Cai Xia and Xiao Anzi heard the Empress's words and initially thought she wouldn't go. However, when they heard she actually intended to, their eyes lit up with happiness.
But the Empress's cold demeanor prevented them from showing their joy too openly. They couldn't understand why the Empress wasn't happy about the Emperor favoring her. Once she secured her position in the palace and bore a prince, she would be eternally noble.
"Alright, Xiao Anzi, tell Xiao Wanzi to wait outside the gates of Huaqing Palace. I need to prepare myself."
"Yes, Your Highness," Xiao Anzi replied and quickly rushed out. Meanwhile, Cui'er and Cai Xia helped Liu Liu into the main hall of Huaqing Palace. The moonlight stretched their shadows long, like specters.
Cui'er bathed and applied makeup to the Empress. She used only a light powder, rouge, and lip color. She chose a yellow robe embroidered with a phoenix, a flowing pink smoky gauze skirt, and a soft green silk sleeve. Her hair was styled in a small bun adorned with a tiny peach blossom, with the rest cascading over her shoulders.
This hairstyle blended the innocence of a maiden with the charm of a woman. Liu Liu casually picked up a silver hairpin inlaid with jade, gesturing for Cui'er to place it in her peach blossom bun.
The hairpin tinkled as she moved, making her appear exceptionally radiant. More importantly, it was simple, with no elaborate embellishments. Liu Liu disliked cumbersome hair accessories.
Cui'er and Cai Xia gazed at the Empress. Apart from a blemish on one side of her face, they could find no fault with her. She appeared as pure and ethereal as a noble orchid in a valley, exuding a faint fragrance. The two young maids were momentarily stunned and spoke only after a long pause.
"Your Highness, it's time to go."
"Alright, wait for me at the entrance," Liu Liu said, her face impassive. Cui'er and Cai Xia obediently walked to the palace gate, wondering with trepidation what the Empress was planning and why she had sent them away.
Inside her chambers, Liu Liu accentuated the red birthmark on her face. The birthmark was vivid and striking, and combined with the sinister fierceness in her eyes, it made her entire face appear somewhat ferocious. She intended to use this tactic to intimidate Feng Xie.
A man as fastidious as him would surely be unable to tolerate such ugliness. He would have to let her return. If this tactic failed, she had another plan. She opened a drawer and took out a small bottle of medicine, smiling coldly.
As long as she didn't want something, no one could touch her. Feng Xie, you'd better not provoke me. Liu Liu finished preparing herself in the chambers and walked out of Huaqing Palace with light steps, appearing to be in excellent spirits. The little maids following behind exchanged bewildered glances.
Why was the Empress happy again?
The moonlight was clear and cold, illuminating the sedan chair at the entrance of Huaqing Palace. A line of palace maids stood by the sedan, along with Xiao Wanzi and two young eunuchs. Upon seeing Liu Liu emerge, they respectfully bowed and invited her to board the sedan.
After Liu Liu was seated in the sedan, the two young eunuchs carried it, one after the other, towards Yongyuan Hall. Ahead, an entire row of palace maids held lanterns. Xiao Wanzi attended beside the sedan. xxsYiEr
The palace maids from Huaqing Palace followed behind the sedan. The soft sedan swayed, almost dislodging Liu Liu. She felt no tension, entirely confident. She leaned against the side of the soft couch, her eyes slightly closed, resting.
In the night, the mist grew thicker, and the paths became dim, with only the occasional flickering of lanterns, casting a faint, eerie glow like will-o'-the-wisps on the banks of the netherworld.
The surrounding air was chilling. It was said that Huaqing Palace was a former royal site, where many people had died during the city's fall. Therefore, this palace was more terrifying than the cold palace.
The palace maids holding the lanterns, hearing the rustling sound of the wind, trembled in their legs and clenched their teeth, wishing they could reach Yongyuan Hall in a single step.
Suddenly, a dark shadow flew across the sky, causing several people to cry out in panic. Liu Liu was startled awake and asked in a cold voice.
"What is it?"
Xiao Wanzi scanned the surroundings indignantly. It turned out to be a black crow flying overhead, which had terrified the palace maids holding the lanterns. Xiao Wanzi immediately stepped forward and sternly rebuked the maids before approaching Liu Liu's sedan.
"Your Highness, you are startled."
"Let's go," Liu Liu's cold voice, sharp as a blade in the night, was heard through the sedan curtain. Xiao Wanzi felt an inexplicable fear. The Empress's innate coldness was sometimes truly chilling. Xiao Wanzi waved his hand, and the sedan continued forward.
