Du Gu Luanyue lifted her skirt and walked forward, her jade-like eyes filled with a smile.
"I knew you wouldn't let me go. After all, I did you such a big favor today, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Guards."
Huo Wei sneered. "You, Du Gu Luanyue, never do anything unnecessary. Why would you help me for no reason?"
Du Gu Luanyue's jade-like eyes glistened as she whispered softly.
"What's wrong with me helping you get what you want?
Moreover, I was afraid you'd get angry with me again." She was referring to the incident of the ink stick that had restored her favor. Coincidentally, he had witnessed it today.
Huo Wei suddenly looked at her warily. Step by step, he forced her back until she was cornered behind a rockery. The tall and jagged rockery concealed them from view.
Huo Wei, like a dark shadow, blocked all the light as he pinned her against the rock. He tilted his strong chin slightly.
"If you're trying to use me to do something for Southern Chu in Northern Yan, I won't spare you."
Offering him benefits meant being in her debt. Wouldn't she use the Imperial Guards for her own purposes in the future?
Du Gu Luanyue didn't expect Huo Wei to be so mean. Her phoenix-like eyelashes trembled slightly, and her eyes began to redden.
"What on earth did I do to upset you? Why are you being so mean to me again?"
The beautiful woman with a peerless complexion blinked her eyes, and tears welled up in them. She looked at the unyielding man in front of her aggrievedly.
Huo Wei said, "I'm just warning you. Why are you crying?"
Tears rolled down Du Gu Luanyue's cheeks. She gently sniffed her frost-reddened nose.
"Your goal since entering the palace was to gain control of the Imperial Guards. I just saw through it. Even though I knew it was because of the Second Prince, I still helped you shift the blame to the Imperial Guards.
I've been holding back my grievances. You know the reason but don't show any gratitude. That makes me even more aggrieved.
Huo Wei, do you hate me no matter what I do?"
He hadn't expected to gain half of the control of the Imperial Guards today. After all, if he had asked for it himself, it would have annoyed Murong Min.
It was all thanks to Du Gu Luanyue's intervention that he had achieved this so effortlessly.
"Why did you help me?" His phoenix eyes twitched slightly.
Du Gu Luanyue knew that Huo Wei was a suspicious man. No matter what she did, he would question her repeatedly.
There was no need to explain so much. The more she explained, the more likely she was to expose a flaw.
She reached out and pushed Huo Wei's chest. Angrily, she said, "Get out of my way. I'm going back. I'll never talk to you again."
Huo Wei took a small step back. Seeing that she refused to say a word, he inexplicably wrapped his arm around her slender waist and pulled her back against his chest. "I'm asking you a question."
Du Gu Luanyue's body trembled slightly. This Huo Wei, why was he being so proactive today?
She turned her back to him and curved her lips slightly. Then she began to struggle. "Huo Wei, let me go. This kind of behavior between us may not be appropriate."
Huo Wei chuckled softly behind her ear. "Have you forgotten how you snuggled into my arms that snowy night in the cave?"
Du Gu Luanyue was somewhat concerned about this place. She was afraid that someone might be hiding in the dark and discover them. She struggled free forcefully.
"I haven't forgotten. You heartless man were so cold to me. Now, I'm angry. I don't even want to say a word to you."
Huo Wei let go of her. The sweet and charming fragrance of the woman lingered on his clothes. He watched as the red figure slowly disappeared into the snow. His black eyes narrowed slightly.
This woman was actually angry. Humph!
Just as he was about to take a step away, he noticed a pair of bells lying in the snow not far away.
He walked over and bent down to pick them up. The golden bells were tied with a red knot, and there were a few jade beads hanging on them. The words "Luanyue" were engraved on the bells, along with her birth date.
When Huo Wei looked up, the woman had already disappeared. He clenched his fist and put the bells into his sleeve. Then he turned around and walked towards the palace gate.
In the plum grove, only two rows of white footprints remained, along with the rustling sound of the falling snow.
When Du Gu Luanyue returned to the palace to change her clothes, she felt her waist and asked repeatedly, "Aunt Mei Jiang, where are my golden bells?"
Aunt Mei Jiang began to search in the bedroom. She rummaged through the dressing table. "Didn't Your Majesty always wear the golden bells on your waist? I didn't see you take them off today."
Du Gu Luanyue quickly walked to the phoenix bed and lifted the quilt. She also picked up the jade pillow. "Why can't I find them anywhere? This thing is very important to me. It has been with me since I was born."
Those were the birthday bells given to her by her father and mother. In Southern Chu, there was an unwritten custom. When a daughter was born, the family would give her a pair of golden bells engraved with her birth date, which was meant to protect her from evil spirits.
After searching for a long time, the golden bells were nowhere to be found. Du Gu Luanyue really didn't know where she had lost them.
She felt depressed. She sent people to search the plum grove for a long time, but there was still no sign of them. The Zichen Palace also said they hadn't seen them.
"It's so inauspicious. Losing the golden bells means something bad is going to happen." She stood in the palace sadly.
Aunt Mei Jiang muttered softly, "Bah, bah, bah. What are you saying, Your Majesty? Don't talk nonsense. Maybe someone picked them up and will return them to you in the future."
Murong Min appeared behind her without warning. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist from behind. "My queen, for a pair of golden bells, I'll give you a hundred more. How about that?"
Du Gu Luanyue was slightly stunned. "Your Majesty? When did you come? Why didn't you have someone announce your arrival?" She turned around and smiled coquettishly at the emperor, looking full of affection.
Murong Min took her soft and delicate hand and said,
"I'm going out of the palace in a few days. You're still not fully recovered from your injury and need to rest. So I'll go alone. But there's one thing I need you to do for me."
Du Gu Luanyue asked, "What is it, Your Majesty?"
Murong Min said, "It's going to be Prince Yuzhang's, Huo Wei's, birthday soon. But I won't be in the palace those days. You're the other master of this palace, so I'm telling you to hold a birthday banquet for Prince Yuzhang."
Du Gu Luanyue sat up straight and said in confusion, "Ah, for Prince Yuzhang's birthday, why not wait until Your Majesty returns?"
Murong Min patted her hand. "It's just a birthday. It doesn't matter whether I'm there or not. The queen just needs to bestow the imperial grace."
Du Gu Luanyue saw the word "perfunctory" in Murong Min's eyes, but it wasn't completely perfunctory. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here in person to tell her, the queen, about this.
It was obvious that Murong Min didn't care about and value Huo Wei as much as the outside world thought.
Although the emperor had conferred the title of a vassal king on him, he didn't seem to have given him enough dignity in the court.
"Your Majesty, how does Your Majesty want me to hold the banquet? The four words 'imperial grace' mean it has to be grand. But if Your Majesty doesn't show up, the greatest dignity will be missing.
Won't the court officials who come discuss Prince Yuzhang?"
Her slightly slanting and charming eyes calmly observed Murong Min's expression. It didn't make sense for the royal family to hold a birthday banquet for him but for the emperor not to attend.