Chapter 305: Let Her Enter the Palace

Step by step, he draws near, determined to kiss Wan Tang.

Wan Tang, however, feels a sudden panic.

Her face is full of fear; even though she forces herself to suppress it, her heart still trembles.

From the beginning, they were wrong.

Once, to survive, they climbed onto the dragon bed.

Now, without a purpose, the heart is surprisingly resistant.

Wan Tang, in despair, closes her eyes.

Chu Yunzheng's kiss lands delicately on her neck.

【I find the Dog Emperor more disgusting the longer I look at him; before, to achieve my own goals, I trusted no one and could use anyone. It's the same now.】

【Yan Wang died in a shock, and the Northern Border has also pacified. Even the few forces he feared are now in his hands. At least on the surface, it seems he controls them. What more does he have to worry about?】

【It is precisely because of his reservations that he now wants to do what he's always wanted: to make Bai Li his woman. Unfortunately, Hui Guifei is a stubborn sort; no matter who asks, she refuses to consent.】

【The Dog Emperor, unable to save face, went to Hui Guifei again, and now he's come looking for Wan Tang.】

【I'm pondering: after this blast, the next second will be to have Wan Tang welcome Yan Wangfei into the palace.】

Hehe…

Yan Wangfei?

Chu Yunzheng doesn't believe the words he looks up to, but Wan Tang does.

Yan Wang isn't a paragon of virtue, yet he hasn't gone so far as to tarnish a woman.

For such a woman, he would have to stir up clouds and rain with Chu Yunzheng.

"Hehe…"

Wan Tang suddenly smiles.

Chu Yunzheng stops his movement, his face full of surprise: "Empress, why are you smiling?"

Wan Tang's eyes are somewhat hollow, her body stiff, and even the words she speaks are cold: "Emperor, why have you come?"

"Naturally, I'm here to see you," he says, a hint of irritation in his tone.

Wan Tang, however, is unhurried: "Actually, you really need not be like this."

"Absurd!"

Chu Yunzheng leans forward to get closer, but Wan Tang turns her face aside, her voice cold as frost: "I, your Empress, should relieve your worries and solve your difficulties."

He pauses, examining her calm profile, a warning glint in his eyes: "Wan Tang, why are you always like this, as if you intend to see through me?"

Wan Tang forces down the nausea rising in her throat, turns her gaze straight into his eyes: "Because I, your Empress, love you, Emperor."

"Love?" Chu Yunzheng is startled.

The word seems to have struck something; his expression becomes vague.

He recalls how she once shielded arrows for him.

All the maneuvering she did for him…

He loves Bai Li.

But Chu Yunzheng cannot guarantee whether there is any woman who loves him more than Wan Tang.

Chu Yunzheng's gaze gradually softens.

He gently strokes her shoulder, his tone softening: "The Mo Family has sacrificed much for Fengqi Kingdom; I keep those favors in my heart."

A faint bitter smile flickers at Wan Tang's mouth corner, and she lowers her eyelids in time.

She feigns a bit of grievance: "But the Mo Family is already…"

"Now I, your Empress, have become a solitary girl with no support."

"Nonsense!" Chu Yunzheng quickly pulls her into his arms, his voice very soft, "You still have me, you still have Minghui."

"I will forever protect you, and will never let you suffer any grievance again."

Indeed!

How much threat can a solitary girl pose?

At first, the Emperor's affection was for a sensible woman he could handle at will.

Now, Wan Tang has become a toy in his palm.

Not only is she easier to manipulate, she has even become useful.

She ultimately wants the Emperor to know how much the Mo Family has sacrificed.

Using the Mo Family's sacrifices to block the Emperor's desire to open his mouth.

Wan Tang, taking the opportunity, leans into the Emperor's embrace.

She says lightly: "Emperor, now I, your Empress, am so afraid…"

Chu Yunzheng pulls Wan Tang a little closer into his chest.

His jaw lightly brushes her hair top: "Tang'er, in my heart now, there is only you."

Wan Tang, leaning in his arms, whispers softly: "That day in Sister Hui's palace, I heard everything."

Chu Yunzheng's body suddenly stiffens imperceptibly, then he sighs.

His tone carries a hint of helplessness: "The matter is not as you heard it."

"Hui Guifei's nature is somewhat extreme."

He pauses, seeming to weigh his words, his voice softening: "Bai Li, she is not as despicable as they say."

"She is an excellent woman, pure and kind, and has never entertained thoughts of entering the palace."

His gaze turns outward, tinged with reminiscence: "After Yan Wang left, she was gloomy all day, almost devoid of life."

"Now she practices at the Nunnery outside the city, with hair in tonsure, under green lamps and ancient Buddhas, only seeking peace of mind."

He withdrew his gaze, looked at Wan Tang, his eyes sincere: "I brought her into the palace for a brief stay, not for any other purpose; I was only afraid she might become desperate and end her life."

He squeezed Wan Tang's hand, earnest: "Tang'er, can you understand my sincere intentions?"

【Crap! Aren't the two of them disgusting? What's with not wanting to enter the palace? Yan Wang just died, and she is already eager to climb the dragon bed; how will the world speak of her?】

【Going to the Nunnery is just a pretense. Isn't it just to tug at the Emperor for a while? The unattainable is the best, you know.】

【Bai Li is ambitious, coveting the position of Empress. What does entering the palace now matter? With a reputation full of curses, even being a Consort is already quite good.】

【Gou Royal Brother is despicable; he discards the palace's fine women and goes after a worn‑out shoe, I spit!】

【What good is your spitting? Bai Li has already plotted; tomorrow the Nunnery will catch fire, and Chu Yunzheng will happen to be here. One will go to rescue the fire, the other will protect the carriage. The two will clash again, just not in the Nunnery that way.】

【When the palace people react, Bai Li and the Emperor will have already conspired in secret; who can still stop them?】

【Don't let it come to the point where Consort Hui Guifei's womb bears a Princess, and she gives birth to a San Huangzi…】

Wan Tang laughed.

