In the pavilion by the lake, the two of them seemed to be frozen in place.
Wen Fuyue stood still, staring blankly at Wei Sinian.
Under the moonlight, the man in front of her looked so handsome that he didn't seem of this world. His sword-shaped eyebrows and starry eyes, and his chiseled face made him look cold and aloof, like a supreme ruler. But his gaze towards her was as blank as if devoid of any emotion.
No. Wen Fuyue unconsciously bit her lip and tightened her fists. The stinging pain in her palms helped calm her racing heart. Maybe Wei Sinian was just saying it on a whim and didn't really need an answer from her.
He couldn't possibly know. Wen Fuyue's mind raced as she tried to figure out how to respond.
Hearing her silence, a cloud gathered in Wei Sinian's eyes, and his gaze turned complicated. Fortunately, Wen Fuyue had already lowered her head and couldn't see his complex expression.
In fact, as soon as the words left his mouth and the atmosphere instantly turned icy, Wei Sinian felt a strange emotion he had never experienced before. It was a tingling sensation, like ants crawling, which made his Adam's apple bob.
He didn't realize it was regret.
"Your Majesty is joking," Wen Fuyue said, looking up with a perfect expression that showed no trace of emotion.
Seeing that Wen Fuyue's expression was no longer relaxed as before, Wei Sinian's face turned cold again. He glanced at her and continued walking forward.
She had survived another crisis. Wen Fuyue heaved a sigh of relief in her heart and followed Wei Sinian's footsteps. But she was careful not to get too close and always stayed one step behind, looking at his back.
After walking for a while, Wen Fuyue looked surprised. Her eyes sparkled with delight as she looked at the pond in front of her.
[There are fireflies! They're so beautiful! It's a pity that Wei Sinian really gave me a scare just now.]
Feeling that the person beside him was gradually relaxing again, Wei Sinian walked to the pavilion by the lake and sat down. "Let's take a break. The Noble Consort can look around."
After saying that, Wei Sinian stood there as if he was resting, but in fact, he was frowning and listening to Wen Fuyue's inner thoughts. His expression was hidden by the night, and there was a hint of confusion on his face.
This remark seemed a bit strange. Wen Fuyue couldn't help but glance at Wei Sinian and then said, "Your servant will just stroll around in the pavilion."
[I can see the fireflies from the pavilion too! And the view here is really great. No wonder it's the imperial garden. I'll just stay here. I was originally going to explore further. I wonder if I can row a boat on this pond. Although it's called a pond, it's actually big enough to be considered a lake. No wonder it's the emperor's garden!]
She felt that Wei Sinian didn't seem to want her to go too far.
Wei Sinian lowered his eyes and looked at Wen Fuyue's shadow, listening to her inner thoughts. His heart was filled with mixed emotions.
Wen Fuyue was really like a sensitive little animal. Although she was reckless and naive, her intuition was quite accurate. She could even faintly sense his own subconscious thoughts.
Moreover, he had never seen anyone so carefree. Just now, she was still worried about his probing, but the next moment, she let down her guard when she saw the fireflies.
He looked up again and followed Wen Fuyue's gaze to the flickering lights beside the grass by the lake.
"It seems that the Noble Consort really likes these little insects."
"Yeah," Wen Fuyue replied. Since there was no malice in his voice, she just regarded it as another random conversation and answered casually.
"If the Noble Consort likes them, I can ask An Fu to catch some and take them back to the palace."
Hearing Wei Sinian's words, Wen Fuyue shook her head. "There's no need."
[Although they're beautiful, there's no need to take them back to the palace. Fireflies die too quickly. It's better to just let them stay here.]
"Is the Noble Consort pitying these little insects?" Wei Sinian sneered. His mood suddenly turned irritable. "These insects are transformed from decaying grass. What's there to pity?"
Wen Fuyue turned around and looked at Wei Sinian with a complexity she had never shown before.
