"Yi Qing, do you have anything to say?" The emperor looked at Yi Qing with bleary eyes again.
Yi Qing thought to herself: I want to say, can you just shut up?
"I have nothing to say, Your Majesty," she replied.
If you don't say anything, you won't make a mistake.
The emperor snorted and said to Xiao Tian, "Is she so frightened by me that she's lost her wits? Look, she's just a bully to the weak and a coward to the strong."
Xiao Tian poured a cup of wine from his own goblet and offered it to Yi Qing. "Have a little. It'll warm you up," he said.
Yi Qing didn't like strong liquor, but she loved his thoughtfulness!
Instead of reaching out, she lowered her head and took a small sip from his hand. Then... the spiciness made her eyes water.
Xiao Tian didn't expect her to be so bold. Looking at her rosy cheeks and the tip of her tongue peeking out, he was struck by her rare charm. For a moment, he was stunned, his hand hanging in mid - air for a long time.
The emperor pounded on the table. "Get out of here, both of you!"
Only then did Xiao Tian come to his senses. He picked up a lion's head meatball and put it on Yi Qing's plate. "Eat some meat. It'll keep you warm," he said.
It was the first time Yi Qing had heard such a thing.
Xiao Tian seemed to read her mind and affirmed, "It's true. You'll feel warmer after eating it."
Yi Qing was perfect in every way, but she was too thin. She didn't look like a woman who had given birth at all. Xiao Tian always thought she must have suffered a great deal.
Yi Qing lowered her head and silently ate the lion's head. The imperial chef's cooking skills were, of course, superb. One bite of the big meatball filled her mouth with fragrance.
The emperor said, "Are you two deliberately trying to annoy me?"
Only then did Xiao Tian speak. "Your Majesty, the person is already gone. All grudges should fade away. Maybe Xue Ci didn't have no feelings for you at all. It was just a matter of different stances. Your Majesty, just think of it as beheading an enemy general you admired. Grieve for a while and then forget about it."
"Fade away?" The emperor laughed self - mockingly. "I've poured my whole heart out, and it's all been in vain. How can you expect me to let it go?"
Yi Qing looked up at him.
"What do you have to say!" the emperor roared angrily.
Yi Qing cursed herself in her heart and dared not speak her mind. You can't let it go. Are you going to die with Xue Ci? Even in death, she wouldn't want you. She didn't love you when she was alive, so why would she in death?
"The lion's head is a bit salty," Yi Qing said.
The emperor replied, "Shut up and eat your food!"
Yi Qing was quite happy to hear this. She ate while listening to the emperor rambling on to Xiao Tian about the old days like a whining old woman.
Gradually, her courage grew. She even stood up to serve herself a bowl of chicken soup.
"Forget it. What's the use of talking about these things?" the emperor said. "Drink. Xiao Tian, drink with me."
Xiao Tian, obviously obedient, clinked glasses with the emperor. Soon, they were both dead drunk.
"Xiao Tian, I can't hold on anymore," the emperor said.
After this, Yi Qing watched helplessly as he slowly slid down the chair towards the table.
Then Xiao Tian grabbed him.
Xiao Tian's star - like eyes grew brighter as he drank, and a faint blush appeared on his face. But he still looked the same as before.
"Your Majesty, you're drunk," he said, getting up to support the emperor.
"I'm drunk. I'm drunk," the emperor mumbled.
Yi Qing looked at the messy table and silently sighed.
Xue Ci was dead, but the emperor's love was still unrequited and his hatred hard to dispel.
The emperor hugged Xiao Tian's waist in a disgraceful manner and leaned on his shoulder. His body trembled slightly, as if he was crying, but there was no sound of sobs.
Xiao Tian held him tightly and couldn't help but explain to Yi Qing. "He's had too much to drink."
Yi Qing nodded. "I know. I know you don't like him. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here now."
Xiao Tian: "..."
"Don't you want to explain that you have no relationship with the emperor?"
Xiao Tian replied, "I want you to forget the emperor you see now."
Fine. You two are the real lovers.
"Why don't you take him back to sleep?" Yi Qing asked tentatively. "I don't think he's in a good state."
"Wait for me. I'll take him back to the palace with Xiao Dezi and then come back to be with you," Xiao Tian said.
Yi Qing actually wanted to ask if the emperor still wouldn't let them go. She missed her warm kang so much. A bed would do too.
But then she thought that the emperor was talking nonsense while drunk. He might turn against them later. It was better to be obedient and stay put. Anyway, snuggling up with Xiao Tian in the straw was quite comforting. She was just that adaptable.
It took Xiao Tian quite a while to come back. Although Yi Qing was covered with the quilt that Xiao Dezi had brought earlier, she was already shivering with cold. Only then did she realize how important Xiao Tian, this natural "hot stove", was.
"Come quickly!" she lifted the quilt and said to Xiao Tian. "It's so cold. I'll warm the bed for you today."
It was just a thoughtless joke, but Xiao Tian blushed.
"You go to sleep first. I'm not sleepy yet," Xiao Tian said, sitting down on the chair and not daring to look in her direction.
Yi Qing replied, "You're not sleepy, but I'm cold! Come here quickly!"
Xiao Tian was reluctant.
Last night, Yi Qing had been quite adaptable, clinging to him like an octopus in his arms to keep warm. But he had endured the sweet torture of smelling her fragrance and feeling her soft body. Only he knew how hard it was.
Today, he had drunk some wine. Just looking at her made his blood boil and his self - control falter. He needed to calm down.
Yi Qing thought: I'm just waiting. Come here quickly!
Seeing her hungry - looking gaze, Xiao Tian involuntarily stood up. He didn't dare to look at her and sat down beside the straw with his back to her. He said in a muffled voice, "I'll... block the wind for you. Go to sleep quickly. I'll guard you."
"Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, when practicing deep Prajna Paramita, perceived that all five skandhas are empty... Form is emptiness, and emptiness is form..." Xiao Tian silently recited the Heart Sutra in his heart.
Yi Qing said impatiently, "You're really blocking my light. It's the middle of the night. Aren't you going to sleep? Do you still want to go and fool around with the emperor later? Yes, you must. You want to sneak out after I fall asleep and come back before I wake up so that I won't know what you're up to, right?"
Xiao Tian was speechless. He lay down beside her fully clothed, his body on top of her quilt to keep a distance between them. He sighed and said, "Go to sleep quickly."
Yi Qing said, "I want you to warm the bed for me."
Xiao Tian replied, "Not today."
"Do men also have their 'time of the month'?" Yi Qing said deliberately.
Xiao Tian was completely defeated. "Yi Qing, stop fooling around. I've drunk a lot. Aren't you afraid I'll take advantage of you?"
As he said this, he couldn't help blushing. Even his earlobes were red.
Yi Qing couldn't stop laughing. Then she put on a heroic look. "I'm not afraid. I trust your self - control. Are you afraid I'll take advantage of you?"
Xiao Tian replied, "Stop fooling around."
"Come in and sleep quickly," Yi Qing rolled her eyes. She tried to lift the quilt but couldn't. Yawning, she said, "There's a certain charm in this wood shed. It's almost like being in the wild. Xiao Tian, you have quite an unusual taste."
Heaven can testify. She just wanted to hug him because he was warm and comfortable. How did it seem like she was seducing a young innocent man?