Chapter 44 Punishing You

A loud clang rang in Deng Mengnu's ears.

"Are you crazy?"

Xue Ying'er stared at her intently, then suddenly knelt down and bowed to her:

"Sister Deng, I want to get an explanation for myself."

Deng Mengnu's head throbbed with pain: "Are you still not reconciled?"

Xue Ying'er remained silent, which was an implicit agreement.

Deng Mengnu clutched her head, her heart pounding with anxiety. She paced back and forth for a long time, then took a breath, wanting to curse, but seeing Xue Ying'er's unyielding stubbornness, she fell silent.

“I’ve tried my best to escape. But you’re determined to go in. Isn’t a peaceful life better?” She smiled bitterly. “You don’t have to do this. I can’t bear it. But Ying’er, I kept it from you before.”

Xue Ying'er was also heartbroken; it wasn't easy to find someone to accompany you in such chaotic times. But Yuan Yu's leap today seemed to have ignited an unnamed fire within her, and she wanted to get to the same conclusion as Yuan Yu.

Even if it means death.

After Deng Mengnu said this, she slowly propped herself up.

"Sister Deng..." Xue Ying'er asked, puzzled.

Deng Mengnu sat by her bedside, exhaling heavily:

"Actually, Feng An and my sister should have a close relationship."

Xue Ying'er's eyes widened: "What?"

Deng Mengnu turned her face away: "The palace recruits palace servants every year. You can apply not long after the start of the year, but I don't really have any contact with my sister anymore. I secretly went to her house once last time, and her parents had moved away a long time ago. I have never helped take care of her parents, nor do I have any real skills. I only have the desire to survive, and I don't care about anything else."

"...If you're really determined to enter the palace, I have a sister from before. Her surname is Wu, and she's still in the palace. I only know that she used to go to restaurants in the city sometimes; if you're lucky, you might run into her."

Xue Ying'er's eyes lit up, "Sister..." Deng Mengnu stroked her hair: "I'll only help you this once, just wait."

-

"So, someone slipped you a piece of paper at a crucial moment, telling you there was money in that old nun's room. You only have this one piece of evidence, which is why you're insisting I take it in to search?"

In Xianning Palace, Yan Dibai glanced at Yan Xifang along the way before returning to take a bath. He casually slipped on a nightgown and reclined on the couch, his phoenix eyes filled with ill intent.

"Don't you know who it is?"

Qingqing stood half a zhang away and nodded obediently.

There's really no point in hiding it.

When those men took Yuanqing upstairs, she happened to overhear their conversation. She immediately sensed something was wrong and felt uneasy. Then, a stone wrapped in paper fell at her feet.

Although this thing should be guarded against, the writing on the paper was so flamboyant and seemed to indicate a great deal of urgency.

She also suddenly realized what Yan Dibai would gain if he made the right choice in this situation.

That's how that whole thing happened.

On her way back from the city gate, the tears that had been welling up in her eyes had stopped. But she still felt exhausted.

"Didn't you make an appointment with a eunuch to go see the lanterns? Why did he only smash yours?" Yan Dibai asked leisurely.

Qingqing was quite uncomfortable. "How did Your Majesty know that I went to see the lanterns with someone?"

Yan Dibai scoffed, "How many eyes are there in the palace that I need to specifically investigate? You dare to think that? Why should I investigate you? Who do you think you are?"

That's true. She pursed her lips. "I don't know where he went halfway; I haven't seen him at all."

Qingqing didn't look very happy.

Yan Dibai watched with a sense of satisfaction. He picked up a piece of rice cake from the small table and chewed it. His face was expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger. He had the air of a deep and calculating emperor.

Since Yang Liuqing wasn't lying, he had no reason to lash out.

After all, her arrival actually brought him a good reputation.

Yan Dibai gave a mocking smile.

He was just casually dealing with a few people, yet this empty reputation had somehow ended up on his head.

Qingqing watched him eat, and her stomach started to feel a little uncomfortable.

Since coming to Yan Dibai's side, except when he deliberately ignored her, she never had to worry about food or clothing. She could take whatever she wanted from the kitchen.

But tonight's events were too impactful and lasted too long; the little bit I ate before leaving couldn't keep up and has long since been digested.

Qingqing said bluntly, "If there's nothing else, I won't disturb Your Majesty's rest." She didn't know where Feng'an had gone, and she was still trying to find him.

Yan Dibai sat up abruptly: "Stop."

Qingqing looked up.

He beckoned to her and pointed to the rice cake on the plate: "It's too greasy, eat it for me."

In their private interactions, Yan Dibai never ate snacks. He wouldn't touch them even if they were placed on the table, let alone give them to his servants. She had often lamented that perfectly good food was being wasted. But since he was being so generous this time, Qingqing didn't refuse and went to the small table.

