Chapter 48

  "Sister, what should Xiaoxue do?" Murong Xue asked in a trembling voice, her helpless eyes looking at the two sisters with calm faces.

  Murong Xuan smiled coldly and said, "There's no way around it, so please calm down, Snow Concubine. This is the imperial palace, you are serving the current emperor, there are countless beauties by his side, you're just one of many sisters accompanying him. And - from now on, please don't call me sister again, you are now the emperor's Snow Concubine, and the emperor is my father-in-law, don't mess up the ranks and become a laughing stock. If you have nothing else to say, I'll take my leave."

  "Sister! ——" Murong Xue's mournful cry echoed out.

  Murong Xuan didn't even turn her head, although she was in great pain, but thinking of her mother who hanged herself for Murong Xue, and her third sister who had to marry Sima Rui for Murong Xue, and then thinking of her father who turned white-haired overnight, the pain in her heart turned into hatred. This is what she brought upon herself. At that time, no matter how much advice was given to her, she wouldn't listen. Now that something has happened, thinking of her sister again, what can be done? The Emperor is the Emperor, he can't possibly be devoted to only Murong Xue, being fond of new things and tired of old ones is normal.

  "Third sister." Murong Xue turned to Murong Feng who had been standing silently, tears streaming down her face.

  Murong Feng sighed and said softly, "Xue Fei, things have come to this point, there's no other way, it all depends on your fate. For now, you can only endure the loneliness and wait for the Emperor to think of you again. You and Li Fei are about the same age, but your personalities are vastly different, just like peonies and roses, each has its own charm. The Emperor won't be able to favor one person alone, with this mindset, I'm afraid even the Empress, Wu Fei, and Liu Fei have all gone through it before, you can only accept it."

  Murong Xue stood aghast, could it be that the Emperor's words to her were all lies?! Didn't he say he would cherish and protect her for all eternity? Yet, in just a few days...

  "Since you've chosen this path, you have to accept your fate." Murong Xuan said coldly without turning her head, "This is the imperial palace, not the Murong royal residence. You must be cautious with every step, or you might die without even knowing why."

  "Snow Queen, this is the imperial palace where all the beauty in the world is gathered. Everyone who stays in the palace is beautiful and charming, intelligent and extraordinary. It's not just you, Murong Xue, who are the most beautiful, outstanding, or youngest." Murong Feng said with a hint of helplessness.

  "Third sister, let's go!" Murong Xuan said indifferently. "Murong Xue, no one can help you. If you want to survive, others are cruel, and you must be even more ruthless. You have to learn to become a new person!"

  Murong Xue didn't understand, she just stared blankly at the figures of her sisters leaving, but in her heart, she vaguely understood one thing - this imperial palace was absolutely not her home, she had to survive on her own, there was no one to rely on, only herself.

  "Rui Xi, don't cry." Murong Xue said weakly. "If Li Fei can seduce the Emperor, why can't I? I don't think I'm worse than her. The Emperor has said that from now on, his heart will only have me and no one else. So I must make sure his heart only belongs to me, not anyone else!"

  Rui Xi looked at Murong Xue, feeling a chill in her heart. Murong Xue was originally such a simple and innocent young lady, who had once so innocently liked the Crown Prince, saying that when she got married, she would marry someone like the Crown Prince. But now, she too could be jealous? No wonder when they invited Eldest Sister and Third Sister today, Eldest Sister just coldly smiled and said, "She thinks this is the Murong King's residence, but this is the Imperial Palace!" The Imperial Palace was indeed a terrifying place!

  After breakfast, the Emperor arrived at the Warm Jade Pavilion, standing at the door, hesitating for half a day, not knowing whether to go to Snow Concubine or Beautiful Concubine. Beautiful Concubine was indeed a fiery girl, daring to do anything, causing the Emperor's soul to be upside down all night, but Snow was truly beautiful and moving, and also so obedient to him, which one was better?

  "What's on your mind, Your Majesty?" Murong Xue had already seen the Emperor standing there in a daze, and her heart felt a pang of sadness. He must be weighing whether to come to her side or go to Consort Li's side. Although she thought this in her heart, her face still forced a smile. "Why don't you think of Xue'er? Xue'er has always been thinking of you. How can you bear to treat Xue'er like this?"

  The emperor glanced at Murong Feng, wearing a goose-yellow skirt, like the first budding of spring on a branch, weak and helpless, with tears in her eyes that seemed to hold back emotions. Looking at the emperor, she was so helpless and frail. The emperor's heart rose with a few points of pity, and he walked over to Murong Xue.

  "Your Majesty!" The voice of Li Fei suddenly rang out, this little girl, her courage was truly great, wearing only a thin silk skirt in the middle of the day. It clung tightly to her body, with curves that were tantalizing and made one's imagination run wild. "Your Majesty is indeed biased, having accompanied Snow Fei for so many days already, yet seeing Snow Fei unable to even move her legs, Ya Li will not stand for it! She is your consort, I am also your consort, you should be fair. Last night Your Majesty had a great time, today I specially prepared new entertainment, what a waste of my efforts!" Her small mouth pouted, refusing to give in.

  The emperor looked embarrassed, standing there, thinking for a long time, before saying: "Xue Er, you look like you're not feeling well, hurry back to your room and rest, I'll go see you later."

  Murong Xue almost vomited blood, forcing a smile, word by word: "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern. Snow will not disturb Your Majesty and Empress Li anymore." After finishing speaking, she turned around and left, swallowing her tears into her heart. This is the Emperor, this is the Emperor who indulges in pleasure every night, this is the Emperor who let her mother hang herself, this is the Emperor she thought she could rely on for life.

  She even made plans to seduce the emperor, but the emperor didn't take the bait. As soon as Consort Li approached him, he immediately lost two of his three souls!

  Murong Feng left the Warm Jade Pavilion, Sima Rui was still waiting outside. Seeing Murong Feng come out, he smiled and said: "Come, I'll take you to see someone. He's the Emperor's uncle, the youngest of Father's brothers, also a famous Confucian scholar in our Great Xing Dynasty. Today, he came to the palace to visit Father, he's indeed a refined and humorous person, you should like him when you meet him."

  "I'm not interested in the person you like." Murong Feng said disapprovingly.

  "It's only when I see you that I realize," Sima Rui said with a smile, "Anyway, it's boring to just idle around, so why not go take a look? Besides, he's come from afar and must have some interesting stories to share."

  Murong Feng was really not interested in Sima Rui's suggestion. The palace had only these things, and at first they were fresh, but after a long time, they became meaningless. She would rather lie on the bed and read books. Moreover, this Sima Rui always followed her wherever she went, which was really annoying. However, she couldn't argue with Sima Rui, so she had to follow him.

  However, when she saw Sima Minglang, she still felt that Sima Rui's suggestion was correct. Sima Minglang was about 37 or 38 years old, with a refined and elegant temperament, extremely clean and neat. Especially his eyes, when looking at people, were always warm and focused, making one involuntarily want to get close to him.

  Murong Feng felt a sudden jump in her heart, if she were to put this person in Bai Min's era, she would definitely like him, so gentle, mature and steady, making people feel safe and down-to-earth.

  However, she is now Sima Minglang's niece-in-law. When he looks at her, his eyes are those of a senior, warm but not intimate.