Chapter 1109 - Chapter 1109 Retreating to Advance, Meeting the Emperor in the Imperial Study
Chapter 1109 Retreating to Advance, Meeting the Emperor in the Imperial Study
Shao Wanru had fallen asleep when they returned to Prince Chen’s Mansion.
Chu Liuchen’s hands were steady. When he carried her back, she felt the journey smooth and stable, as if she were lying on the bed. Besides, Chu Liuchen’s scent calmed her down. During this period, she missed him terribly. With him in her heart, she slowly fell asleep.
When she pretended to be in a coma, she had been lying quite still but had never fallen asleep. With great concentration, she was listening to the conversations in the tent. But involuntarily, she relaxed at this time, entering a resting state.
As usual, Chu Liuchen entered Prince Chen’s Mansion through the side door. When a palace maid there saw him, she excitedly walked up to him but was stopped by his cold glance. Then she retreated carefully. When she was out of Chu Liuchen’s sight, she lifted the hem of her dress and ran fast away.
She had to tell her master that Prince Chen had come back at this time. She had been looking forward to Prince Chen’s return every day. This was great!
Chu Liuchen returned to the inner court with Shao Wanru in his arms and carefully put her on the bed. Looking at her ghastly pale face, he felt greatly distressed, as if needles were p.r.i.c.king his heart. Then he lowered his head and gently kissed her face.
As he looked up, his face became cold and stern again. His tenderness just now seemed just an illusion.
He reached out to take a quilt from the side for Shao Wanru and carefully covered her with it for fear that she couldn’t sleep soundly and would wake up.
He stared at her in a daze for a while. Then he stood up, walked out of the door, and asked Qing Yue who had been waiting there.
“What did Mingqiu Nun say?”
“Mingqiu Nun said Her Highness would be fine, and she just needed to nourish herself to regain her health.” Qing Yue didn’t dare to hide anything and repeated Mingqiu Nun’s words.
Only then did Chu Liuchen feel relieved. He nodded and said, “She is sleeping inside. Stay here and take good care of her!”
“Yes, I know!” Qing Yue answered. Yujie and Qu Le went to the Palace with Princess Chen, but only Princess Chen came back. Qing Yue was also very nervous but didn’t dare to ask about it.
Chu Liuchen strode out and returned to the Palace through the side door. After making sure of his direction, he went straight to the Imperial Study, where the Emperor was.
In the Imperial Study, the Emperor had already got the message. Hearing that he was coming, he hurriedly asked someone to call him in. Prime Minister Zhang and Prime Minister Wen, who had been discussing official business inside, left there.
On the way, when they saw Chu Liuchen hurrying over, they saluted him in unison, “Greetings, Your Highness!”
“You don’t have to do that, Your Graces!” Chu Liuchen raised his hand slightly and replied, his gentle eyes on them. In their eyes, Prince Chen was still as mild and handsome as he used to be.
But he appeared a little different from the past: his manner when facing two high-ranking officials was more imposing than before. His bearing was even more convincing than that of Prince Zhou, the legitimate son of the Empress.
As Chu Liuchen walked in, Prime Minister Wen and Prime Minister Zhang looked at each other with a trace of worry in their eyes.
Prince Chen was different from the past. He seemed a little more aggressive, like a newly cast sword out of the box, which inexplicably frightened them.
“Prince Chen has always been staying aloof from the power game. But what does this mean?” The two prime ministers were suddenly preoccupied with anxiety and felt uneasy.
Chu Liuchen entered the Imperial Study. No other people were in it except the Emperor and Derong, the princ.i.p.al eunuch.
“Uncle the Emperor!” Chu Liuchen strode in and knelt to salute the Emperor.
The Emperor came out from behind the desk excitedly and said, “Forego formalities! Get up now!”
But Chu Liuchen didn’t stand up. Still, he was kneeling and said, “Uncle the Emperor, please uphold justice for me.”
The Emperor frowned. “Get up, and let’s talk about it!”
“Uncle the Emperor, when I was on my way back, some people had deliberately held me back several times. My carriage also had an accident and almost overturned. To get to the capital in time and celebrate Imperial Grandmother’s birthday, I left my carriage and rode a horse to the capital. But I didn’t expect that my wife would nearly die. How could the public order in the imperial city be so bad? Why couldn’t these people tolerate a powerless woman?”
Chu Liuchen said solemnly, but he still didn’t get up.
The Emperor’s face darkened. He stretched out his hands, trying to pull Chu Liuchen up, but when he saw the determined look in Chu Liuchen’s eyes, his face froze, and he dropped his hands.
“Get up first. I know about this.”
“Uncle the Emperor, do you really know that?” Chu Liuchen stood up without hesitation this time and looked indifferently at the Emperor with indescribable sadness in his eyes. “Uncle the Emperor, I know you saved my life. I’ve been weaker than others. I should have felt satisfied as long as I was alive. There was no need to treat me. In particular, I shouldn’t have gotten married. If Princess Chen hadn’t married me, she wouldn’t have almost died because of rebellion!”
The men in black that night used military crossbows. Thus, strictly speaking, their action could be regarded as a rebellion.
