Chapter 7

Chapter 7

“I have so, so much to tell you.”

“What is it?”

I took the orange Yin Zhi handed me, cradled it in my hands, and told him with utmost sincerity, “I like you.”

Fourth Younger Sister had specifically instructed me that whenever I had the chance, I must tell the Emperor that I liked him. That way, he would surely like me back.

“Why would he definitely like me if I do that?” I had been truly puzzled, looking at Fourth Younger Sister in confusion. “And why do I have to snatch the Emperor?”

“You little dummy,” Fourth Younger Sister had scolded me gently, pulling me into a hug. “No one could ever dislike you.”

“If you snatch the Emperor, you can truly live a good life.”

I had hugged her back, nodding with only a half-understanding. As long as Fourth Younger Sister said it, it had to be right; I only needed to do as she told me. Besides, I already liked the Emperor to begin with.

So, looking at Yin Zhi now, I repeated myself: “I really, really like you.”

“Is that so?” Yin Zhi looked at me with an amused expression, asking in return.

“Really.” Thinking he didn’t believe me, I asked him with a very solemn expression, “Do you remember when you once visited my uncle’s house?”

Yin Zhi pondered for a moment before remembering. “…It was the winter of Zhengyuan 37th Year.”

“Yes!” I nodded in pleasant surprise. Holding up the orange, I tilted my head to look at him. “Three years ago in winter, you asked me why I wasn’t wearing shoes, and you asked me if I was cold.” I couldn’t help but smile as I recalled the first time I met him.

It must have been at night. Ah Lao, the old woman my uncle sent to look after me, had fallen asleep and wouldn’t wake up no matter how much I called. I ran out of the small courtyard where I had lived for over a decade, wanting to find Fourth Younger Sister. The estate was huge, and though I took many twists and turns, no one stopped me. Finally, I ran into a large crowd of people in a corridor.

Walking at the very front was Yin Zhi.

He was wrapped entirely in fox fur, his face pale as if he were ill. I stared at him blankly, thinking only that this person was truly beautiful, until he frowned at the people beside him. “Whose child is this?”

No one stepped forward, so he turned back to look at me. His brow relaxed, and his voice was extremely gentle as he asked me-

“Why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

“Are you cold?”

I was still too silly to know how to reply. Dressed in thin clothes, I could only hug my arms for warmth.

Yin Zhi took off his fox fur cloak and draped it over me. He seemed to have urgent business, as the group left in a hurry shortly after.

I watched their retreating figures, suddenly feeling an indescribable sadness. Later, I learned that the person who had draped the cloak over me was the Crown Prince.

That fox fur was so very warm.

I had never worn such warm and beautiful clothes before. Unfortunately, I didn’t know where my uncle’s wife had put it. She said she would keep it safe for me, but she hadn’t returned it even by the time I entered the palace. While I was feeling regretful, Yin Zhi seemed to recall that day, looking somewhat startled. “That child… was Xiao Man?”

“Mm-hm!” I nodded vigorously, feeling overjoyed. “It was me!”

“But that child looked… only eight or nine years old.” He furrowed his brows. “Xiao Man is sixteen now; back then, you should have been thirteen.”

He studied my face closely. After a long while, he sighed. “…It really is Xiao Man. That child had a tiny red mole between her brows as well.” As he spoke, his fingertip gently tapped the spot between my eyebrows.

I stayed perfectly still. Only after he withdrew his hand did I continue speaking. “Do you know why I entered the palace?”

“Why?”

Yin Zhi followed up cooperatively.

“That day, my uncle asked me if I wanted to be the New Emperor’s Imperial Concubine.”

I spoke slowly. My pace wasn’t fast, mainly because if I had too much to say and spoke too quickly, I would start to stumble over my words.

“I asked who the New Emperor was, and my uncle said the New Emperor was the former Crown Prince. As soon as I heard it was the Crown Prince, I agreed to enter the palace!”

“The Crown Prince is a very good person. He gave me his cloak, and he even asked why I wasn’t wearing shoes and if I was cold.”

“So that’s why you entered the palace?”

Yin Zhi felt quite helpless. He shook his head. “Caring for my subjects is simply what I ought to do… You are still so young, and this palace is not a good place.”

“No-” I interrupted him. “It is a good place.”

I smiled at him unconsciously, counting the benefits of the palace one by one. “I get enough to eat, I have warm clothes to wear, and there’s Doukou and several little maids to play with me…”

“Is that all it takes?” He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Truly a child.”

“Yes,” I answered him with certainty, then continued, “Before entering the palace, I thought that since the Crown Prince was such a good person, he would definitely be a good Emperor too. If I married him, I would be able to eat my fill and wear warm clothes.”

“And I was right.” I laughed happily, very proud of myself for making the right decision. “Since entering the palace, I haven’t gone hungry once.”

Yin Zhi suddenly began to cough violently. He picked up some tea and drank it to soothe himself before continuing our conversation.

“Did Xiao Man go hungry often before?”

Hearing him ask this, I shook my head hesitantly. “Not exactly… In the three months before I entered the palace, I wasn’t hungry all the time.”

In fact, every meal then had left me so full my stomach hurt. They said I was going to the palace but was too thin, which would be troublesome, so they kept feeding me.

I had clutched my stomach, not daring to cry out in pain.

My uncle’s wife had said that for a dummy like me, if I didn’t behave, they would throw me out onto the streets and leave me to be a little beggar, wandering around for scraps.

“No wonder you look so frail and young.”

Yin Zhi’s gaze was complicated as he patted my head with pity. I tilted my head and leaned in to make it easier for him.

This time, he rubbed my head a little longer than the last.

I also felt that I liked him a little more than before.

When it was time to leave, Yin Zhi personally saw me off. As I was about to board the sedan chair, I saw Doukou standing aside with her head bowed. I turned back and tugged on Yin Zhi’s sleeve, signaling for him to lower himself a bit; I still had something to say to him. To a shortie like me, he was extremely tall.

“Ah Zhi, you’re really a good person, you’re really good to me, and I really like you.”

Three “reallys” in a row left him momentarily stunned.

“Um…” After finishing my piece, I looked at him expectantly. “That plate of snacks sitting by your hand earlier-can I take one with me?”