Repeatedly broken branches

"Don't just focus on drinking, this is Su Qianqian, she's seventeen this year, what do you think?" Shen Ruoxuan said, pointing to the first woman in the row of women standing in front of her.

Yu Yanjing lazily raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over her without even getting a clear look at her face, and said in a casual tone, "You didn't need to chase me all the way to Jiuguang Country, did you? And with all this stuff of flowers and plants, don't you feel tired, Shen Ruoxuan?"

Shen Ruoxuan said helplessly, "Who told you to make no progress for so long? If you don't make progress, I have to follow suit. Those old men are pressuring me so much that I don't even dare to go out. As soon as I go out, they tell me to keep an eye on your marriage!"

Yu Yanjing took a sip of wine, chuckled softly, and said in a low, casual voice, "Who told you there's no progress? Can you stop being so impatient? Is it more like the emperor isn't worried than the eunuch? You even brought her here to find me. Don't you think you're acting like a woman? Are you my mother? Why are you so concerned about my marriage?"

Shen Ruoxuan frowned, waved his hand to dismiss the girls, stood up, and said resentfully, "You still dare to say that? What emperor's harem is empty? You don't even have a woman he's ever favored! I'm really worried to death. They've all suggested making my cousin Shen Shanshan empress. If I hadn't strongly opposed it, their memorials would probably be piling up all over your Huaxi Palace!"

Yu Yanjing chuckled. "Shen Shanshan? That idiot who only knows how to eat all day long?" He laughed even louder. "What would she be like as Empress?"

Shen Ruoxuan's face darkened. "Although Shanshan loves to eat, she is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and she is also good at needlework. My aunt is training her to be the matriarch of a family, so don't underestimate her."

Yu Yanjing's lips moved slightly, and he said jokingly, "Then you should marry her. These days, which woman isn't being groomed to be the head of the household? It's just wishful thinking. How can everyone be so lucky as to become the head of the household? It's just wishful thinking."

Shen Ruoxuan sighed, her eyes flickered, and then said, "Consort Jing... no, the Empress Dowager said she wants to leave the palace to live, preferably in a temple. She wants to practice Buddhism while still keeping her hair, and hopes you can grant her permission."

"What kind of 'cultivating with hair intact' is it? It's nothing more than wanting to stay far away from me. But the world is so chaotic, and she was the late emperor's concubine. There's no precedent for this. Countless people want to kill her. Do you think I would agree to that?" Yu Yanjing smiled bitterly and drank a cup of wine.

She loathed herself so much, yet he was the one she raised. Even so, he still didn't want her to be hurt. After all, the few moments of warmth and affection he had as a child came from Consort Jing, the woman who was determined to destroy him.

"You still care about her. You're just being stubborn. But someone like her isn't worth it."

"Does it matter whether it's worth it or not? If I wanted to do it, I did it..."

Back inside, Xiao Shao closed the door, and Xiao Mu sat by the window, gazing intently at the moon outside. The soft moonlight shone on her face, illuminating the girl's delicate features.

Xiao Shao asked, "Why has Madam been silent ever since she came back from dinner? Did something happen?"

"Little Spoon, a man goes out to eat and invites a woman from the restaurant in. What do you think his reason is?"

Xiao Shao sneered, "What else could it be besides those things... Could it be the general? No way, Madam, you two just went out together. Could he have been right under your nose...? Madam! Why don't you just turn a blind eye? What man doesn't have concubines or mistresses?" Xiao Mu looked at her in horror.

Xiao Mu glanced at her and said fiercely, "What are you talking about? I'm not talking about Zhou Tingxi, just an acquaintance. I really don't know what you're thinking all day long."

Xiao Shao suddenly realized, "Is that so? Well... that's probably it. Men are all lecherous, as long as they're not our general."

Yes, he's the emperor, so handsome and dashing, full of vigor. Isn't it normal for him to have affairs? She's already married, why would she think he'd wait for her? It's just wishful thinking. How can you believe everything people say? How can you be so easily fooled? Anyway… you haven't truly connected yet, so none of this matters…

Hehe, why should others wait? On the contrary, you're unlikely to wait for others either. Thinking about it this way, it's not too sad.

After finally getting Shen Ruoxuan back to Chaoyang Kingdom, Yu Yanjing was exhausted, both physically and mentally. When he had free time, he would wander around the entrance of the Zhou residence. He knew that he might see Xia Yunzhi there, which was why he persisted.

For several days in a row, Zhou Tingxi and Xia Yunzhi were seen together, riding in the same carriage, looking very close, which made people quite envious.

Passersby said that they were childhood sweethearts, kindred spirits, and a perfect couple. Even when Zhou Tingxi and Yin Fu'an rebelled, Xia Yunzhi remained devoted to him, which was truly enviable.

