Repeatedly broken branches

It's been three days since Xiao Mu returned to Chaoyang. Yu Yanjing has been so busy with government affairs that he hasn't come out for three days. Xiao Mu can only sit in the shop waiting for him, staring longingly at the street from time to time. She really hopes that Yu Yanjing will suddenly appear in front of her disguised as Ling. Is this considered a long-distance relationship? She didn't expect a long-distance relationship to be so difficult.

She missed Yu Yanjing so much.

"Is this the shop Peiyuan mentioned?" Shen Shanshan stood at the entrance of Xiao Mu's shop, pondering for a long time before finally asking.

“Yes, Miss, let’s go in and take a look,” said the maid, A-Qiao.

Xiao Mu could tell from the girl's clothes and appearance that she was no ordinary person; she was either a young lady from a noble family or a female official in the palace.

Shen Shanshan took a fancy to a pair of earrings in the shop. Without thinking, she had A Qiao pay for them and took the earrings away.

She asked, "Boss, do you know what kind of hairpins a woman can wear to attract men?" She lowered her eyes, looking at her embroidered shoes with a slightly shy expression.

Xiao Mu took out a magnolia and butterfly hairpin and explained earnestly, "This hairpin is fresh and elegant, very suitable for a woman your age. It won't make you look old, and it complements your skin tone. When men see it, they will think that you are just like this magnolia flower."

Shen Shanshan was very satisfied with what she heard. She took the Magnolia Butterfly Hairpin and had A Qiao pay for it. She then walked out of the shop with a smile on her face.

Xiao Mu thought to herself, "It's so good to be young."

……

"Brother, when will the Emperor come out?"

Shen Shanshan dressed up carefully, wearing newly made clothes and the hairpin recommended by Xiao Mu, and immediately entered the palace, lingering outside Yu Yanjing's study.

Shen Ruoxuan glanced at her and said, "Why are you here again? The Emperor has been very busy lately, he doesn't even have time to eat, let alone deal with you."

Shen Shanshan smiled shyly, "Then I have time to deal with him. Brother, do you think there's anything different about me today?"

Shen Ruoxuan glanced at it and said suspiciously, "You... the rouge wasn't applied properly, it looks a bit like a monkey's bottom. You should wipe it off quickly, or the Emperor will be annoyed if he sees you."

"What do you know? This is called... having a healthy complexion! Look at me again and see if there's any difference?" Shen Shanshan almost buried her head in Shen Ruoxuan's arms, and the hairpin was almost poking his nostrils.

"I really can't see it, so just leave me alone!" Shen Ruoxuan impatiently pushed Shen Shanshan away.

I was already annoyed today because I was inexplicably scolded by Yu Yanjing. Although he often does this, it's still really annoying!

Shen Shanshan stomped her foot angrily, "I don't care, I'll wait for the Emperor here. It's none of your business. You're not the master of this place. Don't think that just because the Emperor appointed you to oversee the country, you can treat me like dirt. Be careful, or I'll tell my uncle and aunt that you're bullying me."

"Fine, fine, I don't care." Anyway, if I anger the Emperor, the consequences are obvious, and just thinking about it makes me furious.

Yu Yanjing was exhausted. He had never felt that being an emperor was so tiring before. Perhaps he had never really read through the complicated reports presented by these old men. He always thought they were just grumbling. He didn't expect that many of them were actually thorny issues that needed to be resolved. When he got busy, he lost track of time. Thinking about it, he had been buried in his study for three days and hadn't had a chance to see Xiao Mu. She was probably waiting so long that she was turning to stone.

Just consider it a chance to relax.

Yu Yanjing pushed open the door to the study and immediately saw the Shen siblings arguing at the door.

Shen Shanshan bowed to him, trotted up to him, and asked with a smile in her eyes, "Your Majesty, do I look any different today than before?"

"Nothing." Nothing has changed; it's still the same as before, making people feel annoyed just by looking at it.

"Impossible! The shop owner said that men all like these kinds of hair ornaments. I wore one today, and neither my brother nor the Emperor could tell!"

Shen Ruoxuan suddenly realized, "I didn't notice until you said so. So you were wearing a hair ornament today."

