Xue Ying said, “Please take a look, Your Majesty. This gold-threaded dress is an artifact from the previous dynasty, and this slave spent quite some effort to procure it. Rest assured, Your Majesty, the dress is still brand new and has never been worn by anyone else.”
He had the little eunuch present the clothes on a tray.
Wearing jeweled nail guards, Qi Yue’s slender fingers slowly traced over the glittering golden fabric, and the corners of her lips curled up. She had applied bright rouge today, the color of her lips red as blood, making her skin appear even fairer. In the lifeless, deathly still Zhengyang Palace, she was exceptionally dazzling.
Qi Yue nodded. “Not bad, Eunuch Xue. Your efficiency is very good. This Empress appreciates you quite a bit.”
Kneeling on the ground, Xue Ying’s spine immediately went taut. Xunxue looked at this eunuch, her eyes full of impatience.
She quietly reminded, “Your Majesty, the weather outside is quite nice today, and the snow has melted. Why don’t we let Eunuch Xue go back early, and we can go out to bask in the sun and take a walk?”
Qi Yue shook her head. “Xunxue, have the small kitchen prepare a meal. This Empress wishes to keep Eunuch Xue for lunch.”
Xue Ying said, “A slave is just a slave. How could I possibly dine at the same table as Your Majesty?”
“If this Empress says you can, then you can.” Qi Yue’s gaze was cool. “Eunuch Xue, back when the Empress Dowager was still alive, she often kept you to share tea and meals. At that time, this Empress also dined at the same table as you. Now that this Empress is personally permitting you to stay, there is even less need for you to decline.”
Xue Ying voiced his compliance.
Qi Yue nodded. “Eunuch Xue, kneeling for so long, your knees must surely ache. Stand up.”
Xue Ying stood to the side.
Lunch was very sumptuous. Not only were there dishes made by Zhengyang Palace’s small kitchen, but there were also dishes delivered from the Imperial Kitchen.
Xue Ying’s status in the palace was very high. Even if the Noble Consort saw him, she had to show him some respect, or else the Internal Affairs Department wouldn’t let her live too comfortably. Therefore, hearing that Xue Ying was staying at the Empress’s side for a meal, the Imperial Kitchen had also sent over quite a few good things.
Qi Yue lifted her eyes and said indifferently, “Braised shark fin and Buddha Jumps Over the Wall have both been served; this Empress never received such treatment in the past. The people below, the moment they heard you were here, they all scrambled over to flatter you.”
Xue Ying picked up a pair of clean chopsticks. “Whichever dish Your Majesty likes, this slave will serve it to you.”
Xunxue picked up two pieces of leafy greens for Qi Yue. “Her Majesty prefers vegetarian dishes, she doesn’t like this heavy meat and fish. Eunuch Xue, I can serve Her Majesty myself.”
Only then did Xue Ying shoot a glance at this green little girl, his complexion already showing traces of displeasure. Xue Ying placed a piece of tofu onto the plate in front of Qi Yue. “Please enjoy your meal, Your Majesty.”
While Qi Yue ate, Xue Ying couldn’t help but raise his eyes to look at her. She had wiped off the rouge on her mouth, leaving her lips a pale, natural red—a profoundly enticing hue. She took a sip of soup, and her lips, now kissed by moisture, hooked his soul even more…
Xue Ying’s gaze grew increasingly complicated.
Xunxue said in a bizarrely sarcastic tone, “Eunuch Xue, your eyeballs are about to drop into your bowl. If you don’t want to eat, just say so directly, don’t sit here disgusting Her Majesty!”
Hearing the word “disgusting,” Xue Ying finally snapped back to his senses.
Qi Yue wiped her lips with a handkerchief and rinsed her mouth with clear tea. “This Empress is finished.”
Xue Ying also stood up.
She wore her hair in a high bun today, adorned with a beaded peony blossom. Xue Ying stood by with his hands lowered. “Someone sent a pot of precious Yao Yellow peonies to this slave’s side, exceedingly beautiful. This evening, this slave will have someone bring it over for Your Majesty to use as hair ornaments.”
Qi Yue nodded. “You are truly thoughtful. Go kneel outside for two shichen and then you may withdraw.”
Having eaten lunch, she naturally needed to take her afternoon nap.
At first, Xunxue had been walking on eggshells, but now she had discovered that as long as she didn’t genuinely offend the Empress, the Empress would tolerate her. The Empress’s temper was actually much better than she had imagined.
Xunxue followed behind the Empress, entering the sleeping chambers with her, and took off her embroidered shoes.
Xunxue had something she wanted to say, but didn’t know how to begin.
Qi Yue swept a glance at her. “If you have something to say, just say it directly.”
Xunxue said, “Your Majesty, this servant just feels that the way Eunuch Xue looks at you is very strange. He is far too presumptuous towards you.”
“And what can this Empress do about it?” Qi Yue removed her nail guards, then took off her beaded hair blossom. “Xunxue, tell me, should this Empress gouge out his eyeballs?”
Gouge out Xue Ying’s eyeballs… Xunxue was secretly a bit excited; she thought this was a great idea. “Your Majesty’s idea is very good.”
“Stupid!” Qi Yue poked Xunxue’s forehead with her index finger. “Without him, who will handle matters for this Empress?”
Xunxue didn’t feel any pain from the poke. She felt she had thick skin and tough flesh, and with the Empress being so delicate, she couldn’t possibly hurt her anyway.
