"Why has Your Majesty changed his mind again?"
Qin Huaiqiu stared at Sikong Ting. Although he felt wronged inside, he didn't show it on his face. He just retorted with a somewhat interrogative tone, like a little hedgehog protecting itself secretly raising its spines.
As the emperor, when had Sikong Ting ever been talked to like this? He himself had told Concubine De not to meddle. This retort of Qin Huaiqiu made him seem petty and ungenerous.
"...Very well!" Sikong Ting almost gritted his teeth as he said this, then flicked his sleeves and left.
Several maids and eunuchs quickly followed. In a blink of an eye, they disappeared, leaving only Qin Huaiqiu and two newly - assigned little maids standing there looking at each other in dismay.
Anyone could see the emperor's annoyance towards Concubine De from his attitude just now. What kind of treatment a concubine hated by the emperor would receive was clear to the two maids who had grown up in the harem. They exchanged a look, then looked at Concubine De worriedly,欲言又止.
"What are your names?"
"Your servant is Ziyun."
"Your servant is Yalan."
Qin Huaiqiu gave a soft "hmm", then turned to look at them with a relieved smile on his face. "Let's go. Back to the palace."
The two maids were stunned for a moment, looking quite surprised.
Qin Huaiqiu was genuinely in a good mood. He didn't want the emperor's excessive attention in the first place. Now that the emperor hated him, it was really a great thing. He just needed to be a small role in the palace, cause no trouble and stay out of the limelight, wait for the secret guards to capture Qin Huailian, and then he could go back to the border to be his carefree young master again.
Thinking of this, Qin Huaiqiu couldn't help humming a tune. They walked through the imperial garden and returned to the Kunning Palace. As soon as they entered the palace, Qin Huaiqiu saw an acquaintance.
There was a graceful and slender girl standing by the door of the Kunning Palace. She was wearing the standard maid's uniform in the palace and smiled at Qin Huaiqiu. "Young... Miss."
Qin Huaiqiu's eyes lit up. He trotted forward in disbelief and almost grabbed her like a drowning man grabbing a life - saving straw. "Qin Lan!!!"
Qin Lan was an orphan picked up by General Qin Feng on the battlefield. She was only two years older than the Qin Huaiqiu siblings. Qin Feng regarded her as his own daughter, but in order to repay Qin Feng's saving grace, Qin Lan had always served as the bodyguard of the Qin Huaiqiu siblings and was reluctant to get married even when she reached the marriageable age.
Qin Huaiqiu had been close to her since childhood and almost regarded her as his own elder sister.
At this moment, Qin Huaiqiu was holding on to Qin Lan's sleeve and told her all the things that had happened yesterday and today in one breath. Then he slumped onto a stool, his head drooping like a deflated lantern.
"So the emperor really didn't touch you." Qin Lan said in a rather determined tone. "I didn't expect Nie Rong to be right."
Qin Huaiqiu was stunned. "Right about what?"
Qin Lan recalled. "Nie Rong and I almost turned the entire imperial city upside down but couldn't find you. By then, the young master had already entered the palace and the auspicious time was approaching. I asked Nie Rong if we should take the risk to rescue you from the palace. Nie Rong said no."
"Ah?"
Qin Lan nodded. "Firstly, it was for the sake of the entire Qin family. Secondly, he said that he had investigated and found that when the current emperor was still the crown prince, he had already taken in three women but didn't have a single child."
"It is said that the civil and military officials have advised many times, but the emperor doesn't seem to want to mention this matter." Qin Lan continued. "Moreover, this marriage with you was very hasty, as if it was to complete some task. Maybe it was to silence the officials."
Qin Huaiqiu was smart. Although Qin Lan spoke in a roundabout way, he immediately grasped the key point. "So, Your Majesty married Lian'er to silence the officials. It was a stop - gap measure and there was another reason. For example, he is impotent?"
Qin Lan smiled. "I was quite skeptical before, but now it seems that it might be true."
Qin Huaiqiu excitedly slapped the table. Then he suddenly remembered what Sikong Ting had said last night and always felt that something was wrong.
He thought for a while and asked, "Qin Lan, did Lian'er meet Sikong Ting before?"
Qin Lan didn't know why he asked this. She thought for a while and replied, "Before the official marriage, Miss entered the palace for a physical examination."
"What about before that?"
Qin Lan shook her head. "As far as I remember, Miss had never been to the capital before."
Qin Huaiqiu gave a soft "hmm". That meant that Qin Huailian must have done something to offend Sikong Ting during that palace visit. Otherwise, why was Sikong Ting so hostile when he saw him?
But now Lian'er had already disappeared without a trace, and he had to clean up the mess left behind. The palace was Sikong Ting's territory. What if one day he suddenly remembered him? He wouldn't even be able to run away. Thinking of this, Qin Huaiqiu felt annoyed.
"Master knows about this and has sent me into the palace to help the young master. Master will send someone else to look for Miss."
Qin Huaiqiu let out a sigh and lay his head on the table annoyedly.
Qin Lan patted him. "Young master should first learn about the affairs in the harem. After all, you will inevitably meet other concubines later. As for other court etiquettes, I will teach you later."
Qin Huaiqiu scratched his head and resigned himself. "Then tell me."
Qin Lan nodded. "Including Miss, the emperor has married a total of four concubines. The other three were married when the emperor was still the crown prince. Now they are the Virtuous Concubine, the Wise Concubine, and Lady Zhang."