Yu Yanjing remained silent. It was obvious that Xiao Mu had done it; she relied entirely on deception to sell her products.

He couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Is His Majesty leaving the palace in casual clothes?" Shen Shanshan belatedly followed behind Yu Yanjing.

Do I need to report to you what I'm doing?

Shen Shanshan quickly explained, "No, I just wanted to ask. The Emperor has been in seclusion for three days. Why did he have to leave the palace as soon as he came out? Has something important happened?"

Yu Yanjing stopped, his voice sharp, "Do you really want something to happen? If not, then don't follow me anymore, understand?"

Yu Yanjing always referred to himself as "I" in front of Shen Shanshan, because in his eyes, Shen Shanshan was merely a subject's daughter, no different from Wei Lan and Rou Rou.

Before even leaving the palace gates, she bumped into Rou Rou and Wei Lan carrying a red wedding dress with gold lettering and an incomparably magnificent phoenix crown. Shen Shanshan's eyes widened, and she immediately abandoned Yu Yanjing and followed them.

Yu Yanjing was also a little curious. There had never been any weddings in the palace, so why would they send wedding clothes?

"This wedding dress is so beautiful! The fabric looks so smooth!" Shen Shanshan was about to reach out and touch the wedding dress when Wei Lan dodged her.

"Excuse me, Miss Shen, this is a tribute from Anning Kingdom. It was specially requested by the senior officials of the court and is intended for the Emperor's future Empress. No one else is allowed to touch it," Wei Lan said sternly to Shen Shanshan.

Shen Shanshan thought to herself, "Isn't the future empress herself? Why can't I touch what's mine? How can there be such a logic in the world?"

"The future empress?" Yu Yanjing was completely bewildered. He had no intention of getting married at all, and even if he did, it wouldn't be the elders' place to design wedding attire, would it? Besides, how did they know the future empress's size? Wasn't this just making wild guesses?

Rou Rou said, "Yes, the elders said that the future empress should have been decided long ago, but the emperor has been reluctant to fill the harem, so they have taken matters into their own hands and have already started selecting from eligible women in the court. Anyway, they have also made a casual garment according to the size of this wedding dress so that the women can try it on."

Absurd! Putting aside the fact that none of the women in the court are worthy of his attention, what kind of logic is it to choose an empress by trying on clothes? If everyone could fit into the clothes, wouldn't everyone be an empress?

Shen Shanshan was eager to try, "Let me give it a shot."

Wei Lan shook her head. "Miss Shen's size probably isn't suitable. The waist of any woman who could fit into it would be too small to be encircled by a hand. Miss..."

She glanced at Shen Shanshan's belly, suppressing a laugh in her heart. If Miss wanted to try, she would probably have to tighten her belly and hold her breath some more.

Shen Shanshan glared angrily at the wedding dress and made up her mind to lose weight.

"What utter nonsense! Who allowed this wedding dress to enter the palace!"

Yu Yanjing snatched the tray of wedding clothes and smashed it on the ground without hesitation. The originally magnificent and elegant red fabric was now covered in dust.

At this moment, Wen Yuanrui, one of the senior officials in the court, dragged his old bones as he jogged up from behind them. He stretched out his trembling hand and shouted as he ran, "Your Majesty, you mustn't! Cough cough cough cough cough cough..."

Yu Yanjing stared at him stiffly. "Why not?"

Wen Yuanrui said in a heavy voice, "These are gifts from Anning Kingdom. How can Your Majesty be so negligent? The appointment of an Empress is a matter of national importance. The important officials in the court are already worried so much that they can hardly eat. Your Majesty is breaking the hearts of countless loyal officials in the court! How can this old minister have the face to see the late Emperor and Empress? How dare this old minister seek the soul of the late Emperor after his death?"

Yu Yanjing's expression changed slightly. At times like this, these old men would bring up the late emperor and empress. He was tired of hearing it, but they still kept bringing it up in front of him, oblivious to his feelings. Were they really not afraid of death?

