The emperor's good mood was ruined by the appearance of Song Mingyi, and he felt a little depressed.
Li Wan was not affected at all, and seemed not to be able to sense the emperor's melancholy. She bought a lot of things, including gadgets specifically for Prince Qi, rouge and powder for Cuizhu, and gifts for the eunuchs and palace maids who were close to the empress.
On the surface, only Qin Lin followed them, but in fact, there were many guards hiding in the crowd.
When Li Wan couldn't put the things in her hands down, a guard appeared from nowhere and took the things from her hands.
After lighting lanterns and visiting the market, the Moon Goddess Festival is almost over.
I saw fewer and fewer people on the streets.
Qin Lin had no choice but to step forward and remind him, "Sir, it's time to go back."
…
In the carriage.
The emperor sat inside with a cold expression, reading a book, ignoring Li Wan and sulking alone.
Li Wan glanced at the emperor's face and felt that he was just about to write four big words "Come and comfort me" on his forehead.
She didn't know where she took out a string of candied haws from: "Sir, have you ever eaten candied haws?"
They were already on the carriage, so she didn't need to call the emperor "Young Master", but the emperor didn't correct her. He looked up and refused to admit that he had never eaten it. He pretended to be disgusted and said, "This young master doesn't like sweet food."
Li Wan said: "It's not sweet, it's sour and sweet, please try it, sir." As she spoke, she knelt down and crawled over.
The Emperor stiffened at her proximity.
Li Wan knelt in front of him, handed the candied haws to his mouth, and said eagerly: "Young Master, try one."
The emperor was awkward: "I told you I don't like this kind of sweet... um..."
Li Wan directly put the candied haws into his mouth.
The emperor glared at her, surprised that she was so bold, but looking at Li Wan's expectant eyes, he reluctantly opened his mouth and bit off a piece of the bamboo stick.
Grit your teeth.
It tasted sour at first, and the emperor was caught off guard and squinted his eyes. An abundant amount of saliva instantly flowed out of his mouth, and then the outer layer of sugar coating melted into sweetness, and the sour and sweet mixed together - it was not that bad.
Li Wan asked curiously, "How does it taste?"
The emperor said vaguely: "It's not bad."
The emperor's "not unpalatable" translates to "not bad".
Li Wan curled her eyes, she crawled over boldly, sat down next to the emperor, then opened her mouth and bit off one cleanly and put it into her mouth.
The emperor looked at her in some surprise, and then slowly adapted to the situation. He relaxed his body and imitated Li Wan. He leaned against the vibrating car board behind him and slowly chewed the candied haws in his mouth. The sour and sweet taste spread to his heart.
On the avenue leading to the palace late at night, the only sounds were the clatter of horse hooves and the sound of wheels rolling.
The two of them sat together and shared a candied haws.
At this moment, I felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation and satisfaction.
The emperor actually hoped that the journey back to the palace could be longer and longer.
…
The carriage stopped outside the gate of Ganzheng Palace.
Cao Yu came forward with a lantern in his hand and saw the emperor lift the curtain and jump out of the carriage, then extend his hand.
Li Wan came out from the carriage, lifting the curtain. When she saw the emperor's hand, she was stunned for a moment, then she put her hand in the emperor's palm and was led out of the carriage by him.
Her feet touched the ground, but the emperor still held her hand tightly.
Cao Yu didn't know what happened outside the palace. He lowered his eyes and didn't dare to say a word. He just walked in front with the lamp in his hand to illuminate the two of them.
Qin Lin followed them silently.
Until the emperor and Li Wan entered the Gandong Hall.
Qin Lin stood at the entrance of the hall for a while before turning around and leaving.
…
"Master, you have worked hard. It is getting late. You should rest early." Cao Yu said.
The emperor nodded.
Cao Yu called softly, and palace servants came in with toiletries to help the emperor go to bed.
The emperor rinsed his mouth, washed his face and wiped his hands.
Li Wan watched from the side, covered her eyes with her sleeves, yawned, and suddenly her eyes were filled with tears.
The emperor glanced at her with his phoenix eyes and said, "You are no longer needed here, go down."
Li Wan was tired and sleepy, and didn't try to be brave. She bowed with tears in her eyes and left.
After leaving the emperor's bedroom, he went straight to the West Palace.
…
Only the vendors were left in the bustling street market, and they were all packing up and preparing to go back for a rest.
After the stall owner finished painting the last pair of dolls, he placed them on the table and looked at them from left to right, feeling very satisfied. This pair of dolls was painted based on the previous pair of godlike man and woman. If he put them on display next time, they would surely attract a lot of business for him.
At this time, a man in black stopped in front of the stall.
"I want this pair of dolls."
…
midnight.
Li Wan was awakened by a thunderclap. A flash of lightning flashed outside the window, and the room suddenly became bright.
Li Wan looked at the person standing beside his bed in a daze. He was almost scared to death. Just as he was about to scream, his mouth was covered.
The man lowered his voice and said, "It's me, don't shout."
Li Wan widened his eyes in shock.
The emperor slowly released his hand that was covering her mouth.
"Your Majesty?" Li Wan sat up from the bed, looking at the white shadow in the darkness in confusion, barely making out a human figure: "Why are you here?"
The emperor said quietly, "It was thundering, and I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk... I passed by here and wanted to see if you were asleep."
Li Wan: “…”
Emperor: "You slept more soundly than a pig. I called you several times but you didn't respond."
