Chapter 50 This Taiye Lake is under my control

When I returned to the inner hall to rest after basking in the sun, I met Wei Xizi.

I nodded to him in a friendly manner, but his face changed drastically. He drew a huge circle with me as the center and ran out of the temple gate as if I was infected with some deadly germs.

I shouted, "Brother Xizi, why are you running?" Wei Xizi bowed to me while running, and his trembling little hands betrayed his fear.

"At least we were colleagues before, he wouldn't be like this," I complained.

Yi De said, "Sheren Wei was also helpless. His Majesty has instructed the counselors and the servants not to speak a single word to Madam when entering or leaving the Purple Palace. Anyone who violates this order will be whipped at the very least, or beaten with a stick at the worst."

"Except for the dog that lives at Aunt Wang's house at the entrance of Huaiyin Lane in Anyifang, I have never seen a creature that is so protective of its food." As usual, I made a sardonic mockery.

I felt that I had made him a lot bolder in recent days, and he actively supported me: "That's indeed not right."

"uh-huh."

I stepped into the palace. For the first time, I didn't see Li Siyan waiting for me in the palace. There were only a few new palace maids doing some cleaning while the emperor was away.

When they saw me come in, they all bowed to me.

I grabbed the nearest palace servant and asked, "Where's the emperor?"

"Your Majesty has gone to the Queen's Palace." The little palace maid replied.

"Very good." I was very satisfied.

It's rare that Li Siyan is not around, and I suddenly remembered the mercury pills in the vase. I don't know if they have gone bad after being there for so long. Since I can't use them, it's better to throw them away as soon as possible.

So he walked over and pretended to change the flowers, and turned the bottle upside down, but the bottle was empty and the pills were gone.

I was stunned and poured out the contents again, even the rotten branches and leaves, but there was still no sign of the meatball.

Isn't it in this bottle?

"Huiyue, I remember this bottle originally came in a pair. Where is the other one?" I asked Huiyue.

"The other one was smashed to pieces a year ago by His Majesty in his rage."

"What?" I couldn't help but scream.

Huiyue gave me a puzzled look.

I was so frightened that I didn't even think of beating around the bush. I just went straight to the point and asked Huiyue, "...In the past two months...has anyone touched this bottle? Has Your Majesty touched it?"

Hui Yue was increasingly puzzled. "This is a display in front of the Emperor. The palace maids who usually sweep the floor regularly dust and replace the flowers. Your Majesty...your Majesty did take it and look at it yesterday, but he also touched other displays."

yesterday?

I thought to myself, wasn't Pingsheng hanged yesterday? Could it be that she changed her confession before she died and wanted to drag me down with her?

This idiot!

I turned around mechanically and moved slowly to the edge of the couch, feeling that disaster was about to happen to me.

When Li Siyan returned to the palace, I was sitting upright in front of the desk. I looked calm on the surface, but I was actually very panicked inside. I was even thinking about how to surrender myself.

Li Siyan glanced at me strangely and called Huiyue to ask a few questions.

I don’t know what Huiyue said to make him happy, but he nodded and suddenly smiled. But I had a guilty conscience and always felt that his smile was a bit creepy.

Why not just ask him directly... He insists that this matter has nothing to do with me, and that Pingsheng put the poison pill there, and is trying to put the blame on me?

But Li Siyan hates lying to him the most. If he finds out that I'm not telling the truth, he might get even angrier...

I was so worried that my intestines were about to burst. I mustered up my courage and started the conversation with a single syllable: "Uh..."

Unexpectedly, before I could even decide on my words, Li Siyan spoke first, "I went to the Queen's Palace today to ask her to prepare the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. It's just official business, not what you think."

Smiling, he pulled out a beautiful wooden box from his sleeve, placed it in front of me, and said, "Don't be jealous. I'll give you an apology, won't I?"

I became even more frightened. Judging from Li Siyan's character, there might be Xiaochuan's finger in the box!