In his heart, the only candidate for empress was Xia Yunzhi. He wouldn't even consider anyone else. If those old men knew that he wanted to make Xia Yunzhi empress, they would be so angry that they would all want to kill themselves in the court. After all, Xia Yunzhi's identity was special, not just ordinary special. She was a princess of the former dynasty of Chen Kingdom and the divorced wife of Zhou Tingxi, the general who guarded the desert of Jiuguang Kingdom.

Wei Lan quickly picked up the wedding dress, brushed off the dust, and said to Yu Yanjing in a gentle tone, "Yes, Your Majesty, what Lord Wen said is indeed correct. You really should appoint an Empress. Otherwise, those who are eyeing you with covetousness will have a change of heart."

Yu Yanjing's eyes flashed with a cold light. Who is the real emperor?

"I have said that you need not worry about this. The Empress has already been chosen. I will bring her into the palace immediately!"

Everyone was stunned. Wen Yuanrui was extremely excited and said repeatedly, "Good, good, good! This old minister will go and summon the rest of the inner court officials to prepare for the empress's coronation ceremony!"

Yu Yanjing watched Wen Yuanrui's departing figure, but he was troubled. He had not yet remembered anything about Xiao Mu and himself. Would it be unfair to her to rashly involve her in the harem?

But if she isn’t made public soon, those old ministers will keep looking for women for him. What will Xiao Mu think when she finds out?

It would be better to face it together sooner rather than later. Even if everyone in the court opposes it, he will insist on making Xiao Mu his empress. Furthermore, he will promulgate new laws that allow emperors to have only one empress in their harems from now on, and this law can be implemented throughout the country. This will free him from the pressure from his clansmen, and anyone who forces another to take a concubine will be committing a crime.

Overjoyed, Wei Lan pulled Rou Rou toward the Buddhist hall, wanting to thank Buddha.

Finally, her eyes were opened; her master was finally getting married.

Shen Shanshan stood there, stunned, unsure whether to leave the palace or find Shen Ruoxuan to have a good talk. All she knew was that the dream she had always thought was within her grasp was probably shattered. From a young age, her mother had told her that she would definitely become the Empress of the Dynasty when she grew up, without a doubt.

But the Emperor said that someone had already been chosen. Why? Why wasn't it her? Was her mother lying to her? Her mother said that besides the daughter of the Shen family, who else in the world was worthy of the Emperor?

But the Emperor said that someone had already been chosen, and it wasn't her. Her mother was really lying to her.

It was all because of that ugly hair ornament. It must have been because the Emperor thought the hair ornament was too ugly, so he gave up her right to be Empress. She took the hair ornament off and crushed it. It was all because of that wicked woman from the shabby jewelry shop. She must have wanted to embarrass herself, so she recommended such an ugly hair ornament to herself.

definitely is!

Shen Shanshan stormed out of the palace.

Yu Yanjing didn't know how to bring this up. Was it too abrupt to suddenly say it to her without any preparation? He didn't know if she would agree.

“Xiao Mu… it’s me.” Yu Yanjing looked at her, hesitant to speak.

Xiao Mu was busy with her work and didn't look up at him. She just replied, "What's wrong? Do you want to go back?"

"No, I..." What to do? He just couldn't say it, and Yu Yanjing was getting really annoyed.

Xiao Mu stopped what she was doing, walked to Yu Yanjing's door, bent down to look at him, her eyebrows and eyes were like a painting, her lips were smiling, and she asked in a soft voice, "What's wrong? Are you still a child? Do you want me to play with you?"

Yu Yanjing shook his head, stammering for a long time without being able to utter a single word.

"Never mind, you're fine."

Xiao Mu went back to work on the orders she needed to finish that day. Yu Yanjing was probably throwing a tantrum; he has countless tempers.

"Hey, you brat, you big liar!" Shen Shanshan cursed at Xiao Mu as she stormed into the shop, immediately spotting her busy inside.

Xiao Mu looked at her in confusion, "Miss, what's wrong? How did I become a big liar?"

Yu Yanjing looked up. Shen Shanshan, how did you get here? But it's alright, he's disguised now, she won't recognize him.

Shen Shanshan said with a half-smile, "You still won't admit it? You were the one who recommended that hair ornament to me, saying that men like it, but it's completely useless!"

