Keeping a concubine
"In Wen Yici's memory, I'm just someone who got bored with the old and loved the new, and betrayed him. How good will he be to me if he's resurrected? Besides, what's the point of having a soul that resents me? If you really want to, find someone with a better appearance than him and Shen Xuhuai and send him to me. I'll feel better just by looking at him."
"I was inconsiderate. However, Qi Heng's appearance is very similar to Wen Yici. You will definitely be happy when you see him."
Yuanli smiled slightly and tilted her head to meet his eyes. "How similar are they? Is they as similar as the new body you found for me?"
"More like yours. I have searched all over the world, and among all the women who resemble you, I have chosen this one. Although its appearance is far superior to others, it is not half as stunning as your true appearance."
"What kind of person is Qi Heng? Is he more understanding than Wen Yici? If he is, don't waste it on Wen Yici." Yuanli took the initiative to pull at the corner of Xiao Yan'an's clothes, full of anticipation, and said softly: "Xiao Yan'an, I want to see it now. Let him come, okay?"
Even though Xiao Yan'an felt jealous, she rarely asked for his opinion in a gentle manner. Xiao Yan'an couldn't bear to refuse and immediately sent someone to bring her over.
Seeing her happy, he felt a little relieved. At least, she had made a request to him and began to need him again.
"Jia He, I am still an emperor. The people and officials of the entire Western Frontier are all watching the royal family. If you like Qi Heng, you can temporarily hide him in the imperial palace. You can give him titles and rewards after I return the throne to you. Is that okay? It's not that I value face more than you do, I'm just afraid that they will say too much about you."
"I have no interest in the throne, I only like men with good looks. This throne is yours and will be yours in the future. I will keep my concubine well hidden."
Xiao Yan'an nodded in satisfaction, praising her for her consideration. She kept using the serving chopsticks to pick up dishes for her that were far away and difficult to pick up.
A moment later, Qi Heng was invited to kneel outside the palace gate. The palace door opened wide, and Yuanli looked in the direction of the voice. She only glanced at him casually before continuing to eat, feigning indifference and not glancing at him again.
Only after finishing her meal with Xiao Yan'an did Yuanli raise her hand slightly to call him into the hall.
Qi Heng bowed his head as he entered the hall, and kowtowed to her respectfully. After not seeing her for a few days, Qi Heng had lost a lot of weight, his face was pale and haggard, and even his voice was a little hoarse and low.
"look up."
Upon hearing this, Qi Heng was stunned, then slowly straightened up, always following the etiquette between the monarch and his subjects. Even when he looked up, his eyes were still lowered.
"She is indeed good-looking, but a little listless. Perhaps she would benefit from some rest. Your Majesty, I like her."
Looking at Qi Heng, Xiao Yanan clenched his hands tightly on his legs. He had tried his best to suppress his emotions and be magnanimous, but when he heard her say that she liked him, he couldn't help himself.
Seeing Xiao Yan'an remained silent and looked unhappy, Yuanli steeled her heart and placed her hand on the back of his clenched fist and shook him, "Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?"
"It's nothing, just some annoying government affairs. Since Jiahe likes her, just keep her for fun." Turning around, Xiao Yan'an said to Qi Heng, "From now on, you will stay by the Imperial Concubine's side and serve her, and you don't have to go to the Dali Temple anymore."
Qi Heng's spirit and energy instantly collapsed, his heart ashen. Despite his reluctance, Qi Heng could only take off his official hat and accept his fate and thank the emperor for his grace. He had already lost his wife, and he could no longer use his parents or even the entire Qi family to his own will.
Standing aside and waiting, Qi Heng's mind was full of Chi Li's death. He could not understand why his father set the fire and burned his wife to death.
Until nightfall, when he had seen His Majesty off, the voice, the same as that of his late wife, called his name softly from the swing under the moon, asking him to push higher.
She turned sideways, raised her head and asked, "Can't you hear my order?"
When he saw her face clearly, all his guesses were confirmed and tears welled up in his eyes. If he hadn't been so hesitant, he would have wanted to hug her immediately.
Seeing his excitement, Yuanli was afraid he might do something bad, so she said unhappily, "Are you so unwilling to serve me? No matter what the reason is for you to lose your composure, you'd better hold back your tears. I hate men who cry the most."
"Your Majesty, please forgive me."
"I heard from Xiao Yan'an that your late wife looked very similar to me. I think that's why you cried. I don't mind you thinking of me as your late wife's shadow, nor do I expect you to empathize with me, but you have to hide this feeling. I admire your appearance. If you just serve me well, maybe I will get tired of you and let you go out of the palace when I feel happy. Push it up a little."
Looking at the bright moon hanging high in the night sky, her past with Wen Yici came to mind. She envied Xiao Yan'an a little, because he could have his beloved again, while she could never bring Wen Yici back. They were clearly the same soul, doing the same things to love her, but she just liked Wen Yici.
As the night deepened, a cool breeze blew and it felt a bit chilly, so Yuanli left and returned to the palace.
The next morning, Qi Heng was still wearing his official uniform. Yuanli took out two new sets of clothes from the Lingbao Silver Bell and handed them to him to change into. They looked perfect, and Yuanli was particularly satisfied.
"You should wear these two from now on, so that you will look like him. Take good care of them and don't damage them."
Hearing this, Qi Heng suddenly felt jealous, not knowing who she was talking about.
