Protecting a Beautiful Life
The next morning --
On Xue Ye finished his breakfast in his palace.
The imperial meal on the table was half the usual amount, and he had little appetite, only drinking a bowl of congee before putting down his chopsticks.
He barely slept a wink after returning from the Governance Hall last night.
Today is a day off; there is no need to attend court or review memorials.
He rubbed his temples and decided to go for a walk in the Imperial Garden to clear his head.
The flowers in the Imperial Garden are in full bloom.
The garden was covered with begonias, their pink and white petals swaying in the morning breeze.
Walking slowly along the cobblestone path on Xue Ye, the morning breeze was gentle, and the fragrance of flowers was faint. My nerves, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed a little.
Suddenly, the sound of children's laughter came from ahead.
Looking up in the Xue Ye, I followed the sound and unconsciously slowed my pace.
On the lawn, Crown Prince Xue Qinghe and Second Prince Xue Qingyan were rolling around in a ball.
Xue Qinghe was almost three years older than his younger brother, but at this moment he showed no airs of an elder brother. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his clothes were covered with grass clippings. He was pretending to be tackled to the ground by his younger brother, kicking his legs exaggeratedly.
Xue Qingyan straddled him, clutching her brother's collar with both hands, her face flushed red, and shouted triumphantly, "I won! Big brother won!"
In the pavilion, the empress and her concubines sat on stone benches, with several plates of snacks and tea in front of them.
The Empress did not wear a phoenix crown today, but simply used a white jade hairpin to hold her hair up. Her light purple casual dress accentuated her gentle appearance, and a faint smile always lingered on her lips.
The concubine was her distant cousin before she got married. After many years in the palace, the two had a very close relationship and never competed for the emperor's favor. Instead, they often drank tea and admired flowers together.
At this moment, the concubine was covering her mouth with a round fan and laughing, her eyes crinkling as she pointed at the two children rolling around on the lawn, seemingly telling the Empress something amusing.
He stood with his hands behind his back on the Xue Ye, gazing into the distance for a long time, but did not approach.
"Father!" Xue Qingyan was the first to spot him, jumped off her brother, and rushed towards Xue Ye with her short legs.
He was running so fast that he tripped on the grass and almost fell, but he managed to steady himself and plunged headfirst into Xue Ye's arms.
Xue Qinghe also got up from the grass, brushed the grass clippings off his knees, walked properly to Xue Ye, bowed, and then stood next to his younger brother.
"Father, Father, I just beat my eldest brother!" Xue Qingyan hugged Xue Ye's leg and announced with a proud look on her face.
Xue Qinghe reached out and ruffled her younger brother's hair. "I let him win. Last time he lost to me, he cried for half an hour, and it took Mother a long time to calm him down—wasn't that right, Qingyan?"
"No way!" Xue Qingyan flushed red.
He laughed, a rare occurrence on Xue Ye.
He bent down and picked up his two sons, one in each arm.
The two children wrapped their arms around his neck, one on each side, chattering and vying to speak.
The Empress and her concubines slowly emerged from the pavilion; one was dignified and gentle, the other charming and radiant.
"His Majesty."
"Yes, I came here today to clear my head." After saying this, he put down his son and embraced the Empress and the concubine.
He looked at the smiling faces of the two children, and then at the gentle eyes of the two women beside him.
At this moment, there is no more hesitation.
He possessed the most prestigious throne in the Heaven Dou Empire, had two lively and healthy princes, and a harmonious harem.
All of this would be rendered meaningless if the Spirit Hall were to actually attack him.
To protect this hard-won relationship, he made this decision.
Evening, at the Governance Hall --
Xue Ye sat on the dragon throne at the head of the table, his hands resting flat on his knees.
The palace doors were tightly shut, and the palace was empty; even the attendants who were supposed to serve him with writing materials had been dismissed beforehand.
He's waiting...
Suddenly, a cold gust of wind swept past the corner of the palace.
A cloud of Black Mist seeped out from the wall.
Xiao Wu arrived as scheduled.
She was still wearing that black dress, her long black hair cascading down to her waist, and she floated barefoot in the air, slowly drifting to the center of the hall.
She came alone today, without Tang Xiao.
Her gaze swept around the hall, finally settling on the middle-aged man sitting upright on the dragon throne.
"Have you thought it through?"
Xue Ye took a deep breath and then nodded.
Xiao Wu smiled with satisfaction.
Without wasting words, she walked directly towards the dragon throne. When she reached Xue Ye, she pointed to the dragon throne beneath him.
"Then please move aside."
Xue Ye did not get up, but sat on the dragon throne, gripping the armrests with both hands.
"I want to know, how do you plan to help me improve my strength?"
Xiao Wu opened her hand, revealing a pitch-black porcelain bottle, which she casually placed on the table.
"Have one, try it."
On Xue Ye, he reached out and picked up the porcelain bottle, uncorked it, poured out a pill, and held it in his palm.
He stared at the pill in silence for several seconds, a hint of hesitation flashing in his eyes.
Xiao Wu saw through his thoughts and chuckled softly, "Don't worry, this pill isn't poisonous."
"If I wanted to kill you, I could do it in the blink of an eye; there's no need for me to go through the trouble of putting something in the medicine."
Immediately, Xue Ye did not hesitate.
She could make the sect leader of the Clear Sky Sect kneel down and call her master, and she could make Tang Xiao leap from Soul Douluo to Peak Douluo. Such an existence would not need to go through any trouble to kill me, Soul Saint at level 73.
He tilted his head back and swallowed it. The moment the pill entered his throat, a scorching stream of air exploded from his stomach, spreading wildly along his meridians to his limbs and bones.