Seeing that I didn't move, Li Siyan felt a little disappointed and opened the box for me himself.

I glanced at it in fear.

Fortunately, it wasn't anything stained with blood.

I felt relieved immediately.

In the box lay an extremely delicate and lovely jade hairpin with a fat bird carved on the head and round beads, which was definitely not an ordinary item.

"I asked the craftsmen to do it, but these useless guys are so clumsy that they spent a month to get something barely passable." He said unnaturally, "What a waste of the blueprints I worked so hard on."

I was still in shock, so I reached out and picked up the hairpin to examine it. The jade beads underneath the hairpin jingled against each other, and the little fat jade bird looked at me angrily.

Li Siyan leaned forward, with a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes.

Anyway... I should cheer him up first, then be honest with him...

I put the little fat bird on the side of my bun, shook my head and asked, "Does it look good?"

"It's okay." He pretended to be reserved.

As long as he is happy, I thought sadly, looking at his overjoyed look, I must be a puffed-up little fat bird in his heart.

But I didn't forget my business, so I cleared my throat again and said with determination, "Um... Your Majesty... Huiyue said you searched through all the furnishings yesterday... Did you lose something important? I'm free every day anyway, so why don't you help you look for it..."

I'm not very good at lying, and my eyes were wandering around the hall.

The smile on Li Siyan's face faded, and his fox eyes narrowed slightly, staring straight at me.

I was too guilty to meet his gaze. I forced a smile and said, "You didn't lose anything? That would be great."

"Who said I didn't lose anything?" He sneered, reached out and took the fat bird hairpin from my temples, put it in the box, and said, "I have put all my thoughts on you, but you don't even want to look at it."

As soon as I heard his tone, I knew something was wrong.

Just as he was thinking about how to sell out his integrity and soul to make amends, Li Siyan slowly withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice, "Yesterday was the day that the slave girl sent by Qinghe was executed. She knew that this was her fate, so she said some extremely treasonous words on the execution ground. Why don't you guess what she said?"

"She called you a traitor? A bastard from the imperial court?" I tried to guess in a more provocative way.

"Neither," he said, raising his eyebrows in disdain. "She said I was lowly and that I was delusional. The bird I kept was actually thinking about killing me every day, waiting for me to die suddenly so that it could live with its lover and fly away."

"As for the evidence... She said you were poisoning me every day." Li Siyan said lazily, "That's normal. After all, if you sleep in the same bed with someone, there are plenty of opportunities to poison them."

"She slandered me!"

I was scared. This Pingsheng really wanted to drag me down with him!

Damn, is this girl stupid? What good will it do her to get involved with me?

"Please, Your Majesty, please understand! How dare I kill you? If you die, I will become Daji, Baosi, or Feng Xiaolian, and my family will be considered as relatives who bring disaster to the country!"

"And... and what good would it be if I killed you! You'd make me die with you. I... I'm still young, and I don't want to die in such a pathetic way."

"Anyway, she slandered me. She told me to kill you, but I didn't listen. I didn't tell anyone because I was afraid you'd come after me. It wasn't that I was intentionally hiding it..."

I tried my best to clarify myself and even wanted to swear that I didn't do it, for fear that he would believe it and break Xiaochuan's fingers again.

"Why are you so anxious?" Li Siyan glanced at me with a dark look, and there seemed to be sarcasm in his eyes: "I don't intend to believe her."

I took a deep breath and tried my best to calm myself down.

He said calmly, "Whether it's true or not, she said something I didn't like. Perhaps she didn't want to go on her way in pain, so I changed my mind and sentenced her to death by slicing."

"Even if she has any secrets, she has been taken to the mass grave. I have already killed them all for you. What else do you have to be afraid of?"

He comforted me with an attitude of complicity, even though we both knew that he was the target and the victim.

The wind in early autumn is so cold that it blows through the hall, making every hair on my body stand up.

