Chapter 67
As dusk fell over the eaves of the Purple Palace, Li Yin was walking out of the imperial study on the golden brick floor.
The ambergris mixed with ink on his cuffs was mostly blown away by the draft, leaving only a slightly melancholy aftertaste, which was very similar to the emotion he was suppressing under his brow at the moment.
"Everyone, withdraw." He didn't even turn his head, his voice shrouded in ice. The eunuchs and imperial guards accompanying him all bowed their heads in response. The soft sound of his boots rolling over the bluestone slabs gradually faded, and at the end of the palace road, only his figure in dark formal attire remained.
Turning past the glazed screen wall, the bluestone ground of the martial arts training ground shone coldly in the setting sun. The sandbags suspended from the iron stakes still swayed slightly. The tail blade slashed at the stakes, the sharp whistling sound of the black iron blade splitting the air piercing the silence.
"bass--"
The clear sound of a sword being drawn startled a night heron perched on the eaves. Li Yin's sword had been unsheathed at some point, its icy gleam darting towards Wei Dao's back. Almost instinctively, Wei Dao spun around, the black iron blade resting across his chest. The crisp sound of the two blades clashing was eardrum-numbing.
"Your Highness?" Wei Dao's pupils shrank, but his grip on the blade remained steady as a rock. He froze as he saw the man's form. Sweat dripped from his temples onto the blade, creating a small mist.
Li Yin didn't reply. With a flick of his wrist, his sword's momentum shifted. The tip of his sword cut through the evening breeze, aiming for Wei Dao's throat. Wei Dao spun away, and the black iron blade swung back. The wind from the blade swept past Li Yin's ear, shearing off a few strands of hair that had fallen from his forehead.
"Your Highness is in a state of restlessness today." The blade of the tail knife grazed Li Yin's waist, the gust of wind lifting a corner of his robe. His voice was emotionless, only his grip on the knife grew more steady. Each block accurately neutralized most of Li Yin's attack, but always left some room for maneuver.
Li Yin's sword suddenly stopped in mid-air. The golden light of the setting sun fell on his tightly pursed lips, outlining the line of his jaw even colder and harder. He suddenly sheathed his sword, and as he turned, the hem of his dark robe swept across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Let's stop here for today. You can leave first!" Li Yin said coldly.
Weidao hesitated for a long time, wanting to say something, but he didn't say it. Finally, he bowed and took his leave.
Li Yin stood quietly in the night, and suddenly seemed to remember something in his mind, and hurriedly ran towards the pavilion.
Sure enough, he saw Luo Sanrong limping towards the Eunuch Hall on the road, and Li Yin showed an annoyed expression.
Luo Sanrong also saw him, and seeing him panting, he jokingly complained, "You told me not to move, but you broke your promise first?"
Li Yin looked up and saw Luo Sanrong standing in front of him, and the anxiety that had been hanging in his heart for half a day suddenly dissipated.
Li Yin looked at Luo Sanrong's eyes and brows, which were softened by the night, and suddenly felt that the open and covert attacks and the complicated calculations in the court did not seem so unbearable.
At least when you turn around, there's always someone waiting here.
As soon as this thought came to his mind, the corners of his mouth curled up. He didn't even notice that his jawline, which had been tense just now, had softened a lot.
Luo Sanrong limped forward and said in feigned anger, "You can still laugh now?"
Li Yin quickly ran to Luo Sanrong, turned his back to her, half-crouched, turned back, and said with a smile: "I'll carry you!"
Luo Sanrong took a step back, looked around, and whispered, "Your Highness, this is against etiquette. How can you be an eunuch?"
Hearing this, Li Yin raised his hand and waved it lightly, his tone somewhat nonchalant: "Don't get me wrong, even if the warm man's leg was injured, I would do the same."
Luo Sanrong frowned and said stubbornly, "Even if it's like this, it won't work."
Li Yin pretended to be serious and said, "This is an order."
Luo Sanrong muttered, "I still remember you once told me to treat you as a friend when it was just the two of us. But now you keep giving me orders, orders..."
Li Yin remained unmoved and continued, "So, are you going to disobey orders now?"
Helpless, Luo Sanrong couldn't twist him away, so she had to climb onto his back obediently.
Li Yin shook her up and said, "Why are you so light?"
Luo Sanrong leaned against his back and said sullenly, "Is it true? But I really want to see your arms shaking."
Li Yin didn't say anything, just bounced up again and turned around to look at Luo Sanrong provocatively.
