Wen Qitian woke up the next morning to find her abdomen much more comfortable.
Last night, she had a wonderful dream. In it, her brother said she had suffered grievances outside and wanted to bring her back home. He even helped her beat up the tyrant in the dream.
Even in the dream, Wen Qitian felt immensely relieved, missing her family even more.
Bai Zhi went to the Imperial Kitchen to fetch breakfast. After finishing her meal, Wen Qitian drank a bowl of sugar water and continued cuddling her hot water bottle. Suddenly, she paused, noticing that the texture of the hot water bottle felt off.
The one in yesterday’s dream seemed softer than this one?
She pondered for a few seconds—maybe she remembered wrong…
Thanks to Nan Leli, the dilong in her side hall never stopped running. After her period started, Wen Qitian was too lazy to go out, so she simply lounged lazily in bed.
A small bedside table was set up beside Wen Qitian’s bed, laden with fruits and pastries. With just a slight reach, she could grab them. She picked up a storybook and began reading.
When Nan Leli returned from the morning court session and entered the room, this was the scene he encountered.
The beauty had not tied up her hair, letting her long tresses cascade obediently down her back. She leaned weakly against the bed, cradling the hot water bottle with her left hand, resting it flat on her lower abdomen, while her right hand held a book. Her thick eyelashes cast faint shadows beneath her eyelids. She seemed to have read something amusing, as the corners of her eyes crinkled into a lovely smile.
Occasionally, she would reach out to take a small piece of osmanthus cake, nibbling it delicately. Nan Leli’s eyesight was sharp, allowing him to clearly see her little tongue occasionally brushing against her pearly teeth.
Nan Leli belatedly recalled the scene from yesterday when they had tangled together. He had been too focused on snatching the candy, seemingly missing something.
His throat tightened. He stood at the doorway for a moment, then cleared his throat lightly with a fist pressed to the corner of his mouth to announce his arrival.
The maidservants attending nearby bowed and tactfully withdrew.
Only Wen Qitian lifted her eyelids slightly and whispered to Bai Zhi, who was about to leave, “My mouth hurts a bit. Could you fetch some ointment for me? I’ll apply it later.”
Nan Leli: “…”
Was this mouth pain never going to end?
Suppressing the urge to darken his expression, he strode over.
His tall figure loomed over the pages of the book like a small mountain. Wen Qitian looked up, feigning surprise. “Oh? When did Your Majesty arrive? I didn’t even notice such a large person.”
Nan Leli stared at her with a stern face for a while, his gaze lingering on her before pausing slightly. “Why are you still reading such nonsense?”
Wen Qitian’s hand loosened, and the small storybook was snatched away by the man. She puffed out her cheeks in displeasure, her eyes instantly misting over, ready to cry at any moment.
“Aren’t you afraid of getting a sty from looking at such disgusting things? I never read…” Nan Leli’s voice trailed off in surprise.
He glanced suspiciously at the book. Instead of the expected illustrations of indecent figures, it contained nothing but ordinary, unremarkable text…
“Your Majesty, what were you thinking?”
A soft, plaintive voice made his ears tingle. Silently, he handed the book back.
“Keep reading.”
Under the young girl’s dissatisfied gaze, the emperor sat down beside her and casually picked up a pastry, tossing it into his mouth.
Unlike Wen Qitian, who ate in small, delicate bites, he devoured a whole piece in one go, as if he hadn’t eaten in years.
The pastries from the Imperial Kitchen were naturally delicious—the flour finely ground and melting in the mouth—but Nan Leli couldn’t help feeling they weren’t sweet enough.
His gaze unconsciously drifted toward Wen Qitian, his expression strange, leaving her utterly baffled.
Nan Leli grabbed another pastry and handed it to her.
Wen Qitian was pleasantly surprised, touched that Nan Leli would fetch something for her.
However, the feeling lasted less than half a second before the other swiftly snatched it back and popped it into his mouth.
