Chapter 21. His talent for cultivating ambiguity is exceptional. ...
At that time, Yan Dibai was not yet called Yan Dibai.
He was a prince whose bloodline was unknown, living in the cold palace, and was raised by his elder sister, who was born from his mother's affair with a eunuch.
They depended on each other for survival, eating the snow falling from the eaves and quenching their thirst with rainwater from the puddles.
In the boy's mind at that time, the Cold Palace must have been the home his elder sister referred to.
He and his older sister were the masters of the house.
Although he was indifferent to his sister's joys, sorrows, and concerns, his sister always hoped that he would smile at her.
So, Yan Dibai learned to show her a beautiful and gentle smile.
Whenever the little child smiled like that, the thin older sister would tremble and happily murmur:
"That's how your mother is... Little brother, smile like that after Father acknowledges you. He'll definitely love you..."
She would raise her hand, which was covered in blood from being whipped by palace maids, and gently stroke his cheek. The little girl, not yet a young woman, stared intently at her brother with her beautiful, large eyes, not yielding an inch. She repeatedly recounted her mother's suffering and her own hardships.
“Brother, the palace servants hit me again today. But it doesn’t hurt, sister. I’ve gathered some crumbs, you can eat them.”
“Brother, you can’t abandon your sister. You’re all I have.”
"Little brother, your older sister will protect you, protect you for the rest of your life..."
Countless cries of "Brother, brother."
Like weeping and lamenting, gentle and sorrowful.
Yes. He was her only lifeline, her only straw.
Regardless, all he truly had was this older sister. Even with all the disagreements that followed, they remained siblings.
At the age of five, a single word from Prime Minister Lin brought him back in the memory of the late emperor, and from then on, he lived a much better life than before.
My sister was extremely happy at that time.
The girl carefully stroked the brocade she wore, saying, "Although it's not as glorious as when my mother was alive, it's still very good."
Yan Dibai doesn't care.
Since she likes it, just take it.
To everyone's surprise, he scoffed.
Life is so unpredictable. In the blink of an eye, flesh and blood turn to bones, and one face is replaced by another.
As if seeing a woman with the same bloodline as himself through Yang Liuqing, Yan Dibai's throat bobbed violently.
He pressed his hand firmly against the girl's lips, the force almost crushing her bones. Yang Liuqing trembled uncontrollably, her clear black and white eyes now unable to contain her fear.
She had no time to calmly consider why he was acting this way; all she wanted was to escape as quickly as possible. But she was repeatedly restrained by him and unable to move.
In a daze, the suffocating pain of impending death caused a series of white stars to explode in my brain. This time, it seemed I was really going to die...
Her vision blurred, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably. She shouldn't cry, nor did she want to. Yet, she couldn't stop herself each time. She could only mourn her impending death with tears.
Yan Dibai seemed to be chuckling softly. She felt her body growing colder and colder, as if the King of Hell was beckoning to her.
He's serious.
Tears streamed down her face, flowing freely between her fingers. Thin trickles of water threatened to seep out.
The intense heat was not something this usually taciturn and silent maid should have experienced.
His brow furrowed.
His fingers felt as if they had been scalded by boiling water as he stared at the glistening tear film. His trembling pupils finally found something to focus on. The girl sobbed again, and the face that had been moving before his eyes suddenly returned to the indifferent expression unique to the maid Yang Liuqing.
Willow-leaf eyebrows, eyes that are neither round nor long, but slightly upturned. Unrefined skin, and an overall air of weariness.
She's nowhere near as charming and graceful as my older sister.
The force applied to his hand suddenly dissipated.
Yan Dibai turned around and casually pulled off the bedsheets to dry his right hand.
After he released her, Yang Liuqing didn't even cough violently. She was exhausted, her breath coming in barely a whisper. Her chest rose and fell as she inhaled oxygen. After a long while, she coughed out a few gasps, indicating that she was alive again.
The palace servants in the hall were silent, like a group of clay figures.
Yan Dibai stood with his back to Yang Liuqing, staring at the mess on the ground. A smile played on his lips.
"Get up and cook porridge."
