IMPERIAL FAVOUR - CHAPTER 3

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Chapter 3: The Legitimate Wife.

After the meal was finished, Tang Zhuozhuo felt a sense of being at a loss. Huo Qiu’s presence had always been overwhelming; the moment his tall frame drew near, she instinctively flinched away, the dampness of her palms slowly seeping into her handkerchief.
In her past life, her heart and eyes had been entirely filled with Wang Yi. She had become an expert at handling Huo Qiu: never saying a single unnecessary word, answering only what was asked. As the days turned into years, she had convinced herself they were mutually repulsed by one another, and her perfunctory attitude had only grown more severe.
But now that she had a second chance, she did not want to repeat those mistakes. Yet, as for the proper way to interact with him... she was truly troubled.
Seeing her like this, Huo Qiu’s gaze reflexively turned cold. Her thoughts seemed written plainly across her face; to think he had still harbored a sliver of hope when he hurried over here.
The eunuchs and palace maids withdrew in an orderly fashion, leaving only Huo Qiu and Tang Zhuozhuo facing one another in the hall. Wisps of incense drifted into the air, only to be scattered by the cool night breeze, leaving not a trace behind.
"Lady Tang." The fire of anger and jealousy smoldered in his heart, and his expression naturally soured. His voice was as cold as an icicle in the depths of winter.
Huo Qiu possessed a dark, brooding nature and was ruthless in his actions. In her previous life, when his face darkened like this, even the most clamorous officials in court dared not utter a single word. Tang Zhuozhuo looked up into his expressionless eyes and froze for a moment.
"I am here," Tang Zhuozhuo replied obediently. She tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, revealing an earlobe as fair as white jade that radiated a delicate glow.
Huo Qiu’s eyes darkened a fraction further.
"Since you have been granted the status of the Crown Prince’s legitimate wife, you ought to know which thoughts are permissible and which are not."
Fearing she wouldn't take his words to heart, Huo Qiu spoke with heavy emphasis. Recalling the portrait he had discovered in her small cabinet that morning, he felt like laughing from sheer rage.
He was the Crown Prince, and she was his formally wedded wife, yet she spent her days staring at a portrait of another man to soothe her longing? No matter how calm and self-controlled he was, he could not endure such a singular humiliation.
In her previous life, it was precisely a sentence like this that caused their already freezing relationship to shatter completely. The Tang family had been loyal officials and fierce generals for generations; having grown up in such a household, Tang Zhuozhuo’s temper was naturally one that refused to suffer a loss.
Even if the man before her was the future Emperor Chongjian.
Thinking back now, if he truly wanted to settle accounts, it wouldn't just be her, the entire Tang family would have been unable to bear the consequences.
Tang Zhuozhuo pursed her lips, her gaze falling upon his large hand hanging at his side. Her expression turned vacant as she remembered the warmth of that same hand pressing against her portrait in the dark of night. It truly felt like a lifetime ago.
"I shall certainly keep it in my heart." She met Huo Qiu’s cold eyes and spoke softly after a long silence, her voice carrying a faint echo through the empty hall.
From Huo Qiu’s perspective, her long eyelashes cast shadows downward like a row of dense little brushes, fluttering against the strings of his heart.
Huo Qiu’s throat felt parched. A flash of astonishment flickered through his eyes, and the hand at his side tightened before slowly relaxing again.
The hall suddenly became incredibly quiet, save for the faint, distant chirping of cicadas in the treetops. Tang Zhuozhuo understood Huo Qiu’s intent; he had come for nothing more than to warn and discipline her.
She had the heart to explain, but when she thought of that portrait; the root of their strife, she felt somewhat powerless.
Huo Qiu looked at the woman standing before him. From her exquisite face to her slender, snow-white neck and her willow-thin waist, a wave of inexplicable irritation rose within him, which he forced himself to suppress.
This woman was beautiful in every aspect; she was simply too heartless.
