无翼乌工口里番无色无摭挡

The Emperor didn’t speak, his face looking rather unpleasant, unlike his usual cheerful and ingratiating demeanor when he came here.

Concubine Jin didn’t bother to pay attention to him either. With his silence, she just leisurely ate her meal.

In fact, she knew in her heart that the reason the Emperor had chosen her to enter the palace all those years ago was solely due to the resemblance between her appearance and that of the number one beauty, Lin Zizi.

All these years, the Emperor had pampered and indulged her, but in reality, he wasn’t pampering her.

What he pampered was Lin Zizi.

She, Jin Zhuzhu, was merely a shadow of Lin Zizi.

The more the Emperor doted on her and indulged her, the more it showed that he couldn’t forget Lin Zizi.

This point, Concubine Jin had known from the beginning, and therefore, she had never had any expectations of the Emperor.

She didn’t love the Emperor, nor did she love her own son.

She only loved herself.

Usually, the Emperor would flatter her and show her affection, but when it came to Lin Zizi, his attitude would change drastically.

It seemed as if only when the real Lin Zizi appeared would the Emperor realize that this Concubine Jin before him was nothing more than a substitute.

After leisurely finishing her meal, the palace maid removed the plates and bowls and replaced them with a pot of Sparrow’s Tongue Tea.

Though it was Concubine Jin’s favorite tea, it was not the Emperor’s favorite.

In order to please the Emperor, other concubines in the harem would only serve his favorite Longjing Tea when the Emperor came, but Concubine Jin never did so.

She only catered to herself.

The Emperor sat sullenly for a while, glanced at her, and said, “It was I who wronged her back then. Since I promised to fulfill one of her wishes, I must honor my word. All these years, she has been living a difficult life, but no matter how hard it was, she never asked me for anything. Now she’s here asking for my help for her daughter’s sake. How can I refuse her?”

“Well, just agree to it.” Concubine Jin sipped her tea, squinted her eyes slightly, and said leisurely.

“The Fifth Prince is your son; don’t you have anything to say?”

“So my son can’t get a divorce?” Concubine Jin said indifferently, “I’ve tried to give him advice before, but he’s always been proud and ambitious. He probably can’t lower his head to a woman.”

The Emperor laughed, “As far as I know, yesterday he followed his wife’s carriage all the way to the Jiang Family’s gate. Who says he doesn’t care about women? He just hasn’t met a woman who can tame him. Both children are in the Prince of Yu’s Mansion now. It seems that his wife is quite heartless.”

“When women are strong-hearted, it’s because they are pushed to it by men.”

“When I first saw Jiang Ning, I thought she looked very much like you, Zhuzhu.”

“She resembles her mother, Lin Zizi, more.” remarked Concubine Jin lightly, “Your Majesty is the Emperor after all, and your word is like gold. Back then, you let Lin Zizi down, and in exchange, you gained the Imperial Throne with a single promise. So, are you going to break that promise now?”

The Emperor’s face became awkward, “Why bring up the past?”

“Your concubine may not mention it, as long as Your Majesty is at ease with it in your heart.”

“How could you bear to watch your two grandsons grow up without a loving mother, seeing that the Fifth Prince is your son?”

“I really don’t care about these things.”

“It’s true, all these years, you’ve never cared about anything.” There was sarcasm in the Emperor’s words.

Concubine Jin didn’t mind either, her red lips slightly curling, “Nowadays, people say that Your Majesty’s actions back then were admirable in helping others achieve their happiness, but who knows that Lin Zizi actually loved Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s face darkened.

Concubine Jin gently touched the ring on her finger and laughed, “Your Majesty once vowed to someone that you would give them the position of Empress..”