Deep Palace Pet Peach Blossom Flawless

Chapter 574: The Prince's Night Vigil

When the prince arrived at the Qianzheng Hall, no palace servants stopped him. He was very familiar with the place and he arrived at the bedroom in the main hall in no time.

But a moment later, the eunuch who had gone to report came out. He looked at the Crown Prince blankly and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty is not in here! But that's not right! I heard Eunuch Li say that His Majesty needs to rest in the bedroom!"

The prince's heart moved slightly. He walked past the eunuch and entered the bedroom. It was indeed empty, even Li Xiang was gone.

The prince thought for a moment, then went to another side hall and looked around, "Where did my father go?"

The prince didn't find anyone, so he turned around and went back to the bedroom. Unexpectedly, as soon as he stepped in, he met his father's eyes wide open.

Emperor Shenwu was sitting there with his horse and sword in his hands, and Li Xiang was standing beside the emperor. The prince thought and thought, but could not understand why his father suddenly appeared in less than a moment.

The father and son stared at each other, neither of them speaking first. Each was calmer than the other, and their expressions were also very serene. The Shenwu Emperor was even more so. He didn't even raise an eyebrow, and after a while, he said nonchalantly, "Why are you here at this hour?"

The prince withdrew his gaze and suddenly smelled a faint and leisurely fragrance. He bowed calmly and said, "Father, I saw that you were not feeling well during the day, so I thought I would come to see you again!"

As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, a eunuch reported back, "Your Majesty, the Third Prince requests an audience!"

Emperor Shenwu said: "Let him in!"

After a while, the Third Prince walked in. Seeing the Crown Prince there, he was a little surprised: "Greetings, Father. Greetings, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Why are you still in the palace at this hour?"

The Third Prince said quickly, "Father, I see you're still feeling unwell during the day, so I'm thinking of showing some filial piety to you. Even if it's just pouring you a cup of tea at night, please allow me to stay in Qianzheng Hall and keep vigil for you!"

Emperor Shenwu raised his sword-like brows slightly: "No need..."

The Third Prince pleaded again: "Father...

The Crown Prince remained silent. When the Third Prince said something similar to himself, he went to the compartment. Without a word, the Crown Prince ordered two young eunuchs to bring in the stepping bed for the night watch. "Put it here!"

The Third Prince, who was talking to Emperor Shenwu, choked. Looking at the Crown Prince's as if it was a matter of course, the words he had prepared were stuck in his throat.

Emperor Shenwu touched the wedding rings on his hand and looked at the prince with raised eyebrows.

Li Xiang quickly stepped forward and said with a faint smile, "Third Prince is thoughtful, but His Majesty has already allowed His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to remain here tonight. Please follow me, and I will take you to the side hall to rest!"

Emperor Shenwu said calmly, "It's amazing that you are so filial. Chengluo, go to the side hall and rest first!"

The Third Prince, however unwilling, could only take his leave. The Shenwu Emperor said nothing and fell asleep a moment later. The Crown Prince, thinking of his father's sudden appearance and the hint of fragrance, suddenly had a hunch that Mo Xuan's nighttime exploration of Fengqi Palace would yield nothing.

In the early morning, the Qianzheng Palace was bustling with activity. Li Xiang hurriedly reported to the Shenwu Emperor, "Your Majesty, thieves broke into the Fengqi Palace last night!"

Emperor Shenwu glanced at the Crown Prince casually: "Did you catch anyone?"

Li Xiang replied, "That thief's Qing Gong skills were top-notch; he disappeared in the blink of an eye!"

The Crown Prince played dumb and said, "Father, do you want to inspect the palace again?"

Emperor Shenwu glanced at the prince again and said, "No need! I guess the thief went through the wrong door!"

As soon as Emperor Shenwu finished speaking, another young eunuch came in to report: "Your Majesty, there was a fight at Wenquan Royal Manor last night, and Deputy Chief Li Zhong captured many people!"

Emperor Shenwu nodded and asked the Crown Prince, "What do you think of what happened in the court today?"

The prince thought of the officials of the Shi family who were rising through the ranks at court, and replied, "Son, I think we can wait a little longer! The time is not yet ripe!"

"Then you should take advantage of this time to have a good rest. Your Highness has not had a day off since returning from Floating Cloud City, and your father can't bear it either. So, don't worry about other things!"

The prince had no choice but to say, "Yes!"

The prince then asked, "Father, I want to go for a walk on the farm in the suburbs. Can I really rest assured?"

