Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Anyway, you need to be careful. The Night Road is not easy to travel," I said casually.
Yuhua's expression changed for a moment, but then she smiled and said, "Sister, there's no need to worry. I have the Emperor holding the lantern for me now. Nothing will happen."
"Mm." Since she already had her own plans, I decided not to say anything further. However, the Emperor's protection would not last forever for a woman. Moreover, I now knew that person was Brother Sima. Even with the stunningly beautiful Dan Yi and Sister Beauty constantly in front of him, he remained unmoved; how could he possibly be swayed by these other women?
"By the way, Sister," she suddenly said with a mischievous smile, "yesterday at the Emperor's night banquet in the Imperial Garden, our Consort Wang accidentally let out a loud fart in front of the Emperor. It was really quite smelly and loud! You should have seen the Emperor's face; it turned so sour it looked like it was about to burst. The other concubines present tried their best to hold back their laughter but couldn't help themselves, and the whole place erupted in chaos. It was so funny! Consort Wang's face turned so red it looked like it was bleeding." Seeing my faint smile, she continued, "Sister, you missed out on such a hilarious moment."
I looked at her helplessly. "You're being silly." Sigh, it was my fault for teaching her to be mischievous when she was younger; now she still played childish tricks. However, I knew she was just trying to cheer me up. Last week, I heard that Wang Dieyi had brought a group of people to Jiu Nian Xuan to watch me make a fool of myself because I had fallen ill again. But as long as she didn't go too far, I could absolutely tolerate her childish bravado. Those sharp-tongued remarks no longer bothered me.
Having grown accustomed to the insults from Fifth Lady and her little brother at Xie Manor, I treated this new addition of Fifth Lady as just another stepmother figure...
Yuhua, who had been laughing beside me, suddenly became serious and said, "You can bully me, but no one can bully my sister."
I felt somewhat touched but replied calmly, "Sister doesn't mind. Besides, I never take verbal bullying seriously."
She returned to her playful self and teased me, "Of course! The tricks you taught me back then? You haven't used any of them here at all. Yaya knows that you really don't care."
I paused slightly; yes, I didn't care. I recalled all those methods I had taught Yuhua about acting—practical applications from the thirty-six stratagems of women's struggles. Watching Yuhua grow from a healthy girl into a young woman filled me with some satisfaction.
"Yaya, don't stand up for me in the future. It's not worth it for you to do that."
"Sister will never know how important she is to Yaya..." she murmured with a wistful expression.
"What did you say?" She spoke too softly for me to catch it.
"Nothing, nothing." She quickly regained her composure as if what I had just seen was merely an illusion.
She affectionately rested her head on my knees like a girl with her mother and softly said, "If Sister wants Yaya not to stand up for you, then Sister must promise Yaya to take good care of herself."
I nodded, regardless of whether she could see it or not. Gently brushing aside the long strands of hair that fell across her forehead, I said softly, "That's only natural. Yaya, don't push yourself too hard."
The stars twinkled brightly in the night sky as night fell over Miyu.
Suddenly, a ghostly white figure appeared atop the high wall, darting like a specter before swiftly crossing over and reaching the only window in Miyu that still had a faint light glowing.
"Come in," a muffled voice called from inside. Li Jiu's voice was consistently deep, giving one the impression that he had been ill for a long time.
"How did you know it was me?" I climbed through the window, feeling frustrated.
He pursed his lips. "Who else would have the habit of climbing walls at this hour?"
I was left speechless.
I took a seat in front of him without any pleasantries. It was so late, and he was still awake—did he somehow know I would come looking for him?
As if he could read my thoughts, he took a sip of tea and said lightly, "I was specifically waiting for you. However, I'm not a fortune teller; I naturally didn't know you would come today."
I was taken aback. "Are you saying you've been waiting this late every day for the past month?"
Seeing him nod calmly, I fell silent again. This guy had such energy staying up late every night. When did my night owl habits rub off on him? His condition was still so serious!
I knew I had lost my composure in front of the emperor that day, and he must be quite curious about it. Moreover, I had chosen to come at this late hour precisely to avoid another chance encounter; I couldn't bear it if I were to faint from blood loss again—what a tragedy that would be for a beauty to perish!
Even now, I still felt uneasy about my recent fall from the wall.
I accepted the tea he poured for me and took a generous sip before asking, "You didn't tell the emperor who I am, did you?"
He shook his head. I had told him many times not to mention my name to anyone, just to say I was an ordinary palace maid. The intention behind this was naturally to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Seeing him so relaxed and waiting for me to continue made me chuckle; I wasn't some mysterious figure, after all, so why the fuss?
"I told you my name is Xie Weiying. Have you heard of the recent beauty among the young ladies, the Fourth Miss Xie, who has fallen ill and has been bedridden for years, confined to her quarters? She has been labeled a beauty and sent away to a secluded villa." No wonder he felt a sense of familiarity when I first mentioned my name; he just couldn't connect this unremarkable woman with the frail Fourth Young Lady.