The Emperor took a step back, and his face suddenly paled. His lips trembled before he said with difficulty, “Chen’er, why shouldn’t you live? You are of n.o.ble blood. Why can’t you live in this world? It’s…it’s my fault!”
“Uncle the Emperor, you don’t have to say that. You know, I didn’t want to live long before I met my wife. After all, I didn’t want to disturb others. It would be a great crime for me to survive. How could I implicate you and my Imperial Grandmother because of my mortal sin? But then, I found my true love and wanted to live with her for an entire lifetime. Can’t I even do that?”
With his eyes fixed on the Emperor, Chu Liuchen said calmly as if he were talking about the affairs of someone else. The Emperor felt his heart ache as if something were biting it downward violently.
Of course, he knew Chu Liuchen’s previous condition — he had abandoned himself to despair and never taken his life seriously. If it weren’t for Princess Chen, he might not even care about his life.
What did he do wrong?
He had done nothing wrong. He was the most innocent one. Was it the toxin inherited from his mother? He had suffered a lot even when he was in the womb. After he was born, he was at the gate of death. When Chu Liuchen was little, the Emperor didn’t even dare to breathe heavily before him for fear that he would catch a cold. It was not easy for him to grow up. Now, he finally had the desire to survive. Such a result was hard-won.
“Don’t worry. I will protect you… and people in your mansion.” Looking at Chu Liuchen’s expressionless eyes, the Emperor took a deep breath. He was afraid to see Chu Liuchen like this, as if he cared nothing about this world. He wore a serene look, seemingly disa.s.sociated from everything in this world. He cared nothing because he had given himself over to despair.
“Uncle the Emperor, I just want to live my life with Princess Chen!” Chu Liuchen muttered, and there was a slight fluctuation in his eyes.
The Emperor captured his change. Only when Chu Liuchen mentioned Princess Chen would he faintly display his feelings and attachment to the world.
“Uncle the Emperor, those people were restless even on my Imperial Grandmother’s birthday. How could they make such a scene in the Palace? This time, they brought disaster to my wife. What will happen next time? Will they target my Imperial Grandmother? Or anyone else? I only have a few families. I sincerely hope that we can live in peace and safety.”
Chu Liuchen added.
After that, he bowed to the Emperor and said, “Uncle the Emperor, I’m going to see my Imperial Grandmother. What happened to Princess Chen just now also scared her. She might not be in the mood to watch the performance. But this is a good thing. A lot of people entered the Palace today. Since the Palace had been thronged with various visitors and servants, it won’t be easy to investigate this incident. Besides, we’re not supposed to check up on the family members of officials above the fourth rank. In this way, the Palace becomes more insecure!”
After that, he turned around and walked out.
“Wait!” The Emperor’s voice came from behind.
Chu Liuchen turned around.
“How are you? Are you feeling unwell after you hurried back to the capital?” The Emperor took two steps forward and asked with concern.
“Don’t worry, Uncle the Emperor. I’ve fully recovered. I’m a little tired on my way back, but I can still hold on,” Chu Liuchen turned around and answered.
The Emperor’s eyes fell on his handsome face, which looked a little weary. It could be seen that he was indeed exhausted. He had thought Chu Liuchen couldn’t make it in time, but he showed up here. Chu Liuchen must have traveled day and night and barely stopped.
“Are you really all right?” the Emperor asked again.
“Rest a.s.sured, Uncle the Emperor. It’s not a big deal. I only need to go to bed early at night. Then I should be fine!” Chu Liuchen replied.
The Emperor examined him again and checked his complexion. Although his face was still as pale as before, and his lips were paler than ordinary people’s, he was in good spirits. Eventually, the Emperor felt relieved. Chu Liuchen must have recovered. He could withstand such a long and rapid journey, which meant he was stronger than ordinary people!
“Since you are in good health, you can go to court tomorrow!” With a wave of his hand, the Emperor said. It seemed he had made an important decision.
“I’m leaving now!” Chu Liuchen nodded and withdrew.
When he was out of the Imperial Study, he looked back at the tall and wide gate of the hall, his eyes becoming increasingly deep and calm. He was not surprised by what the Emperor had said just now. This was what he had wanted.
He had regained his health and was no longer a useless prince. His fast-speed march was more authentic than the words of imperial physicians. After all, facts speak louder than words.
Out of the Imperial Study, Chu Liuchen went to the Palace of Benevolent Peace but didn’t see the Empress Dowager. He was told that the Empress Dowager didn’t feel well and was asleep.
Chu Liuchen knelt outside the Empress Dowager’s place and kowtowed three times respectfully before he got up and went back.
When he returned to his mansion, Shao Wanru had not woken up. After was.h.i.+ng up, Chu Liuchen also went to bed, gently holding the slender figure in his arms, and closed his eyes.
He was indeed tired out on the way here!
Shao Wanru was weak and lacked vital energy and blood, while Chu Liuchen was exhausted. The two of them slept until the night. Nanny Yu and Nanny Zheng woke them up, and they had some food. Chu Liuchen changed the dressing for Shao Wanru’s wound. At the sight of her wound, he looked gloomy again. It took Shao Wanru a while to coax him.
After that, they fell asleep early. The Prince Chen’s Mansion was in peace, but the imperial Palace was not because the Empress Dowager fell ill…