Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Just playing with her
The year is approaching.
People began worshipping gods in various places, and at the same time, the number of refugees increased. Many roads were blocked, and even the offering of tobacco leaves was interrupted, replaced by inferior ones. This tobacco had a strong smell, but it seemed to have a different flavor; just a sniff of it made one feel lightheaded.
Yan Dibai hadn't smoked this stuff for quite some time, so he hadn't paid much attention to it yet.
It turns out that Yang Liuqing had stopped him from smoking earlier.
Now she considers herself the second master of Xianning Palace, following him around all day nagging him to eat properly and not to misbehave.
As Yan Dibai pondered this, he stopped in his tracks, following closely behind Yang Liuqing. Just as he was about to reprimand her with a dark expression, she frowned and turned back:
"Your Majesty, I am sweeping the floor."
Yan Dibai looked into her bright, displeased eyes and said matter-of-factly:
"You sweep yours, what business is it of mine?"
Yang Liuqing glanced silently at his body, which was only ten centimeters away from her, and sighed helplessly.
"With Your Majesty following me around like this, how can I do my job properly, and when will I ever finish?"
As he spoke, he placed the broom between the two of them.
Yan Dibai scoffed at the defensive posture, "Where did I follow you? I just happened to be standing behind you."
She remained silent: "Your Majesty is being unreasonable."
…Even though he's almost a year older, Yan Dibai is becoming more and more childish.
“My words are law.” He reached out and grabbed her broom handle. “Let me see, what are you sweeping all day long for?”
Qingqing, feeling overwhelmed, dodged his mischievous hands and said, "What is Your Majesty doing? I am the only one managing the affairs of Xianning Palace now. This place is so big, so naturally I have to spend a lot of time cleaning and sweeping."
"You're complaining that I didn't give you more subordinates, right? Yang Liuqing, don't forget that you're the one who made me use only you." Yan Dibai persisted, his playful nature inexplicably provoked, and he just wanted to make Yang Liuqing angry.
Qingqing puffed out her cheeks, but couldn't argue back, so she simply lowered her head and secretly pulled the broom back with all her might.
After a few exchanges, she stubbornly refused to give in, eager to finish her work. Yan Dibai raised an eyebrow and tripped her. Qingqing fell backward with a thud, landing squarely on Yan Dibai.
In the blink of an eye, both men collapsed to the ground. Yan Dibai let out a muffled groan; where did his kick come from with such force?
Qingqing hurriedly scrambled to her feet to help him up, "Your Majesty, are you alright? I accidentally stepped on the back of your skirt!"
Yan Dibai's expression froze, and he subtly shut his mouth, letting Qingqing pull him up to sit up straight.
Qingqing bent down and patted his body. Her fair face was covered with a layer of fine downy hair, making her appear translucent and hazy in the bright daylight.
His eyelashes fluttered, and he sat on the ground expressionless.
Qingqing earnestly advised, "If Your Majesty is really bored, why don't you go and talk to the princess? Or that concubine? You can do *that* now, can't you? If Your Majesty wants to tease me, you should wait until I've cleaned up Xianning Palace first. There's a bit of incense ash here, a water stain there. All in all, there are so many places."
Once she starts rambling on, it never stops.
When the topic of imperial concubines came up, Yan Dibai scoffed. When it came to sexual intercourse… Yan Dibai gritted his teeth and sneered.
When her elder sister was mentioned, Yan Dibai suddenly lowered her eyes.
With a hint of melancholy, he looked at the person in front of him.
The girl found the palace too hot and didn't wear the fur collar around her neck. Her exposed neck was smooth and delicate.
It should be easy to touch.
He paused, shifted his gaze, and looked at the top of her thick, dark hair, which he had noticed at some point.
As Qingqing was talking, she suddenly realized a problem.
Yan Dibai seems to have stopped visiting the princess as often as before.
Thinking this, she looked up. Yan Dibai was staring at her.
For some reason, Qingqing blurted out the question.
Yan Dibai's face suddenly turned ashen, her beautiful eyes widening into two large, round bells.
What kind of reaction is this? She was a little confused.
While Yan Dibai was still in a daze, Qingqing observed him for a while and saw that he seemed to be gradually losing focus... She grabbed a broom and slipped into a corner to hurry up and do her work.
In the vast hall, Yan Dibai sat alone, cross-legged, his mind a jumble of thoughts.
Yang Liuqing's question still echoes in my ears.
The boy lowered his head, calmly using his hair to conceal the emotions in his eyes.
My heart was in turmoil.
He hasn't been visiting his sister as frequently lately as before.
