Shen Dingzhu looked at Cui Lianfu in surprise. She had also guessed that Cui Lianfu must be punished by Xiao Langyan, but she did not expect that Xiao Langyan would be so cruel.
"The Emperor asked you to kneel?" Shen Dingzhu asked with twinkling eyes.
Cui Lianfu nodded with tears in her eyes: "At first, the emperor came every night and asked me to kneel on the ground and reflect."
"Later, I woke up and admitted my mistake, but the emperor asked me to remember it."
She smiled bitterly, with two lines of tears on her face: "When you first returned to the palace, I really wanted to compete with you, but after a while, my desire to compete has been wiped out."
"The emperor intends to protect you. I don't dare to say anything. I just hope that your Majesty will have the opportunity to say something nice to me."
Shen Dingzhu looked at her silently.
The beauty's face is as delicate as a flower, and her two pairs of eyelashes tremble like butterfly wings.
Did Xiao Langyan really do it for her?
Cui Lianfu sobbed and said: "Your Majesty, you must have heard that Feng Guiren hanged himself, right? I heard that on the day when I fell into the water and was rescued by you, she accompanied the emperor to see a painter, and then she flirted with the painter, provoking The emperor was furious, so he committed suicide with guilty conscience."
"But Madam, you have also seen Feng Guiren. She is obsessed with winning favors and wants to climb up. How dare she seduce the painter when the Emperor is still present? This is an excuse. The Emperor wants her to die. I am afraid it is also because she has disrespected you."
Shen Dingzhu's red lips parted slightly, her beautiful eyes stared blankly as she recalled.
Although Feng Guiren meant to express her favor that day, Shen Dingzhu had no intention of arguing with her.
Cui Lianfu smiled bitterly and shook his head: "I was stupid in the past, but I will never dare to be your enemy in the future. Madam, your kindness in giving me a cloak will be remembered in my heart."
When Shen Dingzhu left, he still couldn't recover for a long time.
Chunxi asked: "Mother, do you want to ride in a sedan chair?"
Shen Dingzhu shook his head: "Let Xiucui follow me alone. You all can go back. I want to go for a walk."
Along the way, her thoughts were confused.
If what Cui Lianfu said is true, what kind of feelings does Xiao Langyan have for her?
The sun was scorching, Shen Dingzhu walked slowly along the shade of the palace road, Xiucui followed her silently.
At this moment, a steady voice came: "Miss Shen?"
Shen Dingzhu was startled by such a long-lost address. She raised her head and looked forward. Zhou Luli was wearing regular clothes, and his facial features looked deeper than when they parted four years ago.
His whole body was soaked with the wind and sand of the battlefield.
Seeing his wheat-colored face and his pointed eyebrows and starry eyes, Shen Dingzhu felt both strange and familiar.
At this time, Zhou Luli took a few steps towards her. The little eunuch behind him quickly reminded with a horrified look on his face: "General Zhou, that is Concubine Shen."
Zhou Luli froze. The next moment, he came back to his senses, bowed his head and said, "I will see the imperial concubine at the end of my visit. I have offended you so much, please forgive me."
Shen Dingzhu's expression was calm, his lips were slightly parted, and his posture was dignified and calm: "General Zhou is exempting himself from the ceremony. I don't know yet, but the emperor is here to cleanse the dust of several generals who have returned from the frontier today, and you are among them."
Zhou Luli stood three steps away from her. The two looked at each other across the red wall and bluestone bricks, as well as through the shade of flowers and time.
His tone was respectful, but his eyes were hot.
"Yes, the general will be recalled to the capital. Soon he will lead his troops to the border of Beiliang Kingdom to serve as an envoy to consolidate the friendly relations between our country and Beiliang."
Shen Dingzhu nodded thoughtfully.
Recently, the Jin Dynasty is at war with Changliu Kingdom, but Beiliang secretly supports Changliu Kingdom. With Xiao Langyan's personality, he will definitely fall out with Beiliang.
However, Princess Puyue got married and is now the princess of Beiliang.
Xiao Langyan was pretty good to this sister, so he turned against the enemy and did not attack forcefully. Instead, he chose a gentle policy.
Shen Dingzhu did not expect that Zhou Luli would be sent to such a far place.
She nodded lightly: "Then I wish General Zhou a smooth trip. Pay attention to your own safety and don't underestimate the enemy. I will take my leave now."
In his previous life, Zhou Luli died in a battle, but this time he went to Beiliang just as an envoy, so nothing should happen to him.
Out of the friendship of acquaintance, Shen Dingzhu gave some advice.
Then, she passed him with Xiucui, Zhou Luli kept his head lowered. However, when she passed by him, she heard him ask in a low voice——
"Why didn't you reply to the original letter?"
Shen Dingzhu froze, Xiu Cui heard it, and her eyes became a little panicked.
Zhou Luli said again: "I've been waiting for you at the ferry all night."
Shen Dingzhu didn't know all this.
However, even if she knew, she would not leave everything behind and follow Zhou Luli.
Because she has her family to save, and she has her responsibilities to uphold.
