Chapter 37: Betrothal Token

"What is this?" Chu Yunzheng's voice clearly carried a hint of anger as he turned his gaze toward Wan Tang.

Wan Tang's heart thudded, and the chopsticks in her hand suddenly clenched.

Her eyes toward Wang Jingyi were full of vigilance. She wasn't as noisy as Xu Luoyan, but a slight move made Wan Tang feel at a loss.

Wan Tang immediately knelt on the ground and respectfully answered, "This is a wedding scarf."

"Why would you make something like this?" Chu Yunzheng's gaze was so cold.

"For what else?" Xu Luoyan, looking like she was watching a play, laughed, "Isn't it because you want to get married, so you make wedding attire for yourself?"

Upon hearing the words "want to get married," Chu Yunzheng's previously lazy aura suddenly stiffened.

Wan Tang knew Chu Yunzheng's temperament. Still kneeling, she dared not rise and hurriedly explained, "Emperor, among the people, when a woman reaches marriageable age, she prepares her own wedding attire by hand."

"But you are the Son of Heaven, Emperor; such things, Subject, am no longer fit to use."

Hearing this, Chu Yunzheng's expression softened a little.

A smile on Wang Jingyi's lips brushed like a spring breeze, and abruptly she tossed out, "Those are all things of the past; now Consort Wan is already a member of the royal family, so she naturally wouldn't think of a former lover."

Her eyes were gentle as the moon: "I have watched the child grow up, and this point the Subject-wife is still clear."

With those words, the phrase "former lover" seemed like a fine needle, silently piercing the heart.

Wan Tang's hand tightened slightly, waves stirring in her eyes.

Xu Luoyan's mouth curled into a mocking arc, her eyes full of contempt. Looking at Wan Tang, she seemed to be looking at a dying grasshopper.

"Oh?" Chu Yunzheng leisurely twirled a finger ring, his voice laced with icy shards, "I, the Emperor, do not know that Consort Wan has someone else in her heart!"

The temperature in the whole house dropped sharply, and even the noisy cicadas outside politely fell silent.

【What's going on? I always thought Wang Jingyi was kind; why is she speaking so bluntly?】

【Is the person upstairs stupid? This isn't just being blunt; it's deliberate, right? Ever since she threatened Wan Tang, I've thought she's not a good person.】

【Don't worry, Tangtang has done so much for Long Long; Long Long will surely trust Tangtang unconditionally.】

【But Chu Yunzheng's character is inherently suspicious; would he trust Wan Tang?】

A voice inside his head began to chatter.

Wan Tang looked at the Nine‑Five Sovereign before her, and the bits and pieces of recent time replayed before her eyes.

At first, Wan Tang indeed treated the Emperor merely as a stepping stone, using him to survive.

Later, she again used the Emperor's power to contend with Xu Luoyan.

But Chu Yunzheng's repeated protections—a single call of Tangtang, a hug—offered unique affection and reward.

Wan Tang's heart, too, is of flesh.

Saying she never moved her heart, she probably can't even deceive herself.

Between them, there is feeling; can there be trust?

Wan Tang's heart trembled lightly; she took a deep breath, placed both hands on the ground, and earnestly said, "Emperor, the wedding attire was made by Subject. When I was still a palace maid, after ten years I could leave the palace to marry."

"Later, after meeting the Emperor, I had already found a reliance belonging to Subject."

Chu Yunzheng could find no trace of deceit on Wan Tang's face, yet his gaze still lacked trust.

The pond of lotus hue also prevented Chu Yunzheng from shifting his gaze; he stared steadily at Wan Tang, his voice too cold, "I will ask you one last time, do you have anything hidden from me?"

"Subject has no second thoughts toward the Emperor; Subject has said that the Emperor is all the reliance Subject has."

"You are the sky of Subject, and whatever Subject does will revolve around the Emperor." Wan Tang's voice rang powerfully, word by word, "Please, Emperor, do not doubt Subject's loyalty to you."

"Tangtang." Chu Yunzheng called lightly, his cold finger sliding across her brows, "You once said, 'for a lifetime, a pair of people,' that you have only one husband—were you speaking of me?"

Wan Tang closed her eyes and nodded heavily.

The Emperor then picked up the wedding scarf on the tray, his fingers slowly moving down, pressing heavily on two embroidered characters in the corner.

