NFBE Chapter 1081 Still
Chapter 1081 Still
But he didn't expect that Shen Qingci was not at all stage-frightened. Not only did she not tremble in fear when she saw him like other concubines, she even dared to secretly mock him for breaking his promise. He walked to the table and sat down. The chief eunuch Li Dequan behind him hurried forward and carefully handed him a cup of freshly brewed Rain-Previous Longjing tea. Xiao Jingyan took the teacup, his fingertips touching the warm wall of the cup, but he didn't drink it. He just used the cup lid to gently skim the tea leaves floating on the water. His eyes fell on Shen Qingci, and his tone was warning: "The queen is very insightful and knows the reason for this marriage. In this case, you should behave yourself in Kunning Palace in the future, take care of the affairs of the harem, don't cause trouble for me, and don't even think about spying on me for the queen mother - I don't need such a queen." His words were like a cold knife, directly piercing the layer of hypocritical politeness between the two. Shen Qingci's heart tightened, but her face didn't show it. She remained kneeling, her voice calm, "I obey your command. However, I have one question for your majesty—what does 'keeping one's place' mean? Does it mean I should be like a puppet, doing nothing but eating and sleeping, or should I watch over the affairs of the harem without any concern, allowing others to cause chaos?" Xiao Jingyan hadn't expected her to ask back and looked up at her. In the candlelight, Shen Qingci's cheeks were faintly flushed, her eyes clear, and held a hint of unyielding tenacity, reminiscent of the little wild cats he had seen in the hunting grounds as a child, petite yet daring to bare their teeth at a tiger. A sudden feeling of strangeness welled up in him, but he quickly suppressed it. He set down his teacup, his voice a little colder, "The Queen only needs to do her duties, not ask questions she shouldn't, and not interfere in matters she shouldn't. That means keeping one's place." "I understand." Shen Qingci slowly straightened, but she felt unconvinced—keeping one's place? Shen Qingci has never been content since she was a child. When she was little, she dared to go fishing in the river with her brother, getting her clothes covered in mud; when she grew up, she dared to debate with male students in the academy, leaving those self-righteous scholars speechless; now that she has entered the palace, does she have to be like a bird in a cage, without even the right to spread her wings? She looked at Xiao Jingyan's cold and hard profile, and thought to herself: If I don't have some fun in the days ahead inside these red walls, won't I be bored to death? Maybe it would be fun to tease this arrogant husband, the emperor. Xiao Jingyan didn't say anything else, but just held the teacup and drank tea sip by sip. The hall fell silent, with only the sound of flickering candlelight and the sound of him drinking tea. The palace maids and eunuchs all lowered their heads, not even daring to breathe, for fear of offending His Majesty. Wanyue knelt on the ground, anxious like an ant on a hot pot. She wanted to say something for her young lady, but she didn't dare to speak. Li Dequan stood behind Xiao Jingyan, secretly sizing up Shen Qingci, his heart secretly astonished. This Empress was much bolder than the rumors said. There was probably no other person in the entire harem who dared to speak to His Majesty like that. After about an incense stick of time, Xiao Jingyan put down his teacup and said to Li Dequan, "It's getting late. Please help the Empress to rest." Li Dequan quickly agreed, but he was a little surprised. Is His Majesty planning to stay in Kunning Palace? He thought His Majesty would go straight back to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Shen Qingci was also stunned for a moment. She thought Xiao Jingyan would just sit for a while and then leave. She didn't expect him to stay. But before she could think about it, Xiao Jingyan added, "I will sleep in the outer room, and the Empress will sleep in the inner room." After that, he stood up and walked straight to the bed in the outer room, leaving Shen Qingci standing there with a twitch of the corner of his mouth. This emperor really took "drawing a clear line" to the extreme. The palace maids hurried forward and made the bedding for the bed in the outer room. Xiao Jingyan took off his dragon robe, changed into casual clothes, sat on the edge of the bed, picked up a copy of "Zizhi Tongjian" and began to flip through it. His movements were very light, and the sound of the pages turning was particularly clear in the quiet palace. Shen Qingci was helped by the palace maids into the inner room, took off her heavy wedding dress, and changed into light nightgown. The nightgown was light pink, embroidered with delicate orchid patterns. She had embroidered it herself before entering the palace, with a touch of the gentle breath of Jiangnan. She lay on the bed covered with gold brocade, with a curtain embroidered with mandarin ducks playing in the water above her head. The curtain hung down, separating the inner and outer rooms, but she could still clearly hear the sound of Xiao Jingyan turning the pages of the book in the outer room. She closed her eyes, but could not fall asleep. Her mind was in a mess. She thought of her father's instructions, her mother's lotus seed soup, and Xiao Jingyan's cold tone just now. She suddenly felt that this emperor husband was not so scary. Although he spoke rudely and was always on guard, he did not really make things difficult for her. He deliberately came late, but he still came; he said he wanted to draw a clear line, but he still stayed in Kunning Palace. Perhaps, he was just angry because the empress dowager pushed him too hard, so he deliberately treated her coldly? Or maybe, he was just a proud and arrogant person with a hard mouth but a soft heart? Shen Qingci thought about it and couldn't help but smile. She turned sideways and listened to the light sound of turning pages coming from the outside room. Suddenly, she felt that life inside these red walls did not seem so difficult. At least, with a proud and arrogant emperor husband to amuse her, it should not be too boring. As the night deepened, the candlelight gradually dimmed, and the light in the hall became dim. Xiao Jingyan put down the book in his hand and listened to the movement in the inner room. He didn't hear any sound, so he thought Shen Qingci had fallen asleep. He stood up and walked to the outside of the curtain of the inner room. After hesitating for a moment, he gently lifted a corner of the curtain. Under the candlelight, Shen Qingci slept soundly, her long eyelashes drooping like two small fans, and a faint smile on the corners of her mouth. She looked less stubborn than she was during the day and more innocent and naive than a young girl. Xiao Jingyan looked at her sleeping face, and suddenly a strange feeling arose in his heart, as if a small ant was gently gnawing at his heart, itchy and warm. He quickly averted his gaze, lowered the curtains, and turned back to the bed in the outer room. He lay in bed, but could not fall asleep. The way Shen Qingci had just confronted him and her peaceful sleeping face kept appearing in his mind. He suddenly felt that the queen chosen by the Queen Mother seemed different from what he had imagined. She was not the kind of woman who would only rely on the Queen Mother and be jealous. She had her own temper and her own ideas, like a pearl with edges and corners, although it was rough to the touch, it was also dazzling. Xiao Jingyan turned over and looked at the moonlight outside the window, thinking secretly: Perhaps, the days to come will be a little different. A moment later, the beaded curtain was gently lifted by the eunuch, and the corner of a bright yellow robe swept across the threshold first, and then Xiao Jingyan walked in. He was wearing a black dragon robe, embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon woven with gold thread, which shone dazzlingly in the candlelight.