Now that Xiao Langyan is staying in the Huang Mansion, the guards in the inner and outer courtyards have long been replaced by the emperor's personal soldiers.
Shen Dingzhu hesitated at the entrance of Huang Mansion, like a lily of the valley standing in an alley of light and dark, with unique beauty.
It was hard for the guards outside the door not to notice her. They looked at each other, and after a while, Lei Hong, the commander of the imperial army, came out.
"Your Majesty, it's really you. Are you here to see the Emperor?" Lei Hong stepped forward quickly and bowed his hands. He was a military general, his actions were a bit rusty, and his voice was as loud as a bell.
Shen Dingzhu originally wanted to go back, but when she saw Lei Hong coming out, she bit her lip: "Commander Lei, is it convenient for the emperor now? I... I want to see him."
Lei Hong quickly handed over his hand and made an invitation: "Governor Huang is inviting the Emperor and a group of officials to a banquet tonight. The banquet is not over yet. Please follow me into the mansion, and I will let you know."
In any case, he didn't have the guts to leave Shen Dingzhu alone outside the house.
Xiucui quickly caught up with her, and Shen Dingzhu shook his head at her.
"Wait for me at the concierge." After all, it was the Huang Mansion that she entered, so she left after begging.
The courtyard layout of Huang Mansion is rigorous, with winding corridors leading to secluded areas.
Passing through the wind and rain corridor, you can see the corner of the gorgeous roof. The auspicious beast swallows the moonlight, leaving a bright and clear light all over the courtyard.
Perhaps it was because Xiao Langyan stayed here, there wasn't a speck of dust anywhere, and every new leaf was wiped clean like green.
Shen Dingzhu followed Lei Hong to the banquet place in the outer courtyard. Not far away, he saw red lanterns hanging under the eaves, and laughter kept coming from inside.
Lei Hong cupped his hands and said: "Please wait here for a moment, I will go in and report."
Shen Dingzhu nodded slightly: "Thank you."
Watching Lei Hong walk over and enter the house, Shen Dingzhu sighed and turned to look around. Behind her was a scenic stream.
The ancient pavilions on both sides are elegant, and the stone tables and benches inside are made of fine white jade, polished smooth and round.
The light and shadow of the moon are reflected in the water, creating a sparkling light.
Shen Dingzhu thought for a while and walked to the pavilion to wait. After all, where she was standing just now, the servants were walking around to take a look at her.
She didn't want to be too ostentatious.
At this moment, a surprised voice came from behind.
"Queen? Why are you here?"
Shen Dingzhu turned around and saw Wei Wan coming again.
She frowned, and there was a distant look in her beautiful eyes: "No comment."
Wei Wan smiled, walked to her side, and looked her over: "You still couldn't help but come to compete for favors, right? It's a pity that you came a little late. Listen, the sound of the party in the room is Miss Huang's presence. Present a song to the Emperor."
When she said this, Shen Dingzhu listened intently.
Sure enough, there was a touching sound of pipa playing in the room, but when she heard the familiar melody, Shen Dingzhu's whole body was shaken, and her beautiful face turned a little pale.
This is "Sibai Tou" which she has learned before.
This piece was composed many years ago by a woman who missed her husband who was traveling far away. Shen Dingzhu learned this piece after collecting an ancient pipa.
She originally thought that if she could get back together with Xiao Langyan one day, she would also like to ask him to listen to her music.
But……
The person playing this piece of music is Huang Yunmeng.
She played it cheerfully and brightly, without any worries. The sadness and heaviness of the woman missing her husband in the original song no longer existed in her melody.
Shen Dingzhu was momentarily absent-minded.
Wei Wan caught a slight change in her expression from the side, so he pursed his lips with more satisfaction, and Lu Tong smiled coldly.
"Empress, if you go in now, Huang Yunmeng will have no chance to compete with you. The Emperor still likes you."
Shen Dingzhu came back to her senses, her beautiful eyes were as calm as ice and snow.
Her red lips opened and closed, and her voice was as cold as her ice-cold muscles and bones: "Aren't you tired from doing this?"
Wei Wan was startled.
Shen Dingzhu: "Without me, there will be Huang Yunmeng again. Without Huang Yunmeng, there will be someone else. Wei Wan, what you are fighting for is fruitless."
Wei Wan seemed to have been stabbed in a sore spot, and his voice suddenly rose: "The emperor is the husband of the empress. How can the empress not care if he wants to take a new concubine? Don't you love him? Aren't you willing to give anything for him? Why are you willing to stand by and watch? It’s great to see him surrounded by new people.”
These words had already stopped Shen Dingzhu's heart from ripples.
Under the moonlight, the beauty's eyes seemed to be filled with starry frost, and her temples and cheeks were all white and pink.
When she smiled, everything turned pale, but this smile was a little sad.
"The matter between me and him is not something you can understand in a few words. If you want to forcefully say that I don't care, then that's up to you."
Wei Wan gritted his teeth: "You——! Then come with me and I will show you something!"
She grabbed Shen Dingzhu's wrist. Shen Dingzhu exclaimed, but was not as strong as Wei Wan. She dragged her along the bluestone path among the flowers.
