Chapter 179 - Pear Blossoms Bloom (Part Two)

A gentle breeze brushed past the woman’s temples, ruffling her skirt and leaving faint ripples on her plain white clothes.

A hint of melancholy flickered in Chen Kaiming’s eyes as the woman continued to gaze at him. A surge of bitterness welled up in his heart.

Chen Kaiming stepped back.

"What is your name?"

The woman pressed her lips together. "Wang Lihua."

Lihua? How plain and simple,

Chen Kaiming thought to himself, lowering his gaze.

"Wang Lihua, you have won."

The woman named Lihua was momentarily stunned. Then she watched as the man turned and sat back in the dragon carriage. A low voice came from within, "Bring her along, back to the palace."

As soon as the words fell, the two guards came up again, holding Wang Lihua by both arms. This time, she did not resist. Although she didn’t know what kind of miserable fate awaited her in the palace, she knew that resisting wouldn't make a difference.

Unexpectedly, just as the guards seized her, Chen Kaiming kicked open the door of the carriage again and angrily shouted, "Idiots! I told you to bring her to the palace, not treat her like a prisoner!"

This sudden outburst startled even Wang Lihua. The two guards, even more shaken, instinctively released her arms and knelt to the ground with a

thud

. They bowed repeatedly and pleaded, "Forgive us, Your Majesty!"

Earlier, Chen Kaiming had been infuriated by Wang Lihua’s defiance, his frustration simmering with no outlet. Now that he finally had an excuse to vent, his anger erupted.

Chen Kaiming stood before the dragon carriage, his face filled with anger, dressed in his bright yellow dragon robe, he exuded a certain boldness. He pointed at the two guards kneeling on the ground and shouted, "Someone! Take them—"

His words abruptly stopped as he swallowed the rest of the sentence, for he saw Wang Lihua standing nearby, looking at him coldly, her lips moving. Though he couldn’t hear what she was saying, from her lip movements, Chen Kaiming knew she was muttering, "Tyrant."

Chen Kaiming’s eyes widened as he looked at Wang Lihua, nearly choking on his words. He opened his mouth, shifted his finger slightly to point at Wang Lihua, and rephrased what he was about to say. "Take... take her! Bring her back!"

After saying this, Chen Kaiming turned his head and went straight back into the dragon carriage, his voice sounding hurried from within. "Return to the palace! Back to the palace!"

The dragon carriage started moving. As it passed by Wang Lihua, she looked up. A breeze lifted the curtain, and she saw that man turn his head to look at her as well. They exchanged a glance, and then he turned away, sitting upright and looking straight ahead with a composed expression.

This time, no one dared to trouble Wang Lihua again. A eunuch personally approached and escorted her onto a carriage.

***

The convoy slowly entered the imperial palace. The eunuch responsible for looking after Wang Lihua was now in a dilemma... Where should he take her? Without any clear orders from the emperor, no one knew how Wang Lihua was to be dealt with. But judging from the Emperor’s attitude, the Emperor didn’t seem to harbor any malice toward her.

Feeling troubled, the eunuch reluctantly went to consult Eunuch Yue Dou, after all, that was the man who best understood the emperor’s wishes.

After hearing the eunuch’s account, Yue Dou looked at Wang Lihua’s carriage and was silent for a moment before murmuring to himself, "Perhaps... send her to the Xiunu Hall?"

"

Ah

?" The eunuch was taken aback. "The Xiunu Hall... is that appropriate?"

Yue Dou furrowed his brows in hesitation, appearing quite troubled. After contemplating for a long time, he seemed to reach a decision and said, "Send her to the Xiunu Hall. Go."

The emperor gathered beautiful and talented young women from across the land in the Xiunu Hall. These women were brought to the palace to study etiquette and conduct and became part of the imperial harem.

Watching the eunuch leave, Yue Dou couldn't help but swallow nervously. People often said he understood the emperor’s intentions best, thanks to years of loyal service by his side, but this time... he wasn’t sure if he had guessed correctly.

The carriage swayed gently as it moved, making Wang Lihua feel drowsy, but she didn’t dare to sleep. Who knew where she’d end up if she closed her eyes?

While she was lost in thought, the carriage curtain was lifted, and the eunuch she’d seen before reached out to help her.

"Where is this?" Wang Lihua shook off the eunuch’s hand, jumping down from the carriage with a guarded expression.

The eunuch didn’t dare to show anger and had to bow respectfully to answer Wang Lihua’s question.

"Reporting... reporting... um..."

Wang Lihua raised an eyebrow, wondering why the eunuch was suddenly stammering.

The eunuch was dumbfounded, realizing he had no idea how to address this woman. Finally, he braced himself and said, "Reporting... miss, this is the Xiunu Hall. Arrangements have been made to prepare your quarters."

"Xiunu Hall?!" Wang Lihua was stunned. She knew exactly what this place was meant for.

What exactly was that tyrant thinking?

Wang Lihua started to panic.

This feeling of unease lingered until dinner time, when the eunuch known as Eunuch Yue, who served at the emperor’s side, personally brought a set of clothes and a message. The emperor invited her to dine with him.

"Dinner is fine, but I’m not changing my clothes," Wang Lihua told Yue Dou.

Yue Dou’s voice remained calm. "This is the palace, Miss Wang. Going out in your current attire might lack decorum."

"Then I won’t go."

"..."

In a pavilion by the Leaping Carp Lake, Chen Kaiming sat alone at a table, facing the lake and sipping fine wine.

He had been waiting for nearly the time it took to drink a cup of tea. Normally, who would dare keep him waiting? Yet this time, he didn’t feel impatient; instead, he felt a hint of anticipation.

He had asked Yue Dou to deliver a set of silk clothes from the Western Regions, typically worn by female dancers. The clothes barely covered the thighs and chest.

Thinking of this, Chen Kaiming couldn’t help but laugh at himself. He suddenly felt a bit childish, unsure if he genuinely wanted to see her in the outfit or if he just wanted to make things difficult for her.

But, he had to admit, he felt a bit expectant.

Footsteps sounded from behind him, and Chen Kaiming turned with a smile, which immediately froze on his face.

There, he saw the woman named Lihua, still dressed in the plain white gown she had worn during the day, strolling over with a carefree grace. With each step, her long skirt flowed, giving her the air of a gallant knight.

His hand slacked, spilling wine down onto his shoes, but he didn’t react, utterly captivated by the sight.