Gu De had doubts in his heart. He didn’t show his doubts as he is now at the palace banquet for Ming Yue Cheng’s wedding.

  It was lively at the main hall. The indistinctive smile of Ming Yue Cheng looked unusually mysterious under the dazzling light. Although his eyes were watching the singing and dancing on the stage, he was actually looking at Feng Qi Qi all along.

  After not seeing for a long time, she was more beautiful. Every frown and every smile naturally revealed nobleness. Even if she was only sitting, it was the most beautiful scenery at the scene.

  However, there was already a man at her side. This was something that Ming Yue Cheng could never replace. It could only be a missed chance in this life!

  Even if Ming Yue Cheng hoped in his heart that time would freeze at this moment, but the good times always passed quickly. After the banquet ended, he had to go to Qingluan Palace.

  Before leaving, Ming Yue Cheng looked deeply at Feng Qi Qi once again as if he could engrave her smile into his heart.

  “Arrange to go to Qingluan Palace……”


  The voice of Fu Er came. Ming Yue Cheng seemed to hear a long sigh in the air. He looked up but he didn’t see anyone. Only a slight breeze blew past his ear. Could it be that the wind took pity on his sadness? So that was why it made such a long sigh?

  At Qingluan Palace, Gu Yun Yao was dressed in a tangerine-red color wedding dress and quietly sat in the room.

  Gu Yun Yao could vaguely see the furnishings in the room through the red veil. Because she was consort Jin and not the empress, she couldn’t use the bright red color. Even if she was married, she could only wear tangerine-red color. However, she was content in her heart. This marriage was originally a pretense. It was fake, so there was no need to care about those things.

  She didn’t know for how long she had been waiting until a voice ‘the emperor had arrived’ spread to Gu Yun Yao’s ears. The palace maids inside the room quickly went to the door to kneel down and greet the emperor with long live the emperor. Ming Yue Cheng didn’t say anything unnecessary. It was just a ‘stand up’ to let them withdraw, leaving only Fu Er.

  “Long live Your Majesty!”


  “Hm! Take off the veil and eat something. You must be very hungry.”


  Ming Yue Cheng didn’t take off the veil for Gu Yun Yao. Instead, he sat down directly and poured tea for himself.

  Inside Ming Yue Cheng’s heart, he still stubbornly persisted that one heart is for one person. His heart was given to Feng Qi Qi, so it was absolutely impossible to accommodate another person. He took an imperial consort now because it was only his duty to the country. It wasn’t his wish. Moreover, he wouldn’t really do the wedding ceremony and drank the nuptial cup of wine with Gu Yun Yao. Let alone complete the wedding night.

  After Gu Yun Yao took off the veil, she came to Ming Yue Cheng and greeted him.

  “Sit!”


  After Gu Yun Yao sat down, Fu Er went to the bed and picked up the white satin cloth. He pulled out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and sprinkled something on the white satin cloth.

  Seeing Fu Er doing so, Gu Yun Yao was a bit surprised but that didn’t mean that she didn’t understand anything. Before the marriage, the palace’s maid had already taught her this aspect of knowledge. It was just seeing Fu Er doing this now, made Gu Yun Yao blush.

  When Fu Er finished everything and retreated, Ming Yue Cheng then began to speak: “How was it? Still used to it, right!”


  “This subject wife is doing very well. Thanks Your Majesty for your concern!”


  When Gu Yun Yao said these words, Ming Yue Cheng knew that he had found a very suitable person. Gu Yun Yao was very clever, but her cleverness was different from other people’s showing off and many other things. She knew what couldn’t be done and what couldn’t be said.

  Looking at this young face in front of him, Ming Yue Cheng nodded slightly. “It’s good that you like it! Zhen won’t delay you too much. After a few years, zhen1 will find the right time to arrange your fake death. At that time, you’ll be given a new identity. You can get away from the imperial palace and start a new life.”