He had never seen this dress before. Although it looked new, it was clearly someone else's old clothes. When he changed, he noticed that the inside of the dress had a few minor wears and a scent of peach blossoms. However, Chi Li never used peach blossoms for incense, not even in her rouge.
During the meal, Yuanli dismissed all the servants and left only Qi Heng. She put something in the small bowl of porridge in front of him, covered it with a lid and simmered it until she finished her meal before pushing it in front of him.
"Drink it."
Qi Heng picked up the porridge and stirred it with a spoon, but found no trace of what she had put in it. But he firmly believed that the person in front of him was his wife. Although for some reason her temperament had changed drastically and she refused to recognize him, as long as she was still there, she would never harm him.
You can tell whether it is poisonous or not, or whether she is his wife, by tasting it.
"Don't dare drink?"
"I dare. Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty." After saying that, Qi Heng began to eat the porridge in big mouthfuls.
"You saw me put something in this porridge with your own eyes. Aren't you afraid that I might have poisoned it?"
"Now that I have fallen into your hands, I will leave it to you to deal with."
Qi Heng spoke these words with utmost sincerity, just as he had expressed his passionate love in the imperial garden in his previous life with such tenderness and sincerity. Yuan Li's heart still throbbed when she heard these words, but the joy was tinged with bitterness.
The love poison that my father taught me is really useful...
To ensure Qi Heng's safety, Yuanli had to keep him by her side at all times. Even during nap time, she would let him sit on a small stool in front of the chaise longue, under the pretext of fanning him to repel mosquitoes.
Yuanli didn't want to sleep, but closed her eyes and listened carefully to the sounds around her, making sure Qi Heng was still by her side. However, she had been dozing off frequently today, and as soon as she lay down on the chaise longue, she felt a strong urge to sleep. She tried to resist, but she couldn't resist the urge to sleep and fell asleep.
Not long after, she dreamed that she had returned to her Broom Star Lord's mansion. The peach blossoms in the mansion were growing luxuriantly, with petals flying all over the sky. Compared to when she first descended to the mortal world, it was as if a new batch of peach trees had appeared.
"Why are you so sleepy that you don't want to sleep? In order to bring you up here to discuss the next steps, I had to cast a spell several times to make you sleepy. Who knew you were so resistant? I was afraid that if I cast a spell again, you would have to sleep in the human world for several days."
Yuanli finally realized she wasn't dreaming and asked hurriedly, "Does the Heaven Realm have a solution?"
"The Heaven Realm has sent a deity down to investigate. The seal at the bottom of the Shiqi River is intact, but there is indeed the presence of Gu Yao in Baiyou's residence. However, the strange thing is that they are originally one, and the abominable spirit's aura is extremely weak and is dissipating."
"Have you found out any other information?"
"Yes, a large number of demons and monsters are gathering in the Western Frontier Imperial Capital. The Celestial Realm has sent down many immortals and gods on their mounts to infiltrate the crowd, setting out from the Imperial Capital towards its borders. That night, several great demons were stationed at the roads leading to the Imperial Capital, recruiting disciples, claiming to be disciples of Yuánhài, a former subordinate of Xie Yuan, in an attempt to revive Xie Yuan."
"I have heard of the name of Madam Xuanxuan, but it's mostly about her romantic affairs."
"Madam Xuanxuan's cultivation is the lowest among Xie Yuan's four old subordinates. She is in charge of controlling the evil corpses, and those evil corpses are all willing to be controlled by him. His close combat evil corpses are all above hers. Those who are one level lower are as powerful as a small demon king. If it weren't for those romantic affairs you heard about, there would be no such terrifying evil corpses under his command, and it would be even more impossible for him to have a place among the four old subordinates." Tianshu explained.
"Since they are both former members of Xie Yuan, and the disciples gathered by Lady Xuanxuan are now gathered in the Imperial Capital, I'm afraid Gu Yao also has a role in resurrecting Xie Yuan. Tianshu, tell me the truth, besides Xuanxuan and Gu Yao, is there any chance that the remaining two former members are still alive?"
"No, the remaining two have been reduced to ashes by Emperor Heng Jin's sword. I can guarantee that. The remaining one is the one I told you about, imprisoned in the wilderness."
"The Heaven Realm has no intention of dealing with those imprisoned in the wilderness?"
"It's not that we won't deal with it, it's that we don't have the most reliable way to ensure it's completely resolved. The Heavenly Realm intends to wait until Emperor Heng Jin completes his tribulations in this life and returns to Heaven before discussing it together. Some immortals and gods believe that Heng Jin is a war god, and his strength is among the best in the six realms, so only he can go."
Yuanli felt a little sorry for Hengjin. He had fought for them for tens of thousands of years, and in the end, he didn't even have time to recuperate and wait for the tribulation. She didn't believe that the many immortals in the heavens couldn't come up with another solution and had to leave such a mess for him.
In a fit of rage, she couldn't help but speak up for him, "If it weren't for Heng Jin, they wouldn't be alive. Are they just going to watch Xie Yuan resurrect and wait for death?"
Hearing this, Tianshu was so frightened that he quickly put his index finger in front of his lips and made a few hushing sounds, signaling her to be quiet.
"My dear ancestors! Please don't say such things again!"
"So what if I told you? If it gets out, just point to me and say it was me who said it. I won't implicate the Star Lord. This broken god is so miserable, it's not as comfortable as my Netherworld. I didn't want to be a god in the first place, I just covet death."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
