To be honest, Zhu Youtang didn't know why he personally came to pick up Jingxin.
His heart throbbed when he first saw her. She was like a mystery that attracted people around him to explore.
The sorrow in her eyes made people want to see what was going on, and they inexplicably wanted to bear everything for her.
Ever since he had seen the mysterious her, he couldn't help but think about her. He thought about her otherworldliness, her elegance, the stories she might have, and everything about her.
Perhaps this was fate!
For some reason, she reminded him of another woman who needed his protection. Vaguely, there seemed to be something pulling him back, bringing up memories of the past few years. It was as if she was doing well, Zhuyun would also be doing well.
The imperial carriage arrived at the Abstinence Palace as his thoughts drifted away.
The eunuchs leading the way had already called out for a long time, but there was still no sound in the Abstinence Palace, as if no one lived inside.
"The Emperor?"
"I'll go in and take a look myself."
The palace door was opened. Other than the magic tools placed on the round table, there was nothing else.
Could she have left?
Shocked, he strode into the inner room, not thinking carefully about the reason for the fear in his heart.
"Meditation?" He saw her.
Heavens! She lay on the bed, her petite body curled up as she stared straight ahead without blinking.
"Damn it! What are you doing?"
He stepped forward and gave her a gentle push. Jing Xin was so shocked that she forgot to cover her face with her veil.
"Your Majesty."
"What are you doing?" Suddenly, he noticed the tears on her face. " You're crying. Why?"
Zhu Youtang stared at her and frowned unhappily. What was she crying about?
Damn it! Why was he completely clueless about her?
For no reason, he was irritated by his own irritation.
"Calm down and pay your respects to the emperor." Wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she regained her composure.
"Answer me!" He held her chin and forced her to look into his eyes. He wanted to know everything.
"Replying to the emperor, the emperor was mistaken. Jingxin did not cry.”
He was not qualified to know everything. Even if he knew, he could not return her to the Feng family.
She forced herself to meet his gaze bravely, not wanting to be shocked by his strong and dignified gaze, but the stubbornness in his eyes made her retreat.
Whose persistence was he like? Who was he like?
For some reason, Brother You's eyes met his.
Her heart clenched. It was undeniable that those were a pair of extremely similar eyes…
She gasped and did not dare to continue thinking.
"Aren't you crying? You actually said that I saw wrongly!" No one dared to speak to him like that. Besides Zhuyun, she was the only one.
"Emperor, may I know why you came to the meditation room?”Jing Xin asked.
Seeing that she was unwilling to answer his question, even if Zhu Youtang wanted to know, he could not force her. "Forget it! Zhen is here for the matter of worshipping the heavens."
"Has the emperor decided on a date?"
"Let's set it for the ninth day of the ninth month. We'll even hold the Christmas of the Nine Emperors Celestial Emperor together.”
" Ninth day of the ninth month…" In that case, he could not return to Pingzhen Temple for the time being! He quietly pondered in his heart. However, before she left the temple, her master had told her that their relationship as master and disciple had ended. Even if she could go back, her master was not willing to take her in anymore.
What should he do after he went to Nanjing to worship the heavens? If she was not an unlucky person, why would she end up homeless?
Seeing that she was silent for a long time, Zhu Youtang saw the subtle changes on her face. His heart ached a little. He wanted to share everything with her, but he couldn't get in.
After a long time, no one spoke in the room.
Suddenly, a eunuch's voice came from outside the room, announcing that the Empress had arrived.
"Empress? What is she doing here?" Zhu Youtang frowned slightly.
"Stay in the inner room and don't come out. Zhen will go and see what she wants to do.”
Before Zhu Youtang could stand up, Fu Zhenli rushed in.
The moment she entered, she saw the Emperor sitting by the bed of the female nun, and there were still tears on her face.
" You…" Fu Zhenli's face turned pale. Seeing the emperor sitting on another woman's bed, her jealousy was easily aroused.
"Empress, without zhen's edict, you dare to barge in!”Zhu Youtang looked displeased. Just now, he had forgotten himself, which was why he sat on the edge of the bed. The two of them were deep in thought, which made them temporarily forget about etiquette. The Empress's intrusion not only interrupted their conversation, but also aroused his anger. His anger was obvious.
However, Fu Zhenli mistakenly thought that the Emperor was protecting his beloved woman, and she felt an indescribable pain in her heart.
"Emperor, you actually like this ugly girl?”Fu Zhenli screamed as she ran to the bedside and pinched Jingxin's face, revealing the right side of her face." Your Majesty, didn't you see clearly?" Her face!"