What's more, she had never had any thoughts of male-female love towards Zhou Luli.
Shen Dingzhu said to him calmly: "I am not going because I want the general to put his mind at ease. From the day I stayed with the emperor, I will never let go of others."
After saying that, she ignored Zhou Luli's torn eyes, nodded slightly, and left with Xiucui.
Zhou Luli immediately stretched out his hand: "Empress!"
Xiu Cui hurriedly blocked it with her body, and Zhou Luli did not touch Shen Dingzhu. After Xiu Cui panicked, her expression became stern.
"General Zhou, as our empress, as a noble concubine, please respect yourself!"
Later, Xiucui followed Shen Dingzhu and left without looking back.
Zhou Luli frowned and looked at her back blankly.
Four years later, when he saw Shen Dingzhu again, he found that she was as beautiful as before. However, instead of her daughter's innocence, her eyebrows had a proud nobility.
If Xiao Langyan treats her badly, she will definitely not be so beautiful and wanton.
Could it be that she really fell in love with Xiao Langyan?
When Shen Dingzhu returned to the palace, Xiucui was in shock: "Mother, you must not say another word to General Zhou next time. He dared to try to quarrel with you on the palace road. If the emperor finds out, the consequences will be disastrous. "
Listening to Xiucui's words, Shen Dingzhu asked Aunt Song to remove her hairpin ring. She squeezed her shoulders and said in a gentle voice, "I know."
When she saw Zhou Luli again, she could only feel that time had passed by like a fleeting moment.
But there was no throbbing.
That night, after she took a bath, she still asked the palace people to put out the candles at the time of Xu.
However, not long after Shen Dingzhu fell asleep, he was fished out of the quilt by a fiery big hand.
She woke up in a daze and smelled a warm and strong smell of alcohol.
In the dark night, Xiao Langyan's slightly drunken eyes were extremely red!
Shen Dingzhu was stunned for a moment and then realized: "Your Majesty, have you drunk too much again? Shen Bi, please pass on the hangover soup... ugh!"
Before she could finish speaking, Xiao Langyan covered her mouth, and then he pushed her back heavily onto the couch.
Through the moonlight, Shen Dingzhu saw Xiao Langyan's cold face, but his eyes seemed to be burning with fire.
He tore off her clothes one by one with an expressionless expression. The sound of the fine silks and brocades being torn was particularly harsh in the silent night!
Shen Dingzhu pushed his hand away and stopped hastily: "Your Majesty! You've drunk too much!"
If he came in like this, she would be hurt.
Xiao Langyan lay on top of her and stared into her eyes. The look in his eyes was like fire, wanting to burn her to the core.
"I want to dig out your heart and see who is inside."
After he finished speaking, Shen Dingzhu was stunned.
Immediately afterwards, Xiao Langyan punched her pillow.
"I gave you everything! Why are you not satisfied? What were you thinking when you saw Zhou Luli? Tell me, at that time, did you regret following me back to the palace?"
Bearing his anger, Shen Dingzhu hurriedly explained: "I am not a concubine! I just met General Zhou by chance today."
Xiao Langyan sneered with thin lips. His tall body was as solid as an iron mountain, locking her tightly.
"Accidental? You have been avoiding me these past few days, not even leaving the house. When you see me, you are like avoiding a savage beast. But you happened to go out for a walk on the day when he entered the palace. Is it really a coincidence?"
"Shen Dingzhu! Either you lie to me for the rest of your life, or don't let me find out you lied." His burning palms punished her with abandon.
Shen Dingzhu was aroused to tears, and she struggled timidly: "It hurts, wait a minute."
Xiao Langyan ignored her cries, pressed Shen Dingzhu's shoulders, and rushed in forcefully.
Shen Dingzhu cried out in pain, followed by a whimpering sound.
The bed tent was the blue of the deep sea, and it was shaking non-stop, rising and falling like waves, raging fiercely, and the crying was like waves, and it never stopped.
Xiao Langyan listened to her melodious sobs, and the anger that reached its peak gradually calmed down and turned into snow in his heart, causing him to hug Shen Dingzhu's white body tightly without realizing it.
Her delicate body was shaking with pain, and she was no longer as pink and lovely as before. Her black hair was stuck to her cheeks, like a white hibiscus damaged by heavy rain, looking pitiful.
Xiao Langyan turned his head and kissed her lips. Shen Dingzhu turned his head away and endured his strength, with tears flowing down his face.
The pain in his heart was like smoke, swirling and rising, turning into the deep and hot fire in his thin eyes.
Xiao Langyan hugged Shen Dingzhu's body tightly, and stroked her cheek over and over with his slender palms.
In a hoarse and low voice, he asked in her ear: "Why do you need to take the anti-aging medicine? Does being with me make you feel sick or sad?"
"Shen Dingzhu, tell me, do you have any place for me in your heart? If you hate me, why, why did you give birth to our child, why did you keep my bloodline."
After he asked, he raised his thin eyes and met her eyes, preventing her from escaping.
"Tell me, don't torture me."