  What Gu Yun Yao didn’t expect was that Ming Yue Cheng had thought about every step. From the selection of consorts to the big wedding, and even her future was arranged. In this way, she only needed to follow his commands and cooperated with the actions of Ming Yue Cheng. However, Gu Yun Yao didn’t understand why Ming Yue Cheng did so! Wasn’t he an emperor? The world was his. Since he didn’t want to take an empress or consort, why couldn’t he decide this matter himself?!

  Ming Yue Cheng seemed to see Gu Yun Yao’s perplexity and put down the teacup.

  “Don’t know if you’ve ever heard a saying, ‘When in the jianghu2, one can’t act according to his wishes’. In fact, this kind of not being able to act according to one’s wishes wasn’t only found in the jianghu. People like zhen who stand at the top, also have many constraints. The emperor isn’t a man who does whatever he likes. Many moments, zhen has no choice but to do something that zhen doesn’t like.”


  Speaking till here, Ming Yue Cheng thought of Feng Qi Qi. In any way, she came over today and also sent a gift which she personally made. This was already the greatest satisfaction in Ming Yue Cheng’s point of view.

  Gu Yun Yao didn’t know what Ming Yue Cheng was thinking. At this moment, she clearly saw a smile from the lips of Ming Yue Cheng. This smile was rare to Gu Yun Yao. At least the times that she had met Ming Yue Cheng, she had never seen such an obvious smile on his face.

  Don’t know who this smile was for?

  After Ming Yue Cheng had said these, Gu Yun Yao had some sympathy for this young emperor in front of her. The world thought that the supreme was no one other than the emperor. However, Gu Yun Yao didn’t see the slightest joy and happiness from Ming Yue Cheng. Instead, she felt heavy responsibility and pressure.

  Looking at his smile from just now, he must have remembered someone or something. People who were able to make Ming Yue Cheng so joyful, must occupy a very important position in the heart of Ming Yue Cheng. Gu Yun Yao didn’t understand. Since he liked her, why couldn’t they be together? Was it status or something else?

  Ming Yue Cheng was so smart. How couldn’t he know what Gu Yun Yao was thinking? She was only fifteen and was still at the age of innocence. He shouldn’t have let her fall into this heavy whirlpool.

  “Let’s drink! Zhen really wants to drink today!”


  Ming Yue Cheng made Fu Er fetch a wine jar. On this day, he suddenly wanted to get himself drunk. He didn’t wait for Gu Yun Yao to speak and immediately started to drink the wine.

  At this moment, the atmosphere in the room became particularly weird. Gu Yun Yao sat beside Ming Yue Cheng and watched him drinking in mouthfuls, but she couldn’t say any words of comfort. She wasn’t anyone to him, nor could she solve the pain in his heart. Instead of doing so, it was better to sit quietly and look after him after he was drunk.

  As expected, after drinking one jug of wine, Ming Yue Cheng was drunk on the table. He originally was a good drinker but didn’t know why he was so drunk today. Fu Er and Gu Yun Yao supported Ming Yue Cheng to the bed. Fu Er personally took off Ming Yue Cheng’s clothes and covered him with the quilt.

  “Consort, His Majesty is drunk, you see……”


  Fu Er’s expression was a bit awkward. There was only one bed in the room. Should he let Gu Yun Yao sleep on the bed? Then wouldn’t it be fake play turned into reality at that time?

  “Eunuch Fu, I’ll just lean at the side! I’m afraid the emperor wants to drink water at night!”


  Gu Yun Yao was so thoughtful that Fu Er nodded in satisfaction. It seemed that the emperor did choose a clever and quick-witted girl. He hoped that she would never change.

  “Eunuch Fu, you sit down too!” Gu Yun Yao signaled for Fu Er to sit down and looked at the sleeping face of Ming Yue Cheng. She then started talking, “Eunuch Fu, I’ve heard that His Majesty’s capacity for liquor is very good. Why is he already drunk after only one jug of wine today?”


  Fu Er had some difficulty answering this question. Should he tell Gu Yun Yao that Ming Yue Cheng was actually drinking away his sorrows? After thinking about it for a long time, Fu Er gave a smooth answer. “His Majesty had also drunk a lot of wine at the banquet. Moreover, it was easy to get drunk on an empty stomach.”


