Chapter 7
"Has my sister gone mad? Why don't you go to the Cold Palace to keep Consort Qi and Consort Yi company?"
Consort Ling feigned surprise and covered her mouth, saying, "Please don't let this bring trouble upon the Dowager Consort!"
"She said that the winter plum blossoms in the palace are blooming quite well, and can be seen from outside the wall, so Consort Ling, you don't necessarily have to come to my palace to see them."
Li Xiaoran whispered behind Consort Ling, frantically giving Qi Nian'an meaningful glances.
Qi Nian'an turned her head and smiled slightly at Qingyi. The two instantly looked at each other from afar and their minds connected. The young master of the Gao family smiled mysteriously, and then raised his hand to push the Li family member.
In an instant, Li Xiaoyi lost his balance and fell forward. Before Consort Ling could say anything, she collapsed to the ground. Qi Nian'an had already thoughtfully taken off her cloak and spread it on the ground. The two of them were in a complete mess.
Li Xiaoyi hurriedly got up, looked back at Gao Qing in disbelief, and then looked back at Consort Ling, who was tumbling around with him.
The two suddenly looked at each other, then turned their heads away with obvious disdain.
"Oh my goodness, Consort Ling, you were so careless! Now our actions are almost identical. What are we going to do if so many people see this?"
Qi Nian'an said innocently, reaching out to straighten her cuffs, and turning her head away as if it had nothing to do with the matter.
Consort Ling's face turned pale, and she jumped up, pointing at Qi Nian'an, unable to speak.
"you!"
Li Xiaoyi stared at Qi Nian'an in disbelief, then looked at Consort Ling and Gao Qing, who seemed completely unfazed, and slowly covered his face with a sigh.
Consort Ling's face turned bright red, and she was so angry that she couldn't speak. She just kept stomping her feet on the spot. After a while, she threw down her fan and left.
"Sister, don't forget to put in a good word for me with His Majesty!"
Qi Nian'an waved his hand and shouted loudly at Consort Ling's back.
The grandeur of the palace gates remains undiminished, and clear laughter echoes from inside and outside, filled with cheerful chatter and unrestrained joy.
*
The doors to the Imperial Study were tightly shut, and the palace servants moved about quietly, afraid that their breathing would disturb the tranquility of the hall.
box--
"What did she say?!"
Shao Sizhi gritted his teeth and slammed his fist on the table, looking at Consort Ling who was standing trembling in front of him.
Consort Ling gently wiped away the tears on her face, sobbing, "Your Majesty, I was just advising Consort An not to be reckless, and then... I was knocked to the ground! Your Majesty, look!"
She stepped forward and softly complained, offering her bright red wrist.
"The Dowager Consort said nothing, Your Majesty. If Consort An continues down this path, the rumors of her being a bewitching concubine will only intensify. If this were to jeopardize your dignity, I would be failing in my duty to intervene!"
Shao Sizhi lowered his eyes and subtly brushed away Consort Ling's wrist, which was resting on her knee.
"I understand. Someone will be sent to handle it tonight. Look, there's a stack of memorials on the table. They're very busy."
He exhaled a deep breath, and the white mist gradually dissipated in front of him, leaving a hazy scene.
For some reason, the image of Consort An has been lingering in my mind these past few days. I know that Consort An is trying to attract my attention, but I just can't shake off that lively yet stubborn figure.
Her eyes were always fixed on him with hope, expecting him to respond, completely unaware that his status prevented him from doing so.
That's so stupid.
Consort Ling's voice pulled him back to reality. She said, "Then I'll take my leave now. You must come to my palace later. I've just gotten a few cats. They're so cute. Your Majesty, you must come and see them."
"Don't you have six cats in your bedchamber?"
Shao Sizhi paused, looking at Consort Ling with considerable surprise.
There were a few more strands of white hair, mixed with yellow hair, and a few strands of black hair fell out from among the yellow hair.
They've really gotten quite a few new cats.
“It’s different. Winters in the palace are unbearable. The cats would be very cold without warm rooms, so I can raise more of them. When Your Majesty comes to see them, they are all so cute and fluffy.”
