Noble Consort Yan’s expression looked rather ugly, but she still forced herself to maintain a smile. “Your Majesty, do you have urgent matters to attend to? It was so hard for this Concubine to finally bump into you, yet you completely ignore me. This Concubine feels so deeply wronged.”
Li Yi entirely failed to comprehend Noble Consort Yan’s brain. “What do you have to feel wronged about? Living in Yuhua Palace, served by dozens of maids and eunuchs, with every consort in the inner palace obeying your arrangements—have I somehow mistreated you?”
Noble Consort Yan felt a mix of intense shame and embarrassment. Li Yi saying these words completely disregarded her dignity, humiliating her right in front of so many servants.
She stammered, “This Concubine… this Concubine just wanted Your Majesty to accompany me.”
“The women of the entire inner palace all want Me to accompany them,” Li Yi said coldly. “Noble Consort Yan, you are a smart woman. You should know when you can be willful, and when you absolutely cannot.”
Noble Consort Yan fell to her knees on the ground, slowly watching Li Yi’s retreating back as he walked away.
She had always known clearly that the Emperor was a fickle, unfeeling man. Of all the countless consorts in the inner palace, she was the most beautiful, and her status was the highest and most noble.
Everyone else thought Li Yi treated her exceedingly well, but only she knew the truth: Li Yi gave her glory, he gave her wealth, but the one thing he would never give her was his genuine affection.
For a man like Li Yi, if he didn’t like a woman, he wouldn’t spare her even a single shred of true sentiment.
“On what grounds? The Empress’s authority was just about to fall into my hands, I was just about to become the most respected woman in the palace, and yet you just had to come and snatch it away right at this moment?” Noble Consort Yan nearly ground her silver teeth to dust. “Empress, you truly are a cheap tramp who can’t survive without a man!”
Supported by her palace maid, she stood up and slowly returned to Yuhua Palace.
By the time Li Yi arrived at Zhengyang Palace, the sky had already begun to darken.
Even though Qi Yue knew Li Yi was coming, she was still casually eating her dinner all on her own. She was by no means the type of “good woman” who would diligently wait to serve Li Yi. Qi Yue had a big temper and a spoiled personality; naturally, she just did whatever made her happy.
When Li Yi walked in, she was holding a small bowl of sweet soup, slowly sipping it. The tiny soup bowl was incredibly delicate, but her face was even smaller—obscured by the bowl, only her fragile, delicate chin was visible.
The palace maids hurriedly bowed in greeting, and Aunt Yun quickly set out an extra pair of bowls and chopsticks for Li Yi. Qi Yue really ought to have stood up and bowed as well, but her personality was notoriously awful and her arrogance reached the sky. She completely disregarded the Emperor in front of her, still clutching her bowl and sipping her soup.
Li Yi leaned in close. “What on earth is so delicious that you can’t even spare a glance for Me?”
Qi Yue set the bowl down. “It’s a sweet soup made of silver ear fungus and lotus seeds, but I’ve already finished it. If Your Majesty wants to drink some, just go ask the Imperial Kitchen for it.”
Her lips were moist and plump, gleaming with an incredibly alluring sheen. Just as Li Yi leaned in to take a bite, Qi Yue very obediently closed her eyes.
But right before his lips could touch hers, Qi Yue shoved him away with her hand. “Did you just kiss another woman? Why do you smell like rouge and powder?”
Noble Consort Yan favored strong, heavy spices, and the fragrance on her body transferred incredibly easily. Even though Li Yi hadn’t interacted with her much just now, his clothes had still absorbed a hint of the scent.
He had no idea Qi Yue’s nose was so sharp that she could detect even this tiny trace of fragrance.
Li Yi explained, “There are no other women. I merely bumped into Noble Consort Yan on the road and lent her a hand.”
The moment the words left his mouth, Li Yi suddenly felt extremely ridiculous. He was the Emperor, the ruler of a nation! From ancient times to the present, which Emperor didn’t have three palaces and six courtyards full of women? Even if he had genuinely kissed another consort, if he wanted to kiss her now, she had no right to refuse!
Explaining himself like this made it seem as if he cherished Qi Yue far too much.
In truth, Qi Yue was nothing more than just another woman in his inner palace. She was just a little bit prettier, nothing truly worth cherishing.
He pinched Qi Yue’s chin. “Stop squirming and let Me give you a kiss.”