Those two characters, though small, were embroidered: "third son."

He suddenly sneered, "I didn't know, Consort Wan still has such delicate thoughts."

"third son?" Chu Yunzheng's eyes darkened abruptly, and the western scarf in his hand was ripped open and hurled violently at Wan Tang's face.

"Is this what you told me, from start to finish, a lifetime allowing only one person?"

Wan Tang was stunned; Rong Ruo was the third eldest in the family, and only the closest people would address him that way. Yet between Wan Tang and Rong Ruo, they had always treated each other with propriety, never using such intimate titles.

Wan Tang shook her head, tears silently rolling down, "Emperor, no, that's not it; those two characters were not embroidered by Subject."

"It must be that someone deliberately harmed Subject."

Chu Yunzheng's stern profile cast Yin Zhi's shadow. He slowly turned, a cold glint in his eyes like a blade:

"How strange our first meeting was," he said, gripping her chin, ambergris mixed with a scent of blood rushing to his face, "How can you make me trust you?"

"Full of lies, since the Empress said the Lotus Breeze Palace is tranquil, you should stay here, diligently copy the female teachings, and learn what the Three Obediences and Four Virtues are!"

Chu Yunzheng especially emphasized "Four Virtues" with a heavy bite.

Wan Tang looked up, tears trembling in her pupils.

Her lips barely opened, as if countless confessions were about to surge, "Subject has never..."

The words suddenly stalled in her throat.

The Emperor's gaze was too cold, colder than ice. Her long lashes trembled, that sliver of hope shattered into ash, falling into her eyes, burning her chest with pain.

It turned out the wrinkle between his brows was no longer the furrow formed from concern for her.

Wan Tang suddenly thought.

The most painful part wasn't that he doubted her deception, but that he truly believed she would deceive him.

Sadly, Wan Tang truly believed that there could be love between her and the emperor.

"Subject... accepts punishment."

As she bowed, the golden hairpins with dangling beads clinked softly, sounding just like the chime when Chu Yunzheng said, "I protect you."

Wan Tang wanted to laugh, but the more she laughed, the more she wanted to cry, the more she felt mocked.

Chu Yunzheng didn't even glance at her again; he rose coldly and turned away.

Before Chu Yunzheng's footsteps had fully faded at the end of the long corridor, Xu Luoyan lifted her skirt and stood, her ruby lips curling into a spiteful curve.

"Yo, aren't you truly sincere with the Emperor?" she covered her mouth with a light laugh, pride shining at the corners of her eyes and brows: "What, add two more characters and the Emperor will punish you?"

Wan Tang stood silently, her fingertips pressed into her palm, yet she said nothing.

Seeing this, Xu Luoyan grew even more arrogant, pacing around Wan Tang, her voice sharp as a blade: "If you had known today, why bother at the beginning? You refused my gentle urging to assist me? You deserve this fate!"

Beside them, Wang Jingyi stepped forward slowly, gently supporting Wan Tang's arm, her tone gentle: "Wan Tang, don't take it to heart; some misunderstandings can still be explained, after all he's Sanlang, not Rong Ruo."

"The words spoken before still count."

Before she could finish, Wan Tang gently withdrew her hand, and when she lifted her gaze, a chill filled her eyes.

"Madam need not trouble yourself," Wan Tang's lips curled slightly, her smile not reaching her eyes: "I believe in karmic Retribution; it's not that it won't happen, just that the time hasn't come."

Wang Jingyi's expression stiffened, while Xu Luoyan let out a shrill laugh: "What are you pretending to be lofty about! Who still takes you seriously now?"

"Without the Emperor's favor, crushing you is easier than dealing with a swarm of ants."

"Mother, let's go!" Xu Luoyan said triumphantly.

Wang Jingyi turned back, giving a faint smile: "I've received the words you just said. Now, I have a sentence to give you as well."

"This is only the beginning."

She smiled, her eyes growing ever more terrifyingly deep.

"Let's go, mother; if she wants to die, let her die. Without her, the Emperor will only favor me," Xu Luoyan said, linking arms with Wang Jingyi: "I'll tell the Emperor now just how much she loves Rong Ruo."

"Silly child," Wang Jingyi's face was again full of affection, repeatedly admonishing: "Do not be so reckless. The Emperor is also a man; before him you must be gentle and demure, considerate and charming."

