Chapter 11 He seemed to have caught something interesting...
As if he had caught something interesting, he pressed his red lips against the back of her ear, followed by a warm, moist sensation.
Like a venomous snake that has been lying in wait for a long time, hissing as it flicks its tongue.
They lingered, whispering sweet nothings to each other.
He was adept at flirting, or perhaps scrutinizing.
The air was thick with Yan Dibai's unyielding aura. Yang Liuqing couldn't believe it; her trembling body betrayed her inner panic and helplessness. She immediately opened her mouth to beg for mercy:
"Your Majesty—"
The boy, who was pressed close to her, suddenly grabbed her waist and rubbed it hard twice. Yang Liuqing's legs went numb, and she couldn't help but tremble.
The lingering sunlight completely disappeared, and the room returned to darkness. The boy's voice was as captivating as the first time he had heard it, its gender indistinguishable.
No, it's difficult to tell even under normal circumstances.
It's just that we've gotten used to it, and now, it's even more subtle and hard to perceive.
Yan Dibai lowered his eyelids and caressed the girl's neck inch by inch with his gaze.
Out of fear, she obediently and stiffly hunched over, her back bent. She was afraid he would kill her.
Despite such fear, they remained relentless. They shoved their meager capital onto the gambling table, competing against a group of people backed by mountains of gold and silver.
She's stupid. Stupid like a moth drawn to a flame.
The saying goes, "Things don't happen more than three times," and this was the third time she had shown up in front of him. If she truly had self-awareness and no desire for power or wealth, why would she deliberately try to get close to Xiao Yuanshu?
He'd forgotten; she'd even caught his hawk. The boy recalled, slightly annoyed, remembering her flattering words and the dazed look on her face. He couldn't help but smile sarcastically; she'd been secretly plotting something back then.
Those in the world who wholeheartedly want to be his bedmate are none other than those who are powerful and wealthy and want to be with him.
Unsurprisingly, many of the women in his harem were like this.
—This ugly maid, who is extremely envious of me, wants to have both of us.
Naturally, Yan Dibai concluded that Yang Liuqing was being hypocritical. A feigned melancholy rose on his exceptionally beautiful face, as if he were regretting something.
“I shouldn’t have done as you wished, but,” he paused intentionally, the drawn-out tone like a dull razor, slowly tearing at Yang Liuqing’s racing heart. Yan Dibai smiled happily:
"I am merciful. I will let you experience the ultimate bliss, and then let you fall from the clouds."
Yang Liuqing suddenly felt a real sense of loss, as if she were actually there, with her own shattered, mangled remains lying below.
In a daze, Yan Dibai shoved her away violently. Yang Liuqing knelt at the foot of the dragon throne, while he above her remained unhurried:
"You long to be made a concubine. Unfortunately, you have no qualifications whatsoever. My harem is already full of beauties, I have no need for any green leaves."
Yang Liuqing, recovering from her urgent confusion, regained her almost eroded rationality. "How does Your Majesty intend to treat me?"
She heard her own inexplicably calm tone.
Yan Dibai seemed slightly surprised, astonished by her unexpected calm. However, he quickly smiled again, for those facing imminent death are often numb.
"You, come and fatten these flowers."
Fat...flower.
They fed the flowers with their own flesh and blood. Whether it was Lady Yue Rong, Lady Hong Zhu, Xiao Yuan Shu, or the countless concubines whose names were unknown.
Her various actions will become their source of amusement during their leisure time.
Yan Dibai wanted to elevate her, then humiliate her. Then, he would let everyone in the palace kill her.
But she can't die.
She had promised her sisters in the inner palace that if she did well, she would help them get out of trouble. She had promised Dai Xian that she would help him in the future. And she had promised herself.
She wanted both money and longevity.
Yang Liuqing blinked rapidly, trying to call upon the system for help.
But the mind remained calm. All efforts were in vain.
As Yan Dibai watched her struggle and panic with glee, Yang Liuqing, somewhat disappointed, suddenly gave a self-deprecating smile and looked up. The girl's clear gaze passed over the elaborate and gorgeous hem of her dress, boldly and directly touching the handsome face of the young emperor.
Even in the absence of light, at this distance, one could clearly see the thin line under his right eye.
Yes, scars.
Yang Liuqing pursed her dry lips and slowly said:
"I didn't think that way."
"No?" The young man smiled amiably, but his eyes revealed undisguised disgust. He was disgusted that a mere palace maid dared to look directly at the emperor's face, disgusted that this palace maid hadn't been scared out of her wits, disgusted that she could still lie with those innocent eyes.
Yan Dibai suddenly had a strong urge to kill her.
Then he reached out his noble hand, grabbed Yang Liuqing's neck, and pinned her against the stone bricks beneath him. Yang Liuqing's face flushed red, and she instinctively grabbed Yan Dibai's wrists to push him away. This only earned her a narrowed, bloodshot eye, and a smug smile that grew even more sinister.
With white stars flashing before his eyes and a series of hoarse sounds rising in his throat, Yang Liuqing was forced to shed a second string of tears. They slid down his flushed face and seeped between his fingers.
