Chapter 2: A Cold and Lonely Palace
220 Words
For three years, Jiang Ruoli remained by the Emperor’s side, managing the harem with grace, honoring the Empress Dowager, and maintaining order.
Xiao Changyan was neither cruel nor affectionate toward her.
At times, she would prepare nourishing soup late at night and personally deliver it to the imperial study.
“Your Majesty, it is late. Please drink some soup to warm yourself,” she would murmur.
He would glance at her briefly and reply, “Leave it there.”
She would lower her gaze and quietly retreat, unaware that she had already stood outside the study for hours, simply waiting for the chance to see him.
She thought, perhaps in time, he would come to see her devotion.
But then, Consort Rong entered the palace.
Consort Rong was a renowned scholar from Jiangnan, skilled in music and poetry, with a beauty that could topple cities. Within a month, she became Xiao Changyan’s favorite.
One evening, as Jiang Ruoli passed by the imperial study, she saw Consort Rong seated beside the Emperor, playing the guqin.
Xiao Changyan sat nearby, watching her with a gaze so gentle it could melt snow.
At that moment, Jiang Ruoli finally understood—his restraint and indifference had never been due to his nature.
It was simply that she was not the one he cared for.
- Writer