"Your Majesty won't even come to interrogate me?" I whispered, "But you clearly know... I was the last person she spoke to before she attacked."

Li Siyan replied calmly, "Of course I know, but this time I don't want to dig into the details. I plan to let you off the hook, and let myself off the hook as well."

"I did see what she said in a bottle." He pointed to the vase on Gawan's head. "But now she and Qinghe are both dead. This matter ends here. Whether you knew about it or not, I don't want to pursue it any further."

He stroked the back of my hand. "...I don't care what she said to you, or why you kept those pills. As long as you're standing before me intact, I can pretend nothing happened."

I sat there blankly, my ears buzzing.

What kind of reason is this?

He knew exactly what I was thinking, but he played dumb, unwilling to reveal it, and treated me as usual. Why? Wasn't he afraid that I would really poison him?

"So, you still think that I have had some bad intentions." I said firmly.

He didn't pursue the matter, but I wasn't going to take the blame for nothing. I said seriously, "I'm not lying to you. I really don't have the guts. She forced the pills on me, and I couldn't handle them, so I hid them."

Li Siyan really did as he said, not caring at all, and just said casually: "Okay, it's not you, it has nothing to do with you, it's all because of that bitch who made random accusations."

He didn't want to continue talking about this depressing topic, so he stretched out his long arms, picked me up from behind the table, and placed me in front of the clothes rack dozens of feet away.

I was caught off guard and hung in the air, looking up at him in confusion.

What is this doing.

Li Siyan put me down, turned around and opened the big suitcase he gave me. He rummaged through it and motioned for me to choose one.

About two months ago, Li Siyan suddenly discovered that I only had a few wearable clothes, all of which were given to Xiao Jinlian and others and then returned by them.

Because they were worn so often, the clothes were very worn out. He was quite unhappy when he noticed it and asked me why I didn't ask Huiyue to make new clothes.

I was silent for a moment and then said, "...I thought you just liked decent women with straw hats and cloth skirts."

Li Siyan was so angry that he laughed. He immediately went to the clothing bureau and asked two experienced tailors to take my measurements and make clothes for me. He emphasized that the best materials should be used and the most luxurious patterns should be embroidered to match my status.

The newly appointed Shangfu made a special trip to Zichen Palace and brought me the most suitable fabrics in the warehouse for me to choose from.

I nearly fainted when I saw the old-fashioned pattern: "...Do you think I'm the old woman selling locust cakes at the street corner?"

Li Siyan picked up a piece of mauve-colored fabric with twined branches, compared it to my waist, and said thoughtfully, "I think it suits you very well."

"It's ugly! My grandma never wore such ugly clothes!" I protested angrily.

"Okay, then let them change again." He said reluctantly.

Under Li Siyan's personal supervision, the Clothing Bureau worked day and night and finally finished some autumn clothes for me when the season changed.

──They are all palace styles, with a wide skirt that covers the chest and waist, which is particularly challenging for the figure.

In a large box of clothes, Li Siyan's favorite is a gamboge skirt with a pomegranate red open-necked top. Every time I wear it, he will hug me and kiss me a few times. He also said that this yellow skirt makes him want to tear it open and explore the paradise.

I asked him what "exploring the Peach Blossom Land" meant, and he just smiled without saying anything. I immediately understood what he meant and became furious. From then on, I never wore that yellow skirt again.

I took my usual dark green silk gown from the hanger and put it on, then lowered my head and asked him, "Your Majesty, are you going to take me out?"

Usually when Li Siyan asked me to tidy up my appearance, he meant to take me out for a walk.

Sure enough, he picked out two pieces of jewelry for me to wear, nodded, and said, "I'll take you to Taiye Lake to catch fish."

I almost blacked out.

Fishing again! Fishing again!

This is the third time I've caught fish this month!

Every time he takes me out, it's either fishing or hunting rabbits. I don't know why he has to pick on small animals...