Doesn't she dislike him at all? Doesn't she forbid him from touching her? How come they go out together every day? You can't trust what women say.

Today, Xia Yunzhi finally went out alone. He secretly followed her, climbed over the back of the carriage, and she was terrified, staring at him with wide eyes.

"It's you, Yu Yanjing!" Xiao Mu stared at him in astonishment, her face full of disbelief. Today was the first time she had gotten rid of Zhou Tingxi and gone out. She had originally planned to go to the address Yu Yanjing had given her to find him, but she didn't expect him to come to her door on his own.

"Madam, what's wrong?" The coachman heard the commotion and tried to peek in to check.

"It's alright, I'm getting dressed right now and it's not convenient for me to drive. You can continue driving!"

Yu Yanjing looked at her with a playful expression. "What? Afraid your husband will find out?" A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and his gaze suddenly turned icy.

"You're right, Your Majesty. Isn't it normal for me to be afraid that my husband will find out? Don't you think so?" Xiao Mu said with a smile, deliberately keeping her distance from Yu Yanjing.

"Yes, you two are like a perfect couple, inseparable. Why did you go out alone today?" Yu Yanjing's tone was sarcastic.

"I'm going to visit my sister, so of course I'll be alone."

Yu Yanjing lowered his eyes helplessly, his expression somber, and said, "What you said back then doesn't count at all? What you said when you were drunk that day was all a lie? Why did you lie to me? Was it fun to lie to me?" His voice was low and hoarse, conveying his sense of loss.

"Didn't you also summon so many beautiful women? Those women have such great figures, so curvaceous, no wonder you keep it all to yourself...tsk tsk tsk."

Yu Yanjing nodded, a slight smile playing on his lips. So this girl was jealous. So she saw it that day. No wonder she'd been getting so close to Zhou Tingxi lately. It was all for his benefit. He had said he believed her and that she couldn't possibly betray him. In this world, besides her and Shen Ruoxuan, who else wouldn't betray him?

"That was brought by Shen Ruoxuan. I knew nothing about it. I promise!" His eyes shone with sincerity.

"I do not believe."

"It's true. Shen Ruoxuan cares a lot about my harem and wants to fill it up. He's so anxious. I've never taken any concubines or favored any women. The old men in the court have been putting pressure on him, so he brought women and chased after me to Jiuguang Kingdom. I finally managed to send him back recently... and then I came to find you... and saw you and Zhou Tingxi together. I'm so angry!"

Xiao Mu suppressed a laugh, "I'll just let you get angry. Now I'm going to the palace, let's see where you can hide?"

Yu Yanjing raised an eyebrow. "Can't I go with you? I'll also meet your friends. I'll just say I'm your distant cousin, and I'm staying with you for a few days!"

Xiao Mu was stunned. He really knew how to make things up. What cousin? What short stay? How could an emperor like him talk such nonsense?

"That's all, understand?" Yu Yanjing's gaze shifted slightly, a faint smile on his face.

"Okay, okay, anyway, my sisters are naive and easy to fool!"

Just before getting off the carriage, Yu Yanjing quickly kissed her soft lips. Xiao Mu looked at him in astonishment, her face flushed. She simply couldn't believe that Yu Yanjing would be so shameless!

Yu Yanjing alighted from the carriage beforehand, pretending to walk from the left. Upon seeing Xiao Mu, he feigned a long-lost look, "Xiao Zhi, long time no see. Are you going to the palace?"

Xiao Mu forced a smile and said, "Yeah, cousin...cousin, want to come along?"

Yu Yanjing laughed and said, "Great! It's been a long time since I've been to the palace!"

His disguise today was different from his usual appearance, so no one could recognize him as Han Xingbai. People from Chaoyang Kingdom are skilled at disguise, and they can disguise themselves in a way that makes them unrecognizable.

"Xin Ning, I'm here! This is my cousin... his name is... um, his name is Bai Xingyu!"

Xiao Mu then came up with a random name.

Seeing that Xiao Mu had brought such a handsome man, Liang Yuxue quickly stepped forward, feigning a delicate appearance, and said softly, "I've never met Xiaozhi's cousin before. This humble woman, Yuxue, greets you..."

Xiao Mu awkwardly said to Yu Yanjing, "This is Consort Liang..." What is Liang Yuxue doing now? This is her man, what is she doing!

Yu Yanjing cupped his hands and smiled, "Greetings, Noble Consort, Beauty..." He was very clever. On the way, Xiao Mu mentioned that one of her two friends was a Noble Consort and the other was a Beauty, so he guessed that the other must be a Beauty.

Song Xinning smiled and said, "Your cousin doesn't look like you at all!"

