Chapter 22: Seeing the girl was silent for a long time, Xiao Yu was just stopping at the girl...
Yan Shu was playing chess, and was somewhat touched by Empress Dowager Zhao Jing's words.
Wasn't her current situation similar to that of Baizi? She seemed to enjoy Xiao Yu's exclusive favor and was extremely proud of herself, but in reality, her inner world was already in jeopardy, and she could fall into the mud and be doomed at any time.
Yan Shu lowered her eyes and looked at the trapped chess game. Finally, she carefully placed a piece on the flank, trying to break out.
"I believe that if I can get help from others when I'm in a difficult situation, there may be a chance of turning things around."
"Help from outsiders?" Empress Dowager Zhao Jing sneered, and Heizi followed closely behind, completely blocking Yan Shu's retreat.
"Yan Ji, do you really think that such help would be so easy to find? Even if you do find it, it depends on what it can bring to the other party. If it's just a useless chess piece that can be manipulated at will, who would be willing to waste their energy to help?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Shu played more cautiously, and the white pieces could only struggle to survive in the cracks.
"What the Queen Mother said is that if you want others to help you, you must first be able to stand on your own feet and be able to share the worries of others."
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing looked up at her, a hint of satisfaction flashed across her eyes, but her hands were ruthless, and the black piece stabbed into the white piece's belly like a sharp blade.
"As long as Yan Ji understands, there are only a few good positions in the harem. If someone wants to move up, someone else has to step down."
At this point, Empress Dowager Zhao Jing looked at the girl in front of her meaningfully and said, "My niece Chu Yuan has a gentle temperament, but lacks a sharp edge. If she could have a smart person like Yan Ji to help her, perhaps she could secure the position she deserves in the future."
Yan Shu paused while holding Zi's hand.
The Queen Mother's words clearly made it clear that Chu Yuan wanted to become the Queen.
Looking at the white pieces being forced to retreat step by step by the black pieces on the chessboard, Yan Shu suddenly understood that what the Queen Mother wanted was not her flattery and obedience, but was considering whether she could help Chu Yuan become the queen.
Yan Shu lowered her eyes and placed the white piece in a seemingly useless corner, which happened to leave a flaw for the black piece's attack.
"I may be dull, but if the Queen Mother and Noble Lady Chu need anything, I will do my best."
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing looked at the white piece, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she smiled.
"Yanji's move is quite interesting. I hope you can be a wise person in the future and not let me down."
Although Yan Shu looked calm on the surface, she was actually quite panicked in her heart.
"Okay, I'm tired, let's stop here today." Empress Dowager Zhao Jing said, holding her forehead.
Upon hearing this, the palace servants nearby immediately stepped forward and collected all the chess pieces.
Empress Dowager Zhao Jing lowered her head and touched the pair of jade bracelets in the box. She curled her lips towards Yan Shu and said, "I'll keep these bracelets. If you have time in the future, remember to come and play chess with me often."
Yan Shu stood up and saluted, her face respectful but her mind was a little heavy.
Although she lost this game of chess, she figured out Empress Dowager Zhao Jing's thoughts.
Queen Mother Zhao Jing's meaning was very clear. If Yan Shu wanted to get her protection, she must first become the cornerstone under her feet and help Chu Yuan ascend to the throne of Queen of Kingdom Xiao.
For the sake of a glimmer of hope for the future, Yan Shu didn't know whether she should agree or not, and whether it was worth doing so.
Yan Shu left the hall, and Qingtao was still waiting outside. When her princess came out, she immediately went to greet her. Seeing that Yan Shu looked dazed, she asked with some concern.
"What's wrong with the princess? Is the Queen Mother giving the princess a hard time?"
Yan Shu shook her head.
"It's okay, I just thought of some troubles."
Qingtao finally felt relieved after hearing this.
Yan Shu sat in the sedan chair, raised her hand to rub her slightly swollen temples, and felt a headache.
All the way to Baohua Palace, the girl's headache did not ease at all.
When she came back, it was already time for dinner, but Yan Shu had no appetite at all. She just collapsed on the couch and thought about random things.
Now there are two ways to survive before her.
One is to get pregnant with Xiao Yu's child before the time of the Paradise Banquet in the previous life, so that she can escape death by having an offspring.
The second is to actively rely on Queen Dowager Zhao Jing and wholeheartedly help Chu Yuan ascend to the throne of Queen of Xiao State in order to seek protection in the future.
The first path has not yet shown results, while the second path seems too risky.
If she really helped Queen Dowager Zhao Jing to make Chu Yuan the queen, what would she do if Queen Dowager Zhao Jing betrayed her and abandoned her as a chess piece?