"I am allergic to cat fur."
Shao Sizhi sighed, rubbed his temples, and waved his hand dismissively, saying, "Go back quickly, I will find an opportunity to go see him."
As soon as Consort Ling's figure disappeared, Shao Sizhi summoned Liu Neng, his most trusted eunuch, with a stern face.
"Go and thoroughly investigate what happened in Zhengyang Palace this afternoon, and block the news. From now on, no man outside the palace is allowed to enter the inner palace, not even those I have approved."
He slammed down his pen, looked out the window at the increasingly thick snow, his mind a jumble of thoughts, which he could no longer express in ink.
*
Qi Nian'an, draped in a bright red cloak, rolled around in the snow like a ball. Looking up, he saw Chief Steward Liu standing blankly outside the palace, holding a yellow imperial edict in his hands.
"Your Highness Consort An, please accept the imperial decree."
He sighed silently.
Qi Nian'an knelt down and heard the imperial decree being delivered from above.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I have heard that the virtue of the Empress lies in her dignified tranquility, and the teachings of the palace emphasize solemnity and harmony. The Empress Dowager, having inherited the late Emperor's legacy, should uphold the integrity of ice and frost. How can she indulge in music and music and be seduced by men? You should quickly calm your mind, rectify the palace etiquette, and not let your pure reputation be tainted."
"As for Lady An, she was originally a concubine, yet she dared to bewitch the Dowager Consort and seduce her into illicit affairs. I have already seen through your wickedness and uncovered your schemes. If you still know how to repent, you can still be spared. If you continue to use sophistry and secretly instigate, you will be severely punished according to palace rules. The cold palace is too desolate for you to bear. Do not say that I did not warn you. This is my decree."
Manager Liu chuckled twice, a hint of embarrassment creeping into his wrinkles, and quickly took his leave.
Qi Nian'an stood still, holding the imperial edict, and turned around to look at Li Xiaoran, who was laughing so hard she could hardly breathe, with a blank expression.
"What is he babbling on and on?"
"It's hilarious. He said if you dare to try to get me to keep male lovers again, he'll throw you into the cold palace. He also said he sees right through your little schemes and that you should think twice before acting."
Li Xiaoran's waist went limp from laughing, and she barely managed to catch her breath while supporting Qi Nian'an. When they made eye contact, she couldn't help but laugh out loud again.
"What do you mean I instigated it?!"
Qi Nian'an was so angry that she jumped up and down on the spot. In Shao Sizhi's mind, she was just that kind of unreliable friend. She was clearly an accomplice, not the mastermind!
The following day, Consort Yi sent someone to deliver newly made winter clothes.
The thick coat, lined with fur, felt incredibly warm just from being placed lightly in her hands. Li Xiaoran smiled as she watched the palace servants deliver the clothes, then rested her chin on her hand and looked at Qi Nian'an with a playful expression.
In previous years, Consort Yi would send gifts to Consort Ling's palace. As for whether the eunuchs and guards who were dressed in a pretty face were replaced this year, the script did not mention it.
But it is obvious that Qi Nian'an's reputation as a femme fatale has been deliberately cultivated throughout the palace.
"The Imperial Noble Consort Yi has been able to sit firmly in charge of the palace for so many years, and she did it for nothing. Look how appropriate this gift is."
"Wipe your drool before you speak, my dear best friend. How dare Shao Sizhi accuse me of leading you astray?"
Qi Nian'an shoved the handkerchief to Li Xiaoran's mouth with annoyance, then plopped down at the head of the main hall, quietly admiring her beauty.
Those who don't know might think Zhengyang Palace is some kind of brothel or something. Although I really want to, this is the imperial palace after all, and male models should be more discreet. If Shao Sizhi really becomes famous, I'll have to reload my save file, which is too much trouble.
"Let's have a party tonight, invite the wives of high-ranking officials from outside the palace in, and then have some fun."
Qi Nian'an tugged at Li Xiaoran's sleeve.
