Sheng Yunqi looked up at her. "What did Luan Yue say?"
Aunt Mei Jiang sighed.
"Her Highness said that the eldest young master should leave Beiyan immediately and return to Nanchu. Nanchu needs the eldest young master now.
A good man doesn't necessarily have to aspire to achieve great things everywhere. But Her Highness hopes that the eldest young master won't indulge in love. Life is so long and there are many ways to live.
Her Highness said that she is sorry for the eldest young master. She is a heartless person and has no face to see the eldest young master.
She only hopes that the eldest young master can let go of the past and look forward."
Sheng Yunqi slowly shook his head, his voice low. Even in extreme anger, he could only roar in a low voice.
"No, no, it's not like this.
Luan Yue and I grew up together. Besides our love for each other, we are like siblings and relatives. We've had more than a decade of affection. But without a single word, she became the queen of the Emperor of Beiyan.
All of you kept it from me. I don't blame you. So I came to Beiyan myself, became a monk and disguised myself.
I stayed in Beiyan for a long, long time before I finally got this chance to see her.
Luan Yue, how could you be so decisive? How could you say such calm and rational words!
Do you know how far Nanchu is from Beiyan? I walked every step you took when you left Nanchu, from autumn to winter, just to ask you why you did this!"
He clenched his fists and punched the pillar one by one. Blood oozed out between his knuckles.
The surging blood in his chest welled up in his throat. He felt extremely uncomfortable.
After dodging all the way, he finally saw a chance in the temple. But unexpectedly, Huo Wei suddenly appeared.
Aunt Mei Jiang's eyes were red and her throat was sore.
"Eldest young master, please don't resent Her Highness. She knows you so well.
If you had known that Her Highness was the most suitable candidate back then, you would have surely refused and tried to stop it at all costs, right?
But you also know that there is a god of war in Beiyan. In just three years, he destroyed Xiliao. Now Beiyan has the largest territory among all the empires.
Xiliao's territory was already vast, with countless grasslands for raising war horses. Coupled with the outstanding military strategies of the Prince of Yuzhang,
they had already planned to attack Nanchu. It's just that their national treasury has been empty in recent years, so they couldn't act yet.
But you also understand that the empty national treasury is only temporary.
So the Emperor Wenhui of Beiyan chose a delaying strategy. He wanted to delay the plan through marriage alliance and prevent Dongning and Nanchu from getting too close.
What do you expect Her Highness to do? Should she ignore her mission for the sake of a marriage?
She is not Dugu Luan Yue. She is the successor of Nanchu, with the world in her heart."
Sheng Yunqi looked up at the sky and let out a desolate laugh.
"It's fate. The girl I watched grow up has finally become the second queen of a middle - aged emperor.
Aunt, since I'm here, I won't leave. I will stay with her.
She must have suffered a lot. She can't be truly in love with that Huo Wei. She was forced.
I will help her gain a foothold in Beiyan. She is a phoenix soaring in the nine heavens. How could she fight for favor with other women in the harem and live such a life!"
Dugu Luan Yue walked out of the room slowly. She appeared in front of him in a plain white dress. Her long black hair was on her shoulders, fluttering in the wind and snow, looking desolate.
She blinked her phoenix eyes, full of silence. "Yunqi, the Fengling Guards will escort you out of Beiyan within a day.
Just think of me as dead. Don't interfere in any of Beiyan's affairs!"
Yu Zan led some of the Fengling Guards and secretly took Sheng Yunqi away from the royal White Horse Temple.
Sheng Yunqi turned around and looked at the thousand - year - old ancient temple. His raised arm was trembling. "I will take her back from Beiyan sooner or later."
Looking back absent - mindedly, he saw Yu Zan looking at him with tears in her eyes. Sheng Yunqi almost mistook her for someone else. Yu Zan's figure was very similar to Dugu Luan Yue's, but her face was much less beautiful.
"You've also come to Beiyan."
He remembered Yu Zan. Her whole family had been imprisoned for making mistakes. But how did she get out?
In the past, this Miss Song, because of her similar figure to Dugu Luan Yue, had deliberately seduced him when he was drunk.
Normally, Luan Yue should have disliked her.
