As Li Qingchen followed Eunuch Cao into the hall, Wei Shuwan quietly raised her eyelids to look at him. Today was the Celebration of the Autumn Festival, and he was clearly dressed more appropriately than usual.
His brocade robes flowed gracefully, crisp and neat. Adorned with jade rings and precious stones, and jade hairpins, coupled with his sharp and resolute bone structure, he possessed an air of lofty elegance, like clouds atop a mountain peak.
However, these external factors were not what Wei Shuwan could see at this moment. As she watched Li Qingchen stride towards her, she felt a complex mix of emotions, a mixture of pity and guilt.
Li Qingchen respectfully greeted Emperor Pingjia. Just as Wei Shuwan was about to look away, he suddenly glanced at her and they exchanged a glance across the distance.
Wei Shuwan, like a child who had done something wrong, hurriedly looked away, just as Emperor Pingjia's laughter floated down from above.
"Hahahaha... My minister, it seems you are truly deeply in love with this Miss Wei! My Tianlu Pavilion is not some dragon's den or tiger's lair, what do you have to worry about?"
Although these words were spoken with a smile, like a joke between a ruler and his subject, or father and son, Wei Shuwan could easily discern the implied meaning behind them based on their previous private conversations—in fact, Emperor Pingjia was giving his adopted son a warning.
Li Qingchen understood what Wei Shuwan meant, but apart from a faint smile, he showed no other inappropriate expression.
But for no apparent reason, Wei Shuwan sensed an undercurrent of fierce competition between the two.
Emperor Pingjia was naturally the dragon, while Li Qingchen, although he was the powerful regent in his previous life with only a puppet emperor above him, was still a tiger second only to the emperor.
While Wei Shuwan's mind was racing, Li Qingchen finally answered after laughing, "Father, you are joking. Actually, when I was out for a stroll in the northern suburbs with Lady Wei last time, she accidentally fell off her horse and injured her leg. At that time, I only had half a box of ointment with me, and I figured her medicine was almost used up, so I brought another box for her today. I was thinking that it would be inconvenient in the inner palace, so I would find another opportunity to meet her at the banquet. But then I heard that she had been summoned by Father, so I thought I would come to pay my respects to Father and bring this ointment to Lady Wei."
As he finished speaking, Li Qingchen indeed pulled a small, flat, round box from his sleeve, as if to prove that what he said was true.
Emperor Pingjia glanced at the medicine box and gave a fatherly smile: "I have seen the person. He is a good child. Since you all have other matters to attend to, you may all leave now."
"Thank you, Father Emperor." Li Qingchen bowed to Emperor Pingjia to take his leave, glancing at Wei Shuwan beside him as if offering a hint.
Wei Shuwan felt as if she had been granted a pardon, and quickly bowed to Emperor Pingjia before leaving the palace with Li Qingchen.
Li Qingchen walked ahead without speaking or turning around, and Wei Shuwan followed closely behind. Only when they reached a slightly secluded pavilion did Li Qingchen turn around and extend his hand.
When Wei Shuwan saw that he was still holding the box of medicine, she thanked him and reached out to take it, but Li Qingchen did not let go, making her hand, which was close to his, feel awkward.
“I told you, you can’t administer this medicine yourself.” Li Qingchen swept his robe aside and sat down on the chaise lounge, then gestured for her to sit as well.
Wei Shuwan hesitated, "But...but this is in the palace."
"Did you see anyone around?"
Upon hearing this, Wei Shuwan glanced around and indeed saw no palace maids or eunuchs passing by. Unable to find an excuse, she took a deep breath and sat down next to Li Qingchen.
Seeing that she simply sat down, Li Qingchen asked again, "Are you waiting for me to help you take off your socks?"
"No, no!" Wei Shuwan hurriedly refused, quickly taking off the silk slipper on her right foot and pulling down half of her brocade sock, revealing a small section of her tender, lotus-root-like ankle.
The last time the medicine was applied was at night, but this time it was during the day. The cold sunlight made Wei Shuwan's ankles look like snow, with only a small red and swollen patch at the ankle bone.
Li Qingchen glanced at her, then lowered his head to apply the ointment, using his internal energy to force the ointment into her skin bit by bit.
Perhaps feeling a little awkward in broad daylight, Wei Shuwan made conversation by asking, "Aren't you curious about what His Majesty just said to me?"
As soon as she asked the question, Wei Shuwan felt a pang of regret. It was taboo to relay what the Emperor had privately told her to someone else. To put it bluntly, it could even be seen as sowing discord between the adoptive father and son. Therefore, after asking the question, she hesitated, wondering whether she should tell the truth if Li Qingchen asked her to.
Fortunately, her words failed to arouse any curiosity in Li Qingchen. He continued his massage without stopping or saying anything.
After the medicine was finished, Wei Shuwan finally breathed a sigh of relief. When Li Qingchen looked up, he suddenly met her gaze and asked, "Does he want you to have a child for me as soon as possible and stay in the capital as a hostage before he will let us return to Qiaochuan?"
Wei Shuwan's heart skipped a beat. "How did you know?"
Li Qingchen didn't say anything more, but a smile played on his lips and in his eyes—a shrewd and insightful smile that seemed to see right through people. Wei Shuwan couldn't help but think of his achievements in his previous life, and a sense of clarity washed over her.
How could someone who can imprison an emperor as a puppet not understand the ways of the emperor?
So she moved on from the previous question and asked, "So what do you think?"
She was a little nervous when she asked this question, after all, she knew that her final path was to leave Li Qingchen. If Li Qingchen was really eager for her to have a child for him, then it would put her in a difficult position.
But Li Qingchen's words immediately dispelled Wei Shuwan's worries: "I originally had no intention of returning to Qiaochuan."
Why?
Li Qingchen didn't answer again, but continued to meet her gaze. His dark eyes were unfathomable, but Wei Shuwan still understood his meaning.
Yes, he didn't need to return to Qiaochuan; all his arrangements were in Shengjing. The emperor had always worried that the Prince of Qiaochuan would cause trouble on the border, so he detained the Prince of Qiaochuan's son, thinking he could use him as a threat and restraint. But in reality, the Prince of Qiaochuan was the one who was peaceful; the truly dangerous person was kept by Emperor Pingjia's side.
Li Qingchen had been plotting for a long time, and he didn't need to rely on the power of the Prince of Qiaochuan's mansion to rebel.
Thinking about all that she would have to face with him sooner or later, Wei Shuwan felt nervous and unconsciously swallowed. In her previous life, she was just an observer of all this; Li Qingchen was merely a legend to her. But in this life, she had married Li Qingchen, standing on the edge of a hurricane—a truly thrilling experience.
Observing the changes in her expression, Li Qingchen gradually smiled: "What, regretting getting on my pirate ship?"
Wei Shuwan hesitated for a moment, then shook her head firmly: "If it weren't for this pirate ship, the Wei family would have already lost their lives in the prison. So, Your Highness, please rest assured, even if I can't help you much, I will never do anything like crossing the river and burning the bridge."
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