Chapter 18 - Angry and humiliated
Before Li Siyan could react, Qingfu leaped up like a rat in a frying pan, rushed forward in two steps, bowed to Li Siyan and said, "Your Majesty, Shen Qijulang has lost her mind. Allow me to take her down and exorcise the evil spirit. Don't let her rebel so recklessly!"
After saying that, he pounced on me with great ferocity and tried to capture me.
Li Siyan frowned and said nothing.
I tilted my head, blocking Qingfu aside, and said calmly and confidently, "Grandpa Qingfu, why are you so anxious? Think about it, if I'm not around, there will be no one to chat with Your Majesty, and no one for Your Majesty to play with. How could Your Majesty be willing to let me go to the palace?"
Qingfu said anxiously: "Can't you just shut your mouth?"
"cannot,"
I don't know where I got the strength from, but despite the pain in my neck, I pushed Qingfu aside.
The ground was covered with broken pieces of the box. I bent down with difficulty, picked up a relatively intact piece, held it in the palm of my hand, looked at it, and suddenly laughed.
"Your Majesty is truly generous, even gifting me such a valuable item. But Your Majesty, you possess the entire world, yet you can't even find a friend or family member to talk to. You can only argue with a bad-tempered attendant like me day in and day out. Isn't that a bit tragic?"
"Besides, I said so many things today that I shouldn't have said. In the past, I should have been punished and sent to the palace. But what happened to Your Majesty today? Don't you even want to punish me?"
Over the past year, Li Siyan's attitude towards me has become increasingly out of line, and sometimes it even makes me feel scared. We are clearly separated by a blood feud and are on a life-and-death relationship, so why does he always approach me without any sense of propriety?
Whatever the reason, we can't go on like this.
I turned my head and whispered:
"Or let's ask it another way. Is Your Majesty unable to leave me?"
As soon as the words fell, the room fell silent.
Qingfu's mouth opened slightly in a funny way. The Dog Emperor stood in place, staring at me with his ink-black fox eyes.
I actually saw a hint of panic in it.
Seeing his eyes getting colder and colder, I clearly understood that I had angered him again.
It was not a pretentious threat, but the long-lost genuine anger of Li Siyan.
The last time he showed such a murderous look was in the Xuanzheng Hall. At that time, he held a sword in his hand, with the tip of the sword against my throat. Just a slight movement could send me to hell.
After standing at the center of the power vortex for two years, he was much calmer than when he first usurped the throne, but when he got angry he was even more terrifying than before. But the strange thing was that I didn't feel afraid, and even felt a sense of inexplicable pleasure.
It's good to be angry. I want to see if he is willing to kill me!
After a long time, under my gaze, Li Siyan finally spoke.
He whispered, "Who gave you the confidence to think so highly of yourself?"
I said, "Of course it's you, Your Majesty."
The corners of his mouth curled up slightly, but there was no smile in his eyes: "But you are just a toy I put before my emperor to tease him, no different from this screen or that box."
After pondering for a moment, he slowly walked over to me, took the gold fragment I had picked up, twisted it, and said, "This box was a tribute from Tubo last year. The envoy praised it to the skies when he came to pay tribute, saying that it was forged by the best craftsmen in our tribe with the most superior skills and then brought all the way to Chang'an."
"It's a good thing, but I didn't like it, so I just threw it away."
I whispered, "I am a person, not an object."
He leaned down, put his thin lips close to my ear, and whispered:
"What difference does it make whether you're a person or an object? Chen Ying, how could you possibly think I wouldn't smash you to pieces like this box?"
He is still being stubborn.
"If Your Majesty really wanted to kill me, you should have done it long ago. Why wait until today?" I slowly sat up straight, raised my face and showed a stupid smile: "Don't pretend, Li Siyan, admit it, even if you can't leave me, you can't bear to kill me!"
It was the first time I took the initiative to get so close to him, our noses almost touched. We were two people who were obviously irreconcilable, but from a distance, we seemed to be somewhat affectionate with each other.
His skin was a rough wheat color with fine pores.
Seeing me suddenly approaching, he froze for a moment, then his face turned red as if he had been stung by a bee. He pushed me down heavily on the couch with one hand and said viciously, "Shut up!"