The small, off-white square cakes are adorned with osmanthus blossoms. They don't look much different from those from the 21st century.

There were only five pieces of cake left, not enough to fill her stomach. Under Yan Dibai's seemingly indifferent gaze, she picked them up, intending to finish them and return to her room. But Yan Dibai was being sarcastic:

"Are you a starving ghost?"

Qingqing quickly swallowed what was in her mouth, looking puzzled. Yan Dibai rolled his eyes at her, then suddenly moved aside, making room for the little girl to sit down.

He glanced at him and said, "Even slaves know to hold a bowl and sit down."

Qingqing immediately understood that her feelings were aversion towards her. She looked at the empty seat with surprise, then hesitated for a moment.

Sitting where Yan Dibai had just sat, it didn't seem quite right for her to sit there...

But Yan Dibai's eyes were gradually growing impatient. Qingqing weighed the pros and cons and asked again, "Does Your Majesty want me to sit?"

He shifted his gaze, but didn't say no.

Qingqing had no choice but to gently place her jade-like buttocks on the ground with a sense of grotesqueness, and sit side by side with the young emperor.

Yan Dibai remained motionless, his breathing even, showing no discomfort at the presence of another person beside him, nor uttering any rude words.

She paused for three seconds, then silently took out a small porcelain plate.

The only sound in the hall was the soft, almost inaudible sound of chewing.

At the beginning, Qingqing should be terrified and dare not move at all, let alone eat.

But these days I feel no psychological burden at all, no matter what I do.

As she ate, she wondered what his thoughts were amidst the uproar in the public today.

The plate was clean, and Qingqing slowly turned her head. Yan Dibai lowered her eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

She took a deep breath and whispered:

Is Your Majesty pleased?

Yan Dibai narrowed his eyes suddenly, realizing what she meant in an instant. He gave her a strange look, then quickly looked away, staring directly at the screen in front of him.

This attitude... Qingqing hesitated slightly, but unwilling to give up, she said frankly:

"His Majesty merely conducted a casual investigation and thus understood Yuanyu's wish, cleared away the filth from the Li family, and warmed the hearts of many."

She leaned slightly towards him, habitually offering her praise:

"Although there are uninformed people trying to obstruct things, your words have a lasting impact. It is evident that Your Majesty, with even the slightest intention, can do better than Lord Xiao Yuanjing. I have heard that he has been working diligently in Longnan for more than ten years, yet it is not as grand as the people's cheers today."

Qingqing then bent another finger and placed it horizontally under Yan Di's white eyelids:

"Your Majesty has won the hearts of the people! When the Green Sprouts are officially distributed in March, it will be another story to tell. The people will surely sing your praises. Is Your Majesty happy?"

She waited quietly for Yan Dibai's reply.

Yan Dibai chuckled, then suddenly pinched her cheeks and vigorously rubbed Qingqing's face a few times with her fingertips. Then, suppressing an inexplicable anger, she smiled slightly.

"Your gallbladder and the flesh on your face have both swelled up."

"What are you saying?" Qingqing tilted her head back, her lips pouting. Hearing this, she frowned, signaling Yan Dibai to talk things out and release her first.

Yan Dibai was enjoying herself immensely and didn't pay any attention to her. She vented all her frustration on her face, pinching and kneading her cheeks until they were flushed, looking just like a monkey's bottom.

Qingqing tried to steer the conversation back to its original purpose.

Yan Dibai then scoffed:

"Is something so trivial that you're so happy to bring it up indirectly?"

They were so easily fooled.

Qingqing opened her mouth slightly.

"Does Your Majesty mean that you will do even better things in the future than you did today?"

"Hmph." Yan Dibai started rubbing her face vigorously again, as if he wanted to vent all his emotions on her pitiful face.

He didn't answer her eager anticipation. Instead, he pinched her cheek in a mixture of embarrassment, displeasure, and complicated emotions.

"You have caused a rift between me and my elder sister, and you have offended her and Li Er. I will punish you." The young man frowned slightly when he spoke of Yan Xifang.

Yan Xifang and Li Mingshao, that's true. But in the end, it was she who offended them.

Yan Xifang has not woken up since she fainted on the city wall, even when Yan Dibai went to check on her, there was no movement.

He's avenging his sister? Qingqing struggled to speak: "What punishment did His Majesty impose on me?"

The black in Yan Dibai's eyes gradually turned into nameless clear waves.

The person in front of me opened their eyes wide and asked in a light voice, "What punishment?"

Punishment…

Oh.

Yan Dibai felt a surge of heat in her heart and suddenly released her grip. It was as if this could sweep away the obstacles blocking her thoughts.

"You are punished by having to copy the entire library."

Seeing her pale face, Yan Dibai laughed heartily.

"Copy it in front of me."

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Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 23:04:35 on October 14, 2023 and 00:05:37 on October 16, 2023!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Coffee (2 bottles);

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!