"Shut up! Who gave you the right to shout in front of me? Who gave you the right to judge a person's appearance? Do you think I don't exist?" Seeing Jing Xin's pale face, Zhu Youtang could not hide his heartache. He grabbed Fu Zhenli's wrist and slapped her.
"Emperor, you actually hit me because of an ugly woman?”Fu Zhenli looked at him in disbelief. She stroked her stinging cheek and looked at Jingxin with unwillingness.
"You're not allowed to call her an ugly woman again!”Zhu Youtang glared at Fu Zhenli sharply, as if he wanted to slap her again.
"Emperor, look carefully!"
Fu Zhenli didn't give up. She grabbed his arm and shouted," Zhu Youtang was impatient and called the chamberlain to drag her out.
"Emperor, I won't leave. If you don't give me an explanation today, I definitely won't leave!”Her sharp voice filled the entire palace.
"Take her away. In the future, without my orders, she is not allowed to leave Earth Peace Palace.”Zhu Youtang ordered.
"Yes."
The guards pulled and grabbed Fu Zhenli, who had lost control, and finally brought him away.
She watched the whole situation quietly. She looked calm, but her heart was bleeding silently because Fu Zhenli called her an ugly woman.
Yes, she heard it and took it to heart.
She had once thought that she would not be sad about her appearance, but after entering the palace for only a few days, she began to worry again.
For some reason, she felt inferior when he heard these words…
"You have nothing to say?"
"What the Empress said is the truth. Jingxin cannot defend herself.”She said calmly, but her heart was filled with endless sorrow.
"Zhen said that there are spirit herbs in the palace that might be able to cure it.”
"Thank you for your concern, emperor.”All these years, her master had also said that there were many rare treasures in the palace, so her face was not completely hopeless. However, she was unwilling to save him. With this face, she could always remind herself not to be delusional.
"Alright then! Maybe one day you will change your mind.”Zhu Youtang nodded and returned to the previous topic." Get ready. We'll set off tomorrow morning."”
"Yes, Your Majesty."
kunning Palace
"Xiao Yan, have you done what I asked you to do?”Fu Zhenli sat in front of the dressing table, stroking her long hair. Her face was rosy, and she no longer looked as crazy as before.
"This servant has already arranged everything." Xiao Yan replied.
"Very good." Fu Zhenli nodded and casually picked out an accessory from the small box in front of the dressing table and gave it to Xiao Yan.
"This is for you."
"Thank you, Empress." Xiao Yan thanked him. If the Empress hadn't lost her cool and caused a ruckus in the Abstinence Palace earlier, she might have been able to leave the Palace with the Emperor now.
"After this is done, bengong will reward you even more.”
"Xiao Yan will definitely do it for the Empress, don't worry.”Fortunately, the Empress was not someone who would not listen to advice. After her persuasion, she was much calmer and more rational.
"Okay, you can leave! Bengong is tired and wants to rest first." She walked to the toffee chair, looking a little lazy.
"Your Highness the Empress, this servant still has something to report.”
"What is it?"
"The country's father went to the palace at noon and asked Xiao Yan to bring a message to the empress.”
"What is it? Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Ever since she married into the palace, in order to prevent others from criticizing her for being too arrogant, her father would not come to find her unless there was something important.
"The country father said that this matter is extraordinary and that he must see the empress to speak of it. However, there were many people in the palace and they were afraid that it would spread, so they only told Xiao Yan.”
"What is it?" Fu Zhenli asked anxiously.
"The country father said that it was related to the matter of framing Lord Yang and others back then. This matter has been mentioned by other lords and the emperor has ordered an investigation.”
"It's useless for Father to tell me this. I don't know anything!”She knew nothing about politics.
"The country lord wants the empress to be careful. If there is any news in the palace, we must send someone to inform him.”
"Got it." Fu Zhenli waved her hand. It was not a big deal, so why was her father so afraid? He even wanted her to be his spy…
As she thought about it, she unknowingly fell asleep and did not take this matter to heart.
The next day, Zhu Youtang, Jing Xin, Commander Wei, and twelve Brocade Guards set off for the Temple of Heaven in Nanjing.
There were also high-ranking officials of the fourth rank and above in the palace, but some took the official road and some took the water road to avoid a huge commotion and danger on the way.
Zhu Youtang and Jing Xin sat in the carriage. The two of them had been silent since they left the Imperial City.
Jingxin hadn't sat in a carriage for a long time. The bumpy carriage had made her dizzy and she couldn't tell north from south.
