Chapter 5
Wu Shiyan arrived at Zhaoyang Palace in the late afternoon.
Qi Yu stepped forward and bowed. She glanced around and noticed that Li Chang was not around. She smiled and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
Wu Shiyan raised his hand, and the two entered the hall together.
Qi Yu followed behind him and, seeing that he hadn't uttered a word since entering the hall, asked, "Your Majesty, you came to Zhaoyang Palace but didn't even glance at me. Is it because you saw Miss Zhao today?"
Wu Shiyan looked at her, his brows furrowing. At this moment, he also noticed that Qi Yu had dismissed the palace servants who were attending to her early on, while the people he had brought were standing in the outer room.
Naturally, only the two of them heard these words.
He rubbed the ring on his hand.
Seeing his reaction, Qi Yu couldn't help but smile: "Your Majesty, I was being impolite and made a joke."
Wu Shiyan glanced at her: "It's alright. What brings you here today?"
Qi Yu pursed her lips, her smile fading slightly, and a hint of worry appeared between her brows. She said seriously, "I didn't want to trouble Your Majesty, but I really couldn't make up my mind about this matter, so I had no choice but to send someone to invite Your Majesty."
"Please come with me to the warm pavilion, Your Majesty."
On the way, Qi Yu briefly explained the matter of Xiao Li to Wu Shiyan, naturally only mentioning Li Chang in passing.
Li Chang told her to accept it without worry, but she didn't dare to. Li Chang was a cunning old fox, and even though they exchanged pleasantries, Qi Yu remained cautious, afraid that Li Chang would set a trap for her.
Qi Yu never intended to confront Li Chang, so mentioning him naturally made things vague.
But Wu Shiyan was not stupid. He was able to sit firmly on the throne and bring about a peaceful and prosperous world. His ability to balance the various forces and control people's hearts was superb.
Did Lee Chang really not know about the problems with Leonardo DiCaprio before this?
Is sending the silver to Qi Yu an attempt to win her over, to gain leverage over her, or both?
When powerful eunuchs and imperial concubines are entangled, it is easy for them to weave a tight web within the palace, something that emperors of all dynasties would never allow to happen.
After a moment's thought, Wu Shiyan understood Qi Yu's attitude.
She didn't want any financial ties with Li Chang, and she didn't want to get involved in these things.
Five thousand taels of silver was a real burden for her, which is why she wanted to be honest with him.
The silver notes were still neatly placed on the table. Qi Yu said, "I feel uneasy leaving these silver notes in Zhaoyang Palace. Perhaps Your Majesty could take them away?"
Wu Shiyan knew that this was the result of Qi Yu's careful consideration; otherwise, she wouldn't have hesitated for the past few days.
Therefore, he did not make things too difficult: "I know what I'm doing. Take these silver notes."
"I am unworthy to accept such a gift," Qi Yu naturally refused.
Wu Shiyan shrugged and said, "Then I can't take it away either."
As the emperor, what kind of behavior is it to hold silver notes with both hands or let others take them away?
Five thousand taels might be a lot to others, but to him it was just a precious item in his private treasury.
Upon hearing this, Qi Yu couldn't help but smile, and suddenly felt that Wu Shiyan had become much more lively.
Part of it was his generosity in refusing banknotes, which won him favor, but a larger part was that it made people feel that he had a human touch.
When Qi Yu first met Wu Shiyan, she felt that his eyes were sinister, his hands were cold, and he had a pale, ghostly aura.
But after spending time with him several times, I found that he was not cruel or indifferent to human life; he was just a bit strange, but nothing serious.
They were merely in a polite cooperative relationship, each taking what they needed from the other.
Qi Yu did not refuse this time, and said happily, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Even though there's nowhere to spend this money, who would complain about having too much money?
"Your Majesty, where is Eunuch Li Chang?" Qi Yu looked at him with some anticipation.
After all, she was quite tactless, ignoring Li Chang's good intentions.
