I actually really want to ask Song Jiaye why he doesn't choose the extremely beautiful, valiant and elegant Empress, but instead dotes on me, Concubine Xiang, a brainless and ordinary drama queen.
"Xiang'er."
He was obviously a bit drunk. He looked up at me with a dazed look in his eyes. I wasn't sure if he was asking me or himself.
"You once said that the common people and all living beings in the world still need me. So, what I'm doing now isn't betraying her. It's just that the Li family has gone too far, right? If the Li family could be more restrained, and if she didn't oppose me, I could still let her be the Empress for the rest of her life, right? So it's not my fault. I was forced to do this."
To be honest, I really don't understand the intrigues in the previous court. I also don't understand why every emperor would try every means to centralize all power in his own hands.
Can one person handle so much?
Of course, it's all his own choice. I have neither the right nor the ability to persuade him to change his mind. All I can do is say to him, "Your Majesty, the Empress has a high fever. You should go and see her."
"You went to see her today?"
I don't know how Song Jiaye did it, but the moment he asked this question, his eyes instantly cleared up from the dazed state. It was as if the drunk man who had been asking me "right?" just now wasn't him.
The speed at which he changed his expression was terrifying.
I nodded and replied, "Yes, I saw her. I thought that since she saved Your Majesty from the fire pit, she's half of my savior. So, I couldn't just leave her alone."
Song Jiaye stared at me. It made me feel like I was back at work, being stared at by my boss during a project planning report. The fear of being dominated was like a big hand firmly grasping the top of my head, making it hard to breathe.
I didn't expect that a casual remark of mine would catch his attention. They say that the emperor's mind is unpredictable. Now I don't know how to deal with the situation.
For the first time, I felt the danger of serving the emperor being like being with a tiger.
Previously, I only regarded him as my boss and thought that as an ancient person, he should be easy to deceive.
Now it seems that I was too naive.
Song Jiaye lowered his eyes and stood up, making it hard to see his emotions. I didn't dare to make a sound. Just before he went out, I heard him turn back and say to me, "You should go and see her more often in the future. She has no friends in the palace. It would be good if you could accompany her."
But even if I wanted to, I'm not sure if she'd welcome me.
Doesn't Song Jiaye, as the person involved, know who the person Li Qiyu wants the most is?
However, Song Jiaye just walked away, and I didn't dare to risk my life to stop him.
After seeing him off, I let out a long sigh. Then I turned around, picked up an incense stick and went into the inner room to worship the Buddha.
"Buddha, please, make him come less often in the future. It would be best if he completely forgets about me but still remembers to give me rewards."
Xiaoxin was probably shocked by my unmotivated attitude. She asked me curiously, "Your Ladyship, other concubines all hope that the emperor will come more often. Why do you seem to wish that the emperor won't come to see you?"
Xiaoxin doesn't understand that being a favored concubine isn't easy. Having to serve the emperor like a precious ancestor every day and praise him in various ways is really brain - consuming.
However, it seems that the Buddha didn't hear my plea. Instead of staying away, Song Jiaye became more and more clingy to me. He often came to my palace, and sometimes he even asked me to go and accompany him. But most of the time, I was just a background, only there to talk to him.
Being an emperor is quite pitiful. He doesn't even have someone to talk to.
He probably thought it was a bit stupid to talk to the orchids in the imperial study, so he dragged me there to fill in.
One day, General Li came to the palace to see the emperor. General Li was really bold. He glared at the emperor. Usually, when court officials came to see the emperor, I should have avoided the situation. But this time, it seemed that Song Jiaye had forgotten that I was still in the imperial study and forgotten to drive me out. So I was in a dilemma. I watched Song Jiaye and General Li confront each other and stood there stupidly, not knowing whether to go forward or backward. After all, I was just a concubine. It wasn't appropriate for me to interrupt the conversation of these important people. But without Song Jiaye's permission, I couldn't leave. If Song Jiaye got angry with me about this in the future, I couldn't bear the charge of disrespecting the emperor.
At this moment, my social phobia flared up again. I felt like I was being roasted on a fire rack. I wished I could turn invisible and be a nobody for the rest of my life. It would be best if they never noticed me.
General Li was really bold. He even slapped the table during the argument with the emperor.
This was the emperor's table!
Finally, he left a harsh word, "Since you don't cherish my daughter, then return Xiaoyu to me. I'll take her away."
They say that a married daughter is like water spilled.
General Li would definitely be a good father who loves his daughter in modern times. But in ancient times, wasn't such a statement a challenge to the monarch's authority?
Based on my years of experience from watching palace - intrigue dramas, I'm sure that General Li is like a grasshopper after the autumn. His days are numbered.
After General Li left, Song Jiaye flew into a rage in the room. He knocked all the items within his sight to the ground. I was afraid that this table - clearing master would harm me, so I shrank into the corner. My movement bumped into a porcelain vase behind me, making a sound. At this moment, Song Jiaye finally noticed me. He looked at me in great shock.
"Why are you still here?" His tone was angry.
But I thought he should be embarrassed. After all, as an emperor, being treated so disrespectfully by his official, anyone would be angry.
It's like when a boss is scolding an unruly employee, but the employee talks back and the boss loses the argument, with other employees watching.
Losing face is the secondary issue. The more important one is losing his prestige.
I knelt down more quickly than ever. Trembling, I said, "Your Majesty, please calm down. Without your permission, your servant didn't dare to leave."
"Then you heard everything we said just now?"
His eyes were very dangerous.
Based on my years of work experience, an employee who knows the boss's little secrets, especially the embarrassing ones, usually won't stay in the company for long.
But in modern times, one can just change a company.
Here, it might cost one's life!