The Emperor turned to Langling Wang and smiled kindly: "Chang Gong, these four months have been hard on you. Even Yuanzheng is spending the New Year in Yiyang; surely he must be feeling lonely?"

  The King of Lanling smiled warmly: "I am not alone." He turned to Zhang Gui, and as he faced her, his eyes became very soft, "I have this wife, I am not alone!"

  I have this wife, I am not alone!

  As soon as this sentence came out, the small quietness in the study room was quiet for a while.

  Your Majesty's eyebrows furrowed slightly: he had just spoken, and Chang Gong used this sentence to block him. Did he already know the purpose of his summons to the palace this time?

  After a moment of silence, His Majesty let out a sigh and slowly said: "Chang Gong, you're not young anymore, and you haven't had any children. While you may enjoy playing with women, you can't delay the important matter of getting married and having children!"

  Your Majesty speaks slowly, his voice a bit low. Is this persuasion? It's clear that he had already made up his mind! In his eyes, even if the King of Lanling was good to Zhang Gui, it was just a trivial matter of playing with women. His main business should be marrying Zheng Yu and having children with her!

  Zhang Qi had always known that this moment would come, but when it finally arrived, she felt a sharp pain in her chest!

  It was also strange that at the moment when she was in so much pain that she could hardly breathe, her mind was unusually clear. In an instant, all her judgments about Langling Wang and the Emperor flashed through her mind like lightning.

  Taking a deep breath, Zhang Qi raised her head for the first time since entering this room.

  She raised her head and her moist eyes turned to Langling Wang. Just then, Langling Wang, who had understood the emperor's meaning, also turned his head towards her.

  Four eyes met in a pair, and Langling Wang was stunned.

  He had never felt Zhang Qi's intentions like this before, so directly and obviously!

  Her lips were tightly pursed, tears rolling in her eyes, with a crazily bitter and desperate gaze, she stared at him. As if the words he was about to say would be a poisonous sword piercing her heart, leaving her no place to stand!

  Unbeknownst to him, Langling Wang was shocked into hesitation.

  Ko Ha-neul, who was sitting on the main seat, lowered her gaze and furrowed her brow.

  This little woman was originally a person who knew the grandeur, was polite and gentle, and kept her place. How did she become so arrogant after going to Yiyang for four months? It's also true that Chang Gong had never had a wife who received such exclusive favor, it's inevitable that people would become proud and arrogant.

  Gao Yan had great ambitions since he was young and enjoyed reading history books. He always knew that a woman's ambition could destroy a man, and the ambition of a stunning beauty could even destroy a country!

  He thought of this and looked into Zhang Qi's eyes, and gradually had some thoughts.

  Staring foolishly at Lang Ling Wang for a moment, Zhang Qi finally lowered his eyelids. But beneath the fragile fluttering of his eyelashes, a hint of indescribable weakness and desolation slowly overflowed.

  A beauty is a beauty, and she didn't say anything. Just one glance, one movement, made the atmosphere in the study room become dead silent.

  After a moment, Gao Yan coughed lightly and leaned back, staring at Lang Ling Wang in a low voice: "Chang Gong, it's not easy for you to get to where you are today, this doesn't need me to explain to you." He glanced at Zhang Qi, then turned back to Lang Ling Wang, his voice slightly sinking, stern but not angry: "A man should have his own thoughts when doing things!"

  These words are heavy, just short of directly saying it out, Langling Wang cannot be bewildered by beauty!

  The King of Lanling seemed to have come back to his senses. He lifted his head and said earnestly, "Your Majesty, I've said it before that we won't discuss marriage for half a year. Isn't the time not up yet? I don't want to talk about this matter now."

  He said to Zhang Qi: "You go out for a while."

  "Yes."

  Zhang Gui bowed his head in gratitude and slowly backed out.

  Under a white poplar tree in the courtyard, Zhang Qi looked at the purple and red flowers not far away, and her lips gradually pursed.

  These six months of getting along have made her realize that Gao Chang Gong is very good to her, and she has unknowingly fallen for him. Since this is the case, then she'll take a chance, at worst she'll fail, and at worst they'll just part ways!

  All along, Zhang Qi has never lacked the ability to adapt to circumstances and change with the wind. Now, she knows that she can be proud of herself!

  She had made up her mind here, in the study, where the monarch and his minister were having a most pleasant conversation.

  Originally, Gao Yan had prepared many excuses. Who knew that as soon as he opened his mouth to probe, this clever nephew of his would cut him off and directly say "I have this wife, I am not lonely", completely blocking out what he was going to say next.

  The marriage and arrangements for Zhang Gui were not mentioned, as the two men only discussed state affairs and military matters.

  After chatting for nearly half an hour, King Langling finally bid farewell and left.

  As soon as he came out of the house, he saw Zhang Qi standing under the white poplar tree, gazing up at the blue sky in a trance.

  He walked up with big strides and called out: "A Gui."

  Suddenly hearing his shout, Zhang Gui was startled. She hastily turned around, her watery eyes gazing at him tenderly and deeply for a moment before she suddenly threw herself into his arms, wrapping them tightly around the neck of Langling Wang.

  She clung tightly to him, entwining herself around him, and trembled as she said: "Chang Gong... don't let there be anyone else between you and me. Please..."

  "Don't let anyone come between you and me." is a popular phrase among the upper class in Qi Guo in recent years. The noble-born, arrogant Hu women often say this to their husbands at the beginning of their marriage, deeply and firmly expressing their stance to their loved ones!

  So Zhang Qi's words were not abrupt, what was abrupt was her identity and the place where she said those words!

  In the study, the young and handsome emperor stood with his hands clasped behind him, quietly watching this scene unfold. His eyebrows slowly furrowed, until they were knotted together at the center of his brow.

