After a fierce argument, both mother and son were soaked in sweat, sticky and uncomfortable. At this time, the scorching sun was shining down in the sky, and it was even more scorching.
The queen clenched her palms, her face sullen and her body shaking slightly with anger.
On the way back to the palace, the mother and son said nothing. The atmosphere in the car was dull, oppressive and suffocating.
After returning to the East Palace, Yu Chengshou went to Xie Wanruo's yard.
It's past noon, but Xie Wanruo and Yu Haolin haven't had lunch yet, waiting for Yu Cheng.
"Didn't I tell you not to wait for me?" Yu Cheng pulled Yu Hao to sit down at the table and took the handkerchief handed to him by the palace maid to clean his hands.
Xie Wanruo smiled softly and said: "We are not hungry after eating snacks. It is just right to eat at this time."
Yu Cheng said helplessly: "You, you always think about others and not yourself. You can't do this anymore."
"Okay." Xie Wanruo responded meekly and noticed that the left side of Yu Cheng's face was slightly red.
"Your Highness, this is..."
"Eat first, Haolin is hungry." Yu Cheng brought chopsticks to Yu Haolin.
Xie Wanruo didn't ask any more questions and picked up her chopsticks to eat.
Yu Cheng didn't have much appetite. If Xie Wanruo and her son weren't with him, he wouldn't want to eat at all.
"Your Highness, you will lose weight if you use it more." Xie Wanruo gave Yu Cheng a piece of crystal meat.
"You've lost weight too." Yu Cheng gave Xie Wanruo a crab-meat lion head with his backhand.
Yu Hao said: "Father, I want it too."
"Okay." Yu Cheng smiled and took one for Yu Haolin.
Yu Haolin ate with gusto.
Seeing their mother and son, Yu Cheng's heavy heart felt relieved.
After the meal, Yu Haolin was taken back to the house to take a nap.
Yu Cheng was sweating, and Xie Wanruo waited on him to bathe and change clothes.
After tidying up, Yu Cheng lay on the soft couch, looking tired and dozing.
Xie Wanruo sat beside the couch, gently massaged his head to soothe him, and asked tentatively: "Is Your Highness unhappy?"
Yu Cheng said ‘hmm’.
Xie Wanruo said softly: "Your Highness, don't keep things in your heart all the time. If you hold things in too much, you will get upset. If you don't want to talk to me, you can just talk to someone else."
Talk to others? Who can he talk to?
Yu Cheng smiled bitterly and said, "Who else can I talk to except you?"
Xie Wanruo followed the words and said, "Then, Your Highness, would you like to talk to me?"
Yu Cheng sighed and said worriedly, "I had a quarrel with my queen mother."
Xie Wanruo suddenly said: "The Queen Mother beat Your Highness, does it still hurt?"
Xie Wanruo gently stroked Yu Cheng's faintly red face, speaking with distress.
Yu Cheng grabbed her hand, pressed it against his face and said, "It doesn't hurt anymore."
Yu Cheng didn't say the reason, and Xie Wanruo didn't press for it, but just tried to persuade him gently.
"Your Highness, please don't argue with the Queen in the future. The Queen is doing it for His Highness's good after all. If you really say something that Your Highness doesn't like to hear or do, just ignore it. How can a person in his thirties be beaten like this?"
Yu Cheng shook his head: "You don't know, there are some things that cannot be compromised."
There was silence in the room for a while, then Yu Cheng opened his eyes and said, "The Queen Mother wants me to protect the Cao family."
Xie Wanruo's eyes flashed slightly upon hearing this, waiting for Yu Cheng's next words.
Yu Cheng sighed deeply and spoke to Xie Wanruo concisely.
Xie Wanruo was right. After saying the words, Yu Cheng felt much more comfortable.
"Your Highness has suffered." Xie Wanruo lowered his head, touching Yu Cheng's forehead, and a drop of hot tears fell on Yu Cheng's face.
Yu Cheng's heart skipped a beat and he reached out to hug Xie Wanruo into his arms.
"Fortunately, I have you and Haolin, otherwise I would..."
