Xiao Tian stood up and walked out.
Yi Qing was completely stunned. Was he angry?
Did the alcohol embolden the timid and make his temper flare up?
But soon, she heard Xiao Tian say to the imperial guards outside, "Bring two hot hot - water bottles and two more quilts."
So that's what he meant. Xiao Tian was still afraid he couldn't control himself. Yi Qing couldn't help covering her mouth and giggling.
The things were quickly brought. Xiao Tian wrapped the hot - water bottles with a thin quilt and stuffed them under Yi Qing's feet. Then he unfolded the other quilt and lay down next to her. He closed his eyes and didn't dare to look at her. "Go to sleep."
Yi Qing watched his long and thick eyelashes fluttering, his lips tightly pursed, and his posture rigid as if he didn't dare to move at all. She couldn't help laughing out loud.
How could there be such a cute person? She even felt tempted to act on her impulses.
If it weren't for the wrong place, she really wanted to test him out!
As the one labeled as the "little wolf dog", of course he had to prove his worth to live up to the name.
But looking at his cute appearance, Yi Qing couldn't help thinking that even if he wasn't that amazing, for the sake of his cuteness, she could reluctantly make do.
Compared to wild passion, she needed a warm bed and a warm - hearted person more.
The long - lasting warmth from the hot - water bottle under her feet seeped through the quilt and spread through her limbs and bones. She let out a soft sigh of comfort. "Xiao Tian, having you, what else could I ask for?"
Hearing this, Xiao Tian's eyelashes fluttered violently, but he stubbornly pretended to be asleep.
Yi Qing wasn't annoyed. She turned on her side and stared at his sleeping face without blinking, with a contented smile on her lips.
She didn't regret entering the General's Mansion. This step not only allowed her and Baozi to settle down but also introduced her to Xiao Tian, this treasure of a boy.
Really, sometimes she thought Xiao Tian was as innocent as a child, and sometimes as solid as a towering mountain.
The next day, the emperor let the two of them go, as if nothing had happened.
Before leaving, the emperor said to Yi Qing meaningfully, "Be careful when you get back."
Yi Qing was completely confused, but facing this unpredictable emperor, she didn't press for details.
Xiao Tian, however, glanced at the emperor.
"A woman's business has nothing to do with you, nor with me," the emperor said with a half - smile.
Yi Qing thought, The emperor has gone crazy. He can't even speak clearly.
For things she couldn't understand, who knew if the emperor was just being mysterious?
Yi Qing didn't take it to heart, but Xiao Tian seemed quite bothered.
The news that the imperial noble consort and the eldest prince were assassinated and died quickly spread like a thunderclap, shocking the whole court.
"You didn't cure them?" Hearing the news of Xue Ci's death, Zisu stared at Yi Qing in surprise with wide - open eyes.
"Assassination! Do you understand the word assassination?" Yi Qing rolled her eyes.
"Oh, so it means Xiao Tian is incompetent. He couldn't even stop an assassin. The imperial noble consort is dead, and the only prince is also dead. I wonder where the assassin is so powerful?" she said suspiciously.
"The more you know, the faster you die," Yi Qing snorted. "Don't you smell the straw on me? I was locked in the wood shed. I didn't lose my head only because of the emperor's whim."
"Didn't you try to make a move on Xiao Tian before you were about to die?"
Yi Qing sighed. "I didn't think about it at first. Then his actions made me a bit tempted. But finally, my conscience got the better of me, and I pulled back in time."
"He'll be yours sooner or later. Why act so coy?"
"I can't scare him. I'll take it slow," Yi Qing said, rubbing her chin with a mischievous smile.
Hers? She liked this way of putting it.
"Did Baozi look for me?" Yi Qing asked.
"No. When you were away, he seemed quite happy because he could cuddle with his dog and sleep," Zisu replied.
Yi Qing said, "He even let the dog get on the kang?"
"It's his and Xiao Tian's kang. It has nothing to do with you."
Yi Qing called the maid over and told her to remember to bathe the dog every day.
She also remembered the pair of turtles she got and told someone to cut raw meat to feed them.
Turtles are just turtles. She hoped that her relationship with Xiao Tian would be as long - lasting as a turtle's lifespan.
Having witnessed how much the emperor loved Xue Ci and how their relationship turned sour, and finally seeing Xue Ci die at the emperor's hands... Yi Qing always felt a strange sense of melancholy.
Love is not easy to build bit by bit, but it can collapse so quickly.
She hoped she would never have to face such a tragedy.
She treated him whole - heartedly and hoped he would treat her with the same sincerity.
"I have another thing to tell you. It's bad news. Do you want to hear it now or later?" Zisu's cold words interrupted her daydream.
"Can I never hear it?"
"You'll have to face it sooner or later. You can't avoid it."
Yi Qing slumped her shoulders helplessly. "Then tell me. Can't there be some good news for a change these days!"
"The house opposite our General's Mansion has been bought. Guess who bought it?"
"Do I know this person?"
"Yes."
Yi Qing rolled her eyes. Bad news, someone she knew. She didn't seem to have many enemies she knew...
"Ping Xinian?!" Her eyes suddenly widened, and she gritted her teeth.
"Very smart. You're right," Zisu said.
"How do you know? Has she moved in already?" Yi Qing was so angry that her face turned green.
Was this woman shameless? She was forced by Xiao Tian to write a letter to the emperor, and now she was coming to annoy her again?
"Not yet. I advise you not to be angry because you'll have plenty of time to be angry in the future," Zisu said. "Prince Zhen wanted to buy that mansion. I went with him. But the other party was so rich that they directly added two thousand taels of silver..."
"Didn't Prince Zhen raise the price again?" Yi Qing asked.
"Yes, he added thirty thousand taels of silver and got back fifteen thousand taels."
Yi Qing blinked. "Did they collude with the homeowner to raise the price and trick the fool?"
"Yes. Do you feel better now?"
"A bit. But thinking that she's so determined to live so close to me makes me feel sick," Yi Qing said, rubbing her chin. "Zisu, do you think since Xiao Jinghan is gone and her dream of being a co - wife is shattered, why is she still doing this?"
There was no doubt that the emperor would never issue another edict to betroth her to Xiao Jinghan.
"Maybe it's just to annoy you. Her goal has been achieved."
"I don't think so. Could it be that she has taken a fancy to Xiao Tian?"
Zisu spat. "Just because you treasure him doesn't mean others have to. I'd rather believe that there's something in the General's Mansion that she really wants. But don't worry. The house is being renovated now. I'm sure she'll move in soon. You'll find out."
"I don't want to find out at all," Yi Qing rolled her eyes.
Zisu changed the topic. "Do you want me to send someone to buy some white cloth and prepare for it?"
With the simultaneous deaths of the imperial noble consort and the eldest prince, the emperor might order a national mourning.
"No," Yi Qing waved her hand. "It won't be that grand."