Chapter 16 Your Highness, please help me?

Rongyue's first reaction was to ask around to see if Sijiamu would also go.

Yang Qing later heard that at the Mu family's banquet, Rong Yue finally got to know Si Jia Mu as she wished, but this man was quite ungrateful and treated Rong Yue coldly, but was very enthusiastic towards the Empress's two nieces.

Yang Qing comforted her, "I heard from Pian Ran that the two young ladies of the Ming family are related to Young Master Si, so Fifth Sister, you don't need to worry too much."

How could Rongyue not overthink it? She always held herself in high esteem, and although she usually acted very haughtily, she would always reciprocate any man who showed her even the slightest kindness with double the favor.

But this Si Jiamu dared to treat her as if she didn't exist, and even deliberately ignored what she said in front of everyone. Wasn't this a slap in her face?

Young people often become arrogant and conceited, which is understandable in normal times, but when that arrogance takes hold, it becomes utterly unforgivable.

This made Rongyue extremely unhappy, and she secretly vowed that if she got the chance, she would definitely teach this person a lesson.

Yang Qing saw that on the first page of Rong Yue's booklet, the section on Si Jiamu's character had been marked with a bright red "丁" (ding).

A, B, C, D – these are the lowest rank.

On the day of the Crown Prince's birthday banquet, the Second Madam still made a special trip to watch Yang Qing's dressing up. Yang Qing found it strange, and the Second Madam did not hide it from her, "You must dress up nicely, preferably outshining all the other beauties, so that you can outshine the two daughters of the Ming family, and let that blind fool see that my daughter, Jiang Xianyi's daughter, is the real pearl."

Yang Qing's hair was being played with by Liu Ye'er, but she couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. Her mother usually appeared to be a dignified and quiet lady, but she had a different face in private. When she was not angry, she was fine, but when she was angry, she dared to scold anyone.

She really didn't intend to show off, and she didn't want Li Shangxuan to notice her. Even if she went to the palace banquet, she was determined to find a corner to hide in and blend into the crowd.

During the Xia Dynasty, the separation between men and women was not very strict. It was not uncommon for young ladies to walk on the street without veils or hats. Although men and women sat separately at palace banquets, they could still meet without being separated by screens or other barriers.

The emperor and empress sat at the head of the table, each with a small table in front of them, covered with a dark tablecloth.

The ministers and women below were seated either in groups of four or six, and their seating arrangements were pre-arranged.

Yang Qing had attended several palace banquets before, but her position was always quite far back. This time was different, probably because it was the Crown Prince's birthday banquet. As the Crown Prince's teacher, Master Chi's status was naturally more prestigious than that of ordinary officials, so the Chi family's position was specially moved forward.

This made Yang Qing very uncomfortable. Although she was still far away from Li Shangxuan, she could always feel his gaze drifting towards her.

Yang Qing also noticed that the emperor had looked at her twice, which made her even more terrified.

She still prefers her old corner spot.

Such formal banquets are not a good time to eat. No matter how delicious the food is, the constant rounds of toasts and the unexpected small talk that might break out at any moment force you to stay alert.

Just as things were finally coming to an end, Chu Ying, that spineless girl, blushed and tugged at Yang Qing's sleeve, whispering, "I need to change my clothes, come with me."

Yang Qing was not too happy: "I don't know the way either, why don't you find a palace maid to take you there?"

Chu Ying softened her voice and pleaded, "No, it's too big here, I'm scared. Yang Qing, A Xun, please beg me to go."

Even though she was in this state, Yang Qing couldn't bring herself to refuse and could only agree.

After the maid led them to the washroom, Yangqing wandered aimlessly in the courtyard, occasionally hearing voices coming from the palace ahead.

She stayed there for a while, but she got really bored. Just then, she saw a black kitten run over. The little guy seemed very curious about her and kept circling around her.

Yang Qing was able to restrain herself, thinking that this was in the palace, and the fur was so smooth and shiny that it looked very well cared for. She guessed it was probably the beloved pet of some nobleman. She resisted the urge to touch it, but it was really bold and actually sat down obediently in front of her.

Since it was so proactive, Yang Qing couldn't be blamed. She took two steps forward, but the little black cat remained obediently sitting in place, its two round, jewel-like eyes staring at her.

Yang Qing thought that since it was so well-behaved, it would be easy to pet it. However, just as she was about to touch its fluffy head, the little black cat suddenly ran away. It looked round and chubby, but its movements were very swift.

Yang Qing didn't force it and stepped back. Unexpectedly, the cat seemed to be doing it on purpose. Seeing that she wasn't chasing it anymore, it rubbed against the hem of her skirt. When Yang Qing tried to touch it, it ran away quickly.

This teasing was repeated three or four times until Yang Qing finally got annoyed. She didn't care where she was and chased after the kitten to give it a good rub.

But this cat was small and fast, so Yangqing could only watch it from under the big tree, panting.

She can actually climb trees, but not today.

Yang Qing was so angry that her teeth itched. She was about to give the kitten a lecture, telling her that if she didn't want to be touched by her, she shouldn't keep trying to seduce her, as it was very immoral. Before she could say anything, she suddenly heard a muffled male voice and footsteps. Startled, she immediately held her breath and slowly squatted down.

