Su Chenzhao entered the palace and followed Cheng Huai nervously.
Yuan Zheng’s summons came suddenly. After they were intercepted and returned to the capital, Cen Yelan went straight to the palace without sending a single word back to the General’s mansion. Su Chenzhao was restless and even looked like a fool. He wanted to break into the palace alone, but Li Jingchuo stopped him.
Li Jingchuo said, “Don’t worry, our new emperor won’t do anything to the General.”
Su Chenzhao frowned, looking tangled, and said, “Ai, you don’t understand.”
He knew Yuan Zheng’s illness and had guessed about the entanglement between the two. Cen Yelan had said something merciless in order to end this bad relationship. If Yuan Zheng went crazy and hated Cen Yelan, he would not let him go easily. Moreover, the situation is different now. Cen Yelan was pregnant. No matter how slow Su Chenzhao was, he could not imagine what kind of storm would be set off once Yuan Zheng knew that Cen Yelan was pregnant.
Li Jingchuo raised his eyebrows, pinched the back of Su Chenzhao’s neck like teasing a cat, and said, “Then Divine Physician Su, please tell me slowly. I am all ears. I will understand after listening.”
Su Chenzhao looked at him for a while, shook his head, and became even more distressed, muttering, “I can’t say it.”
Li Jingchuo came closer and smiled and said, “Why can’t you say it?”
Su Chenzhao thought about it and was startled when he saw Li Jingchuo’s handsome face approaching. He raised his hand to push his face away and whispered, “If I said I can’t say it, then I can’t say it, so don’t ask anymore.”
His voice was low, and his fingers were cold, tickling Li Jingchuo’s mind. He laughed, rubbed Su Chenzhao’s fingers, and said, “Alright, alright, alright, I won’t ask. Believe me, the General will be fine. If he is in trouble, I will be the first to rush into the palace with you to rob him back. How about that?”
Su Chenzhao raised his eyes and said, “Really?”
Li Jingchuo smiled and said, “Really.” After a moment, he sighed again, “If something happened to me, would the Little Divine Physician be so worried about me as well?”
Su Chenzhao blinked in confusion and asked, “What will happen to you?”
He muttered, “Why are there still people who hope that something bad will happen to themselves?”
Li Jingchuo choked and smiled helplessly.
Cheng Huai was a man of few words. The two walked one after another. The sky was gloomy and lingered heavily on the dome. Su Chenzhao felt uneasy and couldn’t help asking Cheng Huai, “Xiao Gonggong, General… is the General alright?”
Cheng Huai said, “The General is fine.”
Su Chenzhao felt relieved and asked, “Then do you know why His Majesty summoned me?”
Cheng Huai calmly said, “Answer Young Master Su, His Majesty’s intention is hard to predict, and the servant is not aware of it as well.”
Su Chenzhao hit a snag and said “oh”, staring at the square bricks laid one by one under his feet, feeling more and more uneasy. He thought, Could it be that Yuan Zheng knew that Cen Yelan was pregnant? What to do?
The more he thought about it, the more worried he became.
Soon, the imperial study was right in front of him. Su Chenzhao stood outside the palace door for a long time. Seeing that Cheng Huai was looking at him, he slowly walked towards the inner room.
As soon as he entered, he saw Yuan Zheng sitting on the dragon throne. The young emperor was wearing a black dragon robe, with a sharp face and gloomy eyes, looking at him expressionlessly. Su Chenzhao’s heart skipped a beat, and he felt panic for no reason. Even the old wound that Yuan Zheng kicked him in the chest that day, which had long been healed, was aching.
Su Chenzhao calms himself down, bowed, and saluted, saying, “Su Chenzhao greets Your Majesty.”
Yuan Zheng said nothing, but his eyes were heavy, as if they had substance, staring straight at Su Chenzhao.
Su Chenzhao felt a chill on his back, and he became more and more uneasy. He thought that this Highness was really difficult to get along with, and it really made things difficult for Ah Lan.
After a long time, Su Chenzhao heard Yuan Zheng speak indifferently, “Su Chenzhao, you are so brave.”
Su Chenzhao shivered, curled his fingers into his sleeves, and tried to play dumb. “Your… What is Your Majesty talking about? Chenzhao doesn’t, doesn’t understand.”
Yuan Zheng sneered, “Don’t understand?”
He said, “Su Chenzhao, do you really not understand?”
Su Chenzhao raised his head cautiously and met Yuan Zheng’s eyes. His heart trembled, and he didn’t know where he got the courage from. His neck stiffened, and he asked Yuan Zheng, “Your Majesty, where is Ah Lan?”
Yuan Zheng looked down at him coldly.
In the huge imperial study, the two of them, one sitting and one kneeling, were full of pressure. Su Chenzhao looked at Yuan Zheng’s face, a little flustered, and said, “How is Ah Lan?”
“…You can’t bully Ah Lan. If anything happens to him, you will regret it for the rest of your life.”
Yuan Zheng said, “What does Zhen have to regret?”
“He has a child in his belly—” Su Chenzhao blurted out a sentence and suddenly closed his mouth. Looking at Yuan Zheng’s increasingly ugly expression, he whispered, “Anyway, you can’t bully Ah Lan.”