If Wu Shiyan wanted to create conflict between her and Li Chang, there was nothing she could do. It was in the emperor's best interest for a concubine and a eunuch to be on opposite sides.
However, this should serve as a wake-up call for Qi Yu, reminding her of how to properly handle her relationship with Wu Shiyan.
Before, she thought she was just a tool, but after entering the palace, she felt that several forces were vying for power around her, and not all the palace servants around her were as trustworthy as Aunt Jinrong.
If she wants to protect herself, Jinrong, and Peijiu, she will inevitably have to clash with others in the palace.
Wu Shiyan's attitude is crucial.
Wu Shiyan replied almost without thinking, "I will not speak ill of you to Li Chang."
Qi Yu's thoughts were too easy to understand, or rather, she couldn't wait to express her meaning clearly.
Qi Yu breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a surge of excitement. Because of their mutual honesty, their relationship had undoubtedly grown a little closer.
Although Wu Shiyan prefers married women, given his attitude today, she will undoubtedly be secretly fueling any future emotional turmoil he and Zhao Wanyi may experience.
Qi Yu asked a question: "Does Miss Zhao and Lord Pei have a good relationship?"
The warm room suddenly fell into a cold silence. The wind stopped, the light became still, and it silently shone on people, but could not dispel the chill.
Qi Yu knew she had said the wrong thing. Wu Shiyan's silence proved that this was a direct hit to his heart, indicating that Zhao Wanyi and Pei Jin's relationship must be excellent.
Wu Shiyan said, slowly and deliberately, "A harmonious blend of music and poetry."
"If you saw them interacting, you would surely be able to say the same thing as me."
Perhaps because no one had ever talked to Wu Shiyan about these things buried in his heart, he couldn't help but say a few more words: "When Zhao Wanyi goes out, Pei Jin always accompanies her personally without fail. They have never quarreled or gotten angry, nor have they ever expressed their dissatisfaction to others. Zhao Wanyi even helps Pei Jin revise his articles."
Helping to revise an article is something that even many close couples cannot do.
This means that the two are equally talented, share similar tastes, and appreciate each other.
No wonder Wu Shiyan is hesitant to make a move on Zhao Wanyi; their relationship is so good that it would be too sinful to ruin it.
Moreover, he also possessed a mental restraint that could overcome lust.
On one side was his loyal minister, and on the other was the minister's wife, whom he had long admired. He found it difficult to make a decision.
It would be better if Pei Jin were a bit bad, but seeing that Wu Shiyan didn't slander this rival in the slightest, one can know that Pei Jin's character is excellent.
Qi Yu blinked, her eyes brimming with gossip: "How does Your Majesty know so much?"
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Wu Shiyan acted impulsively.
Qi Yu didn't know what to say. As soon as she finished speaking, she received a thoughtful look from Wu Shiyan.
Immediately afterwards, Wu Shiyan took her to the Greenhouse Palace. The Greenhouse Palace had a secret passage leading directly outside the palace. It was pitch black inside. It was the shadowy guards who appeared by Wu Shiyan's side at some unknown time who lit the candles in the secret passage.
She followed Wu Shiyan all the way, and finally appeared in a room. She was not accompanied by any palace servants, but only by the hidden guards who had disappeared from sight again.
The sounds of commotion outside could be faintly heard. Wu Shiyan pushed open the door and went out, with Qi Yu following closely behind.
This is the backyard of a teahouse, rarely visited by anyone, but from here you can hear the sounds coming from inside the teahouse.
Needless to say, the teahouse is Wu Shiyan's property.
Because they lingered in the secret passage for so long, the sky was now bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun.
"Keep up," Wu Shiyan said.
Qi Yu looked around as she followed Wu Shiyan into the teahouse and arrived at a quiet room on the second floor.
The waiter closed the door and left.
They went to the window seat, sat down, and Wu Shiyan looked down.
Qi Yu followed his gaze to the carriage in front of the clinic. Even though it was a long distance away, she still managed to spot the wooden sign hanging on the carriage with the character "Pei" on it, thanks to her excellent eyesight.
