Chapter 85: The Ambition of the Emperor (1)

Translator: Storm in a Teacup

Since Qi Sheng had already allowed me to leave the palace, there was no need to hide. I asked Xie Yi to prepare everything I needed to go outside.

When I went to the Grand Empress Dowager’s to tell her about it, the Empress Dowager was there as well. To make things easier, I asked them, “Grandma, mother, I was heading to Fuyuan Temple, do you need me to bring you anything?”

The Empress Dowager was always nice to me, so she shook her head like she always did after hearing my proposal.

But the Grand Empress Dowager told me, “A few days ago, I dreamed of an old friend of mine. I thought about him a lot recently. Since you are heading to Fuyuan Temple, please light an incandescent light for me on his behalf in front of the Buddha.

I nodded.

“Cui Mountain is a nice place. My parents used to own a large patch of land in the mountain behind. We actually diverted the water from Qingshui River there for landscaping. I used to hang around there when I was a kid, and I lived there for quite a long time after I grew up…” The old lady twirled the prayer beads in her hand. There was a moment of trance in her eyes but soon she regained her composure. She looked up and smiled, “Lately, I keep thinking about what happened when I was young. I am indeed getting old.”

I marveled in my heart at the long life the old lady had lived, as nearly everyone of her generation had passed away, and I didn’t know whether the friend she missed was still alive.

I didn’t know why, but somehow, I felt a bit sad. Everyone lived a life and even if you reached the status of the old lady, what did it even matter? Even if you’d been calculating for all your life, in the end, there was nothing you would gain.

Thinking this way, I suddenly felt there was no need to go to Fuyuan Temple.

Maybe I looked too depressed, so when Qi Sheng was visiting Wei’er in my palace, he asked me, “What happened?”

I lingered on my thought and then answered, “I am the Empress, so even when I change into casual clothes and pack light, it is still inconvenient for me to go to Fuyuan Temple. If I had known it earlier, I should’ve asked Xie Yi to do me the favor. Why should I bother go there by myself?”

Hearing my words, Qi Sheng said nothing.

However, I didn’t expect Xie Yi to drag me out of bed early next morning and change me into a dress that was totally different from what I wore usually when I was still half in my dream. She took me to the dresser and helped me with the makeup.

My eyelids seemed to be glued together. I felt so sleepy and asked Xie Yi, “Now is not the time for greeting yet, so why are we doing this so early in the morning? And where are the others? Why are you here alone?”

Xie Yi whispered at my ear, “His Majesty just sent a note and asked Your Majesty to get dressed like this.” Excitement could be sensed in her tone.”

I was confused. When I was contemplating on what was happening, Xie Yi put a curtained hat in my head. She took my hand, sneaked out of the hall and took a detour out of the Xing Sheng Palace.

There was an unimpressive carriage parked behind Xing Sheng Palace. As Xie Yi led me to the carriage, the stableman waiting beside the carriage put a footstool on the ground and told me, “Your Majesty, His Majesty is waiting inside.”

Qi Sheng? How come he was waiting for me?

I was surprised but Xie Yi had already helped me get into the carriage. She whispered to me, “I will be following behind. If Your Majesty have anything to command, just ask someone to send me a message.”

Then she drew the curtain on the carriage for me.

Inside the carriage, Qi Sheng, who was dressed like a normal scholar, was sitting against the wall. He indifferently turned his eyes to me when he heard the sound.

I was in a moment of trance and then entered the carriage obediently. The carriage wasn’t big, but it was decorated in a comfortable way. It was equipped with everything needed, pier table, cushions and so on. Though none of the decorations were brand new, if you put your eyes on it, you would notice the subtle differences.

Modest luxury might be the correct words to describe it.

Qi Sheng shot a glance at me and then shifted his attention away. He comfortably leaned against the cushion, closed his eyes for rest, and commanded coolly, “Let’s go now.”

Someone outside reverently replied “yes”, and then the carriage slowly started off.

From the very beginning, Qi Sheng said nothing to me, neither did he told me where he was taking me.

The carriage was a lot smaller compared to the previous ones that I’d shared with him. He had spread his arms and legs, so I had to quietly sit on my heels, or else I would brush against him.

Even in this way, we could feel each other’s breath.

Suddenly I felt uneasy. Apart from in bed, I had barely been so close to him, especially when we were both tidily dressed. I didn’t know why, but it felt more comfortable naked in bed than what we were doing now.

I took off the curtained hat and put it aside, then carefully inspected everything inside the carriage, and my sight eventually landed on him. Though his eyes were closed, his eyelashes were fluttering, so clearly, he wasn’t asleep.

I thought for a while and asked, “Your Majesty, have you had your breakfast?”

