Chapter 40
Qi Yu returned to Zhaoyang Palace and met Zhao Wanyi.
Zhao Wanyi was already rather thin, and now her face looked even paler and sickly, but her eyes were bright and she remained calm and composed.
Because Pei-Jiu kept quiet, even Aunt Jin-Rong was unaware of the matter. Zhao Wan-Yi, citing the need to avoid catching a chill, had not seen Jin-Rong for the past few days.
Adding to the chaos, the Imperial Concubine fell ill after falling into the water, causing disorder in Zhaoyang Palace. In just a few days, no one noticed.
No one would have such a thought out of the blue.
Qi Yu stepped forward, but before she could even bow, Zhao Wanyi grabbed her hand and led her into the palace.
Upon seeing this, Pei Jiu went to prepare the clothes for the two of them to wear later and told people not to go in and disturb the Consort and Madam Pei.
Qi Yu smiled, her face beaming with joy. After the Qixi Festival, their relationship had grown much closer.
However, Zhao Wanyi was more radical.
As soon as she entered the palace, Zhao Wanyi embraced her.
Qi Yu, with Zhao pressing her against her shoulder, laughed and said, "Sister Zhao."
Yesterday's events put the entire palace under martial law, but did not affect Zhao Wanyi. She only heard some rumors and vaguely guessed that someone had caused trouble, but Wu Shiyan swiftly suppressed it with thunderous measures. Overnight, many people died.
This made Zhao Wanyi feel that Wu Shiyan was unfathomable, and she had long since given up the idea that she could kill Wu Shiyan by surprise with a hairpin.
But these thoughts only drifted through her mind. More than these, she cared about Qi Yu and wanted to know if Qi Yu was alright after falling into the water.
Zhao Wanyi was torn apart. On one hand, she felt that Qi Yu was not her sister, but on the other hand, she felt that she was. If it wasn't her, then who was it?
When Zhao Wanyi finally saw Qi Yu, the overwhelming emotions in her heart made her unable to resist hugging Qi Yu. Hearing her call her "sister" brought tears to her eyes.
Even Zhao Wanyi herself was astonished. Had she unknowingly become so concerned about Qi Yu?
Qi Yu was not to be outdone. She was stunned when she heard Zhao Wanyi's sobbing voice. After she came to her senses, she patted Zhao Wanyi's back and then stepped back to wipe away Zhao Wanyi's tears with a handkerchief.
It has to be said that wiping away tears from someone who looks exactly like you is a rather strange feeling.
Zhao Wanyi perhaps felt she had acted improperly and turned her face away, but still let Qi Yu wipe away the tears that rolled down her cheeks.
Qi Yu pulled Zhao Wanyi to sit down on the couch, her brows furrowed with worry: "Sister, have you suffered some injustice in the palace?"
These words somehow struck a nerve with Zhao Wanyi, and her tears fell even more fiercely.
Qi Yu asked with extreme patience, her movements even gentler.
Zhao Wanyi shook her head: "Your Majesty, may I call you Ayu in private?"
Qi Yu replied without any hesitation, "Of course."
Before Qi Yu's identity was still shrouded in mystery, Zhao Wanyi was unwilling to treat Qi Yu as a substitute for her younger sister, as that would be unfair to everyone. Moreover, given her own identity, it was not good for her to have any attachments or let Qi Yu be implicated by her.
Zhao Wanyi blinked away the last tear: "Ayu, I have no grievances, I'm just too happy to see you. That day underwater, I wanted to save you, but you saved me instead. What have I done to deserve this... It was because of me that you came to the Pei residence."
That's why he ended up in the residence of a court official, suffering such injustice.
Even though she hated Wu Shiyan, Zhao Wanyi had to admit that someone like Qi Yu deserved to be pampered and spoiled.
Qi Yu smiled and said, "The Pei family is very kind. I should be thanking you for going out of your way to save me. How can you take the blame?"
She took out a purse from her sleeve and handed it to Zhao Wanyi: "This is something I embroidered for you stitch by stitch. My needlework is a bit clumsy, but I hope you like it."
Zhao Wanyi had been focused on Qi Yu's face the whole time, but now that she looked at the purse, she noticed that Qi Yu was still wearing the sachet that she had given her.
At this moment, her feelings were incredibly complex.
