readsfreenovel Chapter 251 Poisoning
Chapter 251 Poisoning
Lan Qingwu now just wants to take care of the baby in peace and quiet, but being in this harem, she can't be too quiet after all.
When Emperor Shenwu spoke of the Sixth Prince, Zhou Chengchen, he expressed great satisfaction with his eldest son: "He is precocious and intelligent, and has always been among the best in both civil and military studies. I am very pleased!"
Lan Qingwu hesitated and said, "Brother Heng, Chuming is only nine years old now. Will this be very hard for him? I can only see Chuming in the early morning and evening now."
Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu had two princes, among whom the sixth prince was most like his father. He was extremely intelligent, well-versed in both civil and military affairs, and worked hard day and night.
Emperor Shenwu raised one of his eyebrows. "What? You want to be a loving mother? Softhearted, you can love Xiaoqi as much as you want. Leave Chuming to me!"
The Shenwu Emperor's large palm gently caressed Lan Qingwu's belly: "Now the most important thing for you is to give birth to our little princess safely, understand?"
Lan Qingwu nodded helplessly, "I understand. I just feel bad for Chu Ming."
Emperor Shenwu is a strict father who is not just ordinary strict, but fortunately, he will never let his children repeat his mistakes.
The Shenwu Emperor embraced Lan Qingwu soothingly, "Our Chu Ming is very good! Ruoruo, you must believe in him!"
Lan Qingwu's heart skipped a beat. She leaned against the broad shoulders of the Shenwu Emperor, remaining silent. She could probably guess what the Shenwu Emperor was planning. If it was truly as she imagined, then Chu Ming's arduous journey had only just begun! However, this was destined to be a bumpy road, for besides his legitimate status, the Sixth Prince also had five older brothers above him. Lan Qingwu couldn't help but feel worried.
Another day, Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu were painting at the Autumn Breeze Pavilion. They were working on a butterfly painting. On the paper, a flock of butterflies danced gracefully around a tree of pink peach blossoms. The blossoms were vibrant, the butterflies fluttered—a truly beautiful scene of spring. The two worked separately, one on the left and one on the right. Their painting flowed seamlessly, as if by the same hand.
Suddenly, Lan Qingwu's wrist stopped. She was distracted by the sudden clear and melodious sound of the piano, so she quickly moved the paintbrush away and put it into the brush washer.
Lan Qingwu looked at the Shenwu Emperor and saw that he also frowned slightly and stopped writing. However, the butterfly picture was not yet completed. The Shenwu Emperor told Li Xiang, "Put it away!"
Afterwards, Emperor Shenwu helped Lan Qingwu to sit down. The two did not talk, but just listened quietly to the beautiful music coming from the piano.
The two of them admired it for a moment before Lan Qingwu spoke softly, "Listening to this music, I feel like dancing."
Emperor Shenwu and Lan Qingwu interlocked their fingers. He turned to look at Lan Qingwu and said, "Please don't! Bear with me for a few more months. I also want to see your graceful and unparalleled dance moves."
Lan Qingwu thought he could still dance, but the people serving him would probably be terrified, and Emperor Shenwu would definitely not agree.
Lan Qingwu sighed softly, and the Emperor Shenwu soothed him, "Wei Ruo, thank you for your hard work."
At this time, the music had stopped, and Emperor Shenwu said casually: "Go and see who is playing the zither and call them over."
Li Xiang took the order and left. Not long after, a gentle and quiet woman in a water-red palace dress was brought to Qiufeng Pavilion. This woman was none other than Concubine Shuixia.
The sword-like brows of Emperor Shenwu unconsciously wrinkled slightly, and Lan Qingwu also looked at Emperor Shenwu.
Under the Qiufeng Pavilion, Noble Lady Shuixia had already bowed in reverence: "Your Majesty, your concubine pays homage! Your Majesty, your concubine pays homage! May your Majesty and your Majesty be blessed with good health!"
Emperor Shenwu did not call out: "Are you playing the zither?"
