Stand-in
The feeling of panic and numbness in her heart spread throughout her body until her head felt dizzy and her ears were ringing, making her extremely uncomfortable.
"I am the Son of Heaven. Everything I want must be granted. I'm not negotiating with you, but with your face, I don't want to force you to show a sad or angry expression. Chi Li, you must know that even if you don't want to, you can't leave this palace. So why not be more tactful and do your best to act as a good substitute for the Emperor and Empress? That way, you can get more from me."
After saying this, Xiao Yan'an called the person in charge of the Emperor's and Empress's Palaces, and personally gave instructions on how to imprison her. Then he turned around and gazed at her face with tender, affectionate, and entangled eyes.
After her previous life's passing, Xiao Yan'an's love for her became increasingly morbid. She didn't understand it in her previous life, and she couldn't understand it now.
"You are dressed too poorly. I don't like it. Pay more attention to your attire in the future. The Empress is the most noble woman in the world. Her clothes and jewelry should be bright and luxurious. Go change and accompany me for dinner."
"I don't want to change, and I won't change. If Your Majesty wants someone to accompany you for dinner, you can go to another concubine."
Rejected, Xiao Yan'an wasn't angry. Instead, he leaned closer to her and lowered his voice, saying, "You have no right to refuse me, Chi Li. If you make me happy, I can give you anything. But if I'm not happy, I can take back everything I gave you at any time, including everything you care about."
Xiao Yan'an took a half step back, as if she hadn't refused him. He called the maid and instructed, "Take Miss Chi Li to wash and groom herself, according to the imperial concubine's allowance." Then he continued with the same affectionate tone as before, "Don't keep me waiting too long."
With that, he left the Emperor's Palace, his robe fluttering with his brisk, joyful steps. Everyone could see his delight, and naturally, they were a little respectful of her. Even though Xiao Yan'an had already left, no one dared to act rashly without her permission.
Xiao Yan'an's words were clearly a warning to her: if she didn't follow his wishes, she wouldn't be able to protect either Qi Heng or Ji Wang Valley. Even though Yuanli was reluctant, she had no choice but to comply with his modest request and follow the head maid to change clothes and wash up, then find a chance to send the news out of the palace.
Seeing her nod, the eunuch raised his hand slightly, and eight eunuchs brought a sedan chair. Seeing her puzzled, the eunuch explained on the way, "The Emperor's and Empress's Palace is the largest palace in the imperial palace, more than six times larger than the palaces where the other concubines live. The main entrance is closest to the main palace and Your Majesty's bedroom, but it's still some distance from the side palace where you live. We're worried you'll get tired walking."
"Are there any other nobles living in the Emperor's Palace?"
"My dear, no other woman has ever lived here before you."
Yuanli was relieved that none of Xiao Yan'an's other concubines lived here. Not having to deal with other women saved her a lot of trouble.
As soon as she entered the hall, Yuanli was amazed by the luxurious furnishings in this side hall. The eunuch in front of Xiao Yan'an immediately brought people to present a dazzling array of jewelry and gorgeous clothes.
The steward skillfully placed each priceless hairpin on her head, until the bun became too heavy and her head was about to fall backwards if she wasn't careful, so she had to maintain her composure at all times.
After finishing her makeup, Yuanli couldn't wait to send all the maids away and took off a few heavy hairpins, which made her feel a lot more relaxed.
The bed curtains before her almost cascaded down from the ceiling. Sitting down, Yuanli finally noticed the double-sided Suzhou embroidery used throughout the curtains. A typical fan would take a Suzhou embroiderer months to complete, yet this curtain was entirely embroidered with a landscape, the outer surface depicting daytime scenes, the inner surface depicting nighttime scenes.
The side hall was like this, Yuanli couldn't imagine how beautiful the tent in the main hall must be.
"like?"
When I heard the sound and looked, I saw Tianshu coming with a basket of translucent red fruits.
"What did you bring?"
"The wax apples from Wuze Fairy Island are so refreshing and calming that they can bring out the spirit. This emperor of the mortal world is truly magnificent. This account must have at least bored dozens of embroiderers. When you escape from the palace, I will transform into your appearance and come down to experience the ordeal."
Putting the fruit into the Lingbao Silver Bell, Yuanli jokingly said, "Okay, if Tianshu Xingjun has such intention, it's best to transform it now."
Tianshu Xingjun put away his expression of watching the fun and said seriously, "Seriously, Sima Ming just sent a message saying that there are unusual changes in your Destiny Scroll. Although it still cannot be opened, Sima Ming has calculated based on the information in the Destiny Scroll that your life span is rapidly decreasing, and you currently have less than a year left."
“So fast…”
Hearing that my lifespan was shortened, I was overwhelmed by a sense of loss. Although my past life was short, I was married to Ah Ci for seven years and had a pair of unborn children. This life, already my second, was a lifespan, and I hadn't even married yet, yet I only had less than a year left to live...
"Well, so we have to move up our original plan. Have you chosen the people...?"
"not yet."
"Choose Chi Xun, what do you think?"
As soon as Tianshu finished speaking, Yuanli, who was slightly distracted, almost blurted out a refusal: "No! Um... I mean, Chi Xun is not suitable... He... He..."