Zhu Youtang's eyes never left her. Looking at her increasingly pale face, but stubbornly refusing to say that she wanted to rest, he could not help but be angry and annoyed.
He was angry at her stubbornness and her coldness. Did she really not care about her body at all?
Even a child knew how to cherish her body. Why did she ruin herself like this?
Her cheeks were covered in a layer of burnt skin, but she was unwilling to try to recover. Even when her body was shaking uncomfortably from the carriage, she did not ask to stop the carriage. He really admired her stubbornness.
"Stop!" He shouted, and the carriage immediately stopped.
Only then did she look up at him.
"Emperor, what's the matter?" The Jinyiwei's inquiry came from outside the carriage.
"It's fine. I'll rest here for two hours.”He ordered.
"Yes."
"Are you feeling better?" He asked Jingxin with concern and moved to her side.
Jing Xin was shocked." The Emperor?"
"Why won't you tell me?" He was referring to her sadness.
"It's fine. Jingxin doesn't dare to delay everyone's journey.”
"Excuses! This is simply an excuse. You know that we set off early. There's no way we'll be late.”
Jing Xin was speechless. The emperor was right. They had set off half a month earlier. No matter how much they delayed their journey, they would not miss the time for the sacrifice.
"Damn it! What are you afraid of? Are you afraid to speak to me?" He didn't expect her to be so afraid of him, so afraid that she didn't even care about her physical discomfort.
"No, I'm not!" He calmly denied it, but his heart was beating wildly.
"Isn't it?" He wanted to expose her lie, but after seeing her helplessness, his anger disappeared and was replaced by pity.
"Forget it. I'll go ride a horse. I'll leave this to you.”He took a blanket and laid it in front of her." It's more comfortable lying down.”With that, he lifted the curtain and jumped off the carriage.
" Your Majesty..." Before she could thank him, Zhu Youtang had already gotten off the carriage.
Jing Xin stared blankly at the blanket for a while. When the carriage started moving again, she leaned against the blanket. Her heart felt as if it was warmed by the blanket. After a long time, she only felt a warm feeling…
When the convoy arrived at the Ten Mile Slope, they suddenly encountered an ambush.
Just as she was about to fall asleep, the sound of swords clashing outside the carriage woke her up.
Jing Xin sat up in a panic and lifted the curtain beside the carriage.
Where is the Emperor? Why didn't the emperor wake her up?
She randomly searched for his figure in the crowd." Emperor, where are you?”
"Stay in the carriage and don't come out!"
His voice passed through the crowd and made Jing Xin secretly heave a sigh of relief. He was fine!
He must have a way to control the situation, definitely!
Her inexplicable confidence in him gradually made her heart feel lost.
He did not know where that feeling of trust came from. Perhaps it was because he was the ruler of a country! She told herself this, and her heart was indeed much calmer.
Outside the carriage, the Embroidered Uniform Guards were forced to draw their swords to fight. If they were in a passive position, they would either die or be injured, so under Zhu Youtang's hint, they all attacked.
In a short while, they successfully subdued those ambushers.
"Who are you? How dare you rob me in broad daylight!”Zhu Youtang asked the leader.
"Bah! Who doesn't know that this Ten Mile Slope is my territory? Anyone who passes by here has to pay me!”The leader was not afraid at all. Even if he was captured, he still looked like a barbarian.
"You built this Ten Mile Slope?" Zhu Youtang asked.
"So what if I am? So what if I am not?”The leader ignored him.
"How dare you treat the Emperor like this!”
"Commander Wei." Zhu Youtang stopped him. At this moment, a dozen horses suddenly galloped in their direction.
"Boss, we're here to save you!"
"Protector beast, protector beast!"
A group of Jinyiwei immediately surrounded Zhu Youtang in the middle. Because there were not many people accompanying him, no one paid attention to the group of tied robbers. The group of robbers seized the opportunity to break free and join the battle.
Because the robbers had help, they resisted tenaciously. For a time, they trapped the Jinyiwei and the two sides fell into a fight.
At this time, Zhu Youtang saw someone heading towards the carriage. Without thinking, he broke out of the encirclement and ran towards the carriage.
"Calm down, be careful!" he shouted.
The horse was frightened and raised its front hooves high. The carriage behind it was too heavy. After it fell over a green onion, it immediately rolled down the dangerous slope and fell straight to the edge of the cliff.
"Ah!" Jing Xin cried out in alarm, then her head hit the car's floor and she fainted.
When Zhu Youtang arrived, he had no time to pull the reins and could only watch the carriage fall into the valley.