Qi Sheng opened his eyes and looked at me.

I instinctively explained, “I’m not hungry, really. I’m just asking.”

A trace of smile crawled to the corner of his mouth. He sat up and pulled a pastry box from under the pier table and handed it to me, “Help yourself.”

I opened it and there were quite a few inside. Then I stopped refusing and took one out to treat myself.

Qi Sheng still lazily leaned against the cushion and asked me absent-mindedly, “Why don’t you ask me where we are going?”

Why should I ask? We were in a small carriage, with a few people, so where could we possibly go? He couldn’t take me to Yunxi to watch the battle. I wasn’t that stupid to have mistaken this.

I stopped and swallowed the crumbs in my mouth. Then I asked, “Aren’t we going to Fuyuan Temple in Cui mountain?”

Qi Sheng furrowed his brows.

I pretended that I had not seen this and continued eating the pastry. When I was chewing, Qi Sheng suddenly leaned over and took the half pastry I held in my hand. He asked gently, “Is it so tasty?”

Then he put the pastry inside his own mouth.

I silently stared at him and he looked at me fervently, as if expecting something.

I wanted to blush to show I was shy, but a flirt like this was not enough to make me blush!

I had stopped using this kind of tactic to hit on girls years ago. If I were him, I would hold my hand and carry off the half pastry with my own mouth and lick the fingertip with my tongue.

That was called having a thing, and that was real flirting.

Surely, he wouldn’t have learned anything from that bone skinny Jiang shi.

I looked at Qi Sheng empathetically, took another pastry from inside the box and handed it to him. I asked him solemnly, “Is half of it enough? Do you want another one?”

Qi Sheng’s face turned ashen. He took a deep breath, leaned back to the cushion and closed his eyes to rest. It continued for a long while and he said nothing ever again.

I reckoned it must be difficult to pretend to be asleep while you didn’t want to, especially when the pretence continued for such a long time.

If I kept him uncomfortable for the whole journey, he would definitely seek revenge afterwards.

I thought for a while, held my arms against the pier table and leaned towards Qi Sheng. I asked in a low voice, “Do you want to talk with me?”

He still kept his eyes closed, and unconcernedly nodded.

I secretly made a gesture at him to show I despised him, but then I earnestly asked, “How is the battle going in Yunxi?”

Qi Sheng finally opened his eyes, his dark eyes calm. He looked at me for a while and then replied, “It is going well. If everything’s alright, the battle will be over early next year.”

Then he quietly stared at me, as if expecting my next question.

I solemnly nodded, and anxiously looked at him. I asked, “Where will we have lunch?”

He went stiff for a moment and then took another deep breath.

I smiled and patted on his chest to help him breathe, “I was joking. We barely hang out, so don’t be so tightened up, or we’ll miss the beautiful scenery outside.”

Then I leaned over and drew the curtain on Qi Sheng’s side.

It was early summer. The trees were lush, the flowers were blooming and even the wind was blowing with warmness and made you feel cozy.

I turned to look at Qi Sheng, but he was not looking at the mountain outside, instead he was staring at my chest. I lowered my head and saw my breast rising and falling as I breathed.

I sighed. I hunched to stand up and stepped over the pier table, settling myself on Qi Sheng’s lap. I undressed in his stunned look and leaned towards him.

His body went stiff, his muscle tightened, his breath became heavy and subconsciously he put his hands on my waist.

I gently breezed over his lips and landed on his neck. I whispered to him, “After I spent the night in Da Ming Palace, Jiang shi stopped me on the way and mocked me that I served you only with my beauty. However, she doesn’t understand how grateful I am to my beauty. When you cut all my feathers, I am still able to please you with my body, so even I cannot be the phoenix that soars in the sky, I can still be the goldfinch in the cage, free from the sufferings of storms and frosts. I am very lucky.”

Then I contained his ear lobe in my mouth.

Qi Sheng tightly gripped my waist in his hands, then pushed me away slowly but firmly. He looked down, and quietly put my gown back on. After he fastened the last belt on my gown, he gently said to me, “You are not a goldfinch, you are my Empress, my wife that will share the world with me.”

I was stunned, and looked at him dubiously.

He looked up at me, “You don’t have to play tricks with me. The reason why I would respond to you is because I can hear what I want to hear from your words. For instance, you brought up Jiang shi. Though you meant to tell on her, it shows you are becoming jealous just like a normal woman will.”

He smiled faintly and stared into my eyes, “Jealousy, caprice, even vanity or arbitrary, everything you’ve lost in the first ten years or so in your life, I will gradually find them back for you. I will forgive you, put up with you, spoil you, and love you, until you are willing to take my hand and stand by my side.”