Qi Yue’s slender, jade-like fingers tapped the bridge of Li Yi’s nose. “Your Majesty’s nose is quite sharp.”
Li Yi grasped Qi Yue’s hand, saying in a low, husky voice, “No respect for seniority, no understanding of etiquette.”
He then lifted Qi Yue’s hand and sniffed carefully at her cuff. The refreshing, intoxicating fragrance carried the warmth of her body, making it incredibly alluring.
“What is the name of this incense? Did the palace servants blend it for you?” Li Yi had never smelled this kind of fragrance before; what he experienced here with Qi Yue, he could not find anywhere else.
Qi Yue shook her head. “It doesn’t have a name. It is a scented balm this Concubine made on a whim. It is the only one of its kind in the world; you won’t be able to smell it on any other woman.”
Li Yi lightly scraped the tip of Qi Yue’s nose. “Then the Empress is truly impressive.”
Qi Yue smiled, but mid-smile, she suddenly covered her lips with her sleeve and began coughing violently.
Li Yi furrowed his brows and quickly reached out to pat her back. “What’s wrong?”
Qi Yue reached back and grabbed his arm. “It’s nothing. The journey here was simply too cold; perhaps I caught a chill.”
Li Yi was about to order a eunuch to summon the imperial physician, but Qi Yue shook her head. “There is no need for a physician. This Concubine will be fine after a good night’s rest.”
Afraid that Qi Yue would catch even more of a cold on the journey back, Li Yi kept her in Hanyuan Hall. Since her body was unwell, Li Yi did not touch her. When they slept that night, the two were even under two completely separate quilts.
Lying in bed, Qi Yue quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.
The candles were still lit. Under the warm yellow light, Li Yi turned onto his side, able to clearly see Qi Yue’s exquisite face.
Even with her makeup removed, this woman was still so mesmerizing. Her brows were like kingfisher feathers, her lips were a vibrant crimson, and her jade-like skin seemed to faintly glow.
Li Yi used his rough finger to playfully flick Qi Yue’s eyelashes. Qi Yue was indeed asleep; annoyed by the disturbance, she impatiently rubbed her eyes and turned her back to him.
Li Yi forcefully turned her body back around, making her face him again.
It was a bit hot in the heated pavilion. Qi Yue unconsciously pushed at the quilt, her slender jade fingers pinching the corner of the blanket, revealing slightly pink fingertips. Li Yi let out a soft laugh, feeling that at this very moment, she truly was adorable.
She was exactly like some sort of pampered little pet—exquisite, beautiful, and delicate, completely unable to suffer even the slightest grievance.
He covered Qi Yue’s hands with his own large hand and finally went to sleep.
Li Yi had always been ruthless toward women. He didn’t know how long his feelings for Qi Yue would last, but he knew that, for the short term, he deeply desired to see this little girl.
Even if they did nothing at all, just seeing her moving face and hearing her melodic voice was enough to make him feel immensely pleased.
After Qi Yue had her breakfast in Hanyuan Hall, she boarded her palanquin and left.
The next day, the news that the Empress had stayed the night in Hanyuan Hall spread throughout the entire inner palace. At the normally desolate and deserted Zhengyang Palace, palace maids sent by the masters of various palaces occasionally popped their heads in to snoop for information.
Jiangyun Palace.
Consort De had been pulling a long, gloomy face since early morning, and none of the maids around her dared to breathe too loudly. She had already been angered into illness by Noble Consort Yan, and right now, her face was deathly pale. Without makeup, her complexion was so terrible she couldn’t even step out the door.
Consort De applied heavy makeup and deliberately changed into a more vibrant outfit. When her palanquin arrived in front of Zhengyang Palace, she spotted a woman wearing cyan brocade clothes.
She suddenly raised an eyebrow, one corner of her lips hooking up. Supported by her maid’s hand, she stepped down from her palanquin. “Oh, who did this Consort think it was? Turns out it’s Consort Liu. Coming to the Empress’s place this early in the morning, what are you up to?”
