Free Web NovelChapter 185: Chapter 78: The Emperor Wants to Settle Old Accounts (Part 2)
’Is this a warning?’
Meng Jiuchang recalled the day’s events, and his face turned pale with fright.
Ever since becoming the Emperor’s Grand Steward, he had certainly grown used to being fawned over these past years...
Feng Yi ignored Meng Jiuchang and began to walk back. At a fork in the path, he paused. After a moment’s consideration, he turned and headed in the direction of Wangyou Palace.
Meng Jiuchang: ...
He hurried to follow, not daring to utter a single word.
As he stepped through the gates of Wangyou Palace, he heard the sound of laughter from within. The Palace Attendant on duty was about to announce his arrival, but Feng Yi raised a hand to stop them.
The Palace Attendant hesitated, but ultimately did not dare to defy an imperial command, so they lowered their head and stood to one side.
Glazed palace lanterns hung beneath the eaves, swaying gently in the evening breeze. The Palace Attendants passing by immediately bowed upon seeing the Emperor. Feng Yi motioned for them to remain silent and ascended the stone steps himself.
Standing under the corridor eaves, he heard Song Yunzhao’s clear voice ring out, "No cheating! Quick, put it back!"
"Mistress, I’m not cheating. See? I moved it exactly as you said. This move is correct."
"Is that so? Let me see."
Feng Yi heard the suspicion in Song Yunzhao’s voice, followed by her saying, "Oh? It really is. How did I not think of that? Another round."
"Mistress, it’s getting late. I can play with you again tomorrow."
"What hour is it? How is it late? No one is coming tonight anyway, so this is a perfect way to pass the time."
"But what if His Majesty comes? Let me tidy up for you first."
"His Majesty won’t be coming at this hour. Don’t waste your energy. We should be getting to bed soon anyway."
Feng Yi detected the impatience in Song Yunzhao’s tone and couldn’t help but frown slightly.
"Right now in the harem, His Majesty favors you the most, Mistress. If he doesn’t come to see you, it’s likely because he’s too busy with state affairs to get away. You mustn’t be unhappy."
"Who says I’m unhappy?"
Meng Jiuchang’s expression stiffened when he heard this. ’His Majesty was already in a bad mood today,’ he thought. ’Hearing this will only make it worse. What does Song Jieyu mean by that? It’s as if she doesn’t care about the Emperor at all.’
"This palace is full of Beauties; it’s not as if I’m the only one. His Majesty can go wherever he pleases. It’s not my place to interfere," Song Yunzhao said slowly, looking at Xiangxue’s worried expression.
’In this palace, the one thing you can never give is your heart. To do so is to court death.’
’Does the Emperor even have a heart?’
’Oh, he does.’
’It just has a pitifully short shelf life.’
’Everyone in Wangyou Palace seems convinced the Emperor is genuinely fond of me. While I haven’t fallen for the illusion, it seems they’ve all lost their way.’
Xiangxue didn’t see it that way at all. Hearing her mistress speak like this only made her more convinced that she was sad. Her mistress had been listless all day, which was precisely why they were trying to find ways to cheer her up.
"Mistress, should I have Anshun go and see?" Xiangxue asked tentatively.
"Spying on the Emperor’s movements? I think you have a death wish!" Song Yunzhao said, looking at Xiangxue.
Xiangxue quickly knelt to beg for forgiveness. "Mistress, please don’t be angry. It is all my fault. I will accept any punishment you see fit."
Song Yunzhao felt exhausted. ’Having such ambitious subordinates isn’t always a good thing,’ she thought. After a moment, she looked at Xiangxue and said, "My relationship with the Emperor is not what you imagine it to be. In the future, don’t let your imagination run wild with such nonsense. This is the last time. If it happens again, I won’t be so lenient."
"Yes." Xiangxue stood up, looking even more worried. She didn’t seem to understand what her mistress meant. ’What does she mean, ’not what we imagine it to be’?’
"You may all leave. I’d like to sit by myself for a while." Song Yunzhao waved her hand, dismissing Xiangxue and the other attendants.
"Yes." The attendants complied and turned to leave. But as they stepped outside the hall, they saw the Emperor, and their faces turned pale with fright. "We pay our respects to the Emperor."
Song Yunzhao froze at the sound. ’The Emperor?’
She quickly rose to her feet. ’That damn Emperor,’ she thought, ’who knows how long he was standing out there? Still, thinking back, what I said should be fine. Thank goodness I’m so cautious. I never say anything improper, even in front of my closest attendants. To think he’d actually eavesdrop on me!’
She had only taken a few steps and had not yet left the hall when she saw the Emperor striding in. She immediately went to greet him. "I pay my respects to the Emperor."
"Rise. It’s certainly lively here for so late at night," Feng Yi said slowly, his eyes fixed on Song Yunzhao.
Song Yunzhao: ...
’From his tone, he must have heard quite a bit,’ she thought. ’What else can I do?’
"I was simply passing the time, so I had them play chess with me. This way, you won’t have reason to complain about my poor skills next time," Song Yunzhao said with a smile as she rose and walked to the Emperor’s side.
Feng Yi’s eyes ached just looking at the messy chessboard. Xiangxue quickly had the attendants clear everything away and serve tea before bowing and retreating.