Xiao Mu suddenly became nervous. "No way, everyone says we look alike. Don't say things like that... Besides, he's not my real brother, why would he look like me!"

Song Xinning pulled her aside and whispered, "Is this your Jing-gege? Liang Yuxue might not be able to tell, but I can..." She looked at Xiao Mu with a half-smile.

"Hmm...don't tell her, she can't keep secrets!" Xiao Mu whispered.

Liang Yuxue was too busy admiring Yu Yanjing's stunning good looks to care about what the two of them were whispering about. This Xiao Mu's cousin was much more handsome than that scoundrel Yin Fu'an. She should marry a handsome man like him!

Yu Yanjing felt uneasy under Liang Yuxue's intense gaze, which made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

If someone with ulterior motives were to discover that a concubine was secretly harboring a man outside the palace, it would surely become the talk of the entire palace, and could even lead to the extermination of nine generations of her family. Yin Fu'an had just ascended the throne and his power base was not yet stable, so how could he dare to touch Liang Yuxue and Song Xinning's father and family? Therefore, they were naturally not afraid. Besides, this man was Xia Yunzhi's cousin, who was also the cousin of Consort Xian, Xia Yunxu. It was only natural for a cousin to visit his sister in the palace.

"Young Master Bai, what do you usually like to do?" Liang Yuxue's eyes were practically glued to Yu Yanjing as she stared at him intently as she asked.

Yu Yanjing had no choice but to answer "archery".

Xiao Mu looked at him expectantly and said, "I've never seen you shoot an arrow before, and I don't know how good your archery skills are?"

"Compared to my nine older brothers, my archery skills are just a drop in the ocean..."

His nine older brothers all learned archery from the best teachers in Chaoyang Kingdom, sent by their father. But he, however, was forbidden from learning archery by Consort Jing, who kept him pampered. Thus, he developed a deep longing for archery. While his brothers learned, he secretly practiced in the woods, only mastering the basics. Yet, his archery skills were quite good; he probably had a natural talent. His brothers' archery teacher said that archery doesn't rely entirely on books; it's mostly about the heart. You must learn to become one with the bow, to feel the bowstring with your heart. Then, applying the teachings from books will be effortless and natural…

Haha, so he really loves archery. When he has nothing to do, he carries his bow and arrows to the edge of a cliff and practices his archery skills. At first, he could only shoot tree trunks, but after a few days he could shoot fruit on the trees. After a while, he could shoot leaves, even smaller pieces of leaves than arrows...

Xiao Mu didn't know what he was thinking, but silently watched his expression change. It gradually became gloomy, and his eyes gradually dimmed. He said he liked archery, but when he mentioned archery, he looked so depressed.

Song Xinning said, "Xiaozhi's cousin must be tired from the long journey. Let's go out for a while and let the two siblings rest. We'll come back to find them later. Let's go see what the kitchen has prepared today..." After saying that, she pulled Liang Yuxue out of the room.

Liang Yuxue reluctantly turned her gaze away from Yu Yanjing.

"What are you thinking about?" Xiao Mu sat down next to Yu Yanjing and asked with concern, "Are you thinking about something bad?"

Yu Yanjing shook his head bitterly and said in a low voice, "How could anything be wrong? I was just thinking about how I was always isolated by my nine older brothers when I was a child. They looked down on me, said I didn't have a mother, and said I was an unlucky person."

His experience was somewhat similar to that of Ruan Cifeng, but he became the most honored king, while Ruan Cifeng is no longer even a prince.

Every king's childhood is destined to be incomplete; no one is perfect.

"So what? You still trampled them underfoot, didn't you? It's their business if they isolate you. As long as you feel good about yourself, that's all that matters!"

“It’s different. I once thought it must be my own fault, otherwise why wouldn’t all nine of my brothers like me? If it were just one or two, there would be a reason, but none of my nine brothers liked me…”

Xiao Mu looked at him sadly, feeling extremely sorry for him. Seeing him like this, so different from his usual self, she suddenly felt so weak and helpless.

"You must remember, you are the best, at least that's what I think..." Xiao Mu cupped his face, lowered her eyes, and slowly moved closer to him, gently covering his lips with hers.

Yu Yanjing trembled, as if all the warmth had rushed into his body like shooting stars, warming his icy heart.

He felt so weak, his whole body limp as he recalled Xia Yunzhi's kiss just now.

For a long time, they remained silent, the room quiet, filled only with the sounds of breathing and heartbeats.

He asked, "Did you treat Zhou Tingxi the same way?"

"Pah!" Xiao Mu's eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't! I'm too disgusted with him to even think about it. You're the first person I've ever kissed willingly, believe it or not!"

“I believe…” He laughed, a laugh so unrestrained and exuberant that even his eyes shone with light.