Faced with Tianshu's questioning expression, Yuanli hesitated for a long time and was unable to explain herself. Although Chi Xun was indeed the most suitable candidate before, Cha Suxun was now occupying Chi Xun's body and was reluctant to leave.
She couldn't do such a thing as disobeying her benefactor, who was a sober benefactor, a second time, and it was all for her own selfish interests.
"Don't give me excuses about why it's not suitable. When you used the Scissors, you knew you and Chi Xun were destined to be together, and would be married. It's even stronger and brighter than the one you had with Qi Heng. He's deeply in love with you, and even after the Scissors severed the threads, he could still develop deeper feelings for you in a short period of time. He's the most suitable candidate. If he's not suitable, then is Xiao Yan'an suitable? Ah Li, your words and actions are too abnormal. Tell the truth."
Yuanli remained silent, turning her head away from Tianshu's gaze. Unexpectedly, the next moment, Tianshu spoke through telepathy, "Because he's Cha Suxun."
Tianshu's tone was certain, as if he was stating a fact, without a doubt. It seemed that he had known Cha Suxun's identity for a long time, but had not told anyone, including her.
"You want to know how I knew that, right? When I stepped into Chi Huai's cabin that night, he revealed his identity to me."
The thread of fate and love that illuminated the entire room that night was like daylight, and it was still hard for him to forget it. Yuanli's reaction only confirmed their conclusion. He didn't know how much Yuanli knew, so he could only tentatively say a few superficial things.
After a moment's silence, Yuanli replied through telepathic communication, "Tianshu Xingjun, could you please keep the matter of Cha Suxun a secret and not tell anyone? He's still occupying Chi Xun's body, and he's only protecting me. He has no other intentions of disrupting the destiny and tribulation. I don't know how to explain this to you. I can't do anything offensive to him, and I can't."
"I will keep it a secret, but you are now a god, and going through tribulations is crucial, so I don't need to emphasize it again. Your marriage with Chi Xun is destined by heaven. Even if you don't want it and want to avoid it, heaven will bring you to the stage of marriage. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Thank you, Lord Tianshu. I owe you a favor."
"It's a small matter, don't take it to heart. Wax apples are cold in nature, and you're still a mortal. It's best to eat more of them after you return to divine status. You can try them occasionally now, but don't be greedy. The most important thing right now is to escape from this palace safely."
After giving the instructions, Tianshu immediately disappeared from sight.
"Xiaobai, disguise yourself as a mortal and go to Qi Mansion to find Qi Heng. Tell him about my current predicament and ask him not to act rashly and offend the Holy Face. I am safe in the palace, so hurry."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xiaobai, who was disguised as the White Dragon Bracelet, disappeared. Yuanli then took out the teardrop necklace that Cha Suxun left for her with confidence and called Cha Suxun's name softly until he appeared in front of her.
"I heard from Qi Heng that you are trapped in the palace. Do you want me to take you away directly?"
"No, if I just disappear it will cause more trouble."
Looking at Cha Suxun with a bright smile in front of her, Yuanli didn't know how to ask him to leave and let the original Chi Xun come back.
"You're not asking for help, you're just missing me?" Perhaps seeing how worried she was, Cha Suxun put aside his joking demeanor and asked, "Why are you hesitating? Just say what you want to say, or else...your little white dragon will be back soon."
"A-Cha, I only have less than a year left to live, but I'm still halfway through my mission. I need Chi Xun." Yuanli unconsciously lowered her voice, losing her momentum as she spoke the last euphemism. Fearing he might misunderstand, Yuanli quickly explained, "I don't mean to drive you away. After the tribulation is over, I'll return to the Netherworld to keep you company."
"Why are you looking like you owe me something? I just came here to tell you that I've been away from the Netherworld for so long, and the government affairs have piled up. I have to go back and deal with them. After I leave, you must be careful in everything you do. Don't treat yourself unfairly or wrong yourself. I'm leaving, Ah Li."
Even though Cha Suxun was sent away so easily and quickly, Yuanli didn't feel any better. Instead, the feeling of being ridiculed became even stronger. She knew that Cha Suxun's words were mostly to prevent her from thinking too much.
In the evening, long after the meal time Xiao Yan'an had promised, Yuanli was still sitting in the house waiting for Xiaobai, who had not returned yet. She refused to go out and would not let anyone in.
Logically speaking, Xiaobai should have returned long ago. Thinking of the old subordinates of Xieyuan and the big monsters that escaped from the wilderness that Tianshu had mentioned, Yuanli couldn't help but become more worried.
Thousands of possibilities flashed through Yuanli's mind. Just as she was getting anxious and annoyed, the door of the palace was pushed open. Xiao Yan'an came with a group of servants, and the table was soon filled with delicacies.
"Since you don't want to come, I have no choice but to come find you. Are you refusing to eat because you're in a bad mood? Are the jewelry and fine clothes I gave you not to your liking? Or..." Xiao Yan'an turned to look at the servants and continued, "Or is it because the servants aren't serving you well?"
After he finished speaking, all the servants in the room knelt down and trembled with fear to apologize.
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