Yi Shen cried.
There was no incense burning in the inner palace, but the fragrance hidden in the brocade and silk permeated the air among everyone. The palace servants were so frightened by Wu Qi's defying the imperial decree that they dared not utter a sound. They kept their eyes down and held their breath, for fear of becoming the spark that would ignite a fire.
The Emperor waved his hand, dismissing the troublesome palace servants.
After the palace servants left, only four noble families, Li Xi and the Emperor remained in the hall, and the atmosphere was no longer as tense as before.
The Emperor rose, sat on the steps, rested his chin on his hand, and looked at Wu Qi with great interest.
He narrowed his fox-like eyes and said, "Yaoling, why are you unwilling to marry Weichong? Isn't the person you love Weichong?"
Even without anyone telling him, just from the few times he went to bid farewell to Zige, he could always see Wu Qi next to Yi Shen, either sitting or standing, with a smile on his face.
He doesn't seem like someone who is displeased or easily discouraged.
“Your Majesty,” Wu Qi said, “This is my first time receiving a reward, and I am filled with trepidation, fearing that I might offend Your Majesty and have trouble sleeping. To be honest, it is not that I am unwilling to accept the reward, but rather that I am rather greedy. I would like to take advantage of the opportunity of my modest efforts to ask Your Majesty for a reward in order to silence the gossip.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Kuo's heart nearly leaped into his throat. He quietly turned to look at Yi Shen, only to find that the man seemed to have anticipated Wu Qi's words, standing there calmly and composedly, truly like a celestial being who had descended to earth to drink dew, untouched by worldly concerns.
Looking at Song Yinxing, he also had an expression of expectation when he heard what Wu Qi said.
For some reason, Lin Kuo straightened his back slightly, but thought to himself, "Am I the only one worried that His Majesty will cut off Xiao Qi's head after hearing what he said?"
"Ask me for a reward? To silence the gossip?" The Emperor repeated Wu Qi's words, pondered for a moment, and then laughed heartily, "What reward do you want from me? Tell me."
Unexpectedly, Wu Qi knelt straight down on the ground.
“This subject is guilty. This subject has disregarded the dignity of a noble family and has been studying the gilded halberd without authorization. This violates the etiquette and laws of a noble family and should be punished by death.”
The inner palace was completely silent, not a sound could be heard.
Although Wu Qi had his head down, he looked quite at ease.
She's gambling.
The God of Gamblers already knew about Liu Ge's forgery.
The gambling tycoon already knew that she was secretly researching the glitter.
The gambling tycoon had already been secretly developing ground-based iron armor and aerial iron wings.
This gamble is quite high. If she is even slightly careless, she will not see the sun tomorrow. However, Wu Qi recalled the situation when the Golden Armor Army besieged Zhao Lang's courtyard and felt that she might not necessarily lose this high-stakes gamble.
As expected.
The Emperor waved his hand dismissively and said, "This is a matter of your aristocratic family's etiquette and has nothing to do with me. If you want to be punished, you should ask your father for punishment."
He emphasized his words, as if reminding or urging, "What I'm talking to you about today is the matter of rewarding your merits."
"Your Majesty, the reward I request is related to Liuge and the etiquette of aristocratic families," Wu Qi said. "Before I learned the etiquette of aristocratic families from a young age, I had heard of the fame of Bei Kun and Liuge in the Battle of Sihai. Because my father had contributed a little, I was favored by the late emperor and granted the name of an aristocratic family, and was allowed to use Liuge for household purposes. However, I am of lowly birth and often climb trees to pick flowers. Once I touch Liuge, I will not let go."
"When I was young, I thought I had touched something that could conquer the world, but later I realized that the halberd was something I could never touch in my life."
"My parents are free-spirited and travel far and wide. I have had the opportunity to secretly study the halberd while they are away. However, there are no secrets that cannot be kept forever. I have done something wrong and I naturally ask for punishment."
"The Battle of Sihai was truly spectacular, and the people are full of praise for it. Although the enemy country agreed to pay tribute, their hearts are in turmoil, and their intentions are elsewhere. Pingwu City borders the enemy country, and Liuge's whereabouts are unknown. I was ordered to assist in the case of the corpse in Peach Blossom Forest. Whenever I break out in a cold sweat, I always think of the tragic deaths of the people in the war."
After saying all this, Wu Qi thought to himself, "So tiring. Talking to the Emperor is so tiring. I always have to use fancy words."
But she hadn't finished speaking.
Wu Qi slightly raised her eyes and quietly glanced at the Emperor's expression. Seeing that his expression was normal and that her life was not in danger, she dared to continue, "Therefore, the reward I ask of Your Majesty is that you allow me to research and develop the gilded halberd and create iron armor and gilded halberd wings on the ground."
That concludes the explanation.
Wu Qi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit thirsty.
A soft laugh suddenly came from the jade steps. The crowd didn't know whether the laugh was a blessing or a curse. They noticed that the Emperor's gaze kept falling on them, so none of them dared to look up.
Saying I dare not would not be appropriate.
It's just the proper taboo between ruler and subject.
"Yaoling, I understand what you've said. You just want to research the Liuge (a type of armored weapon), and build iron armor on the ground and iron wings in the sky, right? I grant your permission. Tomorrow, send someone to deliver the Moonfall Camp's token to Cizi Pavilion." The Emperor yawned, stretched, and then glanced at Wu Qi and Yi Shen. As if curious, he asked Wu Qi, "Will you marry Weichong?"
Upon hearing this, Yi Shen looked at Wu Qi.
Wu Qi said, "Your Majesty, the wedding will be postponed."
"Very well, I will attend your wedding banquet. I wonder how the wine of this noble family differs from the wine of the palace." The Emperor lay back on the jade steps, one leg bent. "Students of Cizi Pavilion must not neglect their studies. The four of you remember to go to school tomorrow."
