Xiao Tian led Yi Qing to pay their respects to the emperor.
Yi Qing obediently did as Xiao Tian told her, keeping her head down and saying nothing.
— This was a matter of life and death. She couldn't throw her life away on a momentary impulse.
The emperor glanced at Xiao Jinghan, his eyes filled with bitterness. The latter calmly looked back at him, his gaze filled with worry, comfort, and a great deal left unsaid.
The emperor felt that there were a thousand words he wanted to say, but he just couldn't find the right ones.
Xiao Dezi and his men brought in tables and chairs, and then served a sumptuous feast. After that, they quietly withdrew, leaving only the three of them in the wood - shed.
The surroundings were filled with messy firewood. The contrast between the three well - dressed and good - looking people sitting around a table full of delicacies and the shabby, disorderly environment was strange and discordant.
The emperor looked at Yi Qing and gave a soft snort, as if he had finally found something to talk about.
"You were so feisty yesterday. Why are you not daring to argue with me today?" His voice was hoarse and low.
Yi Qing replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, Xiao Tian warned me not to say too much in front of you."
The emperor sneered, "No wonder you've become so obedient. Let me tell you, it's too late!"
Yi Qing didn't say a word, keeping her head down meekly. But in her heart, she thought, judging from your behavior, I know I'm safe.
The emperor pointed at the table of food. "See this? It's the last meal cooked by the imperial chef. You're not losing out, are you?"
Yi Qing said, "Whether it's the thunderbolt or the gentle rain, it's all the grace of the sovereign."
The emperor was amused and angered by her extremely proper answer. He lifted his robe and sat down, then pointed to the seat opposite him and said to Xiao Tian, "Sit."
Xiao Tian sat down and casually pulled Yi Qing, who was standing still like a pillar, to sit beside him.
Yi Qing looked at the emperor.
She cherished her life very much and didn't want to give the dog emperor any excuse to punish her. Who knew if the dog emperor would take revenge on society and involve innocent people?
Sure enough, the emperor said coldly, "Let her stand and serve!"
Yi Qing thought, Sure enough, he's a dog emperor!
But it was okay. She had just eaten and wasn't hungry. Otherwise, just sitting there smelling the delicious food but not being allowed to eat would have made her furious.
"Pour the wine!" the emperor said impatiently.
Xiao Tian looked at Yi Qing and said, "You've worked hard."
Yi Qing felt much better at once.
— It didn't matter how chauvinistic other men were. As long as her own man was gentle and considerate, that was enough.
The emperor probably noticed the pride in her eyes and snorted again.
The timid Yi Qing picked up the wine jug and meekly filled the wine glasses for the two men.
The two men didn't say a word. They silently raised their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp.
Yi Qing refilled their glasses, and they drank again.
After finishing a small jug of wine like this, Yi Qing was stunned and kept complaining in her heart.
It seemed that this whole table of dishes was left for her?
They didn't even need any side dishes. These two men were really thrifty.
The emperor called for Xiao Dezi to bring more wine. Yi Qing obediently went to the door to receive the wine jug. Only then did the emperor finally speak.
He said, "Xiao Tian, do I look ridiculous?"
Then Yi Qing heard Xiao Tian say, "Your Majesty is a man of true feelings, full of passion and integrity."
Yi Qing silently translated it in her heart, Yes, you're just a fool.
The emperor said what was in her mind, "I'm a fool, a complete fool!"
He had wanted to give his heart to Xue Ci. He had been extremely kind to her and always felt guilty for not being able to give her the position of the queen. But the truth proved that all his deep affection had been wasted.
No, if he had given it to a dog, the dog would at least wag its tail at him!
But Xue Ci had bitten him back, making him a laughingstock.
"Xiao Tian, have you ever seen such a useless and stupid emperor like me?"
Yi Qing thought, Yes, he's right in front of me. I'm witnessing history in real - time.
Xiao Tian said, "Your Majesty, have some food."
Yi Qing couldn't help but translate again in her heart: Dude, don't say such harsh truths. I don't know how to respond.
The emperor murmured to himself, "She admitted everything. Do you know, Xiao Tian? Do you know who her real identity is? She's the daughter of the deposed emperor and my own cousin. Me and my own cousin!!!"
Yi Qing couldn't help showing a look of surprise.
The rule of not marrying within the same clan might be too old - fashioned and there were exceptions. But for a cousin and a cousin to get involved, that was definitely incest!
Not to mention anything else, just this one thing was enough to nail the emperor firmly to the pillar of shame.
"My good uncle, the deposed emperor, had dozens of daughters. Do you believe it? Some were his own, and some were born from the affairs between his subordinates and the women in his harem. And do you believe that he placed at least one daughter beside everyone he thought might pose a threat to him?" the emperor said sarcastically.
"I had the least chance of ascending the throne, so he placed Xue Ci, who wasn't highly regarded by him. Who would have thought that she would be the most successful. She won the heart of the emperor, which few people could achieve. Don't you think she's amazing?"
His foolishness had contributed to Xue Ci's success. Wasn't it laughable?
"What does Your Majesty plan to do with her?" Xiao Tian asked the crucial question.
"I was assassinated in the palace. The imperial noble consort and the eldest prince died while trying to save me." When the emperor said this, his lips trembled, and his eyes were filled with hatred and pain. "Xiao Tian, I killed that bastard in front of Xue Ci and then stabbed Xue Ci to death."
Yi Qing couldn't help shivering.
She didn't expect the emperor to be so decisive.
She had thought that the two of them would end up miserably, but she didn't expect the emperor to do it himself.
Wasn't the emperor afraid that this would become a nightmare for him in the future?
The emperor was really cruel to himself.
It seemed that he would never fall in love with anyone again in his life.
Yi Qing couldn't help thinking of Queen Xie.
When she was bored these days, she had wondered if Queen Xie had, by some accident, ended up as the final winner.
But now she knew she was wrong.
The emperor was probably a man that Queen Xie would never be able to win over.
When Xue Ci was alive, she occupied the emperor's heart. After her death, she completely shattered it.
All the emperor's pity and love for women had been destroyed by Xue Ci.
Xiao Tian quietly held Yi Qing's hand under the table. "Sit down and take a rest. The emperor won't blame you."
Hearing this, the emperor seemed to finally wake up from his complex emotions. He said half - smilingly, "You may sit."
Yi Qing sat down next to Xiao Tian.
"Xiao Tian, if Yi Qing did such a thing, what would you do?"
For a moment, Yi Qing wanted to stab the dog emperor. All the sympathy and emotion she had just felt vanished instantly.
The dog emperor clearly meant, "If I'm not happy, I won't let others be happy either."
Baozi was indeed not Xiao Tian's child. Although she had been honest with Xiao Tian and told him everything, she still felt very uncomfortable when someone deliberately tried to sow discord in front of them.
"Yi Qing won't do such a thing because she has her own judgment and won't be controlled by others. For her, if she likes someone, she will desperately protect them. If she doesn't like someone, she will try to get rid of them. She won't let herself struggle and waver."
Yi Qing silently gave him a thumbs - up in her heart — He who understands me is Xiao Tian.