Emperor Shenwu looked into his son's eyes and said, "What you need to worry about is the road conditions you are going to take, don't worry about anything else!

The prince was driven away by Emperor Shenwu, and Emperor Shenwu turned around and went down to the secret room.

Lan Qingwu opened his eyes and found that the Emperor Shenwu had disappeared, and a maid in her forties had appeared in the room. This maid had a round face and a kind look. However, Lan Qingwu hesitated to eat the food she brought.

The nanny didn't say anything, just kept gesturing for Lan Qingwu to eat. While the two were at a stalemate, Emperor Shenwu walked in and asked, "Why don't you eat?"

Lan Qingwu quickly raised his head: "Brother Heng, you're here!"

Emperor Shenwu picked up the bowl of porridge and said, "Let's eat first!"

Then Emperor Shenwu pointed at the round-faced nanny and said, "This is the person I found for you. She will serve you here. You don't have to be afraid anymore!"

The round-faced nanny pointed at her throat and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. Lan Qingwu immediately understood that this nanny was a mute! There was actually such a person in the palace!

The round-faced nanny and Li Xiang withdrew together. Emperor Shenwu summoned Zhao Wubing to take Lan Qingwu's pulse and then left.

Lan Qingwu quickly stepped forward and grabbed the Shenwu Emperor's sleeve. She looked at him with uneasiness, "Brother Heng, are you leaving?"

Emperor Shenwu was silent for a long while before he said, "I'll come see you again when I have time!"

Lan Qingwu held Emperor Shenwu in a daze. She didn't let go, and Emperor Shenwu didn't leave either.

After a while, Lan Qingwu said, "Brother Heng, I'm alone here, can you please accompany me?"

Emperor Shenwu actually wanted to ask Zhao Wubing some questions, but he frowned slightly and sat down beside the bed. Without even looking at Lan Qingwu, he said directly, "Rest for a while. I won't leave!"

Lan Qingwu could only lie down. She looked at the back of Emperor Shenwu. She had not planned to sleep, but her body had been too weak in the past two days. In less than a moment, Lan Qingwu fell asleep.

Lan Qingwu woke up quietly. When she opened her eyes, she saw the silent back of the Shenwu Emperor. She suddenly choked up because the Shenwu Emperor looked so lonely and empty.

Lan Qingwu understood that this incident was a catastrophic disaster for him, and an unimaginable blow to the Shenwu Emperor. The Shenwu Emperor seemed superior and in control, but from his perspective, the cruelty of this matter was real! Even his wife, whom he had doted on for years, had betrayed him! He would no longer have anyone he could truly trust. He would sit in that high and mighty position, rotting and hollow until his death! Just like the ending he had in his dream!

Lan Qingwu slowly sat up and gently wrapped her arms around Emperor Shenwu's waist from behind. She didn't want him to feel so lonely. If only all this could be a dream.

After a while, Emperor Shenwu slowly pulled away the hand that was holding Lan Qingwu's waist, and he stood up: "I'm leaving!"

"Brother Heng!"

Lan Qingwu said anxiously, "Ruoruo will never betray you. Can you trust Ruoruo just once?"

Emperor Shenwu turned around and asked, "Are you hiding something from me?"

Lan Qingwu didn't understand, and she looked at Emperor Shenwu in confusion.

Emperor Shenwu sneered, "I'm not a good person! Emperors are often suspicious. You said you wouldn't betray me and asked me to trust you, but I can trust you, but I can't trust others! Is it possible that this child was born without you even knowing about it?"

Lan Qingwu stared at the Shenwu Emperor with wide eyes: "But...but, I have always been sober!"

"Then tell me, did you know that Wang Shuren has long been fond of you? Did you sense his feelings?"

Lan Qingwu couldn't answer. She had a premonition long ago, but it was best not to say anything about this kind of thing. If she didn't break the window paper, she could pretend that nothing had happened! Moreover, their natural identities made Lan Qingwu not think much about it.

Emperor Shenwu said expressionlessly: "It seems that you knew it a long time ago!"

If that's the case, how could Lan Qingwu guarantee that such a devoted man, a man who has loved her so deeply for so many years, could remain patient like this?

Emperor Shenwu stroked Lan Qingwu's hair and said, "Just stay here obediently. You know I'm very busy! I'll come to see you when I have time!"

Lan Qingwu listened to the tone of Emperor Shenwu as if she was comforting her own pet. She was already anxious and uneasy in such an isolated and manipulated environment every day. She instinctively felt that Emperor Shenwu would never be able to change back to the way he used to be to her!