She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 432 Soft-hearted

On a small table by the window, two gold plates held rice dumplings, and next to them were two exquisite bows and arrows.

The Northern Qi emperor looked dazed. Every year during the Dragon Boat Festival, the wives and daughters of officials would shoot arrows at rice dumplings in a golden plate, and the wife and daughter who hit the target would receive a rice dumpling.

The dough is very slippery, making it difficult to hit the target.

However, the wives of officials were quite happy to do so.

Therefore, the palace was very lively that day.

Now the Empress is guarding the imperial tombs, Prince Qi is imprisoned, and the Dragon Boat Festival banquet has not been held; instead, people have been ordered to give owl soup to the officials.

Today, the palace is deserted and desolate, like a lifeless tomb for the living, devoid of any vibrant color.

The Emperor of Northern Qi felt inexplicably oppressed. As his gaze shifted, he noticed a tiger made of mugwort leaves on the couch, along with several bundles of colorful silk. Perhaps because the window was half-open, one of the mugwort tigers had been blown to the ground.

His hand instinctively reached for his left waist, but his hand found nothing.

He subconsciously took a step and walked towards the edge of the tatami mat.

He held a bundle of colorful silk threads and picked up the tiger from the ground, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Every year on this day, the Empress would string a tiger-shaped ornament on a silk thread and send it to the Hall of Mental Cultivation for the Empress to wear during the morning court session.

The Empress had prepared colorful silk threads and a tiger figurine this year, but before she could send them to him, Feng Xiaozhong falsely accused her of confusing the royal bloodline the day before.

The Emperor of Northern Qi clenched his fists. The Empress was aloof and arrogant, and she was probably disappointed in him, which was why she still asked to leave the palace after proving her innocence.

Although the Empress was usually cold to him, she would personally make small items for him on every festival, showing her thoughtfulness in every way.

But at that time, he didn't take her feelings seriously.

Looking back now, of all the women around him, only the Empress never schemed against him. On the contrary, it was his beloved Consort Shu who completely disregarded the bigger picture and even abandoned the dignity of the royal family for the sake of the throne.

The more this happened, the more the Northern Qi emperor remembered the empress's good qualities.

The Northern Qi emperor strung the mugwort tiger together with silk thread, wore it on his waist, gently stroked the mugwort tiger, and stepped out of the main hall.

Eunuch Liu waited at the door and noticed the sadness in the Northern Qi Emperor's eyes. He knew the Emperor was thinking of the Empress, so he cautiously called out, "Your Majesty, where will you be eating zongzi this year?"

The Northern Qi emperor glanced at Eunuch Liu.

When Eunuch Liu noticed the Northern Qi Emperor's gaze, he lowered his head even further.

How could the Emperor of Northern Qi not see through his intentions?

"Send some food to the Empress." The Emperor of Northern Qi looked down at the tiger-shaped amulet at his waist, his heart feeling like it was stuffed with a waterlogged cotton ball. "Ask her if she has apologized to the ancestors."

Eunuch Liu was startled. Did the Emperor of Northern Qi want to bring the Empress into the palace?

"The slaves obey."

He readily agreed and quickly left.

The Emperor of Northern Qi was preparing to proceed to the Hall of Diligent Governance when suddenly he saw a palace maid carrying a bundle peeking out from a side hall. Upon realizing she had been discovered, she was so frightened that she knelt down on the ground.

"Your Majesty, spare my life!" The palace maid knelt on the ground, trembling, and kowtowed repeatedly until her forehead bled. "I beg you to spare my life."

Seeing the palace maid acting suspiciously, the Emperor of Northern Qi walked over to her, looked at the bundle on the ground, and asked, "What's in here?"

The palace maid was like a frightened bird, all color drained from her face, too frightened to utter a single word.

Upon seeing this, the eunuch quickly picked up the bundle and handed it to the Emperor of Northern Qi.

The Emperor of Northern Qi said in a low voice, "Open it."

The eunuch deftly opened the bundle.