Xia Yixin couldn't help but chuckle when she saw Qi Yu enter with that same "I have something on my mind, but I just can't bring myself to say it" look.
Actually, Xia Yixin was a little worried when Qi Yu went to the Prime Minister's residence, so she sent Ying Qi to secretly follow him, and thus learned some things.
Seeing his blushing face, she assumed the young man was too embarrassed to speak up about Xia Jingfeng's desire for the two of them, so she couldn't help but tease him, saying in a serious tone, "Your Majesty, you're not saying anything here. Are you tired of me?"
"???" Qi Yu was a little confused.
The aloof young man's bewildered expression was somewhat endearing, which only fueled Xia Yixin's acting urges.
With a look of impending tears, she said, "Hasn't Your Majesty seen my feelings for you all this time? If I were truly heartless, would I have been so good to you?"
Qi Yu's heart skipped a beat, as if a spark had ignited something. However, just as the flames were about to spread, the woman opposite him suddenly laughed.
The clear, crisp laughter was pleasant to hear, but to Qi Yu at that moment it was a mockery.
Qi Yu's expression turned cold. "If the Empress wants to mock me, she doesn't need to go through such a roundabout way."
Xia Yixin looked at the boy with a cold face who was about to leave and thought to herself, "Oh no!" She quickly chased after him, "Hey, don't be angry, I was just joking!"
She ran so fast that she accidentally bumped into the corner of the table, and when she grabbed Qi Yu's sleeve, she fell forward.
This would never have happened to her before, but unfortunately her body's reaction speed is too slow now.
Xia Yixin felt a little embarrassed and apologized, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, please don't be angry."
Qi Yu's ears were already bright red. He coughed lightly, not daring to meet her gaze, afraid of revealing the emotions in his eyes.
"Don't make jokes like that again."
Xia Yixin secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, yes, yes, good, good."
The atmosphere finally eased a little, and Qi Yu took the opportunity to bring up his idea: "Well, many ministers in the court are talking about the issue of having offspring. Although there is the 'mourning period' to keep things in check, to avoid complicating the matter and to temporarily shut those guys up, I will stay here with you for a few more days. Is that alright?"
"Okay, okay, no problem, as long as you don't mind that my place is small." Since they were sleeping separately anyway, Xia Yixin had no objections.
Qi Yu finally managed a slight smile.
That night, naturally, it was still two people per room, two beds, with a small screen separating them, clearly distinct.
Over the past year, Xia Yixin had a craftsman build a folding bed that could be transformed into a 1.5-meter bed whenever he came.
Once the palace maids and eunuchs had left and the people secretly monitoring them had disappeared, the two of them separated and slept in separate beds.
This ingenious idea amazed the craftsmen and quickly spread to the general public, as it was a great way to save space, since many houses were small and had many people living in them.
Although it was a folding bed, it was very sturdy. Qi Yu used to be able to fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes, but today, perhaps because he had calmed his mind, he tossed and turned and couldn't fall asleep.
Just as he sat up to go outside for some fresh air, he heard a pleasant female voice from the other side of the screen, "You can't sleep either?"
"Hmm." Qi Yu lay back down.
"Um... are you hungry? How about we get something to eat? The ice cream in the ice cellar should be ready by now." Xia Yixin said, swallowing hard.
In this era of food and drink scarcity, she had only found milk a few days ago, and her hands were almost cramping from whipping the egg whites. She happily made ice cream, and although there are still two months until the height of summer, her cravings have already surfaced.
Xia Yixin waited for a long time without getting a reply. Just as she was about to give up, she heard the rustling sound of someone putting on clothes.
"Qi Yu?" she asked tentatively.
Not long after, a voice came from the other end, both amused and exasperated: "If you want to eat, hurry up and get dressed. I'll be waiting for you outside."
"Okay, right away!"
In the middle of the night, the two masters in the palace got up to eat ice instead of sleeping. Although Cao De felt it was bad for their health, no one dared to say no. Before long, a semi-frozen ancient version of ice cream was brought out from the ice cellar.
Qi Yu doesn't like sweets, so she put it down after a few bites. Although it was soft, smooth, and had a unique flavor, it was still too sweet.
Seeing him frown, Xia Yixin quietly beckoned to Cao De, asking him to bring over a bowl of shaved ice.
Meeting Qi Yu's questioning gaze, she secretly presented the osmanthus jam she had prepared behind her back, as if showing off a treasure, but actually took it out of her storage ring.
"Here, I made this especially for you. It's made with honey, I know you like it."
During a previous meal, there was a dessert made with honey, and she noticed that he, who rarely eats sweets, took several extra bites.
So, while the osmanthus flowers were in bloom, I picked some and made osmanthus honey.
Bringing it out today is a good way to apologize.
He took it; it was a small, palm-sized ceramic bottle, exceptionally exquisite, filled with sweet honey, emitting a delicate, sweet scent of osmanthus.
Xia Yixin was mentally older than Qi Yu. Over time, they had become both teacher and friend, and she gradually began to see herself as an elder. So she didn't think much about what she was doing.
For Qi Yu, it was like a gentle tickle in her heart. The shaved ice, sweet and fragrant with osmanthus honey, melted on her tongue, and the sweetness seemed to melt into her heart.
He looked at the two shallow dimples on the corners of the woman's lips next to him, and unconsciously, the corners of his lips also turned up.
Although it was very light, it seemed to bring a halo to the originally cold and stubborn boy, making him much more vibrant.
Xia Yixin narrowed her eyes, a question lingering in her mind: "You smiled?"
Come to think of it, this was the first time she had ever seen him smile!
Unfortunately, as soon as she finished speaking, the boy stopped laughing, his face turned cold again, though his ears turned bright red.
"It's getting late."
He deliberately ruined the atmosphere.
Xia Yixin silently thought to herself, "What a proud and arrogant guy!" She finished her ice cream and happily went back to Phoenix Palace with him.
I lay back down; it was almost dawn outside.
She fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow, unaware that a boy was on the other side, looking at the porcelain bottle filled with osmanthus honey in his hand.
I couldn't fall asleep for a long time.
For the next few days, Qi Yu stayed at Fengqi Palace at night as agreed. But would Xia Jingfeng really believe him so easily?
Sure enough, half a month later, late at night, Qi Yu keenly heard footsteps coming from the roof.
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