Chapter 20, Changan, why did you get fat again?
“Your, Your Majesty?!”
Upon hearing this address, Shen Qingmei’s ears perked up. Oh my, has the Emperor finally decided to show up? Has her powerful support finally arrived? Does he know how difficult his precious daughter has been living in this treacherous situation while he’s been away… Sob, it’s enough to bring tears to her eyes!
Twisting her waist, Shen Qingmei placed her hands on Huangfu Fenglin’s chest and forcefully flipped herself over him, rolling down.
Huangfu Fenglin suddenly felt like his ribs had broken again, the overwhelming sense of despair enveloping him. After he struggled to kill the venomous snake in his pants and pressed it into the ground, he closed his eyes in pain, wishing he could just die like that–
Born as Huangfu Fenglin, why live as Huangfu Changan!
When Shen Qingmei turned to look at Huangfu Fenglin, she saw his pale and anguished face, deeply furrowed brows, and his flirtatious peach blossom eyes closed tightly like a clam, seemingly never to open again.
Huh? Is he fainting from anger, or does he feel too embarrassed to pretend to be dead?
Truly, if she had known it would come to this, why did she even bother? She had warned him not to provoke her, but he insisted on pushing her to the point where her innocent and kind-hearted self split into a dark personality, causing trouble for others and misery for himself. What a saying, “Heaven’s vengeance is slow but sure, self-inflicted suffering is irreparable.” This is nothing but pure idiocy. Well, children, never learn from him.
“Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother, what happened to you? Wake up, Fourth Brother… Don’t scare me, Fourth Brother! Don’t die, Fourth Brother… If something happens to you, how can I go on living, Fourth Brother… Sob, sob, sob…”
When Huangfu Yinhua approached the edge of the pit and looked down, all he saw was Huangfu Fenglin lying motionless on the ground like a dried fish, and Huangfu Changan kneeling beside him, vigorously shaking his body while wailing inconsolably, as if there was nothing sadder in the world.
Huangfu Yinhua was confused and turned to glance at the little servant, asking, “What’s going on? How did such a big pit appear here out of nowhere?”
The little servant knelt on the ground, his shoulders shaking violently, almost burying his face in the ground.
The Emperor’s return was too sudden, and the master fainted without regaining consciousness. What should they do now? This… this… how can they handle this? They can’t lie to the Emperor, that would be a grave offense, not even nine lives would be enough to escape death. Should they really tell the Emperor the truth? That the master dug this pit to harm the Crown Prince? No, the master would surely skin them alive if he found out!
After waiting for a while without receiving a response from the servant, Huangfu Yinhua lowered his voice.
“Why aren’t you speaking? Are you mute?”
“In… In response to Your… Your Majesty… This… this servant… dares not speak…”
Seeing the servant trembling so intensely, Huangfu Yinhua couldn’t help but smile, having guessed the situation to some extent. He didn’t press any further, waving his hand and giving instructions, “Go and have someone bring the Fourth Prince and the Crown Prince up here.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhuangzi’s ears perked up, and he quickly sprang up, running faster than a donkey.
Turning around to face the pit, Huangfu Yinhua lifted his gaze and coincidentally met Huangfu Changan’s upward gaze. In that brief moment of eye contact, both of them were slightly stunned.
Huangfu Changan pursed his lips, looking at the man standing tall by the edge of the trap with a furrowed brow, finding it difficult to accept— in her impression, an Emperor should exude majesty and authority, extraordinary aura, an awe-inspiring presence clad in a dazzling yellow robe that could blind people and dogs. But why does this handsome guy before her… dress so casually… almost like a beggar?
After sizing up Huangfu Changan’s figure, Huangfu Yinhua shook his head heavily, sighed, and rested his forehead on his hand. His concern, however, was not for his fourth son lying unconscious on the ground, but for—
“Why did you gain weight again, Chang’an?”
Ah, ah, ah, can we not talk about this! Let’s not bring up that topic!
