brow. He rose. Outside, the chief eunuch, Li Xiang, heard the commotion and hurried in to serve. Concubine Jiang, propped up her snow-white arms from the bed, asked in confusion, "Your Majesty?"

The Emperor Shenwu seemed not to hear. He quickly dressed and left De'an Palace, returning to Qianzheng Hall. Even after returning to Qianzheng Hall, the Emperor Shenwu did not fall asleep again. He sat on the dragon couch, gently covering his brow. He could still hear her pleading in his ears: "Brother Heng, please let Ruo Ruo go. Just consider it as saving Ruo Ruo's life..."

Emperor Shenwu took out a coral bracelet from under the jade pillow and stroked it carefully in his hands.

Whenever he wanted to do something, he would always think of these words in his mind. He said softly, "Ruo Ruo, should I let you go?"

When they first met, she was just an eight-year-old girl. When he first arrived at the border, he was being hunted by people from Concubine An's faction and accidentally strayed into her territory. She gave him medicine for his injuries. In the following years, she took him to walk through the streets and alleys of the border town, telling him about the various customs and cultures, and letting him appreciate the charm of the four seasons...

At first, he had to conceal his identity. Then, as she gradually grew older and her beauty began to emerge, he knew her temperament too well to speak. He kept thinking that if he waited a few more years, perhaps she would not be so resistant. But he had never expected her to be so resolute. From the shock of her discovery to her acceptance, her determination was so decisive and unwavering. If he hadn't learned of her serious illness after returning to the imperial city, he would have thought it was just a dream he had been dreaming for years.

The chief eunuch Li Xiangwei stood beside him with his head bowed. He looked at the emperor quietly and knew vaguely that there was someone hidden in the emperor's heart. From time to time, this person would show up and affect the mood of this determined and decisive emperor.

Li Xiang wondered if this woman was already married? Why was the emperor, who always valued etiquette, unable to obtain her? He knew there was a dedicated line that sent news of that woman to the Dragon Case every day. He only remembered that three years ago, the emperor had been enraged by a piece of news. He only heard the emperor's voice, a faint but furious tone: "A verbal engagement?"

It was only for a moment, but it made the hairs on his body stand on end. Afterwards, the emperor quickly calmed down. That night, he favored the five women praised by the empress dowager. He spent the night with all five women, and the next day, they were all named beauties. A few days later, a pair of twins presented by officials were also favored. The elder Su and the younger Su were both named noble ladies at the beginning of their careers and were quite favored during that period.

But Li Xiang knew that the emperor was not happy. During that period, the emperor was murderous and tyrannical, and all his servants were trembling with fear. The emperor also often took a few trusted generals to hunt in Qiling Mountain.

Qiling Mountain was home to many ferocious beasts. Every time Li Xiang watched the bloodied Emperor emerge, he'd nearly faint, fearing his head wouldn't be able to hang off his neck. His face was so grim that he couldn't even care for Prince Ding's comforting pat on his shoulder. Soon, even the Empress Dowager Li was alarmed, falling ill. The Emperor then halted his trip to Qiling Mountain.

After a while, Concubine Chen held a small banquet, at which Concubine Xu performed a dance. Concubine Xu danced gracefully in the shape of a butterfly. Emperor Shenwu's gaze was focused and light, as if he saw through her into the void, and saw the weak twelve-year-old girl of that year, whose exquisite figure had begun to grow. She used the flowers and plants on the earth as a blanket, and the sound of leaves and wind as her music. Her graceful figure gently rotated, and her complicated dance gestures kept changing. The most amazing thing was that there was always a blue-green butterfly with a tail on the palm of her right hand, and its wings danced with her gestures, which was dazzling and fascinating.

At the end of the dance, she noticed him coming and walked towards him with a smile, her gestures dancing non-stop. Finally, her slender white fingers slightly changed to form a heart shape, with a blue-green butterfly fluttering its wings in the middle. She brought the butterfly that had flown into his heart to his eyes and said in a crisp voice, "Brother Heng, this is for you!"

Emperor Shenwu's gaze returned to the palace. Concubine Xu had finished dancing. Emperor Shenwu whispered, "Fake is fake. The butterfly in my heart has already flown away. The rest is just imitations of others." At that time, he had decided to let her go free. A butterfly that grows and flies freely in the fields will not live long in this luxurious and wealthy palace.

After that, the emperor returned to normal, diligently handling government affairs, riding horses and hunting from time to time, and summoning concubines two or three times a month. Until now, several years later, Emperor Shenwu seemed to have completely lost interest in the harem. Apart from the imperial examinations that he was busy with in the previous dynasty, he had not set foot in the harem for more than three months.

This time it was Concubine Jiang's birthday, and His Majesty had to give respect to Concubine Jiang and the Second Prince who were in charge of the harem, but His Majesty still left De'an Palace late at night.

Empress Dowager Li recently brought up the matter of the imperial selection process again. It's been nearly four years since Emperor Shenwu ascended the throne, and there hasn't even been a single selection. Initially, the year after the late emperor passed away, Emperor Shenwu told Empress Dowager Li directly, "I have received much care and guidance from my father since childhood. I wish to observe a full year of mourning for him."

Empress Dowager Li frowned and said, "The Emperor changes the days to months. The Emperor only needs to observe the full twenty-seven days. However, the Emperor should still abide by the rules of the royal family and encourage more children for the royal family. Moreover, the Empress died young, so next year we will still have to select a concubine from all over the country to fill the harem."

When Emperor Shenwu heard the rules, his eyebrows jumped. Wasn't it that the empress was trapped by the rules herself? In fact, this empress was also posthumously conferred. She died of illness two months before he ascended the throne.

Empress Dowager Li felt very sorry because this Empress Li who only knew how to follow the rules was also from the Li family. Even more regrettable was that Empress Li only left behind a princess, who was now being raised by Empress Dowager Li in the Cining Palace.

Emperor Shenwu made the decision, and the Empress Dowager could not influence him. He observed mourning for a full year, and before Empress Dowager Li spoke, he declared in the previous court: The border is unstable, and although the national strength is strong, the northwest has been dry and rainless in recent years, and solving the drought is not a one-time effort. I order Yan Wenjin, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Works, to focus on the research of water wheels, and the other five ministries to cooperate as much as possible, especially the Ministry of Revenue, and there should be no delay. Considering that I have just ascended the throne and the Ministry of Revenue is not well-off, the selection is postponed for two years.

Unexpectedly, two years later, a massive corruption case erupted in the previous dynasty. The emperor was enraged, blood flowed like a river, over a thousand people were beheaded, and over a thousand were exiled. Emperor Shenwu's iron-fisted approach to stabilizing the court began to show, and his imperial power grew even stronger. For the next year, officials approached court with extreme caution, fearing the emperor would catch them in the act. Even the imperial censors were left idle.

It was now the fourth year of the Shenwu reign, and Empress Dowager Li could finally bear it no longer. She went to the Qianzheng Hall to meet Emperor Shenwu in person, and said sadly and sorrowfully: "I dreamed of your father, who was asking me if I had fulfilled my duties as the empress dowager." After saying this, she burst into tears.

Emperor Shenwu frowned and said, "Mother, why is it so? I already have three sons and two daughters. Lately, I have been busy with state affairs and have no time to enter the harem."