After hearing why Wang Yue had come, Hongshu shook her head and declined with a gentle smile.
Her reason was simple. "Your Majesty, I'm living very well now, and my aunt is still alive. As for anything else, I truly don't need it."
Seeing how firm Hongshu was, Wang Yue realized she was content and didn't want to cause him trouble. Touched, he didn't insist. There would be time for it later.
So he spent half a day with Hongshu, then went to find Qingniao and told her what he had in mind.
Looking at Wang Yue's serious expression, Qingniao thought of Jiang Ni's mother, Empress Chu, who was still alive, and understood what he was trying to do. She suddenly smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, why are you asking me all of a sudden?"
Wang Yue hadn't expected Qingniao to smile. It was such a rare sight that he knew he'd struck upon something that made her happy.
Or perhaps she'd been waiting for him to ask all along. So he simply said, "I just want to see more smiles on your face."
Qingniao could tell that Wang Yue's words were sweet talk, but she was still happy to hear them.
She smiled and said, "I don't expect anything from my father, and my mother can't leave him. So I've already come to terms with how things turned out for them."
Seeing Qingniao's smile fade, Wang Yue spoke earnestly. "I think you want to be free. If I help you save Wu Su, you won't owe the Xu Family anything anymore. You're my consort, but I don't want you trapped like a bird in the inner palace. I want you to be happy."
Qingniao was taken aback. She hadn't expected Wang Yue to understand her so well. As she