Yang Liuqing, bare-legged, was still unable to get up. Yan Dibai glanced sideways at her trembling body and suddenly seemed to have gained immense patience. He turned around, picked her up, and pulled her onto his lap. His face beamed with a smile: "I'm hungry."
Their words were affectionate, even carrying a hint of coquetry.
The flesh beneath her body touched something hard and solid that didn't belong to her. It felt like distinct joints. Yang Liuqing suppressed the heaviness in her chest, staring at her legs, motionless.
If you didn't know the whole story, it would look like a little girl throwing a tantrum.
Yan Dibai moved her arm, and the powder on her face was applied to Yang Liuqing's left cheek, making her scalp tingle.
"I'm hungry, you naughty girl, why are you so lazy?"
Her slender fingers played with her chin, making everyone think it was a lovers' playful whisper. It was excessively intimate.
But they weren't lovers.
They were just a monarch and a slave.
Moreover, the suffocating, deathly feeling had not yet dissipated from my body; this was an even greater force than the last time.
Yan Dibai really wanted her dead.
Ultimately, it's a cruel and wicked nature ingrained in them. It's like an elephant stepping on an ant—utterly insignificant.
Her heart was still pounding, and his urging was like a demonic whisper in her ears. Yang Liuqing's face tightened.
"Alright. Look how wronged you look." The young emperor continued to scrutinize her for a moment, then playfully flicked the girl's nose before smiling as he removed his dragon-embroidered robe and draped it over Yang Liuqing's shoulders.
The robe nearly touched the ground, and with a slight fold, it completely covered her legs. He patted her upper buttocks and lowered his voice, whispering in her ear:
"I was just teasing you."
The slight pressure on her nose hadn't subsided, and Yang Liuqing's teeth clenched. Yan Dibai sighed again, his tone truly indulgent:
"Are you angry? How petty. I'll reward you with something as compensation, how about that?"
The familiar pattern of slapping followed by a sweet treat. Yang Liuqing's simmering anger hadn't subsided.
Yan Dibai liked to play, so he crossed the boundary river by himself.
Now that she was in the vortex, her two eyelashes trembled slightly.
"This servant thanks Your Majesty for your kindness." This time, Yang Liuqing did not refuse.
When the girl said this, it was as if a small hole had been poked in her throat, releasing her pent-up energy and improving her complexion. She was gentle, quiet, and very well-behaved.
Masters would likely prefer maids like this.
But Yan Dibai narrowed his eyes dangerously.
Contrary to the confident young man's assumption that she would continue to pretend to be honest and dutiful, he was surprised when she readily agreed this time.
A chill rose in the wind, and he sighed with regret.
Women are all the same; once their true colors are revealed, things quickly become unpleasant.
With a snicker, Yan Dibai touched his thigh, his smile bright:
"What do you want? If you behave well, I will grant you a palace."
The girl on his body looked up at him, her expression one of delight and surprise. Her eyebrows arched slightly, and her pink lips parted slightly.
Because of the earlier mess, her hair was a little loose and hung listlessly down her cheeks.
…which made her seem inexplicably naive and innocent.
Yan Dibaimo's expression froze.
He hadn't expected Yang Liuqing to see him that way.
At least, based on his understanding of this scheming woman, Yang Liuqing, when she was of sound mind, would never show this... girlish demeanor.
The boy stared into her clear, bright eyes, then suddenly gripped the girl's lower back tightly. The pain caused Yang Liuqing's surprised expression to contort into discomfort.
She was in pain, and Yan Dibai suddenly felt better.
His pleasant voice softened the teasing; his tone was even, but a smile still lingered on his face.
"Speak."
"Gold, silver, jewels, fine silks... Would you like my imperial carriage? It's half-covered in gold and jewels, priceless..."
To coax, to incite.
Yan Dibai meticulously listed his treasures. Their breaths mingled, gradually becoming one with each other's scent. Intertwined, they couldn't distinguish one from the other.
He has an exceptional talent for managing ambiguous relationships.
"...Red coral, pink pearls. My private treasury is full of such things. I have plundered from all over the country, mountains of gold and silver... I can grab a handful at a time, and even ten generations of wealthy and powerful families cannot compare."