"Okay." I said dejectedly, "What about after we catch the fish?"

Li Siyan noticed my lack of interest, so he mused, "Qingfu said two cranes had come to Taiye Pond and were resting on the lotus beach outside Qingsi Palace. I'll catch them for you to play with."

"Cranes are a sign of good fortune. Your Majesty, please do not harm them." I said seriously.

Li Siyan looked slightly displeased, but didn't get angry. He patiently asked me, "So what do you like?"

I said enthusiastically, "Your Majesty, why don't you get me a raccoon as a companion? It should be raccoon-colored, and preferably three months old."

"No." He refused outright.

I was a little surprised: he has been very obedient to me recently and it was rare for him to refuse me, and it was a request that was not too excessive.

Seeing this, Qingfu secretly reminded him, "Your Majesty hates raccoon slaves."

"Why? Have you ever been scratched? Or bitten?" I laughed at Li Siyan with a gloating look: "Don't worry, the cat slave is smart. If you don't provoke it, it won't bother with you."

"No." Li Siyan still said this, put his arm around my waist, and walked out of the hall with me in his arms: "I'll go catch a crane for you."

"I told you that cranes are spiritual creatures and you can't hurt them. Why didn't you listen?"

"Okay, just take a look then."

Li Siyan agreed casually, lowering his long sleeves like flowing clouds and holding my hand tightly under his sleeves.

The ginkgo leaves of mid-autumn fell all over the yard, and my silk shoes rustled as I stepped on them. I squinted against the glaring sunlight, and soon, a huge canopy blocked the light for me.

The one with the best eyesight is of course our sister Huiyue.

Su Xi was seriously injured by Ping Sheng and barely survived after more than two months of recuperation. Li Siyan generously rewarded her with a bunch of good things and honorary titles, and gave her a long vacation.

As a result, Huiyue and Chan'er became the main force serving in the imperial court.

I had always been planning to move out of Zichen Palace and find a new palace to settle down in, so I started training my own useful palace maids early on. I handed Jinlian, Jinliu, Yide, and a group of newly selected young palace maids over to Huiyue for care. Huiyue was so tired that her bags under her eyes grew bigger.

Even when the autumn heat was raging, she still held an umbrella for me. She is truly the most dedicated working queen in Daming Palace.

I said to Li Siyan, "Huiyue is serving the two of us alone, you should give her a raise."

Huiyue paused holding the umbrella.

I slowly probed, "If I move to another palace in the future, it will probably be difficult to find a palace maid as capable as her."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Li Siyan said calmly and without question, "You will live in Zichen Palace forever."

"Have I ever shared a bed with you without any status?" I responded calmly, "I am also a woman from a decent family. You can't bully me like this."

Li Siyan paused, turned around and asked, "Are you asking me for a position?"

"right."

After a brief moment of shock, he immediately regained his insightful and cautious gaze, which lingered on my face, as if he was interpreting my true feelings at the moment through every movement of my facial muscles.

Cold sweat broke out in my palms. I forced myself to maintain a calm expression, broke free from his grip, and pointed at the distant, misty Qingsi Palace. "If you won't give me a position, at least give me my own palace. Wang Funiang lives in the huge Qingsi Palace all by herself, but I have to share a room with you. It's not fair."

Li Siyan sneered, "You can ask her if she's willing to switch places with you. You can live in her big house, and she can live with me."

Is there such a good thing? My heart actually jumped for a moment.

Li Siyan caught my fleeting silly smile, and his eyes almost frosted. He gradually tightened his grip on my hand, as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger.

At this moment he must be hating me, hating me for not wanting to accept my fate, and hating me even more for my poor acting skills that couldn't fool him.

"There is no turning back on this matter."

Another straightforward rejection.

"You want status and honor, I can give them to you, but I will not let you leave the Purple Palace," he said coldly. "Even if you lie in a coffin, you must sleep in the same tomb with me."