This tree is old, as thick as three people could hug it, and it's early spring with lush weeds. If she squats down, she shouldn't be seen.

She had no intention of eavesdropping, but now she had no choice but to. She quickly recognized one of the male voices as Li Shangxuan's, as she was extremely familiar with his voice.

Once you've guessed one, the other is quite easy to guess: who else could Li Shangxuan's father be? It's none other than His Majesty the Emperor!

Knowing who the two people outside were, Yang Qing became even more frightened, barely daring to breathe, afraid of attracting attention. If she were discovered, it would be disastrous.

The Emperor said, "...The Empress is right, you are indeed of marriageable age."

Li Shangxuan said, "My second brother is not yet married. There is an order of seniority. Besides, the people from the Imperial Observatory said that it is not my destiny to marry early. I should wait at least another year or two."

The emperor remained silent for a long time, and then didn't bring up the matter again. Instead, he changed the subject, "He Yun told me the other day that he wants to marry your teacher's daughter. I'm getting old and my eyesight is failing me. Even though I was so close at the banquet, I couldn't see what she looked like. You must have seen her, right? What does she look like? Is she a good match for He Yun?"

Yang Qingxin was practically in her throat. She never expected to hear Li Heyun requesting a marriage decree here. It seemed that Li Shangxuan's opinion was very important to the emperor.

Only then did she begin to regret it, wishing she hadn't broken things off with Li Shangxuan earlier.

She was filled with mixed feelings, but the little black cat in the tree was restless. With a "thump," it jumped down and landed squarely in Yang Qing's arms.

Although it was small, it was made of real flesh, and the blow really hit Yang Qing hard. In order not to disturb the people outside, she endured the pain without making a sound.

But the cat's jump is already quite loud, enough to attract attention.

The emperor's majestic voice rang out: "Who's there!"

This angry shout was completely different from the loving fatherly image he had displayed when speaking to Li Shangxuan earlier. Yang Qing felt her legs go weak upon hearing it and wanted to lean on the large tree in front of her for support. Seeing the little black cat in her arms still staring at her with its eyes open, she gritted her teeth and decided to take a gamble, squeaking out a "meow" in a high-pitched voice.

Fortunately, Li Shangxuan spoke up at this moment: "I just saw a little black cat, probably the one that Sheng Ping keeps."

The emperor then said nothing, and they did not continue their previous conversation. It seemed that two eunuchs had arrived, and then there was no more sound outside.

Yang Qing breathed a sigh of relief, but remained cautious and did not go out immediately. Instead, she hid there for a while longer, pinching the little cat's ears that she had finally managed to hold. Only when she was sure that there was no movement outside did she try to push aside the grass and walk out from behind the tree. Unexpectedly, before she could see the light of day, she was startled back by a tall figure.

When Yang Qing finally saw the person's face clearly, her heart returned to her stomach. She was both ashamed and annoyed, and couldn't help but complain, "Why does Your Highness walk so quietly?"

Li Shangxuan didn't speak at first, seemingly aware that it wouldn't be good for the two of them to be seen here, but he didn't leave immediately. Instead, he slipped behind a tree, a smile playing on his lips, appearing to be in a good mood. "What are you doing here?"

Yang Qing remained silent.

Li Shangxuan chuckled: "Weren't you quite vocal just now? Why are you so quiet now?"

Yang Qing glared at him, her face immediately turning red.

He realized... that meow was something she imitated.

Fine, she still needed his help. Yang Qing, being both flexible and assertive, decided to soften her stance first, "Is what Your Majesty said true?"

Now it was Li Shangxuan who remained silent.

Yang Qing continued, "I don't want to marry Li Heyun, Your Highness, please help me."

Li Shangxuan looked down at her. The old tree was so lush and leafy that it almost completely blocked out the sunlight. The girl in the green dress looked like an elf. He couldn't help but ask her, "If you don't want to marry him, then who do you want to marry?"

Yang Qing's eyes widened, and she mumbled, "Your Highness knows perfectly well that if I really marry him, he will definitely take revenge on me severely. I truly regard Your Highness as my own brother, so please help me, okay?"

It was her own brother again. Li Shangxuan pursed his lips, clearly unhappy. His gaze lingered on her lips, which looked exceptionally delicious, though he couldn't tell what kind of lip rouge she was wearing.

He whispered, "If I help you, how will you thank me?"

How could Yang Qing not understand what he meant? She had lived like this in her past life. She cursed the man's shamelessness in her heart, but her face remained innocent, pretending not to understand. "But I have nothing..." Her furrowed brows suddenly relaxed, as if she had suddenly thought of a good idea. "I'll tell Father to prepare a thank-you gift for His Highness."

Li Shangxuan remained silent.

Yang Qing said again, "Your Highness, Brother Shang Xuan, I've always treated you like my own brother, can't you help your little sister?"

Li Shangxuan looked rather embarrassed and angry. Before leaving, he angrily remarked, "Who wants to be your brother?"

A note from the author:

Is it really that badly written...?

This book completely broke my heart. Maybe I'm really not suited to writing historical romance novels.