“His Majesty has arrived—”
In the next second, Xie Zhihang found himself transported from Xianfu Palace back to Qiankun Palace.
He had thought Yun Jiao might have suffered some grievance at Xianfu Palace and wanted to give her a chance to appeal directly to the emperor. Yet in her mind, seeing the emperor was equivalent to being persecuted.
Xie Zhihang never imagined that Yun Jiao’s reason for Rewinding time was simply because she disliked eating eggplant.
Coincidentally, the Imperial Manor had recently delivered a large quantity of eggplants, making eggplant-related dishes highly likely to appear on the menu.
“Fine, just fine.”
Xie Zhihang clenched the scroll in his hand until it creaked.
With a cold expression, he ordered, “Prepare the Sedan Chair for Xianfu Palace!”
At the emperor’s command, Yinglu began preparations in an orderly manner.
Offspring in the harem were precious, and princes even more so. Thus, they were all raised delicately by their mothers. The previous emperor had not been strict with his sons either—the princes enjoyed happy childhoods, which fostered the audacity of someone like the third prince, who wasn’t afraid of his eldest brother eliminating him. Yet Xie Zhihang was the exception among his brothers. He didn’t need others to push him; he drove himself relentlessly and stubbornly.
If he encountered a problem he couldn’t understand, he would study it thoroughly.
If he wanted to master archery and horsemanship, he would train to the point of exhaustion.
Once he set his mind on something, he would overcome all obstacles to achieve it.
“Yinglu, pack the unread memorials on the desk into a box. I’ll review them on the way.”
Xie Zhihang thought that Rewinding time not only rendered efforts futile but also allowed him to engage in limitless studying and reviewing memorials within a finite timeframe.
“As you command.”
Yinglu bowed his head, moved once again.
Reviewing memorials in a Sedan Chair was somewhat improper, but of course, no one could stop the emperor if he insisted. It would even earn him a reputation for diligence. Despite being this busy, logically, the emperor could simply summon Consort Xi to Qiankun Palace to accompany him. Yet His Majesty insisted on going personally—such regard and favor for Consort Xi.
Thus, Xie Zhihang boarded the Sedan Chair once more.
…Only to be returned again.
He recalled a myth shared by Greek envoys during their visit to Yan Chi—the story of Sisyphus, a sinner punished by the gods to roll a massive boulder up a mountain. Each time the boulder reached the summit, it would roll back down, repeating the cycle endlessly, forever futile.
Xie Zhihang didn’t find this tormenting or agonizing.
Once he finished reading the memorials, he switched to other books. Learning knew no bounds, and it had been a long time since he last carved out time for proper study.
In cycle after cycle of Rewinding time, it seemed he could never step into the western hall.
And this only heightened his anticipation.
He looked forward to the expression Yun Jiao would wear when she could no longer endure and had no choice but to receive him.
On the tenth attempt, Yun Jiao finally reached her limit.
The number of reloads might be infinite, but after so many repetitions, she felt mentally exhausted. When she heard “His Majesty has arrived” once more, resentment filled her heart. The emperor in this game had such low randomness! Back when she was grinding for overnight attendance in “Deep Palace,” the emperor at least knew to switch consorts after each attempt!
“Mistress, the emperor has actually come to see you!”
Gong Mei was overjoyed but soon grew anxious. “Xue Ya isn’t here, and I’m not as good at styling hair as she is… Oh, there’s no time! Mistress, we must hurry to receive His Majesty.”
Yun Jiao sluggishly shuffled her short legs out the door to greet the emperor.
“Your humble consort pays respects to Your Majesty.”
“Your humble consort apologizes for the delay in receiving you. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
She bowed gracefully, her head lowered deeply.
But the next moment, the Emperor lifted her up by her arms.
Yun Jiao: ???
Your Majesty, what are you doing???
