Ping Zhao Lu

Chapter 127 No summons, no return to the capital

Chu Yunzheng was so angry that he laughed, his chest heaving violently.

He glanced at Chu Yunyi with disgust, and his cold words seemed to freeze the air: "In that case, the marriage should be with you, Second Brother! I am still young and not in a hurry for such matters. Unlike you, Second Brother, you are almost thirty years old, right? If you don't take advantage of this age to have a child quickly, I'm afraid you won't be able to have one in the future, not to mention your frail body... Tsk tsk tsk..."

After hearing this, Chu Yunyi's face instantly darkened, but the tolerant character he had developed over the years still allowed him to suppress the anger in his heart.

"If Fourth Brother has no intention, just say so. Why bring up my health condition? You still have the mind of a child."

"Don't go too far!" Chu Yunzheng was furious. He stretched out his hand and grabbed Chu Yunyi's collar. He stared at him with flaming eyes and shouted, "You really treat me as a child! I finally see clearly that Second Brother has ulterior motives for what he did today!" Before he finished speaking, he swung his fist and hit Chu Yunyi's cheek hard.

Seeing that the situation was not good, the guard standing behind Chu Yunyi instinctively wanted to rush forward and push Chu Yunzheng away.

However, his eyes accidentally met with his master's. After seeing the subtle hint in Chu Yunyi's eyes, he understood and quietly stepped aside without any further movement.

At this moment, after witnessing this scene, everyone present stood up suddenly as if they were electrocuted.

"Prince Huai, stop it now!" Queen Mother Jiang was so frightened when she saw this thrilling scene that she jumped up from her seat involuntarily, and her voice was so sharp that it almost cut through the air.

Chu Yunxiao and Xu Zhouye on the side also changed their expressions slightly. They looked at each other, as if communicating something with their eyes.

Looking at Chu Heyuan again, he was about to put a piece of exquisite pastry into his mouth, but suddenly saw what was happening in front of him, and his mouth froze in mid-air, as if time had stopped at this moment.

Facing the gazes of the crowd and the stern warning from Queen Mother Jiang, Chu Yunzheng pretended not to hear them and did not even turn his head.

At this moment, he was like an enraged lion, with anger burning in his heart, and he had no time to care about anything else.

He was still swinging his fist mercilessly, about to hit Chu Yunyi again.

"Chu Yuan!" At this moment, an extremely majestic shout suddenly sounded in the hall.

Chu Yunxiao's face was filled with anger, "It's not your turn to act so presumptuously here!"

This roar was like a curse, instantly pulling back Chu Yunzheng's thoughts that had been extremely angry and almost lost their minds.

For no other reason than that the emperor called him by his full name.

Although his heart was still filled with resentment and unwillingness, Chu Yunzheng had to stop what he was doing and slowly loosened his grip on Chu Yunyi's collar.

However, he did not show any cowardice because of this. Instead, he straightened his body, held his head high, and stood there proudly with an arrogant attitude of "It's not my fault, what can you do to me?"

"Prince Huai, you have no respect for your elders and are committing treason! You don't have to attend this Mid-Autumn family dinner! From now on, return to your fiefdom and reflect on your mistakes! Without my permission, you must never set foot in the capital again!" As he spoke, Chu Yunxiao revealed an irritation that was hard to conceal between his brows.

When Chu Yunzheng heard this, he became even angrier.

But faced with an order personally issued by the emperor, even though he was filled with resentment, he dared not openly disobey. He suppressed his anger and reluctantly moved forward. He waved his sleeve vigorously, bowed, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "Yes, your humble servant obeys your order!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he didn't even have time to say hello to the other people present. He angrily threw his sleeves and left the Cining Palace without looking back.

Chu Yunyi stared quietly at Chu Yunzheng's indignant figure as he walked further and further away until he disappeared. A barely perceptible and meaningful smile suddenly flashed across his ink-black eyes.

The smile was fleeting, so quick that one almost thought it was an illusion.

Seeing that the storm had finally come to an end, everyone present breathed a sigh of relief and then returned to their original seats one after another.

But after all this trouble, everyone's previous high spirits were no longer there, replaced by a dull and depressing atmosphere.

