A middle-aged emperor, childless, was blessed with a beautiful and pregnant concubine who entered th

"This child!"

Consort Chen is only a few years younger than Emperor Qianwu, and is now over thirty.

But when faced with the mighty Emperor Qianwu, and recalling his fierceness in bed, she felt a touch of girlish shyness.

"Your Majesty, the moonlight is beautiful tonight, perhaps we should... make our arrangements soon?"

Emperor Qianwu looked up at the sky and saw that the moonlight was indeed exceptionally bright, pouring out like a torrent.

This reminded him of that night at Hanshan Temple.

The moonlight that night was just like that. Consort Zhen's eyes were hazy, and she seemed to want to welcome him but also resist. Her slender waist, which could be encircled by one hand, was able to withstand his fierce demands.

Unlike the middle-aged Consort Chen beside her...

Consort Chen was quite beautiful.

Even if Emperor Qianwu wasn't picky, he was still an emperor.

Those who could enter the palace were naturally not bad-looking.

But she was getting on in years and had given birth to a princess, so not only was her waist not as slender as that of the younger palace ladies, but her energy was also far less.

Even when Emperor Qianwu occasionally came to her palace for the sake of having offspring, she couldn't bear it more than a few times.

That's really boring!

Emperor Qianwu had no way to deal with Princess Chaoyang.

This is his only child. What's wrong with a child wanting to dine with his father?

The child is not at fault; the mother who took advantage of the child is.

It must be said that men often have double standards.

Princess Chaoyang and Consort Chen, mother and daughter, clearly shared the same goal.

Princess Chaoyang is innocent, but Consort Chen is guilty.

Once Princess Chaoyang left, Emperor Qianwu regained his senses.

His handsome face darkened slightly, and his tone turned icy, as if emanating a chill, "Chaoyang is young and naive, but you, as her birth mother, are you over thirty years old, also a young and ignorant woman? Indulging her nonsense? Taking your anger out on me?"

Consort Chen's face suddenly turned deathly pale.

"His Majesty!"

Emperor Qianwu had no intention of listening to her excuses. "I am not unaware of what you have done."

"It's only for the princess's sake that I didn't want to upset her, so I indulged you in your arrogance and using her to gain favor! You should reflect on your actions!"

Consort Chen was struck dumb, and collapsed to the ground.

Emperor Qianwu didn't look at her again and turned away without hesitation.

He really is heartless!

"Tell me, what does His Majesty mean by what he said?"

After a long while, Consort Chen murmured.

It seemed like he was talking to himself, or perhaps asking the people around him.

Granny Chen knew exactly what was going on.

What else could it mean?

This emperor reigned for twenty years, working diligently and wisely, and was never a fool.

However, he had no children and only had one child, the princess, so he spoiled her somewhat.

But that doesn't mean he's willing to indulge the princess's birth mother.

He was ultimately heartless, and his affection for their imperial concubine was limited.

Especially in recent years, after Her Highness the Princess moved out of the palace upon reaching marriageable age, His Majesty's treatment of the Empress has become increasingly indifferent.

But the Imperial Concubine was deeply in love with His Majesty.

So how could Granny Chen dare to say anything?

In truth, Consort Chen may well have understood this.

Whether someone loves you or not is actually quite obvious.

Although Granny Chen had never had a beloved person, if she did, she would naturally put her first in everything, always caring for and comforting her, and looking after her emotions.

This is nothing like His Majesty, who shows absolutely no concern for His Majesty.

He only cared whether the Empress was pregnant again...

Of course, in Chen Mama's view, their emperor was heartless to everyone, even to that Consort Zhen.

It's the new favorite right now, so it's naturally something new.

But after a few years, new faces will emerge and the old ones will be overshadowed, and it will all be the same.

After all, even the most beautiful woman can become tiresome if you see her too often.

After eating so much abalone, sea cucumber, shark fin, and fish maw, it's good to change things up occasionally.