Yuan Zheng looked at Su Chenzhao in silence. Even though he already knew that Cen Yelan was pregnant, but hearing these words again still made him feel dizzy as if he had been hit hard. His heart felt numb, but also mixed with a bit of sadness and pain that could not be ignored.
After a long while, Yuan Zheng exhaled and whispered, “I don’t even have enough time to like him.”
There was a sense of melancholy in his voice. Su Chenzhao was stunned and looked at Yuan Zheng with a confused look.
That day, Yuan Zheng and Su Chenzhao talked in the imperial study for a long time. Yuan Zheng asked most of the questions, and Su Chenzhao answered, everything he asked was related to Cen Yelan.
Yuan Zheng asked in detail, as if he wanted to piece together the missing months from Su Chenzhao.
Cen Yelan had always been cruel to him. Yuan Zheng didn’t dare to imagine what he was thinking when he finally decided to keep the child. He even thought about breaking off relations with him and keeping it a secret from him for the rest of his life.
It was unbearable to think about it, and the more he thought about it, the more heartbroken he became.
At the end, both of them fell silent. Su Chenzhao looked at Yuan Zheng and whispered, “Your Majesty, what are you going to do… with Ah Lan?”
Yuan Zheng did not speak.
Su Chenzhao said to himself, “You are the emperor, you will have an empress and concubines in the future—”
Yuan Zheng interrupted Su Chenzhao, “There’s none.” He looked at Su Chenzhao with no expression on his face and repeated, “There’s none, there won’t be, I only want Cen Yelan.”
Su Chenzhao opened his eyes wide and murmured, “But you are the emperor, and Ah Lan is the general, the commander of the northern border. How can this be??”
Yuan Zheng said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter.”
Su Chenzhao was speechless and said, “Where is Ah Lan?”
Yuan Zheng’s expression shifted slightly, and he was silent for a moment, then said, “There are many generals in the capital…” He had already said it, but he knew in his heart that Cen Yelan was simply unwilling to give up the northern border and was determined not to settle down in the capital.
Su Chenzhao softly said, “Ah Lan would not agree. After General Cen passed away, Ah Lan already dug a grave next to General Cen’s grave. He dug it for himself.”
Yuan Zheng was stunned and stared at Su Chenzhao.
“He is the most strict with himself.” Su Chenzhao said seriously, “Over the years, I have only seen Ah Lan act impulsively and willfully once, which was to keep the child. Ah Lan really wanted to keep the child. Your Majesty, if you really like Ah Lan, I hope you will treat him well and don’t forget what you said today.”
Yuan Zheng let out a long breath, raised his hands, and saluted Su Chenzhao. Su Chenzhao was startled, and then he heard Yuan Zheng say, “Physician Su…”
“Thanks so much.”
Outside the window, the rain was dripping, the night wind was knocking on the window, and one can faintly hear the sound of trees shaking and leaves falling.
It was already three quarters in the morning, but Cen Yelan had no desire to sleep. Two days had passed since that day, and Cen Yelan had not seen Yuan Zheng again. Yuan Zheng’s red eyes appeared in his mind, and his questioning words were still ringing in his ears, as if he was really heartbroken.
Cen Yelan opened his eyes and stared at the bright yellow bed curtains in a daze. Yuan Zheng said, Am I so unworthy of your trust and support?
Is Yuan Zheng not worth it? Cen Yelan thought, In fact, it is not about whether Yuan Zheng is worth it or not, but that he has never thought of having a relationship with Yuan Zheng beyond the relationship between the monarch and the minister.
Yuan Zheng is the monarch, and he is the minister, and this cannot be changed.
Yuan Zheng was young and was also the emperor. He had seen so many beautiful things in his life, and he was only dazzled for a moment. How could he take it seriously?
Did he like Yuan Zheng? Of course he did. How could he not like someone who offers him such warm affection like that? Besides, he is a man, the commander of the northern border. There are so many gaps between them, and how could Yuan Zheng’s words of love easily move mountains and fill seas?
Cen Yelan gave a bitter smile. He didn’t expect that after being so decisive in killing for half his life, he would be so worried and hesitant at the end.
Cen Yelan thought of Yuan Zheng caressing his belly again. The surprise was real, and the happiness could not be concealed at all. It was pure and sincere, which made his heart soften. Cen Yelan couldn’t help but put his hand on the place where Yuan Zheng touched. In a trance, his skin was hot.
The night rain was pouring down, making one more and more confused. Cen Yelan sighed and sat up.
A window in the hall was not closed tightly. Cen Yelan looked at the rain that was sneaking in. The hall was inlaid with pearls, emitting a soft halo, illuminating the water marks on the ground. He looked for a long time, then simply raised his legs and walked towards the window.
It was raining heavily outside the window. Suddenly, a purple lightning streaked through the rain curtain. Cen Yelan unintentionally glanced at it and was stunned. Cen Yelan’s heart beat violently in his chest. He pushed open the window and saw Yuan Zheng standing outside the hall, holding an umbrella. His tall figure looked up at him from a distance.
There was a loud bang of thunder, and in an instant, the sounds of wind and rain seemed to fade away. In the vast heaven and earth, only the persistent and upright figure of the young emperor became clearer and clearer, deeply engraved in Cen Yelan’s eyes.