Li Wan: “…”
If this person was not the emperor, she would have cursed him.
The emperor asked again: "Are you awake now?"
Li Wan: "Your Majesty, I was awakened by your fright."
The emperor had no psychological burden and said, "That's perfect. You can talk to me."
Li Wan glanced out the window and saw it was pitch black. He asked, "What time is it now? Doesn't the emperor have to attend court tomorrow morning?"
The emperor said, "I can't sleep. Please keep me company and talk. I will leave in a moment."
Li Wan suddenly noticed something was wrong with the emperor.
It was late at night and the lights in the room were off. It was pitch black. One could only vaguely see the outline of the emperor, but could not make out the expression on his face.
But he definitely didn't come to see her just because he couldn't sleep.
Li Wan said: "Then I will go light the lamp."
The emperor stopped him, saying, "Don't light the lamp." His voice was a little tense, and even a little panicked.
Li Wan was stunned for a moment, then said softly: "Tianhan, Your Majesty, please sit on the bed."
The emperor was stunned: "What did you say?"
"It's late at night and it's quiet. No one knows. Your Majesty, there's no need to be so polite. Please come up." Li Wan said as he moved inside to make room for the emperor.
In the darkness, the emperor opened his eyes wide in disbelief, looking at the white shadow sitting on the bed.
Does she know what the difference between men and women is?
She actually invited a man to her bed late at night and told him not to be so polite.
If Li Wan's tone hadn't been so natural and casual, the emperor would have misunderstood whether she was deliberately seducing him.
Right at this moment.
Suddenly, a white light flashed outside the window.
Then, a thunder exploded——
In the instant when the lightning flashed, Li Wan saw the emperor's pale face and his eyes closed instantly.
Li Wan's heart suddenly became clear.
The emperor closed his eyes tightly at the thunder outside the window and clenched his hands into fists, trying his best to resist the dark memories from flooding out of his mind.
In the dark.
A rustling sound was heard.
Then, someone hugged him.
"Don't be afraid, I'm here."
His whole body shuddered, and he opened his eyes instantly. His pupils constricted, his whole body stiffened, and his clenched hands hanging at his sides involuntarily stretched out.
He said in an unnatural and stiff voice: "This is the second time you have thrown yourself into my arms tonight."
Li Wan said softly, "Yes. Your Majesty, don't move. Let me hold you for a while."
The emperor's heart softened, but he said coldly, "Just for a moment."
Li Wan curled the corners of her mouth, tightened her arms, and put her face against the emperor's chest, listening to the rapid heartbeat inside: "Well, just for a while."
The emperor let her hold him motionlessly, feeling peaceful in his heart.
After a while, Li Wan let go of the emperor and said softly, "Let's go back to the Gandong Palace. I will read to the emperor."
The emperor suppressed the disappointment that welled up in his heart because of her leaving, and was slightly surprised: "Now?"
Li Wan said, "Didn't the emperor ask me to keep you company? If I forget the time and get caught by the palace servants on my way back, I'm afraid I won't be able to explain myself."
The emperor suddenly felt a little depressed: "Are you still thinking about leaving the palace?"
Li Wan was silent for a moment.
The emperor felt even more stuffy in his chest.
They clearly... hugged and held hands, could it be that she still couldn't forget Song Mingyi? And she still wanted to leave the palace?
His heart ached and he asked, "Do you still have Song Mingyi in your heart?"
As soon as he said this, his mind went blank and he became flustered.
But only for a moment.
His palms were sweating.
My heart felt even tighter.
I want to know, but I don’t want to know.
Afraid of hearing something from her that he didn't want to hear...
At this moment, Li Wan sighed softly.
The emperor almost couldn't help but cover her mouth.
I only heard Li Wan whisper: "I thought the emperor knew my feelings."
The emperor's heart was clearly aching, but he still pretended to be calm: "How would I know if you don't tell me?"
Li Wan raised her face and said, "I have never thought of Master Song in my heart from beginning to end."
The emperor couldn't help but raise his lips, but suddenly he remembered something, his face suddenly turned cold, and he snorted coldly: "You said you don't have him in your heart, so why do you call his name in your dreams? Even..."
Even shed tears for him?
Li Wan was full of doubts. Before entering the palace, she had only met Song Mingyi once. She couldn't say that she liked him, but she had some good feelings for him. She couldn't even remember when she had dreamed of him.
In a flash, Li Wan suddenly realized that the reason why the emperor suddenly ignored her was because of this.
Li Wan said, "I only met Lord Song once before entering the palace. Why do I call his name in my dreams?" She asked in confusion, "Could it be that the emperor heard it wrong?"
Li Wan's self-righteous look really made the emperor doubt himself.
...Could it be that he really heard it wrong?
Qin Lin also checked it thoroughly.
Li Wan and Song Mingyi haven't seen each other since that banquet, and they haven't even exchanged letters.
We've only met once, there's no way we could be so deeply in love.
The more the emperor thought about it, the more he felt that he might have heard it wrong.
He was a little embarrassed, but also a little secretly happy, and asked: "Then why did you tell me that you wanted to leave the palace?"
Li Wan tilted his head and said, "Because at that time, the emperor was just the emperor, not my sweetheart."
The emperor was caught off guard and his heart skipped a beat. Then it suddenly quickened in speed, his face instantly became hot, and he didn't know where to put his hands and feet. His mind was in a state of panic.
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