Transmigrated Canon Fodder, Please Calm Down! Chapter 479



Xuanyuan Mo could no longer bear it. After court was dismissed that day, he abandoned his government affairs and strode urgently toward the Imperial Concubine’s palace. As he reached the palace gates, he hesitated for a moment.

Eunuch Li was quite baffled. Wasn’t it the Empress who held the Emperor’s favor?

Yet here he was, rushing over with such a complicated expression. Could it be that the Imperial Concubine still had some hope of regaining favor?

He couldn’t quite understand it. Logically, the Imperial Concubine had already been involved with someone else. The Emperor should not have any lingering feelings for her.

Xuanyuan Mo paused briefly but ultimately stepped inside. He could no longer wait for the investigation’s results. He needed to come and ask her directly.

If the person who had saved him from the river as a child was truly the Imperial Concubine, then what should he do? Just the thought of this possibility sent a chill through his entire body, and his steps grew heavier with every step he took.

As he entered the palace, he happened to see that delicate and flower-like figure, draped in an elegant palace gown. She was lounging lazily on a wicker chair, flipping through an unfamiliar book.

Xuanyuan Mo clenched his fists, trying to steady his pounding heart as he walked toward her. He called out, “Imperial Concubine, you seem to be in a good mood today?”

“Your Majesty?” Tang Guo raised her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint smile. “Indeed, it’s a lovely day. I came out to read a book and bask in the sun.”

Xuanyuan Mo sat down awkwardly on a stone stool nearby. At a loss for what to do, he dryly responded, “That’s good.” After a moment, he added, “Does the Imperial Concubine know how to embroider?”

Tang Guo arched an eyebrow but did not answer. She simply looked at Xuanyuan Mo with an odd expression, which made him even more uneasy.

“I was just curious,” he stammered. “I realized I don’t know much about the Imperial Concubine.” As he said this, Xuanyuan Mo felt a pang of melancholy. It wasn’t just that he knew little about her, he knew nothing at all. He didn’t know what she liked, nor did he understand her habits.

His eyes shifted to the intricately crafted incense burner beside them, where a thin trail of smoke was curling upward. The color drained from his face, and his hand trembled inside his sleeve. If he weren’t worried about raising her suspicions, he would have snatched the incense burner away on the spot.

“Does the Imperial Concubine like this incense?”

“Of course I do,” Tang Guo said, setting down her book. She smiled faintly and lowered her eyes. “Didn’t Your Majesty gift this to me? I haven’t forgotten and light it every day.”

The moment these words fell, it felt as if a massive weight had crushed Xuanyuan Mo. By now, the Imperial Concubine had been burning this incense for many years. This incense was potent. After burning it for just a month, it could render a woman infertile.

His lips quivered as he tried to suppress the tremor in his voice. “This incense is outdated. I’ll have someone send you a new one some other day.”

“I’ve burned this for so many years that I’m used to it,” Tang Guo replied softly, her gaze still lowered. “In the entire palace, this incense is exclusive to me. I like it. Your Majesty should know that I like to have things all to myself.” She lifted her gaze then, her clear eyes seeming to pierce straight into his heart. “The only thing I’ve failed to monopolize is Your Majesty.”

Xuanyuan Mo felt as if he couldn’t breathe. He opened his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to tell her the truth, that the two of them had never truly been together.

He didn’t want to say it. If she truly was her, if she truly was her, then what should he do?

Xuanyuan Mo no longer had the courage to ask whether the person who had saved him as a child was her. His fingers curled, and he clenched his fists tightly. “I still have some government affairs to handle. I won’t stay to accompany the Imperial Concubine.”

“This afternoon, I’ll send you new incense, a tribute item that only the Imperial Concubine will have,” Xuanyuan Mo said, his voice choked with emotion. “I won’t give it to anyone else.”

He suddenly remembered that the Imperial Concubine’s knees ached and recalled how she had mentioned falling into the water as a child.

He still remembered that winter’s day, when light snow was falling. He knew all too well just how freezing the water in that river had been.

His eyes stung, and he quickly stood up, not wanting her to notice anything amiss. He fled the palace as if running for his life.

“Take it away.”

Tang Guo gestured toward the curling smoke and let out a low laugh, a laugh tinged with cold indifference. “People in the palace sure love to overthink things.”



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