Day after day, month after month, time passed by. Time flowed by like water, day and night, and before we knew it, it was July, the harvest season.
Guan Zhiyue has been imprisoned in the Cold Palace for over a month, almost two months. During this time, Li Qiji has not visited her, but Li Qishang and the Imperial Preceptor Shan Liuxian have been climbing over the wall to enter her Cold Palace from time to time.
However, neither of them came to see Guan Zhiyue; they just came to Guan Zhiyue's place to freeload, and sometimes they would even take her with them.
Guan Zhiyue: You two old hags, I really will thank you!
Today is the most important day in the Cold Palace, a day worthy of celebration with firecrackers.
The reason is simple: the grain on the back mountain is ready to be harvested. The golden, heavy ears of wheat are bent low, and the rice paddy fish in the paddy fields are all about a pound each, with some of the larger ones even weighing two pounds.
The sweet potatoes growing in the soil next to them were also showing their purplish-red skin in the thinner areas of the soil.
"Your Majesty, are we really not going to go to the Emperor? In my opinion, the grain harvest in the back mountain will definitely be a bumper crop, and we also need to get those rice paddy fish out of the palace as soon as possible!"
"With the gates tightly shut, how are we going to get our stuff out?" Liu Debao looked at the farmland in front of him with concern.
Guan Zhiyue closed her eyes, breathing in the fragrance emanating from the rice paddies, but she was also feeling a bit agitated.
"Your Majesty, you locked the gates of my Cold Palace more than a month ago and have ignored it for more than a month. Isn't that just to teach me a lesson?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Debao quickly shut his mouth. No matter how he answered, it would be wrong, so it was best to remain silent.
Guan Zhiyue glanced at Liu Debao, and seeing that he didn't reply, she changed the subject: "The rice in these fifty acres of terraced fields can conservatively yield about 50,000 catties of grain!"
As soon as Guan Zhiyue said this, Liu Debao, who was following behind, slipped and slid down the path.
"Old Liu, you're getting too excited. It's not that serious."
Liu Debao fell so hard that his hat and whisk fell off, he was covered in mud, and his shoes were covered in a big clump of cow dung.
"Your Majesty, you're too kind. Look how frightened this servant is." Liu Debao got up from the ground, straightened his clothes, put his hat back on, and wiped the cow dung he had stepped on onto the wild grass.
"I'm not joking with you."
"How about it, Lao Liu, do you want to make a bet with me?" Guan Zhiyue crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.
Liu Debao said, "This servant wouldn't dare. Your Majesty, whatever you say goes."
Guan Zhiyue snorted and then said, "Just wait and see!"
She was very confident; she followed modern rice cultivation techniques exactly, and most importantly, she had a super-powerful cheat device.
The spiritual spring water in the space must have irrigated it quite a bit, otherwise the rice paddy fish wouldn't have weighed more than two pounds, and they wouldn't be so well-proportioned and glossy.
"Your Majesty, Prince Xiaoyao has arrived." Bilian stood at the back door of the Cold Palace, which had been opened.
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue exclaimed, "Oh, this is a lifesaver!"
"Okay, coming right away!"
"Old Liu, go and organize the people. We'll harvest the rice and catch fish today!" Guan Zhiyue reached out and stroked the golden ears of wheat, then walked quickly toward Bilian.
——
"Qi Shang, you've come at just the right time. I happened to have something to discuss with you today," Guan Zhiyue said, looking at Li Qi Shang in the front yard.
Li Qishang smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, what brings you here?"
"Hehe, good news, good news!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qishang's eyes widened, and he quickly opened the fan in his hand, fanning Guan Zhiyue with a fawning expression.
"Sister-in-law, what good news is it? Do you want to share it with your brother?"
Guan Zhiyue extended her right hand, bent her index finger and beckoned to him: "I'll treat you to rice paddy fish! Will you do your sister-in-law a favor?"
"Rice paddy fish? Can you eat those?" Upon hearing this, Li Qishang swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, his face showing a strong desire to eat them.
"Yes, it's edible now, but the gates to my cold palace are still locked by your brother. What are we going to do if we can't get this delicious food out?" Guan Zhiyue looked worried; she was really troubled.
Li Qishang slammed the fan shut, then patted his chest, looking completely obedient.
"No problem, leave it to me!"
"But you must let me eat this rice paddy fish first, sister-in-law!" Li Qishang raised an eyebrow at Guan Zhiyue.
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue quickly assured her, "Absolutely! Nobody can guarantee that, but I absolutely have to!"
So Li Qishang ran away from where they had come from, and even as they stood on the wall, they reminded Guan Zhiyue not to forget what they had just said.
Guan Zhiyue patted her small chest and promised, "Go and come back quickly, I'll make it for you myself."
Having received this assurance, Li Qishang leaped gracefully towards the Emperor's study.
——
The Imperial Study.
"Your Majesty, there was a commotion at the Empress's place today. I don't know what they were doing, so I didn't dare to go near to investigate," Ji Shang reported respectfully.
"Oh, right, there's one more thing. Prince Xiaoyao will be visiting Her Majesty the Empress quite often these days!"
Upon hearing this, Li Qiji was horrified, but he couldn't say anything to his younger brother.
"Yes, I understand. Has the Empress shown even the slightest remorse?" Li Qiji asked.
For the past two months, he had been attending court and handling state affairs, without ever going to the inner palace. Apart from visiting his mother, he had not set foot anywhere else, but he thought of the Empress day and night.
Ji Shang lowered his head and remained silent. He wanted to say that the Empress was extremely happy every day, singing and dancing. The Grand Preceptor would occasionally come over for a free meal, not to mention the Carefree Prince, who had climbed over walls until they were sparkling clean.
The Empress was living a carefree and happy life, so where did this remorse come from?
But he didn't dare to speak, so he could only silently lower his head and remain silent. Seeing this, Li Qiji knew everything and didn't say anything more, waving him away.
Just as Ji Shang had vanished, the Carefree King burst in with a swift stride.
"Royal brother~~~"
"Here I come!!!"
"Qi Shang greets Your Majesty. What are you doing, Your Majesty? Are you thirsty? Have you had breakfast yet?" Li Qi Shang asked as soon as he entered the room.
Li Qiji looked at his younger brother, who seemed a bit strange today, and said directly, "Tell me, how many do you want this time?"
“Brother, they’re not here to ask you for money. They’ve come today to deliver a message to Sister-in-law.” Li Qishang opened his fan and whispered in Li Qiji’s ear.
Upon hearing this, Li Qiji looked up at his younger brother and asked, "Is that really so?"
“It’s absolutely true! Your Majesty, if you don’t listen, then Qi Shang is leaving!” Li Qi Shang made a move to leave, but Li Qi Ji reached out and grabbed him.
"What message does your sister-in-law want you to deliver to me?"
"My sister-in-law said she's cooking tonight and inviting my brother to eat with her!" Li Qishang said with a smile.
"Alright, Your Majesty, I've delivered my message. Qi Shang will take his leave now!"
"By the way, my sister-in-law is going to have a bumper harvest on the back mountain today. Brother, please open the gate! My sister-in-law's rice paddy fish are going to be transported out of the palace." Li Qishang turned to Li Qiji as he was about to reach the gate.
After saying that, he walked away nonchalantly.
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