The harem is a place where rumors cannot be hidden. Concubine Jin's big move the night before shocked many people. But just one day later, rumors of the unusual relationship between Bai Qige and the prince spread to every corner of the Yaoguo palace.
Even Concubine Jing, who never left home, knew about it.
The good and bad relationship between Bai Qige and Yi Chenjing has always been a knot in Concubine Jing's mind. When she heard people say that the rumors seemed to be true, she naturally couldn't help but murmur and became a little suspicious of Bai Qige. After dawn, Yi Chenjing
As soon as Chen Jing returned to Lianchenxuan, he was pulled over and asked questions. He was so annoyed that he didn't even want to say anything. He locked Surao into the woodshed and turned around to leave Lianchenxuan.
Every time Bai Qige's name fell into his ears, his heart would sink a little.
The task of thorough investigation was handed over to the queen. There was no news for three days, and Su Jinyan's figure still appeared around from time to time. Yi Chenjing could only resist the urge to see Bai Qige, and stayed in the imperial study room for three full days, and then
, the news that everyone could not believe was like thunder on the ground, exploding above the palace of the distant country.
The seventh prince and princess are pregnant.
The eunuch guarding the Wanghua Palace heard Bai Qige retching several times, and her expression was very bad. To be on the safe side, she asked the imperial doctor to forcefully check her pulse. Unexpectedly, she discovered that Bai Qige was pregnant with Liujia, and she was nearly three months pregnant.
The news quickly spread to Yaohuang's ears, and then to Lianchenxuan, and then to the entire palace. Concubine Jing was both surprised and worried. There was a lot of discussion from top to bottom in the palace, but Yi Chenjing was expressionless, as if
This news has nothing to do with him.
Opening the door and looking up at the blue sky, the sun was rarely shining brightly, but Yi Chenjing felt unprecedentedly depressed, because this day could be said to be the most difficult day for him to survive.
There is a red maple forest on the north side of the palace. It was given by Emperor Yao as a birthday gift to Yi Chenjing in the first year after he returned to Yao Kingdom. He would come here once every year, and only this time, on a fixed day. He would ride a horse in Ku.
Walking through the intertwined forest, when they reached their destination deep in the forest, they found a simple figure standing there, shivering in the cold wind.
"Su Yan? Why are you here?" Yi Chenjing turned over and dismounted. Just as he was about to reach out and brush off a few snowflakes on Su Yan's shoulders, he suddenly remembered what Bai Qige had said to him. His palms stayed in the air for a moment and then he took them back to his side.
Su Yan didn't seem to notice the hesitation in his eyes, and his slight smile was still as warm as spring: "Your Highness comes to the red maple forest on this day every year. I just come to clean it first and bring some wine by the way. Stand in the wind for a while.
If you stay too long, you will easily get cold. Drink some wine to warm your body, which may make you feel better."
Yi Chenjing looked behind her and saw a lonely tombstone that had been wiped clean. There was a pot of wine and two glasses in front of it.
Under the tombstone is a tomb, which looks half-new. There is no decoration on the surface of the tombstone. Only a few desolate and strong characters carved by the sword's edge are particularly eye-catching, "The Tomb of the Beloved Wife in Red Thread."
Today is the death anniversary of Hung Hom.
"Thank you." A vague thanks came from his lips and teeth. Yi Chenjing squatted in front of the tombstone, poured a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. The cold wine rolled down his intestines and turned into a blazing fire, burning his internal organs as if they were exploding.
Qingjun's face showed a color of pain, and the joints of his palms touching the tombstone were blue and white.
"It's understandable that His Highness is infatuated with Princess Hongxiang, but you have to take care of yourself. Su Yan is incompetent and can't solve His Highness's worries. He can only do trivial things for peace of mind." Su Yan squatted next to him to refill Yi Chenjing's wine glass.
He tilted his head slightly, with a soft light in his eyes, "Sister Qi Ge has been confined to Wanghua Palace for three days. If His Highness doesn't think of any way to rescue her, I'm afraid her heart will really freeze. It took a lot of effort to get here today, and she has eaten
I have suffered too much, endured too many sins, and my relationship with the prince was clearly innocent but I was framed by others. If it were me, I would have been hurt so much that I would have thought of committing suicide."
Yi Chenjing picked up the wine glass and knocked it gently on the tombstone. His eyes lingered on the word "Red Thread" on the tombstone and he refused to move away. His voice was hoarse and low: "She is much stronger than you and will not seek death easily. Now
It’s even more impossible to give up easily once you have a child.”
"Everyone doubts who the flesh and blood in her belly belongs to, but I believe that sister Qi Ge will not do such sloppy things. There is no doubt that this child is the flesh and blood of His Highness. I just don't know..." Su Yan said halfway.
Even after working up the courage for a long time, I didn't say anything.
Even without saying it, Yi Chenjing knew what she wanted to ask.
"If she gives birth to a child, I must leave the palace."
Su Yan was silent. She had never told Bai Qige that in Dayao, other than the prince, the princes who had not been crowned kings could no longer stay in the palace after they had children. They had to be crowned princes and leave the imperial capital after accepting the fiefdom. The concubine would eventually be honored.
She is the concubine of Emperor Yao and is destined to die in the palace. Yi Chenjing is also a filial son. Of course, the prince cannot accept it if he leaves his concubine's safety and does nothing outside the palace. Therefore, should the child in Bai Qige's belly be kept?
No one has any idea.
In Yi Chenjing's view, the same problem involves more things. On the one hand, the concubine cannot be left in the palace where many people are eyeing her. On the other hand, the fifth prince Yi Chenxuan has no heirs and has not been crowned king. How can he stay in the palace?