I don’t know when it started, maybe it was because she made herself care for the people day after day… he was no longer as full of expectations as before.
Yan Dibai glanced at the tightly closed palace doors. The morning sun was blazing, blindingly bright, and he abruptly closed his eyes. His heart pounded with anxiety.
But as if stimulated by the sunlight, a strange, aching sensation suddenly spread rapidly in my chest.
He's been acting very strange lately. Yan Di's eyes widened in horror.
These days... with Yang Liuqing by his side, coaxing him to read books and memorials, he would always retort with sarcasm and bicker with her for a long time, but he would obediently pick up the things she mentioned and read them listlessly.
He dipped his brush in the ink she had ground and wrote characters stroke by stroke. He would sit with his legs crossed watching her fold blankets and clothes, and even though he looked disgusted, he would eventually do as she wished.
…
Yan Dibai found these things truly absurd.
Despite being given the same advice, he found himself getting closer and closer to Yang Liuqing.
As for my older sister…
Yan Dibai exhaled and stared intently at the girl who was squatting on the ground wiping the bricks.
A petite girl with fair skin and a slender build.
Her chest might have a couple of ounces of white flesh; though thin, it felt quite soft to the touch.
She wore a light blue dress all day long, and like her name, she was like a willow branch swaying in the wind.
Having spent every day together, he could hardly remember how she described him when they first met.
Yang Liuqing nowadays is no different from the palace maids who can be seen everywhere in the palace.
Yan Dibai twitched his lips, his brows and eyes suddenly turning gloomy.
It's just a casual fling with Yangliuqing.
Once she's truly carried away with her joy and falls headlong into the beautiful dream he's created, unable to extricate herself, then he'll jolt her awake.
Drain her bones, whip her heart.
A knock sounded at the palace door, interrupting Yan Dibai's thoughts. Just as he was about to reprimand them, Wo Xue spoke up. It turned out that Wo Xue had come to attend to him before court. Thinking of Prime Minister Lin, who was always spewing spittle, Yan Dibai's face darkened even further.
He got up and looked at Yang Liuqing, who was wiping the floor tiles, but she was nowhere to be found.
The Xianning Palace was empty and desolate, as if he had been the only person there from beginning to end.
A sudden surge of anger welled up in Yan Dibai's heart:
"Send word to my elder sister that I will visit her after court. At the beginning of the year," he suddenly thought of something pleasant, and a beaming smile appeared on his face.
"I took her to the city tower to see the lanterns."
Wo Xue immediately accepted the order and was about to leave when Yan Dibai gritted his teeth and called out to him:
"Take my concubines with you too!"
Wo Xue choked on her sobs.
When the news reached Yan Xifang's ears, the maid was preparing medicine for her.
Yan Xifang inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief, but then frowned:
"He's only come to see me once every evening for the past five or six days, and suddenly..."
The maid poured the medicine into a bowl: "The young emperor truly loves his wife. The bond between siblings is indeed different. Watching the lanterns at the beginning of the year is a good opportunity."
Yan Xifang smiled and said, "With so many people around, it's indeed a good opportunity to test Yang Liuqing."
Just then, an announcement came from outside: "Madam Yue Rong has come to visit again."
After praying for blessings that day, Wen Puti would come to speak with the princess every three to five days. Among the concubines in the palace, she was the one who received the most favor.
Xiao Yuanshu had considered following suit, but her brother and the Li family of Longxi were enemies, and the princess, as the matriarch of the Li family, would certainly not truly confide in her. Therefore, she suppressed her arrogance and instead vented her anger by making voodoo dolls in the palace.
The princess was naturally familiar with Lady Yue Rong within her jurisdiction.
Yan Xifang and the maid exchanged glances. The maid smiled, "She's here? Perfect, I'll give her the job of setting up this scheme."
…
The emperor's work hours were the only time when some of the palace workers could rest.
Qingqing thought that with only seven or eight days left until the New Year, Yan Dibai should be preparing to get along well with his sister, and probably wouldn't cause any trouble or bother her recently.
It just so happens that I heard Dai Yun was sick a couple of days ago. But she has been busy taking care of Yan Dibai's emotions and hasn't had time to visit her. Today, she asked Wo Xue for her waist token to get medicine to regulate her blood and qi, and also went to the imperial kitchen to get a lot of delicious food.
When Aunt He saw her, she avoided eye contact and her smile was very forced.
Qingqing was too lazy to retaliate against her for the mistreatment she had suffered during that period, and simply smiled:
"Aunt He, the ups and downs of life are just like any other ordinary person."
Grandma He's hands trembled as she stammered, "I understand."