As the ruler of the world, Your Majesty has too many choices.

So what if we have no heir?

If he wanted to, countless women would throw themselves at him.

He could even forcibly seize anyone he fancied.

Since we're going to die out anyway, we can do whatever makes us happy and just enjoy ourselves!

But the Empress was so engrossed in it that she had no desire to wake up.

Therefore, after a long silence, Granny Chen said, "His Majesty is perhaps just a little disappointed."

Consort Chen suddenly snapped out of her daze, as if grasping at a lifeline, "You mean, His Majesty is only dissatisfied with my use of the princess?"

Before Granny Chen could speak, Consort Chen immediately said, "Yes, that's right."

"His Majesty has doted on the princess since she was a child."

"If I knew that others were using the princess, I certainly wouldn't allow it..."

Consort Chen immediately wiped away her tears. "Then I will give Chaoyang a good talking-to in the future. This girl is indeed too willful and reckless."

Granny Chen: ...

Whatever makes you happy.

……

Emperor Qianwu was furious, but he couldn't lay a hand on Consort Chen.

Although he didn't have much affection for her, she was, after all, Chaoyang's birth mother, so there was some connection between them.

He originally intended to return to the Imperial Study, but somehow ended up in Weiyang Palace again.

As soon as they arrived at the palace gate, they saw Zhou Mingyi sitting on a swing in the courtyard.

The moonlight, like cold water bursting its banks, poured down from the heavens, bathing the palaces in a clear yet desolate silvery white.

The light fell on her, as if filtered through something, leaving only a cool, thin glimmer.

She sat on the swing, dressed in a plain white silk palace gown.

The wide sleeves and hem of the skirt fluttered gently in the night breeze.

The design is embroidered with lotus scrolls in extremely fine silver thread, which shimmers and ripples in the moonlight.

A light blue gauze shawl, as pale as thin ice in early spring, was loosely draped over the outside, almost melting into the air as it was now bathed in moonlight.

Her jet-black hair was not styled into an elaborate palace bun, but loosely held in place by a long hairpin made of mutton-fat white jade. A few strands of hair broke free and clung to her fair neck, creating a breathtakingly languid arc with the slightest sway of the swing.

Her face was slightly tilted back, bathed in the pale moonlight, which made her skin appear translucent and lustrous, like fine cold jade, with a faint glow within.

Her eyebrows and eyes were extremely clear, and at this moment they were slightly lowered, with long eyelashes casting small, trembling shadows under her eyes, like a resting butterfly.

The lips, which should have been adorned with a touch of rouge, now only had a natural hint of pale pink, forming a soft yet serene line.

Her gaze lingered vaguely on the silhouette of the eaves of the palace wall in the distance, as if she were seeing nothing at all.

As the night breeze began to rise, it stirred her layers of light gauze and tassels, making her seem like a fairy maiden on the moon, ready to ride the wind away.

Emperor Qianwu, gazing upon the breathtaking scenery before him, couldn't help but exclaim:

"Her flowing robes trailed like rainbows, her jade-like spirit lingered on the cloud ladder. She longed to borrow the long wind to fly away, yet still pitied the low-hanging shadow of the cassia tree."

The man's deep voice startled the fairy maiden in the moon.

Zhou Mingyi hurriedly got off the swing.

Feigning a panicked expression, she asked, "Why is Your Majesty back?"

"Your Majesty, I greet you with my deepest respects. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"

Emperor Qianwu held her soft, cool fingers and gently grasped them.

"My beloved Chang'e is more beautiful than any other woman in the moon!"

"It's cold, why are you still sitting outside? Aren't you afraid of getting cold?"

Zhou Mingyi raised her eyes, her captivating eyes filled with fine tears, truly moving.

But the tears did not fall.

"The moon is shining brightly tonight, and I'm admiring it in the courtyard."

How could Emperor Qianwu not know her disappointment? He couldn't help but feel a pang of pity for her.

"lie!"