Yu Zan composed herself. "Yes, the maid was specially selected by Her Highness."
Sheng Yunqi asked. "Why did Her Highness specially select you?"
Yu Zan said calmly.
"Her Highness said that the maid's figure is very similar to hers. If she gains the Emperor's favor, the Emperor of Beiyan might also like the maid.
To please the Emperor, Her Highness said that the maid and she would serve the Emperor of Beiyan together. It would be like a dragon playing with phoenixes, a wonderful scene..."
A slap landed on Yu Zan's face. She immediately knelt down. "The maid doesn't know what she said wrong. Why is the eldest young master so angry?"
Sheng Yunqi pointed at her with a trembling finger. His face was extremely ugly. He gritted his teeth and said. "Shut up!"
Yu Zan watched Sheng Yunqi's departing back. She touched her hot face and sneered. Humph, if I can't have him, Her Highness the Queen won't either.
Sheng Yunqi, the young master of a noble family that she had liked since childhood. But Sheng Yunqi had regarded Dugu Luan Yue as his only wife since they were young.
Even when she told him that she was willing to be his concubine or mistress for a lifetime just to be with him, Sheng Yunqi didn't even look at her.
The next day, Dugu Luan Yue returned to the Beiyan Palace from the White Horse Temple. After she got back, she fell ill for some reason.
Aunt Mei Jiang stayed by her bedside and held her hand. "It's so hot. If the fever keeps going on like this, something will go wrong!"
Dugu Luan Yue opened her eyes a little. "Aunt, I had a dream. I went back to Nanchu. We all went back."
The imperial doctor reported behind the screen.
"Her Highness probably caught a cold in the White Horse Temple. But we don't know why this cold is so severe. Even strong medicine doesn't seem to work."
Aunt Mei Jiang shouted. "It's you who are useless! If anything happens to Her Highness the Queen, this old servant will surely complain to the Emperor!"
Yu Zan stood beside the bed indifferently. She was still angry about the slap from Sheng Yunqi. She was really annoyed.
Although Dugu Luan Yue had been very kind to her, so what? She was still just a maid.
Only a fool like Aunt Mei Jiang would be loyal and serve as a slave for a lifetime.
Outside the Fengluan Palace, Murong Min's imperial carriage stopped. Huo Wei followed behind him. He ordered. "Did you remember everything I told you just now?"
Huo Wei curled his lips.
"Your son remembers. Your son will tell the Empress that it's all because the Emperor cares about the Empress, so he asked your son to come to the Fengluan Palace often to show filial piety."
Since he returned from suppressing the bandits, Murong Min didn't know what had gotten into him. He seemed to have been instigated and wanted to keep an eye on the Queen.
Murong Min was a very suspicious emperor. He didn't think ordinary servants were smart enough. If the Queen found out, it would surely damage their relationship as husband and wife.
After much thought, he found Huo Wei. Murong Min actually asked him to monitor the Queen in the name of showing filial piety and come to the Fengluan Palace to pay respects to the Queen every day.
It was because Murong Min misunderstood him as being like a eunuch, so he trusted him. Another reason was that Murong Min knew that he didn't get along well with Dugu Luan Yue, so he was the best candidate.
The two of them walked into the Fengluan Palace. Huo Wei saw Dugu Luan Yue with a completely red face from the fever at first sight. His eyebrows frowned. "All quacks!"
Before Murong Min could say anything, Huo Wei got angry first. He realized his impropriety and then said.
"Don't think that the Emperor is silent. In fact, the Emperor is extremely anxious. This prince is used to offending people. I'm not afraid of you guys holding grudges!"
Murong Min walked over to take a look at Dugu Luan Yue. Ying Xi then entered the hall and replaced him, saying that several court officials were already waiting in the Zichen Hall with urgent matters to report.
After the imperial doctor left, only Huo Wei was left in the Fengluan Palace.
Huo Wei took out the rose cakes he bought outside the palace from his bosom and put them in front of her bed. He reached out and touched her burning forehead. He thought she must have caught the cold in the White Horse Temple that day.
Just as he was about to get up to call someone to get ice, he was grabbed by the arm by Dugu Luan Yue.