The Tale of the Imprisoned Consort - Chapter 72, Consort Ming (Part 2)

She always knew where her inner fears came from.
Mingruo put down the wine cup in her hand and used her long, flowing sleeves to cover her trembling little hands. She pretended not to see anything and abruptly looked away. Emperor Xuli seemed to notice her unease, and his slender fingers immediately traced her delicate hand hidden in his sleeve, a faint smile curving his thin lips.
"What's wrong?"
“…It’s nothing.” Mingruo involuntarily tried to pull her hand back, even though Xulidi’s movements were extremely subtle, someone could still see them.
With a slight lift of his ink-painted eyebrows, Emperor Xu leaned close to Mingruo's ear and whispered, "Are you afraid that Duanmu Yun will expose you?"
"!" Mingruo immediately looked up at him, "Father—"
"Shh, don't call me Father." In front of all the civil and military officials and Consort Duanmu Yun, Emperor Xuli gently kissed Mingruo's forehead, unsurprisingly receiving a pair of angry glares. But he knew very well that the man wouldn't say a word more.
"Call me Xuanzhen."
Her small hands trembled even more violently. Even without looking, Mingruo could feel the disbelief and rage in those eyes. She dared not look down; if only she could die right now, it would be better than this agonizing feeling. Her beautiful purple eyes were glazed over, but before she could react, Emperor Xuli gently squeezed her small hand. Mingruo immediately snapped out of her daze, staring blankly at him: "I...I..." Yunlang, please don't look at me anymore, please don't look at me anymore... I beg you, please don't look at me anymore... Yunlang...
Cool fingertips caressed her delicate pink cheeks, then slowly stroked to the corners of her beautiful eyes, wiping away the slightly damp tear stains. His voice was low but full of threat: "Today is our wedding day, and Father doesn't like to see you cry." Especially not for another man.
“Ruo’er knows she was wrong.” Ming Ruo lowered her eyes, her small hands clenched into fists inside her water sleeves, her long eyelashes blinking rapidly. Just as she was about to say something, a very familiar tall and slender figure suddenly stood up and stepped forward, holding a wine cup, and knelt down. But his dark eyes remained fixed on her small face: “Your Majesty, this humble general… this humble general has a request.”
"Please speak, my dear minister Duanmu." Emperor Xuli looked leisurely at the pale-faced Duanmu Yun, flicking his finger with a wicked grin. He wasn't worried at all about what Duanmu Yun would say; no one would believe him anyway, especially since he loved Ruo'er and naturally wouldn't ruin her reputation. Besides, everyone knew the Fourth Princess was plain-looking; how could she possibly change the world's attitude overnight?
"This humble general...this humble general finds Consort Mingfei's face very familiar, she looks just like an old friend of mine, I don't know, I don't know..." He suddenly lowered his head, as if he was trying to suppress his sobs.
"May I ask for Your Highness's name?"
These words shocked everyone present. This was nothing short of reckless; in fact, Duanmu Yun's actions could even be accused of disrespecting the emperor and harassing a concubine! But surprisingly, the usually capricious Emperor Xuli showed no anger whatsoever. Instead, he smiled warmly at the new concubine: "How about letting Consort Ming tell you herself?" He spoke casually, but his large hand had already encircled Mingruo's slender waist, giving it a gentle squeeze. He wanted her to face the situation, yet forbade her to show any inappropriate emotion.
"This humble general... would be more than willing." Duanmu Yun responded softly, his eyes incredibly dark, as if veiled by a layer of mist.
Mingruo blinked, her purple eyes glistening with tears, her pink lips trembling slightly as she stammered, "I...I..." A large hand tightened around her waist, and Emperor Xuli's gentle voice reached her ears, "Ruo'er, your current identity is not that of a commoner, so there is no need for you to refer to yourself as 'I'."
"...This Empress, this Empress...this Empress's name is Zhuohua." It was as if she had used a lifetime of tears to utter these words. After saying them, Mingruo immediately lowered her head, biting her lip tightly, afraid that if she let go, her heart would shatter.
“Zhuohua…what a beautiful name.” Duanmu Yun raised his head and gazed at her intently. “The peach tree is in full bloom, its blossoms are dazzling. Consort Ming, Your Highness Consort Ming, truly deserves this name.”
Mingruo blinked hard, trying to wipe away the tears clinging to her eyelashes, but to no avail. She didn't know what to say, or what she could say, so she could only look away and pretend to place her hand on the table to avoid those piercing black eyes.
"This humble general understands, this humble general..." He took a deep breath, turned around, and said, "I take my leave."
Her small hands under her flowing sleeves clenched into fists. Mingruo opened her mouth as if to call him back, but ultimately did not.
"Ruo'er is so clever. Your father likes the name Zhuohua. From now on, Ruo'er can call herself Zhuohua when talking to outsiders." Emperor Xuli smiled as he put his arm around her slender waist. "Ming Zhuohua." Zhuohua belongs to him alone, not Ming Ruo, which once belonged to someone else.
She hesitated, then nodded, her large eyes darting away to look at Duanmu Yun, who was drowning his sorrows in alcohol. It would break her heart so much she'd forget to breathe. Her heart pounded; Mingruo couldn't forget the look of joy in Duanmu Yun's eyes when he entered. He was overjoyed, believing he had found her, and for a moment, he'd forgotten all thought. When he saw Emperor Xuli embrace her, his eyes were filled with astonishment, sorrow, and rage… She had never seen him so angry. He had even impulsively wanted to question her, but ultimately, he didn't. Her Yunlang was still gentle, even after her betrayal. He still refused to question her because she had become the emperor's favored concubine, simply because that would tarnish her reputation.
If everyone in the world knew that Emperor Xuli had taken his own daughter as a concubine, then at most Emperor Xuli would be accused of disregarding morality and committing adultery with his own daughter, while he himself would surely be disgraced and called a femme fatale. In the end, he would not only lose his life, but also his reputation—that was definitely not what Yunlang wanted to see.
But she would rather he storm forward in a rage than leave him dejected.
When Mingruo finally composed herself and looked up, she discovered that Duanmu Yun had already left. A panic gripped her, and she frantically searched for him, but couldn't find him anywhere. He… went back?! She clutched her chest; it hurt so much that tears welled up in her eyes.
"Tired?" Emperor Xu Li wiped away the tears that were about to fall from her eyelashes, asking softly and kissing her forehead. "If you're tired, go back to your palace to rest. Father will be back soon. Tonight is our wedding night, and Father has been looking forward to it for a long time." He patted her head and subtly touched her breasts. Ming Ruo was startled and tried to back away, but Emperor Xu Li held her waist firmly.
He gestured for Eunuch An to raise the palace lantern and escort Mingruo back to the palace. Emperor Xuli picked up his wine cup and took a sip, watching the beautiful young woman's retreating figure. He felt that she was truly the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in palace attire, especially when she was dressed up in her finest clothes; she was breathtakingly beautiful. This beautiful girl belonged to him, not only in blood and body, but ultimately, in heart and soul.
His purple eyes lowered, and he looked at his face reflected in the clear wine, and smiled slightly.
Author's Note:
So, my book club is having a book club meeting soon! I'm begging for votes, comments, pats, hugs, and all sorts of other things!!! (>_<)

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The Tale of the Imprisoned Consort - Chapter 72, Consort Ming (Part 2)

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