People in the palace will definitely have more access to the palace than he who left the palace, and it will be even more difficult to compete with him and plan for the throne. In addition, there is another reason that no one knows - he does not want to marry anyone.
A woman, let alone a woman who would give birth to his flesh and blood, had clearly promised that Hong Xiao would only have her as his wife in this life. If Bai Qige gave birth to a child, how would he face Hong Xiao when they met again in hell?
The oath cannot be broken, the promise cannot be changed, he will love Hongxiao for the rest of his life, Bai Qige is...
Bai Qige, what is she?
What is a woman that makes him hate, a woman that surprises him, a woman that he appreciates and favors, a woman that makes him want to stay by his side, a woman that he can't help but want to protect?
The silence was like stagnant water. Suyan sighed silently, picked up another cup and poured wine into herself. The spicy liquid crossed her lips and tongue, and for some reason it felt bitter.
"Does Your Highness still remember the appearance of Princess Hongxiang?"
Yi Chenjing smiled lonelyly: "Of course I remember that Princess Yuerong, the pride of Zhao Kingdom, was the object of many men's admiration."
"What about Princess Hongxiao's words and deeds? What about the things she did with His Highness? Does Your Highness also remember it so clearly?"
"I..." He opened his mouth to answer, but Yi Chenjing suddenly discovered that the presence of Hongxiao in his mind was not as clear as he imagined. He remembered many of her words and deeds, but they were common to ordinary people and not special; he remembered that with
When I look back on the things that happened with her, I don't feel that I miss her as much as before. Even when I think about Hung Hom's face, I feel a little hazy.
Sudden panic took over his heart, and Yi Chenjing was in a panic. Even his breathing was trembling. He couldn't believe that the woman he once loved so deeply had become so difficult to remember without knowing it. Where was his promise? His
What about infatuation and single-mindedness? What about his perseverance until death? Why is even the heartache not so real and clear? Why is it that the person who appears most in his memory is no longer Hong Xiao, but Bai Qige?
Every smile, every word, every turn and every turn, she is the one who is engraved in my heart and will never be forgotten.
When the time came, looking at Yi Chenjing who looked in pain and at a loss, she felt safe rather than distressed. Suyan smiled and said softly: "Your Highness loves sister Qi Ge, doesn't he?"
"No... no!" He punched the tombstone hard, and Yi Chenjing closed her eyes in pain, still unable to dispel the indifferent but strong figure in her mind, "In this life, I only love Hong Xiao, Bai Qige... I just
He's using her..."
Is he really just using her? Seeing how entangled she is with Yi Chenxuan, why was he so angry when he found out that she was hiding her pregnancy?
Taking a deep breath, Yi Chenjing was surprised by his gaffe. He smiled bitterly and his eyes were a little distracted: "Leave me alone."
Suyan put down the wine glass and stood up, stepping on the wet dead leaves on the ground and walked back the same way. After walking for more than ten steps, he hesitated and stopped. He didn't know if Yi Chenjing heard the soft voice.
"Some obsessions are just a paranoia about losing things. When the truly precious things disappear, you will find that what you were once attached to is not that important."
The sound of footsteps faded away, and Yi Chenjing sat slumped on the ground, leaning against the cold tombstone on her shoulders, and her eyes were desolate.
"Hongxiao, if I fail you, will you blame me?"
It was dusk, red clouds were forming on the horizon, and two old eunuchs in the depressing and lonely Wanghua Palace leaned in front of the door and dozed off. They did not notice at all that a bamboo tube as thick as a thumb rolled to their feet, and a few strands of it rolled to their feet.
The white smoke curled away, and after a while, the two of them slid down the door panel little by little until they lay on the ground snoring loudly.
A figure climbed over the courtyard wall and broke in, approaching the room quietly. He leaned close to the door and listened carefully. Occasionally, the sound of turning pages could be heard from inside.
In the room, Bai Qige looked boredly at volumes of books that boasted the three obediences and four virtues. These were sent by the queen, and their intentions were self-evident. However, Emperor Yao was more humane. After learning about her pregnancy, she asked Eunuch Tao to bring many tonic fruits.
, and also hinted that she should not be anxious, and the matter would be found out soon. In fact, Bai Qige was not worried about that matter. Emperor Yao's attitude was very clear. As long as there was no reliable personal or material evidence, he would never confirm that she had an affair with the prince.
It was true, but the discovery of her pregnancy made her a little worried.
She wanted to tell Yi Chenjing personally afterwards, but who knew that it would be discovered so soon and spread under such circumstances. She could not predict how Yi Chenjing would react. Will she be forced to accept the arrival of this child, or would she ask Yi Chenjing for help?
Is Chen Xuan treating Mrs. Qi like that and not caring about killing his own unborn flesh and blood?
No matter what, she will do her best to protect the child in her belly, not only because she is a mother, but also because she does not want another pitiful life abandoned by her parents in the world, and because this is Yi Chenjing's flesh and blood.
He would not give her any pity or love. Only this child was the closest connection between the two. No matter what Yi Chenjing thought in her heart, Bai Qige had already decided to do something when she found out that she had fallen in love.
Be prepared to fall into the abyss of love and never recover.
If you love, you will love to the end. Her character is such that she dares to love and hate, and she will never deceive herself.
There was a soft knock on the door, and Bai Qige, who was in a daze, raised her head in surprise. A cold man stepped into the room and threw something over. He subconsciously caught the thing and looked at it carefully. It was a half-palm-sized vermilion man with a thin neck and a wide belly.
Porcelain bottle, frowning slightly, Bai Qige raised her eyebrows.