Yan Dibai suddenly frowned, following the warm, damp touch to find the source of his displeasure.
From the back of her hand, to the girl's narrow face, and then to her tear-blurred eyes.
Sensing his scrutiny, the maidservant suddenly increased the force of her push, struggling with all her might to move the corners of her lips. They opened and closed.
Yan Dibai thought he had misread it, but when he looked again, the smile on his face suddenly turned cold.
She mouthed with difficulty: "I know His Majesty's secret."
Yan Dibai raised an eyebrow, glanced at her sideways, and loosened his grip slightly.
With tears in her eyes, Yang Liuqing smiled and said in a hoarse voice, "I know that Your Majesty has a long-standing secret on your mind."
He paused, tears falling onto the stone bricks with a soft patter. She stared into his hesitant, trembling eyes, and resolutely continued:
"His Majesty doesn't want this secret to be known. He keeps it hidden very deep, yet inexplicably waits for someone to erase it."
A sudden, deathly silence fell over both sides.
She looked at him, and he looked at her.
After a long while, he withdrew his hand and violently pushed the person away. Yang Liuqing lay on his side on the ground, coughing repeatedly, violently opening his mouth to swallow and exhale the hard-won air.
The barefoot young emperor paced around the person a few times, his usually smiling face completely frozen. He kept scrutinizing Yang Liuqing, feeling a mix of strangeness and disgust.
A secret? What secret could a laundry maid in the inner palace possibly know?
Besides, what secrets does he have?
But what she said seemed plausible and deliberately mysterious, yet it actually sounded very real.
On second thought, it was impossible. There were countless rumors about him in the palace. She might just be making wild guesses to avoid death and then using them to blackmail him into paying for his life.
Yan Dibai stopped and stood in front of Yang Liuqing. His peripheral vision caught sight of those pale, bare feet, and Yang Liuqing, clutching her neck, slowly sat up:
"Your Majesty, I did not think that way."
It was that same phrase again. Yan Dibai didn't want to hear it, but the maid had lost her quick wit and continued repeating:
"This servant has never dared to covet Your Majesty's position. However, this servant does indeed harbor ambitions for power."
Indeed. Yan Dibai was about to launch an attack with a sinister look, but Yang Liuqing had already knelt properly, clasped her hands together, raised them above her head, and then bowed.
She bowed down to him and submitted to him.
The girl's hoarse voice held a resolute determination, as if the dust had finally settled.
"I wish to serve under you and have my name recorded in history."
Yan Dibai was completely taken aback, something she hadn't expected.
She bowed again: "When I was young, I heard a fortune teller say that the sun rises in the east and is directly in Xianning. After I returned home, I had a dream in which a golden dragon flew into the sky. Although my life is as insignificant as grass, I still dare to ride the wind and soar straight into the clouds."
The girl did not rise for the third bow.
Yan Dibai stood there, silent for a long time.
He was filled with absurd curiosity about this silver-tongued maid who could lie so easily.
He had heard far too many of these kinds of flattery and sycophancy since he ascended the throne. He would reward them when he was in a good mood, and kill them when he was in a bad mood.
But at this moment, he truly didn't know whether to reward or kill.
Yan Dibai was in a dilemma. He wanted to kill her, to crush her straight and strong spine. But, for some reason, he also felt that she was someone he could play with for a while.
His mind was racing, giving him a headache.
As the sun set outside the palace, he grew impatient, lay back on the dragon throne, and muttered:
"Could it be that you're to become a female official? I won't grant you that title." Yan Dibai snorted, "Wo Xue! Wo Xue!"
After shouting for a while, Wo Xue finally came running over, groping around. "What is it, Your Majesty?"
After kicking him, Yan Dibai pointed at Yang Liuqing:
"To appoint her as—" He paused, unable to think of a suitable title for her. Wo Xue, enduring the pain in her stomach, was bewildered. Yan Dibai grew impatient:
What positions are held by female officials?
“This,” Wo Xue was puzzled, but still blurted out:
“These days, the ranks of female officials of the fourth rank and above seem to be full, uh,” seeing His Majesty glare at him, Woxue immediately added:
"Yes, there's also Tong Shi who could be added!"
As soon as she said that, Wo Xue quickly covered her mouth.
The Tongshi (彤史) was in charge of the emperor's daily life and intimate affairs within the palace. Suitable men from respectable families were assigned to accompany him and record his sexual activities. This position was abolished in previous dynasties due to its cumbersome nature.
Could it be...? Wo Xue glanced at the person on the ground in disbelief, hiss, it was too dark to see clearly.
Should we restore the old system?
But His Majesty sleeps with her today and with you tomorrow, he doesn't care about any of that.
However, Yan Dibai's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this:
"This is it."
Wo Xue: "Huh?"
The green willows on the ground fell silent before they could even rejoice at their escape.
He seems so happy; it doesn't seem like a good job.
A note from the author:
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The *Tongshi* is from the Tang Dynasty; I'm borrowing and mixing it here.
——
Bai: You watched me sleep with other people and even remembered it. Aren't you amazing?
Qing: Doesn't care at all, just wants a promotion.
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