Selling wife for fame? Kick out the scumbag and marry the new emperor to enjoy the harem of favors

Chapter 145

"Your Majesty, Consort Xie has sent over a bowl of lily bulb, white fungus, and lotus seed soup. Would you like to have it served to you?"

Inside Chengming Hall, Yang Zhian bowed and stepped forward, speaking in a low voice.

Zhao Xingjin was reviewing memorials when he heard this and looked up. "Put it here, I'm a little thirsty."

"Yes," Yang Zhian replied.

A bowl was served to him.

After Zhao Xingjin finished reviewing the memorial in his hand, he put down his pen, picked up the pen, and took a sip.

After finishing half a bowl of soup, he asked, "How has Consort Xie been lately?"

"Your Majesty, apart from going to Weiyang Palace to pay her respects, Consort Jieyu still doesn't go out and spends all her time in Ninghua Palace. During this period, only Consort Liu and Princess Wenxi often visit her," Yang Zhian said.

Zhao Xingjin put down the bowl and picked up a handkerchief to wipe his mouth.

"She is still grieving for her deceased mother. Well, I haven't visited her in a while. Let's go to Ninghua Palace for a visit."

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhian immediately made arrangements.

He thought to himself that this was because the Emperor still cared about Consort Xie; otherwise, how could a bowl of soup have managed to seduce her so easily?

Ninghua Palace.

When Zhao Xingjin arrived, the courtyard was quiet. The young eunuch guarding the palace gate was about to bow when he saw him, but Zhao stopped him.

Stepping inside, I saw through the window a beautiful figure resting on a pillow, taking a nap.

Xie Jiu wore no makeup, only a simple dress. Her face looked somewhat haggard, and her already fair skin was now as pale as paper, almost bloodless. Her long black hair was loosely tied up with two ebony hairpins, and a plain white ribbon was tied around her wrist. There were no other decorations.

At this moment, she lies quietly on the pillow, like a pear blossom after the rain.

The haggardness on her face did not diminish her beauty; instead, it added to her pitiful fragility.

"Slave, please see your Majesty."

Chunrong and Qingfang spotted Zhao Xingjin and quickly came out to pay their respects.

"How come your Jieyu is asleep like this?" Zhao Xingjin's gaze passed over them, still landing on Xie Jiu.

"Your Majesty, Consort Jieyu has been having trouble sleeping lately. She just mentioned having a headache and wanted to rest for a while, but she fell asleep unexpectedly." Chunrong's tone was filled with concern.

Zhao Xingjin's eyes darkened, but he said nothing and stepped inside.

Standing by the small couch, I saw that Xie Jiu could not smile even in her sleep, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her face seemed to have endless sorrow.

In fact, Zhao Xingjin could understand her feelings.

When his father passed away, Zhao Xingjin's grief was no less than Xie Jiu's now, who has lost his mother.

Zhao Xingjin's father was already in poor health. When he realized early on that the emperor was incompetent and intended to eliminate their line of non-royal princes, he began to plan carefully, eventually exhausting himself and dying of illness.

Without his father, he wouldn't be where he is today.

At this moment, Xie Jiu reminded Zhao Xingjin of himself back then.

After his father passed away, he pretended to be absurd and excessive, inviting singers, dancers, and courtesans to the palace to drink and make merry. Outsiders all scolded him for being ridiculous and unfilial, but in reality, he would often sit in front of his father's memorial tablet late at night, sometimes for a whole night.

How could he bear to part with the father who raised him?

His emotions were stirred, and a hint of something indescribable flickered in Zhao Xingjin's eyes.

She quietly sat down next to Xie Jiu.

About half an incense stick's time later, Xie Jiu, who was lying on the couch, seemed to be having a nightmare. His brows suddenly furrowed, his lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something but could not make a sound. Tears slid down from the corners of his eyes, and his fingertips seemed to be trying to grasp something, struggling to lift it up.

Zhao Xingjin noticed her unusual behavior, raised his hand and gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Just as he was about to wake her, he heard Xie Jiu murmur a sound.