Qi Yue: “……”
The thing Qi Yue was best at was pushing her luck. She wasn’t some gentle, accommodating woman; she specifically wanted to make things difficult for Li Yi.
“Noble Consort Yan? She is currently the one managing all the affairs of the inner palace, isn’t she?” Qi Yue pushed Li Yi’s hand away, taking a handkerchief to dab at her lips. “This Concubine, despite being the Empress, is actually sitting right beneath her heel.”
Qi Yue’s underlying meaning was incredibly obvious. She wanted to secure her position as Empress, and she wanted to take back the authority that rightfully belonged to her.
Li Yi’s face turned icy. “Empress.”
His tone carried a faint, underlying threat. Qi Yue blinked her eyes. “Are you angry?”
She found it laughable.
This Emperor wanted her, yet he didn’t want to hand over anything of substantial value in return, and even secretly harbored a faint murderous intent toward her.
Out in the mortal world, even an ordinary man visiting a brothel had to pay something; everyone knew you couldn’t just get a free ride.
But him? He wanted her body, but didn’t want to pay the price.
What a shrewd, selfish, terrible man.
Standing to the side, Eunuch Fang Lu was sweating buckets on the Empress’s behalf. He gently reminded them, “Your Majesty, Your Highness, the food is going to get cold. Please eat.”
Li Yi’s face remained dark and stormy. Right now, he only had a tiny bit of interest in this little girl; it wasn’t genuine love.
In comparison, his empire was the most important thing, and beauties were strictly secondary.
He knew very clearly that Qi Yue, having been raised single-handedly by Empress Dowager Qi, had a somewhat vicious and calculating mind. If he handed power over to her, his inner palace would undoubtedly be thrown into absolute chaos.
And if his inner palace was in chaos, how would he have the energy to manage the affairs of the royal court?
Li Yi currently had no heirs. If he let Qi Yue gain power, what would happen once the other consorts became pregnant? What if this impure-hearted woman deliberately murdered his royal heirs? The continuation of the royal bloodline concerned the fate of the entire world; as the Emperor, he could not ignore it.
Back when the late Emperor was still alive, Empress Dowager Qi relied on his favor to play the weak and pitiful victim in front of him, while simultaneously employing incredibly ruthless methods against the other consorts behind his back. Every single favored consort had been framed and schemed against by Empress Dowager Qi, and heaven only knew how much unborn fetal blood stained her hands.
Perhaps she had committed too many wicked deeds, and the heavens gave Empress Dowager Qi her karma by leaving her entirely childless, forcing her to join hands with Li Yi.
Li Yi could see that Qi Yue was far more captivating than Empress Dowager Qi had been in her youth. Even if she possessed a tiny bit of innocence right now, after having her edges ground down by the deep palace for a few more years, her temperament would undoubtedly become even more vicious.
He liked this vibrant, living body in front of him, but there was absolutely no need to become a foolish tyrant just for a fleeting moment of infatuation.
Staring at Qi Yue’s aloof, breathtaking face, Li Yi couldn’t help but think: If only she weren’t a daughter of the Qi family. If only she hadn’t been raised by Empress Dowager Qi. If only she were a daughter of an ordinary family—how wonderful would that be? If that were the case, what harm would there be in giving her the Empress’s seat and all the power in the world?
But as fate would have it, Qi Yue was raised by the exact woman Li Yi despised the most.
Li Yi pinched Qi Yue’s chin again. “You follow Me, and I will treat you very well. Zhengyang Palace will receive supreme favor. But, you must understand—there are some things that you are simply not allowed to covet.”
“This Concubine was merely making a joke just now,” Qi Yue replied lightly. “Your Majesty shouldn’t take it to heart.”
With one weightless sentence, she completely shut down the topic.
Qi Yue also knew clearly that Li Yi was no foolish tyrant blinded by lust. He was young, ambitious, dedicated to his rule, and his heart was focused entirely on his empire.
She was just a little woman. Even if he liked her, the affection he could give her was only one-thousandth of his heart. It wouldn’t last long.
But Qi Yue was very greedy. If she could escape this imperial palace, regaining her freedom like a bird flying from its cage into the open sky, she would willingly fight for nothing at all.
But she was the Empress. An Empress without real power was nothing but fish on a chopping block, left to be slaughtered by anyone, doomed to die all alone in this freezing inner palace. Therefore, she had to obtain something.
