After Noble Consort Yan walked out, she saw Geng Han and Yu Miaowan still sweeping the courtyard.
Geng Han kept her head bowed deeply, while Yu Miaowan’s body trembled slightly.
Noble Consort Yan fiercely glared daggers at the two maids before leaving Zhengyang Palace full of resentment.
By evening, Noble Consort Yan summoned the two of them over. Just as she was about to order her servants to slap their mouths, Geng Han loudly cried out in grievance, kneeling on the floor and refusing to get up.
Noble Consort Yan sneered, “How have I wronged you? You knew the truth but failed to report it! The Empress is such a bewitching vixen, born with a cheap face entirely made for seducing men, yet you said absolutely nothing, leaving this Consort completely unprepared!”
Noble Consort Yan had dressed meticulously, wearing an exceedingly magnificent and luxurious dress to Zhengyang Palace. She had originally intended to rely on her dazzling, aggressive attire to completely overshadow the Empress and leave her drowning in jealousy and shame. But thinking back on it now, she felt like nothing more than a leaping buffoon.
Looking back at the Empress, up until this moment, Noble Consort Yan could only remember how breathtakingly beautiful she was, having completely forgotten what clothes or jewelry she had been wearing. It was evident that the Empress’s sheer beauty had entirely eclipsed her garments and accessories.
The more she thought about it, the more Noble Consort Yan felt as if her heart was being scorched by fire, burning with both jealousy and fury.
Geng Han quietly raised her eyes to gauge Noble Consort Yan’s expression, not daring to speak a single word.
“This servant did say that the Empress possessed some beauty, but still could not compare to Your Highness,” Geng Han carefully argued. “Was what this servant said false? Everyone’s aesthetic preferences are different. In this servant’s eyes, Your Highness’s radiance and grace truly surpass the Empress’s.”
Noble Consort Yan possessed a degree of self-awareness. She could easily figure out that the cheap slave kneeling on the floor was just trying to coax her. However, all women love to hear others praise them, and Noble Consort Yan was no exception.
Her complexion softened slightly.
Geng Han continued, “Your Highness, toward you, this servant will always speak everything she knows without reservation. Please, you must believe this servant.”
Noble Consort Yan had originally just wanted to drag them over for a beating to vent her anger. But hearing Geng Han speak so reasonably and logically not only extinguished her fury but also satisfied the subtle, petty desire for comparison at the bottom of her heart.
Noble Consort Yan gave a cold harrumph. “Rise. When you go back, you must keep a very close eye on her. The moment she does anything out of line, come report to this Consort immediately.”
Geng Han kowtowed. “Yes, this servant will absolutely obey Your Highness.”
Only after stepping out of Yuhua Palace did Geng Han and Yu Miaowan finally squeeze out a cold sweat.
Yu Miaowan breathed, “That nearly scared me to death! Thank goodness you are so clever and quick-witted, Sister, skillfully defusing that crisis.”
Geng Han said with no small amount of smugness, “What is there to be afraid of? When it comes to these noble masters, I naturally have a whole set of methods to deal with them. Before we even came here, I had already thought of a countermeasure.”
Back in the palace, Qi Yue’s fingertips pinched a string of carved jade beads. For a moment, it was completely impossible to tell which was more radiantly white—her fingers or the jade.
Xunxue quietly served a cup of hot tea. “Your Highness, you have already sat here for an hour.”
For that entire hour, Qi Yue hadn’t moved a muscle, looking exactly like a statue. Even her eyelashes hadn’t fluttered in the slightest.
The Empress was always like this: tranquil, melancholic, making people feel both deeply concerned and intensely curious about her.
“Call Aunt Yun over,” Qi Yue finally moved slightly, instructing faintly. “This Empress has something to say to her.”
Xunxue gave an obedient hum and withdrew.
Before long, Aunt Yun arrived.
Qi Yue ordered, “Go find those floral, herbal, and fruit essential oils this Empress extracted over the summer and bring them to my bedchamber.”
Aunt Yun hurriedly went to fetch them. While others only assumed the Empress was lazy and had a bad temper, Aunt Yun knew full well that her master actually possessed quite a few remarkable skills.
In less than half an hour, Aunt Yun rushed back to the bedchamber and opened a mahogany carrying box. Instantly, a rich fragrance overflowed into the room. Inside the box sat row upon row of beautiful, exquisite porcelain bottles.
