Chapter 5
That “What?” had two meanings.
Who was going to kill whom?
And since when had the palace contained a noble consort?
Jiang Youde had not survived longer than any other eunuch at Xiao Xuechi’s side for nothing.
He had perfected the art of reading a face. “Your Majesty, the noble consort is the Duke of Jingguo’s granddaughter. She entered the palace today. Presumably she angered Her Highness while paying her respects at Penglai Palace.”
Only then did I learn that on the day he chose his brides before the hall, he had selected not only me as empress but a noble consort as well.
The Duke of Jingguo’s granddaughter, Liu Guiyan.
I hurried back to Penglai Palace.
The main hall was already in an uproar.
“Wang Jingwan! My grandfather is the Duke of Jingguo! You’re merely the grand chamberlain’s daughter. How dare you have me beaten to death?”
“Keep shouting, and I’ll have your grandfather beaten to death too.”
I had never heard my own voice sound so bored, so utterly lawless.
My vision darkened.
“Y-you’re completely mad!”
“Mad?” Xiao Xuechi scoffed. “I can be even—”
No, you can’t!
I nearly tore my throat shouting. “Stop!”
Liu Guiyan evidently knew what Xiao Xuechi was like.
When she saw “Xiao Xuechi” arrive, she didn’t run weeping to beg “him” for justice. Instead, she instantly fell silent and quietly knelt before me, swallowing even her sobs.
Xiao Xuechi raised an eyebrow at her, then turned to me.
Suddenly he rose, caught my sleeve, and called in an exquisitely lilting voice, “Your Majesty—”
Jiang Youde and the palace servants dropped to their knees, terrified by this bold act. Even Liu Guiyan drew a sharp breath.
They were already looking at Xiao Xuechi as though he were dead.
But the scene they expected never happened. What they saw was the vicious emperor shakily supporting the empress’s hand and asking softly through gritted teeth:
“For heaven’s sake, what did the noble consort do to offend you on her very first day?”
Xiao Xuechi gave a faint scoff.
“She’s too noisy. And she dared tell me that although she’s only a consort, she isn’t afraid of me. I merely wanted to teach her a lesson. Is even that forbidden, Your Majesty?”
Those last two words sounded tender and sweet. If it hadn’t been my voice and my face, I might have softened.
I smiled cheerfully.
Inside, I cursed him eight hundred times.
“Dead people can’t learn lessons. Why don’t we consider another punishment? Withholding her allowance, confinement, copying books…”
Before I could finish, a sudden dizziness swept over me.
Instinctively, I leaned against the person beside me.
Wait. Against his chest?
I blinked in confusion.
After a moment of astonishment, Xiao Xuechi was gazing down at me with a faint, ambiguous smile.
“We’ve changed back, Empress.”
He bent close to my ear and spoke softly. “A moment ago, you seemed to be contradicting me. Everyone who has contradicted me has died horribly. But our bond is different. I’ll let you choose for yourself. How would you like to die?”