"yes."
The Emperor waved his hand and said, "You may all leave."
As the footsteps faded away, the Emperor sighed, “From himself to the nation, he spoke flawlessly, without mentioning friends or loved ones, and completely absolving his parents of any responsibility. I don’t even know how to refuse him.”
Not only that, but she also repeatedly placed blueprints in Cizi Pavilion and developed Liuge to test him.
He laughed and said, "He can be considered a talent."
If she could truly develop ground-based iron armor and aerial iron wings, then protecting the homeland and expanding the territory would not seem like an unattainable goal, requiring no long-term planning and no heavy casualties.
It should be a significant and memorable chapter in the history of millions of years.
The sound of light footsteps approached from afar. The Emperor composed himself, stood up, walked to the table, casually tossed a token on the ground, and said, "Tomorrow, send this token to Cizi Pavilion and give it to Wu Qi."
"Also, go to the Witch's Mansion and tell them that the rules and regulations of aristocratic families are numerous. If you can't remember them, don't punish them. As a young lady, it's best if you don't have any scars on your body."
The palace servant knelt on the ground, picked up the token, and replied, "Yes."
Seeing that the palace servants dared not raise their heads and were leaving upright, the emperor thought to himself, "How boring."
Everyone in the palace, regardless of gender, was timid and cowardly. The ministers were alright, as there were always a few capable ministers like Li Xi and Zhou Lang. But the palace maids and servants were trembling with fear, afraid that they might lose their heads if they were not careful. The concubines and young ladies were jealous of each other, making the harem chaotic and disorderly.
He lay on the table, looked up and saw that the weather outside the window was fine, with birds singing and butterflies fluttering around.
Several butterflies passed by that window, gracefully flying into the distance, fluttering their wings around the flowers, unaware that those flowers were the very flowers in Wu Qi's hair.
She bid farewell to Lord Li Xi and boarded the carriage.
The four dared not speak carelessly in the palace. After bidding farewell to Lord Li Xi and boarding the carriage, the scene was completely different.
Lin Kuo held Song Yinxing in his arms, resting his head on her shoulder, looking terrified. "Zhiyun, let me hug you. The Emperor is too fierce! He scared me to death!"
Song Yinxing ignored him.
She had seen him before, neither humble nor arrogant, in the inner palace.
Upon learning of Wu Qi and Yi Shen's perilous situation, Lin Kuo and Ning Xunxu petitioned the Emperor for permission to intervene. Unexpectedly, the Emperor sent someone to summon her to the inner palace. As soon as she entered the inner palace, she met Lin Kuo.
Tall and elegant, neither humble nor arrogant, he did not appear inferior to others even when standing in the inner hall.
Where is there any sign of him trying to slip up at this moment?
On the other side, Wu Qi hugged Yi Shen's shoulders and shook him, pouting as he said, "Yi Shen, I was wrong. I shouldn't have said to the Emperor that I wouldn't marry you."
"Didn't you say you'd get married later? It's okay."
"But, but..." Wu Qi hugged Yi Shen's waist tightly, admitting his mistake, "This is the second time I've said I wouldn't marry you..."
Yi Shen patted her head and said gently, "Then don't say it again."
“However, I still want to apologize for the first time I said I wouldn’t marry you,” Wu Qi said. “I’m sorry, I was just talking nonsense back then, it was just a casual remark, I didn’t expect…”
I didn't expect to make you cry.
That day must have been the Lantern Festival.
If you randomly pick someone on the street and ask, "What do you think of Young Master Yi?" nine times out of ten they'll blurt out, "Pure and virtuous!"
At first, people didn't have this impression of Young Master Yi. When Young Master Yi was mentioned, most people would unconsciously straighten their clothes, clear their throats, and solemnly say, "A model of a noble young master."
On the Lantern Festival that year, Wu Qi accidentally angered Yi Shen and chased after him all the way, coaxing him, "Yi Shen, Yi Shen, don't be angry. I misspoke. I don't marry casually, Yi Shen, the Third Young Master Yi!"
The people on North Street loved a good spectacle and followed Wu Qi, hoping to catch as much of the Lantern Festival excitement as possible. Wu Qi couldn't shoo them away, so he simply let them watch.
She finally managed to grab Yi Shen, but he turned his face away and wouldn't look at her.
"Yi Shen, you..."
She was about to say something, but after seeing Yi Shen's expression, she couldn't say anything more, and even completely forgot what she was going to say.
Because, Yi Shen cried.
On the Lantern Festival, in the distance, snow weighed down the pine branches and fireworks lit up the trees. Nearby, glass lanterns illuminated the day and red gauze covered the treetops. Wu Qi jokingly said, "Although Yi Shen is good, it would be better to just grab anyone on the street and marry him. I might not marry him."
Yi Shen didn't even put on his fox fur coat. He left almost in a huff, silently shedding tears as he stepped away from the hustle and bustle.
Seeing the tears on Yi Shen's face, Wu Qi stood on tiptoe to drape a fox fur coat over him and fasten it. Although it was somewhat inappropriate, she genuinely felt that the lantern behind her truly made him look like frost or snow.
"Yi Shen, I was just joking. I will never marry casually in my life."
She tiptoed again to wipe away his tears.
This time, he didn't dodge.
Perhaps it was because it was extremely rare for Yi Shen to shed tears, or perhaps it was because of Wu Qi's next words, "Pure and innocent Young Master Yi, please forgive me, okay?" Whenever people mentioned Yi Shen again, they would always recall the beautiful scene of the young master shedding tears on the Lantern Festival that year.
Many who witnessed this scene went home and tried to paint it overnight, but they could not capture even a fraction of its essence.
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