  “Oh……” Gu Yun Yao wasn’t stupid. She knew that Fu Er’s answer was just half-heartedly. She admired Fu Er’s loyalty to Ming Yue Cheng.

  “Qi Qi, don’t go……” Just at this moment, Ming Yue Cheng frowned and said Feng Qi Qi’s name, “Qi Qi, I only made one wrong step, Qi Qi……”


  The doubts in Gu Yun Yao’s heart just now had been answered from the sleep talking of Ming Yue Cheng. Qi Qi? Could it be that she was the woman who lived in the heart of Ming Yue Cheng?

  In one night, Ming Yue Cheng was talking nonsense while Gu Yun Yao and Fu Er were guarding the night. After the morning came, Ming Yue Cheng slowly opened his eyes. He had some headache. The sunshine through the window was unusually dazzling. After waiting for a while, Ming Yue Cheng got used to it.

  “Your Majesty, you’re awake?” Fu Er heard the sound of the bed and quickly came to serve.

  “Fu Er, zhen wants to take a bath!”


  “Yes!” Fu Er immediately went to prepare. Soon afterwards, Ming Yue Cheng was lying in a warm pool. The temperature of the water was a little hot but it was the temperature that Ming Yue Cheng liked. He closed his eyes and leaned against the pool: “Zhen didn’t do anything out of character yesterday?”


  “No. Consort Jin has been taking care of you, and this slave was also guarding at the side! However……” After saying that, Fu Er hesitated. But in the end, he (FE) told Ming Yue Cheng the matter about his sleep talking. “You have been calling Feng Qi Qi’s name.”


  “She heard?”


  “She heard but didn’t say anything.”


  “Heh……Fu Er, zhen wants to stay alone for a while.”


  After hearing this, Fu Er retreated. Ming Yue Cheng was the only one left in the large room. He dived into the pool and wrapped himself in the hot water, making him feel like he was back in the mother’s womb. Those warm waters stimulated the pores of his whole body, making him relaxed.

  He was actually drunk and was saying the name of Feng Qi Qi…… Ming Yue Cheng closed his eyes and recalled the things that happened last night. One by one, the bubbles were spit out of his mouth. A series of bubbles flocked to the surface of the water. These bubbles exploded on the surface of the water and rippled in circles. They spread from the center of the pool, drawing circles like an annual ring and rushed to the shore.

  “Blub blub……”


  Ming Yue Cheng suddenly came out of the water and stood in the middle of the pool. The water which emitted hot air was till his pelvis. His hair was dripping wet and stuck on his strong back. Drops were dripping along his spine to the buttock and then into the water. Along with the waves, it spread in hot water and diffused like black algae.

  The sunlight came through the window and fell on the water. Ming Yue Cheng wiped the water from his face. The missed water drops slid down his cheeks to the concave in the middle of his chin. They formed a droplet that was sparkling and translucent under the sunlight; refusing to drop.

  Let go! Ming Yue Cheng! Don’t tangle anymore in those happiness that you wouldn’t be able to get! One of the two of them (MYC & FQQ) should be happy! If there was only one option, he would rather let her happy forever!

  Ming Yue Cheng secretly said these words to himself. After finishing, he fiercely swam to the edge of the pool and went up the shore.

  “Fu Er, get people to prepare. Zhen wants to go to the prime minister’s residence!” Ming Yue Cheng wiped off the water from his body. After changing his clothes, he left Qingluan Palace.

  After waiting for Ming Yue Cheng to leave, the palace’s elder maids came over. They took the white satin cloth that had the blood on it and congratulated Gu Yun Yao over and over again. Then, they retreated. In a moment, everyone in the palace knew that the emperor and consort Jin had consummated their marriage. Presumably, it wouldn’t be long that a little prince or little princess would be born in the palace!

  1. Zhen: I, used by the emperor

  2. Jianghu: martial arts world