"Lost?" a deep voice echoed softly.
Li Yaoqin nodded quickly.
"I thought Miss Li was waiting for me here specifically."
Her clear voice was like heavy frost in the dead of night.
Li Yaoqin shivered involuntarily.
"Your Majesty Yun Huang..."
Xue Jingyun's expression turned cold. He took a step forward, closing the distance between them to just one step.
Li Yaoqin felt her heart pounding more rapidly, a sensation that made her uneasy.
For so many years, the only one who made her heart race like this was him, Xue Jingyun.
"Li Yaoqin, what exactly do you like about me?"
His deep voice jolted her from her rapid heartbeat. She suddenly raised her head, meeting a face she would never forget, a face so refined and handsome it made her heart beat even faster.
She felt as though her heart would leap out of her chest.
"Hmm?" he asked faintly.
What did she like? Sometimes she wondered herself, what was it about Xue Jingyun that she liked?
At first, she had heard from others that there was a Crown Prince in the Xue Kingdom, exceptionally talented, astonishingly brilliant, and extraordinarily handsome.
At that time, she thought that such a person was worthy of her, Li Yaoqin.
The foremost talented woman of the capital, with unparalleled beauty.
Later, at the Empress's enthronement ceremony, the Empress announced that she would marry one person.
It was then that she saw the rumored Crown Prince of the Xue Kingdom.
His appearance was heavenly, and his every move exuded unmatched elegance.
Even more astonishing was that he presented the conquered lands as a betrothal gift to the Empress with a cupped fist.
At that moment, her heart beat very, very fast. She knew that this was the kind of man she wanted to pursue.
She wanted a man like this.
"Miss Li, you don't even know what you like about me?"
Li Yaoqin looked at Xue Jingyun. His expression was as cold as frost. She knew that his only tenderness was reserved for the Empress.
She was now filled with jealousy and envy.
"I know," she said, word by word.
"I don't want to know."
Li Yaoqin trembled all over. "Your Majesty Yun Huang, you..."
"Li Yaoqin, I tell you clearly, in this life, besides Her Majesty, I will never like anyone else. If you behave yourself and stay in the palace, that's fine. But if you have any other intentions, I will show no mercy."
His deep voice was colder than she had ever heard it.
Li Yaoqin felt as though all her strength had been drained away. "Why can she?"
Xue Jingyun said faintly, "No one can replace Her Majesty."
She was the one he had waited for across three lifetimes.
"Li Yaoqin, I'll say this one last time: take care of yourself, or I won't hesitate to kill a woman for the first time."
With that, he turned and left.
Three chances were enough.
Should she kill her?
She was not afraid. She slowly pulled out a hairpin from her hair, then, shouting, she ran towards his retreating figure, "Your Majesty Yun Huang..."
Just as she was about to touch the hem of his moon-white robe, a cold wind forced her back.
"Your Majesty Yun Huang..." Li Yaoqin lay on the ground. Footsteps sounded behind her.
She turned her head, quickly picked up the hairpin that had fallen to the ground, tidied her clothes, and then knelt respectfully. "Your Majesty."
Xue Jingyun turned and saw Xue Zining, who was being supported by Yun Weishu. He quickly walked over. "A Ning, why have you come?"
Xue Zining glanced faintly at Li Yaoqin kneeling there and said, "If I hadn't come, how could I have witnessed such a beautiful scene?"
"A Ning..." He said nothing, just looked at her.
Xue Zining chuckled lightly. "What? You don't want me to see?"
"A Ning, I don't want you to worry."
"But you know she even invited people. If I hadn't arrived a bit earlier, Yan Zhao, you would have been in an unspeakable situation."
Upon hearing this, he felt a pang of self-reproach. "A Ning, you've worried."
"Yan Zhao, we are husband and wife, one entity. Don't try to solve everything yourself. Some people are not as simple as you think, like Miss Li."
Li Yaoqin trembled all over.
She felt a shadow descending upon her, and the coldness intensified.
"Your Maj... Your Majesty..."
"In the past, I thought you were intelligent. After all, not just anyone can be the foremost talented woman in the capital. But now I realize that's not the case. Because you rely on your talent, you think everyone else is beneath you. Miss Li, it's not wrong to admire and affirm yourself, but blind confidence is a mistake.
Now I know you entered the palace not to serve me, but to use your beauty to seduce His Majesty Yun."
Li Yaoqin trembled all over. "Your Majesty..."
"I don't need to hear your explanation. So many people are here now, their eyes are all seeing the truth."
Li Yaoqin stiffly turned her head. Not only were there palace servants, but also the family members of many court officials.
At this moment, she finally understood that the Empress had done this deliberately.
She raised her head to look at the Empress. Her fair and beautiful face held eyes that, though clear, were extremely cold.
"You did it on purpose." Only now did she fully realize that the Empress intended to humiliate her in front of everyone.
Xue Zining pushed away Yun Weishu, who was supporting her, and walked step by step towards Li Yaoqin. A smile played on her lips. "Yes, I did it on purpose. What can you do?"
"You..." Li Yaoqin gritted her teeth.
Xue Zining smiled coldly. "The foremost talented woman in the capital? What else do you have besides that title? Do you think that with the little you've read in books, you can snatch away my person? Li Yaoqin, who gave you the courage to try and take my man?"
Li Yaoqin stood there stiffly, not moving at all, looking at her with disbelief.
Xue Zining softened her icy demeanor, chuckling softly but with a hint of mockery. "Do you think I didn't know about your actions? Li Yaoqin, you're too confident. Blind confidence is a mistake."
"How... How could you possibly know everything?" Li Yaoqin couldn't believe it. She had acted so discreetly, yet someone knew. How could an Empress, heavily pregnant, know?
"Li Yaoqin, I once thought that if you stayed with me honestly, I would show you some consideration. But I've realized you don't need it. Since that's the case, there's no need to keep any courtesies."
With that, Xue Zining glanced at Yun Weishu. Yun Weishu, understanding her intent, walked up to Li Yaoqin and said, "Li Yaoqin, I've already sent someone to notify the Minister's mansion. I expect Madam Minister to arrive soon."
Li Yaoqin trembled all over. "You..."
"Yao'er..." a voice called out. Li Yaoqin stiffly turned her head and saw Madam Minister Xu, who had rushed over. Her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
Seeing Li Yaoqin faint, Madam Xu was filled with heartache. She scrambled forward to Li Yaoqin's side. "Yao'er..."
"Madam Li Minister, why are you not kneeling before His Majesty?" Yun Weishu said coldly.
Madam Li Minister then noticed that besides the Empress, His Majesty Yun Huang was also present.