"Could it be...?"

  Sun Ming was secretly shocked and made guesses in his heart, but hesitated and didn't dare say it out loud.

  "Hmph... As above, so below. These people have a keen sense of smell, and their whole body is sensitive to the slightest touch. If it weren't for the intention from above, how would they come up with such ideas for promotion and wealth?"

  Yi Xun's lips pursed, and a cold smile flashed across her delicate face: "The Lin family has always been like this, wanting something and making a big show of it. They even have others running around for them, but in the end, they get everything and still manage to appear as pure and unblemished as gods!"

  Sun Ming listened and felt that she was hinting at something, but didn't know if it was about the Empress Dowager or the King of Jing, so he could only rub his nose and listen quietly.

  Yi Xun Di Ji didn't get up, half leaning on the couch, her feet resting on the emerald green jade stone footrest, making her look even more radiant and beautiful. She gazed at the nine phoenix golden silk cat eye bracelet on her wrist and said slowly: "It's a pity, they think of His Majesty as too simple... Hmph, 'a reward'!"

  She slightly raised her head and said to Sun Ming, who was shrouded in mist: "It's likely that Qian Xi is just being used as a pawn by others. If it were truly a reward, no matter how rare or precious the gift, the Emperor would bestow it himself. There's no need for an outsider like me to worry about it. What I'm afraid of is that this reward might be something out of the ordinary!"

  Sun Ming was greatly surprised, and saw the emperor's daughter covering her face with a fan, smiling lightly: "They must have gone crazy... They think the emperor is a paper-mache puppet? You just watch, this 'one reward' must be a fiefdom!"

  Sun Ming was shocked and his eyes widened: "The King of Jing, he has a fiefdom of thousands of miles in Jiangnan, is he still not satisfied?"

  "Jiangnan? That's a land of fish and rice, but even if I got the whole Jiangnan, it would only make me a rich man."

  The princess sneered, with a sharp and wise glint in her brow: "Jing Wang was extraordinary from childhood, and later indulging in pleasure was just hiding his light, what he wanted was always..."

  She stretched out her jade finger, pointing outside the window at the dark and cloudy sky.

  "This is treason of the highest order!!"

  Sun Ming was shocked and pale, hesitating: "This...can't be, can it?"

  "What Jing Wang wanted was a strategic location in the nine states, where he could advance to dominate the world and retreat to occupy a corner. Jiangnan, after all, was too elegant, not his ideal fiefdom, so..."

  The princess spoke eloquently, Sun Ming after all knew the military, a little bit of insight, he immediately understood his wife's meaning, and was both shocked and angry.

  Yi Xun Di Ji fiddled with the precious bangles on her hands, listening to the crisp sound of gold and jade colliding, and asked a sudden question: "Husband, do you think it's better to add flowers to brocade or to send charcoal in snowy weather?"

  "Of course it's the latter. We were born into this world, if we can't help those in trouble, what kind of good men are we?"

  He spoke at this time, loud and clear, if those who ridiculed him saw it, they would be stunned.

  Yi Xun Di Ji gazed at her, with an extremely gentle expression in his eyes: "People say you're reckless and ignorant, but I love your masculine spirit the most - it's just that those men in the world think you're a hen-pecked husband, who knows? - being heartless doesn't necessarily mean being a hero, how can one not be a good husband to their wife? (Note) - must one show off their prowess on women and children to be considered a hero?"

  Sun Ming rubbed his nose and smiled: "You were originally smarter than me, listening to your opinions more is what I should do, those people who love to wag their tongues can just go ahead."

  Yi Xun Di Ji sighed: "According to your temperament, adding flowers to the brocade for Empress Dowager and Jing Wang is something you would never do... This time, I also support you!"

  Sun Ming was greatly surprised, and his wife continued to say: "Everyone is following the trend, this time, if we help our imperial brother in his difficulties, wouldn't it be better than going to please the empress dowager?"

  At the mention of "Empress Dowager", a faint, almost imperceptible chill flashed across her face, and she immediately smiled: "The Emperor is my own brother, his temperament I understand best - Jing Wang will not be his match!"

  She made up her mind in an instant, got up from the couch, and loudly called out to her personal maid: "Help me and my husband change our clothes, prepare the sedan chair, and enter the palace immediately!"

  "Your Highness, it's going to pour down rain at any moment..."

  Yi Xing Di Ji cut off the nail and said: "Don't even care about the knife - go quickly!"

  Her voice was not loud, but it showed determination and strong will. Sun Ming supported her, the two exchanged a smile, and the son-in-law instructed again: "Bring another green bird feather cloak, that's warm!"

  ****

  A heavy rain is approaching, the thunder rumbles in waves, and the dark clouds like ink cover the sky and block out the sun, turning this bright and clear world into a dark night. The white lightning flashes across the sky, illuminating the world with a pale light, but between the flashes, it becomes even darker.

