The cold palace at night.
"Your Majesty, look how deep the dew is now. The living conditions in our Cold Palace are naturally not as good as those in Chengqian Palace. Why don't you go back to Chengqian Palace to rest?"
"It's tomorrow after all, and we have to see so many young ladies from noble families. If they see you looking like you didn't sleep well tonight, wouldn't that be a waste of this precious time?"
"Oh! Is that so? The Empress believes that tomorrow's palace banquet is related to me?"
Guan Zhiyue turned her head to look at Li Qiji, who was staring at her bed with a curious expression, and said, "Hehe, isn't it obvious, Your Majesty?"
"Otherwise, why would anyone allow ministers to bring their children into the palace?"
Upon hearing Guan Zhiyue's words, Li Qiji snorted lightly; "Hmph, the Empress's thoughts are truly despicable!"
Guan Zhiyue: "..." This is nothing! You can't even handle this?
"Bah! Your Majesty, your words are truly speechless!"
"Alright, I'm sleepy and too lazy to chat with you anymore. You sleep on the bed, I'll sleep on the couch, and we'll leave each other alone!" Guan Zhiyue pushed the blanket in her arms and shoved Li Qiji onto the bed, then clapped her hands casually and strode towards the couch next to her.
Li Qiji, holding the quilt, sat up in bed, threw the quilt aside, and walked directly towards Guan Zhiyue.
He scooped Guan Zhiyue up in one swift motion and tossed her onto the bed. Guan Zhiyue was suddenly thrown into the air, startled and letting out a scream.
"Aaaaaah~~ You old pervert, put me down right now! You scoundrel, you lecher, you scoundrel, you shameless scoundrel, let me go or I'll kill you!"
"Shut up! One more shout and you'll be executed on the spot!" Li Qiji said coldly.
After being thrown onto the bed, Guan Zhiyue scrambled to the inside of the bed, hugging her knees and looking at Li Qiji with a wary expression.
Li Qiji took off his outer garment, leaving only his bright yellow undergarment, then turned over and lay down on the bed. He reached out and pulled a blanket over himself.
Then he lay flat on the edge of the bed, closed his eyes and didn't even look at Guan Zhiyue.
Guan Zhiyue watched as he moved swiftly and without any further action. She carefully pulled over another blanket, then quickly crawled under it, burying the blanket completely beneath her.
Even with his eyes closed, Li Qiji could feel Guan Zhiyue's antics. A slight smile appeared on his lips, but he didn't say anything.
After quickly tucking the blanket in, Guan Zhiyue glanced at Li Qiji, who had his eyes closed. Seeing that he wasn't doing anything, she closed her eyes again and fell into a deep sleep.
About an hour later, Li Qiji opened his eyes and listened to the clear and even breathing of the person next to him, feeling inexplicably more relaxed.
I had never really looked at this woman before, but now I saw her fair and translucent skin, and I could see the soft downy hairs on her face. Her willow-leaf eyebrows were closed, but there was a smile between her brows, as if she had encountered something funny in her dream. Her small and pert nose and long, curled eyelashes were obediently covering her eyes.
Those naturally red, cherry-like lips exuded an irresistible allure, their pink and glossy appearance resembling freshly made candy.
Li Qiji turned to his side and put his left hand under his head, looking at Guan Zhiyue who was sleeping soundly with a smile on his lips.
——
The next day, when Guan Zhiyue woke up in bed, Li Qiji was no longer there. Guan Zhiyue sat on the bed, staring blankly at the place where Li Qiji had slept the night before.
Nothing happened between them, and Guan Zhiyue felt a strange sense of loss, but the thought was fleeting, as a busy day officially began.
After quickly washing up, she needed to wear the Empress's court dress today. It was that magnificent golden dress again, and that incredibly cumbersome outfit, layer upon layer, making her look like a dumpling. With the weather gradually warming up in Guan's family, wearing these clothes was truly as torturous as wearing a cotton-padded coat in summer.
"Bilian, Shiliu, Cuijuan, come in." Guan Zhiyue took a deep breath and called them in.
Hearing the sounds inside, Bilian and the others quickly pushed open the door and went in. They knew that the Emperor had left in the morning, before dawn.
Bilian felt her young mistress was very wronged, because none of them had asked for water last night, meaning nothing had happened. However, her young mistress was someone who didn't compete for favor, and although no one bullied her in the palace, yet...
"You all help me with my grooming and dressing. Today's palace banquet is quite busy, so you all need to be on your best and avoid any mistakes."
“Yes, we obey!” Bilian and the others replied.
Shiliu tidied the bedding on the bed, then shook her head at the two women; they knew it must be like this...
Guan Zhiyue didn't understand the little girl's thoughts. She was focused on the palace banquet tonight. After getting dressed, Guan Zhiyue took Bilian to Wuqin Palace first.
After seeing that everything was properly arranged and decorated, she turned and went to the imperial kitchen. Only after seeing that everything was ready did she feel a little relieved.
*****
Wuqin Palace at night.
The alley outside the palace was already filled with lanterns, illuminating the entire corridor as bright as day. Two huge lanterns were already hanging at the main gate of Wuqin Palace. The welcoming palace maids at the entrance were dressed in bright and beautiful clothes, with uniform light green outfits and double buns. Their outstanding figures made them stand out at first glance.
As everyone entered Wuqin Palace, they couldn't help but glance at the four maids at the entrance, finding them so endearing!
The spacious and brightly lit open space had two large glass lampshades shaped like rabbits on either side, which looked particularly beautiful and unique, attracting everyone's attention. The young ladies from aristocratic families exclaimed in amazement.
A red carpet was laid out along the way, and potted plants were placed on both sides of the road. These were the most popular flowers today, but they were all made of scraps of fabric. It was simply impossible to look away.
Upon entering the main hall of Wuqin Palace, the lights were even brighter. The uniquely shaped lamp holders on the pillars on both sides attracted a crowd of onlookers. In the middle was a spacious and bright stage, with tables set up on both sides.
According to their rank, everyone found their seats and began to discuss animatedly.
Guan Zhiyue looked at the program list that Li Qiji had given her last night, and a faint smile couldn't help but appear on her lips.
"Bilian, shall I have you order a custom-made large rotating wheel?"
"Your Majesty, it's all ready. Shall we bring it over now?" Bilian replied.
Guan Zhiyue thought for a moment and said, "Have someone move this large rotating wheel directly into the Wuqin Palace."
"Where should we put it?"
Guan Zhiyue smiled and said, "Place it in the place closest to the officials, where those officials in front can see it."
"Have someone write the program list on a larger piece of white paper, and make sure it's written vertically with spaces between the words."
"We need to make sure that all the high-ranking officials in the first three ranks can see it."
"Yes, I understand."
After Bilian left, Guan Zhiyue stood in the side hall of Wuqin Palace, waiting for the Emperor to come so she could go with him.
"Shiliu, Cuijuan, there's going to be a great show tonight! So many programs, each one is absolutely wonderful!"
Guan Zhiyue looked completely at ease, leaving the two women serving behind her utterly confused, but that didn't stop them from agreeing!
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