"No!" With a loud shout, he jumped off the cliff.
"Your Majesty!"
Several Jinyiwei saw Zhu Youtang jump off the cliff and quickly killed the bandits in front of him, no longer showing mercy.
After a while, the bandits were all eliminated, leaving no one behind.
"Commander Wei, the Emperor!"
"Go down the cliff and search.”Commander Wei immediately made a decision.
"Yes, sir!"
The sky was covered in a white mist, and the cool wind blew over. The dew on the leaves rolled down, but the earth was still silent.
" Oh…" Suddenly, Jing Xin felt a suffocating feeling in his chest, and his mind was a mess.
She slowly woke up, feeling weak all over.
Where was this place? Why was she lying here?
She heard the sound of water rushing down her ears. She struggled to get up and saw the carriage on the right side and the horse that had stopped breathing. Her memory was pulled back to before she fell off the cliff!
She fell off the cliff!
She remembered that the carriage had flipped over and she had fainted from the impact. She had no recollection of what happened after that.
Where were the others? Where did they all go?
Where is the Emperor? Before she fainted, she had heard the Emperor's voice. That deep voice filled with panic seemed to still echo in her ears. Where was he now?
At the thought of this, an inexplicable sense of unease welled up in her heart, causing her to lose her composure.
At this moment, she heard a faint panting sound and was suddenly shocked. Could it be that someone else had fallen off the cliff like her?
Gritting her teeth, she propped her aching body up and tried to stand up. Only then did she realize that she was covered in injuries. A tearing pain assaulted her entire body, but she endured it and walked towards the source of the sound step by step.
When she got closer to the water, she heard the moaning sound getting louder. She reluctantly took a few steps forward and saw that the person lying on the ground was the Emperor!
He fell down too? Could it be that those unknown robbers had killed all the Imperial Secret Service guards?
"Your Majesty!" In her hurry to confirm his condition, she forgot about etiquette and her usual indifference. She placed her ear on his chest and felt his steady heartbeat.
Fortunately, his breathing was only a little weak. She heaved a sigh of relief.
However, what method did she have to leave this place now? Or should he go to a faraway place to ask for help?
She was indeed an unlucky woman. No matter who she was with, even if it was unrelated people, they would be dragged down by her.
Looking at the Emperor who was lying on the ground, her uncontrollable thoughts rose like a rolling snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
"Your Majesty!" She pushed him gently, trying to wake him up.
If even the Emperor was killed by her, how would she face the millions of people of Ming?
Wiping away the tears that were about to fall from the corners of her eyes, she told herself that now was not the time to cry!
Opening his eyes, Zhu Youtang found himself lying in a cave with a gorgeous brocade quilt under him.
He turned his body slightly and felt pain all over his body, as if his body had suffered a huge impact.
Suddenly, he remembered that he had jumped off the cliff!
Calm down!
He quickly got up and found her sleeping at his feet. She was fine?
He heaved a sigh of relief and carefully sized up the sleeping her.
She had a pair of beautiful eyebrows and large, clear eyes, but there was a faint sadness in the depths of her eyes.
What was she sad about? That was what he had always wanted to know. However, she was so well-guarded that he could not find out. Only when she was sleeping could he admire and look at her like this.
He never thought she was ugly because that was only her appearance. The reason why he was fascinated by her was that she exuded an aura like an orchid in the empty valley. There was also an indescribable sense of familiarity, as if they had known each other for a long time…
"Emperor, you're awake!"
Jing Xin suddenly opened her eyes, and before he could avoid her, he met her gaze.
"Yes." As if he had been caught red-handed doing something bad, his cheeks immediately flushed with embarrassment. Fortunately, she took the initiative to change the topic.
"Emperor, how did you fall? Did those robbers come here to kill you?”
"Zhen jumped down with you. Zhen is not clear about the situation above.”
" Emperor!?" Jing Xin exclaimed. The Emperor jumped down on his own, could it be for her?
"Are you alright?"
"Emperor, it's good to be calm."
"It's good that you're fine." He nodded." Where is this? Why am I here?"
"It was Jing Xin who discovered that the emperor was unconscious, so he dragged you here.”
She remembered when she was half-carrying the Emperor and the Emperor's hand was wrapped around her waist. That warm feeling made her blush. She shouldn't have felt that way. She shook her head lightly, trying to get rid of the thoughts she shouldn't have.
Zhu Youtang saw her shaking her head and blushing. He asked in confusion,"You have so much strength alone?”
