Chapter 1043: Fu Ming (4)

Shen Miao picked up the teacup and took a sip. She felt that the taste was bitter, but in the bitterness, there was a trace of fragrance. It was indeed a very unique tea.

Empress Xiande asked, “How is it?”

Shen Miao put down her teacup. “The tea is top-notch.”

“I don’t have any hobbies. This is all I like.” Empress Xiande smiled. “This tea tastes bitter, and most young girls don’t like it. However, for some reason, I feel that you will like it. I think you’re a little similar to me.”

Empress Xiande smiled and continued, “When you went back that night,

Jingxing should have told you about what happened in the past, right?”

Shen Miao was slightly stunned and said, “A little.”

“Jingxing dotes on his wife, so he will naturally tell you everything.” Empress Xiande smiled and said, “Then how do you feel after hearing it? What do you think of the current situation?”

After thinking for a moment, Shen Miao said, “Now that the ending of the Lu family is a foregone conclusion, the child in Consort Jing’s stomach can’t turn the situation around. Since His Majesty and His Highness have already made up their minds, let nature take its course.”

“What about that child?” Empress Xiande took a sip of tea and asked, “Do you think we should keep this child or not?”

Shen Miao said, “This child’s life doesn’t have an impact on the overall situation. Whether the child lives or not, it all depends on you.”

“Depends on me.” Empress Xiande sighed slightly. “There has always been a thorn in my heart, but I’m not heartless enough to pull it out.” She smiled sadly. “The position of the empress is really not suitable for me.”

Shen Miao did not speak. At this moment, nothing she said would be right.

Empress Xiande changed the topic. “Princess Consort, there’s no doubt that you did a good job as Princess Consort Rui, but if you have to bear a heavier burden and face a more complicated situation in the future, can you do it well?”

Shen Miao’s heart skipped a beat. Empress Xiande seemed to be hinting at something. In the past, Shen Miao would not have thought too much about it, but Xie Jingxing had told her that Emperor Yong Le would not live past the age of 35. If Emperor Yong Le had a plan about the future after his death, Shen Miao could immediately guess what the plan was.

She composed herself and said, “Your Majesty, no one can say for sure what will happen in the future, but I will stay by his side. I will assist him no matter what he does.”

Empress Xiande looked at her for a while and shook her head. “It’s good that you’re not ambitious, but it’s not good either.” She said, “Jingxing is not the emperor, so you’re very lucky. However, you have to understand that one day, when you reach a certain height, there are many things that you can’t control. You don’t like it, but you can’t show that you don’t like it. You have to do that, because it’s what the people of the world expect you to do.”

Was Empress Xiande talking about how she felt? Shen Miao said calmly, “No, I won’t. If I can’t even stick to my true self, no matter how high my status is, it’s meaningless. You can’t control the things around you only because you are not strong enough.”

When Empress Xiande heard this, she was in a daze for a long time. When she finally came back to her senses, she looked at Shen Miao deeply. That gaze was very complicated. It seemed to be that of an envious gaze and a helpless one. She said, “Maybe, you’re right, but half of my life has passed. There’s no time to change.” She was a little tired. Shen Miao sensed that compared to the last time, Empress Xiande looked much older, not in terms of appearance though. She still looked elegant and graceful, with the virtuousness of an empress, but her gaze was filled with vicissitudes, like an old woman..