Liang Xinyue stared at the delicate boxes piled up like a small mountain in front of her. She fell into silence along with Wen Fuyue.
"Um... this is what you meant by 'a little'?" Liang Xinyue said with difficulty. There was a rare look of speechlessness in her eyes as she looked at Wen Fuyue. "Did you rob someone?"
Wen Fuyue didn't know what to say either. Looking up at Liang Xinyue with a complicated expression, she replied, "Yeah, I went robbing with the Emperor."
"Um..." Liang Xinyue nodded. Then it dawned on her. She stared at Wen Fuyue, who looked like a wilted cabbage, in shock, her mouth agape. "The... the Emperor! Where did you go?"
"Out of the palace!?"
"Yeah." Wen Fuyue sighed and then said, "We just went out for a while."
Liang Xinyue was too shocked to speak. Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at Wen Fuyue. "Thank you, Consort Wen. Now, as the saying goes, when one person attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."
"I've lived for so many years and have never heard of the Emperor taking time out to accompany a consort out of the palace for fun, especially that Emperor who is well - known for his eccentric temper and being reclusive."
"Yeah, pick some and take them." There was a hint of unspoken approval in Wen Fuyue's eyes as she looked at Liang Xinyue. Then she pointed at the pile of boxes.
"Let me take a look." Although she hadn't been out of the palace for a long time, Liang Xinyue still remembered the patterns on the boxes and the special mark. She couldn't help but sigh, "As expected of him. The pastries from this shop are extremely rare. I only saw my father buy them for those half - siblings before. They even counted each piece when eating."
"You..." Liang Xinyue's expression became hard to describe again. Obviously, she was shocked by this "mountain" of boxes.
"As expected of him." Liang Xinyue added.
"Quickly pick! Otherwise, you'll just watch me eat!" Wen Fuyue felt uncomfortable under her meaningful gaze, and a blush crept up her ears.
"By the way." After picking the things, Liang Xinyue and Wen Fuyue sat under the osmanthus tree again, chatting and waiting for the meal.
"The autumn hunt is coming soon." Liang Xinyue looked at Wen Fuyue and said, "Did the Emperor tell you?"
Wen Fuyue shook her head. "No."
"Don't worry." There was a hint of teasing in Liang Xinyue's eyes as she looked at her. She pointed at the pastries the maids were arranging beside them. "The Emperor won't leave you behind."
As if being reminded, Wen Fuyue suddenly remembered that important plot point. Her eyes lit up.
Right. Last time Wei Sinian saved her. This time she could return the favor and they'd be even.
Wei Sinian, who was still trembling while handling official business, obviously didn't expect that the consort he was missing was thinking about getting even with him.
Wei Sinian looked at the secret guard kneeling below. His face was cold, and his fingers tapped lightly on the table.
"Tap..."
The continuous and regular sound reached the ears of the person below, making him too scared to move. His back was covered in sweat.
This time he was careless. He didn't expect that Prince An had already discovered the spy lurking around him and had turned the spy against them. He had been sending false information back for a month.
"Don't let it happen again." Wei Sinian said coldly. "Deduct your salary for three months and give you twenty strokes of the rod."
"Yes." The man was surprised to find that the punishment was much lighter than expected. He looked up in surprise but met Wei Sinian's cold eyes and was immediately frozen in place.
"Get out." Wei Sinian said indifferently.
The man ran out of the palace as if fleeing.
"Anfu." Wei Sinian's expression was calm, but there was a hint of displeasure in his eyes that he couldn't hide. "The consort received that hairpin."
"Find someone to make an identical one and replace the one in her hand."
"Yes." Anfu was secretly shocked. Wei Sinian's words set off a huge wave in his heart.
The Emperor's temper was getting better and better. In the past, this hairpin would probably have been smashed right in front of the consort. How could he use such a euphemistic way to replace it?
This was extraordinary. Anfu looked back when leaving the main hall. He saw that Wei Sinian seemed to be writing an imperial edict. His expression was seriously rare. He wrote slowly and with concentration, as if thinking while writing.
It seemed that the consort was surely destined for great fortune.
...
After dinner, after Liang Xinyue left, Wen Fuyue felt unusually tired. She collapsed on the chair and didn't move, looking at the twinkling stars in the night sky and letting her mind wander.
"What is the consort thinking about?"
Wei Sinian's soft voice came.
Wen Fuyue was startled. Looking back, she saw Wei Sinian standing under the tree, looking at her.
"Your Majesty." She immediately stood up and saluted. Then she didn't know what else to say.
The atmosphere between them had been too ambiguous during the day. Wen Fuyue subconsciously wanted to avoid it but couldn't just run away. So she stood there like a wooden statue, looking blankly at the soles of Wei Sinian's shoes.
"Yueyue has been looking at the soles of my shoes. Is there something strange about them?" There was a hint of a smile in Wei Sinian's voice. His eyes were twinkling as he looked at Wen Fuyue, as if he was laughing.
"Um, the tiger on Your Majesty's shoes is very mighty." It was a bit dark outside the hall. Wen Fuyue couldn't see clearly. She only saw that the outline of the thing on Wei Sinian's shoes was very familiar.
A few days ago, she had seen Wei Sinian wearing a pair of shoes embroidered with a tiger, so she answered.
"Yueyue." Wei Sinian burst out laughing. He took a step closer and looked into Wen Fuyue's eyes. There was an unstoppable smile in his eyes. "This tiger does look a bit strange. No wonder Yueyue has been looking at it."
[??? What's going on? I'll take another look.]
Thinking this way, Wen Fuyue looked down suspiciously. Then her face flushed bright red, and she felt as if she was about to burst into flames.
[What tiger!!! Help!!! What am I talking nonsense about? This is an eagle! It has nothing to do with a tiger.]
Hearing Wen Fuyue's flustered inner thoughts, the smile in Wei Sinian's eyes deepened. His gaze towards Wen Fuyue was incredibly soft.
No, he couldn't tease her anymore. Seeing that Wen Fuyue was about to get angry, Wei Sinian took one last regretful look at her blushing face and then said, "Come on, Yueyue. Go to my place first."
"Yes."
Wen Fuyue followed behind him.
Wei Sinian subconsciously slowed down his steps and then said softly, "The autumn hunt will be in a few days. The consort should remember to pack your luggage."
[Oh my god! Is it that soon! Then I'll have to prepare to save Wei Sinian soon. Oh my god, how can I save him? I should probably tell him in advance. How can I deal with the Empress Dowager and the others alone? Let me think carefully...]
Wei Sinian had already known about this from the consort's inner thoughts. Wei Sijing and the Empress Dowager were planning to take action against him during the autumn hunt.
But thinking about it, this plan was full of loopholes. He had been the Emperor for so many years. If they could succeed, he would have died an unclear death when he first ascended the throne.
Even if the Li family intervened, they would never succeed. His spies were everywhere. Even though the spy in Wei Sijing's camp had defected, the chief of the secret guards would surely notice something wrong within at most two months.
What on earth had happened? Or was there some unknown force affecting everything, causing the future to develop in that strange direction as described in the consort's inner thoughts?