"Oh..." I muttered in a low, drawn-out tone, "I was just saying it casually. If you don't want to give it to me, then don't give it to me. Why are you getting angry for no reason?"

Li Siyan said nothing and just kept pulling me forward.

Seeing his firm attitude, I was extremely depressed: As long as Li Siyan keeps me imprisoned in the Zichen Palace, I will not be able to exercise my independence.

I couldn't even get out the door, let alone plan to leave later. Given the strict security of the Purple Palace, as soon as I lit a small flame, more than ten guards would rush over and put it out.

Was I too eager? I secretly regretted it.

Let me put it another way.

"Your Majesty, do you know how people outside are plotting against me?" I said dejectedly.

"I can shut them up."

"It's harder to stop the people from speaking than to stop a river from flowing. How can it be that simple? Although I can't hear what's going on outside, I can guess roughly. They all accuse me of being a fox who seduces the emperor and brings chaos to the government, right?"

The more I think about it, the sadder I feel. For people of our background, the most unbearable thing is to be stabbed in the back.

Li Siyan continued walking as a cold voice drifted from the front: "Why should you care about the plots of a bunch of insects? They scold you out of jealousy, resentment that they themselves don't have this opportunity. If I spread the word that I want to marry their daughters, do you believe that they will all be eager to become the father-in-law of the emperor?"

"But……"

He interrupted, "If you don't want to hear it, I'll have someone handle it myself. Don't use this as an excuse to plot something else."

I had no choice but to shut up.

After walking two steps, Li Siyan thought the road was too far and called for the emperor's palanquin. Despite my protests, he stuffed me in without explanation. After he was done, he said with disdain: "...You have slept on my imperial bed, and you still dare not sit on my palanquin. You are really a coward."

I scrambled out, terrified, "How can this be compared? Just imagine how many people would have seen me sleeping in your bed? If I rode the imperial sedan chair, half the palace would have known about it!"

"Trouble." He waved his hand and said, "Since you don't want to be seen, then send someone to block the way."

Walking barriers are a stupid thing invented by the wealthy families in the Jin Dynasty. They are used to block the view of passers-by on both sides of the road to ensure that female relatives traveling are not seen.

Because it is extremely labor-intensive and requires dozens of people to hold the tent and move it, it is now only used by the most conservative and pretentious people.

I was holding my breath so hard that I almost couldn't breathe. Does Li Siyan even know how to write the word "low-key"?

"I don't want it!" I said righteously, clinging to the two frames of the imperial sedan chair tightly. "The sedan chair is too conspicuous. If I sit on it casually and the censors see me, I will be punished severely at best, or even infamous forever. I want to save face! I can walk there by myself!"

"Qingsi Palace is far away. It would take an hour to walk there without a sedan chair. As for the censors you mentioned, don't worry. They dare not write anything without my order." Li Siyan said confidently.

"You're forcing the historian again!" My anger flared up again: "We historians are so unlucky to have met an emperor like you!"

Seeing that I was angry, Li Siyan couldn't help but soften his tone and coaxed me, "Okay, okay, if you don't want to sit, then don't sit. I'll ask Huiyue to find you a sedan chair with a lower shape."

Huiyue was overwhelmed after hearing this. She didn't know whether to leave or stay, so she just stood aside and waited for us to work out a plan so that she could do something.

Finally, the battle ended with Li Siyan's concession. I put on a stern face and refused to pay attention to him, and Li Siyan also tactfully did not come to me.

It was not until we arrived at our destination and Xiao Jinlian urged me to get off the sedan chair that I relaxed my expression and slowly lifted the curtain.

As soon as I got off the sedan chair, I came face to face with a face as beautiful as a lotus from Shu Kingdom.

I was stunned, and the beauty was also stunned. The gentle smile on her face collapsed the moment she saw me, as if she was struck by a thunder.

Her face turned green, but I burst out laughing.

Oh, isn’t this our old acquaintance Wang Funiang?