“Who are you?” Abiding by professional ethics, Shen Qingmei continued to act as if she had amnesia. “Um… Xiao Zhuangzi called you Your Majesty just now… could you be my father, the Emperor?”
“Huh?” Huangfu Yinhua looked surprised. “You don’t remember your father?”
Shen Qingmei’s little face fell, tears welling up in her eyes as she bit her handkerchief. “I have amnesia…”
“So that’s it…” Learning that Huangfu Changan had amnesia, Huangfu Yinhua didn’t show too much surprise. Instead, he smiled and reassured her, “It’s okay, even if you have amnesia, Father will still dote on you.”
Saying that, Huangfu Yinhua walked to the edge of the pit, squatted down, and reached out his hand to Huangfu Changan with an affectionate gaze.
“Come, give your hand to Father, Father will pull you up.”
So touched! Although this Emperor father seems unreliable, at least he is the first person in this world to extend a helping hand to her and genuinely treat her well! Shen Qingmei couldn’t help but feel her nose tingle slightly, an impulse to shed tears, like drifting willow catkins finally finding a solid ground in this unfamiliar and threatening land.
She reached out and grasped the Emperor father’s hand, applying a little force.
“Bang!”
Someone slipped under their feet and fell into the pit.
“Uh…” Shen Qingmei blushed, lowering her head in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, Father, I… didn’t mean to.”
Huangfu Yinhua clapped his hands, stood up from the ground, and his expression instantly turned serious, even his tone became stern. “Chang’an, if you continue like this, you’ll end up overweight. You must lose weight, otherwise, I’ll have the imperial kitchen stop your meals!”
Shen Qingmei, with a tearful face, said, “I have already been trying to lose weight…”
Huangfu Yinhua corrected her, saying, “In front of me, you should address yourself as ‘your child’. If others were to hear you, they would surely submit a memorial to bother me.”
Shen Qingmei lowered her head obediently and replied, “Your child has indeed been trying to lose weight…”
Only then did Huangfu Yinhua pat her head with satisfaction and said, “I understand the pain in your heart. However, there is a saying among the common people that goes, ‘One must endure hardships to become superior.’ As long as you are willing to persevere, I believe you can achieve it!”
Listening to their conversation, the filial piety between father and daughter, Huangfu Fenglin, who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead, burst into tears—damn it, he was still lying there! Father, you’re being too biased! Are you pretending he doesn’t exist?!
“Hurry, hurry… this way!”
“Didn’t you say the Emperor had returned? Where is he?”
“Uh… he was just here…”
The group hurried to the edge of the pit and suddenly saw three people still inside. They couldn’t help but look at each other, and the Empress, seeing this, gave everyone a stern look and urged, “What are you all standing there for? Hurry up and get His Majesty and the Crown Prince out of the pit!”
Huangfu Yinhua composed himself, lifted his robes, and leaped out of the pit. He ordered his men to lift Huangfu Changan and Huangfu Fenglin out of the trap.
The Imperial Noble Consort was not as well-informed as the Empress and arrived a step late. Upon seeing the Emperor’s appearance, she furrowed her beautiful brows in concern and asked, “Your Majesty… why are your clothes torn?”
“Ha!” Huangfu Yinhua waved his hand dismissively. “It’s nothing. I encountered an assassin on the way back to the palace, but unfortunately, he managed to escape.”
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingmei was shocked and couldn’t help but kneel down—
So it wasn’t something he did himself, but rather he was attacked by an assassin. But no matter what, his indifferent attitude was abnormal, right? That was an assassin! And it happened in the imperial city! It shows how terrible the security in the imperial city is!
“Well…” With no one else around, the Imperial Noble Consort’s brows furrowed even deeper, and she couldn’t help but ask further, “What about your guards, Your Majesty?”
“Hmm.” Huangfu Yinhua’s expression turned serious, and he exuded a compelling aura. “They’re dead.”
Suddenly, a heavy atmosphere filled the surroundings. Shen Qingmei’s heart trembled slightly as she silently repeated to herself… it wasn’t me…
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