I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Chapter 13 A Letter Sent to the North

Lu Wanning raised her head, looking at Qin Mu, her eyes glistening with tears: "Your Majesty... has left the palace again?"

"Yeah, let's go out for a walk."

"Why do you always go out by yourself..." Lu Wanning muttered softly, "It's so dangerous outside, what if..."

"What if what?" Qin Mu raised an eyebrow.

Lu Wanning bit her lip: "What if there's an assassin? What if someone offends His Majesty? His Majesty is of paramount importance; nothing can happen to him..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible.

But Qin Mu sensed the concern and worry in his voice.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry, no one in the world has yet been born who can harm me."

Looking at the confidence in Qin Mu's eyes, Lu Wanning revealed undisguised admiration, and said with a slight blush, "Your Majesty is wise and mighty, naturally no one can rival you."

After a long while, Lu Wanning asked softly, "Your Majesty... next time you go out of the palace, could you take me with you?"

Qin Mu raised an eyebrow: "You also want to leave the palace?"

"Hmm." Lu Wanning nodded, a longing look in her eyes. "I've been in the palace for three years, and I've only left once, last year when I visited my family. Sitting in the carriage, looking out through the curtain, I couldn't see anything at all..."

She lowered her head, playing with the hem of her clothes:

"I've heard that there are vendors selling sugar figurines, acrobats, storytellers, and all sorts of snacks on the street... but I've never seen any of them."

Qin Mu looked at her childish appearance and smiled: "You want to leave the palace, just for these things?"

"Not entirely." Lu Wanning looked up, her eyes sparkling. "Your Majesty, I want to see what the world looks like through your eyes. I want to walk with you on the street, like...like an ordinary couple."

That's a bold statement.

An ordinary couple?

How could an emperor and his concubines be like an ordinary married couple?

But Qin Mu did not reprimand her.

Looking at the woman in front of him, he suddenly remembered that a long time ago, when he was still an ordinary person, he had also fantasized about going shopping, eating, and watching movies with the person he liked.

That kind of simple, ordinary happiness.

Now he possesses the world and has countless beauties in his harem, but he can no longer find that feeling again.

"Okay," Qin Mu heard himself say.

Lu Wanning was taken aback at first, then exclaimed with delight, "Really?"

"Really." Qin Mu nodded. "However..."

"But what?" Lu Wanning asked nervously.

Qin Mu leaned closer to her and whispered in her ear, "Then we'll see how you perform tonight."

The warm breath brushed against her earlobe, and Lu Wanning's cheeks instantly flushed red.

"Your Majesty..." She was too embarrassed to speak.

Qin Mu laughed and stood up: "Alright, I'll go back and take care of some things first, and come back for dinner."

Lu Wanning quickly rose to see him off, saying, "Your Majesty, I have been waiting for you."

As he reached the door, Qin Mu glanced back.

Lu Wanning was still standing there, holding the two small clay figurines in her hands, with a happy smile on her face.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating her and giving her a golden glow.

At that moment, Qin Mu suddenly felt that the deep palace was not all about conspiracies and schemes.

At least there's still this genuine sincerity.

Although this sincerity may also be mixed with a bit of dependence on power and a bit of expectation for the future.

But at least for now, it is pure.

This is enough.

.........

At dinner time, Qin Mu arrived as promised.

Lu Wanning is ready.

In the warm room, there was a round table made of rosewood, with only four dishes on it: steamed sea bass, blanched bok choy, crab roe tofu, and a bowl of chicken soup.

They were all light flavors that Qin Mu liked.

"Your Majesty, please sit down." Lu Wanning personally served Qin Mu the dishes. "I specially asked the imperial kitchen to use less oil and salt. Please try it and see if it suits your taste."

Qin Mu picked up a piece of sea bass; the flesh was tender and cooked to perfection.

"good."

Lu Wanning smiled broadly, like a child who had just received a compliment.

After dinner, the palace maids cleared away the bowls and plates and served tea.

Qin Mu leaned against the soft couch, and Lu Wanning knelt at his feet, massaging his legs.

"Your Majesty, did anything interesting happen outside the palace today?" she asked softly.

Qin Mu thought for a moment and then briefly recounted the storytelling at Tingfeng Tower.

Of course, the parts discussing him and Xu Longxiang are omitted.

Lu Wanning listened with great interest: "Is General Xu really that capable?"

"Yes, the battle achievements are genuine." Qin Mu nodded.

"Then Your Majesty..." Lu Wanning asked cautiously, "Isn't Your Majesty worried?"

"What are you worried about?"

"His achievements are too great, threatening the emperor's authority," Lu Wanning said. "Although I don't understand politics, I've heard my father say that powerful ministers and fierce generals are the most difficult to control throughout history, especially those who hold significant military power and enjoy immense popularity among the people..."

