Dongfang Yi never expected that Helian Qi would so easily follow her back to the Queen's Palace.
The two of them didn't say a single word on the way. But she felt extremely uneasy. As the night grew deeper, this inexplicable feeling gradually intensified.
"Your Majesty, the small kitchen in my palace surely can't make food as delicious as that in the Imperial Kitchen. So Your Majesty might as well go to the Imperial Kitchen," she said.
"Oh? So the Queen means she won't take responsibility? You drank the soup that was meant for me, and now you want to send me to the Imperial Kitchen?"
Helian Qi suddenly stopped in his tracks, turned around, and raised his eyebrows as if a bit displeased.
Dongfang Yi immediately felt ashamed. After all, what she did was indeed inappropriate. The tremella and lotus seed soup that was supposed to be for him was actually consumed by herself.
But she still couldn't help complaining silently in her heart. She thought that although it was her fault, it was just a bowl of soup. What did it matter if she drank it? Why was he so petty!
So she murmured in a low voice, pouting.
But she saw Helian Qi looking at her with a questioning look on his face, his eyes full of playfulness.
She knew that it was useless to say more, so she continued walking forward.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the two of them arrived at the Queen's Palace.
Xiao Qian was originally sweeping the outer courtyard. When she saw the people coming, she quickly ran over and knelt on the ground to pay her respects.
She looked very nervous, which was not surprising. After all, Helian Qi hadn't been to the Queen's Palace for a long time.
When Helian Qi entered the main palace and saw the fireplace on the wall, his face showed a slight startle. Obviously, he had never seen such a thing before.
"What is this?" he asked.
He frowned slightly, his eyes flickering with confusion.
Dongfang Yi explained the functions of the fireplace to him and also mentioned Mr. Shen Fu, who built it for her.
Helian Qi was originally listening to her explanation seriously. But when he heard her start talking about how skillful Shen Fu was, he couldn't listen attentively anymore.
How could this woman talk about another man so boldly in front of him!
But Dongfang Yi seemed not to notice the strange expression on the man in front of her at all and kept talking tirelessly.
"Your Majesty, you don't know that Mr. Shen is extremely skillful. I haven't seen him for a long time," she said.
There seemed to be a hint of regret in her tone.
Helian Qi narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at her intently, asking, "The Queen seems very regretful. Do you really want to see him again so much?"
But she still didn't realize anything and replied, "Yes. I still have many things to tell him."
"Oh?"
Helian Qi's face completely turned cold. His eyes were filled with coldness, and there was no trace of emotion in his tone.
Only then did Dongfang Yi feel that there seemed to be an unusual atmosphere in the air. So she raised her head and looked at the man in front of her.
She just met his angry eyes.
"Your Majesty, you... what's wrong?" she stammered.
After all, she didn't know why the man in front of her suddenly got angry.
Helian Qi looked at the slow - witted woman in front of him and knew that it was useless to be angry. So he turned around and sighed helplessly.
When would this stupid woman understand him?
Just as he was about to go to the small kitchen, he suddenly asked, "Where is the night - pearl I gave you?"
Seeing that the man in front of her was no longer angry, Dongfang Yi replied casually, "Oh, I lent the night - pearl to Concubine Shu for viewing."
After hearing this, Helian Qi immediately stopped in his tracks, and his facial expression froze.
That was the newly - paid - tribute night - pearl, and he had sent it to her as soon as he got it.
Who would have thought that this woman was so generous that she lent it to someone else without even keeping it for an afternoon.
Thinking of this, a fire rose in his heart, but he had no way to deal with the woman in front of him.
He could only stride out of the palace.
Dongfang Yi saw that he suddenly left. He had originally said that he was going to the small kitchen to drink the tremella and lotus seed soup, but somehow he got angry.
She couldn't help frowning and thought that the man was so moody. He seemed so happy just a moment ago, but got angry the next moment.
Watching Helian Qi's gradually disappearing back, she let out a long sigh and returned to her bedroom tiredly.
When Donghua saw her come back so soon without anyone else behind her, she asked, "Your Highness, where is the Emperor?"
After hearing this, Dongfang Yi rolled her eyes, sat on the armchair, and raised her head to gulp down a cup of tea.
"Don't mention him. Why is he so moody!" she said angrily.
Seeing this, Donghua asked, "Your Highness, did you say something to anger the Emperor?"
"What could I say? I just said that I lent the night - pearl to Concubine Shu for viewing," she said still looking indignant.
"Er..."
Donghua looked at the woman in front of her speechlessly and felt a bit sorry for the Emperor for a moment.
He had actually met a queen who was so slow in matters of the heart.
Which man could calmly watch the gift he gave be easily given away by his woman?
"Alas..." she let out another long sigh.
"It seems that the Emperor still needs to work harder," she said and then walked out of the palace.
Dongfang Yi was left sitting in her seat, thinking about what Donghua had just said to her.
Suddenly, she had an epiphany. Was Helian Qi angry with her just now?
Because she had easily lent out the night - pearl.
Was he blaming her for not cherishing the gift he gave?
Thinking of this, an inexplicable feeling rose in Dongfang Yi's chest. It seemed that something was breaking through the ground, and her heart was like a lake disturbed, rippling outward.
Could it be that he cared about her?
Thinking of this, her heart skipped a beat, and she couldn't control the urge to express her feelings.
On the other side, Helian Qi, who had already left the Queen's Palace, became more and more angry as he thought about it.
He thought that no matter what he did, that woman didn't seem to care about anything. Even the things he gave her, she would quickly give to others.
Was her heart made of stone so that she was not at all touched by him?
Thinking of this, he couldn't help smiling bitterly.
It was all his fault that he hadn't cherished what they had before. Now things had become so difficult.
Suddenly, a black - clothed man dropped down from the roof of a nearby house. He knelt in front of Helian Qi respectfully.
"Your Majesty! The people from the Southern Neighboring Country have left the palace!" the black - clothed man said.
Helian Qi just nodded slightly with a cold face. His eyes were filled with an unfathomable look.
He wanted to see what the people from the Southern Neighboring Country were up to.
Although they would leave in two days, they couldn't relax their vigilance. After all, the second prince Ye didn't seem to be a man without ambition.