In a short while, they arrived at the Palace of Consort Luo.
Consort Luo was standing in front of the palace gate. It seemed that she was waiting for them. When she saw Dongfang Yi coming, she bowed respectfully and said, "Your humble servant pays respects to Her Majesty the Queen."
"Rise," Dongfang Yi replied.
Then the two entered the inner chamber.
"Your Majesty the Queen, why did you think of coming to visit your servant?" Consort Luo asked.
After saying that, she couldn't help coughing lightly a few times.
Looking at her, Dongfang Yi couldn't help frowning. She had always known that Consort Luo was in poor health, so she had always been very quiet in the harem and rarely participated in various banquets.
Even at the Mid - Autumn Festival banquet that Dongfang Yi had organized last time, she heard that Consort Luo was too unwell that night to enjoy the scenery with everyone.
Thinking of this, she felt a twinge of sympathy.
"I haven't seen Sister Consort Luo for a long time. That's why I came to visit you to relieve my longing," Dongfang Yi said.
Consort Luo picked up the tea and took a sip. Her voice was still a bit hoarse as she replied, "It's all because of my weak constitution. Your Majesty organized such a grand banquet last time, but I didn't even have the chance to take a look. I'm really extremely ashamed."
After saying that, she stroked her forehead sadly.
"It doesn't matter. As long as you have this thought, I'm satisfied. I've brought some excellent ginseng for you this time to nourish your qi. Sister, please accept it," Dongfang Yi said.
Then she waved her hand, indicating Donghua beside her to present the things in her hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen, for your kindness," Consort Luo said and wanted to get up to express her gratitude.
But Dongfang Yi pressed her down with one hand.
Those ginseng roots were useless to her in the palace. She still remembered that they were given by Consort Shun when she came to visit her in the palace.
But she never liked to eat such things, so she might as well use them to curry favor.
"You're not feeling well. Don't be so particular about these superficial etiquettes."
"You should rest well. Getting better is more important than anything else," she continued.
After saying that, she got up and prepared to walk out of the palace.
After all, she came here just to see Consort Luo. After all, relationships in the palace needed to be maintained. Moreover, with a personality like Consort Luo's, who didn't fight or compete, she was even more worthy of befriending.
It wasn't long before she walked out of the Palace of Consort Luo.
Inside the palace, Consort Luo was still sitting in place. Watching the back of the woman in front of her getting farther and farther away until it completely disappeared from her sight, the corner of her mouth twitched into a barely perceptible smile.
It was as if she was talking to the air: "This woman is really interesting."
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew outside the window. The maple leaves rustled, as if there were some other hidden sounds.
On the other side, Dongfang Yi, who was walking on the road, also felt a gust of wind, and this wind seemed to be getting stronger and stronger.
She looked up at the sky. It was gray, with layer upon layer of dark clouds. This was a sign that it was going to rain.
Dongfang Yi couldn't help frowning. She didn't bring any sedan chair with her this time. She originally just wanted to take a stroll, but she didn't expect that the sky, which had been clear just now, suddenly became overcast.
"Your Majesty, it might rain. What should we do?" Donghua beside her said.
The two quickened their pace.
But looking at the speed at which the dark clouds were gathering in the sky, it seemed that they wouldn't be able to get back to the Queen's Palace before the rain started. They would inevitably get soaked.
"We'll just have to get wet in the rain," Dongfang Yi said.
After saying that, the two trotted towards the Queen's Palace.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, followed by a rumble of thunder. The raindrops began to pour down.
Dongfang Yi quickly covered her head with her hands.
But she found that the rain only hit her for a moment, and the expected feeling of being drenched in water didn't come.
Wasn't it raining?
She looked up in confusion, only to see Helian Qi in front of her.
He was holding a brownish - yellow oil - paper umbrella over their heads, staring at her intently.
Why was he here?
In front of her, Helian Qi watched the woman with a bit of wet hair in front of him. Her eyes were bright, as if filled with water.
The rain was pouring down beside them, as if covering all the noise.
"Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Dongfang Yi then came to her senses and bowed.
But since the space under the umbrella was limited, when she made this movement, her arm stretched out of the umbrella and got wet in the rain.
Helian Qi frowned and immediately reached out to hold her waist, pulling her into his arms. He looked down at her slightly and said, "Your Majesty the Queen, there's no need for such formalities."
Donghua beside them had already been pulled under the umbrella by Ru Yi. Looking at the appearance of the Emperor and the Queen, she almost cried out.
But Ru Yi quickly covered her mouth.
"You're so stupid! Don't talk at this time!" he whispered behind her.
Because of the close distance, she could clearly feel the warm breath of the man behind her on her neck.
Suddenly, her ears couldn't help turning red, and it seemed to be spreading to her face.
"Hey, why are your ears red? Are you cold?" Ru Yi looked at the woman in front of him and said.
Hearing this, Donghua felt as if her secret had been revealed. A burst of anger rose in her heart. Then she raised her elbow and hit the man behind her.
After that, she ran out into the rain.
"Hey, where are you running? It's still raining!" Ru Yi didn't dare to make too much noise.
But looking back at the Emperor and the Queen, who were still snuggling under the umbrella, he thought he couldn't care less. Then he chased after the woman who had run into the rain.
On the other side, Dongfang Yi also noticed the commotion beside her.
But unfortunately, the man in front of her still had a firm grip on her waist and didn't seem to want to let go.
So she stammered and asked, "Your Majesty... what about Donghua and the others?"
"Don't worry about them," the man opposite replied.
There was no trace of emotion in his eyes.
Dongfang Yi felt a bit embarrassed, but she couldn't say it directly.
"Your Majesty, do we have to stay in this position?"
"The space under the umbrella is too small. This way we won't get wet," he replied seriously.
Dongfang Yi could only force a smile and thought that this was such a clichéd excuse.
"Your Majesty, when shall we return to the palace?" she continued to ask.
"We'll wait until the rain stops," he still replied seriously.
Dongfang Yi was extremely frustrated. The rain was pouring so heavily that it definitely wouldn't stop for at least an incense - burning time.
Moreover, they didn't have to wait for the rain to stop. They could just return to the palace under the umbrella.
Thinking of this, Dongfang Yi suddenly realized that they wouldn't have to stay in this position until the rain stopped, would they?