Lan Miao's heart raced.
She stared at Emperor Jingxiang without blinking. She knew her words were a bit over the top, and His Majesty might even fly into a rage.
But she had to take this step.
If she really had to enter the palace, His Majesty's affection and commitment would be extremely important. She wanted to see just how much His Majesty liked her.
To her surprise, Emperor Jingxiang laughed.
He even laughed heartily.
His clear laughter, handsome face, and tall and straight figure exuded a mature and irresistible charm that made Lan Miao's heart flutter.
"What's Your Majesty laughing at?"
Lan Miao couldn't help but ask.
"My lady is really pushing her luck," Emperor Jingxiang tilted her chin up. The gesture was ambiguous and charming. "So what does my lady want me to do to treat you well?"
Lan Miao's face flushed bright red.
She always felt there was a hidden meaning in his words.
She endured the shame, parted her red lips slightly, and softly said,
"I'd like to give Your Majesty my answer after the Rare Stone Banquet is over and everything is settled. Is that okay?"
Lan Miao was really fed up with Emperor Jingxiang's constant presence. She also had her own things to do. His Majesty's sudden appearance in her room from time to time always made her jumpy and distracted when carving jade. This was not good.
She hoped His Majesty would stop disturbing her like this before everything was over.
Emperor Jingxiang was taken aback.
In his eyes, his lady at this moment was bold, cold yet charming, and her words were so coquettish that it was hard for him to refuse.
The Rare Stone Banquet?
It was just an excuse for him to bring his lady into the palace.
He never expected his lady to take it seriously and really put her heart into it. He didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Was his lady hinting that he should pursue her more diligently during this period?
Never mind. He decided that was exactly what it meant.
"Alright, I can wait."
Emperor Jingxiang raised his eyes, the corners of his eyes filled with a soul - stirring smile. He casually lifted Lan Miao's wrist gently. "Then I'll be waiting for my lady's good news."
His gaze was deep and piercing.
Lan Miao blushed to the tips of her ears.
She couldn't break free from His Majesty's grasp.
Emperor Jingxiang gently kissed her wrist, the kiss lingering like a promise. A feeling she had never experienced before welled up in Lan Miao's heart, as if all the love and melancholy were sweeping towards her.
She couldn't lose control.
Lan Miao gently withdrew her wrist.
Suddenly, she spoke up and asked the question that had been on her mind for a long time.
"Your Majesty, have you ever met my sisters?"
"Oh?"
Emperor Jingxiang wondered why Lan Miao would ask this. He carefully recalled and said, "I seem to have seen a few of your elder sisters at a palace banquet once. I have no impression of your younger sister. Why does my lady ask this?"
Could it be that she wanted some favor for her sisters?
Lan Miao stared deeply into Emperor Jingxiang's eyes. After a while, she softly said, "I have a younger sister who is still unmarried. After I return to the Lan Mansion, I'd like to choose a good family for her myself. What does Your Majesty think?"
"It's good that my lady has this interest. You can decide everything."
"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your approval."
After this conversation, all of Lan Miao's doubts were resolved.
On the other side, in Chenxi Palace.
The night was quiet, and the moon was above the willow branches. The wind howled outside the palace, cold and biting, while inside, the glazed tiles let in light, and the warm candles flickered.
An He conveyed His Majesty's words with a smiling face.
Although his tone was kind, it was still as intimidating as if His Majesty was present in person.
"Imperial Concubine, this is His Majesty's intention. Please follow His Majesty's request."
"Yes, I will obey the order."
The Imperial Concubine and Lady Xie bowed respectfully in fear. Then they sent An He and the guards off respectfully.
After they left, the Imperial Concubine in the palace looked strange. She exchanged glances with Lady Xie. Under the dim yellow candlelight, both of their faces looked very ugly.
They didn't say a word for a long time.
Finally, the Imperial Concubine spoke first. She raised her long eyebrows high, her tone full of disbelief. "His Majesty says I'm extravagant. Even if I spend a lot of silver to decorate the palace, it's my own silver. I like it. Can His Majesty control me?"