Noticing his slightly stunned expression, I couldn't help but smile triumphantly. "That's right, I am the neglected Fourth Miss Xie, the woman abandoned by the Emperor."
"Speaking of which," I said with a mischievous grin, "we really are quite similar—one is an abandoned consort looked down upon by the Emperor, and the other is a flamboyant scholar ridiculed by the world. What a coincidence." I ignored his gradually paling face.
After a long moment, he finally came back to himself and gave a self-deprecating smile. "I thought... I thought—" He thought I was just a special palace maid, a wise and clever woman who could remain a confidante.
I couldn't hear him clearly and leaned in curiously, widening my eyes as I asked, "What did you think?"
"Nothing, nothing at all." He awkwardly waved his hand, his gaze darting away from my close-up face, his cheeks turning ruddy.
How amusing it was to encounter so many innocent men who blush easily here.
I got straight to the point: "I don't want to be a true imperial woman. I don't want to get involved in the struggles of the harem. In short, I'm not interested in vying for favor; I just want to live out my remaining days peacefully here. That's my intention." I knew he was not only curious about why I had lost my composure but also wanted to know if I had any ulterior motives or schemes to approach him. His protective instincts were understandable; Brother Sima was indeed someone worth doing anything for. Although some historical texts described him as useless and dependent on the Wang family's power to reach where he was today, I knew that wasn't true; he wasn't what everyone thought he was.
When I entered the palace, Head of the Family had described him as someone obsessed with women, timid in nature, rarely making decisions on his own and always following the opinions of his ministers. There was little evidence of capability. I almost believed that too because of those damned historical records; I had never thought much of this Eastern Jin Emperor. However, Sima Langye was completely different from what anyone else said; I believed Brother Sima understood far more than people assumed. That noble yet aloof demeanor of his was truly who he was.
After chatting with Li Jiu for quite a while, feeling fatigued myself and unable to bear seeing those remarkably dark circles under his eyes from waiting for me, we agreed to continue our conversation when the Emperor would not be present before parting ways.
All along the way back, his words echoed in my mind: "Firefly, I've never encountered such a special woman as you."
Returning from Miyu, it was already close to dawn. Back in my room and preparing to undress and rest, suddenly a short arrow whizzed through my ear from the window and lodged itself in the screen. Habitually walking over to retrieve it while muttering about how that damned eunuch always startled me like this made me genuinely worry that one day he might accidentally take my ear along with it.
One night, that Eunuch Gao Lu suddenly appeared in my room, nearly making me scream for help. It wasn't until I saw the letter from the Head of the Family that I realized he had been a pawn in the palace of Head of the Family An Dao for over a decade, supporting him all the way to the position of Chief Steward, becoming a favored figure by the Emperor and earning his trust.
I recognized the handwriting of the Head of the Family. He had mentioned that someone would come to contact me when I entered the palace, but I never expected it to be him—the renowned Chief Steward, whom countless women in the harem sought to curry favor with. To my surprise, he was a loyal subordinate of the Head of the Family. I couldn't help but wonder what kind of favors everyone had bestowed upon him. The letter also stated that Chief Eunuch Gao was someone I could absolutely trust.
Suddenly, I recalled his unusual expression before the election when I pretended to be ill. He was so cunning; surely he saw through my poor acting at that moment. Yet he remained composed, as if nothing was amiss.
Later, I asked him about it. He simply lowered his head and respectfully replied, "The Master instructed Old Servant to cooperate with Young Master in all actions before Young Master entered the palace, to follow Young Master's orders. So on that day, Old Servant pretended not to know."
I scoffed, "You clearly knew that old man sent me into the palace to gain favor and assist my aunt in obtaining the Queen's position. You knew I acted that way to avoid favor, yet you did nothing to stop me?"
His expression remained unchanged as he continued respectfully, "The Master said that whatever Young Master decides to do, Old Servant will follow. Young Master naturally has his own plans." What a sly old fox, I thought bitterly.
From then on, every month this Eunuch would unexpectedly deliver letters when I was completely unprepared. Sometimes they were tucked among small rewards sent to me; I suspected Gao Lu was using his position to secretly provide them. Occasionally, like tonight, he would just appear in my room.
I opened the letter; it contained only a few plain sentences from the Head of the Family reminding me that my illness had nearly passed and it was time for action. He warned me not to forget my mission for entering the palace and our agreement before my arrival. Hmph! I knew he was cautioning me not to act too smart! Having such a high-ranking servant by my side wasn't necessarily bad, but everything has its pros and cons. His respect for me stemmed from the Head of the Family; at the same time, he was a piece on the chessboard placed by the Head of the Family to monitor me. Surely, he had reported back about my lack of ambition and idleness.
I burned the letter and smiled coldly. Did they think they could monitor me? Hmph! No one can stop me from doing what I want—especially not threats that I despise!
Competing for favor? It seemed like it was time for me to pay a visit to my aunt, who hadn't shown her face since I fell out of favor—the woman rumored to have gained favor due to her sister.
Comment 0 Comment Count