There was a maidservant standing by the carriage; she was Zhao Wanyi's personal maid.
Qi Yu had seen her on the palace road last time.
Without a doubt, Zhao Wanyi should be in the clinic right now.
Qi Yu glanced at Wu Shiyan silently, feeling a bellyful of things to say but not knowing where to begin, so she simply remained silent and observed quietly.
She picked up a cup of tea and sipped it slowly, waiting for Zhao Wanyi to appear.
Wu Shiyan's skillful use of this position must be due to sitting in this spot countless times, accumulating feelings time and time again.
“She comes to the clinic to get her medicine every ten days, and Pei Jin is always by her side during this time, and they go into the clinic together,” Wu Shiyan said gloomily.
The personal maids who had served Zhao Wanyi since childhood all stayed by the carriage, but Pei Jin went inside, which shows that Pei Jin knew Zhao Wanyi's health better than Zhao Wanyi's personal maids, and that the couple had a close relationship.
Qi Yu finally understood where Wu Shiyan's sinister aura came from. He stared at the couple every day. If he wasn't a male ghost, then who was?
At this moment, two people came out of the clinic, a man and a woman, who looked quite intimate. Qi Yu looked at them and judged from their figures that the woman was Zhao Wanyi.
Strangely enough, she and Zhao Wanyi not only looked alike, but also had similar figures.
The difference may lie in the subtle details.
When the two reached the carriage, Qi Yu finally saw Pei Jin's appearance clearly.
If Wu Shiyan is a piece of cold jade, then Pei Jin is a piece of white jade that is neither cold nor warm. Just by standing there, he exudes a sense of justice. He is like bamboo, a gentleman, standing out from the crowd.
He possessed the refined air of a noble young gentleman.
His appearance was also exceptionally handsome; even as a mere background figure on the streets of the capital at dusk, he was still quite eye-catching.
Pei Jin watched as Zhao Wanyi boarded the carriage. Just as he was about to get on, he grabbed the carriage wall and glanced in the direction of the teahouse.
Qi Yu's name is slightly off-center.
Wu Shiyan had already withdrawn his gaze at some point, and was completely out of sight from below.
The only problem is that her location isn't ideal.
Pei Jin, standing by the carriage, narrowed his eyes. Yue Lu asked, "Young Master, what's wrong?"
"It's nothing." Pei Jin's voice was as clear and gentle as a flowing spring as he bent down and climbed into the carriage.
The carriage was quiet. The two men sat facing each other, neither of them smiling.
The earlier incident made Qi Yu mutter to herself, and when she looked up again, she and Wu Shiyan tacitly avoided each other's gaze.
Qi Yu suddenly remembered something: "Hey, isn't Lord Pei going to help Miss Zhao into the carriage?"
It was Yuelu who helped Zhao Wanyi up a little earlier; there's no reason why Pei Jin wouldn't have noticed such a small thing that Yuelu had noticed.
Pei Jinneng and Zhao Wanyi are inseparable, so he must be a meticulous person.
But he didn't even help his wife up.
The melancholy in Wu Shiyan's eyes faded slightly, and he said, "The maids will take care of the small matters."
Since they are called personal maids, they are naturally able to understand even the slightest needs of their masters. Even after having a husband, there are still some things that only a personal maid can do to be truly considerate.
The affection between husband and wife should not be expressed in this way.
Has he ever seen Zhao Wanyi show the slightest impatience towards Pei Jin? No.
Thinking this through, Wu Shiyan said confidently, "That's normal."
Qi Yu nodded blankly.
The Pei family's carriage rumbled past the teahouse, the driver whipping the horse, and the emperor and his concubine fell silent, then resumed drinking their tea as if nothing had happened.
Observing other couples always makes me feel a little guilty.
A note from the author:
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"Observations on the Pei Couple"
Updates once a day, at irregular times. Please ask for leave if necessary.
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