Chapter 34

  The emperor was taken aback.

  Murong Feng's words were not a big deal, seemingly unrelated to the overall situation, yet every word and sentence made sense, and with a light touch, he threw out a difficult problem for the emperor to solve.

  Murong Feng's words are not wrong, originally Xue Er was a junior, but after taking Xue Er as his concubine, he naturally became equal to Xue Er's sister, originally a father-in-law, but became a brother-in-law, it's really ridiculous!

  Simarui burst out laughing, "Father Emperor, you've really chosen a big problem for yourself."

  The emperor glared at Sima Rui and said, "Don't be so presumptuous!"

  "There's no need to lose your temper with me," Sima Rui said languidly. "You are the ruler of a nation in the Great Xing dynasty, it's normal to favor one woman. This matter has nothing to do with me, please don't ask for my opinion, Father Emperor. Whatever you're pleased with is fine."

  The Emperor looked at Murong Feng and asked: "Now you say how?"

  Murong Feng smiled slightly and shook his head, "Feng'er doesn't know what to do. He just feels that the Empress Dowager is right, Father Emperor needs to explain not to his own family members, but to the officials in the court and the people of the world. If Feng'er guesses correctly, if Father Emperor issues an edict, although everyone will accept it, he's afraid it will be hard to avoid people gossiping."

  The Emperor's brow furrowed, "What I have decided, will never be changed!"

  Murong Feng smiled on the surface, but in his heart he said: What's the point of explaining to everyone with such difficulty? It just proves that you are guilty. Fortunately, I still care about Murong Xue and haven't given up yet. I'm thinking of giving Murong Xue a name no matter what happens.

  "Empress, it's troublesome for you to draft an imperial edict. This is originally a matter of your inner palace." The Emperor turned his head towards the Empress, but she remained silent.

  "Your Majesty, do not make it difficult for the Empress Dowager," Sima Zhe said in a low voice. "Muyong Xue's two sisters are respectively the consorts of my younger brother and fourth brother. Now you want the Empress Dowager to accept her sister-in-law as your own consort, it is inevitable that there will be suspicions of forcing someone against their will. It is not that I intentionally tried to obstruct, Your Majesty is the ruler of a country, with the right to decide your own affairs. You have made this decision and naturally must bear the consequences, but you cannot ask the Empress Dowager to join you in being ridiculed by others. Just like me, although I cannot accept your choice from the bottom of my heart, it is also useless to resist, so I can only accept it. The Empress Dowager is also helpless. If you want to confer a title on Muyong... or make Muyong Miss your consort, then you should issue an imperial edict yourself."

  Murong Feng couldn't help but glance at Sima Zhe in surprise, could the normally calm and composed him also say such harsh words?! It was beyond her expectations.

  "I myself will seal my own fate!" The Emperor roared in anger, "I'm not afraid of you and the common people, I like Xue Er, I've favored her, and I want to give her a title. Whether you're happy or not, it's up to you, but when you see Xue Er, you must still bow and address her as 'Consort'. This is a rule that must be followed no matter how difficult it is. As for the Empress, we've been husband and wife for decades, you know my temper, can't you allow me to take another consort just because I'm your husband?"

  The queen sighed softly in her heart, with a hint of moisture in her eyes, but couldn't say anything and remained silent with her head hung low.

  "How dare you, do you want to disobey me?" The emperor's voice became heavier, "Gao Gonggong, immediately issue an edict, I will make Murong Xue my Snow Concubine, and grant the Warm Jade Pavilion to her. Tonight, I will stay in the Warm Jade Pavilion, let's see what you can do!"

  Murong Feng suddenly remembered a phrase: beauty is a calamity! In fact, this has nothing to do with Murong Xue, it's just that Murong Xue liked the emperor, and the emperor favored Murong Xue. For a time, he was infatuated and didn't know how to cherish her properly, so he made some unusual moves, but all the blame fell on the woman who had been favored by the emperor.

  I'm afraid Murong Xue won't have a peaceful day in this palace!

  The queen smiled coldly and said, "Don't take the oath to heart, it's just a timely response. Thinking back, the emperor used to be so loving and gentle with her, but now it's all reduced to a laughable situation. 'Congratulations, Your Majesty, I wish you and Snow Concubine a harmonious marriage for a hundred years, love that lasts a lifetime.'"

  Simarui lowered his eyes, and in his heart, there was an inexplicable sourness. What kind of tolerance did his mother use to endure the emperor's repeated betrayals over the long years? Not to mention the current Liu Fei and Wu Fei, but also the many beautiful women in the palace who were silently and namelessly loved for a night, with brief moments of affection. What kind of strength did his mother use to maintain her calm appearance?

  He let out a soft sigh, suddenly looked at Murong Feng and quietly said: "Feng'er, if Sima Rui were to be with you in this life, he would not have any thoughts of anyone else."

  Murong Feng was silent, with a hint of emotion in his heart. He smiled slightly and teased: "But as the ancients said, 'Like father, like son.' I suppose when your parents were young, they too had their romantic moments under the moonlight, loving each other so much that they wished to be together for all eternity. Who would have thought that now you'd be surrounded by beauties from all over the world? No wonder it's said, 'Only see the new bride smile, never hear the old wife cry!' Can you guarantee that your words today will be a promise kept for me, Murong Feng, for the rest of my life?"

  Simarui suddenly reached out and grasped Murong Feng's hand, his palm no longer cold, warmly wrapping around Murong Feng's hands. His voice was soft, but every word sounded sincere. "What you don't want for yourself, don't do to others! Simarui used to play with life, not thinking it was wrong. Everyone was willing, there was no gain or loss, and even each took what they needed. But today, seeing you and Sima Qiang together, my heart ached, fearing that the same thing that happened to Sima Zhe would happen to me again. That worry and pain, I tasted for the first time in my life. So, I will never let myself make you feel the same heartache. I," Simarui suddenly sped up his speech, slightly excitedly saying, "only hope that in your heart, there is only one person, me, Sima Rui. I dare not think, if one day you also leave me like Hongyu left my brother, how would I survive?"

  Murong Feng stood there, even forgetting to withdraw her hand. She only regarded Sima Rui as a stranger, although she had married him, but always hoped to be able to retreat wholeheartedly, towards such an overly individualistic man, she really didn't intend to change, Murong Feng's body, Bai Min's soul, she deeply knew that Bai Min was a woman who loved peace and quiet, enjoyed solitude.

  "Simarui," Murong Feng said with difficulty and lightly, "Didn't we agree at the beginning that you would be heartless and I would be unfeeling? Your original intention was to marry Murong Xue, but since you couldn't, you married me instead. You probably think I'm a bit different from how I used to be, and you're curious about it, nothing more. You're a man who plays with the world, you can't just stay by my side, don't use this oath to confuse me."

  Simarui stood there, his eyes filled with pain. What kind of woman was she? How could she be so oblivious to his feelings, so oblivious to his devotion?! Didn't she know that he had never been so sincere with a woman before? Was it because he had been too promiscuous in the past that Murong Feng refused to believe him now?

  Murong Feng slowly withdrew his hand and stood quietly. "Simarui, I don't deserve your love, do you really love me? I mean love, not like. We are just a couple in an arranged marriage, I hope we can coexist peacefully because Murong Feng doesn't love you, your past affairs only make me feel amused, not heartbroken. Please forgive Feng'er for saying this, I just don't want you to waste your emotions on me."

  Simarui smiled wryly and suddenly felt very bored with himself.