The Wende Hall had been closed for a long time. When Qingqing sneaked in, Fu'an opened the door. The backyard was filled with the aroma of tea and mugwort. Qingqing sniffed and greeted Fu'an first.
Fu'an remained unchanged, and upon seeing what she held in her hand, exclaimed in surprise:
"There are too many of these."
Qingqing said earnestly, "I haven't thanked you yet for comforting me last time and making me so many pancakes. How is Daiyun? I'll go see him. I was in Xianning Palace when you sent someone to deliver your message that day, so I didn't have time to reply to you quickly."
Fu'an closed the door tightly, and upon hearing this, smiled with a mixture of relief and embarrassment. A look of worry crept onto his brow.
"When I asked Miss Chun Dou to pass on a message to you the other day, Master was only feeling weak and coughing. After taking more than a dozen doses of medicine in the past two days, although his fever has subsided, he is still drowsy and cannot be woken up no matter what I do."
"Is it that serious?" Qingqing immediately went into the room, and as soon as she lifted the curtain, a heavy smell of medicine hit her. It made her cough repeatedly, and Fu'an gently pulled her back from behind.
"Be careful not to catch a cold."
Qingqing smiled gratefully and craned her neck to look at Daiyun.
Dai Yun lay on the couch, looking a bit thinner, her eyes tightly closed.
Her face was pale, but her cheeks were flushed.
A very typical severe cold.
She was relieved. "As long as he doesn't get too hot, it shouldn't be a big problem. I brought some good medicine from the Imperial Pharmacy; it should make him feel better."
Fu An smiled and said, "Thanks to your thoughtfulness."
"It's all what I should do." Qingqing tiptoed out and untied the things she had brought, handing them to Fu'an.
"This is delicious, and that tastes good too. Next time you go to Aunt He's for food, just mention my name, and she'll give you more."
Fu An breathed a sigh of relief, watching her busy at work, a shy look creeping onto her face:
“Qingniang, I’ll do the work. Serving His Majesty must be very difficult for you, right? Xianning Palace is dangerous, but Wende Palace is a place of leisure.”
Qingqing paused, but didn't stop tending the small stove. "I'm used to it. Although His Majesty has a bad temper, it's not impossible for him to change. You don't need to worry about me."
“…Like this.” Fu’an paused for a moment, then sat down on the small stool opposite her and reached out to pluck the withered grass that was about to drift onto Qingqing’s head. Qingqing smiled, and he chuckled in return.
“I’m right, Qingniang, you’re different.”
The meaning of a statement depends on the context; in this case, the statement doesn't seem out of place.
In a sense, she is indeed different.
But most of the time it was flattery. Qingqing poured the medicine in: "Tell me, does His Majesty treat me well?"
Fu An's smile remained unchanged: "Yes, but it doesn't stop there."
Qingqing was curious, but Fu'an shook his head, seemingly unwilling to continue.
She didn't ask, and Fu'an brought up another matter.
"At the beginning of the year, the lanterns are as bright as day. Qingniang, will you go to see them?"
"Lanterns..." she hesitated for a moment, "I want to see them, but I must serve His Majesty..."
Fu'an twirled the withered twig between his fingers. "I just overheard Chun Dou's words before you came. She was certain that His Majesty would ascend the tower with the princess and the empress, and that you would not be needed to accompany him."
Qingqing was taken aback.
As she moved her hand, she looked over and saw the boy gently brush her hand away, grab a rag, and cover the earthenware pot with it, scolding her in a slightly reproachful tone: "You almost got burned by the steam."
His eyes flickered for a moment before returning to stillness, without a ripple.
Qingqing quickly withdrew her hand, looking somewhat uneasy: "Thank you so much..."
Fu'an's hand hung in the air, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Qingqing was about to apologize when Fu'an sincerely said:
"I've never seen lanterns from the capital before. Qingniang, could you come with me to see them?"
The lanterns in the capital... Qingqing remained silent.
She'd never met them either. Come to think of it, it's a good opportunity to go back and see the original owner's parents.
Will Yan Dibai grant her leave?
Fu'an seemed to understand her predicament. She leaned over gracefully, their breaths almost mingling. Qingqing instinctively leaned back and stared wide-eyed.
He was slightly taken aback, amused by her description, and his eyes filled with a gentle, spring-like tenderness as he tried to suppress his laughter.
“I know a path.”
His lips parted and closed, the boy's words carrying a seductive allure of longing:
"We'll just look at the lanterns there; we won't step out of the palace gates."
-----------------------
Author's Note: Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 18:32:46 on October 5, 2023 and 23:26:33 on October 7, 2023!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Moonrise 1 bottle;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