"I can go to the imperial kitchen and make some snacks, then keep these handsome guys who show no sign of leaving. We'll sing and dance to wish everyone a Happy New Year!"
"Aren't you trying to win over Shao Sizhi?" Li Xiaoran looked at her strangely. "If you really do that, he'll be so angry he'll die and then come back to life on the spot, then do a 360-degree Thomas spin and throw you into the cold palace and put a few bricks on top of you."
"..."
Qi Nian'an pondered for a moment.
It's not impossible. You can have a party and dance in the Cold Palace. If you're bored, you can climb over the wall and crawl through holes. A few days ago, she even found the dog hole in the Cold Palace in the middle of the night. It was the perfect size, and it wasn't actually that dilapidated inside...
"What are you thinking about, child? Stop thinking about it."
"No, you post the message and I'll clean it up. We can even have a banquet together. I'm so bored being locked up in there and can only sneak out at night. You have no idea how I've been cooped up these past few days."
Qi Nian'an held onto Li Xiaoran tightly, his eyes firm and his gaze intense.
"presumptuous."
A cold, sharp male voice came from behind her. Qi Nian'an rolled her eyes and turned around. She saw Shao Sizhi's familiar brows and eyes filled with a familiar hint of anger. He was staring intently at her as she tugged at Li Xiaoran's clothes.
When did Shao Sizhi arrive?
Qi Nian'an sighed, gave a slight bow, then turned around with a flick of her skirt, rolling her eyes as if she intended to flee the scene.
"When did I grant you permission to leave?"
Shao Sizhi kept muttering to himself, starting his usual spiel about etiquette and hierarchy...
The departing person slowly stopped, paused, then squatted down and lowered their hand, grabbing a handful of mud soaked with snowmelt from the flowerbed beside them.
She turned around.
Shao Sizhi took two steps back, then seemed to think that was too cowardly. After struggling for a while, he took two steps forward and glared at Qi Nian'an with even more stern eyes.
He didn't believe she would dare to throw it away again.
The next second, Qi Nian'an naturally cupped the pile of snow mixed with mud in his hands, breathed on it twice, and silently counted one, two, three—
The snow and mud were rolled into solid balls and flew towards Shao Sizhi's collar. In the chaos, Liu Neng shielded Shao Sizhi and took a lot of the snowballs.
One after another, they wept uncontrollably.
Qi Nian'an was smiling, while Shao Sizhi was frozen.
Li Xiaoran cried and laughed in the frosty wind and snow, covering her face in unbearable pain.
At the Empress Dowager's signal, the palace maids, eunuchs, and guards of Zhengyang Palace joined in the snowball fight. In the chaos, no one noticed a bright yellow robe fluttering and dodging.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Li Xiaoran made two snowballs and threw them precisely at Shao Sizhi before casually entering the hall.
"How dare you!"
Shao Sizhi finally couldn't hold back any longer. Realizing that no one was stopping Qi Nian'an, he stopped putting on airs and simply ran out of the hall to escape.
"I've already been presumptuous many times, even if I wasn't allowed to!"
Qi Nian'an chased after him to the front gate in one breath. After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but laugh, and the laughter grew louder and louder. Then she rolled on the ground and clutched her stomach.
Steward Liu stared in disbelief at the scene. In his more than thirty years of service, from the late emperor to the new emperor, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a chaotic, rude, and absurd spectacle.
His Majesty wasn't particularly angry.
Shao Sizhi stood outside the hall with his hands behind his back, his face hunched, not daring to approach Qi Nian'an, who was still clutching a snowball, dripping wet.
The two faced off in silence.
"Go back quickly, wash your hands and take a bath. Be careful not to catch a cold, or you'll complain about me to Consort Ling again."
He coughed twice, then waved for several palace servants to come and assist him.
Zhihe quickly stepped forward to block Qi Nian'an, and Nanzhi also helped Qi Nian'an back to the inner hall to prevent her from resorting to any more underhanded tricks.
"I want him to remember me forever."
Qi Nian'an slowly sank into the bathtub.
Nan Zhi fell silent.
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