Therefore, if she chose the second path, Empress Dowager Zhao Jing must give her sufficient protection.
And this kind of protection must be able to save her life completely.
Yan Shu was just thinking about it when she heard the eunuch outside the palace announce, "The king has arrived."
Seeing that it was Xiao Yu coming, the girl immediately stood up from the couch, walked quickly to the exit of the inner room and looked outside.
In less than a moment, Xiao Yu came towards him.
"Your Majesty, may you be well." Yan Shu knelt down and was about to salute when he grabbed her wrist.
"Yan Yan, there's no need to be so polite every time." Xiao Yu lowered his eyes and looked at her, his voice light.
After saying that, he pulled the person up and walked to the soft couch beside him.
After Xiao Yu sat down, Yan Shu sat in his arms naturally again. Just as she buried her head in his shoulder, sniffing the faint scent of Centella asiatica and closing her eyes to relax, she heard that cold voice suddenly ringing in her ears.
"I heard that Yanyan went to the Queen Mother today."
Yan Shu had never thought that Xiao Yu would even interrogate her on this matter. She straightened up slightly, looked at him, and said, "I went to pay my respects to the Queen Mother."
The girl spoke in a gentle voice, with a calm and peaceful expression.
Xiao Yu narrowed his eyes slightly when he heard that, and the emotion in his dark eyes was unclear.
"Is the Queen Mother in trouble?"
As the words came out, the long, bony fingers fell on the girl's fair cheek and gently stroked it, then fell on Yan Shu's earlobe and even pinched it naturally.
The skin he touched felt slightly cool and itchy. Although Yan Shu didn't know why Xiao Yu asked this question, she still shook her head.
"The Queen Mother is kind and will naturally not embarrass me."
Although Yan Shu knew that Empress Dowager Zhao Jing was not Xiao Yu's biological mother, she was now Xiao Yu's nominal mother after all. Regardless of whether their relationship was close or not, Yan Shu did not want to be the culprit who caused trouble between the two.
What's more, she was hoping to get on the good side of Empress Dowager Zhaojing in the future, so naturally she wouldn't say anything bad about the Empress Dowager in front of Xiao Yu.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu paused his fingertips slightly, a hint of darkness seemed to flash across his eyes, and then his expression returned to normal.
"That's good."
Yan Shu, who was sitting in his arms, did not notice the flash of obscurity in Xiao Yu's eyes. She was still immersed in the choice between the two paths of life.
There are still two years until the Banquet of Bliss, so she has at least two years to prepare.
Within two years, she must either successfully give birth to Xiao Yu's child and save her life by virtue of her son's status, or she must form an alliance with Empress Dowager Zhao Jing and exchange interests.
There is still a lot of time now, so she doesn't need to rush into choosing only one path and sticking to it.
Just like what Aunt Jiang said, one should not be too anxious about having children. Just let nature take its course and good news will come naturally.
What she needs to do now is to seize the opportunity and not miss it.
Seeing that the girl didn't say anything for a long time, Xiao Yu applied a little more strength to the hand that was resting on the girl's earlobe.
Yan Shu whimpered, looked up at the instigator, and said in a coquettish tone, "Your Majesty!"
"What is Yanyan thinking about that makes her so lost in thought?" Xiao Yu asked, but Mie let go of his hand, his slender fingertips still pinching her intentionally or unintentionally.
Yan Shu held down his restless hand, trying her best to ignore the tingling sensation, and made up an excuse: "I was just thinking about what to eat for dinner tonight."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yu curved his fox-like narrow eyes, with a half-smile on his face.
"Then Yanyan can think of what to eat."
Although it was just an excuse, Yan Shu was really a little hungry after coming back and going through so much trouble.
Nowadays, most of the food is stewed, steamed, and roasted. Yan Shu's favorite is roasted beef and lamb. However, it's been the beginning of the dog days of summer, so her appetite has been poor. After thinking about it today, she really wants to eat some roasted meat.
The so-called roasted meat is barbecued meat.
Grilling it directly, marinating it before grilling, or cutting it into slices or chunks and grilling it on a skewer is quite popular nowadays. However, the nobility pays more attention to dining etiquette, so the palace mostly grills it in slices.
Cut the beef and mutton into thick slices and roast them over fire until golden brown, then spread berries or chopped peppers on them. Yan Shu can really eat better.
The more she thought about it, the hungrier she got. Yan Shu quickly looked up at Xiao Yu and suggested, "I'd like to eat some roasted meat. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Xiao Yu naturally agreed.