Yu Cheng choked in his throat: "When I was in Duanzhou, I saw people dying every day. When I saw the people infected with the disease and homeless, looking at me with despair and hope, I completely understood the king's will. responsibility."
"It's not about pursuing power and honor, it's not about supporting the mother clan, it's not about satisfying selfish interests. It's about making the world peaceful and the people live and work in peace and contentment."
"At that time, I missed you Haolin very much."
That's why I wrote that letter home.
In the face of survival and food and clothing, fighting for power and honor and status seems extremely ridiculous.
Xie Wanruo put her hands around Yu Cheng's waist, rested her head lightly on Yu Cheng's chest, and listened to him quietly.
Yu Cheng stroked Xie Wanruo's cheek with his palm, and after speaking out the words that had been accumulated in his heart, the depression in his heart dissipated a lot.
He took a deep breath and remembered his promise to Xie Wanruo: "The lotus flowers are in full bloom, let's go to Mochou Lake to enjoy the lotus flowers."
Xie Wanruo said: "Don't worry, Your Highness has worked hard for so long, please take a few days to rest."
The emperor gave Yu Cheng half a month's leave, and today was only the first day. He dragged his tired body to worship Grand Master Cao, and had a dispute with the queen. Yu Cheng was exhausted physically and mentally and needed to recuperate.
Xie Wanruo was always so considerate and gentle, which made Yu Cheng fall in love with her.
"Wanruo." Yu Cheng's heart surged and he hugged Xie Wanruo tightly, like a drowning man grasping at the last straw.
Everyone envied him for his noble status and being born a prince, but no one knew the pain in his heart.
Xie Wanruo is like the warm sun in spring, giving Yu Cheng enough warmth without burning him, becoming the only comfort in his lonely life.
If it weren't for Xie Wanruo, Yu Cheng was really afraid that he wouldn't be able to endure it.
Fortunately, he has her.
On a hot summer afternoon, the two hugged each other affectionately in the house, lying on the soft couch and falling asleep.
Suddenly, a scolding sounded from the courtyard, accompanied by loud slaps, waking up the two people in the room. Xie Wanruo and Yu Cheng hurriedly got up.
"Who are you? You dare to block the way of this palace. Get away." Cao Muxue arrogantly scolded the maid who blocked the road and pulled the two children inside.
"What are you making a fuss about?" Yu Cheng stood in the corridor, looking at the domineering Cao Muxue with disgust and impatience in his eyes.
However, Cao Muxue was overjoyed to see Yu Cheng. After seeing the disgust on Yu Cheng's face, Cao Muxue said aggrievedly and resentfully: "Haoyan and the others miss their father and are clamoring to see you."
With that said, Cao Muxue let go of the child's hand.
"Father." The two children ran towards Yu Cheng, each holding his hand.
Yu Cheng lowered his head and looked at the two innocent children with extremely complicated emotions.
Thinking of his own childhood, Yu Cheng's eyes were dark, he touched the heads of the two children and said, "Why don't you listen to my mother and concubine? It's time to take a nap at this time."
Yu Hao said: "I miss my father, and so does my sister. We haven't listened to our father's stories for a long time."
Yu Cheng only returned to Beijing yesterday afternoon. When he finished reporting the Duanzhou matter to the emperor, it was already dark, so he first took Xie Wanruo to rest in the courtyard.
I went to court early this morning, and finally left the palace with the queen to pay homage to Master Cao, so I haven't seen Cao Muxue, mother and son yet.
Cao Muxue came closer and said: "Since my cousin went to Duanzhou, they have been asking me every day when my father will come back. After hearing that my cousin came back yesterday, they have been waiting and looking forward to it. They are anxious today. What should I do? It’s no use coaxing.”
The two children looked up at Yu Cheng eagerly, holding his hands tightly and not letting go.
Xie Wanruo said at the right time: "Your Highness, please go down."
Hearing this, Yu Cheng turned his head and looked at Xie Wanruo apologetically.
Xie Wanruo smiled gently, indicating that she didn't care.
