He stared at the porcelain bowl before him for a moment, then said, "I am useless. I cannot save those I wish to protect."
"Those you wish to protect?"
Xue Ji vaguely felt a green light emanating from above her head.
Bi Xi nodded slightly, "I have some things I've been hiding from you, and I don't know if I should tell you."
Xue Ji pressed her chest with great distress, "Tell me. This Palace still loves you, even if you have someone else outside."
Bi Xi gave her a look as if she were an idiot, "What are you talking about? Someone else outside?"
"Ah? You haven't?" Xue Ji faltered, then smiled, "Then never mind. Continue. No matter what it is, you don't need to hide it from this Palace."
Bi Xi frowned, his expression somewhat solemn, "Actually... I am a celestial being from heaven. The Chun Hua you see in the Regent's mansion today is also a celestial being like me."
Xue Ji blinked, "Celestial being?"
"You might not believe me when I say it," Bi Xi sighed. "I didn't want to tell you this initially. My true form is a cat named Bi Xi, and that Chun Hua is my master, Ye Qingcheng. I came here to protect her. I never expected so many things to happen..."
Bi Xi sniffled, then suddenly stood up and, with great passion, recounted the many events that had transpired since he followed Ye Qingcheng to the mortal realm. Finally, feeling somewhat exhausted, he sat on the edge of the bed to rest.
Xue Ji listened, stunned, and took a long while to react.
Bi Xi sighed, "I know you might not believe me. Those things are bizarre, and you may not be able to accept them all at once. I don't blame you for not believing me."
"I believe you," Xue Ji got up, walked to the edge of the bed, and gently pulled him into her embrace.
"You really believe me?"
"Really!" Xue Ji smiled indulgently and kissed his forehead. "Don't you want to rest? I'm here watching you, and nothing will happen."
Hearing her say that, Bi Xi indeed felt somewhat tired.
He leaned into her arms and soon fell asleep, his whole body relaxed.
Xue Ji, however, remained awake, pondering many things.
With the Empress confined to the cold palace, the inner court enjoyed a few days of peace.
The concubines could once again snack on melon seeds, chat about gossip, occasionally share their slimming secrets, and discuss which guards were the most handsome.
But while the inner court was tranquil, the outer court was abuzz.
The court ministers said that a Taoist immortal, who had wandered the world, had recently arrived in the capital. He vanquished demons and dispelled evil, and all such beings feared him greatly.
Even more miraculously, this Taoist could summon wind and rain, and predict fortune and misfortune.
The Emperor, who had always been curious about supernatural arts, became interested. Under the guise of "seeking talent," he summoned the Taoist to the palace for a discussion.
However, the Taoist was peculiar; even though the Emperor personally requested his presence, he refused to see the envoy, closing his doors.
The envoy spent much effort, even threatening his own life, but the Taoist merely played a zither in his courtyard, singing a leisurely and tranquil song.
The envoy sent to escort the Taoist returned to the palace and reported the details to the Emperor.
He trembled, fearing the Emperor's wrath and his own life.
But strangely, the Emperor did not get angry; instead, he burst into laughter, "Interesting, very interesting!"
As the envoy wondered why the Emperor was reacting this way, perhaps it was a brief calm before the storm of his anger? Perhaps... he was planning a massacre?
The envoy, with his overactive imagination, shivered like a sieve before the throne. The Emperor put down his memorial and smiled, "Tomorrow, you shall lead the way, guiding me to that courtyard. I want to see for myself what kind of person this Taoist is!"
"Yes, Your Majesty!" The envoy quickly kowtowed to the Emperor.
He cautiously glanced at the Emperor.
Judging by his demeanor, he didn't seem angry, did he? Since the Crown Prince's death and the Empress's confinement, the Emperor hadn't smiled so broadly in a long time.
It was truly rare.
He wondered what kind of person this exiled immortal Taoist truly was.
Even the envoy found himself filled with an inexplicable curiosity.
The cold palace was overgrown with weeds. Once the Empress, who had enjoyed countless favors, was banished here, it was akin to a delayed death.
For the Empress, who had been proud her entire life, this was a torment far greater than death.
Even the servants she had always looked down upon dared to speak to her loudly and ignore her. On her first day here, she had angrily slapped a palace servant, who then refused to bring her food for three days.
This infuriated the Empress.
But she was unwilling to die, always holding onto a sliver of hope, thinking that perhaps one day, the Emperor would regret it and, remembering their past affections, come to take her back.
When that time came, she vowed to thoroughly punish these disrespectful palace servants!
At noon, the palace servants had still not brought food for the Empress. The Empress, who hadn't eaten enough in the morning, sat in the main hall, gazing expectantly at the empty doorway, motionless.
She wanted to maintain her last vestiges of dignity as Empress, and also because...
She hadn't eaten enough for so long that she lacked the strength.
Finally, the Empress could no longer endure and slumped onto the table.
She closed her eyes, thinking, must I truly perish here...
"Your Majesty the Empress, you have truly suffered." Shangguan Hong's voice, after many days, finally resounded beside the Empress.
The Empress abruptly raised her head to look, her movement so quick and forceful that she lost control of her strength, causing her vision to momentarily blur.
"It's you?" the Empress recovered and asked with astonishment.
"Indeed. Has Your Majesty the Empress missed me greatly?" Shangguan Hong wore a smile.
The Empress could no longer distinguish whether his smile was warm or hypocritical. She only remembered that when the Crown Prince was killed and she was sent to the cold palace, he had not been by her side, nor had he appeared.
Where had Shangguan Hong, who had sworn to help the Crown Prince ascend the throne, gone?
Seeing the Empress remain silent, Shangguan Hong continued with a smile, "I have indeed missed Your Majesty the Empress greatly. However, with Your Majesty staying in this cold palace these past few days, I truly find myself unable to take interest in Your Majesty."
Indeed, she had not eaten enough these past few days, had become much thinner, and the luster of her skin had dulled accordingly.
Furthermore, a few wrinkles had appeared on her forehead, a shocking sight.
"So what? Young Master Shangguan, are you here to mock me? Then you have seen it now. I am even more fallen than you imagined!" the Empress said resentfully.
"Indeed," Shangguan Hong admitted frankly.
The Empress frowned, "If your goal from the beginning was not to help the Crown Prince, but to bring him down, then congratulations, your goal has been achieved, with even some extra gains. Now, I do not wish to see you. Please leave!"