At night, Guan Zhiyue lay quietly alone in the courtyard of the Cold Palace, gazing at the twinkling stars in the sky, lost in thought.
She never imagined that life in the harem would become so complicated. She used to get a splitting headache just watching plays about it, but now she was experiencing it firsthand.
Such an outcome is like walking on thin ice, especially when you're in the open and a sitting duck.
How could someone like me, who came to this profession later in life, possibly endure such a life?
"Oh, I'm in deep trouble! God, please save me!" Guan Zhiyue cried out, looking up at the sky.
Unexpectedly, instead of a god, a figure emerged from the darkness—a sage with a purple Taoist robe and silver hair.
"Oh my god, Grand Preceptor, it's not appropriate for you to come to my Cold Palace so late at night, is it?" Guan Zhiyue sat up abruptly from the rattan chair, looking at the man who walked out of the darkness.
"Your Majesty, what are you afraid of?"
"Oh my god, what am I afraid of? Of course I'm afraid of you!" Guan Zhiyue was so scared that she covered her chest with both hands!
Seeing Guan Zhiyue's actions, Shan Liuxian pouted sarcastically, "If you're not interested in me, you don't need to do this."
Guan Zhiyue felt like she had been hit by a ton of bricks. Li Qiji had been sharing a bed with her for over a month, but he hadn't crossed any lines. Now, this so-called national advisor was saying he wasn't interested in her.
This caused Guan Zhiyue to have a mental breakdown. Was she not attractive enough? Was she still ugly?
But you've already lost weight!
"Your Majesty, you seem quite dissatisfied with what I just said!"
"Could it be that the Empress actually harbors improper thoughts towards me? And therefore hopes that I will also have wicked intentions towards the Empress?" Shan Liuxian held a feather fan, gently fanning herself, and slowly approached Guan Zhiyue.
As Shan Liuxian approached, Guan Zhiyue sprang up from the chair and stood two steps away from him, covering her chest with her hands and saying, "You've got to be kidding me! I'm not interested."
"On the contrary, you Taoist priest, do you want to climb over the wall?"
Shan Liuxian laughed and plopped down on the rattan chair where Guan Zhiyue had been lying, looking up at Guan Zhiyue from below.
"Well, that depends on the scenery outside the wall, whether it's worth it for me to cross the wall!" Seonryu-seon answered without any hesitation.
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue exclaimed, "Good heavens, has the world gone this crazy?"
Instead of cultivating immortality, the Taoist priest actually wants to get involved in worldly love and affection!
"How could you do this? Does your master know?"
Shanliuxian smiled and said, "I don't know."
Guan Zhiyue said, "That's true. If they knew, they'd be turning in their graves."
"Hahaha~~ That's not necessarily true!" Shanliusen replied.
Guan Zhiyue didn't want to argue with him anymore, so she plopped down on the stone steps next to her and looked at Shan Liuxian, who was leisurely lying in the rattan chair, and said, "You still haven't told me what you're doing in my Cold Palace so late at night instead of sleeping."
"The night is long and I can't sleep, so I thought of the Empress and wanted to come and see her!"
"Could there be such an interesting person in the palace? Of course, I must come and join in the fun!"
Shanliuxian chuckled slyly.
Guan Zhiyue was no longer calm. Had the Imperial Advisor taken the wrong medicine?
"Alright, don't be so reserved. I was feeling down when I saw you today, and after what happened, I came to have a drink and chat with you."
"Is that really true?"
"Otherwise, Your Majesty, what do you think? This Imperial Preceptor doesn't know many people in the palace, and he's often alone at the Star-Gazing Temple."
“The carefree prince used to come and play with me when he was in the palace, but now you’ve got him involved with some glass. I haven’t seen him since.”
Seeing that Shan Liuxian was sure that she was just talking to her, Guan Zhiyue relaxed and the two sat in the courtyard, looking up at the starry sky and chatting away.
"Do you want to leave?" Shanliusen asked.
Guan Zhiyue replied, "Can I leave? I don't think so. After all, I still have family in Beijing! Where can I go if I leave?"
"How about we fake our death and get you out of here?"
Upon hearing this, Guan Zhiyue's eyes widened. "Big brother, are you kidding me? This joke isn't funny at all!"
"Do you think I'm the kind of person who would joke around?" Shan Liuxian raised an eyebrow at Guan Zhiyue.
Guan Zhiyue nodded firmly, "Yes, and she's the kind of person who's incredibly good at joking."
"Alright! Then there's nothing more to say!" Upon hearing this, Shanliusen casually lay back down, no longer wanting to argue with an idiot.
She actually didn't believe him. He had come with good intentions, to help her leave this deep palace.
"Want to drink?" Guan Zhiyue asked.
Seonryu-seon sat up straight in the rattan chair, then, like a puppy wanting a bone, she widened her eyes, looked at me with watery eyes, and nodded.
Seeing his expression, Guan Zhiyue smiled and said, "Come on, let's go back inside and have a drink."
The two stood up and walked straight towards the room with the kang (heated brick bed).
"Bilian, go to the kitchen and get some snacks to go with the drinks," Guan Zhiyue called out to Bilian in another room after leading Shan Liuxian into the house.
When Bilian came out of the house, she was startled to see the Imperial Preceptor in front of her. She was just doing some embroidery in the house when such an important person came.
"Grand Preceptor, what are you doing here? This is not proper for the time of night, is it?" Bilian asked Guan Zhiyue and the other person.
Guan Zhiyue waved her hand and said, "It's alright, we're in the same boat. Go get me some snacks to go with my drinks."
Guan Zhiyue went back to her room, then slipped into her spatial dimension, took some peanuts, melon seeds, braised food, and a bottle of unknown liquor from the spatial supermarket.
Bilian didn't hold back either, bringing over two large plates of meat, and even a dish of smashed cucumber.
"Your Majesty, you've prepared quite a feast!" Shan Liuxian said, looking at the items already laid out on the table.
Guan Zhiyue puffed out her small chest and said with a smile, "Of course, how could we be stingy when we're inviting the Imperial Advisor for a drink?"
With a fan in his right hand and his left hand behind his back, Shanliusen leaned over to look at the dishes on the round table. Pointing to a plate of tiger-skin chicken feet, he asked, "What is this? Why have I never seen it before?"
"Chicken feet? Haven't you ever seen them before?"
"Is this edible?"
"It's not just edible, it's incredibly delicious!" Guan Zhiyue said.
Shan Liuxian lifted his robe and sat down, waiting for Guan Zhiyue to bring the wine so they could have a good drink together.
Actually, he was a Taoist priest and shouldn't have been drinking alcohol and eating meat, but he was willing to risk his life to accompany a gentleman, especially since it was Guan Zhiyue!
Seeing that Shan Liuxian had already sat down, Guan Zhiyue also lifted her robe and sat down opposite him, picking up the wine bowl on the table and pouring wine into it with a clattering sound.
Looking at Guan Zhiyue's unrestrained drinking, Shan Liuxian swallowed hard and said, "Empress, do you drink so freely? Don't you use a cup?"
Guan Zhiyue waved her hand and said, "Only by eating meat and drinking wine in big gulps can you truly enjoy yourself. Taking small sips isn't satisfying at all!"
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