Chapter 576

Chapter 576 – Will His Majesty Like Me?

Zhen looked in astonishment at the petite figure sitting in the corner with dishevelled hair. It was indeed Ye Yaoyao! Why was she hiding here and crying?

“Miss Ye, what are you doing here?” Ye Zhen asked, surprised.

Without an exception, the people here treated her well and respected her as though she was almost like their master, so who could have caused her grief?

“I… I’m fine.” Ye Yaoyao hastily wiped off the tears on her face and looked at Ye Zhen who was wearing a thin robe. “Your Highness, did this commoner disturb you?”

Ye Zhen shook her head plainly before asking, “Did someone make you unhappy today?”

Initially, she wanted to join Imperial Physician Qi in her consultation for Ye Yaoyao, but she was affected by Lu Lingzhi’s visit and had gone to the forest. After sweating it all out, she felt so relaxed that she completely forgot about the conversation she had with Imperial Physician Qi.

“No. It’s… It’s my personal problem,” Ye Yaoyao said.

How could she tell anyone the reason for her sadness? She had unintentionally overheard the emperor’s decision to appoint an empress when she was at the empress dowager’s residence. All this time, she had assumed what others said was true, that the emperor would take her back into the palace sooner or later, and would treat her very well thereon. Yet, now that he intended to appoint an empress, it seemed like she wasn’t on his mind at all.

Could it be that the emperor had forgotten about her?

When Ye Zhen saw that she was unwilling to say anything, she naturally would not force her. Instead, she simply advised, “If you are suffering from any grievances, you should tell the empress dowager. Don’t hide  alone in a corner and cry.”

“I didn’t suffer from any grievances,” Ye Yaoyao whispered. She walked to Ye Zhen and stood in front of her before explaining shyly, “I overheard something by chance today that upset me, but I didn’t dare to let Chun Mei know, hence I came to the hot springs.”

“What did you overhear?” Ye Zhen lowered her gaze and saw Ye Yaoyao’s swollen eyes. It appeared that she had been crying here for quite some time.

Ever since Ye Yaoyao was rescued, she had lived a carefree life. What’s more, the empress dowager also pampered her. The people around also said that she was the young lady that the emperor had never forgotten, so she would probably live in the lap of luxury in the future. However, she had always felt uneasy within. She felt that all of this was unreal.

“Yaoyao—” Ye Yaoyao looked timidly at the other. “Can you tell me what kind of person His Majesty is?”

Ye Zhen was taken aback. “His Majesty?”

“Yes. Actually, I haven’t met His Majesty much, but… I really want to know what kind of person he is. Everybody says that His Majesty is brave and strong, and that he’s the greatest emperor of the Jin Dynasty. Every time I see him, I don’t dare to look at him.” Ye Yaoyao’s cheeks turned slightly warm, and her heart was beating rapidly.

“You hid here to cry because of His Majesty?” Ye Zhen was shocked.

Ye Yaoyao had never shared her thoughts with others. The only person who would listen to her was Chun Mei. Unfortunately, the maid would only say some patronizing words to console her, and those words were never enough to make her feel truly at ease. Within the entire Chengde Mountain Villa, she felt that the only person she could trust was Lu Yaoyao, and the latter also seemed like someone who would lend an ear to her woes.

“I accidentally overheard someone saying that His Majesty was going to appoint an empress… I couldn’t control my emotions after that, hence I ended up in this state,” Ye Yaoyao said, looking embarrassed.

“You—” Ye Zhen looked at the other in shock.

Did Ye Yaoyao fall in love with the emperor? Didn’t she say that she hadn’t seen him much? Why does she look like… like she was deeply in love with him?

“I’m not hoping for anything,” Ye Yaoyao hastily explained. “I’m just feeling a little upset. His Majesty… He usually looks as though he’s cold and callous, but if I can even get a bit of his attention, I’ll die without regrets.”

“Die without regrets?” Ye Zhen stared at the girl before her in astonishment. She didn’t expect Ye Yaoyao to have already fallen in love with Mo Rongzhan.

Didn’t she say that she hadn’t spoken much to him? If she fell in love with him so easily, and the truth was revealed in the future, what would she do when she no longer had the status of his saviour?

“When I was in the capital, those people said that… That I would enter the palace and become a concubine in the future…that I would be doted upon even more than Imperial Concubine Lu. In reality, I… I don’t dare to wish for it. I’ll be satisfied so long as I can stay by His Majesty’s side.” There was a yearning smile on her face as she asked, “Yaoyao, do you think… that His Majesty will like me?”

How should Ye Zhen answer this question? If Mo Rongzhan liked Ye Yaoyao, he wouldn’t have sent her out of the palace back then. And of course, in the depths of her(YZ) heart, she naturally wouldn’t hope that he would like another woman as well.

Ye Yaoyao didn’t seem to think that Ye Zhen would respond to her question. She covered her mouth and chuckled. “I wonder what kind of person the empress would be like. I hope it’s someone kind and warm so that we can get along in the future.”

Get along in the future…

Did this mean that she believed that she would definitely enter the palace and become a concubine in the future?

“Miss Ye.” Ye Zhen smiled bitterly as she looked at the other. “This is just hearsay for now. Nothing’s been confirmed yet. Perhaps… You might not want to overthink matters for the time being.”

“I don’t dare to overthink matters, but Chun Mei always tells me that I’ll be able to become the empress in the future. However, I’m just an orphan without any memories, so how could I ever be worthy of becoming the empress?” Ye Yaoyao softly said.

Ye Zhen suddenly felt that it wasn’t a good thing to have a maid who was carried away by her own wishful thinking. Look at how she* had poisoned Ye Yaoyao’s mind!

*Chun Mei

“Miss Ye, do you really… have no recollection of what happened in the past?” Ye Zhen gestured for her to sit down at the table beside them, then poured her a cup of hot tea.

“I want to regain my memories too, but my mind is completely blank, and I can’t remember anything that happened in the past,” Ye Yaoyao said.

If she didn’t lose her memories because of her injuries, then could it be that she was poisoned? But what kind of poison was so powerful that it left no traces or side effects, and could make her pulse appear like a normal person’s pulse?

*Ye Yaoyao’s

“Do you know a person called Lu Wushuang?”

Ye Yaoyao shook her head. “When I was locked up in that house, I only saw two people. One was Aunt Li, and the other was someone dressed in black… But I don’t know who that person is.”

“Someone dressed in black? What else did the person do to you?” Ye Zhen immediately asked as she felt that the black-clothed person could possibly be Lu Lingzhi.

“She taught me how to write… She was the one who taught me the four arts,” Ye Yaoyao said. “That lady should be a good person.”

“A lady? Isn’t that person a man?”

“Even though I didn’t see her face, she was dressed as a lady, though she was very tall,” Ye Yaoyao replied.

It seemed like Ye Zhen would get no answers. Either Ye Yaoyao was feigning her amnesia or Lu Lingzhi had used an incredibly powerful medicine to cause her to forget everything. However, only time could prove which one it was.

What she didn’t expect, however, was that Ye Yaoyao liked the emperor so much.

“Yaoyao, after talking to you, I don’t feel as upset anymore. You’re right. I shouldn’t be thinking too much now. So long as I continue to wait patiently, my wishes will surely come true in the future,” Ye Yaoyao smiled and said.

Ye Zhen simply smiled and didn’t say anything else.

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