Chapter 13 Request (Bonus Chapter)

“Back then,” Ling Xi said nostalgically, “when your older sister was alive, you were the closest to her, and you only listened to her.”

"Those were such good times."

yes.

That person was like a mountain, steadily standing there, allowing his sisters to live more easily under his shadow.

But now the mountain is gone.

Those things that were once shrouded in the shadow of the mountain began to peek out, testing each other's boundaries.

She herself went from being a protected younger sister to an obstacle in the eyes of others who needed to be careful, wary of, or even step on.

She didn't reply, but poured herself another glass of wine and drank it down.

Ling Xi also fell silent for a moment, as if recalling something.

Soon, she regained her carefree demeanor and leaned closer: "But speaking of which, Fifth Sister, the two that Mother has chosen for you this time are truly impeccable in appearance."

Shen, the Vice Minister, is like an immortal who stepped out of a painting. And that Yi, the Vice Minister… tsk, I glanced at him the other day, and I almost couldn't sleep afterward.”

She exaggeratedly clutched her chest, "What are you thinking when you see these two faces every day?"

Ling Wei glanced at her sideways: "Thoughts? What thoughts?"

"That's the idea!" Ling Xi winked. "They're already at your residence, so they're at your mercy..."

Ling Wei snorted lightly, "Some things seem to be delivered right to your lips, but whether you can eat them, and how to eat them... is really not up to you."

Ling Xi paused for a moment, pondered her words carefully, and then thought of Shen Zhilan's loss of voice and Yi Shao's leg, as well as the rumors about them being unaffected by mental power. The expression of sudden realization on her face gradually turned into sympathy.

"Oh..." she drawled, this time without her usual playful grin. Instead, she patted Ling Wei's arm and said in a rare serious tone, "Fifth Sister, it hasn't been easy."

The phrase "not easy" seems to refer to more than just the immediate situation.

Ling Wei smiled, didn't reply, and finished her glass of wine.

"But Fifth Sister," Ling Xi leaned closer, her voice tinged with the excitement of sharing a secret, "I heard that 'Warm Jade Pavilion' in the south of the city has developed a new miraculous medicine, do you want to...?"

"Alright." Ling Wei raised her hand to press her forehead, pushed her away, and said with a mix of laughter and tears, "You're getting more and more absurd. Hurry up and go back to your residence. If you keep talking nonsense, I'll tell Mother that you still have all sorts of nonsense in your head."

Ling Xi wasn't annoyed by her push, and jumped up with a grin: "Fine, let's go then. Fifth Sister, you're just too shy."

She walked to the door, then turned back and grinned at Ling Wei, "Anyway, no matter what, you're still my fifth sister."

"They're gone."

The light footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

The study fell silent again, with only the soft crackling of the candlelight.

Ling Wei sat alone under the lamp, looking at the candlelight reflected in her cup, as if she saw those clear yet blurry shadows from the past.

The person who could keep things in check is gone.

The rest can only rely on their own abilities to find a way to survive.

She raised her hand and drank the remaining wine in her glass in one gulp. The wine was strong, burning from her throat all the way to her heart.

After a long while, Ling Wei rubbed her increasingly heavy temples, walked behind her desk, sat down, spread out a piece of paper, and picked up her brush to dip in ink.

She wrote down what happened at the Shen family's house that day, recounting it in a plain and straightforward manner.

Emperor Jinghe abhorred deception, especially when it came to interactions between his officials and the imperial daughters.

Even if it's just a family matter in the backyard, as long as it might give rise to gossip, you have to report it proactively.

He sealed the letter with sealing wax and summoned a trusted attendant: "Tomorrow morning, present this letter to His Majesty."

The attendant accepted the order and withdrew silently.

After doing all this, Ling Wei felt the effects of the alcohol rising in her head, and her temples throbbed.

There was a short couch on one side of the study for temporary resting. Too lazy to move, she said to Qing Shu, who was standing beside her, "I'll rest here tonight."

Qing Shu responded and was about to turn around to make arrangements when the faint sound of wheels rolling over the ground came from outside the door, along with a servant's low announcement: "Your Highness, Young Master Shao requests an audience."

Ling Wei looked up: "Let him in."

The door was pushed open, and Yi Shao was slowly pushed in in a wheelchair, with a carved mahogany food box placed steadily on his lap.

Today he changed into a light blue casual outfit, his dark hair half-tied up, and his features were exquisite in the candlelight. He looked less flamboyant and extravagant than during the day, and more refined and gentle.

“Your Highness, Ah Shao came once before, but it happened that Your Highness was talking with the Sixth Prince, so it was not appropriate to disturb you. Thinking that Your Highness had been drinking, I went back to prepare this hangover soup for you.”

As he spoke, he casually opened the food box, took out a small celadon bowl, and found the soup inside to be warm, emitting a faint aroma of kudzu flowers and hawthorn.

He dismissed the people behind him, turned his wheelchair to the short couch, and handed the soup bowl to Ling Wei. "The temperature is just right. Your Highness, drink some while it's hot. It will make you feel much more comfortable."

Seeing that she had taken it, Yi Shao turned to her side and naturally reached out, gently pressing his fingertips onto her temples, massaging them with just the right amount of pressure.

He softened his voice, with a hint of coaxing intimacy, "Your Highness...would you like to rest at Rongyin Courtyard tonight? They have prepared calming incense there."

Ling Wei took two sips of the hangover soup, which was pleasantly sour and sweet, and her stomach did feel a bit better.

She turned her head to look at the beautiful face so close to hers. The candlelight flickered in his eyes, reflecting a warm light that seemed sincere.

"What is it?" she asked, her voice slightly hoarse from the alcohol. "What do you need now that you've come to me for help?"

Yi Shao paused his fingertips as he massaged her acupoints, then frowned slightly, his beautiful phoenix eyes revealing a hint of grievance: "Your Highness... why do you always think of me as such a wretched person? I am now Your Highness's concubine, and I only wish for Your Highness's health and well-being. Your Highness's words are truly heartbreaking."

His voice trembled slightly at the end, and Ling Wei hummed in response. Whether she believed him or was too lazy to refute him, she finished the rest of the hangover soup and casually placed the empty bowl on the small table beside the couch.

Perhaps it was the alcohol that stirred up the restlessness in her heart, or perhaps it was the deliberate flattery and beauty of the person in front of her that were truly deceptive, but Ling Wei suddenly reached out, grabbed Yi Shao's wrist which was still resting on her forehead, and pulled hard.

Caught off guard, Yi Shao's upper body was pulled forward by her.

His legs were weak, and he relied entirely on his arms for support, barely managing to stay on either side of Ling Wei's body and avoid falling completely on top of her.

This position left him almost suspended above Ling Wei, their breaths suddenly mingling.

Ling Wei even maliciously bent one leg, her knee against his waist, and raised her other hand, her fingertips touching his cheek so close to hers, feeling its warm and smooth texture.

Because of the commotion, a few strands of Yi Shao's tied-up hair fell down, hanging on Ling Wei's side, causing a slight itch.

Ling Wei gently brushed the few unruly strands of hair behind his ear, her fingertips brushing against his earlobe.

Yi Shao's eyelashes trembled, and his breathing became erratic for a moment.

Just then, Ling Wei spoke up, her voice slightly tipsy and strangely calm: "Think it over. If you've come here tonight with ulterior motives, you'd better say it now. I... don't have the patience to listen later."