After receiving the order, the palace servant immediately went to instruct the small kitchen to prepare the food.
After about two quarters of an hour, the dishes were served one after another.
In addition to the roasted meat that Yan Shu specifically ordered, the small kitchen also prepared many refreshing and greasy green leafy vegetables. Of course, the iced mung bean soup and melons and grapes to relieve the heat were also indispensable.
Looking at the table full of tempting dishes, Yan Shu's appetite was whetted.
As soon as Xiao Yu sat down, the girl couldn't wait to pick up the chopsticks to pick up the roasted beef.
First, she dipped the barbecue in the small plate in front of her into the sweet and sour berry sauce and chili sauce, and then she took a satisfied bite. In an instant, all her worries were thrown behind her mind, and only the taste buds on the tip of her tongue were jumping happily.
So sometimes in some ways, Yan Shu can indeed be considered a heartless girl.
As long as the sky doesn't fall, she can eat and drink well.
However, the girl enjoyed her meal and of course did not forget to greet Xiao Yu in front of her.
Seeing that Xiao Yu didn't move his chopsticks much, Yan Shu personally wrapped a piece of meat with green leafy vegetables, dipped it in berry jam and then some hot sauce, and then attentively handed it to the mouth of the person opposite.
"Your Majesty, please try it. It tastes delicious this way."
Looking at the girl's bright and watery almond eyes, Xiao Yu was slightly surprised. Although he had doubts about this way of eating, he still opened his mouth and bit the piece of meat dipped in berries and chili peppers.
The wonderful taste of sweet, sour and spicy made Xiao Yu frown, as if he was a little uncomfortable.
After seeing Xiao Yu swallow it, Yan Shu couldn't wait to ask him how he felt.
"What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Yan Shu looked at Xiao Yu's cool and handsome face and a slight blush appeared on her face, but her expression remained calm.
"It's okay," he said.
Yan Shu finally felt relieved. She had actually been curious for a long time why Xiao Yu always looked so indifferent during meals, as if he didn't need to eat at all and was just hanging on by a breath of ethereal energy.
This look is gaining some popularity now.
So Yan Shu lowered her head and prepared to wrap a few more pieces of meat, not noticing that someone had already calmly drunk the ice grape wine in front of him.
Xiao Yu lowered his eyes, and finally felt the burning sensation in his throat ease a little.
Looking up at the empty wine jug, and then at Xiao Yu's strangely flushed face, the girl realized something was wrong.
"Your Majesty, are you afraid of spicy food?" Yan Shu asked tentatively, her eyes full of disbelief.
The author has something to say:
----------------------
The next book is "Wealthy Flower". If you like it, please add it to your collection [Please]
Copywriting: As the most beloved little princess of the Wei Dynasty, Zhaohua has always been arrogant and domineering.
Whenever he went out, everyone in the Wei Palace would flatter him.
Even his future son-in-law was the third place winner carefully selected from the newly-appointed Jinshi scholars by Emperor Yuan of Wei.
In Zhaohua's eyes, everything in this world should go according to her wishes.
One day, she saw a palace maid having an affair with a guard, and the young girl, who was just beginning to fall in love, suddenly felt strange ripples.
But Zhaohua was not interested in the greasy-haired and powdered male lovers sent by her aunt. Instead, she turned around and glanced at the ten shadow guards sent by her father to protect her.
The shadow guards all stood tall and straight, like silent statues.
Zhao Hua's gaze moved between them for a moment, and finally stopped on the figure with icy eyes in the corner.
She stretched out her slender legs, and said in her usual arrogant tone: "Okay, you will serve me."
…
The country was destroyed, and he and his brother suffered all kinds of hardships before they sneaked into the enemy country to serve as shadow guards.
After going through layers of selection and being given to Wei Laogou as his beloved daughter to be his shadow guard, Xie Jiao felt that he finally had the chance to avenge his brother.
So he was determined to take revenge and took every step carefully.
But ever since he became Princess Zhaohua's shadow guard, Xie Jiao noticed all sorts of strange feelings in his body whenever it was his brother's turn to be on duty that night.
He and Xie Chi have a natural empathy, so no clues will escape his eyes.
After discovering that his always cold and solemn brother Xie Chi had secretly hidden the handkerchief of Wei Gou's daughter, Xie Jiao felt as if the sky had fallen, and immediately wanted to settle all the new and old grudges with the Wei family.
So, relying on the same appearance, he pretended to be the elder brother and took over the job for a few days.
Only then did Xie Jiao realize that his good brother actually did this kind of work at night.
Spoiled and pretentious princess x aloof older brother/yandere younger brother (Gemini/male c/empathy)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
