Jinwei joins hands in rebirth: villains can also eat at the table

Chapter 191 Open Heart

In the first month of the year, when the weather was still cold, the emperor left the capital in a grand procession with the empress dowager, the empress, concubines and court ministers.

They rode in a horse-drawn carriage along the canal, enjoying the scenery along the way.

As time went by, the weather grew warmer, and spring arrived. The atmosphere in the procession also became more relaxed. The emperor began to pay more attention to the beautiful scenery along the way, especially the blooming flowers and clear streams.

When they finally arrived in Hangzhou, the city they had longed for, it was already summer, and they were all living in a makeshift palace.

The only difference from last time was that the person who always accompanied him changed from the Queen to Concubine Ling.

Originally, Empress Ruyi was supposed to meet with him and the officials in charge of receiving him. But at nightfall, Ruyi used the excuse of feeling unwell and went back to the palace to rest.

The emperor knew that Ruyi had been in poor condition recently, so he allowed her to return to the palace to rest and specially sent a team of guards to escort her back.

The emperor's attitude made Ruyi very disappointed.

Ruyi didn't expect that only six years had passed since her last trip to Jiangnan, and everything had changed.

She still remembered the days when the emperor held her hand and they traveled around the south of the Yangtze River together like an ordinary couple.

Are human hearts really so fickle?

Unexpectedly, when I went to the south of the Yangtze River again, I could only watch the emperor, whom I once regarded as my partner, drinking with another woman at the same table at a banquet.

Ruyi was a little confused about her feelings at the moment.

Disappointment, resentment, compromise or powerlessness?

She didn't understand that the emperor had once been sincere to her.

He would silently take care of everything she did in the cold palace, and would even hide his identity to travel with her. He even personally held her hand and said that he hoped she could stay by his side as the queen...

Now, she has betrayed the traitor and not only killed Li Yu, but also confined Hai Lan to the palace.

All this was not just due to someone else's plotting behind the scenes, but also because the emperor did not trust her.

Ruyi didn't understand. Even though he was the emperor, the two of them were so close once, so how could he have changed completely in just a few years?

She strolled under the moonlight. The bright moonlight made her face look pale, and her eyebrows were tightly twisted together, making her look very ugly.

Seeing that Ruyi was a little disappointed, Ling Yunche, who was responsible for escorting her back to the palace, spoke softly.

"Empress, are you worried?"

He had been watching the Queen's expression with concern, and when he noticed something was wrong, he immediately asked.

What's on your mind?

Ruyi has a lot of worries.

Ruyi shook her head, not knowing what to say.

Mainly because I don’t know where to start.

"If the Empress doesn't mind, you can tell me. I still remember a night like this one. The Empress and I were walking on the palace road. The moonlight was just as bright as it is now. Does the Empress still remember the words you used to comfort me?"

Ruyi wore an indigo-blue, double-breasted gown, embroidered with silver thread, a ruyi pattern that shone with a cold, silvery-white glow in the moonlight. The turquoise tassels at her ears swayed slightly, and she was transported back to the past.

She didn't expect that Ling Yunche still remembered those words after so many years.

Ruyi laughed and teased him for the first time: "I didn't expect that after so many years, now it's your turn to enlighten me."

Looking at Ruyi's eyes sparkling in the moonlight, Ling Yunche's originally calm thoughts began to slowly ripple.

The Queen's eyes are so beautiful.

He was slightly distracted, then said seriously, "Times change, and everyone has their lows. Your Majesty, please don't be discouraged. Just like me back then, I never thought I would become a second-class guard in front of the emperor. All this is thanks to your support. If you have anything, please feel free to ask me. No matter what, I will stand by your side..."

He said this sincerely and actually did it.

When Ruyi recalled the past few days, she suddenly felt it was very ironic.

Over the years, whenever she was imprisoned, Ling Yunche was always by her side, but the young man whom her husband, the emperor, regarded as a confidant, was always silent at this time.

"Ling Yunche, thank you. Fortunately, you have always been by my side. Li Yu is gone, and now I am left with only you, Hailan, and Rong Pei..."

"The current low point is only temporary. I believe that there is justice in this world. As long as the Queen cheers up, we will be able to restore the innocence of Concubine Hai and Eunuch Li Yu."

The two of them chatted with each other as they strolled in the moonlight, as if they had returned to those days.

Rong Pei and the people who were accompanying her followed behind, and they felt very relieved when they saw the Queen gradually smile.

The Empress has been in a state of depression these days, but she can finally open her heart.

The Emperor has always been cold to the Empress. Eunuch Li Yu is gone, Concubine Hai is being wrongly confined, and even Concubine Chun has been acting strangely lately and has been very cold to the Empress. The Yiku Palace is deserted, and she only watches others laugh during this southern tour.

There was no one around the Queen to talk to.

Fortunately, Lord Ling is always with me.

The journey to the palace was short, and they soon arrived at Ruyi's residence in the palace. Ling Yunche still had to hurry back to report.

He bowed slightly to Ruyi, but his eyes looked straight at her without any hesitation.

"Your Majesty, I have to go back and report, so I can only send you here."

Their eyes met, and Ling Yunche withdrew his gaze due to the heat.

"You've worked hard today. Go back and rest early." Ruyi didn't know why, but her mind always felt confused. Looking at Ling Yunche's straight gaze, her heart couldn't help but feel a little moved.

After she finished speaking, she stepped over the threshold and returned to the inner hall as if she was escaping.

Ling Yunche watched Ruyi's departing back until her figure disappeared under the swaying shadows of the trees, and then he was willing to leave.

He was very excited along the way, and his mind was full of Ruyi's smile.

After barely returning to the emperor, Ling Yunche looked at the emperor with some contempt while forcing himself to suppress the throbbing in his heart.

Seeing Ruyi in such a state of desolation and the emperor in such triumph, Ling Yunche felt that his current situation was even worse than when he was in the cold palace.

At least he was carefree at that time, and the Queen was just a small concubine in the cold palace. She had to do some idle chores all day long, and they could sit together and chat about their feelings in their spare time.

There is no need to worry so much like now, suffer unjust accusations, and live in fear every day, fearing the emperor's groundless suspicion.

I don’t know if tonight’s talk had any effect, but Ruyi gradually got better and even smiled a few times when facing the emperor.

But the emperor no longer had the heart to talk to her. He was busy with state affairs and didn't have time to devote all his energy to the queen alone.

Sometimes the two of them sleep in the same bed, but they also sleep well on their own.