sbdcsierra Chapter 233 Peace
Chapter 233 Peace
The ministers' eyes, which were initially on Shen Peiqing, all fell on Rong Su.
Shen Peiqing frowned slightly, he turned sideways to block some of the gaze coming towards Rong Su, then glanced at those people with cold eyes.
All of those ministers were as good at reading people's expressions as foxes. They saw how much their powerful regent valued Rong Su, so they immediately looked away.
Xuanyuan You also noticed the various attitudes of his ministers, and then began to demonstrate his imperial majesty. He straightened his waist and walked to the platform, turned to face the ministers, raised his hand and spoke loudly.
"Your Highness is my right-hand man. You fought against the Northern Continental Kingdom and achieved great success. Your triumphant return is truly a blessing for the country and the people! I am deeply pleased and am bestowing upon you a thousand taels of gold and a hundred acres of fertile land as a reward. I hope you will continue to serve the country, protect our land, and ensure the peace of our people!"
After he finished speaking, he waved his hand and a eunuch came with the imperial edict.
Shen Peiqing then knelt down towards Xuanyuan You, followed by all the ministers who also knelt down.
"I will live up to your majesty's high expectations and continue to serve the country!" Shen Peiqing took the imperial edict with both hands.
Then the ministers shouted "Long live the emperor", the celebration was deafening, and the whole hall was filled with joy.
After everyone was seated, the dancer walked in from outside the hall and began to dance in the center of the hall.
"Xiao Su?"
When Rong Su was distracted, he heard Shen Peiqing's voice.
She slowly turned her head and saw him looking at her with a worried look.
Rong Su was stunned for a moment, then asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
Shen Peiqing sighed, then reached out and gently held her hand under the table, softening his voice: "I see you seem to be distracted, but are those ministers making you unhappy? I'll have His Majesty drive them out right away."
As he was about to speak to Mu Tou who was standing behind him, Rong Su quickly reached out to hold him back, and when she saw him looking at her, she shook her head.
"I'm fine. Do you think those words would make me care? I'm not someone who cares about what others think."
Shen Peiqing knew what kind of person Rong Su was and knew that what she cared least about was what others thought of her. However, he felt unhappy when he saw those ministers looking at her with blaming and strange eyes.
Forget it. At worst, I can find them something to do after the banquet. At least they won’t be so idle and gossip about others all the time.
Those ministers who had some opinions about Rong Su suddenly felt a chill on their backs. They couldn't help shivering and looked around in confusion.
"If you really feel unwell, tell me and I will take you away. His Majesty will understand." Shen Peiqing gently held her hand with his big, broad hand, his tone gentle.
When Rong Su returned from the border, those ministers had already secretly avoided his eyes and ears and submitted many memorials to His Majesty.
They were all memorials impeaching Rong Su's identity. His Majesty had also shown them to him. Every time he read one, he would bear a grudge in his heart and silently take revenge on Rong Su.
Rong Su could feel Shen Peiqing's worry about her, but she seemed to be distracted all the time recently. Even though she was not thinking about anything, she just couldn't control herself from getting distracted.
Why is this happening?
Shen Peiqing was picking up his chopsticks and picking up a piece of crystal-clear, fragrant fish for Rong Su. He placed it in her bowl and called her softly, "Xiao Su, try it. I heard this fish was carefully raised by the imperial chef and fed the best fish food, so the fish meat is also very chewy and refreshing."
When he looked at her, he saw that she seemed to be staring at somewhere in a daze for a long time. He frowned slightly, then followed her gaze and saw that she was staring at Xuanyuan You with a calm expression, and it was impossible to tell what she was thinking.
Rong Su suddenly became like this, Shen Peiqing became more worried. He held her hand, kneaded it gently, and moved closer to her: "Xiao Su."
Rong Su suddenly felt the voice was so close, she quickly came back to her senses from her trance, and in a blink of an eye, she met Shen Peiqing's worried eyes, and she immediately realized that she had been distracted again.
She was immediately ashamed and said, "I'm sorry. I."
Shen Peiqing didn't mean to blame her. He gently rubbed her hand and said softly, "Don't say such things. I think the banquet must be too noisy, and you must be tired. Why don't we go back first?"
When Rong Su heard that Shen Peiqing intended to leave, she glanced at Xuanyuan You and asked worriedly, "Is it not a good idea to leave Your Majesty alone?"
Shen Peiqing turned to look at Xuanyuan You. The young emperor now seemed to be able to handle such situations with ease and was no longer as stage fright as before.
