Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Chapter 295 Return to the Border

After receiving the order from Emperor Shenwu, Lan Youchen did not stay for long. He arranged everything in the imperial city and led the Lan clan back to the border.

Under the high city wall, Lan Qingwu looked at the winding convoy from afar, knowing that she would never return to her hometown in this lifetime.

Lan Qingwu felt a slight pain in her heart. She probably wouldn't be able to see her relatives very often. An unprecedented thought came to her, but it was vague and hadn't taken shape.

Afterwards, Lan Qingwu recuperated in Fengqi Palace. Emperor Shenwu stayed with her whenever he had time, and gradually Lan Qingwu came out of her grief.

Empress Dowager Li has not been in good health in the past two years. She always has this or that minor ailment, and most of them are not outside the Cining Palace. When Lan Qingwu fell ill again, the entire harem fell silent. Emperor Shenwu issued an edict that the concubines in the harem should not disturb the two palaces from recuperating.

Prince Kang was implicated in the "Cast of Raping a Woman" and was imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Prison by order of Emperor Shenwu. Of course, Prince Kang's prison was particularly spacious and was specifically used to detain royal relatives, but Prince Kang still wanted to vomit blood and was almost desperate. Prince Ding only reminded him: "Second brother, no matter which prince it is, you must not contact him. You... can't bear it!"

I didn't know what was going on when I was implicated. Fortunately, this time Lin Suzhi investigated thoroughly and Prince Kang had gotten away with it by skirting the emperor's bottom line. Otherwise, would Prince Kang have only been imprisoned for a few months? And still be fed and served in the clan residence?

Prince Ding said something else, and Prince Kang was so angry that his heart ached. Prince Ding said, "Second brother, when father was alive, the fight for the throne was so cruel and bloody. You have survived it all. Don't let this generation be eaten to the bone by others!"

King Kang gritted his teeth: "..."Thank you for reminding me!

In Fengqi Palace, the Sixth Prince returned from the martial arts training grounds, cleaned up, and headed for Lan Qingwu's bedroom. His mother was unwell, so he had to pay his respects to Lan Qingwu twice a day these days to feel at ease.

The Sixth Prince walked to the door of the bedroom and was about to turn in when he suddenly paused.

The Sixth Prince glanced over and saw that his father was feeding his mother medicine. His mother had a bad stomach and wanted to vomit after drinking only half of the medicine. His father did not mind the trouble. He put the medicine bowl aside and asked the palace servant to heat it up and feed the medicine to his mother again later.

Afterwards, Emperor Shenwu spoke softly to Lan Qingwu, wiped the sweat from her face with a handkerchief, half-hugged Lan Qingwu in his arms, and slowly combed her long black hair with his fingers.

My father takes care of my mother in every possible way.

When they looked at each other, their eyes were only focused on the person in front of them.

The Sixth Prince's footsteps paused unconsciously, and the corners of his lips rose unconsciously. He felt a little reluctant to disturb his parents inside.

Although the Divine Martial Emperor's mind was focused on Lan Qingwu, he was a master of martial arts and had sharp eyes and ears. He looked towards the corner of the door and said calmly, "Come in!"

The Sixth Prince had no choice but to step inside and said, "I greet my father, the Emperor, and my mother, the Empress. Are you feeling better, Empress?"

Lan Qingwu nodded. Her face was still a little pale, but she looked much more energetic.

Emperor Shenwu continued, "Get up! Why didn't you let the palace servants inform you? Why did you come here without a sound?"

Lan Qingwu replied, "It was I who refused. Why would I need to announce my child's return home? I don't see Chu Ming much every day."

Emperor Shenwu disagreed, saying, "He's grown up, not a child anymore."

Lan Qingwu said softly, "I understand. Let's have dinner with the children later!"

The Sixth Prince hurriedly said, "Son will pay attention to this in the future."

Lan Qingwu asked the Sixth Prince in detail what he had done all day, and the Sixth Prince answered patiently one by one.

Lan Qingwu just felt that the Sixth Prince was working too hard, especially the daily martial arts training and sparring.

Emperor Shenwu said, "Practice in the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter. Only by diligently studying and practicing every day can you strengthen your spirit and body and achieve results."

The Sixth Prince was busy trying to comfort Lan Qingwu: "My son doesn't feel tired at all. Mother, I have just learned a new set of sword techniques and will demonstrate them to you another day."

Lan Qingwu nodded with a smile. She felt relieved as she saw the Sixth Prince had grown taller.

Although the Emperor Shenwu's expression was stern, satisfaction and pride were revealed in his phoenix eyes. This son had excellent bones and a natural talent for martial arts, comparable to his own youth. However, the Seventh Prince...

"If only Xiao Qi's martial arts talent were half as good as yours! Unfortunately..."

Unfortunately, this son has been weak since birth, and even after so many years of nursing, his physique is just like that of an ordinary person.

Lan Qingwu smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Xiao Qi's talent in martial arts is average, but he enjoys poetry, calligraphy, and painting. He often paints for the Second Prince to learn from."

Emperor Shenwu nodded. The Second Prince also liked writing poetry, and he had similar interests to Xiaoqi. However, he looked at the Sixth Prince in front of him. With such an outstanding son who was both civil and military, it would be fine if he had other sons.

Emperor Shenwu's requirements, training, and expectations for the Sixth Prince were different from those for other princes.

By the time Lan Qingwu finally regained his spirits, it was already April.

In April of this year, Emperor Shenwu arranged marriages for the eldest princess Mingzhu, the second princess Changping, and the third princess Heshun.

Regarding the marriage of the eldest princess Mingzhu, Emperor Shenwu specifically asked Empress Dowager Li for her opinion, and investigated the prince of Qingjiang thoroughly. Of course, Emperor Shenwu also investigated the consorts of the second and third princesses. Only then did he decide on the marriages of the three princesses.

The Second Princess's mother, Concubine Sun Guipin, was very satisfied, but Concubine Wen was nearly furious. Of the young men she had chosen, the best among men, those with outstanding backgrounds and promising futures, Emperor Shenwu chose none of them. Instead, he chose the legitimate son of the scholarly Lu family, a young man of nobility and neither a leader nor a noble. Concubine Wen, however, chose the legitimate son of a family with generations of military honors, similar to the nobles of Leng Qujing. Emperor Shenwu's imperial decree of marriage disrupted the plans of Concubine Wen and the Shi family.

Although the Shi family and Concubine Wen held themselves in high esteem, they were also aware of their weakness: military power. Neither the imperial garrison nor the local military officials had much to do with the Shi family. For their own future, Concubine Wen and the Shi family had no choice but to humble themselves and seek a suitable consort for the Third Princess.

But all this turned into nothing. In the Wenhua Palace, Concubine Wen's face was ashen. She couldn't help but throw the teacup beside her. She finally stood up angrily and rushed out of the palace without saying a word.

Concubine Wen rushed to Fengqi Palace in one breath. Without waiting for the palace servants to inform her, she rushed in. The rare eldest princess Mingzhu was also in the main hall of Fengqi Palace.

The eldest princess came to pay her respects to Lan Qingwu on the orders of Empress Dowager Li. Just like that, Emperor Shenwu, Lan Qingwu and the eldest princess heard the noise at the door of the hall.

Emperor Shenwu frowned tightly, and within a few moments, Concubine Wen rushed into the hall.

Ruyan hurriedly followed him into the hall and knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Your Majesty, please forgive me, I was unable to stop Concubine Wen!"

The Shenwu Emperor at the head waved his hand, and Ruyan and the dozen or so palace maids in the hall hurriedly retreated.