Yun Ruoqian.
What a tender name.
Even her surname sounds so unique.
The woman wasn't extremely beautiful, but she had a distinct charm.
The delicate fragrance of peach blossoms on her didn't seem to come from perfume; it was more like a natural scent.
"Miss Yun, why are you up on the deck in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"
"Can't fall asleep."
Zhao Shuning gave a knowing smile.
She lay back down.
Then she continued to enjoy the star - filled sky.
"Miss Zhao, have you ever thought that all your hard work might be in vain?"
Zhao Shuning remained calm.
She said indifferently, "Even if it is in vain, so what? We should make the most of our time in this world."
The woman smiled softly.
"You're a lot like an old acquaintance of mine. In some ways, you're almost identical."
Zhao Shuning said, "I hope I'll have the chance to meet this person through your introduction someday."
The woman looked up at the stars.
It was as if she were talking to herself.
"Maybe you'll meet without my introduction."
"Miss Yun, what did you just say?"
"Nothing. The night breeze is too cold. I can't bear it. I'll go back to sleep. Miss Zhao, you should rest too."
"Miss Yun?"
The woman got up.
She nodded at Zhao Shuning and then walked into the cabin.
Although Zhao Shuning was a bit frustrated that the beauty ignored her, she quickly adjusted her mood.
This fragrance seemed so familiar.
It was?
It was almost the same as the scent on the landlady, Rong Yan.
Could they be related?
Zhao Shuning shook her head.
"Zhao Shuning, at this time, you still have time to think about such nonsense. You'd better use this time to think about how to find the soul after reaching Dongzhou."
And what to do after finding the soul?
Should she give it to Bu Ran?
Or should she destroy it together with the thousand - year stone soul?
At that moment, a shining star quickly streaked across the night sky.
Zhao Shuning quickly got up.
The direction the star fell was towards Dongzhou.
At this moment, a major event happened in the Dongzhou Palace.
That was that Lady Jinse had a miscarriage.
At this time,
Countless eunuchs and maids were kneeling inside and outside the bedroom.
Lady Jinse was lying on the bed, her face as pale as paper.
There was a pool of blood beneath her.
The doctor on the side was trying to stop the bleeding while constantly instructing the maids outside to come in and change the hot water.
And at this moment,
Besides the Dongzhou King with a gloomy face, Dongfang Yinuo was also by Lady Jinse's bedside.
Dongfang Yinuo's face was also pale.
No one had ever told her that Lady Jinse was pregnant.
Even Lady Jinse herself kept silent about it.
Presumably, they wanted to keep it a secret first. After all, the Dongfang family and the royal family hadn't fallen out yet. Even if Lady Jinse was pregnant, without the queen's approval, she couldn't enter the harem.
However,
It was one thing for her to be punished according to the palace rules for being pregnant, but it was another thing that she had a miscarriage.
In everyone's eyes, it was Dongfang Yinuo, the little princess of Dongzhou, who caused Lady Jinse to have a miscarriage.
The doctor came in and out.
Finally,
Lady Jinse's life was saved.
But the child between her and the Dongzhou King was lost.
The next day, just as dawn broke.
The heart - broken Lady Jinse finally fell asleep in the Dongzhou King's arms.
Dongfang Yinuo shouldn't have been in this bedroom. It was the Dongzhou King who summoned her and said on the spot that if anything happened to Lady Jinse, he would never let her off.
Now,
Lady Jinse was out of danger.
The sky was already bright.
When the Dongzhou King walked out of the bedroom, his face was haggard.
Without the Dongzhou King's permission,
Dongfang Yinuo had been waiting outside the hall all night without sleep.
"Father, how is Lady Jinse?"
As soon as Dongfang Yinuo opened her mouth,
The Dongzhou King glared at her fiercely, and she wisely shut up.
She wanted to make things difficult for Lady Jinse, but she never thought of killing the fetus in her womb.
Yesterday's incident was truly an accident. She just called Lady Jinse over to ask how well she had learned the palace rules and to give her a warning.
But before she could ask two questions,
Lady Jinse fell in her princess courtyard.
Not long after,
Her lower body was soaked in blood.
"Come with me."
Dongfang Yinuo had no choice but to follow the Dongzhou King out.
They didn't stop until they reached the imperial garden.
It was quite a distance from the bedroom where Lady Jinse was resting.
The Dongzhou King turned around.
"Slap!"
A resounding slap landed heavily on Dongfang Yinuo's face.
The Dongzhou King used a great deal of force, and Dongfang Yinuo wasn't prepared, so this slap knocked her to the ground. The flowerpot beside her was also broken by her, and the fragments cut her arm, causing blood to flow.
But the Dongzhou King,
Obviously wasn't going to let Dongfang Yinuo off so easily.
His eyes were filled with anger at this moment.
Still not satisfied,
He then kicked Dongfang Yinuo hard in the waist.
Dongfang Yinuo was on guard this time. She quickly put her hands in front of her waist to block several heavy blows. If she hadn't reacted quickly, her waist might have been broken by now.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what are you doing? She's the princess, your daughter!"
The maid beside them quickly knelt down.
She tried to stop the Dongzhou King.
Only then did the Dongzhou King calm down a bit.
Looking at the disheveled and bleeding Dongfang Yinuo on the ground, he angrily scolded, "What a vicious woman!"
Dongfang Yinuo wiped the blood from the corner of her lips.
She then tore off a piece of cloth from her clothes and wrapped it around her cut arm.
Only then did she look at the Dongzhou King.
There might still be sadness in her eyes. After all, the Dongzhou King was her biological father. Although she had told herself countless times that her father only regarded her as a pawn to deal with the Dongfang family and tried to let go of her feelings,
But after all,
The affection she had for her father in her childhood wasn't fake.
So,
When he hurt her like this for Lady Jinse, although she had expected it, her heart still ached terribly.
"You still dare to look at me like this? You killed your own younger brother, my child!"
Younger brother?
It was really ridiculous.
Dongfang Yinuo staggered to her feet.
She stared into the Dongzhou King's eyes.
There was no trace of fear in her eyes, only a chill in her heart.
"Yes, the child in Lady Jinse's womb was Father's child. But what about me? Am I not your child?"
"Not to mention that Lady Jinse's miscarriage has nothing to do with me. Even if it did, she is just a low - born maid. Even if she was pregnant with a royal heir, without a proper title, her child can't be considered my younger brother. At best, it's just a bastard."
"You!"
The Dongzhou King was about to hit Dongfang Yinuo again.
But this time, Dongfang Yinuo didn't dodge.
Instead, she leaned her face forward.
"If you kill me today, my uncle will bury me. But your Jinse will never come to a good end!"
Today,
It was the day when Dongfang Yan was supposed to return to the palace to pay his respects.
"Rebellious daughter!"
The maid supported Dongfang Yinuo. She could feel that the princess's hands were still trembling. She must be scared inside.
The Dongzhou King flicked his sleeves.
"You'd better behave yourself. You can't escape the responsibility for Jinse's matter."
The Dongzhou King was about to leave.
Dongfang Yinuo said slowly behind him, "Originally, I should have had a younger brother. If he had survived, he should be an adult by now, right, Father?"