Piercing through the heavy fog, treading over the stone steps, and following the long corridor, the long journey finally concluded.
At the entrance of Yongyuan Hall, illuminated by palace lanterns, a line of palace maids and eunuchs stood waiting. Every face was etched with caution. As the soft sedan arrived at Yongyuan Hall, the palace maids and eunuchs simultaneously knelt down, "Your servant (maid) respectfully welcomes Your Highness the Empress."
Qiao'er lifted the curtain, and Cui'er extended her hand to help the Empress alight from the carriage. The moonlight, a pure white radiance, sprinkled down, the dark gleam of the glazed tiles reflecting fragmented lines. The night was as cool as water, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, making them whisper.
Liu Liu walked onto the stone steps in front of Yongyuan Hall. Four women dressed in luxurious palace attire stepped forward and blocked her path, speaking with great dignity, "Your Highness, please accompany us to change your attire."
Upon hearing this, Liu Liu knew these women in palace attire were likely female officials of Yongyuan Hall, responsible for inspecting attending consorts for any hidden objects that might harm the Emperor.
Seeing their haughty demeanor, as if they didn't take her seriously at all, the red birthmark on Liu Liu's half-face appeared even more dazzling under the moonlight. The eyes of these four female officials were filled with disdain and a touch of confusion.
There were many beautiful consorts in the harem. Why would the Emperor summon such an ugly woman to attend him? Not only was she ugly, but her attitude was also exceptionally aloof, completely disregarding the four of them.
Every consort who came here treated them as if they were deities, always presenting them with gifts as souvenirs. Only this Empress was completely clueless.
"I do not wish to change my attire," Liu Liu coldly refused the four female officials. How dare these mere female officials not show respect to the Empress?
The contempt in their eyes was clearly a sign of their displeasure. Liu Liu's expression darkened, and a cold glint flashed in her eyes, making the four female officials somewhat fearful.
However, confident in their status as female officials of Yongyuan Hall, which was superior to others, they held their heads high, their chests puffed out straight, and their gazes fearless as they stared at Liu Liu, a triumphant smile playing on their lips. They spoke with conviction.
"I apologize, Your Highness, but this is imperial protocol. Please comply, Your Highness." The female official who spoke was exceptionally beautiful and always held a certain prestige among the eunuchs and palace maids of Yongyuan Hall, usually receiving much adulation.
Now, facing Liu Liu, she showed no hesitation, speaking assertively without even a hint of gentleness.
At the palace gates, the palace maids and eunuchs brought by Liu Liu could not bear to witness this scene and glared at the four female officials in anger. Liu Liu snorted coldly, flicked her slender hand, and delivered a resounding slap that echoed sharply in the night, accompanied by a voice as cold and thin as ice.
"Audacious slave, what are you to dare to act so imperiously? If you have the ability, climb into the Emperor's bed!"
The female official was stunned by Liu Liu's slap, momentarily unsure of how to react. The three female officials behind her were also taken aback, standing frozen at the palace gate, gazing at the woman before them. At this moment, they felt a flicker of fear.
The cold, sharp light in the Empress's eyes made one involuntarily shiver.
Before the four female officials could speak, Liu Liu turned her cold face towards the eunuch Xiao Wanzi.
"Immediately go and report to the Emperor, asking if I can return."
Xiao Wanzi was seething with anger. He glared fiercely at the four female officials, thinking, what business is it of yours? Your petty schemes are one thing, but the Empress is not like other consorts.
Even the Emperor sometimes cannot control her. Xiao Wanzi inwardly complained but did not dare to delay. He rushed into Yongyuan Hall to report to the Emperor.
Feng Xie, dressed casually in white silk robes, his chest muscles exposed, glowed with a lustrous sheen under the palace lanterns. His dark hair was casually tied back, and his handsome, alluring face lacked the cold sternness of the day, instead possessing a more languid sensuality.
He felt a slight anticipation for the Empress's attendance tonight. However, had it taken too long? Feng Xie raised a perfectly arched eyebrow, and a hint of darkness crept into his deep, black eyes. Just then, Xiao Wanzi rushed into the bedchamber.
"Your Majesty, Your Highness wishes to return?"
"What?" Feng Xie's long, supple legs retracted, and he flipped himself onto the vermilion wooden bed, glaring at the kneeling Xiao Wanzi with a face darkened by anger.