Seeing him angry, I kindly reminded him, "I won't die if you throw me. If Your Majesty really wants to kill me, why not go outside and borrow a sword from the guards? I'll be killed completely without a single breath left."
He suddenly looked up at me, his eyes filled with intense panic, as if the scene I described was unbearable for him.
I was startled by this look, and my heart sank. Damn it, could it be that I was right? Li Siyan...he really couldn't bear to kill me?
My head suddenly got hot, and a fierce force that came from nowhere exploded in my chest. I rushed forward and rammed my head into his chest.
Li Siyan was stunned and took a step back in confusion.
In a moment, I grabbed the dagger he carried with him, pulled it out of the sheath with force, and held it across my neck with my backhand.
"What are you doing! Put down the sword!" Li Siyan shouted.
I didn't know what I was doing, but the hand holding the sword didn't tremble at all, and it was firmly against my neck.
A terrifying light flashed in my eyes. I stared at him intently and said, "If you're reluctant to kill me, then I'll do it myself. I don't want to live anymore anyway, so I might as well die."
Li Siyan said angrily, "I told you that if you dare to commit suicide, I will kill your entire clan and not a single one will be spared!"
I raised my chin and smiled coldly: "Li Siyan, do you think I dare?"
As soon as I finished speaking, I made up my mind and swung the dagger towards my neck.
I used all my strength in this blow, leaving no room for error, like a gambler putting all his chips on the line. What was I betting on? I was betting that he wouldn't let me die, that he wouldn't tolerate me dying in front of him.
People always say he is crazy, but in fact I am also a complete lunatic. I dare to risk my own life and that of my family just to prove this one thing.
What I want to prove is that to Li Siyan, I may be more than just a pet that can be discarded at will.
Even if it's just a little bit of emotion that goes beyond common sense, it will be fine.
There was a dull sound, and the sword was embedded in something soft. I moved the dagger and smelled a strong smell of blood.
I opened my eyes and saw a scene that I will never forget in my life.
Li Siyan stood just a few feet away from me, his right hand tightly gripping the sword guard. The sharp blade scratched across his palm, leaving a bloody wound.
He was breathing heavily, his eyes were wide, and his lips were trembling, as if he was the one who was almost hacked to death.
It was the first time I saw such undisguised fear in his eyes.
The man who was usually as powerful and indifferent as a god and had everything under his control, now seemed extremely helpless, as if he could be easily controlled.
I was completely stunned and let go of my hand in a daze, letting Li Siyan take back his weapon and kick it away.
"You... why did you take that sword?" I asked sleepwalkingly, "Don't you hate me the most and treat me like a pet? Why do you care whether I live or die?"
"You lunatic!" Li Siyan suddenly exploded, his angry eyes covered with a thin layer of mist: "If I don't take this sword, will you really kill yourself?"
I smiled as if nothing had happened and said, "Why should I be afraid of life or death? You know whether I really want to kill myself or not."
He should have understood the moment he took the blade. If I had used full force and no one intervened, I would have died on the spot, and no gods or Buddhas could have saved me.
"You haven't answered me yet," I lowered my eyes. "Why do you care if I live or die? If I die, you can kill my relatives. Isn't that good enough?"
He looked at me blankly, as if he was meeting me for the first time, and there was even a hint of imperceptible panic in his eyes.
I caught the subtle change in his expression, and my mind raced. Before I realized what I had discovered, I said, "Li Siyan, do you like me a little?"
As soon as I finished speaking, the imperial study was empty and silent.
"joke!"
He took two steps back, avoiding the plague as if he had heard some fairy tale, and actually laughed out loud, his laughter was hoarse and unpleasant.
"How could I look down upon you? You are sharp-tongued, fierce, violent, and pedantic..." He laughed and racked his brains for adjectives, throwing them in my face one by one. He looked scary, like a sick mad dog.
My eyes fell on his bloody right hand, the bright red color seemed to mock his attempt to hide his guilt.
Li Siyan seemed to be burned by my gaze. He quickly put his hands behind his back and tried his best to pretend to be calm and majestic. He said coldly: "I know that you scholars pride yourself on your pride and fearlessness of life and death, but I insist on making you live in pain. Isn't this more satisfying than letting you die?"