He was relieved and said with a faint smile, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. I believe Your Majesty now has the ability to become an emperor. He can handle it."
After saying that, Shen Peiqing quietly pulled Rong Su away from the table, left the hall, and went to the imperial garden.
In the quiet imperial garden, one can still smell the faint fragrance of wintersweet, and the wintersweet trees stand in the cold winter.
Bright red is the only bright color between the gray and white sky and earth.
They walked side by side, hand in hand, along the dark and winding path.
Through the touching hands, they can hear each other's beating heartbeats.
This winter peace made Rong Su particularly relaxed, and at the same time she couldn't help but have the urge to leave the world.
"If it were just you and I, living together in a place full of flowers, plants and trees, it would be a very happy picture." Shen Peiqing suddenly turned his head to look at her, a different kind of soft light blooming in his deep black eyes.
He expressed his true feelings, Rong Su raised her lips, moved closer to him, hugged his strong arms with both hands, and rested her head on his arms.
"How do you know I would be willing to live with you?" Rong Su wanted to tease him and make fun of him on purpose.
Shen Peiqing stopped and stared at her, and she unconsciously raised her head to look at him.
He raised his hand and gently stroked the side of her face with the back of his hand. His low, slightly hoarse, cold voice slowly uttered: "Even if you don't want to, you can't. You can only live with me."
His voice clearly sounded like that of an ethereal immortal, untainted by the mundane world, but his words and eyes carried an inescapable possessiveness and dominance.
Suddenly, his hand came to her waist, and with a little force, she was pressed into his arms. The cool and elegant scent of him filled her nose.
Rong Su looked up in astonishment at his overly aggressive gaze, and couldn't help but put one hand on his strong and broad chest. Through her hand, she could clearly feel his heart beating at the moment, so violently and excitedly.
He slowly lowered his head. Although there was a little scar on his handsome face, it did not affect his handsomeness at all, and even added a wild beauty to him.
When Rong Su saw that his gaze seemed to fall on her lips, she suddenly felt as if her cheeks and ears were heated by a stove, and her heartbeat was as fast as a gong and drum.
Her hands clenched unconsciously, her mind went blank, and she didn't dare move for a moment. She was too embarrassed to look at his lips.
Seeing him getting closer to her little by little, the warm air blowing against her face dispelled the coldness around her, and together with the body temperature emanating from him, it almost wrapped her up completely.
His stunning face soon filled her field of vision, and when she was only a few millimeters away from him, he suddenly stopped, and his invasive gaze crept up to her with a gentleness.
He rested his forehead against hers, his thin red lips slightly curled up: "I will use the whole world as a betrothal gift to ask for your hand in marriage. Before I do, I will not touch you again. So, just let me get a little closer to you. Okay?"
The low and cold voice was a little hoarse with a hint of magnetism, slightly penetrating her earlobes, making her ears itchy and her heart itchy as well.
Rong Su pursed her lips and nodded slightly. In an instant, she felt heat spreading all over her face. She quickly turned her gaze elsewhere, not daring to look into Shen Peiqing's eyes at all.
Shen Peiqing looked at her pretty little face, which was as rosy as a ripe apple, and his mood immediately improved a lot. He raised his thin lips, raised his other hand, and hugged her completely in his arms.
Feeling his warm and burning body temperature, Rong Su closed her eyes and relaxed her whole body and mind, as if she had found an unprecedented sense of security in him.
As long as she was with him, she didn't seem to need to think about anything and could completely relax. This feeling was good and satisfied her.
Just when I was about to sink into it, a cold voice suddenly appeared in my mind.
"killed."
Rong Su suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, and clenched his hands. What is this!
Before they had time to think, a childish voice, full of dignity, came from behind them, even with a hint of teasing.
"Have I disturbed you?"
Hearing Xuanyuan You's voice, Rong Su felt embarrassed and immediately let go of Shen Peiqing.
Seeing Rong Su's expression, Shen Peiqing pursed his lips helplessly and looked at Xuanyuan You with a slightly dull look in his eyes: "Shouldn't His Majesty still be at the banquet?"
Xuanyuan You pursed his lips and put his hands behind his back. Despite his small stature, he looked like an old man.
"Hmph. The prince was only busy playing with Sister Rong, leaving me alone to face the ministers. I also wanted to come and play with you. Don't worry, the Prime Minister is still here, he will help me deal with it."
Sometimes Xuanyuan You still had that childish side and wanted to play, so Shen Peiqing could only shake his head helplessly. After all, the little emperor in front of him was still a child no matter what his status was.