"I have matters to attend to. I shall leave first." Huo Qiu gave her a deep, lingering look before striding toward the exit. Tang Zhuozhuo started slightly, the light in her bright eyes dimming.
Ah, well. Three feet of ice is not formed in a single day; things must be taken slowly. Even if she could not yet return Huo Qiu’s affection in equal measure, she could at least fulfill the duties of a consort of the Eastern Palace.
Thinking this, Tang Zhuozhuo sighed inwardly, but a small smile graced her lips as she sank into a graceful curtsy. "I respectfully see Your Highness off."
Just as he reached the heavy pearl curtain, Huo Qiu’s brow suddenly furrowed. His gold-embroidered boots paused. His voice was laced with uncontrollable frost, and his thin jaw was pulled tight.
"Today, Wang Yi, the General of Mighty Prowess, submitted a petition to marry the legitimate second daughter of the Marquis of Ningyuan."
He paused here, not looking at her expression, his gaze as heavy as a thick mist. "The Imperial Father asked for my opinion today. I found it suitable."
Even if she were to throw a massive tantrum in a moment, if it could thoroughly sever her lingering attachments, he would do it again without hesitation.
What "childhood sweetheart" sentiments? In Huo Qiu’s eyes, they amounted to nothing. No matter how sweet Wang Yi’s words were, the moment he was told he could only marry Tang Zhuozhuo after stabilizing the Northwest, his face had changed instantly.
How deep could such feelings be?
In the end, was it not he, Huo Qiu, who led the troops personally and then married her? Rather than letting her suffer at the side of such a petty man, it was better to pull her under his own wings and protect her properly.
He just hadn't expected that after pulling her to his side, the one suffering every day would be himself.
Hearing his words, Tang Zhuozhuo’s heart skipped a beat. The fine silk of her handkerchief became damp with cold sweat. Currently, the late Emperor was critically ill and the Crown Prince was Regent; anything he deemed "suitable" was essentially a settled matter.
In her past life, it was this very news that had sent their relationship into a deep freeze. Tang Zhuozhuo recalled that past, her expression dazed. She had just opened her mouth to speak when she saw that Huo Qiu had turned back at some unknown point. His eagle-sharp eyes were fixed on her face, his brow furrowed in a dark, brooding scowl.
Tang Zhuozhuo panicked slightly. She pursed her lips and said in a low voice, "Your Highness need not speak to me of matters concerning the Imperial Court."
Huo Qiu’s gaze instantly froze. After a moment, he turned away, the mockery in his voice unmistakable. "Quite right."
With that, he strode out of Yiqiu Palace. Seeing this development, Zhang Desheng, who was waiting outside, hurriedly flicked his whisk and followed behind without daring to make a sound.
Everything had clearly been fine during the meal; why was it this scene again the moment the master stepped out?
The summer night breeze carried a hint of chill. Palace maids carried lanterns along the winding paths. Aside from the soft sound of footsteps, there was only the rustle of wind through the leaves. Recalling the woman's abnormal behavior in the hall, Huo Qiu let out a cold snort from the depths of his heart.
He truly did not possess even a shred of her affection. Huo Qiu closed his eyes abruptly, the coldness radiating from him becoming exceptionally palpable. Zhang Desheng swallowed hard and spoke with cautious deliberation.
"Your Highness, Her Ladyship keeps your kindness in her heart. This servant just heard An Xia say that Her Ladyship waited specifically for Your Highness to have dinner."
Huo Qiu didn’t even blink. He might have been able to listen to such words before, but in the six months since she had married in, the number of times she had spoken kindly to him could be counted on one hand.
After doing the deed of pressing a warm face against a cold backside too many times, one's heart naturally turns to ice.
He turned the jade thumb ring on his hand, which shimmered with a ghostly light, his expression unreadable.
Every woman in the world might flatter him or love him, but Tang Zhuozhuo would not.
She was a truly heartless one.
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