The Choice Queen's
TCQ 19: White Silk Introduction to Grief
Li Fengran caught up with Nangong Zirui an hour later.
Although Nangong Zirui did not love Ling Sui, she was still his legal wife. Years of living together may not leave feelings.
At the very least, Nangong Zirui would be saddened by the loss of a wife who could be considered a friend.
Qihua Palace shone brightly in the darkness of the night. The aura is noble, but there is a kind of gloom that goes unnoticed.
The magnificent door of the palace opened, and Li Fengran was quite surprised upon seeing Nangong Zirui sitting on the floor of the hall while his body leaned against his work desk.
Nangong Zirui was drunk. The wine he swallowed was only half left and spilled on the floor just like that. As Li Fengran approached him, the man hiccupped and his cheeks reddened.
The look in his eyes implied a grief that was being held back. Nangong Zirui also occasionally frowned and massaged his temples.
“Your Majesty, why did you drink that much?” asked Li Fengran.
“Ling Sui, I don't hate her. He said he married me to help me. She's a good queen, but she can't be a good wife. Everything he did, couldn't make me fall in love with him,” raved Nangong Zirui.
“You know? He was willing to waste his youth by being confined in this palace. He always said he would help me handle business, but he never fully believed in me,” he said again.
“Why does His Majesty think so?”
“If he believes me, he will not hide his true health condition and deceive me. I... not a stupid king, where maybe I don't know what he's hiding behind his back.”
“Maybe the Queen doesn't want to burden you.”
“Is that? Why is he not speaking honestly? In the end, he left. Tell me, should I be sad or happy for her freedom?”
Nangong Zirui couldn't help but say that he actually had a slight impression of Ling Sui. After all, they had been married for many years and lived together.
Despite not having an intense relationship, at least in the eyes of Nangong Zirui, Ling Sui was a good Queen.
He doesn't care what anyone out there says. They can freely say that the King hates the Queen and does not want to sleep with her since marriage.
Nangong Zirui only knew and cared if Ling Sui went through her day without having to burden people's bad thoughts about the two of them.
Li Fengran was only a newcomer who came from outside. He didn't have enough knowledge to understand how Nangong Zirui's true heart was.
Every time he saw it, Li Fengran would be reminded of how he hit his face and what Nangong Zirui looked like when he saw him back in the Linglong Hall.
His heart was always beating faster, he was afraid that Nangong Zirui would suddenly calculate with him and punish him. As he forced to accompany Ling Sui and disobeyed orders, Li Fengran was worried.
Seeing Nangong Zirui screwed up like this, Li Fengran suddenly understood why Ling Sui was so adamant about surviving in this chaotic palace. Obviously the woman knew that her life was in danger, but still chose to stay.
Nangong Zirui is not without feelings, he just does not fall in love. The rest, Nangong Zirui's feelings for Ling Sui were enough to keep them together as King and Queen Donghao's husband and wife formally.
“Obviously he could have chosen to leave by then. The Ling family had put forth a lot of effort for him, but it did not bring any additional glory. Honour, in the end fades with time.”
“Your Majesty, you are drunk. I'll have Eunuch Wang bring you some drunk soup.”
If Nangong Zirui chattered even longer, he could have revealed all the burdens in his heart to Li Fengran.
As a new person who still had not set his heart, Li Fengran did not want to be burdened with a known secret by accident. The only way to stop him is to get this guy back to his senses.
But unexpectedly, Nangong Zirui suddenly stood up and refreshed his own body. The red hue on his cheek had not disappeared, but the faint gaze that had been looming over him gradually turned normal. His body was strong and he was very conscious. Li Fengran gaped.
“I'm not drunk.”
How come? Ever since he entered, this man had always been rumbling and muttering about Ling Sui. The pungent smell of wine was also smelled in his dragon robe.
How could he not be drunk?
Li Fengran had yet to rise from his heralding taste when Nangong Zirui suddenly said, “Half of the wine jars will not make me drunk. I'm just surprised. Li Fengran, you can go.”
...***...
A few days later, Ling Sui was buried in a royal tomb.
White silk waved in the air, clad in palace pillars and light bars. Ling Sui's coffin was lifted after a series of processions accompanied by sobs coming from the Ling Family.
They lost the woman of their pride, who had become Queen Donghao and stood firmly in the harem alone after a few years.
Li Fengran was able to see the deep sadness on their faces. The Rite Minister was leading the front, dozens of servants were sowing mourning money along the way.
The motorcade walked towards the royal tomb on top of Mount Ruyi, passing the main street of the capital. The people ushered in the departure of their queen in front of the palace gates with their heads bowed and some waiting in the center of the city.
The distance from the Royal Palace to Mount Ruyi was quite far and the path was uphill. Li Fengran felt that there would be no great influence if he did not come along.
Li Fengran disappeared among the crowd as Ling Sui's coffin was lifted into the carriage and slowly sped away
leave palace. He turned around, infiltrating back into the palace by himself.
At this moment, the palace was still in a mourning mood. Activities in some palaces run as usual, but are different from the Back Palace. Li Fengran knew that Nangong Zirui did not take Ling Sui to the funeral and chose to remain silent at Qihua Palace.
This attitude only confirmed the news that the King did hate his Queen despite the fact that they did not know.
Li Fengran turned to Qihua Palace. Wang Bi seemed to be waiting quietly at the door, waiting for orders but after a while, it was still silent.
Seeing Li Fengran coming, Wang Bi was about to speak but the woman told him to shut up.
He entered by himself by opening the door of Qihua Palace slowly. His small movements realized Nangong Zirui who was sitting in his work chair. The man only raised his head for a moment reluctantly, then refocused on reading the document in his hand.
It is indeed a king in charge, Li Fengran thought. When everyone was grieving and his wife died, Nangong Zirui did not forget to read the state report and busied himself.
Li Fengran walked slowly, then stood across his desk.
“What are you here for?” Nangong Zirui asked. “Are you not very close to the late queen? Why don't you take her?”
There was an unhappy impression from that tone of speech. Li Fengran choked on his own saliva. What kind of situation and attitude is that?
Last night, obviously this man was groping and feeling sad over Ling Sui's sudden departure, why was it that now just acting as if Ling Sui had snatched something from him?
Is the attitude of a king like this?
“Your Majesty, the Sword Bearer is not responsible for presiding over the funeral,” Li Fengran said.
“In addition, there are many people who drive him. Instead, His Majesty was busy by himself. Your Majesty, you really are a good King.”
I heard tired breaths. Nangong Zirui was not unwilling to drop off, but he had more important business and had to think about.
After Ling Sui died, the court officials would definitely urgently urge her to appoint a new queen.
The queen candidate was already established, and with the influence of the great masters of the four regions, her thick-faced ministers would soon declare the inauguration of Shen Lihua as the new Queen of Donghao.
“Ling Sui is dead. After the grieving period is over, there will come a pressure asking me to elevate Shen Lihua as the new Queen of Donghao.”
Li Fengran now gasped and suddenly understood.
“Secap it?”
Nangong Zirui nodded. “I'm in no hurry to lift a queen. It is not difficult to stop the officials actually.”
“Then what makes His Majesty hesitate?”
“Mother Suri.”
