novel bin Chapter 142 The Golden Envoy
Chapter 142 The Golden Envoy
"No need."
Lin Chaoying abruptly pulled her hand back, her voice suddenly rising several decibels: "I've already conceded so much, what more do you want from me!"
Zhao Yu was taken aback.
Upon closer inspection, he saw two lines of clear tears sliding down Lin Chaoying's cheeks.
She bit her lip, her eyes red-rimmed, and her usually cool eyes were now filled with grievance, disappointment, and a hint of panic that she couldn't hide.
Zhao Yu felt a sudden pain in his chest.
He suddenly understood.
Although Lin Chaoying was an exceptionally talented woman, she could not escape the constraints of her era.
She knew better than anyone that now that Zhao Yu had become emperor, there couldn't possibly be only her in the harem.
So from the moment she learned the news, she forced herself to accept it, forced herself to be magnanimous, and forced herself to maintain the proper decorum.
But how could someone as proud as her be completely without resentment?
She just couldn't understand why Zhao Yu was in such a hurry to bring another woman into the palace when their marriage was so close.
She forced a smile to greet people, but her heart was in turmoil.
It wasn't until Zhao Yu chased after her and tried to "explain" that the taut string in her heart finally snapped.
Seeing her tears, Zhao Yu was at a loss for what to do, filled with shame.
He opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word in defense.
"Sister Lin."
Just then, Lan Fenghuang's voice came from behind.
They both turned around at the same time.
Lan Fenghuang strode over and glared fiercely at Zhao Yu.
Immediately, she took out her handkerchief, stood on tiptoe, and carefully wiped away Lin Chaoying's tears.
"It's all this person's fault. He's so ungrateful and made Sister Lin sad." Lan Fenghuang's voice was soft and apologetic. "Sister, don't be angry. It's not worth getting sick from it."
Lin Chaoying turned her face away in a panic, raising her hand to wipe away her tears.
Shedding tears in front of outsiders is really not her style.
She was about to explain when Lan Fenghuang spoke first, her voice serious: "Sister, don't blame him. He was indeed chaste at first, but I didn't believe he already had a good match and kept pestering him. If anyone is at fault, it's me. If you have any resentment, feel free to take it out on me."
"but……"
Lan Fenghuang paused, glanced at Zhao Yu, and said, "There's more to this than meets the eye. Sister, you might as well let him finish speaking before you blame him."
"What do you mean by 'remaining chaste'? Don't you know how to choose your words...?"
Zhao Yu muttered something under his breath.
Before he could finish speaking, two pairs of eyes swept over him simultaneously.
Zhao Yu immediately raised his hands in surrender: "Okay, okay, you're right, I was wrong."
Seeing his aggrieved yet unwilling expression, Lin Chaoying and Lan Fenghuang exchanged a glance and couldn't help but burst out laughing.
That smile instantly dissipated most of the tense atmosphere.
Lin Chaoying turned her face away, raised her hand to wipe away the remaining tear stains from the corner of her eye, and her expression softened considerably.
"Okay, I'm listening to you."
She looked at Zhao Yu, her tone much calmer: "I want to hear what the cause and effect are."
Zhao Yu looked at the two of them, somewhat conflicted.
This is a long story. Should we start with meeting Lan Fenghuang, or with her ability to travel between the two worlds?
"You're so stupid." Lan Fenghuang shoved him. "It's too much trouble to just talk. Why don't you just take your sister to see for herself?"
Zhao Yu's eyes lit up.
Yes, instead of wasting time explaining, we should just take her to see it for herself.
He reached out and took their hands, one on each side: "Hold on tight to me."
Before Lin Chaoying could react, she felt a blur before her eyes and the world spinning around her.
When she regained her footing, the surrounding scenery had completely changed.
There were no carved beams and painted rafters, no pavilions and towers, only a hazy, chaotic void.
Not far away, piles of grain sacks were neatly stacked, gleaming faintly in the dim light.
"Where...where is this?" Lin Chaoying's pupils contracted slightly, and she subconsciously tightened her grip on Zhao Yu's hand.
Zhao Yu slowly said, "This place is the Chaotic Space, which is the name I gave it. It's what allows me to travel between the two worlds, between the Song Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty."
He pulled Lin Chaoying aside and slowly began to tell her everything.
From his scheme to infiltrate the capital to gather provisions for the Northern Expedition, to his befriending of Lan Fenghuang, and his plot against Emperor Jiajing using witchcraft...
He recounted the whole story, from beginning to end, in great detail.
"I admit, it's true that I've fallen for Fenghuang'er." Zhao Yu looked at Lin Chaoying with an open and honest gaze. "But I never intended to betray you. That day, when she was seriously injured and pressed me for answers, I couldn't bear to lie to her, so I told her the truth. Who would have thought that she was just faking her injury and deliberately trying to trick me into revealing the truth?"
"Oh, so you're feeling wronged?" Lin Chaoying glared at him, but a faint smile played on her lips.
Zhao Yu quickly smiled apologetically, "No, no, I wouldn't dare."
Lin Chaoying withdrew her gaze, looked around at this strange space, and then at the mountain of grain and fodder. The last trace of resentment in her heart slowly dissipated.
Traveling between two worlds is such a mysterious and unheard-of event.
She finally understood that Zhao Yu's elusive appearances these past few days were not due to his extramarital affairs, but rather because he was truly working tirelessly for the Northern Expedition and for the sake of the Song Dynasty.
The burden on his shoulders was much heavier than she had imagined.
She turned to look at Lan Fenghuang and extended her hand, saying, "Sister Lan, I was negligent before, please don't take it to heart. From now on, treat the palace as your own home and don't be shy."
"Sister, you're too kind." Lan Fenghuang smiled and took her hand. "It was my presumptuousness to bother you. I hope you'll take good care of me in the future."
Seeing the two reconcile and smile at each other, Zhao Yu finally felt relieved and relaxed.
That evening, a simple welcoming banquet was held in the palace.
To Zhao Yu's surprise, Lin Chaoying and Lan Fenghuang unexpectedly hit it off.
One was a knowledgeable and extraordinary woman from the martial arts world, and the other was the leader of the Five Poisons Sect who was well-versed in the customs and culture of Miao territory. They talked about everything from martial arts to poisons, from the scenery of Jiangnan to the landscape of Miao territory, and found themselves getting along very well.
In contrast, Emperor Zhao Yu was left out in the cold and could only eat his meal in silence.
Zhao Yu strongly suspected that the two of them did it on purpose.
After the banquet finally ended, Zhao Yu was about to say something when Lin Chaoying smiled and took Lan Fenghuang's hand: "Sister, you must be quite unaccustomed to the palace since you're new here. Why don't you sleep in my palace tonight? We can sleep side by side and have a good chat."
"Okay!" Blue Phoenix readily agreed.
The two chatted and laughed as they left together, not even sparing Zhao Yu a glance.
Zhao Yu stood there, watching the two figures disappear into the distance, feeling both amused and exasperated.
Well, now that's a good thing. It's good that the two wives get along well, but I've become superfluous.
He shook his head helplessly and could only return to his palace alone to sleep.
Silent all night.
The next morning, just as Zhao Yu finished washing up, Wang Huai'an rushed in, holding an urgent report in his hand.
"Your Majesty, the Jin envoy has arrived outside Lin'an City and wishes to enter the palace for an audience."
Zhao Yu took the memorial, his fingertips paused slightly, and his eyes turned cold.
finally come!