[That's right. Everyone here believes that fireflies are transformed from decaying grass. Although it's not scientific, there's a certain indescribable beauty in this theory.]
The decaying grass that was about to turn into dust was transformed into fireflies in the night sky at the last moment. Wen Fuyue thought it was a tragic and beautiful sight, which was why she felt pity for them.
Hearing her inner thoughts, Wei Sinian's expression became even more complicated. Without waiting for Wen Fuyue to answer, he stood up and said, "Forget it. If the Noble Consort doesn't like it, then let's go."
Wen Fuyue: ... Who said I wanted to go! It's so annoying. Wei Sinian's temper is really becoming more and more unpredictable.
Wei Sinian was still immersed in Wen Fuyue's inner thoughts, and his heart was filled with ripples.
The originally despised decaying grass was so worthy of pity in the eyes of the Noble Consort. It seemed that in her eyes, everyone was different from what he saw. Even though Wen Fuyue had tried her best to integrate into this role, her words and deeds still seemed out of place here. She was as clean as a blank sheet of paper.
Where did she come from? Wei Sinian's face was cold, and a terrifying smile appeared on his lips.
Anyway, since she had come, the Noble Consort would stay by his side forever.
Wen Fuyue, who didn't know that her disguise was about to be exposed by Wei Sinian, was still reminiscing about the fireflies. Her good mood even made Wei Sinian, who was reviewing memorials, look up at her.
[I wonder what to eat tomorrow. It's so hot in summer. I need to think of something to cool off. I've got it! I'll eat cold noodles. Hahaha.]
Hearing her inner thoughts, Wei Sinian's originally irritable mood gradually calmed down. He had only eaten hot noodles and didn't know what cold noodles were. But it seemed to make the Noble Consort so happy.
He felt a strange sense of anticipation. Even after going to bed, Wei Sinian was still thinking about tomorrow's dinner.
...
Ci'an Palace.
The sun had slowly set, and the palace was dimly lit. It was so quiet that it made one's hair stand on end.
"Lift your head," the cold voice of the Empress Dowager came. An Ling'er's knees were already numb from kneeling. Hearing the order, she looked up at the woman sitting on the high seat with a look of fear.
"I heard that the emperor has confined you to your quarters for a year because of the Noble Consort?"
"Yes," An Ling'er replied. Her heart was filled with shame and resentment.
It was all because of Liang Xinyue and Wen Fuyue. If it weren't for them, she might have caught the emperor's eye long ago, instead of being confined to her quarters for a year and being punished with ten strokes of the rod.
Fortunately, for some reason, the ten strokes weren't very heavy. Otherwise, An Ling'er would have been bedridden by now.
She originally thought it was because the palace servants didn't dare to use too much force. But now, as she looked at the Empress Dowager, she suddenly found the answer.
What did the Empress Dowager want her to do? An Ling'er shivered all over.
That's right. The Empress Dowager looked at the panic and resentment on An Ling'er's face with satisfaction and slowly said, "The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet is approaching. Do you have any ideas, Concubine An?"
An Ling'er frowned. Alarm bells rang in her heart. Even though it was summer, she broke out in a cold sweat.
What did the Empress Dowager want her to do?
"The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet will be crowded. The Noble Consort has an affair with someone and accidentally falls into the water."
An Ling'er could no longer control the fear on her face. She pleaded loudly, "Your Majesty, please spare your servant! Your servant is just a lowly concubine. How dare I lay a hand on the Noble Consort?"
The Empress Dowager actually wanted her to harm Wen Fuyue! Even if An Ling'er had the guts, she wouldn't dare to do anything to the Noble Consort under Wei Sinian's nose.
The Empress Dowager just wanted her to take the blame.
Realizing this, An Ling'er's pupils shrank. She banged her head hard on the cold floor tiles, and a conspicuous red mark appeared after just a few times.
"Humph. What if I'm here? Do you trust me?"
An Ling'er suddenly looked up.