"Your Majesty, don't go, don't, don't leave me." "Mother—!"

With a cry, Xie Jiu suddenly opened her eyes, looked up, and anxiously reached out to grab something.

But there were only empty windows there.

Xie Jiu froze, staring blankly at the sky outside through the window frame. After a long while, a large tear slid down her cheek and landed on the pillow.

"Xie Jiu, are you alright?"

Zhao Xingjin's voice sounded softly from the side.

He wasn't used to calling her that, but seeing that Xie Jiu was dreaming about her deceased mother and was too emotional, he chose this name, which sounded more intimate and gentle than Xie Jieyu.

Xie Jiu's eyes flickered, and his gaze slowly focused, as if he had finally come to his senses.

Slowly turning his head, he saw Zhao Xingjin, and a hint of surprise appeared on his somewhat wooden face.

"emperor."

“It is I.” Zhao Xingjin reached out to her. “Here, have some water to calm down.”

Xie Jiu placed her hand in her palm, and then suddenly, like a bird returning to its nest, she rushed into Zhao Xingjin's arms.

He burst into tears.

Unexpectedly, she suddenly acted this way. Zhao Xingjin was stunned for a moment, then seemed to remember something, and a hint of concern involuntarily appeared in his eyes. He put his arm around her, gently stroking her back to comfort her tenderly.

After a long while, Xie Jiu finally stopped.

Nestled in Zhao Xingjin's arms, her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Are you feeling any better?" Zhao Xingjin helped her up and reached out to wipe away the remaining tears on her face.

Xie Jiu nodded slightly, then sat up straight and pulled away from his embrace. "Your Majesty, I have been impolite. Please forgive me."

When his arms were suddenly empty, Zhao Xingjin felt somewhat uncomfortable.

Therefore, he took Xie Jiu's hand and said, "I know you are upset. Crying will make you feel better."

Xie Jiu remained still, being led by him, but mentioned the Empress Dowager's instructions.

"Your Majesty should not have come. The Empress Dowager said that it is not appropriate for me to serve Your Majesty at present."

“It was I who took the initiative to come see you, so Fukang Palace won’t blame you,” Zhao Xingjin said.

Xie Jiu shook her head. "It's not that I'm afraid the Empress Dowager will blame me, but I'm afraid that if the Emperor comes to my place, the Empress Dowager will think that the Emperor is disregarding her instructions because he dotes on me, and that this will make her angry and affect the relationship between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor."

After hearing this, Zhao Xingjin lowered his eyes slightly and then spoke.

"You don't need to worry about that. The Empress Dowager won't think too much about it. You are saddened by your family's affairs, so it is only right that I come to see you."

"I am happy that Your Majesty thinks of me. Did Your Majesty enjoy the soup today? The people in the Imperial Kitchen prepared it specially because they noticed that I didn't have a good appetite. I thought it tasted good, so I asked them to make another serving and send it to Chengming Palace," Xie Jiu said softly.

This was to tell Zhao Xingjin that she wasn't trying to curry favor; it was just a normal desire to share something good she had received.

In fact, Zhao Xingjin really took Xie Jiu's act of bringing soup today as an attempt to curry favor, which is why he went along with it.

But Xie Jiu wasn't dressed up or tidied up; she was even resting in the room, so it didn't seem like she was waiting for him.

So, upon hearing Xie Jiu's words, Zhao Xingjin felt that either it was the truth, or Xie Jiu's acting was too convincing, and her dream-like demeanor was probably an act to gain his pity.

However, Zhao Xingjin preferred the former, because Xie Jiu's performance just now seemed genuine, which made him feel more favorably toward Xie Jiu's act of bringing soup.

"If you think something is good, then it is naturally good, but I see that your complexion has been a bit poor lately. Please have an imperial physician take a look at you. You must not harm your health."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, I know my own body well. I'm just a little tired, nothing else." Xie Jiu smiled, but it was a forced smile. "I feel really sad that I can't be there to show my filial piety to our mother like my brother. But I'm also worried that my brother is busy taking care of the family and going to court, so he must be exhausted too."