So many things truly cannot be stopped?

If so, why bother trying to stop them?

Wan Tang's gaze darkened, her voice sweet: "Emperor, Subject survived this great calamity, and I feel it is Heaven's protection."

"Subject wishes to go to the Nunnery tomorrow to worship Buddha and bring some incense oil for the Nunnery."

Chu Yunzheng's eyes brightened slightly, and he hurriedly grasped Wan Tang's hand, exclaiming emotionally: "Tangtang, only you truly understand my heart."

"Rest assured, I now understand who is most important to me."

"Emperor." Wan Tang lifted her smile, concealing all her hatred.

She deepened her emotion, deliberately raising: "Do you still refuse to believe Subject? For the Emperor, Subject could even give up her life, let alone petty jealous quarrels."

Chu Yunzheng was moved, and admiration appeared in his eyes.

Wan Tang continued: "Moreover, I understand the Emperor's feelings toward her."

"So it's fine; Subject only wishes the Emperor happiness."

Chu Yunzheng swept Wan Tang into his arms.

He gently kissed the red mole on Wan Tang's forehead: "Having a wife like this, I am fortunate for three lifetimes."

"Hmm!"

Wan Tang nodded heavily.

Her voice was coquettish, with a hint of allure: "The Emperor is the ruler of the world."

"Now, throughout the court and the world, no one dares to defy the Emperor. The Emperor is the god in Subject's heart."

"Therefore, any decision the Emperor makes is correct!"

Amidst a chorus of praise.

Chu Yunzheng's smile grew even brighter, and he lightly pinched Wan Tang's nose, extremely satisfied.

One night of spring intimacy.

At dawn, Kunning Palace also became bustling.

Only dragon qi can cause a place to rise from death.

At the Gongmen, the Phoenix carriage was ready.

Wan Tang was about to board the carriage when hurried footsteps sounded behind her.

Hui Guifei rushed forward, her sideburns slightly disheveled, anger blazing in her eyes.

"Are you so incompetent?"

She scolded sharply, her voice so sharp it pierced the morning's tranquility: "Even if the Emperor speaks, must you go?"

She stepped closer, her gaze like a blade: "Has the Mo Family's blood not yet dyed your Phoenix Robe enough red?"

Every word pierced the heart.

Wan Tang's figure swayed slightly, the knuckles of her hand supporting the carriage turning white.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly released her hand and walked step by step toward Hui Guifei.

Under the astonished gazes of the crowd, she suddenly spread her arms and forcefully embraced her.

In a voice only the two could hear, she said, "Sister."

"Now the Emperor roams the world; how can we women make him regret?"

"Is it that, just because of this, we do not love him?"

Hui Guifei was momentarily stunned.

Wan Tang said slowly: "I once raised a stray cat; it was fierce, very wary, and even scratched me."

"Later, I gave it enough space, pretended the mice it caught were its own, and fed it."

"Gradually, it let its guard down toward me."

"Everything I gave it, it ate cleanly."

"Eventually, it grew lazy to hunt, letting me feed it."

"Do you know what happened to it later?"

Hui Guifei's body trembled: "A being with no defense against you will naturally let you pet it."

"Indeed!"

"When I no longer needed it, it had become so fat it could no longer hunt."

"The proud stray cat eventually could only howl for mercy at my doorstep every night…"

Hui Guifei suddenly looked at Wan Tang.

She trembled, whispering: "That woman Bai Li weighs too heavily in his heart; I fear…"

"Can we avoid it?"

"Even if I do nothing, I still can't escape."

"Then, I'll just give it a try!"

She gave a faint smile.

Her gaze gently fell on Hui Guifei's lower abdomen; she stepped back two paces and bowed deeply.

In a solemn tone she said, "Leave these filthy matters to me!"

"I beg you, sister, to protect the child in my womb."

"May mother and child be safe."

Hui Guifei's body trembled, and a rare sorrow appeared in her eyes.

But it vanished in an instant, and she lifted her brows, "You should mind your own affairs!"

The words hung in the air.

She turned away gracefully and said, "When you see Bai Li, deliver a message for me."

"Inside and outside the palace, do not provoke me!"

Wan Tang smiled and replied, "Yes!"

In front of the rustic mountain gate of Jingxin An, the Empress's ceremonial guard stood solemnly.

The phoenix litter touched the ground; palace maids and attendants lined up on both sides, heads bowed and breaths held.

Wan Tang, clad in a bright red Phoenix Robe and wearing a Nine‑Tailed Phoenix Crown, walked down the litter at a leisurely pace.

Sunlight fell upon her, and the phoenix embroidered with golden thread spread its wings as if about to take flight, its majesty complete.

All the nuns inside the hall had long knelt on the ground, their breaths barely audible, daring not to lift their heads to gaze directly at the phoenix visage.

Amid the silence, only one person stood alone on the stone steps before the Grand Hall.

That person wore plain white silk, held prayer beads, slender in form, yet like a plum blossom defying snow, standing conspicuously among the kneeling crowd in the courtyard.