He cupped Yang Liuqing's seemingly shocked face in his hands, his long, beautiful eyes domineeringly capturing her gaze. They were dark and alluring, like a lurking demon ready to strike.
That melodious and captivating voice, like pearls and jade, swirled and echoed countless times in the air. Finally, drop by drop, it touched the girl's lips:
What do you want?
Yang Liuqing pursed her lips. For a moment, she wanted to avoid him.
She lowered her eyelids and clutched the hem of her dress with both hands. Under Yan Dibai's increasingly menacing gaze, she feigned deep thought.
"I want..."
Yan Dibai's grip tightened.
The girl frowned, turned her face away, and whispered:
"You want too much."
She even lowered her head.
Yan Dibai paused, a slight smile playing on her lips, and then laughed again:
"What do you want? Just tell me. I possess the entire world, is that not enough for you? Are you afraid of what people will say? Simple, I'll kill them all for you."
Yang Liuqing's heart skipped a beat. At this inopportune moment, she thought of his age.
A fourteen-year-old boy who is not yet fully developed.
For an ordinary child, this statement would only seem like a wild fantasy and would elicit laughter.
But everything Yan Dibai said was true.
He possessed everything, and his wealth nurtured a cruelty that was still rooted in his childlike innocence.
Yang Liuqing deliberately hesitated a moment longer, vaguely sensing his impatience, before speaking softly:
"I wish the laundry maids in the inner palace could have a few days off," she said.
She raised her eyes and looked into Yan Dibai's dark pupils: "Your Majesty, I hope you will no longer treat me as a treacherous person with ulterior motives."
She quickly lowered her head again, ignoring the boy's reaction.
Yang Liuqing said earnestly:
"All I've ever wanted in my life is to live well. I hope for peace in the world, and everyone hopes for peace in the world. I beg Your Majesty to grant me this peace."
"Whether I serve as a target for His Majesty in the palace or allow His Majesty to vent his anger by whipping me in his spare time, I am eternally grateful for His Majesty's mercy in sparing my life."
She wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes. Composing herself calmly and steadily, she straightened her neck.
The hall was completely silent.
Is it a lot? The request wasn't much; to him, it was as casual as what to eat today.
Unfortunately, it still sounds so grand and dignified.
Yan Dibai stared intently at the person in front of him.
Eyebrows, eyes, mouth, and nose.
Finally, the teardrops, dangling precariously from her eyelashes, drew attention, twinkling in the light.
So beautiful.
Those long, curled eyelashes greatly enhanced the beauty of her otherwise unattractive face.
It's strange how she manages to be pleasing to him occasionally, but pleasing to him most of the time.
Yan Dibai was puzzled.
There was a time when he couldn't understand why his older sister would take off her clothes in front of him. His eyelashes were soaked with tears.
"Sister, we are siblings."
She insisted, "No! You are a prince, and I am from outside the family. We are not of the same blood! It's alright, brother, it's alright for us to be like this..."
"If Father marries me off to Longxi, they will surely treat me badly. Brother, please grant your sister's wish..."
Different people, different personalities, different desires. Yet they are all equally humble.
However, he did not fulfill his elder sister's wish at that time.
Outside the hall, Woxue knocked urgently on the door.
"Prime Minister Lin, His Majesty is unwell—"
"I, an old man on my deathbed, am standing. Why can't Your Majesty rise? Your Majesty! The bandits of Jizhou have broken their flags and seized the city. This is a great calamity! Other prefectures refuse to send troops. Now, only Xiao Yuanjing is at your command! I beg Your Majesty to issue an edict and send Xiao Yuanjing to Jizhou to suppress the bandits!"
The boy's thoughts were suddenly jolted away.
Having lost Yang Liuqing, his smile, though seemingly friendly, was chilling: "Fine."
She knelt down and kowtowed in gratitude, without questioning whether it was true or not.
Everyone knows that the emperor's word is worth a thousand pieces of gold.
Yang Liuqing left through the main gate as if he were wearing a dragon robe. Naturally, he received piercing stares from all directions.
When Lin Furu, with his silver hair and beard, saw her walking out with disheveled hair and wearing the Emperor's robes, he immediately rebuked her angrily: "A woman wearing dragon robes is not the behavior of a ruler!"