After arriving under a tree in the backyard, Wei Wan let go of Shen Dingzhu's wrist.
"My dear, you recognize this thing, right?"
Shen Dingzhu lowered his eyes and suddenly froze.
A small hole was dug in the soil, and small things used by children for games were scattered around. Wooden swords and wooden horses were scattered around.
But what was buried in the pit was actually the wooden figure that Xiao Langyan carved before, the wooden figure that he took away!
She once regarded it as a treasure and carefully touched it thousands of times. She had to wipe it twice a day for fear of getting dusty. She was even more afraid of the wood getting chapped, so she used tea oil to brush it once every three days.
Nowadays, it is buried half sideways in the soil and is used as a children's toy.
Shen Dingzhu finally couldn't bear it anymore.
No matter how many grievances and injustices she suffered, she could bear it.
But when she saw the Mu Ren she cherished being ruined by others, her tears suddenly burst into tears, blurring her vision.
Shen Dingzhu squatted down and dug up the soil with his hands.
Wei Wan crossed his arms and sneered: "If I remember correctly, the emperor took this back from the empress and played with it every day. At first, I thought the emperor cared about it, but what now? Isn't he the young master of the Huang family? Use it as a waste."
"Empress, you usually think very highly of yourself and don't care about many things, but this wooden man is definitely one of them. Does it really make you feel better to see it being treated so badly?"
Shen Dingzhu suddenly raised a pretty ice-white face, stained with tears.
Her watery eyes were completely dark, with two cold tears of disappointment and hatred. Such an expression made Wei Wan startled, and he subconsciously took half a step back.
Shen Dingzhu must be very sad, Wei Wan could see it.
However, she couldn't give up and continued to attack her defenses, forcing Shen Dingzhu to go to the banquet and disrupt Huang Yunmeng's good deeds.
"My dear, you have to say it, don't you care? It seems like your feelings are nothing more than..."
"Pa!" Shen Dingzhu slapped Wei Wan hard on the face.
Her delicate hands were slender, and the pink nail on her index finger broke at this moment.
Wei Wan covered his face and stared at her in disbelief: "You dare to hit me?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Shen Dingzhu slapped her face again, which she didn't cover.
"I beat you because I've had enough of your coercion and I'm sad. I can't control myself. I'm asking for trouble. I admit it! But Wei Wan, my patience is limited. If you push me again, I'll I’ll kill you!”
The maid who was passing by came to pick up the wooden figure, but when she heard these words, she was so frightened that she screamed: "Who are you?"
She didn't recognize Shen Dingzhu.
However, Shen Dingzhu didn't care about other people at all. He turned around and left with a cold and beautiful face.
She doesn't even want that wooden man anymore.
Wei Wan couldn't react and looked at her back blankly.
Shen Dingzhu walked very fast, she wanted to leave this place.
However, unfortunately, as she passed by the flowerbed where the moonlight had just illuminated, she saw a group of people approaching with lanterns.
Lei Hong saw Shen Dingzhu's figure and breathed a sigh of relief: "Your Majesty, you see, I did not lie. Your Majesty is really here."
The man at the head was wearing a golden and white dragon robe, with jet-black hair on his temples, and his eyes were as bright as stars. The moment he saw Shen Dingzhu, a deep and fiery look naturally flowed out of his eyes.
Shen Dingzhu also saw him, but with an expressionless face, she walked quickly towards Xiao Langyan.
"What are you doing here? I heard from Lei Hong. Do you have anything to do with me?" Xiao Langyan asked in a cold voice when she walked up to her.
Shen Dingzhu ignored him and passed by.
Xiao Langyan suddenly frowned, feeling something was wrong, and reached out to grab her wrist.
"What's wrong?"
Shen Dingzhu waved his backhand and almost slapped Xiao Langyan on the face.
At this moment, everyone turned pale with fear, but Xiao Langyan froze.
Because, he clearly saw Shen Dingzhu's eyes filled with red tears when she looked back at him.
He had never seen such a look in her eyes.
No...he has seen it.
A long time ago, when Shen's mansion was ransacked and she was sold to the military camp by Prime Minister Shen's enemies, she also showed such a look of cold disgust.
Shen Dingzhu's nails scratched his chin just now, leaving a few scarlet marks.
Huang Yunmeng immediately stood up and said anxiously: "Queen, the emperor is the emperor, how could you accidentally hurt him!"
Before Shen Dingzhu could say anything, Xiao Langyan suddenly shouted angrily: "It's not your turn to point fingers at the queen!"
His dark brows, contrasted with his cold and pale handsome face, only made people feel murderous.
Huang Yunmeng was scolded by him, and instantly felt as if he was nailed to the spot, feeling ashamed.
Xiao Langyan immediately turned to look at Shen Dingzhu.
His thin eyes were filled with shock.
"What happened? Who bullied you?"
Shen Dingzhu looked at him, her beautiful eyes still filled with cold tears of snow, but her red lips squeezed out a cold smile.
"Please, Your Majesty, please issue an order to depose me now. I don't want the title of Queen anymore."
