story
Ping An thought about Lin Yimo saying that the two of them were the same kind of people, and was curious about Lin Yimo's romantic history, so she agreed.
"Does Your Highness still remember my origins?" Qiao Siyu asked as she tied the belt of Ping An's inner robe.
Ping An nodded.
"Back when Lin Yimo was on his way to the capital for the imperial examination, he passed by the brothel where I worked and stayed overnight," Qiao Siyu added. "Your Highness, please don't misunderstand Lin Yimo as a lecher. He's our boss. He wanted to get close to court officials, but it's against the rules for officials to patronize prostitutes, so he wanted to get close to those future officials. Every year before the imperial examination, he would lower his prices, making them cheaper than inns. He only had one requirement: he had to pass the prefectural, county, or provincial examinations at least once and be in the top three."
"The boss naturally wouldn't neglect someone with such a promising future. In addition to providing low-priced accommodation and three meals a day, he also arranged a waiter for each of them. That's how I met Lin Yimo."
"Lin Yimo knew I was a courtesan, but he didn't look down on me at all. He not only treated me with respect, but even gave me his bed. He stayed at his desk the whole time, and when he was sleepy, he would lie down on the desk to sleep, for fear of offending me."
“But he was unlucky enough to run into me. Someone who didn’t like me wanted to ruin my reputation, so they drugged him. Given my background, I wouldn’t mind having a one-night stand with him. But do you know what he did?” Qiao Siyu stopped helping Ping An fasten his belt and asked.
Ping An shook his head, his eyes filled with curiosity.
“To avoid touching me, he smashed the vase and cut his leg with the shards,” Qiao Siyu said with a hint of sweetness on her face. “He was going to take the imperial examination. He only had his widowed mother behind him. He had no way out. He had to pass the exam. But because he didn’t want to ruin the reputation of a courtesan like me, he didn’t hesitate to hurt himself.”
"He endured it all night until the effects of the drug wore off. Then, because he was worried that the boss would cause trouble for me, he made me say that the blood was my virginity. What an idiot... What girl would have her virginity spilled all over the place? After high school, he rushed over to redeem me."
"I thought he came to marry me, but he said he wouldn't marry me because he was going to become a powerful minister and wouldn't marry a woman who was no help to him. Then he gave me a house and a shop, saying that he was afraid I would cause trouble while he was pursuing the princess."
“I am nothing but a rootless duckweed. If he really wanted to deal with me, he would have plenty of ways to do so. Why would he have to be so humble and coax me like this? But he just doesn’t realize it. He is usually such a shrewd person who can see everything clearly. How come he can’t see things clearly when it comes to himself?”
Qiao Siyu was a little annoyed, but when she thought of Lin Yimo's stubborn but soft-hearted nature, she couldn't help but laugh.
"He sent me to His Highness's side, saying that I was here to help His Highness and also to help him. But when he sent me here, he was extremely reluctant to part with me and worried about me. He also repeatedly told me to seize the opportunity and not forget to fight for my own interests."
"How could I not like a man who speaks the harshest words but does the softest things, who always thinks of me, and who never brings up my most fatal flaw—my background—even when he rejects me?"
After hearing Qiao Siyu's words, Ping An felt so sour that his teeth ached.
Lin Yimo had previously said that she was the same kind of person as her, but how could they be the same kind of person? She would never be like Lin Yimo.
If she were Lin Yimo, she wouldn't choose to stay in a brothel, no matter how cheap it was. After all, it's still a brothel, a mixed bag of people, and if something happens, it's hard to explain. Not to mention leaving her bed for Qiao Siyu, she would at most allow Qiao Siyu to sleep on the floor.
As for being poisoned…
She wouldn't touch Qiao Siyu, but that was because she looked down on Qiao Siyu's background. But no matter what, she wouldn't choose to hurt herself. What if she wasn't careful and got hurt, which would delay her imperial examination? That would delay her for three years! Afterwards, she would absolutely never go back to the brothel to redeem Qiao Siyu.
Lin Yimo even said she resembled her, but how was she similar?
Tsk.
Just then, Qiao Siyu's eyes flashed and she continued, "His Majesty was very happy after hearing my story. He said that he and you are in love and have a happy marriage. Naturally, he hopes that all lovers in the world will be united in marriage. He also promised that as long as Lin Yimo asks for a marriage decree, he will bestow upon me the title of a princess as a dowry."
"A marriage decree? You weren't..." Ping An realized what was happening, took a few steps back, and glared at Qiao Siyu with eyes like sharp swords: "You used me?!"
Qiao Siyu, holding the jade pendant she was about to tie on Ping An, curtsied and said, "Your Highness, you are wronging me."
"I wronged you? Things have come to this point, and you..."
Qiao Siyu raised her head and gave Ping An a look that was half-smile. Caught off guard by the almost bewitching charm, Ping An still couldn't resist and swayed for a moment. When she came to her senses, Qiao Siyu was already holding her wrist and getting close to her.
“Your Highness, you and Lin Yimo both want me to climb into the Emperor’s bed, for your own benefit and my own. I also have feelings for Lin Yimo, so of course I’m willing. But it depends on the circumstances.”
“If His Majesty has feelings for me, then things will naturally fall into place. But what if His Majesty has no feelings for me at all? Your Highness, I can’t exactly drug His Majesty and force myself into his bed, can I? That wouldn’t be seeking personal gain, but rather courting death.”
