roccoschili Chapter 136 Spending the Night at Huaqing Palace, Your Brother Has Arrived
Chapter 136 Spending the Night at Huaqing Palace, Your Brother Has Arrived
Xu Longxiang slowly raised his head, his gaze calmly meeting Qin Mu's.
"Your Majesty's actions have their own profound meaning."
His voice was steady, devoid of any emotion.
"Your subject dares not make any unwarranted comments."
"A deeper meaning?" Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. "Then, my dear minister, what do you think is the deeper meaning behind my taking your sister as a concubine?"
This question was extremely blunt, extremely... humiliating.
The hall was deathly silent.
Even the music stopped.
Everyone held their breath and looked at Xu Longxiang.
Xu Longxiang clenched his fist quietly inside his sleeve, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
But his face remained calm.
"Your Majesty's taking concubines is for the purpose of ensuring the continuation of the imperial line and stabilizing the foundation of the nation."
He spoke each word clearly and deliberately:
"As for whom to accept as a concubine and how to accept her, that is entirely up to Your Majesty's decision. Your subject... can only offer my congratulations."
"Congratulations?" Qin Mu laughed, his laughter echoing in the silent hall. "What a fine congratulations."
He picked up the wine cup, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Then you must offer your 'congratulations' properly at tomorrow's grand ceremony."
"Yes." Xu Longxiang lowered his head.
Zhao Qingxue watched this scene quietly, a hint of mockery flashing in her deep purple phoenix eyes.
That was a really good performance.
Unfortunately, it was too deliberate.
She gently set down the wine cup and turned her gaze to Qin Mu:
"Your Majesty, after the grand ceremony tomorrow, would it be possible for me to meet... Consort Hua?"
She paused, then added:
"After all, I am also very curious about the woman who could make His Majesty go to such lengths to take her as a concubine."
Qin Mu turned to look at her, and through the gap in the tassels, their eyes met silently in the air.
It was as if two invisible sword energies were colliding in the void.
"nature."
Qin Mu slowly opened his mouth:
"After the ceremony, I will host a banquet so that the Empress and Consort Hua can... have a good chat."
"Then I look forward to it." Zhao Qingxue nodded.
The banquet continued.
The music of string and wind instruments resumed, and the dancers re-entered the hall, their wide sleeves fluttering and their skirts swirling.
It was as if the tense moment just now had never happened.
But everyone knows that some things have changed.
Undercurrents are gathering.
A storm is coming.
And tomorrow's grand wedding ceremony will be the culmination of this storm...
starting point.
Night deepened.
The banquet is about to end.
Qin Mu slowly stood up.
"Today's banquet ends here."
His voice, carried through the jeweled tassels, exuded an undeniable authority:
"Tomorrow at Chenshi (7-9 AM), the Imperial Ancestral Temple will hold a sacrificial ceremony to Heaven, followed by a grand ceremony at Sishi (9-11 AM). Gentlemen, please do not be late."
"Your Majesty, we obey!"
All the officials responded in unison.
Qin Mu turned around and strode towards the outside of the hall.
The hem of the dark robe brushed against the Persian carpet without making a sound.
Zhao Qingxue also stood up and, led by the master of ceremonies, walked out of the hall.
Xu Longxiang remained seated with his head bowed until everyone had left, at which point he slowly rose.
He walked out of the side hall and stood on the white marble steps outside the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The autumn night wind carried a chill, fluttering the hem of his python robe.
He raised his head and looked up at the night sky.
There is no moon tonight, and the starlight is dim.
The lights of the imperial city spread out beneath my feet, like a galaxy fallen to earth.
In the center of that sea of lights, in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, all was silent.
But Xu Longxiang knew what kind of behemoth lurked there.
sister……
He whispered silently to himself:
hold on.
When I ascend the throne, everything will be different.
He slowly turned around and walked down the steps.
The dark figure blended into the deep night.
Deep within the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Qin Mu stood alone by the window, watching Xu Longxiang's departing figure, a cold smile curving his lips.
Xu Longxiang...
I am very much looking forward to seeing what kind of expression you will have tomorrow.
.......
At 3:45 PM, the imperial city was shrouded in the deep darkness of night.
Inside Huaqing Palace, the lights were still on.
Xu Fenghua sat alone in front of the dressing table in her bedroom, her face reflected in the bronze mirror as calm as if it were ice.
She had changed out of the heavy, dark black robe with twelve embroidered symbols that she wore at the daytime banquet and into an elegant, moon-white nightgown.
Her long hair was loosely tied up and secured with only a white jade hairpin, with the rest cascading down her shoulders like a waterfall.
After removing her heavy makeup, her face appeared somewhat pale, with faint dark circles under her eyes—traces left by days of exhaustion and mental anguish.
But those amber eyes remained clear and sharp, with an inextinguishable flame burning deep within them.
On the dressing table, there was a brand new phoenix coronet and embroidered robe.
That was just delivered by the Imperial Household Department today; it's the dress she'll be wearing for tomorrow's ceremony.
The phoenix crown is made of pure gold and inlaid with hundreds of pearls and rubies. The phoenix in the center holds a thumb-sized luminous pearl in its mouth, which radiates a warm glow even in the dim candlelight.