I went straight to the point and pierced through his sophistry: "Li Siyan, you are kidding me. What a lame excuse. If you like me a little bit, just say it directly. Don't hide like a coward."
"You're wrong. I hate you. I only want to humiliate you." His handsome face twisted, and a violent look began to gather in his eyes. In his rage, he smashed two precious inkstones, pointed outside the door, and shouted fiercely, "Get out!"
I was fearless and stiffened my neck, saying, "If you have the guts, tell me to get out of here forever. Get out of the palace, get out of the palace, get out of Furong Garden and clean up the shit for the kites. And you still say you look down on me? I don't think you can bear to see me go!"
He pretended to be calm and turned away from me, his hands trembling slightly as he tried to steady his voice and said, "Okay, okay, I'll grant your wish and tell you to get out!"
Thank goodness, I've used provocation on Li Siyan so many times, and it finally worked this time.
As if he had made some great decision, he clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking, and slowly spoke, "Chen Ying offended the emperor, and is dismissed from his position as attendant. He is sentenced to twenty lashes and sent to the palace to pour incense at night. He is not allowed to leave the palace without pardon. If anyone disobeys, the entire Shen family will be executed immediately."
I stood there, indifferent.
It didn’t roll far enough. I’ll have to roll harder next time.
Qingfu glanced at me and whispered to Li Siyan, "Mr. Shen Qiju... Shen Ying is weak and has a cold. If she gets 20 bites, she might... die."
After hearing Qingfu's words, Li Siyan paused and said coldly, "Then keep it for now. When she recovers, we can give her the injection again. Don't miss a single piece of moss."
I watched his performance coldly. Qingfu was quick-witted and dragged me out, leaving Li Siyan alone in the imperial study.
His back was cold and dejected, with broken gold and silver scattered around his feet. Two eunuchs quickly stepped forward and closed the door, properly hiding the emperor at his most lonely and vulnerable moment.
I was right, he was indeed pitiful, he had a vast kingdom for nothing, but he didn't have a single loyal and kinsman-like person, he was so pitiful that he even fell in love with his sworn enemy, Qijilang.
This relationship is so ridiculous, it's time for him to wake up.
I obediently let Qingfu drag me away, going down the stairs one step at a time. The red door of the imperial study became smaller and smaller, and I was getting farther and farther away from Li Siyan.
What is he thinking now? Is he sad because he was forced to throw away his favorite toy?
I roared arrogantly in my heart: It's okay to be sad! Go to bed, stick your butt up and cry for mom, you bastard!
Just like that, two years later, I received the Ye Ting luxury package again.
Last time, two guards escorted me to the Yunting, and this time it was them again. The two brothers had just had their job ruined by my throwing a tantrum in the morning. In the afternoon, the situation changed and it was my turn to be unlucky, which made the two guards very proud.
They mocked me in a sarcastic tone, saying that Shen Qijulang was bullying his subordinates and committing treason, and that His Majesty should have punished such a frivolous girl long ago. Now, sending her to the Yunting was too light a punishment, and she should have been beaten with a stick more.
I was calm now, even a little happy. I didn't get annoyed when they said that. I smiled and said, "You're right. I also think the moss punishment is a bit light. Besides, being sent to the palace is so uncreative. Next time, I'll try to be sent to Furong Garden to clean up kite shit."
The two of them looked at me as if I were a fool, probably thinking that this woman's brain was burned and she was not normal.
When I arrived at Ye Ting, Xia Fugui had already received a notice from Qingfu and brought several young eunuchs to the gate of Ye Ting Palace to pick me up. A group of people stood in two rows, creating the atmosphere of welcoming a noble person.
It highlights the sense of ritual that rich children have nowhere to go.
After sending the two guards away, Xia Fugui applied ointment on my neck and sighed at me.
"... Seeing how indulgent His Majesty was towards you, I thought I would never see you again in the palace. I never thought you were so capable that you managed to get into my palace again in no time."
I unceremoniously enjoyed his fried noodles, chewing them with a loud crunch, and said with a grin, "Oh, no, that's not it. I scolded him for being fatherless and motherless, and asked him if he couldn't live without me. I was so angry that he gave me a twenty-point penalty and an indefinite ban from drinking night fragrance."