Qi Yue then had Aunt Yun prepare other ingredients, such as almond oil and hazelnut oil. The candles in the bedchamber remained lit all the way until evening.
Evening was Qi Yue’s time to bathe. After emerging from the bathing room, she returned to her bedchamber.
The droplets of water on Qi Yue’s body had already been wiped away, leaving behind only a faint trace of damp mist. She used a hairpin to loosely bundle up her half-dry hair.
Qi Yue’s guard had always been extremely high. Under normal circumstances, for highly private matters like serving her bath, she would only allow Aunt Yun and Aunt Jing to attend to her.
Aunt Yun took away Qi Yue’s sheer outer robe. The room was heated so warmly that even after shedding all her clothes, she didn’t feel cold in the slightest.
From the table, Aunt Yun picked up a delicately carved box. Opening it revealed a translucent, scented ointment.
Aunt Yun began applying the scented ointment to Qi Yue’s body.
Qi Yue had essentially grown up under Aunt Yun’s watchful eyes. Over these past two years, Aunt Yun could clearly see that the Empress’s body was growing increasingly alluring.
This year, the Empress had reached her hairpin-age—her fifteenth year. She was still a young girl, and though her figure wasn’t as heavily endowed and tempestuous as a mature woman like Noble Consort Yan, her chest was growing ever fuller, looking both green and deeply enchanting. Her delicate waist was so slender it could barely fill a single grip. Looking across the entire inner palace, Aunt Yun couldn’t point out a single woman whose waist was more exquisitely slender than the Empress’s. Glancing further down, the places that should be perky were impeccably so; a pair of long, fair legs led to jade-like feet that looked as though they had been carved by a master, the tips of her toes flushed with a shallow hint of pink.
Aunt Yun sighed inwardly. This time, the Empress had successfully obtained Emperor Yuanshou’s favor. As long as she didn’t do anything overly outrageous, this favor should last for a very, very long time.
Even if men were naturally greedy for novelty, even if men were cats that loved to steal fish—as the old poem went: “Having seen the vast ocean, no other waters can compare; aside from the clouds of Mount Wu, no other clouds will do.” Emperor Yuanshou had already experienced a woman like the Empress; having drank heavenly nectar and jade dew, how could he ever be willing to taste muddy, inferior liquor again? Having beheld a world-toppling peony, how could he ever appreciate the nameless wild weeds by the roadside?
Today, Li Yi did not come to Zhengyang Palace. Ultimately, Li Yi was a dedicated, ambitious Emperor who valued his empire far more than his inner palace. He spent the day discussing state affairs with his ministers in Hanyuan Hall, and even after that, he still had memorials to review.
The weather outside was still freezing cold. Though it hadn’t reached the point where dripping water instantly turned to ice, the biting, gloomy wind whipping against one’s face still felt as agonizing as being sliced by knives.
Qi Yue wore a plain, elegant smoke-cyan quilted dress, wrapped in a thick fox fur cloak. The cloak had a hood lined with a circle of white fluff, which she pulled over her head, making her look exceptionally delicate and frail.
Zhengyang Palace was not very close to Hanyuan Hall. If she were to walk, with Qi Yue’s tiny steps, it would take nearly an hour. So, even though Qi Yue loved walking, she had no choice but to take a palanquin.
When Eunuch Fang Lu received the message from a junior eunuch, he almost couldn’t believe his ears. “What did you say? Her Highness the Empress?”
The junior eunuch replied, “It truly is Her Highness the Empress, currently standing out in the freezing wind. Head Eunuch Fang, should we proceed according to the rules?”
Fang Lu aggressively whipped his horsetail whisk right across the junior eunuch’s face. “Rules my ass! Hurry up and invite Her Highness the Empress into the side chamber! Don’t let her freeze!”
The junior eunuch scrambled away, rubbing his face as he ran.
Hanyuan Hall had always had strict rules. Just a few days ago, the Emperor himself had reiterated that no palace consorts were allowed to enter casually. Even when Noble Consort Yan brazenly tried to visit, she wasn’t easily permitted inside.
Fang Lu quietly slipped inside and whispered a few words into Li Yi’s ear.
Li Yi’s originally dark and stormy complexion instantly softened by several degrees.