  In the Qianqing Palace, the current emperor was practicing calligraphy. He concentrated his mind and calmed his thoughts, seemingly unaware of the loud rumbling sounds coming from outside, as he freely wielded his brush on the rice paper with rich ink.

  Under the eaves, the eunuchs stood with their hands hanging down, their faces flickering in and out of sight in the electric light, showing a pale blue color, as if they were a group of ghosts and monsters walking in the sun.

  At this moment, a faint murmur of voices was heard outside the hall, accompanied by the crisp sound of cups and saucers, and a beautiful figure appeared at the door.

  "Your Majesty, I have brought you some iced tea and some mint pastries, which are your favorites!"

  Qī Fēi Jūn Tíng walked in, she was wearing a yellow gauze dress today, looking like a beautiful woman of twenty-eight years old, gentle and charming. Yuán Qí put down the brush in his hand, admiring her, smiled and said: "Really a water lily out of the water!"

  Qī Fēi received praise, a flush rose to her face, adding to her beauty, and she said with a smile: "I am already old, how can I be compared to the lovely lotus flower? My younger sister Méi is like a rare orchid under the moon!"

  Yuan Qi detected the sour tone in her words and smiled, saying: "Spring orchids and autumn chrysanthemums each have their own strengths, you're a few years older than her, but you understand things much better!"

  Zhi Fei was suddenly favored, she thought carefully and leaned into Yuan Qi's ear: "I know that Your Majesty has a hard time, there are many things that can be shared with you, it would make me very happy... unfortunately, I am too foolish..."

  She thought of the day before yesterday when she visited the Empress Dowager and regretted, "I'm still tongue-tied. When I brought up the topic, I should have persuaded the Empress Dowager to let Jing Wang receive the reward, so as not to cause more gossip!"

  "I'm afraid you're a kind intention, but what others want is a different reward..."

  The emperor replied leisurely, with a profound and unfathomable glint in his eyes. Empress Qi inadvertently caught sight of it, and her hands suddenly became sweaty.

  The normally gentle and benevolent emperor had eyes that were like bottomless deep pits of darkness, as if... they would suck people in, causing them to fall into a state of utter destruction!

  For some reason, she remembered that night at the Empress Dowager's banquet, Shang Yi's expression was as cunning as a ghost, and felt that the two were surprisingly similar.

  "Your Majesty...?"

  She called out tentatively, her voice trembling slightly.

  Yuan Qi turned his head around, grasped her hand and said: "Your hands are so cold, have you caught a chill?"

  His eyes are now bright and clear, where is the half of his previous fear?

  Is it just another illusion of mine?

  Ziqi was shocked and suspicious in her heart, and she couldn't utter a word.

  Yuanyu looked at her and smiled: "You have been loyal to me, I understand... As for the Empress Dowager and Jing Wang, you don't need to worry about them. It's just that your father's birthday is approaching, he was an old minister during the previous emperor's time, serving the imperial family all his life, truly a laborious and meritorious person. You, as his daughter, live deep in the palace, can only see him a few times a year..."

  He sighed and said: "So be it - this time, I specially allow you to return home for three days. You are my beloved concubine, can't be too shabby... especially grant you a luxurious sedan chair, all the ceremonial instruments, compared to the middle palace, just slightly reduced, you can rest assured, on the day of the birthday banquet, I will also send someone to bring gifts!"

  Ziqi listened to this string of generous gifts, her emotions stirred, and her blood vessels were all rushing.

  She spent a long time in the palace and knew that this "luan jia luan bo" was not like in the play, where any concubine could have one, but only the empress or the imperial noble consort who took charge of the six palaces could use it.

  The phoenix carriage is thin and light, although it's slightly reduced, but it also has the majestic air of a middle palace main room. Such an honor was actually bestowed upon herself!

  As for returning home, that is also an unattainable special decree. Generally, even concubines find it difficult to see their parents, let alone have a three-day return home!

  Consort Zhi's eyes welled up with tears, and for a moment she didn't dare believe it was true. Her voice trembling, she choked out: "Your Majesty..."

  Yuan Qi grasped her shoulder and comforted her in a warm tone: "You are my beloved concubine, although you have a bit of a temper, I love you the most. Lately, Empress Feng has been unwell, so it's unavoidable that I've neglected you..."

  "Your Majesty..."

  Ziqi felt a slight dizziness, boundless happiness, like the colorful clouds at the horizon, slowly falling down, she threw herself into Yuanqi's arms, overjoyed to tears.

  Note: This is the first two lines of Mr. Lu Xun's "Reply to a Friend's Jibe", the original poem reads:

  Heartless is not necessarily true heroism; how can one be a good husband if he does not love his child?

  Do you know the one who wildly whistled with joy? When he turns around, his eyes are smaller than a rabbit's.

  Luckily this is a fantasy piece, it's also quite strange and abrupt, but I really love this song!