【Darkening value -1%…】
Wen Qitian watched helplessly as that face, which seemed prone to domestic violence, relaxed into a comfortable expression, as if saying, “Food tastes better when snatched.”
Damn it!!
Over the next few days, Nan Leli seemed to have gone mad for some reason, rushing over to her place right after dismissal from court. Through Bai Zhi’s accounts, Wen Qitian learned that the entire palace was now gossiping about how much the Emperor doted on her.
She felt utterly wronged. That bastard was nothing but a beast, treating her like a tool. Instead of asking the Imperial Kitchen for sweets, he came to her place every day to mooch.
And he insisted on snatching them right out of her hands.
At first, Wen Qitian could tolerate it, but as time went on, His Majesty the Emperor seemed unsatisfied, pursing his lips and staring at her intently. This made Wen Qitian nervous every time she ate, fearing he might go mad and snatch food right out of her mouth.
Finally, after her period ended, she seized the opportunity the next day while Nan Leli was still at court and hurried to Yuyao Palace.
Nan Fengyao had been confined for several days, grumbling as she copied Buddhist Sutras. When she suddenly saw Wen Qitian, she couldn’t wait to pour out all her grievances.
She complained about how Nan Leli had been exploiting her since childhood, but that wasn’t the main point. The real issue was that Nan Leli was single and had forgotten to find her a Consort!!
Nan Fengyao’s mother had been kind-hearted but was killed by others when she was in her teens. Now, at nearly nineteen, the only person who could make decisions for her was Nan Leli.
But now that Nan Leli had a girl of his own, he still hadn’t bothered to find her a Consort.
She decided to take matters into her own hands. At the upcoming Birthday Banquet, she planned to meet some noble ladies and inquire about eligible young men.
Wen Qitian sighed deeply. “I never thought he’d be so unreliable. But even if you find someone yourself, you can’t be careless.”
Thinking of Nan Fengyao’s eventual fate, Wen Qitian couldn’t help but wonder who the male supporting character Nan Fengyao would fall in love with might be. If she could help in the future, she would never stand by and let the male lead kill her.
Nan Fengyao brushed it off casually. “Don’t worry, can’t I handle a man? Who would dare bully me? The real problem is my brother. You have no idea how twisted he is—you’ll have to be careful from now on.”
“I know,” Wen Qitian said, tears welling up in her eyes as she complained, “He snatches my food every day.”
The two exchanged a look, and a sense of shared fate washed over them.
Nan Fengyao finally realized that the rumors outside about her brother doting on his little darling were all lies—bullying her was the truth.
She comfortingly patted Wen Qitian’s head.
“What are you two doing?” A sharp reprimand startled the two girls. Wen Qitian reacted the fastest, quickly hiding behind Nan Fengyao and peeking out with just her head.
Nan Leli hadn’t even had time to change out of his court robes and appeared at the entrance with a crowd of servants in tow.
This was the first time Wen Qitian had seen him dressed so formally.
A deep black, wide robe enveloped his sturdy frame, adorned with golden dragon patterns at the collar and cuffs. The imperial crown obscured half his face, making his presence even more imposing. His lips were pressed into a tight line, and he seemed to be in a bad mood.
Wen Qitian noticed his gaze fixed on her—dark, cold, and oppressive, as if it could strip the flesh from her bones.
She didn’t understand why her visit to Nan Fengyao felt like she’d been caught in an affair.
Could it be that the villain didn’t like her getting close to his sister?
Wen Qitian scratched her head, suddenly noticing that Nan Fengyao seemed to be trembling. Nan Fengyao instantly cowered upon seeing her imperial brother, yet still quite gallantly shielded Wen Qitian, lifting her chin toward Nan Leli: “Imperial Brother, why are you shouting so fiercely? What could we two women possibly do?”
Clearly, she was also quite displeased with Nan Leli’s accusatory tone.
Nan Leli didn’t even acknowledge her, his hawk-like eyes fixed intently on the figure behind her, his voice cold and detached: “Wen Qitian, come here!”