Anyone treated like this by Qi Yu would be deeply moved.
Zhao Wanyi said sincerely, "I love it! Ayu, I will wear it every day."
Qi Yu said shyly, "There's no need for that. If others see this, they'll laugh at us."
“It was embroidered by Ayu herself. It’s one of a kind in the world. Others can’t help but envy it.”
Qi Yu smiled and looked at Zhao Wanyi. Everyone likes their sincerity to be protected, and she was no exception.
Qi Yu's friendship with Zhao Wanyi this time wasn't based on the assumption that she was the female lead, but rather on the fact that Zhao Wanyi herself was outstanding and worthy of her friendship.
Zhao Wanyi put away the purse, and at that moment Pei Jiu also came in with two sets of clothes.
Although the Empress and Madam Zhao wanted to switch back, there was no reason for them to wear clothes that the other had worn. Pei Jiu had memorized their clothes in advance and found similar ones.
Qi Yu and Zhao Wanyi went behind the screen to change their clothes.
When she came out again, Pei Jiu was also confused. How did His Majesty recognize that the Empress was not the Empress? Although she knew that the two had been switched back, she was still in a daze when she saw them again.
Pei Jiu addressed Qi Yu, who was dressed in palace attire and whose demeanor was no longer overly demure, saying, "Your Majesty?"
Qi Yu gently rubbed Pei Jiu's cheek: "It is I."
On the other side, Zhao Wanyi, dressed in blue, already had a purse hanging from her waist. Because Pei Jiu was there, she said, "Your Majesty, this humble woman will take her leave now."
"You are not fully recovered yet. I will arrange for a sedan chair to take you out of the palace so that you will not be exposed to the wind." Qi Yu stepped forward and then instructed Pei Jiu, "Pei Jiu, you take some people to personally escort Madam Zhao to the Pei residence."
Zhao Wanyi didn't have any familiar maids by her side, and she was worried about her.
Zhao Wanyi accepted the offer and left with Pei Jiu.
Qi Yu then summoned the other senior palace maids and began to prepare lunch.
-
Pei Residence.
Accompanied by Pei Jiu, Zhao Wanyi went to Yuzhao Temple and encountered Pei Jin on the way.
Zhao Wanyi's gaze was indifferent, and Pei Jin was no less so.
Realizing that Zhao Wanyi had returned, Pei Jin was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly saw the familiar purse on Zhao Wanyi's waist. His expression instantly turned serious, and his eyes widened in astonishment.
He still kept that one close to his body, naturally he wouldn't forget the purse that Qi Yu embroidered for someone important.
Pei Jin originally thought that he would only see the purse hanging at his waist when he met His Majesty, but he did not expect that Qi Yu would give it to Zhao Wanyi.
Pei Jin's first reaction was joy; thankfully, it wasn't His Majesty.
His second reaction was jealousy. He and Zhao Wanyi met Qi Yu at almost the same time and were so close, yet in Qi Yu's heart, Zhao Wanyi was much more important than him.
On what grounds?
Pei Jin's jealousy was flared up. All he wanted to do was return to Hengwu Courtyard and stay there for a while, where Qi Yu's presence and traces were still everywhere, so that he could barely calm himself down.
Suddenly, Pei Jin realized that the sachet that Qi Yu often wore at her waist was made by Zhao Wanyi.
Given Qi Yu's tendency to tire of the old and crave the new, this is quite rare, since she rarely wears something a second time after wearing it once, and she doesn't even pay attention to it.
Thinking about it this way, my heart shattered into even more pieces.
Pei Jin: "..."
He asked again, "What right does she have?"
Noticing Pei Jin's gaze fixed on her purse, Zhao Wanyi politely instructed Pei Jiu to return to the palace to care for the Consort. After Pei Jiu dressed and left, she gently covered the purse to prevent her from prying into her eyes.
Needless to say, Pei Jin knew where this purse came from.
To be more daring, Pei Jin knew that the person who had been in the Pei residence these past few days was the Imperial Concubine. After all, Pei Jin had just as many secrets as she did, and caution had become his instinct. Moreover, their relationship would be exposed if Qi Yu tried to probe it.
Zhao Wanyi noted Pei Jin's unusual behavior and returned to Yuzhao Courtyard without even nodding to Pei Jin.