Consort Liu turned around. She paused for a moment before covering her lips with a handkerchief and laughing. “Greetings, Sister De. Coming here, this younger sister naturally wanted to see the Empress. But her temper is so arrogant, and the maids around her are something else—they coldly said the Empress was ill and chased this sister right out.”
“Chased you out? How incredibly arrogant.” Consort De twisted her waist as she walked forward. “She merely slept in Hanyuan Hall for one night, and she really thinks she is the Empress now?”
Consort Liu had originally intended to leave, but seeing Consort De’s aggressive posture, she decided to simply stand to the side and stay to watch the show.
Consort De’s senior maid knocked on the main doors of Zhengyang Palace. Shortly after, a maid in pink opened the door. “Your Highness, we are truly sorry. Our Empress caught a chill last night and has a terrible headache. I’m afraid she cannot see you.”
Consort De laughed. “The Empress caught a chill? It just so happens that this Consort has excellent medicine for curing chills. Go and report this to the Empress.”
The pink-clad maid hesitated for a moment before welcoming Consort De inside.
Seeing this, Consort Liu’s eyes instantly darkened.
The maid beside Consort Liu muttered, “Consort De truly behaves in such a two-faced manner. Showing one face to us, and another face the moment she turns around. She is rotten to the core!”
Consort Liu scolded in a low voice, “Lan Rui, hold your tongue!”
The distance between Consort Liu’s Qinping Palace and Zhengyang Palace was neither far nor close. She had walked over, and now, leading her people, she walked all the way back.
After Consort De entered Zhengyang Palace, she casually glanced around at the flowers and trees in the courtyard. Soon after, Aunt Yun walked out, bearing a gentle smile. “So it is Consort De of Jiangyun Palace. Has Your Highness come to pay respects to our Empress?”
When Consort De smiled, she appeared delicate and soft. Normally, she loved to speak to the other consorts with sarcastic, cynical undertones, but under normal circumstances, her voice was exceptionally sweet and sticky. “This Consort heard that the Empress caught a chill. It just so happens that this Consort has good medicine, and I will have my servants fetch it right away. Could this Aunt allow this Consort to go in and see the Empress?”
Aunt Yun replied gently, “How unfortunate, Her Highness the Empress has already taken her medicine and gone to sleep. This servant will naturally convey Consort De’s kind intentions later. Your Highness should please return.”
Consort De led her maids and walked out of Zhengyang Palace.
The moment she stepped out, Consort De’s face instantly turned gloomy. “What massive airs! So what if she’s asleep? Can’t she be woken up?! Having one Noble Consort Yan pressing down on my head is already enough for this Consort to endure, and now there’s another little cheap tramp…”
“Your Highness!” scolded the forty-something-year-old maid beside Consort De. “We are outside, hold your tongue!”
Consort De was so frightened she gave a shudder.
This no-longer-young maid was Consort De’s wet nurse, Aunt Yi, who had entered the palace with her and had taken care of her since childhood. Because of this, Consort De highly respected and cherished her.
Consort De sighed on the spot. “This Consort just couldn’t hold it in for a moment. Besides, there is no one else around, what does it matter if I scold her a couple of times? Aunt Yi, you are always this cautious.”
Aunt Yi said, “This is the inner palace, naturally one must be cautious at all times. Your Highness, let us head back first.”
Qi Yue’s headache had indeed flared up. She had always suffered from head and heart ailments, though very few people knew of it. Her head ailment hadn’t acted up in a long time, but several days ago, in order to seduce Li Yi, she had stood out in the freezing midwinter wind wearing only a thin golden-thread garment for a very long time. Her body had suffered significant damage. She had forced the symptoms down with aggressive “tiger-and-wolf” medicines for a few days, until last night, when she caught a bit of wind. The side effects of the medicine, combined with her inherently frail body, caused the illness to flare up once again.
Aunt Jing soaked Qi Yue in a steamy medicinal bath. Qi Yue’s nose was sharp, and smelling unpleasant odors would only worsen her headaches, so the herbs in this bath were mostly fragrant ones.