"Emperor, that was a strength that was born from a situation that we had no choice. Please don't blame the emperor for being disrespectful.”
"You saved zhen, how can zhen blame you?”
Jing Xin was speechless. She wanted to ask why the Emperor jumped down with her, but perhaps he didn't have enough courage or didn't dare to think too much! She did not ask.
"Jingxin, do you know why I jumped down?”
He stared at her, his eyes filled with deep meaning, causing Jing Xin to be stunned for a moment. For a moment, she could not understand when her feelings had been seen through.
"Zhen couldn't stand not seeing you, so I jumped down.”He said it so simply, as if jumping off the cliff was just a small matter like eating and drinking water, but both of them knew that it was not the case.
But Jingxin hoped that the emperor would give up on this idea, because even if they intended to die for each other, it was still impossible for the two of them.
"Emperor, it is Ming's blessing that you are so merciful. You shouldn't neglect your life for a woman.”
Hearing this, Zhu Youtang was stunned at first, then he grabbed her shoulder and shook her non-stop." Who says it's not worth it! I've already jumped down. Jumping down this cliff that might cause one to be eternally consigned to eternal damnation, you have no right to say that you're not worth it!”
"No, emperor, you don't know what you're saying. You've misunderstood your heart. You just can't bear to see someone die in front of you!”
"Nonsense! I know my feelings the best. Calm down. I want you. The moment you fell off the cliff, I understood how important you were to me. I jumped down without hesitation because I had a different feeling for you.”His voice was filled with determination. His will was so indestructible, as if he was the master of her heart, not her.
"Emperor, Jingxin is a monk." she reminded him.
"You haven't shaved your hair yet." he replied. "And this is just your excuse, an excuse to not let zhen dote on you.”
Besides, if she was really a monk, with his ability, as long as he insisted, what couldn't be changed?
He didn't think that this was a problem. The main problem was her. Was she still rejecting him because of her looks?
If that was the case, he would invite the imperial physician to treat her after she returned to the palace. Otherwise, he would send people to collect beauty products to restore her face. However, he didn't think he needed to do that. After all, beauty and ugliness were not in his consideration of liking her.
"Emperor, it's impossible between us. Please have some self-respect.”Jing Xin pushed his hand away with a troubled expression.
When she first heard that the Emperor was interested in her, her heart was filled with joy.
However, after her mood settled down, she knew that her identity, appearance, and the ominous curse made her unable to have any hope. She was right. They could only escape unscathed if they completely cut off his thoughts at this moment.
"It's possible, of course it's possible, as long as you're willing to give me a chance to prove everything.”
Jing Xin shook his head." That's impossible. This is wrong.”
"Even if it's wrong, I've decided to continue being wrong. In all these years, you are the only woman who has moved this one. Although we have not known each other for a long time, it is very strange that this one always feels a sense of familiarity towards you, as if we have known each other for a lifetime.
Many years ago, there was once a girl who gave me the same feeling. However, she disappeared later, disappearing from my world for no reason, making me unable to find her anywhere. Until I met you, that feeling came back. Jingxin, why don't you give me a chance and give yourself a chance?”
Zhu Youtang hugged her and caressed her cheeks. That familiar feeling made Jing Xin forget to resist. It was as if he had always been by her side and had never left.
She quietly shed tears. Was he sincere? Did he really not care about her face and the looks of disdain from others? Could the ruler of a country really tolerate a woman who had lost her looks?
She didn't know the answer, but the man in front of her was so persistent and sincere. He was even trying to find a familiar feeling for the sake of a beautiful past. He was such an affectionate man, so why was he the ruler of a country?
"What if she comes back one day?”
"Zhen still likes you." he promised.
"But!" She still wanted to say something.
"No buts. You just have to say yes and leave the rest to zhen.”He interrupted her with an attitude that did not allow for rejection.
Could she say that? Everything in front of her was as unreal as a dream. She couldn't feel the bird of happiness flying towards her, and she was even more afraid that the ominous curse would harm him.
After hesitating for a long time, she returned to her shell.
"Calm your heart, how is it?"
"No, I'm not worth it, not worth it!”Suddenly, she broke free from his embrace and felt cold all over.
Zhu Youtang pulled her back and held her tightly in his arms, as if he was coaxing a crying child. "Whether it's worth it or not, it's up to zhen to decide. Zhen wants to love you now, and you're not allowed to refuse.”He planted a kiss on her forehead and said domineeringly.
These words were like a huge rock that had been thrown into the lake in her heart, causing waves of ripples that could not be calmed for a long time.#
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]