Prime Minister Hu Hai had previously recommended his own student to manage the refugees in the northwest. He had never expected that the student would embezzle tens of thousands of taels, which naturally implicated Hu Hai.
Officials belonging to Hu Hai’s faction naturally pleaded for mercy on his behalf, while the opposing faction seized the opportunity to gather more unfavorable evidence to kick Hu Hai while he was down.
Hu Hai had been kneeling on the floor, trembling in fear as he confessed to his crimes. He knew full well the ruthless methods of this young Emperor. At this point, even if he wasn’t truly guilty, he had to first make his submissive stance clear.
Hu Hai watched as Fang Lu walked over and whispered something to Li Yi. Miraculously, Li Yi’s complexion actually eased. However, it only lasted for a fleeting second. Soon after, Fang Lu stepped aside, and Hu Hai was fiercely scolded until he practically had no skin left intact.
Yet, in the end, Li Yi showed absolutely no intention of stripping Hu Hai of his position. Having received his orders, Hu Hai left Hanyuan Hall, weeping tears of immense gratitude.
Upon stepping outside, Hu Hai caught a whiff of a deeply refreshing, intoxicating fragrance. Such a scent was impossible for a eunuch to possess, and palace maids could never afford such an expensive, unique perfume. The only possibility was an imperial consort.
Hu Hai furrowed his brows, instinctively stroking his gray beard.
Hearing some palace servants whispering nearby, he vaguely caught the word “Empress.” Not daring to linger, Hu Hai quickly hurried away.
Inside the hall, Li Yi had originally been in a foul mood due to court matters, but upon unexpectedly hearing that the Empress had arrived, a wave of sheer delight washed over him.
It was merely one night of Me not visiting Zhengyang Palace, and the Empress already couldn’t hold her composure and actually ran all the way over here. With the wind blowing so fiercely outside, she must have suffered quite a bit, right?
She claims from her lips that she doesn’t like Me and won’t let Me touch her, but her heart is still quite honest.
He picked up his vermilion brush and resumed reviewing his memorials.
Seeing that the Emperor hadn’t stopped reading the memorials, Fang Lu couldn’t help but offer a gentle reminder. “Your Majesty, Her Highness the Empress is still waiting in the side chamber. Her Highness prepared a midnight snack for you.”
“Let her wait a while. I will finish the matters at hand first.”
This little woman is usually so arrogant and proud; well, isn’t she still obediently waiting for Me right now?
Li Yi read the memorials rapidly, taking in ten lines at a single glance.
Only after a full quarter of an hour had passed did he finally rise and head over.
Qi Yue was sitting in the heated pavilion. She had already taken off her fox fur cloak, and a subtle, enchanting fragrance lingered around her. Standing by her side, even Xunxue had the urge to practically press herself against Qi Yue to get a better sniff.
At that moment, the sound of steady footsteps approached. Li Yi had arrived.
Qi Yue stood up. “Greeting Your Majesty.”
Li Yi caught Qi Yue by the arms to support her. “The Empress need not stand on ceremony. Having not seen Me for a single day, did the Empress miss Me? You even specially braved the freezing wind to come here.”
Qi Yue replied evenly, “This Concubine felt that Your Majesty was working too hard, so I prepared two small delicacies for Your Majesty.”
Aunt Yun opened the food box, revealing two exquisite pastries inside.
Li Yi waved his hand. “All of you, step down. I wish to be alone with the Empress.”
Once everyone had left, Li Yi swept up a strand of her dark hair and brought it to his nose, sniffing gently. “What incense did the Empress use today? It smells so wonderful.”
Living in the imperial palace, surrounded by endless schemes, Li Yi was forced to learn about many things. He actually had quite a bit of expertise when it came to perfumes and incense.
Qi Yue curled her lips. “Your Majesty, please take a guess. You should be able to name them.”
Li Yi closed his eyes, lowered his head to Qi Yue’s neck, and took another deep breath. “Lily of the valley, pear, clove, jasmine, rose, and… green leaves.”
Translator’s Anecdote:
Li Yi’s thought process is legendary: “Wow, I ignored her for ONE night and she ran across the freezing palace just to see me. She is obsessed. Let me make her wait 15 minutes to prove how busy and important I am while I speed-read these documents.”