Yang Liuqing paused for a moment, then continued walking.
She has to be a good target.
Although Wo Xue was also greatly shocked, she quickly stopped the old man and said with a forced smile:
"Your Majesty loves to play, as you know."
"That's still outrageous! I'll kill that audacious maid right now!"
He was the only pillar in the now riddled-with-holes Jin Dynasty court. Lin Furu was a rigid and upright man, and even the emperor dared not easily disobey him when he was angry.
I have come today to quell the rebellion. The Taoist priests of Jizhou, under the pretext of corvée labor, have imitated the Yellow Turban Rebellion and called themselves the Xuanjin Uprising. This group has been burning, killing, and looting along the way, spreading some religious secrets, and recruiting farmers along the way, attempting to storm the capital.
When news of the killing of the local garrison reached the capital, Jizhou was already a scene of devastation.
Already burning with rage, witnessing this scene firsthand only fueled his fury to the point of wanting to vomit blood.
Wo Xue quickly grabbed the person and pulled them into Xianning Palace.
Lin Xiang was filled with passion, his voice several octaves higher than usual. Every word he uttered was heartfelt and sincere; he was practically ready to drag Yan Dibai out of bed.
Yan Dibai was sleepy and ignored him.
Lin Furu sighed deeply: "Your Majesty, you must not play this game anymore."
"Xiao Yuanjing is inherently ambitious. The remaining prefectures are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and the army in the capital is mostly composed of scions of noble families. How can they possibly defeat those vicious and ruthless refugees? Only the Xiao family needs royal legitimacy, so we have no choice but to rely on Xiao Yuanjing. But this will only embolden him. This man is no saint; when the time comes, he will launch a counterattack on the capital—"
The boy seemed completely oblivious to his good intentions. He simply said listlessly:
"The Prime Minister's decision is fine; you may even take my imperial seal."
...You brat!
"If we allow it, the world will truly descend into chaos!"
"Is that so?" His voice remained indifferent: "What a mess."
Upon hearing this, the old man suddenly wiped away his tears: "If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have!"
Lin Xiang angrily turned and left.
Wo Xue had someone clean up the sticky porridge stains, her mind overflowing with unspoken thoughts. However, she was used to not daring to utter a single word.
The kitchen staff brought in the food. Yan Dibai had been starving for a long time, so this time she didn't complain and picked up her chopsticks. She had just taken two bites of the roasted fish when a maid from the Jade Flower Palace brought in a bowl of sweet bean soup.
"Oh, here are five-colored beans."
Lady Yue Rong was very proper. Upon hearing that Prime Minister Lin had entered the palace, she guessed that there would be some discord. However, she did not take the opportunity to request an audience, but instead presented him with a bowl of sweet soup.
After testing the poison with the silver plate, Wo Xue smiled as he looked at the beans scattered throughout the plate.
"Lady Yue Rong is the most considerate. Your Majesty, look at this soup, it smells wonderful."
Yan Dibai ate her fish slices, seemingly oblivious to what was happening.
Wo Xuechou readily changed the subject: "May I ask Your Majesty, what about Yang Liuqing?"
*Clink.* The silver chopsticks tapped on the plate. Yan Di rolled her eyes: "What?"
Wo Xue honestly said, "This servant feels that the girl has impure thoughts. She should have been severely punished when she went to your old residence. Now she's taking advantage of the situation and setting a bad example for the palace."
It wasn't intentional, but Wo Xue felt it shouldn't have been done.
A maidservant cannot overstep her bounds. If this precedent is set, what will become of the future?
The attendant's words made sense, but they sounded rather strange to Yan Dibai. Caught off guard, Yan Dibai gave him a cold laugh: "You're saying I treat her very specially?"
Wo Xuezhi. Where did he say that?
The capricious emperor gave no chance to explain, stating bluntly: "I treat everyone the same way, get out."
"..." Wo Xue immediately rolled out, but after a short while, she rolled back with a respectful expression, carrying something. Yan Dibai was happily playing the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument), the tinkling and clanging sounds carrying a strong sense of killing intent.
