Chapter 34

Chapter 34 – He Might As Well Die! (2)

Eunuch Fu quickly set out to do the emperor’s bidding. Even so, he felt a slight doubt creep in his heart. Why did the emperor have such a special liking for this small forest?

Since the emperor was crowned and sat on the Dragon Throne, he came here from time to time as if he was waiting for someone.

What surprised Eunuch Fu the most was back when the emperor was newlywed, he had left his young wife in the bridal chamber and sat alone inside the woods all night.

Mo Rongzhan went back to pick up the wooden box from inside the dried-up well, he carefully looked through it again. He found no other pieces of cloth that would be of help.

Only then did he calmly leave the well. On his way, he saw Eunuch Fu walking aimlessly, a deep crease on his forehead as he diligently asked people on whosoever happened to have entered the forest.

He put the pieces of cloth inside the box which he carried in his hand. Noticing his master’s foreboding presence, Eunuch Fu ran up to him and was ordered to covertly find out where the pieces of cloth came from.

“You are dismissed, you can now enjoy the flowers.” Mo Rongzhan’s face no longer held fury, once again regaining its calm. But his eyes seemed to have grown colder.

Having stayed with him for many years now, Eunuch Fu sighed, knowing that the emperor had never truly laughed since he was a child. When he met Wang Fei Lu, he saw tenderness on his face, but these past few days he seemed to have returned to his past self.

Although, at the very least, the wang fei was already special to the emperor, unlike the former Wang Fei Ye whom he didn’t visit at all. When he thought of the late wang fei, the eunuch sighed again.

He remembered the emperor’s blood feud with the Ye Family which had ended with the death of the whole clan. Tying the knot didn’t stop the bitter end that fell on the Ye Family.

While Eunuch Fu was immersed in memories, Mo Rongzhan had already arrived at the chrysanthemum garden. From among the crowd, Wang Fei Lu saw the familiar tall figure, her face burst into a brilliant and matchless smile.

“Your Majesty, why are you here?” She greeted him with a deep curtsy.

In her mind, she must have been very special for the emperor to come and join her at the meet!

Mo Rongzhan ran an eye across the ladies before looking down at Lu Wushuang. “I haven’t been to Baihua Garden for a long time, and I wanted to come here to admire the flowers.”

Lu Wushuang smiled smugly, knowing that the ladies around her were burning with envy. “I thought the emperor was somewhere with the elders and men.”

Today, aside from the gathering of her kinsmen and women from the capital, there was also a gathering of men on the other side. In addition to enjoying the flowers, they were scheduled to go on a hunt along the nearby hills.

“I will walk with you,” Mo Rongzhan said in a whisper, showing his special favor to Lu Wushuang.

All the young women present were envious at the display of the couple’s obvious affection towards each other. This scene was witnessed by the people who had gathered under the bamboo shed.

As expected, Princess Liu Hua was fuming red with jealousy. She could not sit still. She could no longer take it. She immediately got up and went over to steal attention from Mo Rongzhan.

It was no surprise that Ye Zhen also saw Mo Rongzhan. Although the distance between them was a little far, she could still see his appearance quite clearly. Her soul had stayed beside him for two years. His appearance was etched deep in her mind.

He did not look that much different from when he was in his youth, but now he appeared to have a calmer and restrained countenance. He had narrow, sharp eyes, thin and light lips that still had no trace of a smile, his features were handsome and could manage to steal people’s breath away, he was tall but did not have a bulky figure. Just like a sword in the scabbard showing pride to the outside world with an aura of independence.

“Do you envy the wang fei because she is treasured by no other than the emperor himself?”

Suddenly someone spoke to her.

Ye Zhen was startled and looked back to see that it was only Teacher Shan. Ye Zhen’s lips curved slightly and looked at the tall figure walking farther away.

“What is there to envy?” she said.

Teacher Shan raised her eyebrows and looked at Ye Zhen. “There is no young woman in the world who does not want such an honor. Don’t you want it too?”

Honor? Luxury?

Ye Zhen belonged to the most prominent family. She had her own share of fame, being a first-class beauty and all. If she wanted, she would be served anything on a platter… she need only say the word.

If it was honor and luxury she sought, she should have not married Mo Rongzhan. After all, it was no secret that he was the former emperor’s least favored son. What’s more, rumour had it that the emperor had not sired him.  And the emperor’s ill-treatment to him was, in a way, evidence towards the same.

Truth was, Ye Zhen married solely for love. At that time she had not expected Mo Rongzhan to actually usurp the throne. She had her eyes on him and him alone. What honour? What luxury? Would a thirteen-year-old smitten by love even care about these things?!

Back then, many in the Ye Family were displeased with her decision to marry Mo Rongzhan. However, she had turned a deaf ear to their objections and followed her heart.

As a result, she had pitifully died, killed in cold blood by the people she trusted. And most of all, she had left this world with unrequited love.

The love that she once had for him, was replaced by hate by manifolds.

“Teacher, I seek honor, but not through being doted upon by some man of status. I want to earn it myself.”

Ye Zhen knew Teacher Shan best. She knew what would make this renowned woman happy. But what she said was not far from the truth. Right now, she had only one purpose in her life.

As for Mo Rongzhan, he might as well die!