As soon as they met, they realized that the other had more secrets. Even if there were secret guards present, they would not talk much to avoid getting tired of each other too soon.
-
In the palace, Wu Shiyan couldn't wait to go to Zhaoyang Palace after hearing that Madam Pei had left the palace.
Upon seeing Qi Yu, Wu Shiyan took two steps to her, hugged her, and whispered something to her.
Normally, Qi Yu would have had difficulty hearing clearly even at such a close distance, but that's because she has excellent hearing.
Qi Yu heard Wu Shiyan muttering, "My A Yu." "My darling." "A Yu smells so good."
Qi Yu: It's better to keep your voice down when it's not honorable to say such things.
The palace servants of Zhaoyang Palace were shocked by this scene, especially those who had not served at the manor. In the years since they entered the palace, they had never seen His Majesty like this.
Let alone this affectionate posture, he wouldn't even dare to think about taking the initiative to hug a woman.
However, they knew that Zhaoyang Palace was about to soar to great heights, and that the future prince would most likely emerge from the womb of the Imperial Concubine!
The palace servants were eager and full of energy. After all, their master had a bright future ahead of him, so how could they be any worse off?
Qi Yu broke free and pulled Wu Shiyan into the palace: "Your Majesty, please have some tea first. Lunch will take some time, and I've been missing the kitchen very much."
Wu Shiyan stared intently at Qi Yu, a smile playing on his lips.
Suddenly, his gaze sharpened, and he asked, feigning confusion, "Who gave A-Yu these earrings?"
Wu Shiyan already had the answer in his heart. After all, when Pei Jin's mother was still alive, she spent a lot of money to have a craftsman make a complete set of jewelry, which she wanted to leave to the woman Pei Jin would like in the future.
At that time, he was not yet the emperor, but he had met Pei's father once because of their teacher-student relationship.
With his memory, he certainly wouldn't mistake it.
Wu Shiyan thought coldly that Pei Jin was still provoking him even now, and even for the sake of his teacher, he would not forgive him.
Qi Yu was completely unaware; Wu Shiyan was putting on such a good act that it seemed like a casual inquiry.
She replied truthfully, "These are jewelry pieces from the Pei family; I forgot to take them off."
Wu Shiyan gently stroked Qi Yu's hair, his words impeccable: "No need to take them off, they look very nice, but they don't quite match A Yu's outfit today. The earrings are too plain, so I'll have Tian Wenshan send over some more beautiful and bright earrings."
Tian Wenshan has already accepted the punishment, but Wu Shiyan is used to giving orders to Tian Wenshan and finds it difficult to change his mind.
However, if Tian Wenshan knew that His Majesty had this habit, he would surely be overjoyed.
"Doesn't it match?" Qi Yu looked at her clothes, which were orange-yellow blouses, and indeed they didn't match the emerald green leaf-shaped earrings. She said, "Then Your Majesty, please take them off for me."
She was lazy and didn't want to do anything.
Wu Shiyan forced a smile to keep it from turning up too wide. Judging from Ayu's attitude, Pei Jin must not have told her what the earring meant.
Otherwise, they wouldn't be so casual.
He narrowed his eyes slightly. Pei Jin was still too inexperienced to fight him; he wouldn't even deign to be his enemy.
However, Pei Jin's intentions were truly despicable, so when Wu Shiyan returned to Chengming Hall to review memorials, he urgently summoned Pei Jin to the palace.
Right now, Wu Shiyan is patiently helping Qi Yu remove her earrings, and then picks out a pretty one to put on her. His actions show his intimacy and thoughtfulness.
As for the pair of earrings, Wu Shiyan quietly put them into his palm, preparing to take them away and hand them over to the palace servants for disposal.
Qi Yu looked at Wu Shiyan after a long while, not seeing him put down the ingeniously designed earring. After a moment, she took the earring from Wu Shiyan's hand and put it into her dressing case.
How infuriating! Wu Shiyan is already so wealthy, yet he still covets a pair of earrings that he likes.
Sigh, I just don't know if the earrings Wu Shiyan promised to give her will still count after she does this.
Wu Shiyan's fake smile could no longer hold up.
He sighed heavily in his heart. How could he not see through Qi Yu's shallow thoughts? But that did not stop him from feeling deep sympathy for himself.
Pei Jin is really lucky!
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