Xunxue caught Qi Yue’s finger in her hand. “Your Majesty, this servant is willing to handle matters for you. No matter what you order this servant to do, as long as this servant is capable, I will absolutely get it done for you.”
Qi Yue let out a soft laugh and lay down on the bed. “Step down. There’s still a plate of lotus root starch cake outside; I bestow it to you.”
Xunxue happened to be hungry. She ate a few pieces of the cake, wrapping the remaining pieces in her handkerchief.
When she walked outside, Xue Ying was still kneeling under the bare peach tree.
Today’s sun was indeed glaring, though no matter how glaring a winter sun was, it didn’t provide much warmth. Yet, the little eunuch beside Xue Ying was holding an umbrella to shade him from the sun.
Xue Ying’s skin was pale, and he was quite good-looking, but he just gave off an incredibly gloomy vibe.
Xunxue strolled over, munching on the lotus root starch cake in her hand, and said with a cheeky grin, “Is Eunuch Xue afraid of getting a tan?”
Xue Ying’s gaze remained fixed straight ahead. “Miss He.”
Xunxue said, “Eunuch Xue truly has a great memory. I hadn’t even seen your face before, yet you already remembered my name—truly a photographic memory. However, I am no longer called He Xiaoyan. I am called Xunxue, the name Her Majesty gave me. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?”
Xue Ying said in a chilling voice, “Even if a wild pheasant jumps into the sky, it is ultimately still a pheasant.”
Xunxue’s face instantly darkened.
Two shichen passed, and it was nearly time for dinner. Xue Ying went inside to pass a message to Qi Yue; the gist of it was that Xunxue was no proper maid, and the Empress should keep her guard up against her.
After coming out of Zhengyang Palace, the little eunuch beside Xue Ying asked, “Eunuch Xue, why didn’t you directly tell Her Majesty that Xunxue is the person His Majesty sent to harm her? Her Majesty has a decent impression of you; if you could save her…”
Catching sight of Xue Ying’s dark expression, the little eunuch obediently shut his mouth.
From the very beginning, Xue Ying knew Xunxue was someone sent by the Emperor, and he couldn’t stop it. The Emperor held the absolute power of life and death, while he, Xue Ying, was nothing but a slave.
Even Qi Yue was the Emperor’s woman.
In truth, Xue Ying harbored selfish desires of his own. He hoped the Emperor would never, for the rest of his life, see this Empress who was half-demon and half-fairy. He hoped Qi Yue would die quietly, just like a solitary orchid in an empty valley—blooming without anyone knowing, and withering away without anyone knowing either.
Right now, looking at the way Xunxue gazed at the Empress, Xue Ying also saw a reflection of himself. He utterly loathed it when others looked at the Empress with eyes full of warmth and affection. Even if it was a woman, it was still unacceptable.
It grew colder day by day. The Empress stayed inside Zhengyang Palace all day without coming out. Regarding the matter of Noble Lady Wu’s injured hands, many rumors had spread throughout the palace.
The most rampant rumor was that the Empress was mentally ill, born with a defect, which made her temper volatile and fond of beating and killing people. And precisely because of this congenital deficiency, it was highly likely she would die young.
When Qi Yue heard about these rumors, she showed no expression whatsoever.
Xunxue clearly knew where the rumors came from, but she still had to pretend ignorance.
Taking the beauty-hammer to gently massage Qi Yue’s legs, Xunxue said, “These rumors are truly detestable. Your Majesty, did they come from the Noble Consort’s side? Noble Consort Yan is far too hateful.”
Qi Yue kept her eyes half-closed. “Is there any point in pondering over this?”
Both Qi Yue and Aunt Yun knew full well that this rumor had originated from the Emperor himself. The Emperor never intended to let Qi Yue live on indefinitely. With this rumor in place, when Qi Yue suddenly passed away in the future, not many people would find it strange.
Qi Yue’s lips curled in mockery.
When changing clothes that night, Qi Yue pointed at her own head and asked Aunt Yun, “Aunt Yun, is there a sickness in this Empress’s brain?”
Aunt Yun couldn’t help but feel a pang of sorrow. She stroked Qi Yue’s long hair. “Your Majesty is as smart as ice and snow, and your health is perfectly fine. How could you possibly be ill?”
Qi Yue laughed. “Today, he can spread rumors saying this Empress is ill, saying this Empress’s lifespan won’t be long. Tomorrow, he can send someone to assassinate this Empress, leaving me to die a desolate death.”
In a certain sense, the “never depose the Empress” promise that Empress Dowager Qi had forced Emperor Yuanshou to make had been fulfilled.
Emperor Yuanshou indeed hadn’t deposed the Empress; right up until her death, Qi Yue would remain the most exalted Empress.
Aunt Yun consoled her, “When standing under someone else’s eaves, how can one not bow their head? Your Majesty, he is the Emperor, the monarch of a nation. If you want to live well, you must attach yourself to him. Only by relying on His Majesty and winning his favor can you live a long life.”
Those dark, destructive thoughts in the depths of Qi Yue’s heart began sprouting like little thorns.
Aunt Yun continued, “We are women. As women, whether inside the palace or outside it, we must rely on men.”
Qi Yue narrowed her eyes. She was born rebellious. But Emperor Yuanshou was a chess piece she had no choice but to play.
Translator’s Anecdote:
Xunxue and Xue Ying fighting over who gets to be the Empress’s favorite minion is absolute peak palace comedy. Qi Yue treats her enemies like chess pieces and her allies like pets, and honestly, we completely support her reign of terror! 😁