"Your Ladyship, you can't say that. Be careful of eavesdroppers," Lady Xie almost knelt down to the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine really had the guts to say such things about His Majesty.
No wonder she was the concubine who had given birth to a prince and had a family with deep roots.
"Alright, I won't say it anymore."
The Imperial Concubine covered her mouth and stopped talking. In a blink of an eye, she said seriously, "I summoned Lan Miao for questioning during the day, and His Majesty came to scold me at night. Could these two things be related?"
Lady Xie pursed her lips and said nothing.
Obviously, she thought so too.
"But... isn't this too obvious? If His Majesty really likes Lan Miao, doesn't he know that such actions will arouse the jealousy of the concubines in the harem? I still think there's another meaning."
"You... are right."
The Imperial Concubine agreed deeply.
There was another long period of silence between the two.
It was too difficult to figure out His Majesty's mind.
"Could it be that His Majesty just used this incident to warn me about my extravagant spending? It's very likely that His Majesty has had this intention for a long time, and he just took this opportunity to say it today?" the Imperial Concubine suddenly spoke up and speculated about the reason again.
Lady Xie nodded but hesitated. "But why today? Isn't His Majesty trying to divert Your Ladyship's attention from Lan Miao?"
"His Majesty never hides his favor for a concubine. He wouldn't be so cautious."
"Then why?"
"..."
The two looked at each other.
They frowned in worry.
It seemed that every explanation made some sense.
Rebellious psychology?
Anti - rebellious psychology?
Finally, they concluded that they couldn't figure out His Majesty's mind no matter what. So they simply stopped trying.
The Imperial Concubine became more low - key. She put away all the luxurious decorations in the palace. Although her palace was still more luxurious than others', it was much simpler than before.
The gazes that had once been eager to spy on Lan Miao also faded after this incident.
Time passed.
Lan Miao felt much more relaxed.
His Majesty no longer visited her humble abode, and she could focus on preparing for the Rare Stone Banquet and the matter of the Kongshan Jade. In the Acacia Pavilion, there was a special place for her to carve jade, modeled after the jade room in the jade workshop. All the tools were available, allowing her to focus on carving.
After the news of her divorce spread, there were some rumors in the palace at first. But after hearing that His Majesty had punished several palace servants, no one in the palace dared to say a word.
She wanted to go out of the palace to pack up her luggage in the Marquis Mansion, but His Majesty refused to let her go. So she never thought about it again.
The days were fulfilling, but the cold wind blew colder and colder.
The Acacia Pavilion used the best silver charcoal and warm stoves. The whole room was extremely warm. Her fingers, which used to be stiff in winter, became flexible under the heat.
In the first heavy snowfall of this winter, Princess Kaiyun and the Qi Kingdom mission arrived in Luojing.
The Qi Kingdom was not as powerful as the Jing Kingdom. It had once sent a hostage prince to Luojing. It was rumored that Princess Kaiyun had fallen in love with this hostage prince during this period. Coupled with the old emperor's intention to establish a more stable relationship with the Qi Kingdom, a perfect match began, a union between the two countries.
Now Princess Kaiyun was the princess consort of the Qi Kingdom and was deeply loved by the people of the Qi Kingdom. The relationship between the Qi Kingdom and the Jing Kingdom was getting better and better.
Princess Kaiyun brought the young heir with her when she returned to Luojing this time.
The mission entered Luojing in a grand manner.
The dark green flags of the Qi Kingdom fluttered above the territory of the Jing Dynasty, standing side by side with the bright red flags but a bit shorter.
The palace held a three - day banquet.
Emperor Jingxiang received the envoys in the court. After the two countries completed the courtesy process, Princess Kaiyun took the heir to the palace to pay respects to the Empress Dowager.
The palace banquet was held in the Warm Jade Pavilion.
The warm stove was placed beside the red plum blossoms. The pavilion was as lively as a fire, and the faint fragrance of flowers filled the air.
Lan Miao sat at the table with Xue'er, quietly observing the surroundings.
The Princess Consort of Cheng, who had had a feud with her before, also appeared with the Lady Fengling.