Chapter 23

The moon was high up in the branches.

The empress dowager was dizzy and half-awake. She seemed to sense that someone was beside her, and she opened her eyes slightly. His face was as fair as jade, and his handsomeness was unparalleled. He looked like he had walked out of a painting, and he was holding a stick of candied hawthorn in his hand.

"Big Brother Ling ~ …"

The low murmur was indistinct, and the empress dowager's mind was somewhere else, so she probably thought it was just an illusion.

Xu Buling blinked. He really hadn't expected such a coincidence. After thinking about it, he leaned over to the empress dowager.

The empress dowager's breath was slightly hot, and she took the initiative to kiss Xu Buling's lips. It was just that …

It felt so real …

！！

The empress dowager's dizzy eyes gradually focused, and she came back to her senses. She blinked her almond-shaped eyes with some doubt at first, then her face turned red, and then abruptly white.

"Ah —"

With a soft cry, the empress dowager abruptly pushed Xu Buling away. She rolled over, pulled her red dress together, and hugged her arms. Flustered and exasperated, she glared at the man in front of her.

"You … Xu Buling! How dare you, you actually … actually … "

Her face alternated between red and white as she tried her best to look dignified and furious, but she couldn't hide the shame and embarrassment in her eyes. I … What was I doing just now … I must have been hit by his sorcery …

Xu Buling knew it would be like this. He smiled softly, sat down next to her, and handed her the candied hawthorn in his hand.

"Please forgive me for visiting so abruptly, Your Majesty!"

The empress dowager's heart and body were in a mess. It was already embarrassing to be caught in a "scandal," and she wasn't in the mood to chat with Xu Buling.

She said anxiously, "You … get out of here … right now …"

Xu Buling wasn't the least bit angry. He moved closer and said softly,

"You're already here …"

"Bah —"

The empress dowager moved to the side, clenched her teeth, and pointed outside.

"Get out! What do you take me for? Your … your thing! Get out! "

Her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she tried her best to look fierce, but she leaned against the soft couch in fear.

Xu Buring found the scene hilarious. He raised his hand and grabbed her slender wrist.

Satisfied, Xu Buling let go of the baby empress dowager and sat upright on the couch, waving the bright red candied hawthorn.

"I went a long way to buy it. I'll leave after I finish it."

"…"

The empress dowager's eyes widened. How could she not understand what Xu Buling meant? If she could leave tonight, she would write her name backwards …

"You … you're not allowed to come here like this in the future. This is the only time. If you dare to act on your own again, I … I'll kill myself right now …"

"Fine."

"…"

The Empress Dowager gritted her teeth. Perhaps she wanted to forget what had happened just now. She sat up straight and put on a dignified look. She looked at the tanghulu and said coldly, "I'm not a three-year-old child. I don't eat these things …"

Xu Buring nodded, raised his hand, and stuffed the tanghulu into his mouth, biting off a piece.

Naturally, the Empress Dowager would not be provoked. She snorted lightly and did not care at all. Of course, she wouldn't be provoked. She snorted and didn't care at all.

“！”

"What the …" The empress dowager quickly raised her hand to cover her mouth. She frowned and said in a muffled voice, "How dare you … I …" As she spoke, she was about to get up to get the poisoned wine that was ready at any time.

Xu Buling smiled, but he wasn't in a hurry. He inserted the candied hawthorn between the fruit plates on the table and leaned against the soft couch, looking like a gentleman who didn't move.

The empress dowager was a little relieved. She moved to the other end of the soft couch.

The room was very quiet. They sat on the couch, and the atmosphere became more and more strange.

The empress dowager tried to keep a cold face. She looked around the room, as if she was looking for something to talk about to ease the atmosphere.

Xu Buling stared at the side profile under the candlelight. He pondered for a while and said,

"Empress Dowager entered the palace first. Are you familiar with Empress Cui and Prince of Yan Song Yu?"

The empress dowager frowned and glanced at Xu Buling. She thought for a while and didn't avoid it. She raised her hand to tidy up her messy dress and said calmly,

"My son and daughter-in-law are familiar with each other."

"…"

Xu Buling felt strange when he heard this. Although the empress dowager was only one year older than Empress Cui and more than ten years younger than Song Yu, it was true.

"Uh … I've been in the capital for more than a year. I don't know much about these things. Anyway, the night is long. Why don't you tell me?"

Seeing that the empress dowager's hair was a little messy, Xu Buling sat in front of her during the conversation. He raised his hand to pull out the golden hairpin and then picked up the comb.

The empress dowager's eyes were alert. When she found that Xu Buling was just combing her hair, she hesitated and didn't refuse him anymore. She just turned her back and said,

"There's nothing to say … Since Empress Cui entered the palace, she stayed in the political hall and never went out. She didn't go out even on holidays. I've only seen her a few times in Changle Palace. I just heard from the palace maids that Empress Cui was a little boring. She didn't talk to anyone, even His Majesty … In the end, she might have been sick and passed away at a young age … "

Xu Buling held a strand of her hair and sighed softly.

The empress dowager was actually a talkative person. She stayed in the palace for ten years. As long as she met someone she could talk to, she would talk for a long time. At this time, seeing that Xu Buling was willing to listen, she couldn't help but continue to talk about the past even though she was reluctant.

"… Prince Yan's literary skills are excellent and his reputation has always been very high. But … sigh, he is still a scholar. I once chatted with Lady Jiu Jie. Lady Jiu Jie said that when the former emperor was still alive, he once said in private, 'You can do anything, but you can't be an emperor'. But these words definitely couldn't be said openly and hurt Prince Yan's feelings … Prince Yan actually knew his limits. After the former emperor died of illness, he directly gave up the throne with the reason of 'not being able to inherit the throne' … But I didn't expect him to give up the throne in the end and go to the Imperial College to teach for so many years. Hmm … He can live up to the reputation of a true gentleman … "

The empress dowager spoke intermittently. On one hand, she was reminiscing. On the other hand, the man's breath caressed her ear. She felt a little strange.

Xu Buling calmly combed his hair and moved closer to her ear. "A true gentleman … I'm afraid I can't live up to that, huh?"

The empress dowager's face suddenly showed some embarrassment. She said coldly,

"I fell asleep just now. It was a dream."

"Who was it in the dream? Your brother, this phrase sounds a little familiar … "

"Xu Buling!"

The empress dowager's eyes widened. It was obvious that she was forced into a corner.

Xu Buling stopped there and apologized gently, "Alright, alright, alright. I won't talk about it anymore."