  This woman is beautiful, but her temperament is also somewhat arrogant and spoiled!

  The King of Lanling was unaware of Your Majesty's disappointment, and he was truly startled by Zhang Gui's confession.

  After a long time, he said in a hoarse voice: "Come down first."

  "En." Zhang Qi was no longer arrogant and slid down from his body obediently.

  As he watched the King of Lanling walk away hand in hand, a eunuch walked up behind Gao Ye and said cautiously: "Your Majesty, the King of Lanling is too infatuated with this woman!"

  The tone seemed dissatisfied, and in the quiet glance at the emperor's eyes, there was a hint of clarity.

  Gao Yanzi realized that the inner attendant was trying to wake him up, so he said calmly: "I know... it's still early for Chang Gong, let's wait a bit longer."

  Divider line

  He sat on the horse carriage. Lang Ling Wang suddenly turned Zhang Qi around. After getting her to face him, he lifted up her chin, intently staring at her without blinking.

  Zhang Qi did not avoid his gaze.

  She raised her head, and her sparkling eyes met his.

  Feeling his scrutinizing gaze was so intense, Zhang Qi stretched out her hands.

  She held his face in her hands. She gazed into his deep eyes. With tears in her eyes, she smiled brightly like a flower.

  "Long Gong."

  Zhang Qi raised her chin, and for the first time, a willful and fragile pride appeared on that absolutely beautiful face. It was an action that would have been considered arrogant and self-important if done by anyone else, but when she did it, it seemed to emanate a sense of despair. Before she could even speak, tears began flowing down her cheeks. "Chang Gong."

  She wrinkled her nose and said with a bright smile: "I like you!"

  I love you

  Her tears flowed freely. Her smile grew even brighter, her chin held high. She spoke with the tone of a queen proclaiming her territory, but her pale, tightly pursed lips betrayed boundless tension.

  Biting her lip, Zhang Gui continued to declare brightly: "I'm delighted in you, infatuated with you... Every day sleeping by your side, my heart is always full, and for a moment not seeing you return, I'm afraid. When you're good to me, I worry that one day you'll give this goodness to another woman who's more beautiful and charming than me. Knowing that you'll eventually marry, I wake up in the middle of countless nights, keeping my eyes open until dawn. But no matter how much fear, no matter how much worry, it can't hide my delight in you. Chang Gong, I want to be with you, day and night, year after year... If you die in battle, I'll kill myself by your side; if you're highly accomplished but intolerable to the emperor and given poisoned wine, I'll use a white silk rope to follow you to death."

  She held his face, her eyelashes fluttering like butterflies on a winter's day, as if they were beautiful and radiant, but only in this sunny day, when the wind and frost came at dawn, they would fold their wings and die, with no place to bury them.

  She gazed at him unwaveringly, her eyes filled with a deep sadness, and begged in a low voice: "Chang Gong, please allow me to leave a place for myself by your tomb! Please don't let me be without a home in life or death!"

  She spoke slowly and seriously.

  She stared at him intently, missing none of his expressions.

  Her hands, which were holding his face, trembled as if waiting for his next direct rejection or a sudden push away.

  She was prepared for him to cut her off and refuse, but she still insisted on saying those words with a stubborn and arrogant tone!

  In her gaze, Langling Wang turned his head somewhat awkwardly.

  His Adam's apple rolled down, and after a while he said in a hoarse voice: "Let's talk about this later."

  No outright rejection, no disdainful smile.

  Zhang Qi nodded and softly replied, "Okay." After responding, she snuggled into his arms, wrapped her hands around his waist, and whispered, "Chang Gong, I'll sing a song for you, okay?"

  Without waiting for his response, her soft and gentle singing voice was carried away by the spring breeze, echoing among the peach blossoms and green willows.

  "In the distance is a pond, on top of a winding hill."

  Deeply in love, yet without hope.

  Kan Qi beats the drum, under Wan Qiu mountain.

  No winter no summer, worth its egret feathers.

  Kan Qi strikes the pot, the way of Wan Qiu.

  No winter no summer, worth its osprey nest

  "On the hill of Wanqiu, your enchanting dance is spreading. I love you and long for you, but dare not hold onto hope..."

  Zhang Yi's singing voice is in the Chen Dijian Kang accent, standard Wu dialect soft language humming out. The sound is lingering, the melody is undulating, the emotion is entwining, and the yearning is so infatuated that it makes people desperate.

  As the carriage of Langling Wang drove out, a luxurious carriage rushed out from a side alley. When the two carriages were only ten or so steps apart, the curtain of that carriage was lifted, and Zheng Yu appeared with a surprised and playful face, calling out in a sweet voice: "Chang Gong, what a coincidence..."

  The words had not been spoken, and the sound was already stuck in her throat. Zheng Yu opened his eyes wide, staring blankly at the carriage that had just passed by, as well as the beautiful and lingering woman's singing voice drifting out of the carriage, and couldn't help but turn to ask: "What is she singing?"

  The two maids in the carriage shook their heads. The older woman said respectfully, "She is singing in an ancient dialect, I don't understand."

  But the singing voice is really strange and pleasant, soft and gentle, just like the concubine obtained by King Lanling. It's completely different from the songs of this land of Ye City, as well as the young lady herself.

  ##

  Yesterday and today went to a wedding banquet, so the update was delayed. Also, if you like this chapter after reading it, remember to vote with pink tickets.

  Download the latest txt e-book of this book, please click:

  This book is on mobile:

  Publishing book reviews:

  For your convenience, you can click on the record below (Record this time) to see it next time you open the bookshelf! Please recommend this book to your friends (QQ, blog, WeChat, etc.) and thank you for your support!!