Luo Sanrong refused to continue his conversation. Instead, she leaned close to Li Yin's ear and whispered, "Your Highness, what if someone saw us?"
Li Yin swaggered across the path carrying Luo Sanrong on his back, and he did not forget to comfort her, saying, "Don't worry, I grew up in the palace, and I remember clearly whether there was anyone on that road."
After a moment of silence, Li Yin broke the silence and asked, "Did the princess you mentioned last time end up with the prince?"
Luo Sanrong jokingly said, "I fell asleep in the middle, so I didn't hear it!"
Luo Sanrong narrated the story, "The prince didn't understand the princess's feelings, so he married another woman. As a result, the princess disappeared from then on."
Li Yin paused and sighed, "What a sad story!"
Luo Sanrong looked at Li Yin in confusion. She was sensitive to the fact that Li Yin was in a bad mood tonight. She thought it was because she was too heavy, so she took the initiative to say, "Your Highness, we are almost at the Eunuch Hall. Please put me down!"
Unexpectedly, Li Yin suddenly changed direction and headed towards the East Palace, saying with a smile: "No, let's go back to the East Palace!"
Luo Sanrong said hesitantly, "Then, Your Highness, you must put me down when you are almost at the Eastern Palace. I don't want to be seen by others."
Li Yin wanted to tease her and loudly contradicted her, "No, I want to return to the Eunuch Palace."
Luo Sanrong reminded: "Your Highness, please speak softly, or others will hear you.
——
When the water level in the clepsydra exceeded the hour of Hai, the prime minister's white official boots finally stepped out of the red door of the bedroom.
Ji Zelan leaned her elbows on the gilded phoenix chair, looking down at the lotus pattern embroidered on the hem of her skirt. She didn't slowly loosen her clenched knuckles until the sound of the gradually fading footsteps was completely swallowed up by the night dew outside the palace wall.
"Your Majesty?" Yun Yue's voice was softer than the silver hairpin on her temples. As her fingertips touched the back of Ji Zelan's cold hand, she heard an almost inaudible sigh roll out of her young lady's throat. When she supported Yun Yue's forearm to stand up, the jade belt around her waist hurt her ribs.
Yes, the relationship between me and my father is almost like that between master and servant.
The secret door leading to the secret room was hidden behind the antique display cabinet. Yunyue turned the bronze Taotie jar at the bottom, and the stone wall made a dull "click" sound, revealing a narrow passage that was only wide enough for one person to pass through.
As Ji Zelan walked in with her head lowered, the pearl hairpins on her temples brushed against the damp stone wall, and the crisp sound of the beads colliding echoed in the corridor.
There was a woman about the same age as Ji Zelan locked in the secret room. She was half leaning on the couch, her ankles shackled with iron chains. She looked terrified when she saw someone coming.
Ji Zelan gestured for Yunyue to place the snacks in front of the woman. She stood in front of the woman, her face cold and her tone mocking, "Eat more! You're such a lucky person, a palace maid, and you're still able to enjoy this much while you're pregnant!"
This woman turned out to be Xier, the palace maid serving medicine who was said to have been secretly executed long ago. She had behaved disrespectfully in front of the queen that day and everyone thought she would be put to death. Unexpectedly, she was locked up in this dark place that night.
These days, it was always Yunyue who came to bring her some food, and she had never seen the queen. Today, she finally saw the queen.
Xier quickly knelt before the queen, kowtowed, and said, "Your Majesty, I am terrified!"
Ji Zelan looked at her coldly, as if he was looking at someone through her.
Xier cautiously probed, "What will happen to me and the baby in my belly?"
Ji Zelan stepped forward and stood in front of Xier, slightly raising her chin. With undisguised contempt in her eyes, she looked Xier up and down. Her thin lips parted slightly, and her voice was cold and filled with unquestionable arrogance: "Humph, as long as you keep your mouth shut, you'll be fine. Don't worry."
After saying this, she shook the silk handkerchief in her hand lightly with disgust, as if she felt that talking to someone like Xier had dirty her hands.
Xier's expression eased a little. Ji Zelan snorted coldly, turned around and left, and Yunyue followed closely behind him.
On the way, Ji Zelan recalled that she had secretly asked the imperial physician to take her pulse, and nine out of ten doctors said it was a princess. To be on the safe side, she sent Yunyue to secretly raise Xier in a secret room in case of emergency.
"No matter what method I use, the child I give birth to will definitely be a prince who can inherit the throne." Ji Zelan said secretly.
Yunyue quickly lowered her head and pretended not to hear.
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