“Rest assured, Your Highness, you will be well very soon,” Aunt Jing’s soft voice, like a gentle breeze and drizzling rain, slowly entered Qi Yue’s ears. “A few days ago, Eunuch Xue even mentioned that he has sent people to search far and wide among the common folk for good doctors and medicine. Who knows, perhaps one day they will deliver a truly effective cure.”
Who knew how much time had passed, but Qi Yue soaked until her entire body was limp and sore before finally being wiped dry and getting out.
She still had a headache, though it wasn’t as excruciating as when she had first woken up. That morning, she had been brutally awoken by the pain. Yet in front of Li Yi, Qi Yue did not dare to open her heart and reveal her true physical condition. She had forced herself to pretend everything was fine for nearly half an hour. Only when she finally sat in the palanquin did she realize she had broken out in a cold sweat from the sheer agony, completely soaking her inner garments.
Qi Yue changed into a plain, soft white silk dress. Her dark hair was half pinned up with a single hairpin as she sat on the couch.
Aunt Yun came in and recounted the visits from Consort De and Consort Liu.
Qi Yue nodded. “This Empress understands.”
Aunt Yun added, “Eunuch Xue specifically had the Imperial Kitchen prepare a winter mushroom fish slice soup. The fish was obtained by Eunuch Xue at a heavy price; it’s said to be the incredibly rare Huaiwang fish. Would you like to taste some?”
“He is quite thoughtful, calculating the exact day this Empress’s illness would flare up,” Qi Yue said coldly. “Have them bring it in.”
The eunuch sent by Eunuch Xue handed the food box to a palace maid. Seeing Geng Han idling outside and looking clever enough, the eunuch passed the food box to her.
Geng Han brought it in and handed the food box to the maid Xia Lian. The room was warm, and not wanting to go back out into the cold, Geng Han simply stood to the side.
Xia Lian placed the food box on the table, opened it, and scooped a bowl of fish soup for Qi Yue.
The Huaiwang fish only survived in the rock crevices at the vital crossings of the long Huai River. It had extremely high requirements for water quality, making its meat far more delicious and savory than ordinary fish.
Just as Xia Lian was scooping the soup, Geng Han caught a whiff of the alluring aroma. She took a deep breath, squinting her eyes to steal a peek.
Qi Yue pinched a soup spoon in her hand, taking a sip of the delicious, milky-white broth. She said softly, “The taste is passable.”
Xia Lian and Aunt Yun exchanged a glance, overjoyed to hear this. “Then Your Highness should have a little more. The small kitchen has already cooked some Rouge Rice; would Your Highness like to mix it and eat some rice?”
“No need.” Qi Yue’s appetite wasn’t good. She only drank half a bowl of soup, leaving more than half a tureen of fish soup in the food box, along with other exquisite snacks that Xue Ying had meticulously prepared according to her preferences. Qi Yue instructed, “They are untouched; take them down and eat them yourselves. This Empress will rest for a while.”
“Yes.”
By the time Xue Ying came over, Qi Yue had already gone to sleep. He stood outside in the freezing wind. Aunt Yun walked over with a very delighted expression. “Today, Her Highness managed to drink half a bowl of the soup Eunuch Xue sent.”
Xue Ying let out a breath of relief. He knew that in the past, whenever the Empress had a headache, she would go the entire day without eating, and her temper would be absolutely atrocious.
Aunt Yun then leaned close to Xue Ying’s ear and whispered something in a low voice.
A trace of icy hostility surfaced on Xue Ying’s feminine, handsome face. His distinctly knuckled fingers slowly curled into a fist, his knuckles turning a pale, bluish-white.
Translator’s Anecdote:
Li Yi: “Aww, look at her squirming in her sleep, what a cute, delicate little pet.” Qi Yue: (Literally sweating through her clothes in sheer agony from suppressing a chronic illness she triggered just to seduce him). The absolute sheer willpower of this Empress is terrifying! Also, Eunuch Xue definitely just found out about Consort De running her mouth outside Zhengyang Palace, and it looks like he’s about to enter his John Wick era. Consort De better sleep with one eye open!🥷