sjar Chapter 25 The Alluring Courtesan (5)
Chapter 25 The Alluring Courtesan (5)
"That stubbornness that comes from her very bones, that heartbreaking sense of brokenness... only she has it."
Chu Xuanling fell in love with Bai Ruofu at first sight; while Chu Ruyu's feelings for Bai Ruofu arose from their marriage agreement.
Therefore, Chu Xuanling believed that his love for Afu was even purer.
The two of them went to see the emperor together.
Chu Ruyu specifically told his father, the emperor, that he had obtained something good in the State of Guo that could make people feel like they were in heaven.
The emperor, who had intended to discard Chu Ruyu like trash, instead allowed her to stay by his side.
That substance is called Five-Stone Powder.
It would cause the emperor to fall into a hallucination, prematurely draining his body.
The truth will eventually come out, but Chu Ruyu had long since disregarded life and death.
Even after the emperor's death, Chu Ruyu could not escape unscathed.
Chu Xuanling prepared a corpse for him as a substitute, and then took good care of him in the hot spring palace so that he could spend the rest of his life in peace.
When the country was in peril, Chu Ruyu was a hostage who was sent away, and no one stood up for him. After Chu Xuanling came to power, he brought Chu Ruyu back, but Chu Ruyu only sought revenge against the emperor and did not seek revenge against those who took advantage of his misfortune.
Chu Xuanling felt that such a gentle and kind person deserved a peaceful end.
It's only because my elder brother is in poor health that...
He must be one of his biggest competitors.
The first thing Chu Xuanling did after ascending the throne was to thoroughly investigate the Bai family's treasonous act of colluding with the enemy.
When he was a prince, he lacked power and was constrained by the presence of the late emperor, so he could not act freely. Now, he can use swift and decisive means to thoroughly investigate what happened back then.
Amidst anxiety, heartache, and感动, Bai Ruofu's feelings for Chu Xuanling deepen.
She was exonerated of the crime of being the daughter of a disgraced official, but... she had, after all, grown up in a place of pleasure...
She told Chu Xuanling that she would still keep her promise to stay with him, but she would only be a palace maid, and the kind of palace maid who would not be seen in public.
Chu Xuanling was so frightened that he quickly hugged her and asked, "Afu...did I do something to upset you?"
Bai Ruofu shook her head blankly and said, "How could this be..."
"Then why did you say such a thing? You're just dissatisfied with me... Fine, fine, I admit defeat, I was wrong, I'll change... Afu will be my empress and keep an eye on me, okay?"
Bai Ruofu finally understood that Chu Xuanling was using a self-inflicted injury ruse.
He truly deserves to stand out among all the princes.
They have a knack for scheming against people's hearts.
Bai Ruofu sighed softly, feeling that she was completely under Chu Xuanling's thumb for the rest of her life.
She didn't intend to hesitate any longer. Chu Xuanling had already done enough for her, and if she continued to push him away, she would be letting him down.
Fearing that Bai Ruofu might have other ideas, Chu Xuanling moved up the time for the coronation ceremony.
The dragon and phoenix candles burned all night, and he finally possessed Bai Ruofu completely.
Only when he saw the woman lose control for him could Chu Xuanling truly feel that she belonged to him.
That night, Chu Xuanling called for water seven times.
The next day, Bai Ruofu slept until the sun was high in the sky.
The late empress also passed away shortly after the late emperor's death. She was essentially free from the need to serve her in-laws, and with Chu Xuanling's doting affection for her, she lived a very comfortable life.
There were still some dissenting opinions in the court regarding Chu Xuanling's appointment of Bai Ruofu as empress, but under Chu Xuanling's suppression, everyone dared not speak out.
Unexpectedly, just two months after the Emperor and Empress's marriage, good news came from Kunning Palace—
Bai Ruofu is pregnant!
She's carrying twins!
The old ministers, who valued the succession of the nation above all else, fell silent.