Ping An struggled a few times but failed to pull her hand away. She could only turn her head away, blushing, and avoid looking at Qiao Siyu.
"He has no feelings for you? If he had no feelings for you, would he be chatting and laughing with you? Would he not object when I asked you to serve him? Qiao Siyu, I may not be as good as you, but don't treat me like a fool who can be easily fooled."
"Your Highness is joking. How could I dare to treat you like a fool? His Majesty was chatting and laughing with me, but that was only after His Majesty had already learned about my relationship with Lin Yimo and regarded me as a 'friend's wife'. Before that, His Majesty didn't even give me a glance. He not only avoided me like the plague, but also almost kicked me out of the palace."
Ping An felt something was wrong. She had been by Cui Shenzhi's side for over a year and had never seen Cui Shenzhi fire anyone, no matter how serious the mistake. After all, a considerable number of those who came to serve in the palace were people who couldn't make a living outside the palace. If they were kicked out, what difference would it make from taking their lives?
She turned her head, intending to accuse Qiao Siyu of talking nonsense, but before she could utter a word, she was captivated by the look Qiao Siyu gave her, and could only lower her head somewhat embarrassedly.
"Putting aside the fact that he has never driven anyone out of the palace, do you think he would be willing to do that to you? Unless he's not a man... no, unless he's not human."
“I don’t know about that,” Qiao Siyu released Ping An’s hand, took a few steps back and said softly, “I only know that the harder I try, the more resistant His Majesty becomes. At first, he just didn’t like me, but when he heard that I was a palace servant by your side, he flew into a rage and wanted to drive me out of the palace. He also said that he would investigate who had ulterior motives in sending someone like me to your side. I was worried that Lin Yimo would be implicated, so I told His Majesty about my affair with him. Only then did His Majesty’s expression soften.”
Ping An felt something was even more wrong. Qiao Siyu's charm was almost demonic. How could Cui Shenzhi be both resistant and unfriendly towards Qiao Siyu? Not to mention that he was so angry after hearing that Qiao Siyu was someone close to him. Could it be that he was embarrassed and angry because she had guessed his desire to seek pleasure?
Furthermore, if nothing happened between Qiao Siyu and Cui Shenzhi, why did Cui Shenzhi say those things to her yesterday? Was he testing her? Testing if she was stupid enough? Testing if she was easy to fool? If she hadn't said she'd think about it yesterday, and hadn't shown any acceptance afterwards, what would Cui Shenzhi have done?
Ping An blinked, refusing to think about it any further.
She turned her head and glanced at Qiao Siyu, saying, "If that's the case, then what are you still doing in the palace? Shouldn't you hurry out of the palace to find Lin Yimo and try to get him to ask for a royal decree to grant you marriage? For example, you could use that princess's dowry to keep him hanging on."
Qiao Siyu secretly breathed a sigh of relief when she heard that Ping An's voice was no longer wary of her, but she also sighed silently when she saw the melancholy in Ping An's brows.
“Your Highness, as I have told you before, Lin Yimo is obsessed with power. No matter how hard I try after leaving the palace, it will be less effective than staying in the palace and finding the right opportunity to speak well of him. As for the title of Princess that His Majesty mentioned, it is still just a rumor and there is no evidence to support it. How can I possibly tell Lin Yimo about it?”
Ping An thought about it and agreed, so he didn't say anything more, which meant he accepted that Qiao Siyu would continue to stay by his side.
*****
After Cui Shenzhi finished tidying up, he did not leave as usual, but waited in the bedroom until he saw Qiao Siyu following Ping An back. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief and go to greet her.
"Ping An, let's go."
"Go?" Ping An asked, somewhat puzzled. "Where to?"
"Go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Didn't you want to attend court? I'll take you there first to familiarize yourself with the place, so you don't run into any trouble when you attend court in two days."
Ping An didn't think she would make any mistakes. After all, even a fool like Emperor Hui of Jin could attend court, so how could she be worse than a fool?
Besides, she was there to sit high above and listen to the ministers' reports, not to bow her head and report to Choi Shin-ji. Even if something went wrong, who had the right to criticize her?
But she was interested in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, so she said nothing and followed Cui Shenzhi onto the imperial carriage.
Upon arriving at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Ping An abandoned Cui Shenzhi and rushed in first. He ran to the throne and plopped down, looking down at Cui Shenzhi and the other palace servants who followed him in.
Cui Shenzhi was amused by Ping An's actions, shook his head and was about to step forward, but Ping An reached out to stop him.
“Shenzhi,” Ping’an said with a strange light in her eyes, “you and the other palace servants will stand in the same positions as the ministers, and then tell me what things to pay attention to, just like when you are reporting to the emperor. That way I will definitely remember it clearly.”
Choi Shin-ji, of course, did not refuse, and the palace servants obediently stood in their positions. Then, Choi Shin-ji began to explain some precautions.
However, while Choi Shin-ji was talking non-stop below, An Ping, sitting above, didn't hear a word he said. She only felt that the throne was so hard it hurt her bottom, and she couldn't sit comfortably no matter how she sat on it. But the feeling of looking down at all the people who were obsequious to her was really nice.
It's a pity that, apart from Cui Shenzhi, all these people are palace servants she knows well, so she doesn't feel any sense of accomplishment in ruling the world. But it doesn't matter, she'll have some in two days.
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