Yang Yan froze, and immediately put on a serious look and reached out to pat on his head, “The thing is… You were suddenly grounded, so Lord Ninth asked me to see what’s going on. Besides, your father went to Lord Ninth secretly and said he had a niece who is a beauty and still unmarried, and that he intended to marry her to him. Lord Ninth asked me to tell you and see what you make of this thing.”

I was dumb for a second. What niece? Since when did Zhang’s father get a niece?

For two generations, the Zhang family had more sons than daughters. In the generation of Zhang’s father, Mrs. Zhang began to have daughters after she gave birth to six sons, and she gave birth to three babies with the first two died. Finally, there was the third daughter.

General Zhang didn’t think it was a big problem at that time. They need all the sons they could get for their military family. Moreover, Emperor Chengzu was still alive at that time, and the Zhang family didn’t dare to conduct any political marriage.

The situation remained the same at Zhang shi’s generation.

Several boys preceded Zhang shi, and they were left with only two daughters. One was Zhang shi, and the other one was Second Miss, who was sent off to marry He Bingze. There was simply no other girl to be sent to Bathroom Lord.

The situation over at Zhang shi’s second uncle’s side was pretty much the same. He had only one daughter, but she was only thirteen, not yet at the age to be married.

The rest of the uncles were doing even worse. Some even had no daughter for the moment.

Noticing my surprise, Yang Yan smiled and said, “Should be the daughter of Zhang Ling. Lord Ninth and I have sifted through all the girls in your family and there is only one possible candidate. But his daughter is only thirteen. I have seen her once when I was on the street of Jingyang. That little girl was riding a high horse and she was whipping that horse so hard that it kept running like crazy. Would you call that girl a virtuous woman? Your family certainly knows how to lie! You must have set a good example for the girls in your family.”

I was in no mood to appreciate the sarcasm in his voice and what had been occupying my mind was the sudden revelation that the Zhang clan was trying to cut me lose now that I seemed like a failed investment.

They listened to my advice and were going to get into alliance with Bathroom Lord, but they didn’t think I would be much of a help for their cause, and so they sent in another daughter of the Zhang clan.

Even though this girl was only thirteen.

I felt silent and Yang Yan also stopped laughing with clear trace of sympathy in his eyes, “What are you planning to do?”

I smiled and asked him in return, “You should ask your brother that. What does he want to do?”

Yang Yan stared at me for a while and said, “He said he would always be waiting for you.”

I paused when I heard that and looked up to meet his eyes, “My, where did you pick up such a corny line?”

Yang Yan exclaimed, “What? Don’t you women like to hear sweettalks like that? They always say that in the play.”

I cast a look at Yang Yan and replied, “They also say that a poor scholar can marry a wealthy noble lady. Do you also believe that?”

Embarrassed, Yang Yan scratched his head and said, “He wanted to hear your opinion on this issue.”

Isn’t this obvious? If he doesn’t want to accept on the offer, he wouldn’t have asked me, instead, he would have turn it down the moment he received it.

I thought for a while and laughed, “Nothing.”

Yang Yan froze and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

I twitched my lips and replied, “Nothing. You only need to deliver that word to him and he will understand what I mean.”

Yang Yan said nothing and got off bed with a serious face.

I got off bed after him, then asked him in a low voice, “Did you come through the wall? Is it difficult to learn that?”

Yang Yan swept a glance at me and replied, “No, it’s easy. You just need to get yourself born again and maybe practice it from the beginning for like a dozen years.”

I figured that rebirth was not a walk in the park. I would have to talk to Heavenly Lord of Life first before making any rash decision.

The moment I walked Yang Yan out of the palace, I noticed Xie Yi who was sleeping on the floor not far from the palace entrance. I was reminded that I had an important thing to do and so I hurriedly instructed Yang Yan, “Also, please tell Chu wang to check on Xie Yi. She said that she had a brother and he is held as a leverage by Qi Sheng. Find out if there is any truth in it.”

Yang Yan asked, “Who is Xie Yi?”

I pointed at the floor beneath his feet, “There, right beside your feet.”

Yang Yan lowered down his head and answered, “Ok, I see. I have drugged her. Shouldn’t be long before she wakes up. She would think she had a nap.”

I nodded, and when I saw his hands holding the door of the palace, sorrow somehow overwhelmed me as I blurted out, “Come back tomorrow.”