He caught sight of Wuxue, slammed the sanxian (a three-stringed plucked instrument) at him, and pulled out the letter, asking, "Where did you come from?"
Wo Xue wiped her face and stepped aside to reply, "It was Yi Fu who intercepted her at the Vermilion Bird Gate just now. It seemed to be a woman who was very agile, and she escaped. Your Majesty, please calm down."
A single word, "useless," is indispensable. Yan Dibai tore open the envelope and saw only one line of elegant handwriting on the entire page.
Hearing of the first snowfall in the capital, I am worried. Remember to wear warm clothes and never go barefoot.
His pupils froze for a moment, and he stared blankly for a long time.
There was no signature, but he knew who it was at a glance.
With a hiss, Yan Dibai crumpled the paper into pieces.
Wo Xue was puzzled. Was this displeasure?
The boy's face darkened, and he kicked Wo Xue hard. Wo Xue winced in pain, then heard His Majesty say, "From now on, send someone to deliver any news to Xianning Palace as soon as possible."
"Yes, yes, yes..."
Uncharacteristically, Yan Dibai paced back and forth in the hall, restless and agitated. After a long while, he exhaled a long breath towards the ornate rooftop and muttered to himself:
"Sister...is she coming back?"
Ha! He covered his face, half-crying, half-sobing, and laughed loudly, his whole body trembling.
"They're back. They're back?! Hahahahahaha!"
*
"The young emperor actually wants to kill you? Qingqing, I thought you were going to be all the rage, why are you suffering like this?"
Deng Mengnu secretly went to see people and overheard the shocking story on the way. She couldn't help but straighten her back and hold her head high, after all, this was her god-sister.
Who would have thought that the little emperor was really sick?
"Since you're such a target, won't all the concubines be after you? He's so young, yet he has such a wicked heart!"
Actually, being the target didn't just start today. However, it was that embroidered dragon robe that officially made everyone decide their fate.
With such favor, she single-handedly turned against the entire palace. She became everyone's common enemy.
The days ahead are going to be incredibly exciting.
Qingqing folded the clothes neatly. The shimmering sheen on them made Deng Mengnu's mouth drop open.
"My goodness, this thread is made of real gold! The dragon and tiger patterns are so majestic!"
"It's a dragon, how can it be described as a tiger? It's more like it's vividly lifelike."
Deng Mengnu laughed it off: "Although you are just a commoner girl, you are more learned than I am."
The two looked at each other and smiled.
After putting the clothes away, Yang Liuqing showed no signs of melancholy. She closed the door tightly and, after careful consideration, asked:
"Sister, do you know anything about Princess Fang?"
Deng Mengnu picked at her ear. "What did you say? A fake princess who married into Longxi?"
Yang Liuqing's eyes lit up: "It's her. Why have we never heard from her in the palace before?"
"I don't know. I only heard about it before I entered the palace. Legend has it that Princess Xifang was a bastard, but she doesn't have the same reputation as those princesses who have established their own residences. She's not much of a story, so who cares?"
“I see…” Yang Liuqing was not surprised, thinking that it had been deliberately erased.
“However,” Deng Mengnu chuckled gossipy, “who knows, Princess Xifang might have had a fleeting affair with the young emperor too. Anyway, he’s just like his father, he doesn’t let anyone go. It’s a good thing you’re not a concubine, it’ll be easier to extricate yourself in the future.”
She spoke earnestly:
"Qingqing, let me remind you, don't get any ideas, or you'll only hurt yourself."
Of course. From the moment she received the assignment, she had already drawn the lines for their relationship.
Yang Liuqing remained noncommittal. Deng Mengnu patted her shoulder, grinning.
"I knew I hadn't misjudged you. Aunt Liu said that we'll have five days off starting next month. Keep up the good work and get us out of the inner palace."
Yang Liuqing nodded with a smile, then suddenly remembered, "How is Sister Wu? What about her and that person?"
Deng Mengnu's face stiffened, and her round face darkened.
"How could I possibly understand her? She started having an affair with that Wang guy as soon as she entered the palace. I've always wondered why the head eunuch, who should only be listening to reports from his subordinates, would make a point of patrolling around and occasionally throwing food into the inner palace."
