0p0 Chapter 716 The Childhood Sweetheart Used as a Shield (26)
Chapter 716 The Childhood Sweetheart Used as a Shield (26)
No one expected that Mu Zhou, who was in the eye of the storm just a few days ago because of Qin Yansi's marriage to a concubine, would suddenly become the new emperor's wife.
She became the empress of the Great Xia Dynasty.
It's unbelievable.
Although Mu Zhou's beauty is undeniable, it's understandable that the emperor would covet her after seeing her.
Ke Muzhou came from an ordinary family and had been engaged before. It was already difficult for her to enter the palace as a concubine or a noble lady, but she became an empress overnight.
Everyone envies and is jealous of him, but on the surface, no one dares to offend him.
The endless stream of rewards and the lavish praise on the imperial edicts clearly demonstrate how much the Emperor values Mu Zhou.
Moreover, the Emperor's affection extends to Mu Zhou's family; Mu Zhou's success brings benefits to his entire clan.
Who dares to oppose the emperor?
As a result, a flood of visiting cards poured into the Mu family.
Mu Zhou only accepted Wang Chunling's invitation.
In the afternoon, Wang Chunling couldn't wait to pay a visit.
Although her mother had told her to be careful with her words before she came, Mu Zhou was now the future empress and she could not afford to offend or neglect her.
But Wang Chunling had no idea about any of that, and as soon as she arrived, she started chattering away with questions.
"Zhou'er, are you going to marry the Emperor?"
"Tell me quickly, what exactly happened? And what about Qin Yansi?"
Upon seeing Mu Zhou, Wang Chunling completely forgot her mother's instructions and blurted out all the questions that had been nagging at her.
She's not one to keep her mouth shut.
Mu Zhou asked Fen Yu to pour her tea, and then slowly and deliberately told her everything he could.
Wang Chunling listened with great interest, occasionally hurling insults at Qin Yansi.
"By the way, did you know that Qin Yansi kept a mistress? She's the manager we met at the rouge shop back then."
Wang Chunling slammed her hand on the table in anger, and said indignantly:
"I knew something was off about that manager. Who knew he'd been secretly having an affair with Qin Yansi all along? But now someone's in charge of dealing with them. That Miss Li isn't easy to get along with."
Mu Zhou also knew about these things.
Luo Mengyao was taken away by Qin Yansi and raised in a small courtyard. She stayed there almost every day and never went home. How could Miss Li possibly accept that?
After having someone investigate, she stormed into the courtyard and caused a huge scene.
This attracted all the neighbors to come and see what was going on, and they learned that this was Qin Yansi's mistress living there.
Miss Li's insults and the strange looks from those around her made Luo Mengyao feel ashamed and indignant to the point of wanting to die.
Qin Yansi was so angry that he almost vomited blood.
Mu Zhou also knew that Luo Mengyao was practically seething with hatred for Qin Yansi.
Although he seemed to care about Luo Mengyao, arranging for doctors to treat her and appearing very distressed, his words implied that it was understandable for her to sacrifice herself for his revenge plan.
Moreover, in order to save her, he endured the humiliation of marrying Miss Li.
Qin Yansi believed he had done his best.
He held her hand tenderly and promised that he would treat her well in the future.
Luo Mengyao scoffed at him, but secretly hated him to death.
She suffered so much, how could Qin Yansi possibly marry the daughter of a high-ranking official?
Do you still want a harem of beautiful wives and concubines?
dream.
But she is not well right now, so she has no choice but to compromise.
Mu Zhou was actually looking forward to the two of them getting along in the future.
I hope Luo Mengyao won't disappoint her.
Wang Chunling and Mu Zhou chatted for a long time, and then agreed to go boating the next day.
Just then, Fenyu brought over a bowl of medicinal soup.
Su Youbai specially sent two imperial physicians out of the palace to the Mu residence to focus on treating Mu Zhou's health.
After learning the source of the medicine, Wang Chunling couldn't help but feel envious:
"I never expected that His Majesty would pay attention to such a small detail. His Majesty treats you very well."
She heard her father say that the emperor was a decisive and ruthless man, and that he was not someone who could be threatened in court. He had a tough attitude and exuded the aura of an emperor.
In Wang Chunling's mind, the emperor's image was somewhat frightening.
It is said that those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. She felt that her best friend was timid and would definitely suffer in her interactions with the emperor.
Unexpectedly, the Emperor seemed to be very considerate.
When Mu Zhou heard her say that, he smiled slightly, a rare positive comment he made about Su Youbai:
"His Majesty is indeed very kind; he cares more about my health than he cares about his own."
That very night, the words reached the Emperor's ears.
He put down the memorial and looked up at the guard:
"Did she really say that?"
"Yes, this servant dares not speak recklessly."
Su Youbai's serious expression softened considerably.
The frustration that had been building up since she left the palace, with no contact whatsoever and not even a letter, and the fact that she pretended not to understand Huang Qing's hints, all vanished at this moment.
They're not entirely heartless.
He asked again:
"Is she going boating tomorrow?"
"Yes, together with Miss Wang."
Su Youbai hadn't seen her for several days.
With nearly six months until the wedding, he naturally wouldn't accept not seeing her at all before then.
Although he also wanted to marry Mu Zhou into the palace immediately, this was the Emperor and Empress's wedding, and there could be no perfunctory gestures.
He wanted to give Mu Zhou the best.
It would take at least six months to complete all the preparations, so he had no choice but to be patient.
But since she mentioned him, she must be missing him.
Su Youbai chuckled softly.
A woman who says one thing but means another.
Since it was inconvenient for her to enter the palace at any time, lest she give others cause for gossip, he decided to go out of the palace to see her.
*
The spring breeze still carried a chill, but sitting at the bow of the boat wrapped in a cloak had a unique charm.
Fenyu, worried about her young mistress's health, advised:
"Girl, let's go back to the cabin."
Mu Zhou nodded and left the bow of the boat.
Her silhouette fell into the view of someone on another ship.
Li Ying'er, supported by her maid, pointed at Mu Zhou and said:
"Isn't this that bitch?!"
Her tone was indignant, and her eyes were filled with anger.
She had naturally heard about Mu Zhou's upcoming marriage to the Emperor.
Originally, she always thought she was the future empress, and everyone around her knew it. Who would have thought that such a change would happen now.
She was so upset that she didn't want to go out for several days, afraid of being ridiculed.
I finally managed to get out and relax, but I never expected to run into Mu Zhou.
Seeing the person who "stole her love," she had long forgotten her mother's words of advice.
Her mother said that times had changed, and everything had changed since the Empress Dowager fell ill, so she told her to keep a low profile and act cautiously.
She didn't believe it.
The Emperor was extremely filial; even when the Empress Dowager was ill, he would not neglect her.
She didn't believe the Emperor would punish the Li family.
The Empress Dowager favored her the most. She was the only woman of her generation in the Li family. The Empress Dowager specially decreed that she should take her mother's surname, Li. She valued her so much that she even wanted her to marry the Emperor and enter the palace.
The Emperor values filial piety above all else, so he will naturally obey.
The current turn of events must be due to Mu Zhou's underhanded tactics.
Perhaps there was some unavoidable reason why the emperor had no choice but to marry her.
If she helps resolve the issue with Mu Zhou, perhaps the Emperor will be grateful to her.
Anyway, she didn't believe that the upright and serious emperor would like a charming and voluptuous woman like Mu Zhou.
As she watched Mu Zhou's boat head towards the shore, a thought struck her, and she ordered her men to follow him back.
On the other side, Mu Zhou and Wang Chunling had already started drinking.