Wen Qitian shuddered. He seemed very angry, but then she thought, she hadn’t done anything wrong, so why should she fear him?
Thus, she straightened her small frame and stepped out from behind Nan Fengyao, tiptoeing cautiously toward Nan Leli.
“Tiantian, why listen to him? What if he hits you later?”
Nan Fengyao grabbed her arm.
Wen Qitian: “He said he doesn’t hit women.”
“You believe whatever he says? If you keep this up, you’ll be devoured and still end up counting money for him.”
The two young girls ignored the man’s darkening expression, chattering away once more, paying no heed to Nan Leli at all.
Nan Leli could bear it no longer: “Nan Fengyao, one month of confinement. You are not to see anyone.”
How dare they carry on like this in front of him? His face cold, he ordered Wei Chang to surround Yuyao Palace, then, under Nan Fengyao’s furious gaze, grabbed the young girl by the nape of her neck and tucked her into his embrace.
“From now on, you are not to associate with Nan Fengyao. Don’t let her corrupt you.” Nan Leli’s expression remained icy as he wrapped an arm around Wen Qitian and strode away. From the back, his entire demeanor radiated an aloofness that warned others to keep their distance.
Nan Fengyao: “…”
Furious but not daring to speak out, her face flushed red with anger, she wished she could grab a whip right then and there to fight Nan Leli.
Eunuch Zhang swiftly stepped between them, smiling as he said, “Your Highness, it’s best you calm down. If anyone else dared speak to His Majesty like that, they would have been dragged out and executed long ago.”
“But what about Tiantian?”
Nan Fengyao gritted her teeth, seething with rage. She knew her imperial brother’s wretched temper all too well. Judging by his earlier attitude, what if the little darling ended up bullied in his hands?
Eunuch Zhang said meaningfully, “Your Highness, rest assured. His Majesty dotes on the young lady too much to ever bully Miss Wen. You should worry about yourself instead.”
Nan Fengyao glared at him: “What nonsense are you spouting??”
…
Meanwhile, Wen Qitian was carried onto the imperial dragon carriage. Nestled in the man’s arms, she cautiously peeked up at him.
From this angle, she could clearly see that besides the coldness in his brow, there was also a trace of weariness.
She asked sheepishly, “Your Majesty, have you encountered some difficulty?”
“Heh~”
His thin lips curled with a hint of mockery: “As it happens, this matter is related to you.”
“?”
Wen Qitian was surprised, then puffed up her cheeks in thought before suddenly realizing: “Are they urging you to take concubines?”
“…No.” Nan Leli pinched her little cheek, scoffing lightly: “Quite ambitious, aren’t you? Thinking of marrying me? Keep dreaming.”
“…” Fine, don’t tell me then.
Just exhaust yourself to death.
The young girl turned her head away angrily, ignoring him.
Men were just like that—when you paid them attention, they acted reserved, but when you ignored them, they started talking on their own: “It’s nothing major, just the court officials clamoring for Laodishi to return to the capital, causing quite an uproar. But I’ve already resolved it.”
His gaze lowered, resting on the girl’s profile, then, as if discovering something new, his slender fingers gently pinched the soft flesh of her ear, rubbing it lightly.
The soft touch satisfied him as he continued, “I said it before, with the old Imperial Tutor’s granddaughter in my hands, whoever dares mention this matter again, I’ll have her killed.”
Wen Qitian: “…”
What did this have to do with her?
Her earlobe was being pinched, and she was already impatient. Hearing this, she extended her little claws and slapped his hand.
The man stiffened, annoyed: “I was just teasing you, why hit me?”
Coincidentally, the imperial dragon carriage arrived at Nanli Palace. Wen Qitian covered her ear, glared at him, and scampered away.
Leaving Nan Leli sitting in the carriage with a darkened expression for quite some time, unwilling to step down.
As for Eunuch Zhang and the others, they kept their eyes downcast, pretending not to have seen the scene, fearing they might be silenced in his anger.