“Haha, I’m not blaming you,”
Xie Zhihang laughed heartily, seeing Lady Yun’s bewildered face under the sunlight, like a highly vigilant kitten finally caught by him: “I was just following my whim, putting aside the memorials to come and share a meal with you.”
After ten Rewinds, he had finally succeeded in entering Xianfu Palace.
There was nothing in this world that Xie Zhihang couldn’t accomplish!
“…”
“Your Majesty, could you please put me down first?”
Yun Jiao said with some embarrassment.
Her height was among the shortest of the consorts, and the Emperor was nearly six-foot-three tall. With him holding her up by her arms, her feet couldn’t reach the ground, leaving her to helplessly wiggle her feet.
Xie Zhihang admired her expression for a moment before setting her down.
As they stepped inside, he glanced around the room’s layout: “Last time when I took shelter from the rain here, I didn’t notice, but in daylight, this place is really small. Is it spacious enough to live in?”
“It’s quite comfortable for me.”
Yun Jiao replied stiffly.
This was one of the reasons she had no intention of competing for favor—she simply couldn’t master the art of being alluring and coquettish.
Other time-travelers had experienced modern free love and knew how to handle ancient men with ease.
Of course, she wasn’t completely inexperienced with men either.
It’s just that those men were all two-dimensional characters.
“True, you’re small, so you have enough space to move around.” Xie Zhihang cast a scrutinizing glance her way.
Yun Jiao: “Your Majesty is right.”
“However, I don’t know if you’re truly comfortable living here,” Xie Zhihang softened his tone, “Are the servants not attentive enough?”
At this point, not only the Emperor’s confidants understood, but even Gong Mei grasped the implication.
The Emperor was giving Consort Xi an opportunity to voice her grievances and seek revenge! If she seized this chance, no matter who had mistreated her before, she could now thoroughly tarnish their reputation in front of the Emperor.
By bringing up the servants, Xie Zhihang knew that aside from the two senior palace maids, every maid and eunuch who had contact with Lady Yun had been bribed—they were all planted by other consorts. If there was anyone she disliked, this was the chance to have them sent far away.
“No, everyone serves very well.”
Yun Jiao shook her head, her expression hesitant: “If there’s one thing that’s slightly uncomfortable…”
“Speak freely.”
Xie Zhihang suppressed the excitement in his voice.
He genuinely wanted to know what had happened to make her Rewind time twice.
“It’s just that recently the kitchen keeps sending dishes with eggplant, and I don’t like eating eggplant.”
Yun Jiao muttered quietly.
“…Eggplant?”
Xie Zhihang nearly failed to maintain his composure.
He cupped Yun Jiao’s face in his hands, tilting it up to see her sincere expression, and couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief: “You’re this unhappy just because the meals include eggplant? Fine, since it has ruined your mood… Yinglu, who was in charge of preparing Consort Xi’s meals today?”
“Your Majesty!”
Yun Jiao stopped him, her expression panicked.
Xie Zhihang: “What now?”
“It’s my picky eating habit, it shouldn’t be someone else’s fault.”
Seeing her sincere plea, Xie Zhihang relented, though he added: “If the servants make you uncomfortable, it means they’re not serving well enough, not attentive enough. A little punishment is deserved.”
The Emperor’s motto—
Blame others more, reflect on yourself less.
“Alright, come here.”
He pulled Yun Jiao onto his lap, holding her firmly in his embrace so she couldn’t easily escape.
This time, Yun Jiao didn’t dare make a sound.
Wuwu, three-dimensional men are terrifying—paper men are still better!
She thought about how, after entering the palace, she might have to get used to occasional moments of intimacy. Staying tense all the time wouldn’t do, so she saved her progress and decided to use this scenario for repeated practice.
Xie Zhihang held her for a while, and when the Imperial Cuisine was served, he was about to set her back in her seat.
But in the blink of an eye, the entire table of dishes vanished, and Yun Jiao was back in his arms.
Xie Zhihang: ?
She says she doesn’t want to see me, but clearly, she really wants to stick close!