She didn't finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.

Qin Mu looked at her: "Do you think I should be worried?"

Lu Wanning shook her head: "Your Majesty does not know. But I believe Your Majesty has a solution."

"You do believe me."

"Because His Majesty is His Majesty."

Lu Wanning said matter-of-factly, "In the three years I have been in the palace, I have never seen Your Majesty truly panic about anything. Even last year when the court and the public were praising General Xu after the great victory in the north, Your Majesty just smiled and continued doing what he was doing."

She looked up at Qin Mu:

"I think Your Majesty is either very confident, or... simply doesn't care."

Qin Mu's heart stirred.

This Lu Wanning is even smarter than he imagined.

"Then tell me, am I confident, or do I simply not care?" he asked.

Lu Wanning thought for a moment and said, "Yes, they are."

"Oh?"

"His Majesty is confident and therefore unconcerned."

Lu Wanning said seriously, "It's like adults watching children fight. They know that no matter how much they make a fuss, they won't hurt themselves, so they just let them be."

This analogy made Qin Mu laugh.

"You dare to say that."

"I only tell Your Majesty this," Lu Wanning lowered her head and continued massaging his legs. "In front of outsiders, I am just a concubine who knows how to win favor."

Qin Mu was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Then why did you tell me all this?"

Lu Wanning paused for a moment.

Then she said softly, "Because Your Majesty wants to know that in this harem, there is at least one person who truly stands by your side. Not for power, not for family, but simply... on your side."

The warm room quieted down.

The only sound was the crackling of the candlelight.

Looking at the woman kneeling at his feet, Qin Mu felt a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

He knew that what she said might not be entirely sincere.

In the depths of the palace, where can one find pure affection?

Her father needed her to secure his position, and her family needed her to win favor.

She knew that only by pleasing the emperor could she survive in the harem.

But at least for now, she is willing to say these things.

This is enough.

"Get up." Qin Mu reached out and pulled her up, letting her sit beside him.

Lu Wanning obediently nestled into his arms.

"Your Majesty, let me dance for you," she said softly. "I haven't finished the new dance I learned today yet."

"it is good."

Lu Wanning got up and walked to the center of the warm pavilion.

She didn't ask the palace maids to play the zither, but instead hummed a tune softly to herself.

It was a gentle and lingering tune from Jiangnan.

She started dancing.

This time was different from the afternoon practice.

The afternoon dance is for perfection; every movement is performed with utmost precision.

The dance we are performing now is for him.

It felt less contrived and more genuine.

Her water-red dance dress shimmered gently in the candlelight, and her wide sleeves fluttered with her movements like two dancing butterflies.

Her gaze remained fixed on Qin Mu.

Sometimes alluring, sometimes shy, sometimes affectionate.

Qin Mu watched quietly.

He suddenly noticed that Lu Wanning's dance moves bore a resemblance to Jiang Qingxue's sword practice.

It's not just similar in appearance, it's similar in spirit.

That kind of focus, that kind of dedication.

Jiang Qingxue's focus was tinged with coldness and decisiveness, while Lu Wanning's focus was filled with warmth and tenderness.

The dance ended.

Lu Wanning was slightly out of breath, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead and a flush on her cheeks.

She gracefully knelt down: "Your Majesty, how was my dancing?"

Qin Mu stood up, walked to her, and reached out to help her up.

"It's beautiful."

Just two words, yet they made Lu Wanning's eyes light up.

"Then... what Your Majesty promised me..." she looked at him expectantly.

Qin Mu smiled: "I promise you, I will take you with me next time I leave the palace."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lu Wanning beamed and threw herself into Qin Mu's arms.

Qin Mu held her in his arms, feeling her soft body and joyful heartbeat.

At this moment, he temporarily forgot Xu Longxiang's conspiracy, the undercurrents in the court, and the conflicts of the world.

He was just Qin Mu.

And she was simply Lu Wanning.

"Your Majesty," Lu Wanning whispered in his arms, "I will always stand by your side. No matter what happens, no matter what others say, I will believe in you."

Qin Mu didn't say anything, he just hugged her tighter.

The moon rose outside the window, and its bright light bathed the courtyard.

The candlelight flickered in the warm room, casting the shadows of the two people on the wall, where they overlapped.

That night, the lights in Fengyi Palace stayed on very late.

........

Meanwhile, in a secret chamber of the Northern King's Palace, Xu Longxiang was looking at a secret letter in his hand.

The letter was sent by Jiang Qingxue.

It was written on the back of an ordinary family letter with a special solution, and it needed to be heated with fire to become visible.

The letter was very short, only three lines:

"The emperor is incompetent and weak, and his power is insufficient."

Today, watching me practice swordsmanship, his eyes were greedy.

He's just a lecherous fellow with ten pictures; nothing to fear.