Xia Fugui, who followed the palace rules, immediately started to calculate, and finally he told me: The punishment is indeed too light. Twenty lashes of lashes is the lightest punishment in the palace after being slapped on the palm, not to mention that it is not carried out on the spot. If I had been a little shameless and put it off for a few months, I wouldn't even have to suffer these twenty lashes.
As for pouring incense in the palace at night... the dog emperor probably doesn't know about the friendship between Xia Fugui and me. Under the protection of Fugui's friendship, this punishment is no different from a vacation for me.
I think Xia Fugui has become numb to my brutality. He was completely indifferent to such explosive content and even said, "That's it? I thought you burned down the Purple Palace."
"That's not the case." I said, "But let me tell you something, I found that he seems to like me a little bit."
"Don't talk nonsense." Xia Fugui didn't believe it: "He's the emperor, how could he be interested in you?"
"I didn't believe it before, but I just discovered it today." I spread my hands and said, "I stabbed myself with a knife, and he took it without a second thought. His hands were covered in blood."
"I thought it was something like this... Wait! What did you say?"
Xia Fugui gasped in surprise and said in disbelief, "Your Majesty, the Emperor, did he take the knife for you?"
"Yeah." I took a bite of the dry noodles, feeling heavy-hearted. "It's terrible. He really likes me."
Xia Fugui squatted in the corner holding his big head, apparently trying to digest this shocking news.
"But he didn't admit it, and he didn't dare to face me again, so he threw me here." I cursed contemptuously: "You are such a coward.
Putting the dog emperor behind me, I stretched happily, picked up Xia Fugui's cat slave, scratched its round little head, and said in a sweet voice, "Little Mi, do you still remember me?"
The cute little cat from two years ago has grown into a noble and cool middle-aged fat cat. The fat cat meowed arrogantly at me and raised its head to indicate that I should scratch its chin.
I massaged the cat with an attitude ten thousand times more attentive than serving the dog emperor. It turned over on my legs and made a purring sound.
Xia Fugui finally pulled himself out of his trance, walked reluctantly over to my side, wiped his face vigorously, and asked me, "The emperor likes you, so if you want to avoid me... are you planning to stay here?"
"My words don't count. You should ask your Majesty what he thinks."
"Tell me the truth, brother. How did today's incident come about?"
"It's nothing. I just felt that his attitude towards me was a little strange, so I tried to test him." I scratched Xiao Mi's chin and pretended to be relaxed.
It's easy to say, but in fact, every step at that time was a gamble. Although I said that I was challenging Li Siyan with all my might, I didn't want to die at all. I was still waiting to survive and leave the palace.
In other words, if my bet was right, but not right, my family members would probably be able to survive, but I would definitely have to go to see my ancestors.
Xia Fugui poured me a cup of tea and pushed it towards me, muttering, "You've finally grown more sensible. You've noticed that His Majesty treats you differently."
I rolled my eyes and said, "Yeah, what emperor wouldn't flirt with his concubines and maids, but would only cling to a chamberlain?"
Xia Fugui chuckled and said, "I understand why you mention this. You're really quite likable, with an interesting personality and a lot of books. When you're angry, you look like a kitten, which is quite adorable. Besides, His Majesty's harem is as clean as a rice jar at the end of the year. Since he can't find the Empress to accompany him, then he has no choice but to come to you for fun."
I was so angry that I pounded the table. "If there's no one, then go and get him! There are so many palace maids waiting to have their favor. I think maybe he's not in good shape down there..."
Xia Fugui jumped up in shock, reached across half the coffee table and covered my mouth with his hand, saying repeatedly, "Don't talk nonsense. Your Majesty is incredibly vigorous and powerful. He's nothing special."
I shamelessly asked, "How do you know? Have you tried it?"
I was really rude, and even a good-natured person like Xia Fugui was so angry that he chased me and beat me up. I laughed heartily to avoid his attacks, and even teased him in a particularly mean way: "Your Majesty is vigorous and energetic, and Fuguier is still charming and graceful. We are childhood sweethearts, a perfect match!"
Xia Fugui howled, "I'll rip your mouth off, you damned girl!"
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