Seeing that Shen Peiqing didn't say anything, Xuanyuan You turned his attention to Rong Su beside him. He tilted his head, looking a little mischievous, and asked with a smile, "Sister Rong, can I stay with you and the prince? I really don't like to stay with those ministers who only know how to drink."
As he spoke, his clear little eyes stared at her with a hint of expectation.
Rong Su naturally would not refuse, but she suddenly felt dazed and the voice came again.
"Your Majesty must have been busy entertaining those ministers just now and probably didn't eat anything. And the prince didn't eat much either in order to take care of me. How about I make some noodles for you?" She looked at Xuanyuan You and Shen Peiqing and smiled faintly.
Xuanyuan You had been concentrating on dealing with those ministers and taking into account the dignity of the emperor, and had not eaten much. Now, after hearing what Rong Su said, he was really hungry and touched his stomach.
"That's good, of course. But..." He looked at Shen Peiqing and asked for his opinion. He wanted to try Rong Su's cooking skills. He had never eaten food prepared by his family members. This was what he had always been looking forward to.
Shen Peiqing noticed Xuanyuan You's request, and also saw Rong Su looking at him, as if asking him if he wanted to eat.
Originally, he didn't want Rong Su to do it, and thought it would be better to let the imperial chef do it. However, he couldn't bear the impact of the gazes of the big and small, and could only helplessly say: "Okay, what are you looking at me for? If I don't let you do it, you won't do it?"
Rong Su raised the corner of her mouth, put her hands on her hips and said, "That's definitely impossible."
After hearing this, Shen Peiqing sighed and shook his head, his face full of helplessness.
They went to the imperial kitchen, and when the imperial chefs saw these important figures coming, they all looked panicked.
Shen Peiqing waved at them: "You can leave now, leave this to us."
The royal chefs looked at each other, then bowed and retreated.
Rong Su then reached out and pushed Xuanyuan You and Shen Peiqing into the compartment of the imperial kitchen: "Alright, let me perform here on my own, you just wait and eat."
Shen Peiqing let her push him and said helplessly: "I can make a fire for you."
Xuanyuan You also actively agreed: "I can also help my sister with some small things!"
Rong Su smiled and shook her head, pushed them into the compartment, and said, "No need. Also, no peeking!"
Seeing her mysterious attitude, Shen Peiqing shook his head, but still emphasized: "Call me if you need anything."
"I know, I know." Rong Su said and closed the door of the compartment.
Xuanyuan You looked at Shen Peiqing who was staring outside, and couldn't help but smile. He stretched out his little hand and gently pulled his sleeve.
Shen Peiqing felt his sleeve being pulled, so he slowly withdrew his gaze from outside and set his eyes on Xuanyuan You, looking at the young emperor in front of him with confusion.
Xuanyuan You raised a finger and pointed outside, then whispered, "Brother Shen, if you need my help, I can arrange a marriage for you."
Hearing this, Shen Peiqing smiled lightly. He didn't expect that even Xuanyuan You could see his feelings for Rong Su. He raised his hand and gently touched Xuanyuan You's head, then raised his head and looked outside. His voice was light, but full of tenderness.
"She and I don't need a marriage agreement. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."
Although Xuanyuan You really wanted to help Shen Peiqing and Rong Su to get married, seeing that Shen Peiqing seemed to have his own ideas, he thought about it and decided not to interfere.
About a quarter of an hour later, footsteps were heard outside, and then the sound of the compartment door being pushed open was heard.
Shen Peiqing and Xuanyuan You looked towards the door at the same time and saw Rong Su coming in with noodles, which were steaming hot and fragrant.
Watching this, Shen Peiqing quickly went over to help Rong Su take the wooden tray: "I'll do it."
Rong Su did not refuse and let Shen Peiqing take it.
Xuanyuan You sat obediently on the chair, staring at the noodles with his little eyes, looking like he couldn't wait.
"Aqing, Your Majesty, please try it. I only know how to make noodles." Rong Su looked at them and smiled a little embarrassedly. She really wasn't very good at cooking, and making noodles was one of the few skills she had.
Xuanyuan You smiled brightly and took the chopsticks, not minding at all: "I am almost starving. Seeing this bowl of noodles made by Sister Rong, I will not be polite!"
As he spoke, Xuanyuan You had already started eating noodles with relish.
Rong Su looked at Shen Peiqing again, and seeing that he hadn't picked up his chopsticks yet, she asked, "Ah Qing, why aren't you eating?"