RPAGF Chapter 312 I will only marry you, my one and only woman in this life
Chapter 312 I will only marry you, my one and only woman in this life
Her words made Lan Zhi suddenly realize something. She quickly turned around in the bathtub and looked at her in astonishment.
"Aunt Feng, what do you mean by that? Could it be...you're my mother?"
Aunt Feng nodded, tears streaming down her face.
"Yes, if I had known earlier that you had my daughter's birthmark on you, we would have recognized each other long ago. Why did we have to wait until today and go through so much?"
She would have known five years ago that Lan Zhi was her daughter.
Then there would be no story of Lan Zhi being demoted by the emperor because of her unclear identity, no story of Wei Jianning resigning from his post, and no story of her falling out with Lin Xingliang and leaving home for five years.
But things just happened so coincidentally. Five years later, when everything had settled down, she discovered that the person she had been living with all along was actually her daughter.
Aunt Feng's words surprised Lan Zhi as well. She had heard Wei Jianning mention that she had a birthmark on her back, but she hadn't taken it seriously or asked about it in detail.
Several years ago, Aunt Feng asked her if she had any birthmarks. At that time, she disliked Aunt Feng and just casually replied.
Now, because of this birthmark, she's being mistaken for Aunt Feng's daughter? Does that mean her father is Lin Xingliang?
Good heavens, so she's actually the daughter of the Imperial Censor?
"Xiangxiu, Aqi..."
She called out loudly, and the two women responded and entered.
"My lady..."
"Help me change my clothes."
This happened so suddenly that she wasn't prepared at all.
Although Ah Qi and Xiang Xiu didn't understand what was going on, seeing the strange look on her face, they didn't dare to be negligent and hurriedly went forward to help her put on her clothes.
Fengyi Palace Main Hall
Lan Zhi sat in the main seat, speechless for a moment, unsure of what to say.
Aunt Feng looked at her with tears in her eyes, and finally couldn't help but speak.
“Back then, your father was in the officialdom. Someone tried to drag him down with him, but he refused. So someone bribed the servants in the mansion to steal you away. You were only a few days old at the time. I didn’t even remember what you looked like. Fortunately, before you were born, I made these two silver bells for you. Otherwise, I’m afraid I would never have found you in this lifetime.”
At this point, she covered her face and sobbed. Lan Zhi swallowed hard and whispered:
"Um... Aunt Feng, this all happened so suddenly. Please allow me a few days to process this and think about it, okay?"
Aunt Feng sighed softly and nodded.
"You have just been promoted to Empress, and I happen to discover at this time that you are my daughter. If outsiders find out, they will think that I, a commoner, am trying to climb the social ladder by marrying into your family."
Seeing the displeasure in her tone, Lan Zhi quickly stood up from her seat, stepped forward, took her hand, and gently comforted her:
“Aunt Feng, whether you are my biological mother or not, I have always treated you as my own mother for the past five years. If it can be confirmed that you are my biological mother now, that would be a wonderful thing. It has nothing to do with who I am or who you are.”
As she spoke, she stepped forward and hugged her, then pulled a strand of hair from her back and secretly stuffed it into her sleeve.
Although Aunt Feng had no reason to lie to her, she still wanted Xiao Xin to do a paternity test for her. After all, she was now the Empress, and she really couldn't just recognize anyone as her mother.
If these words had been spoken in the past, Aunt Feng would have been overjoyed and wept with happiness.
But now, she felt that Lan Zhi was just brushing her off, and she immediately nodded sadly.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I'll go keep the Crown Prince company now."
Clearly, Lan Zhi's words disappointed her.
However, before she was certain that she was her biological mother, Lan Zhi dared not make any rash moves.
After all, these are only Ling Jiawei's side of the story.
As night fell, Wei Jianning finally arrived at Fengyi Palace.
She remembered that she hadn't seen him for several days, and when she heard the eunuch announce that the Emperor had arrived, she hurriedly got up and went out to greet him.
"Your Majesty, what brings you to Fengyi Palace today?"
He opened his arms, letting her help him take off his coat, while letting out a soft sigh.
"I've always wanted to come, but there are just too many official documents to handle."
She carefully placed his coat aside and gently comforted him:
"I know you're busy, so I didn't dare bother you. Have you been drinking the bird's nest porridge I send you every day?"
Wei Jianning took her hand and nodded as they walked towards the bed.
"If it weren't for my wife's bird's nest porridge, I really would have held on. Whenever I feel tired, I think of my wife and Zhuangzhuang waiting for me, and I feel full of energy and invigorated."
She smiled, pursing her lips.
'That's such a pretentious thing to say; it's hardly the kind of thing a ruler should say.'
He pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed, drew her into his arms, and said softly:
"I am the emperor in front of my ministers and in front of the people, but in front of you I am your man and in front of Zhuangzhuang I am his father. This is a fact that no one can change."
Although she was secretly pleased, she still teasingly muttered:
"I heard that during the morning court session this day, the Minister of Revenue advised that since the new emperor has ascended the throne, it is time to hold a selection of candidates, and that the young women from all over the country are ready?"
He lowered his gaze, blew a warm breath on her head, and chuckled teasingly:
"Are you jealous?"
She leaned her head against his chest and shook her head.
"No, you are the emperor now. It's normal for you to not only hold a selection of concubines, but also to grant the emperor three palaces and six courtyards."
He pulled her close, facing her directly, and said solemnly:
"Were all the things I told you before lies?"
She pouted and gave a reproachful sound.
"Who knows? Times have changed. You are the emperor. Since ancient times, what emperor has ever remained faithful to one woman until the end?"
Hearing a hint of bitterness in her voice, Wei Jianning gently pressed his hand against the tip of her nose and said affectionately:
"If you serve me well today, I promise you that I will never take any concubines or mistresses, and will only favor you."
His voice was so gentle that it softened Lan Zhi's heart.
She raised her hand and gently pressed it against his lips, then leaned down and offered her own red lips...
Inside the Phoenix Palace's bedroom, a long-absent chorus of warbling birds suddenly filled the air...
***
After their lovemaking, Lan Zhi nestled in Wei Jianning's arms, her face slightly flushed, and she was breathing softly.
He provocatively tried to roll over and pin her down, and she quickly covered her chest with her hands, looking at him with terrified eyes.
"Twice in a row, and you're coming again?"
He squinted and chuckled softly.
"We haven't slept together for days, can't we make up for it all at once?"
She raised her hand and patted his cheek, comforting him continuously.
"Delicious food is rare, and too much of a good thing can be bad. My husband, don't be greedy for food. Let's take it slow and steady over time."
"Hahaha!"
He laughed as he lay back down in his seat, pulling her forcefully into his arms, and smiled indulgently.
"Just kidding. Even if I had that experience, I'm afraid you'd be too tired. But I feel like we haven't had a proper chat in a few days."
"It has been quite a long time. Ever since you became emperor, you've been so busy with state affairs that we've hardly seen each other at all."
Hearing the hurt in her voice, he quickly whispered something to comfort her.
"I've been busy lately, but things will be fine next month. By the way, Yu Jie is going to Tianwu Kingdom next month. You need to personally review the dowry list. We can't mistreat her, and we can't let the people of Tianwu Kingdom think that we don't value Yu Jie."
“I know. I have already informed the Ministry of Rites to increase the dowry by 30% as normal for a princess's marriage, in order to show how much we value her. However, I still feel that she agreed to marry into the Tianwu Kingdom with a bit of resentment. We have all witnessed her affair with Yuan Tianxiong, and yet she still asked Yuan Tianxiong to see her off on her journey. Isn't that a bit puzzling?”