On the surface, the entire harem seemed to be calm, but no one could have imagined the surging undercurrents hidden beneath this peaceful facade.
As winter deepened, the weather grew colder. With the Lesser New Year approaching, Dongfang Yi decided to resolve all matters before that day.
When Tianjue returned after his investigation, he reported that there was indeed some aphrodisiac incense left in Concubine Chu's palace. However, this alone was not sufficient to prove her affair. On the contrary, it was very likely that Concubine Lian had planted it to frame Concubine Chu further.
That night, just as Dongfang Yi was about to go to sleep, Helian Qi suddenly showed up without any announcement from outside the palace.
Just as Dongfang Yi was about to fall asleep, he suddenly appeared in her bedroom.
"Why are you here?" she asked.
Helian Qi hooked his lips, his eyes seemingly filled with tenderness as he replied, "I miss you so much that I can't sleep."
Such a cheesy love line, when spoken from his mouth, didn't seem annoying at all. Instead, it made her ears turn red.
"You've become quite good at speaking sweet words these days," Dongfang Yi asked, raising her eyebrows, her eyes full of playfulness.
The smile on Helian Qi's lips deepened. Instead of answering, he asked, "Doesn't Dong'er like it?"
"I never thought that the emperor, always regarded as lofty by his officials, could say such cheesy words. It's really hard to understand!" Dongfang Yi still raised her eyebrows, seemingly determined to show her playfulness to the fullest. Now she wanted to tease the man in front of her.
Unexpectedly, Helian Qi remained unmoved. Instead, he leaned forward and stopped just a millimeter away from her face.
Dongfang Yi thought he was going to kiss her and subconsciously closed her eyes. Then she heard his smiling voice above her head.
"Why did Dong'er close her eyes? Did you think of something?"
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi immediately opened her eyes. Realizing that she had been teased instead of teasing, she couldn't help but raise her hand and hit the man's chest in front of her.
"You, Helian Qi!"
The man just chuckled a few times, allowing her fist to land on his chest. Then he suddenly pulled her into his arms and said, "I'm afraid I've been bewitched by you now."
Dongfang Yi, who had been struggling randomly, suddenly stopped moving after hearing this. Her chest began to burn, and her ears turned red.
It was really bad. How could this man be so good at speaking sweet words? Every sentence seemed to pierce into her heart.
Thinking of this, she poked her head out of his arms and looked up at his chin with a touch of emotion.
The man in front of her had handsome features and a clear outline. His nose was as straight as a sharp mountain, and his thin lips were pink, which was quite seductive.
As she looked, she was gradually moved. Without control, she stood on tiptoe and kissed those thin lips.
The moment their lips touched, she clearly felt the man in front of her tremble violently. Then a pair of hands tightly grabbed the back of her head, and their lips and tongues intertwined. The exchange of saliva seemed to tell each other's deep affection.
After the kiss, both of them gasped for breath. In such a cold winter, they were covered in sweat.
"It's a bit hot in this room..." Dongfang Yi said awkwardly, raising her hand to wipe the fine sweat on her forehead.
Helian Qi's eyes narrowed dangerously. Looking at the woman in front of him as if she were a prey, seeing her pretending to be stupid intentionally or unintentionally, he reached out and hugged her even tighter.
Their bodies were very close. Dongfang Yi couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, so she stammered, "Um... I have some roasted sweet potatoes here. Do you want to try some?..."
Before she could say anything else, she felt her body suddenly lift into the air. Then she landed on the couch, and Helian Qi leaned over. His gentle kisses fell one by one, making her so weak that she couldn't say a complete sentence.
...
The candle flames flickered, and the bedroom was filled with boundless passion.
Early the next morning, when Dongfang Yi woke up, the place beside her on the couch was already cold. The man who had been so intimate with her last night had left at some unknown time. Just as she was lost in thought, a voice came from outside the palace.
"The imperial edict is here!"
Hearing this, she quickly ran out and saw Eunuch Li walking in with a bright yellow silk scroll in his arms. There were many palace servants behind him, each holding a plate with some unknown objects on it.
Then she heard Eunuch Li start to read the imperial edict: "The Empress is virtuous and kind, and has managed the harem without any mistakes. It is truly a great blessing for the emperor. Therefore, she is rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, a thousand jin of silver, a hundred bolts of silk, a pile of Hetian jade from the Western Regions, a pair of jade bracelets, a pair of brocade shoes from the Jiangnan region..."
He rambled on for about a quarter of an hour, listing all kinds of random rewards. Dongfang Yi was almost dozing off when he finally finished.
After receiving the imperial edict, the palace servants one by one carried those things into the side hall.
In her impression, Helian Qi had never given her things so grandly before. She thought such a grand scene was just something made up on TV. Now that she had experienced it herself, she couldn't help but sigh that the royal family was really wealthy. They gave things so generously.
Eunuch Li walked over and said, "The Empress is really blessed. I've served His Majesty for so long, and I've never seen him be so considerate to anyone. The Empress is truly the first one!"
Hearing this, Dongfang Yi just nodded politely. Then she said to Donghua, "Didn't you just say there was a pair of Hetian jade from the Western Regions? Give it to Eunuch Li. Consider it as a reward for his hard work."
After saying that, she hooked her lips at the man in front of her.
Eunuch Li was immediately flattered. The Hetian jade was a tribute from the Western Regions. There were only three pairs in the whole capital. He never thought that the Empress would be so generous.
"Oh, how can I be worthy of such a precious thing?!" he said in a shrill voice.
But Dongfang Yi just shook her head and stuffed the jade into his hand.
"It's just a pair of jade. It's not worth mentioning compared to your hard work!"
After hearing this, Eunuch Li finally accepted the thing contentedly. After thanking her, he led the palace servants and left the Empress's palace.
"Empress, why did you give such a precious thing to him? He's just a two - faced servant!" Xiaoqian asked in confusion.
Donghua scolded her, "You're becoming more and more unruly. How can you question what the Empress does?!"