Yang Yan halted his steps and turned back with a weird expression on his face.

I subconsciously covered my mouth. Shoot, why did I say that?

Yang Yan smiled and whispered, “Do you really take me for an adulterous man?”

My awkwardness was driven away by his shameless reply as I smiled back, “Well, don’t you know this is how prostitute sees her client off?”

Seeing that I was being even more thick-skinned, Yang Yan stopped smiling and with two feigned coughs, he went out of the palace.

I stuck my head out of the door and watched as he nimbly jumped upward, grabbed the eaves and climbed up on the roof.

I relaxed and went back to bed, trying to resume my sleep. But I couldn’t sleep no matter how.

The reason why Qi Sheng didn’t kill me was because I was from the Zhang clan.

The Zhang clan held me in high regard because of my position as the Empress.

And the only reason why Zhao wang and Bathroom Lord would talk to me, was because I am Qi Sheng’s Empress and the daughter of the Zhang clan.

Without those two identities, I was simply nothing.

I knew full well of the reality, and yet I still got myself in this situation. What an idiot I was.

I had squandered these two years and achieved nothing. I was disliked by the boss and unfavored by the staff. I got no loyal maids and servants at my side, and no influential generals out backing me. And now, even my own family was seeking another way out…

If I didn’t get suspicious over Qi Sheng’s invitation to bring in Madam Zhang, I would never be able to realize what kind of situation I was in.

While thinking, I gradually dozed off.

Somehow, in my dream, I was swimming in a pond of freezing, bone-piercing water. While shaking from the coldness, I was glad that I could swim and so I swam frantically. Just when I was about to make shore, Qi Sheng suddenly appeared and kicked me right back into the water.

Undaunted, I kept climbing my way up the shore, and each time Qi Sheng would kick me back in.

As frustrated as I was, with the last bit of strength I could summon, I yelled at Qi Sheng, “Up yours! You scum!”

I opened my eyes and found that Qi Sheng was standing beside my bedside, looking at me with a solemn face.

The sheer shock sent by his arrival drove away what sleepiness I had in an instant! I sprang up from the bed and then edged myself to the corner while looking at him with a vigilant look on my face.

Ever since what happened last time, although he would frequently visit my place, he only went straight to the princess.

I didn’t want to see him, and so I always calculated his time of arrival and had nanny send the princess to the back of the palace while I stayed in my chamber.

Therefore, we hadn’t seen each other for a long time.

He just stood there in silence with one of his hand placed on his back and quietly surveyed me.

While I was nervous, I cast a look outside and saw it was still pitch dark. I didn’t know the time, but when Yang Yan left, it was already very late. Why the day hadn’t dawned yet after I took a long sleep?

I subconsciously collected my robe and then saw that the brows of Qi Sheng seemed to have raised a bit.

I realized that I was being totally petite with this move and immediately let go of the hand grabbing my robe, trying to pretend as calm as I could, “Your Majesty, this thing is only fun when both parties want it. If you really want it, I will serve you right. But if you are trying to humiliate me with this, then you have to think again. After all, it’s not like we haven’t done it before and I will find that humiliating. We have a child, remember?”

Qi Sheng listened quietly, showing no sign of rage whatsoever.

Though with an obvious nervousness on my face, my mind was working at full speed. His sudden appearance was actually a chance for me to “get straight” with him.

But somehow, my head still felt a bit dizzy and my body limp, and so I laid back down, contemplating on how I should say my next line without arousing his suspicion.

I closed my eyes, and worked on my emotions as I held down my welling tears, “Qi Sheng, let’s be honest with each other, OK?”

After a while of silence, Qi Sheng finally replied, “OK.”

I smiled, “Well, I have to hand it to you. I have never known a more calculating and patient man than you.”

Qi Sheng said nothing but stood there quietly.

“You have always known that I was pushing for the alliance between the Zhang clan and Chu wang and that I am after the position of Empress Dowager. That’s why you kept silent, because you know that as long as we don’t have a prince, I am in no position to do that. That’s also why you kept sleeping in your own place, and in case someone should sneak pregnant woman into the palace, you even went so far as to avoid any visit to your own harem.”

That’s why he had been keeping away from women after he took the throne. It was never about he being a loyal man!

I opened my eyes and watched the top curtain embroidered with all kinds of perfume sachets. On those sachets there were patterns of blossoms, dragons and phoenixes, which represented fortunes and prosperities.