Chapter 58: Only the Wife is the Prettiest!
The Empress’s sudden arrival surprised everyone present. They hadn’t expected that a simple wedding between Chengfeng Shan and Lin Yue would actually invite the Empress. This was truly terrifying! However, Empress Bai Qian and Lin Yue were cousins, so her presence at the wedding was somewhat understandable. Speaking of Bai Qian, she was truly an extraordinary figure. Her life story could be summed up as a life of “cheating”… Empress Bai Qian was the daughter of Prime Minister Bai Jingfu. She was born into a prominent family, and even though her mother passed away early, she couldn’t be considered pitiable. This was because Bai Qian lived an extremely happy childhood, having almost everything she desired. Within the Prime Minister’s mansion, she was the sole, unrivaled existence. Moreover, Bai Qian was born with exceptional beauty. Even when she made mistakes, people found it impossible to get angry just by looking at her, easily forgiving her. Prime Minister Bai seemed to realize this was not sustainable, so when Bai Qian was a bit older, and the palace began selecting new consorts, he sent his daughter into the palace. Relying on her beauty, Bai Qian’s entry into the palace was a sure thing. As fate would have it, after entering the palace, Bai Qian was favored by the Empress Dowager, rapidly rising from a mere new consort to Noble Consort Qian. Some time later, as the position of Empress remained vacant for a long time, civil and military officials submitted memorials to the Emperor, urging him to select an Empress soon. The position of Empress had been empty for too long. Even a temporary replacement would be better than an empty seat. This forced the Emperor’s hand, and he directly chose Bai Qian as Empress. Yes, it was that simple, and Bai Qian became Empress. It was almost like a joke… While it was said Bai Qian used her unparalleled beauty to seduce the Emperor, according to unofficial sources… the Emperor barely spent any nights with Bai Qian, treating it as a mere formality, clearly indicating that Bai Qian’s beauty had not been effective. Things like “from that day on, the king no longer held morning court” would absolutely not happen. This put the officials at ease, but they were immediately worried about the royal lineage. After the various struggles of the previous generation, many members of the royal family had died or were disabled. Now, the youngest child was the Emperor himself. Such a decline in lineage was unprecedented, and later, some even speculated that this was a harbinger of something… perhaps a major disaster for Linfeng Kingdom! After all, with such a sparse royal bloodline, who knew what the future held! Under such speculation, the civil and military officials busied themselves with petitions, urging the Emperor to expand his harem and have more children. However, regarding the selection of the last Empress, the Emperor had listened to the advice of the civil and military officials. This time, he wouldn’t! Now, when it came to the matter of children, only he himself could decide! He was the Emperor! If the court officials continued to pressure him, he would directly imprison them for insubordination, a crime that would lead to much suffering. However, at this very moment, the Empress was pregnant! Due to a moment of carelessness, Empress Bai Qian fell to the ground. While feeling unwell, she had a physician examine her, who then happily announced her pregnancy. This caused the civil and military officials to weep with joy, thinking that their long-awaited wish for the continuation of the royal bloodline had finally come true. However, the Emperor’s expression was not very good upon hearing this news. Perhaps out of deep worry, the Emperor quickly went to see Empress Bai Qian. They spoke behind closed doors for a long time. When the Emperor left, his face was beaming with a bright smile, completely different from the gloomy expression he had when he arrived. This led many to speculate about what Empress Bai Qian had said to the Emperor… “No need for such formalities. I am merely here to see how things are going. Please continue.” Seeing the shocked expressions of everyone, Empress Bai Qian said with a smile and, led by the eunuch beside her, headed towards where Bai Lin Yue was. She did not linger. As expected of Bai Qian’s beautiful appearance, every smile and every glance captivated everyone’s attention. After seeing Bai Qian smile, people’s expressions became blank, and in a daze, they felt as if they had seen a fairy descending from heaven, smiling at them… Once they regained their senses, people couldn’t help but think that if they could marry such a beautiful woman, even trading ten years of their lifespan would be well worth it! And so, the once lively wedding banquet became somber after Empress Bai Qian’s arrival. As people drank, they felt the taste of the wine in their mouths was off, conveying a bitter taste on their tongues. It was a pity that such earthly beauty had already been taken into the Emperor’s harem. They could only feast their eyes! “Yu, this is my first time seeing the Empress. She’s truly beautiful!” “What’s there to see? You’re prettier.” Just then, when Mengyao Gu suddenly spoke, Gu Yu’s reply was different from the norm. Even though Bai Qian was beautiful and universally loved, Gu Yu was