"As for those hidden affairs, many were uncovered by the Emperor's investigations."

The two voices gradually faded away.

A thunderous boom roared.

A sudden rain burst forth, pea‑sized drops pounding Wan Tang, crackling loudly.

"Master, please rise quickly!"

"What a heavy rain; don't let it bring you a chill."

Li Ping'er'er'er and Qiu Ju lifted their umbrellas and hurried over.

They wanted to help Wan Tang up.

Wan Tang slowly opened her palm, four crescent‑shaped blood scars deeply embedded in flesh.

It turned out the pain was so extreme that even tears were superfluous.

The great vengeance still unpaid, the court unsafe day to night, and she still coveted the Emperor's love?

A weight like a massive stone pressed on her chest; Wan Tang's vision suddenly blackened, and her body slumped.

For several consecutive days.

Chu Yunzheng never set foot in the Lotus Breeze Imperial View Palace again, while Wan Tang spent each day copying the women's teachings.

When she grew weary, Wan Tang would lean against the bamboo bed; outside the window stretched endless lotus leaves, giving a sense of helplessness as if trapped on a solitary island.

"Cough cough cough…" Wan Tang let out a cough.

Qiu Ju hurriedly brought a medicinal broth, eyes full of concern: "Master, you've had a high fever for several days without abating; you should summon the imperial physician!"

Wan Tang was the one confined here as punishment; without an edict from the Emperor or Empress, which imperial physician would dare come?

Wan Tang felt despondent; her slender hand slowly dangled at the edge of the bed, her eyes hollowly gazing outward.

"Emperor, do you have any words to send back through them?" Wan Tang's voice carried a hint of hoarseness.

Qiu Ju lowered her head, squatting beside her, voice repeatedly hushed: "Sister Ping'er'er goes every day, yet she hasn't even been able to see the Emperor's face."

Wan Tang chuckled.

She had once naively believed there would be a marriage destiny between her and Rong Ruo, that the two could become a good match.

Later, she met Chu Yunzheng. At first, climbing onto the dragon bed was for exploitation, yet through repeated moments of being moved, she gradually gave her true heart.

She thought Chu Yunzheng was redemption.

【Is the female supporting character about to exit?】

【Actually dying of illness like this isn't bad; at least it's far better than the originally planned ending.】

【Indeed, without the old eunuch's abuse and without any organ disease, just dying like this is actually respectable.】

Those warm, muffled voices echoed inside her mind.

Wan Tang's heart grew colder, yet she gradually became clear‑sighted. She had not yet taken revenge; Li Defu was still carefree. Her mother's spirit tablet remained pressed in a dark, damp box, and Xu Luoyan had not received the Retribution she deserved…

"Cough cough cough…" Wan Tang rose again.

"Quick, help me up, change my clothes for me."

She could not remain so despondent; in this Imperial harem, favor is won through competition, so how could she abandon it?

Passing through the layered lotus‑leaf corridor, Wan Tang could see from afar many palace maids and eunuchs gathered together.

"The Emperor and the Noble Consort are truly affectionate!"

"Come to think of it, the Noble Consort has been favored for years; the emergence of Wan Pin was merely the Emperor changing his taste."

"I heard she's seriously ill; giving her such a fine garden to reside in is truly unlucky."

"Everyone lower your voice; privately discussing the Emperor and his consorts is a grave crime."

One by one, the voices grew softer, yet no one showed much fear on their faces.

"They're too overbearing; I'm going to teach them a lesson," Li Ping'er'er'er said indignantly, ready to step forward and argue.

Wan Tang shook her head: "Useless, the palace is full of sycophants and lowly ones; now the Emperor already suspects me, and if I punish the palace staff again, I'll just be accused of arrogance and tyranny again."

Wan Tang, carrying a basket, selected the largest and finest lotus seedpods.

"Emperor, look, this one is huge, each seed plump," she said with a coquettish laugh.

Wan Tang felt a tremor in her heart and stuck out her head to look.

Through the layered lotus leaves, she saw Xu Luoyan dressed in a lotus‑colored long skirt, cradling a large lotus pod in her hands and, as if presenting a treasure, handed it to Chu Yunzheng.

Chu Yunzheng, in casual attire, wore a doting smile on his face and reached out to take the lotus pod.