Deng Mengnu was actually reluctant to bring this up. "Last time I went back, I advised her to break up with him. A eunuch, no matter how powerful, is still rootless. He even tried to toughen her up, but she refused. Do you know what she said?"
Yang Liuqing pursed her lips: "What?"
“She said, ‘I’m going to climb up to him. He won’t let me into the inner palace, but I’m going anyway. I don’t believe I’ve spent half my life as a laundry slave.’”
Red maple leaves fluttered down as the woman stood calmly under the eaves. Gazing at the layered palace walls, she vowed to rise above others.
"Do you think everyone is as stupid as you?"
“I only sold my body to him, I don’t need anything. You think I’m immoral, I don’t. Aren’t there plenty of male prostitutes in the palace? I want money, I want you all to treat me with utmost respect from now on.”
Deng Mengnu's mouth was dry, and her words of advice sounded like a joke, making her feel utterly ashamed.
Wu Yuzhi rolled her eyes. "Remember to change into clean shoes when you go looking for her. Your footprints are wide and thick, she'll recognize you immediately."
Deng Mengnu's face darkened as she thought of this.
"Sister Wu also said she overheard Liu Ao talking to someone. Rumor has it that Lady Yue Rong is quite extraordinary. And Consort Shu, her brother is very powerful. If there's a war outside, she'll definitely regain favor. Then you'll be surrounded on all sides, what a danger! You must be very careful. Also, His Majesty is childlike; you must try to please him..."
Such a statement would be like sending charcoal in snowy weather.
Although she had a general idea, Yang Liuqing still nodded seriously. She had gained a new understanding of Sister Wu.
"To avoid being implicated, I may pretend to be at odds with you for a while. Once I have completely gained His Majesty's trust, I will do my best to send you out of the palace."
Deng Mengnu felt relieved: "With your words, even death would be worthwhile. I just want to leave the palace, even if I have to go hungry."
After she left with a sense of relief, Yang Liuqing adjusted the candle wick and curled up on the bed in deep thought.
What's next?
Their bodies drew closer and closer. But their thoughts remained different.
She gently touched her still-painful throat, trying to find some solace in the bitterness, thinking that at least he had promised not to kill her.
Although it's unclear how credible Yan Dibai's promises are, they still provide a form of security.
She still really wanted to figure out why Yan Dibai was acting so crazy all the time. In the book, he was clearly a very calm and collected child.
Is it related to Princess Xifang?
"Never mind," she said, rejecting the idea again.
He was a heartless person by nature. She was merely using Yan Dibai's existence to complete her mission.
There's no need to concern ourselves with anything else that's not our business.
At present, it is necessary to understand the current situation outside the palace. Recalling Prime Minister Lin's advice today, Yang Liuqing felt even more keenly the changes in the world. It was becoming increasingly turbulent.
But the value she got was still 5.
If, hypothetically, he still can't do anything for the people, remaining an incurable tyrant, perhaps she could try finding a new target.
She cut the wick, then, as if venting her frustration, vigorously rubbed Yan Di's white clothes twice before slowly closing her eyes.
However, within Yan Dibai's scope, things always turn out unexpectedly.
The eunuch came to find Yang Liuqing early in the morning, saying that His Majesty was going on an autumn hunt outside the palace and wanted her to accompany him. This was to boost the morale of the army, especially since Xiao Yuanjing had come all the way from Longnan to serve them.
Xiao Yuanshu was also there.
Yang Liuqing fell silent. However, thinking of another powerful figure with an exceptionally high "Emperor's Aura" value, she quickly got dressed.
Before leaving, Yang Liuqing put the last beans into a sachet and carried it with her.
Sister Wu is right, Yan Dibai is a child who is not quite grown up.
Perhaps coaxing would be more effective.
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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 2023-08-23 22:51:47 and 2023-08-27 19:21:48!
Thank you to the little angels who threw landmines: 3 of them;
Thank you to the little angels who watered the nutrient solution: Button Parkmang 60 bottles; SunShy 5 bottles; LueLueLue 2 bottles; JuShan, HuanMuJi, and QunZi 1 bottle each;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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