not someone who valued superficial appearance. At least, without familiarity, Gu Yu would mark someone with distrust, and they wouldn’t be able to get close to him. When Gu Yu spoke his true feelings, Mengyao Gu couldn’t help but twitch her lips, thinking that she had a good understanding of herself. Although she was also pretty, she was still far from Bai Qian’s level of beauty. “Yu, I know you like me very much, which is why you said that, but don’t distort the facts! Empress Bai Qian is too beautiful; no woman in the capital can compare to her… In fact, perhaps no woman in the entire Linfeng Kingdom can even be compared to her.” “So what? In my heart, only my wife is the prettiest!” However, even after hearing Mengyao Gu’s words, Gu Yu still stuck to his opinion. Even the most enchanting beauty would eventually turn to withered bones after a hundred years. Besides, when it came to appearance, his little wife was not lacking. Why bother looking at others? Upon hearing Gu Yu’s words, Mengyao Gu felt both helpless and happy. She didn’t dwell on the matter any further and sat at her seat, beginning to eat and drink. Although Mengyao Gu couldn’t drink alcohol, the chef of the Shan family was skilled. Knowing that the guests were all important figures, they didn’t hold back. The dishes served were all exceptionally delicious. This led Mengyao Gu, as she picked up her chopsticks, to carefully savor them, pondering what seasonings the Shan family chef had used to make the dishes so delicious. While Mengyao Gu was thinking about this, Gu Yu was somewhat absentmindedly lifting the wine cup in front of him to drink. As he recalled the recent events, he noticed the young eunuch Li Ye wink at him. Clearly, Li Ye had something he wanted to tell him. However, since they hadn’t spoken at all in the interim, even if Li Ye had something to convey, it would be difficult without a pre-arranged meeting place! Unless he could read minds, he wouldn’t know what Li Ye was thinking… “Big Brother, this is for you.” Just as Gu Yu was lost in thought, a childish voice suddenly rang out. Gu Yu’s thoughts returned to reality as he saw a cute-looking child standing in front of him, speaking to him while holding a large peach in both hands, seemingly wanting to give it to Gu Yu. Gu Yu wanted to refuse, but he didn’t know how to say it. He didn’t eat things given by strangers. Even if it was a cute child, Gu Yu would suspect if anything was added to the peach! However, in this situation, Gu Yu couldn’t refuse. So, after smiling faintly at the child, Gu Yu reached out and accepted the peach. The child then left, hopping and skipping, which made the Mengyao Gu sitting beside him think that children were truly adorable. Seeing Gu Yu and the child so close, Mengyao Gu couldn’t help but wonder… what would it be like when her child with Gu Yu was born? At that time, she and Yu would undoubtedly be good parents, raising their child with utmost care! While Mengyao Gu was lost in thought, Gu Yu was examining the peach the child had given him. After looking around and finding no issues, Gu Yu secretly took out a small knife from his space, aimed it at the peach, and sliced it open, splitting it directly in two. Afterwards, upon seeing a rolled-up small piece of paper hidden within the pulp, Gu Yu quickly put it into his space. Then, under the guise of needing to relieve himself, he went to the backyard of the Shan family. Finding a deserted spot, Gu Yu quickly took out the small paper from his space, unfolded it, and examined its contents. This complex method of delivering a message made Gu Yu think of someone. And upon unfolding the paper and reading the words written on it, it was exactly as he suspected. “Come quickly to the Shan family bamboo forest—Ye” The simple few words, especially the last character Ye, reminded Gu Yu of the young eunuch Li Ye. Upon seeing Li Ye’s invitation, Gu Yu didn’t hesitate. After learning the location of the bamboo forest from a servant of the Shan family, Gu Yu immediately headed in that direction. “Gu Yu, you actually came.” “You asked me to come, is there something important?” When Gu Yu arrived at the bamboo forest, he indeed saw Li Ye standing there with his hands behind his back. His expression remained largely unchanged, and he spoke casually. Compared to before, Li Ye seemed much more mature. He wondered what Li Ye had experienced in the past two years. However, given that Li Ye was in the palace, it was entirely possible for his personality to change. After all, anything could happen in a place like the palace. Especially when consorts used cunning tactics against each other, or casually scolded and beat eunuchs and palace maids… Thinking about the palace dramas he had watched before, Gu Yu felt a shiver. Immediately, Gu Yu quickly pulled his thoughts back to reality. Li Ye was still standing there! There’s no smoke without fire. Since Li Ye had sought him out, he must have something to say. “Gu Yu, you need to be prepared. Linfeng Kingdom will soon undergo major changes.” However, what Li Ye said next made Gu Yu even more confused. “Undergo changes? What do you mean?” … I was editing yesterday night, and I thought I had uploaded it, but it turned out to be a dream… I’ll keep working hard, come on! (It’s the beginning of the month, so vote for me with your monthly tickets, hehehe!)