"The father of the Virtuous Concubine is Liu Cheng, the current Minister of Rites. He has a high official rank. She is a favored concubine in the harem now and is mainly in charge of the harem affairs. The Wise Concubine is the daughter of Shi Congwen, the Minister of Works. Lady Zhang has an ordinary background. She is just the daughter of a second - place scholar in the imperial examination."
Qin Huaiqiu said, "So I should mainly be on guard against the Virtuous Concubine and the Wise Concubine?"
"Yes."
Qin Huaiqiu said, "I don't want to have too much to do with them. Just dealing with the emperor is enough for me."
Just thinking of Sikong Ting, Qin Huaiqiu felt a headache. He hated this kind of hostile feeling, especially when he knew he had no chance of winning. He just hoped that Sikong Ting would stay out of his way. It would be best if he simply forgot about him. When Qin Huailian was captured and they swapped identities, he, Qin Huaiqiu, would have nothing to do with Sikong Ting anymore.
"Your Ladyship." Ziyun's voice came from outside the door. "The Virtuous Concubine is here."
Qin Huaiqiu and Qin Lan looked at each other.
Speak of the devil!
Qin Huaiqiu frowned. "Is she here to intimidate me?"
Qin Lan looked at Qin Huaiqiu. "It's better for the young master to meet her."
To maintain his low - profile status in the palace, Qin Huaiqiu naturally knew that he couldn't offend this Virtuous Concubine. If she bore a grudge against him later, it would be troublesome. He straightened his clothes, opened the door and said to Ziyun, "Come with me to greet her."
Qin Huaiqiu quickly walked towards the door of the Kunning Palace, with Qin Lan and Ziyun following behind. At the door of the Kunning Palace, Yalan was looking around. When she saw Qin Huaiqiu coming, she quickly turned to another maid at the door and said, "Our lady is coming."
Hearing this, that maid glanced at Qin Huaiqiu but didn't salute him. Instead, she directly turned around and walked to the sedan chair outside the Kunning Palace and whispered something. She seemed to wait for a while, then pulled the curtain of the sedan chair open. A woman in gorgeous clothes slowly got out of the sedan chair and walked towards Qin Huaiqiu with a smile.
Qin Huaiqiu hadn't started to grow taller yet, and this woman was already in her twenties, so she was much taller than Qin Huaiqiu. She deliberately walked very close, looking rather condescending.
Before Qin Huaiqiu could say anything, the Virtuous Concubine spoke first. "Sister De is really beautiful. No wonder the emperor likes you so much. He couldn't wait to see you at the main gate of the imperial city."
Qin Huaiqiu's face stiffened. He originally wanted to smile and build a good relationship with the Virtuous Concubine, but with just this one sentence, he couldn't smile anymore.
What did she mean by being beautiful so she could enter through the main gate? It sounded as if Qin Huailian was just a good - looking woman who seduced the emperor.
Good - brother Qin Huaiqiu couldn't help feeling indignant for his sister. His sister Qin Huailian entered the palace through the proper process of a grand wedding for a queen, carried in an eight - palanquin through the main gate of the Forbidden City. This woman was probably extremely jealous!
Qin Huaiqiu wanted to retort a few words, but he had just entered the palace. It was really unwise to oppose the Virtuous Concubine now.
He could only force a smile and say, "Sister, you flatter me. But His Majesty is a wise emperor. How can we guess his preferences? Your humble sister can only do her duty well."
After hearing this, the Virtuous Concubine snorted disdainfully from her nose and said, "Sister means that I haven't done my duty well?"
"Sister, what are you saying? Sister manages the harem in an orderly manner. You have fulfilled your duty. Your humble sister admires you very much." Qin Huaiqiu said against his will, feeling extremely frustrated. He would rather have hidden with the empress dowager for a while longer than meet this Virtuous Concubine.
After hearing this, the Virtuous Concubine's smile became a bit more. "Sister was tired yesterday. I have some desserts here. I thought you might like them, so I brought them."
She waved her hand, and a maid came up carrying a food box. Seeing this, Ziyun quickly reached out to take it.
Qin Huaiqiu said, "Thank you, sister. Sister, why don't you come in and sit for a while? Your humble sister has just entered the palace and still needs sister's advice."
After all, Qin Lan only knew a general idea. It would be good to find out more about this Virtuous Concubine.
Unexpectedly, the Virtuous Concubine tucked her hair behind her ear and said regretfully, "I'm afraid I can't today. His Majesty has told me to go there quickly. It won't be good if I'm late."
"...I see. Sister, take your time." Just get out of here quickly! Qin Huaiqiu thought to himself.
The Virtuous Concubine seemed reluctant to leave. "Well, since sister has entered the palace, we are family from now on. In the future, please support His Majesty more. But sister probably won't be as tired as I am. It's also a good thing."
These words really made Qin Huaiqiu feel disgusted.
What did this Virtuous Concubine mean, acting as if she was an important person in the emperor's eyes? Helping the emperor with what? Sikong Ting probably hadn't even touched her yet! What was she being so emotional about on her own?
Qin Huaiqiu's veins popped out in places where the Virtuous Concubine couldn't see.
The Virtuous Concubine came and left in a hurry. As soon as the door of the Kunning Palace was closed, Qin Huaiqiu angrily walked back to his bedroom.
"Your Ladyship... this..." Ziyun was holding the food box, not knowing whether to put it down or not. She timidly glanced at Qin Huaiqiu, asking for his opinion.
Qin Huaiqiu looked at the food box in Ziyun's arms, glared at it disgustedly and said, "Throw it away for me!"
Without saying a word, Qin Huaiqiu walked into the room and slammed the door shut with a "bang".