The embroidered robe was made of bright red brocade, embroidered with a pattern of nine phoenixes facing the sky in gold thread. Each phoenix was lifelike, with every detail of its feathers clearly visible, and it shimmered with light under the candlelight.
Magnificent, prestigious, and impeccable.
But when Xu Fenghua looked at the dress, there was no joy in her eyes, only a cold, lifeless silence.
She reached out and gently stroked the largest phoenix on her wedding robe with her fingertips.
The gold thread felt hard and cold to the touch, just like her heart at that moment.
Tomorrow, she will wear this dress and this phoenix crown, and in front of the world, marry the man who took everything from her.
How ironic.
She was once the eldest daughter of the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion, Xu Fenghua who galloped across the snowy plains of the north, and the young mistress of the Zhao family who secretly held sway over the Jiangnan trade routes.
But now, she is to become a canary in this deep palace, to become Qin Mu's concubine.
To become... the most important pawn of the Xu family outside the northern border.
"Squeak—"
The door to the sleeping quarters was gently pushed open.
Xu Fenghua did not turn around.
She knew who it was.
At this time, only one person in the entire palace was able to enter Consort Hua's bedroom without prior notice.
Qin Mu.
He was still wearing the same black robe with twelve embroidered symbols that he wore at the banquet, but he had removed the heavy twelve-tassel crown. His long hair was loosely tied up with an ebony hairpin, and a few strands of hair fell in front of his forehead, adding to his lazy and casual temperament.
He slowly walked into the bedchamber. His moon-white, wide-sleeved robe shimmered faintly in the candlelight, and the cloud patterns embroidered with silver thread seemed to come alive, flowing gently with his steps.
His footsteps were very light, making no sound as he stepped on the thick carpeted floor.
But Xu Fenghua could sense his presence.
That imperial, unquestionable aura surged forth like an invisible tide, instantly filling the entire bedchamber.
She slowly stood up, turned around, and faced Qin Mu.
Then, following palace rules, they slowly knelt down.
The moon-white nightgown was spread out on the ground, like a snow lotus suddenly blooming.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Her voice was calm, so calm that it was completely still.
Qin Mu walked up to her and stopped.
He did not immediately tell her to get up, but simply looked down at her kneeling figure.
The bedchamber was completely silent.
The only sounds were the occasional crackling of the burning candle and the silent standoff between the two.
After a long silence, Qin Mu finally spoke:
Get up.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Xu Fenghua slowly stood up, her hands at her sides, her gaze lowered, landing on the hem of Qin Mu's black robe.
Embroidered with gold thread are five-clawed golden dragons, their heads held high and their bodies coiled, symbolizing supreme imperial power.
"What is my beloved concubine looking at?" Qin Mu's voice carried a hint of amusement.
"I'm looking at His Majesty's dragon robe." Xu Fenghua's voice remained calm. "The embroidery is exquisite and lifelike."
"Oh?" Qin Mu raised an eyebrow. "Does my beloved concubine like it?"
"I just feel," Xu Fenghua slowly raised her eyes, looking calmly at Qin Mu, "that this dragon robe suits Your Majesty very well."
These words were spoken respectfully, yet contained a hidden veil of sarcasm.
Qin Mu smiled.
He walked to the dressing table and his gaze fell on the phoenix coronet and wedding gown on the table.
"Is my beloved concubine satisfied with the dress for tomorrow's ceremony?"
"Your Majesty's gift is something I dare not be dissatisfied with."
"You dare not?" Qin Mu turned to look at Xu Fenghua. "So you're dissatisfied?"
Xu Fenghua remained silent for a moment before slowly saying:
"I just feel that this dress is too extravagant, and I am not worthy of it."
"Not good enough for you?" Qin Mu walked up to her, reached out and lifted her chin, forcing her to look him in the eye. "You are the Consort Hua, personally appointed by me, the wife I will formally marry tomorrow. There is nothing in this world that you are not good enough for."
His fingers were warm, but the force was irresistible.
Xu Fenghua was forced to look up at Qin Mu's deep eyes.
Those eyes, illuminated by the candlelight, resembled two bottomless ancient wells, capable of absorbing all light and devouring all resistance.
"Your Majesty..." Xu Fenghua's voice trembled slightly, "I am already a withered flower, I am really... unworthy of such kindness."
"A withered flower or a fallen willow?" Qin Mu smiled, a smile carrying an almost cruel tenderness. "I don't care."
He let go of her hand, turned around and walked to the window, looking out at the deep night.
"What I care about is you as a person. It's your talent, your wisdom, your... uniqueness."
He paused, then slowly said:
"As for whose wife you were before, or what your past was like, I don't care. From tomorrow onwards, you will be my Consort Hua, a concubine of the Great Qin, and a unique existence in this deep palace."
Xu Fenghua stood still, motionless.
She could sense the undeniable domineering nature in Qin Mu's words, as well as his almost obsessive possessiveness.
This man not only wants to take her body, but also her heart, and everything she has.
"Your Majesty..." she slowly knelt down, her forehead touching the ground, "Thank you for your great kindness."
Qin Mu did not turn around, but simply said:
"Get up. The ground is cold."
Xu Fenghua slowly stood up.
Qin Mu turned around, his gaze falling on her again.
His eyes were calm, so calm it was unsettling.
"Oh, right."
He suddenly spoke, his tone so relaxed as if he were talking about something insignificant.
"Your brother has arrived."