Xiao Mu narrowed her eyes slightly. So, her confession had failed. But it didn't matter; she had other jewelry. "Perhaps that person lacked taste. Miss, you could try this butterfly-entwined gold hairpin. It suits you very well!"

Shen Shanshan threw the hairpin to the ground, furious. "You're the one with no taste! How dare you look down on him? Humph, it's clearly you who don't want me to win his favor!"

Yu Yanjing's lips curved slightly. Joy? Don't even think about it in this lifetime. This Shen Shanshan is really shameless. She always thinks she can become the empress. He knows that the Shen family has been raising her to be the mother of the country. If it weren't for Shen Ruoxuan, he would not have turned a blind eye. He would definitely punish the Shen family for their attempt to climb the social ladder and exterminate their entire clan!

Xiao Mu cleared her throat. "Miss, please calm down. Why don't you look at some other things? Consider it a gift from me, okay?"

"No, nothing you offer in return will do. I want you to kneel down and apologize to me!"

Xiao Mu's face immediately darkened, and she lowered her voice, saying, "Miss, you're pushing your luck. Please leave, or I'll report you to the authorities."

Shen Shanshan was not afraid at all. "Go ahead and report it to the authorities. Don't you know who my Shen family is and what our status is in Chaoyang? My brother is the Grand Tutor. How many lives do you have to report it to the authorities?"

Yu Yanjing was furious. What was the status of the Shen family? Were they higher than him, the emperor? This must not be the first time Shen Shanshan had thrown a tantrum like this in public. Did she not know anything and just brought up Shen Ruoxuan and the Shen family? Was she just young and ignorant, or did she really think that way? Did no one in the entire Chaoyang dare to touch her?

"Then why don't you tell me what the Shen family's status is in Chaoyang? I'm all ears." Yu Yanjing turned his head and looked coldly at Shen Shanshan.

Shen Shanshan felt that the voice was quite familiar, but it was definitely a face she had never seen before. She said in a light tone, "Hmph, anyway, he's second only to one person and above ten thousand others. Do you understand? If you don't understand, don't waste my breath. Hurry up and make this brat kneel down before me."

Xiao Mu looked at Yu Yanjing and said softly, "I think she's just here to cause trouble. We need to get rid of her quickly so as not to affect our business!"

"it is good."

Yu Yanjing removed his disguise, turned his head, and stared intently at Shen Shanshan's face.

Shen Shanshan stared at him, trembling. How could this be? How could he be the Emperor? How could the Emperor come to a place like this? How could he be with this brat...?

Everything was premeditated. This brat also had feelings for the Emperor, which is why she tricked me into buying that unfortunate hairpin.

"Who did you just say you wanted to kneel down?" Yu Yanjing asked slowly. "Shen Shanshan, I didn't know the Shen family was second only to the emperor in Chaoyang. How come they're even a level above me?"

Shen Shanshan was so frightened that her legs went weak and she knelt on the ground, tears streaming down her face. "Your Majesty, Shanshan was just talking nonsense. I didn't mean it that way!"

Yu Yanjing lowered his head, staring straight at her, and said calmly, "Oh? Nonsense? Talking nonsense in front of the future empress? Interesting. According to the law, deceiving the empress is the same as deceiving the emperor, which is punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family, right?"

"No, no, no, Your Majesty, just now..." Wait, the Emperor just said, the future Empress? This brat is the future Empress the Emperor was talking about? A brat from a shabby jewelry shop? She's actually the future Empress of Chaoyang Kingdom? That's absurd!

Xiao Mu frowned. What was Yu Yanjing talking about? What future empress? How did she become the future empress?

Yu Yanjing breathed a sigh of relief and finally spoke, but he didn't expect to say it under such circumstances. It doesn't matter, what's done is done.

It was all because Shen Shanshan suddenly appeared and ruined his plans. He wouldn't do anything to her. In his eyes, she was just an immature child, Shen Ruoxuan's sister. He never intended to do anything to her.

Shen Shanshan looked at Yu Yanjing with a disheartened expression. This man, whom she had longed for for so many years, was actually so arrogant towards her in front of other women. How could she save face?