After kneeling for a whole night, Qing Yi realized he had been tricked. He had thought the Empress doted on Yan Zhao, only to discover it was a misunderstanding from the outside.
He couldn't just wait to die; he had to gain the Empress's favor as soon as possible.
And so, he prepared to leave Yan Palace and sneak onto the Empress's dragon bed.
As soon as he opened the door, Qing Yi saw a man leaning against the doorframe outside his room, a blade of grass sticking out of his mouth, reminiscent of the foxtail grass he used to pick in his youth.
The man raised an eyebrow, his dark eyes looking at him coldly, and asked, "Where are you going?"
Qing Yi startled and instinctively took a step back, shaking his head. "I... I'm not going out."
Upon hearing this, the man nodded. "If you're not going out, close the door."
Without waiting for Qing Yi to reply, the door slammed shut with a bang, leaving Qing Yi with a bruised nose.
Qing Yi looked back at the area outside the door, his heart still pounding. He recognized the man; he was one of Yan Zhao's people.
At the stroke of midnight, a room in Yan Palace was opened. This time, he didn't see any of Yan Zhao's people.
Stepping out of Yan Palace, Qing Yi was still congratulating himself on finally escaping Yan Zhao.
Watching Qing Yi's retreating back, Yan Yi, hidden in the shadows, chewed on the blade of grass and clicked his tongue twice. "He's truly persistent."
Yan Er, standing beside him, rolled his eyes. "Young Master said not to interfere, why bother tormenting him again?"
Yan Yi grinned slyly. "You wouldn't understand this. People who are easily won are not necessarily cherished. With a little setback, he will cherish it more."
Yan Er shook his head and said, "Nonsense."
"You say, does Young Master truly not care if Qing Yi climbs onto the Empress's bed?" Yan Yi asked cautiously.
Yan Er glared at him. "We are not privy to discuss the Young Master's affairs."
Yan Yi lowered his voice. "I just wanted to ask. I feel Young Master's attitude towards the Empress is a bit different. I thought he was like an iron tree blooming after a thousand years, but then..."
Yan Yi trailed off without finishing his sentence.
Suddenly, a dim candlelight flickered to life from one of the rooms.
Yan Er's eyes lit up. "Young Master is back."
Yan Yi breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally back."
Yan Er and Yan Yi went to the inner hall and saw Yan Zhao, draped in a black cloak.
"Young Master, you're back." Yan Yi stepped forward to take the cloak Yan Zhao handed over.
Yan Zhao sat down on a chair and asked, "While I was gone, did anything happen?"
Yan Yi replied, "Qing Yi, who was staying in the side hall, left a while ago and headed towards Zhaoyuan Palace."
As he spoke, he looked at Yan Zhao, wanting to gauge his young master's reaction.
Unfortunately, Yan Yi was disappointed because Yan Zhao merely let out a soft "Mm" upon hearing the news, seemingly indifferent.
"Young Master, are you going to Zhaoyuan Palace tonight?" Yan Er asked.
Yan Zhao looked up, his gaze clear and cold. At this moment, even the starlight seemed veiled in mist.
Yan Er expected Yan Zhao to refuse, but to his surprise, after a long pause, he uttered a single word, "Go."
Yan Er and Yan Yi exchanged a look, both puzzled by their young master's actions.
If he cared about the Empress, why would he send someone else to her bed?
If he didn't care, why would he anxiously go to check if she was alright?
Zhaoyuan Palace
Qing Yi felt incredibly fortunate tonight; Zhaoyuan Palace was not as heavily guarded as before. He quickly and cautiously entered the inner hall.
The outer hall was dim, and in the inner hall, the light was faint but sufficient to see the bed.
A lump was visible on the bed. Qing Yi's first thought was that someone was on the bed, and who else could it be?
Clearly, it couldn't be anyone else.
"Your Majesty..." he called out softly, waiting for a long time without any response.
He called out several more times, but still no one answered.
Qing Yi grew excited. He lifted a corner of the quilt and crawled in. He touched smooth skin, presumably an arm.
But this arm was so thin, all bone. How could this be?
It must be because the Empress was still too young and hadn't filled out yet, he consoled himself.
Huh? Why was the chest flat too?
It must be because the Empress hadn't developed properly, Qing Yi reassured himself.
Why... why were there even leg hairs on the thighs?
Qing Yi swallowed hard, thinking to himself that the Empress was indeed not ordinary, being so different from others.
She looked like a beautiful and charming maiden, but her body was unexpectedly unappetizing.
Qing Yi swallowed again, hard. Even if it was unappetizing, he wanted to be the first to possess the Empress.
With this thought, he steeled himself, flipped over, and aimed precisely at where he thought the head was, kissing it fiercely.
Suddenly, the light flared. He also saw the person he was about to kiss. Upon seeing a strange face, he let out a startled yelp, flipped off the bed, and fell to the ground. He scrambled to get up on all fours, his gaze falling upon a pair of brocade cloud boots with golden thread.
Qing Yi trembled all over and slowly raised his head. He saw a pair of unparalleled beauty, and in her eyes, a coldness that pierced his heart.
"Your... Your Majesty..."
"What are you doing in my chambers?" Xue Zining had not expected to return to her chambers and find such... a steamy and disgusting scene.
She felt like vomiting.
"This humble one..." Qing Yi now felt like crying but couldn't. No wonder the texture felt wrong earlier; it wasn't the Empress at all.
After all this time, what had he been excitedly touching?
"Wuwu..." a muffled sob came from the bed.
Xue Zining's attendant, Xue Yan, stepped forward. Looking at the person on the bed, who was stripped down to mere inches of fabric, she couldn't help but smile. "Your Majesty, isn't that Lord Zhu?"
Xue Zining walked forward. Xue Yan had already wrapped Zhu Keyu securely in the quilt.
Zhu Keyu's eyes blazed with anger. At this moment, he wished he could kill this man who had fumbled all over him, attempting to ruin his reputation.
Qing Yi looked at the hate-filled Zhu Keyu, his heart sinking.
"What is going on? Qing Yi, why are you in my chambers?" Xue Zining asked coldly.
Qing Yi felt both disgusted and regretful. Disgusted that he had been touching a man all this time, and regretful that he hadn't looked closely before acting.
What was he to do now?
"Your Majesty, this humble one has sinned." Qing Yi knew that whatever he said now would be futile, so it was better to confess directly.
"Qing Yi, I cannot control your preference for men, but it is not permissible in this imperial harem. Furthermore, the object of your advances is a pillar of the court, which is absolutely unacceptable," Xue Zining said calmly.
Qing Yi, disheartened, kowtowed. "Your Majesty, this humble one confesses."
Xue Zining sighed. "You were sent by the Imperial Uncle, so the punishment should also come from the Imperial Uncle."
Upon hearing this, Qing Yi trembled. "Your Majesty..."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice interrupted him. "Your Majesty, Qing Yi is from Yan Palace. If something like this has happened, it is a result of my poor management. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"