Queen Mother Jiang's face was filled with worry. She shook her head helplessly, then sat down slowly and heavily. Then she sighed softly, "Never mind, let's end my greetings here for today. I'm really tired and need to rest for a while to recuperate so that I can prepare for tonight's palace banquet."

"Your Majesty, your Majesty is right." Chu Yunxiao responded quickly to Queen Mother Jiang's words, but at the same time, his eyes swept over Ke Xin who was standing beside Queen Mother Jiang without leaving a trace.

Then, in a seemingly casual yet unquestionable tone, he said, "Mother, you should just rest and recuperate. As for Ke Xin, as the King of Yue mentioned, why not raise her status a little and allow her to enter the King of Yue's palace as a concubine?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Chu Yunyi couldn't help but tremble all over, and his originally calm face instantly became solemn.

His dark eyes widened slightly, the shock in them difficult to conceal, and his hands resting on the armchair paused involuntarily.

Queen Mother Jiang obviously had not expected that the emperor would be so decisive and make such a decision himself.

She was stunned at first, her expression frozen for a moment. Then, after a slight hesitation, she slowly nodded and said, "Since the Emperor has made up his mind, then we shall do as he says. This way, I can put one of my worries to rest."

After getting the approval of Queen Mother Jiang, Chu Yunxiao's expression remained calm as water. He just nodded lightly to indicate his final conclusion on the matter.

However, Chu Yunyi's expression became increasingly gloomy. He glanced coldly in the direction of Ke Xin, and his fierce eyes revealed a chilling cruelty.

Feeling this creepy gaze, Ke Xin lowered her head even lower.

*

Under the eaves, sunlight shines through the carved window lattices onto the ground, forming patches of mottled light and shadow.

The palace servants were dressed in uniform, holding exquisite meal trays in their hands, and walked slowly into the Golden Throne Hall with light and orderly steps.

Xu Zhouye stood tall in front of the emperor, stretched out his hands and gently took off the gorgeous robe embroidered with dragon patterns for the emperor, and carefully hung it on the hanger on the side.

After doing all this, he raised his head slightly, looked at the expressionless emperor in front of him with concern, and asked softly, "Your Majesty, are you still angry about the matter of Prince Huai?"

Chu Yunxiao's face darkened upon hearing this. Then, without a word, he walked straight to the round table, swung his sleeves, and sat down.

Seeing this, Xu Zhouye thought for a moment, then slowly moved to Chu Yunxiao's side and sat down gently.

At this time, many palace servants were placing delicious dishes on the round table in an orderly manner. However, in the face of these sumptuous foods, Chu Yunxiao could not muster up any appetite at all.

Xu Zhouye sighed helplessly and waved his hand gently, signaling all the palace servants waiting on the side to leave first.

After they all left the hall, Xu Zhouye slowly stood up and sat on Chu Yunxiao's thighs gracefully and naturally.

Then he raised his arm and gently wrapped it around the man's neck. At the same time, his eyes, as clear and moving as autumn water, stared at Chu Yunxiao, "Your Majesty, are you really angry with Prince Huai?"

Chu Yunxiao felt the warmth and tenderness of the person in his arms and her affectionate words, and the anger in his heart seemed to be extinguished in an instant.

He couldn't help but raise his right hand, gently put it around Xu Zhouye's slender waist, and then with a little force, he held her more tightly in his broad and warm arms.

He raised the corners of his lips and said with a hint of jealousy: "Why? Could it be that my queen wants to plead with me on behalf of Prince Huai?"

Xu Zhouye frowned and quickly withdrew his hands that were gently hugging the emperor's neck, unhappily breaking away from the warm and nostalgic embrace.

At this moment, the warmth in my arms suddenly receded like the tide, leaving behind a sense of emptiness and loss.

Chu Yunxiao was startled, having clearly not anticipated such a sudden change. He slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with confusion and bewilderment, and stared straight at the Queen, who was now standing a little distance away from him.

Xu Zhouye crossed his arms over his chest, his face showing obvious displeasure. He opened his lips and said, "Your Majesty, your answer is irrelevant to the question. I cannot handle it."