The night was deep. It was the first night of the New Year, yet there was no moon. Instead, a murky twilight shrouded the entire sky, as if something was about to burst forth.
Dongfang Yi sat in front of the fireplace in her bedroom, allowing the fire to redden her face. She sat there motionless, lost in thought. Only when she was alone would she think of that girl - Xiao Qian.
She remembered the words the girl had said to her before dying: "Your Majesty, you're truly the kindest empress I've ever met..."
Just thinking about it made her temples throb with pain, as if something was trying to break free, and she couldn't stop it.
Then she shook her head, trying to get rid of these chaotic thoughts. Immediately after, she heard the door of the bedroom being pushed open, and a man in black clothes and a golden crown walked in. It was Helian Qi.
"You're here," she said softly with a gentle smile.
Helian Qi strode up to her and pulled her into his arms. As soon as he entered, he had seen her pained expression and knew that she was blaming herself deeply for Xiao Qian's death. All he could do now was comfort her like this.
"Don't be sad anymore, Dong'er," he said in a deep voice, his voice trembling slightly, as if he was holding back something.
He was afraid that if he continued to watch the woman in front of him suffer, he might do something wrong.
For example, although he was sure that Yaoji was the culprit, he had no evidence and couldn't take action. If things continued like this, he didn't know what he would do.
"I'm not sad. As soon as I see you, all my sadness goes away," Dongfang Yi said, popping her head out of his arms with a beaming smile.
Helian Qi couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat when he saw her. Then he said, "I won't let the conspiracy of the Southern Neighboring Country succeed. I won't let Yaoji hurt you again. I'll also find out why there was only soil in that box."
After hearing this, Dongfang Yi nodded vigorously. Suddenly, as if an electric current had passed through her head, she seemed to think of something and exclaimed, "You said the box?!"
She finally thought of the flaw regarding Yaoji - the box. Concubine Chu had said that Yaoji had once brought something to her bedroom, but Yaoji flatly denied it. Moreover, there were no so - called treasures in the box. It seemed there were no flaws, and everyone would think that Concubine Chu was causing trouble.
But they had all overlooked one thing - the box. If it was really something Yaoji had sent, then the box should be an item from the Southern Neighboring Country, because Concubine Chu had said that the box was filled with treasures from that country.
The boxes from the Southern Neighboring Country were different from those of the Eastern Sheng Country, especially the court supplies. The boxes of the Eastern Sheng Country would have marks such as the reign title printed on the bottom, which could prove that it was an item from the Eastern Sheng Country. Otherwise, it was a foreign item.
Dongfang Yi, who had thought of this, immediately excitedly told the man in front of her all the details. Helian Qi didn't expect that she could be so meticulous and think of something that even he hadn't thought of. But then, as if he had thought of something, he said, "But it's hard to convict her just based on a box."
Dongfang Yi sneered and replied, "At least we can be completely sure that Yaoji is the culprit. She just used some special means to deceive everyone. By the way, what about that jade flute? If I'm not wrong, it should also be an item from the Southern Neighboring Country. Are these two things together enough to convict her?!"
Thinking of this, the smile on her lips deepened, and her eyes were filled with raging anger, as if she had already seen Yaoji being brought to justice.
Helian Qi looked at the woman in front of him in shock, but then his expression softened. He said to her, "Dong'er, you're really becoming more and more impressive."
The more he got along with her, the more he realized how smart and powerful the woman he loved was. How ridiculous his shallow thought of protecting her in the past was! Clearly, they could stand side by side and look forward to the future together!
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but rub his chin against the top of her head and said in a doting tone, "I like you more and more."
"You're such a flirt!" Dongfang Yi said to him and raised her hand to punch his chest gently, as if a bit reproachful.
"Oh? If I don't say sweet words to you, who else should I say my profound words to?!" Helian Qi raised his eyebrows and said this.
This made Dongfang Yi's heart flutter. She couldn't help but think that it was bad. His eyes were as bright as if they were filled with the entire starry sky. How could he be so narcissistic and still manage to flirt with her?
Moreover, she seemed to enjoy it very much. As soon as he spoke, she couldn't help but want to burrow into his arms and stay there forever.
Helian Qi looked at the woman in front of him who was like a kitten. He reached out and picked her up, then walked to the bed and put her down. He leaned over and kissed her forehead, then said, "Wait for me in the palace tomorrow. I'll go to Concubine Chu's palace with you."
After saying that, he was about to turn around and leave, but he felt his sleeve being tugged. When he looked back, he saw the woman looking at him shyly and saying, "You're leaving already?..."
The smile on Helian Qi's lips deepened, but unfortunately, he still had a lot of official documents to deal with. He had just taken some time out to visit her and had to rush back immediately. Then he patted her hand to comfort her and said, "Be good, Dong'er. Soon we'll be together every day."
He meant what he said. He had already decided that after dealing with the matter of Nangong Liuyun, he wouldn't care about any spies. He would move all the government affairs from the Qianqing Palace to the Empress's Palace so that he could be with Dongfang Yi day and night.
Although Dongfang Yi didn't know what exactly he meant by "being together every day", she knew that he was very busy. So she reluctantly let go of his sleeve and said, "Okay, then you should also rest early. Don't be too tired."
Helian Qi nodded gently and then turned around and left the Empress's Palace. His heart was filled with joy, feeling that the life he wanted was getting closer and closer.
The harem seemed very peaceful on the surface, but in fact, there were undercurrents surging. Especially Concubine Chu and Yaoji, they had no idea what was in store for them tomorrow. If they had the ability to predict the future, tonight would surely be a sleepless night.
Because tomorrow would change everything. All the stimuli would pry open the cracks of the contradictions, and the peace would no longer exist.