Noblewoman Shuixia said respectfully, "Your Majesty, yes. I was homesick and played a piece of music casually. If it disturbed Your Majesty and the Empress, it is my fault."
Lan Qingwu said, "The music is clear and the artistic conception is profound. It's quite good. Come and enjoy it!"
Noblewoman Shuixia froze slightly. She naturally hadn't come for the Empress's small reward; she had come for the Emperor Shenwu, who was at Qiufeng Pavilion. Receiving such a reward from the Empress made her feel like a rewarded palace maid. She bit her teeth lightly, a look of slight grievance in her eyes. She casually raised her watery eyes to look at the Emperor Shenwu, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the Emperor and the Empress intertwining their fingers, with the Emperor playing with the Empress's slender white fingers.
Noblewoman Shuixia quickly lowered her head, concealing the resentment in her eyes. She quickly bowed her head and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty, and the Empress, for your gift!"
The emperor's indifferent voice sounded: "If you have nothing to say, kneel down and be at peace!"
After Noble Shuixia took her leave, Lan Qingwu suddenly asked, "Your Majesty, how is Noble Shuixia's piano playing?"
The Shenwu Emperor paused playing with his scallion-white fingers and asked, "Hasn't I already commented on this?"
Lan Qingwu said softly: "Actually, Ruoruo can't dance now, but she can play the piano."
Emperor Shenwu couldn't help but laugh: "Okay, I'm waiting for my weak one to play music for me."
Concubine Shuixia did not return to her own palace. She went straight to the gate of the palace where Princess Yunqi was imprisoned. Then her maid seemed to say a few words to the guards guarding the palace gate, and then Concubine Shuixia walked straight in.
As usual, Emperor Shenwu took a nap with Lan Qingwu in Fengqi Palace. However, this time, Emperor Shenwu did not wake up on time as usual. When Lan Qingwu woke up, Emperor Shenwu was still sleeping soundly.
Lan Qingwu looked at the shadowy figures swaying outside the bed curtains and knew that Emperor Shenwu still had government affairs to deal with.
Lan Qingwu leaned over to the Shenwu Emperor's ear and whispered, "Your Majesty, Brother Heng... wake up!"
After calling him several times, Emperor Shenwu finally opened his eyes. He stroked his brow with one hand, still feeling a little groggy. "Ruo Ruo, what time is it?"
Lan Qingwu said distressedly, "It's already noon. Brother Heng, have you been very busy recently? I can see that you are very tired."
"That's fine. I'll be busy now. You can rest for a while."
After Emperor Shenwu settled Lan Qingwu, he got off the bed and walked out. Outside, Li Xiang immediately arranged the clothes and accessories for Emperor Shenwu, and then Emperor Shenwu returned to Qianzheng Hall.
A similar scene occurred again when Emperor Shenwu was attending his morning court. Lan Qingwu heard Li Xiang's soft voice at the second door: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."
Lan Qingwu's heart trembled. She looked at the seemingly slumbering Shenwu Emperor, and her heart sank. Not to mention the Shenwu Emperor's unrivaled martial arts skills and spirit far beyond that of ordinary people, he had been guarding her for a while recently, only occasionally indulging himself, and it was definitely not a night of revelry. How could he fall into a deep sleep again and again and not be awakened?
This time, the Emperor was even slower to wake up. He slowly opened his eyes and saw Lan Qingwu's eyes were red, as if she was about to cry. The Emperor endured the grogginess and stood up: "What's wrong? I've just been a lot sleepier these past two days, why are you crying?"
Lan Qingwu suppressed his fear and said, "Brother Heng, after the morning court session today, let's have Doctor Zhao come and take a look! I'm so scared!"
Emperor Shenwu was stunned. It turned out that Lan Qingwu thought he was poisoned. He comforted him casually: "Okay, then you should have a good rest and don't think too much. I will go to court first."
Lan Qingwu could only nod and reluctantly let go of Emperor Shenwu's hand.