Story of Yanxi Palace: Fu Ying's banner will never fall

Chapter 126: Concubine Chun regains her favor

On the other hand, during the time when Wei Yingluo was recuperating, Concubine Chun had successfully won the emperor's favor.

She knew that if she wanted to regain the emperor's attention, she had to understand his movements.

Therefore, Concubine Chun asked Yuhu to make arrangements with the eunuch in the Yangxin Palace early on so that she could learn the whereabouts of the emperor in time.

Sure enough, hard work pays off. Finally one day, Concubine Chun learned that the emperor was in a bad mood and wanted to go for a walk in the Imperial Garden. She came up with a plan and decided to play the qin in the pavilion of the Imperial Garden and wait for the emperor to arrive.

On this day, the sky was drizzling, and Concubine Chun, wearing a light green dress, appeared in the pavilion of the imperial garden like a fairy. She gently plucked the strings of the zither, and the melodious sound of the zither echoed in the air, as if telling her deepest feelings.

At this moment, the emperor happened to pass by and was attracted by the beautiful sound of the piano.

The emperor slowly walked into the pavilion and saw Concubine Chun concentrating on playing the piano. Although there was a faint smile on her face, she looked extremely sad, which made people feel distressed.

When Concubine Chun saw the emperor, she quickly stood up and saluted, with a hint of shyness and joy in her eyes.

The emperor looked at Concubine Chun, who was a little different from before, and couldn't help feeling curious.

He asked, "Empress Chun, are you feeling well? Why are you not staying in the palace for no reason, but playing the zither in the rain instead?"

Concubine Chun smiled and replied, "Your Majesty, I just felt lonely, so I took advantage of the rainy day when there was no one around in the Imperial Garden and played the zither here, which made me feel at ease."

The emperor frowned slightly, but his tone was full of concern: "Oh? Concubine Chun is quite elegant, but playing the piano on a rainy day will inevitably catch a cold. You should be more careful in the future. I will not disturb Concubine Chun's freedom."

He felt that Concubine Chun would rather play the piano here than pay attention to him, and he felt a little dissatisfied.

After he finished speaking, the emperor stood up to leave. At this moment, Concubine Chun unexpectedly reached out her hand, grabbed the emperor's clothes, and her voice revealed a hint of reluctance: "Your Majesty... are you really going to leave?"

Her tone was gentle and graceful, and seemed to contain countless expectations and hopes, which made people stop in their tracks. The emperor did the same.

The emperor's heart could not help but move, but he quickly regained his composure and said calmly: "Concubine Chun, I still have government affairs to deal with, and I can't stay for long."

Concubine Chun lowered her head, disappointment in her eyes, but she still maintained a gentle smile: "In this case, I dare not delay the emperor's political affairs."

The emperor nodded, then turned and was about to leave.

Concubine Chun turned around and looked at the heavy rain, and said softly: "Your Majesty, every day when I look at this palace wall, I feel like a bird trapped in a cage, unable to fly. I am sad and unhappy all day long because I miss my deceased grandmother and the beautiful scenery of my hometown, but what I miss more is the happiness and freedom that will never come back."

When the emperor heard this, his expression changed slightly. He seemed to feel the pain and helplessness deep in Concubine Chun's heart.

He sighed softly, turned around gently, and said to Concubine Chun: "I understand your difficulties and the troubles in your heart. But things have come to this point. You have been in the palace for many years. You can only accept the reality and make your life better."

Concubine Chun nodded slightly, indicating that she understood what the emperor meant, but her eyes were still full of sadness and helplessness.

She went on to say, "Your Majesty, I am just extremely afraid. There are countless beauties in the harem. Even if I win your favor for a while, how long can I be arrogant and beautiful? Just like Emperor Minghuang of Tang, Mei Fei also won the favor of the emperor, but later Yang Fei appeared in the palace, and she was forgotten in a moment. Therefore, I dare not get close to the emperor, let alone lose my heart."

The emperor frowned when he heard this and asked, "Since you have made up your mind and are just asking for mercy, why are you crying here?"

Concubine Chun lowered her head, wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and responded with a slightly choked voice:

"Your Majesty, you have never set foot in Zhongcui Palace in the past six months, but without you, I did not feel happy and free. All that was left was loneliness and regret. Now I understand that instead of not seeing the sun all day, it is better to ask for a little love from your Majesty."

After saying this, tears fell like beads from a broken string, and I felt pity for her. "Your Majesty, do you still want me?"

The emperor reached out his hand, lifted Concubine Chun's chin, and looked out at the sky with her...

Afterwards, the two returned to Zhongcui Palace together.

The next morning, the emperor ordered Li Yu to send the "Ping Fu Tie" given by the empress dowager and the jade go pieces he usually used to Zhongcui Palace.

Since Concubine Chun left in a hurry that day, she has been to Changchun Palace only a few times. Apart from paying her respects, she has rarely met the Queen in private again.

Empress Fucha initially thought that Concubine Chun was still unable to accept the fact that Fuheng was getting married and did not want to see a member of her Fucha family, so she sent many nourishing gifts and asked the imperial physician to take her pulse, but no news came.

Until one day, the queen accidentally heard the palace maids talking: "Empress Chun is really strange. She used to be so close to the queen, but now she is like a stranger..."

Only then did she realize that maybe something was different.

So the queen decided to go to Zhongcui Palace to talk to Concubine Chun in person. When she arrived at Zhongcui Palace, Concubine Chun was enjoying the flowers in the courtyard. Seeing the queen coming, Concubine Chun just bowed lightly and then invited the queen to enjoy the flowers together.

The Queen tried to talk to Concubine Chun, but she always avoided the topic or changed it.

In the end, the queen had no choice but to leave Zhongcui Palace, her heart full of doubts and worries.

It was not until the news of Concubine Chun's three consecutive days in the emperor's bedchamber spread throughout the harem that the empress realized that Su Jinghao had given up.

She recalled every moment she had spent with Concubine Chun, and couldn't help feeling a little emotional.

However, she did not feel jealous or resentful, but instead showed a relieved smile.

She sat quietly by the window, looking at the swaying leaves outside, and whispered softly: "It's good this way, she didn't get stuck in a rut..."

There was a look of relief and tolerance in the queen's eyes.