If she hadn’t fought for it back then, if she hadn’t managed to see Li Yi, she feared Li Yi would have simply spread some rumors and secretly had her executed by now.
Qi Yue wasn’t afraid of death, she just felt that dying miserably while all those annoying people lived happily ever after was simply far too unbeautiful.
The dishes on the table were getting cold. She picked up her chopsticks again, picked up a piece of green vegetable, placed it in her bowl, and slowly savored it.
Only after finishing the food in her bowl did Qi Yue politely and elegantly stand up. “This Concubine’s body has always been weak, and my body hasn’t fully cleaned up yet. I cannot serve you tonight. Your Majesty, please go back.”
Li Yi’s face instantly turned black again. She was asking him to leave again?
He was already here, and she still wanted him to go back?!
Fine, go back it is! He was the Emperor, holding supreme power, standing at the most exalted peak of the world! With his handsome face, dragon-like majesty, and a harem of three palaces and six courtyards, where couldn’t he go?!
He absolutely did not want to stay in her palace and suffer her attitude!
Right before turning around, Li Yi snapped, “Empress, I know you are angry because of our conversation just now. But, if you do not beg Me to stay right now, once I step out of this door, I will never come back!”
Eunuch Fang Lu gave Qi Yue an apologetic, sycophantic smile, frantically winking at her. Others might not know Li Yi’s temperament, but Fang Lu knew it crystal clear. Right now, the Emperor was genuinely angry, but he genuinely did not want to leave!
In the past, if any woman dared to be as bold as the Empress, she would have lost her life on the spot. Li Yi was not a patient man; his methods and nature were incredibly cruel and cold-blooded.
Only when facing the Empress did Li Yi simultaneously stomp his feet in a towering rage while secretly, desperately hoping the Empress would come coax him.
Qi Yue noticed Fang Lu’s frantic signaling. Faced with this Chief Eunuch who was viewed as a blazing hot commodity by the other consorts, Qi Yue wasn’t very enthusiastic. A servant was a servant; the more you gave them face, the less respect they gave you in return.
Li Yi tried taking two steps forward, but he didn’t actually walk out the door. He had a faint, sinking feeling that if he heroically marched out right now with a spine of steel, in less than a fortnight, he would end up crawling right back with absolutely no spine at all.
Qi Yue frowned in irritation. If she made Li Yi stay, she absolutely couldn’t let him stay in her own room.
Who knew what this beast would do to her in the middle of the night?
Unable to wait for the Empress to beg him to stay, an unprecedented rage boiled up in Li Yi’s heart.
Fang Lu knew full well that if Li Yi was allowed to return to Hanyuan Hall in this state, all of them servants would be completely doomed.
Refusing to leave, Fang Lu desperately winked at Qi Yue so hard he was practically screaming “Please, I beg you, Your Highness” with his eyes.
Since Li Yi was now actively seeking a step down, Qi Yue lazily gave him one. “The side chamber has been cleaned. The wind is strong outside, so Your Majesty shouldn’t leave. Just go sleep in the side chamber for the night.”
Li Yi gave a cold harrumph. “Just now you were chasing Me away, and now you want Me to stay. When it comes down to it, you just couldn’t bear to let Me go.”
Keeping a cold face, Qi Yue didn’t bother refuting him. The Emperor loved his face so much, she might as well let him have it. He was the Emperor, after all; he was the biggest boss around.
Author’s Note: Qi Yue: He’s so childish.
(Promo for the author’s next historical romance: “After Being Picked Up by the Emperor” – A story about a ruthless Emperor Liu Si who picks up a cunning girl named Yu Xia who suffers from amnesia every six months. The first time she loses her memory, he tricks her into thinking she’s his foot-washing maid. The second time she loses her memory six months later, he tricks her into thinking she’s his beloved Empress who needs to wait in his bed. Turns out, she’s actually faking it and is full of wicked schemes, but he loves her too much to care!)
Translator’s Anecdote:
Li Yi: “I am a powerful, ruthless Emperor and I refuse to be manipulated! If I walk out that door, I am NEVER coming back!”
(Takes two tiny steps. Stops.)
(Waits.)
Li Yi: “Did you say sleep on the couch in the guest room? Ha! I knew you were obsessed with me!”
The amount of secondhand embarrassment Eunuch Fang Lu must experience daily is truly staggering. Someone give this man a raise!