CH 20

This bow was used for hunting before they got married. It might have been too long. Although the bow was well maintained, the strength of the string had weakened a lot.

Zhang Siyong’s angry yell came from outside: “Who was it? Dare to assassinate me?!”

He was a martial artist who was practicing all the year round and had been through a lot of battles. Thus, once he noticed the movement, he avoided the sharp arrow that shot at his heart mercilessly.

Yun Qingci felt a little regretful.

With Li Ying’s shooting skills, if he shot faster, Zhang Siyong would have already been dead at this moment.

It’s just that when Yun Qingci came here, he didn’t think that Li Ying would really agree to let him aim an arrow at his uncle. He seemed to underestimate Li Ying’s acting skills.

This man was meticulous, and he must have expected Zhang Siyong to avoid before he dared to shoot.

Yun Qingci ridiculed him thoroughly in his heart and retracted the bow into the carriage.

Zhang Siyong had already pulled out the arrow, and blood flowed wildly over his chest. But the arrow didn’t pierce deeply and didn’t hit a fatal point, so his life was narrowly saved. He was cautious and knowing that he would go out today, he had put on his armor in advance.

Old Marquis Zhang’s soldiers quickly surrounded the carriage at the entrance of the alley. With a clanging sound, long swords were unsheathed one after another, set in formation.

Zhang Siyong’s face was gloomy as he shouted, “Who is Your Excellency, and why are you hiding in the carriage to deliberately hurt people?!”

He knew that since the other party dared to hurt him in front of the Marquis’s Mansion, he must have had a good backing. He mentally crossed out several families who had contradictions with the Zhang family and secretly clenched a sword in his hand.

Since it was a deliberate provocation by the other party, don’t blame his men for being ruthless. The country’s laws were clear, and killing in self-defense was not murder.

Even if he made trouble in front of the emperor, he was within his rights.

He stared at the carriage intently and did not notice that Jin Huan and Yinxi were looking at him coolly. Mr. Liu did not come today and His Majesty was hiding in the carriage. This guy was really bold to draw a sword at His Majesty’s carriage.

Li Ying was waiting for Yun Qingci’s instructions: “Since he is not dead, does Lord Empress want me to show up?”

Yun Qingci shrank his head and said innocently: “I didn’t hurt anyone.”

Li Ying smiled.

Outside, Zhang Siyong said impatiently: ”Whose b*tch are you…”

The carriage door was pushed open.

The emperor was dressed in a black outfit, and his splendid dragon boots poked out slightly from under the hem of his robe. Every inch of this man’s body seemed to overflow with magnificence. Just sitting there, he made people feel cold.

The unfinished words stuck in his throat, Zhang Siyong swallowed heavily.

There was a continuous ‘clang’ sound, as the soldiers dropped their swords and knelt down in horror.

“Your, Your Majesty, greetings to Your Majesty! Forgive this servant for a poor welcome.”

Zhang Siyong’s face turned pale.

In the past he had never feared Li Ying. After all, he was Li Ying’s uncle. Unless he made a big mistake, Li Ying would not touch him. But today, Li Ying appeared here and shot an arrow at him…

He was sweating profusely and didn’t even dare to ask if he had done something wrong.

There was a beautiful man in Li Ying’s arms. His face was fairy-like, but when he turned his head gently, the impression he made was that of a snake, cold and dangerous.

Yun Qingci.

Yun Qingci, what’s wrong with him?

This evildoer.

Li Ying got out of the carriage still embracing Yun Qingqi, and the latter stood beside him obediently, ready to watch how the scene would be played next.

Li Ying didn’t tell him to get up, and Zhang Siyong didn’t dare to move. He only saw the dragon boots walk up to the sword on the ground and a bamboo-white hand pick up the sword

Zhang Siyong had goose bumps all over his body.

At this moment, there was a movement in the mansion, and Old Marquis Zhang hurried out with Li Ying’s eldest uncle and second uncle.

One of these two people was an official in the Ministry of War, and the other was the chief lieutenant. Both of them were people in power who could scare civilians to death, and everything the Zhang family owned had been given to them by Li Ying during the seven years of his reign.

He ascended the throne at the age of thirteen. At that time, Prime Minister Yun was often by his side as an auxiliary advisor, but though he had been hand-picked by the late emperor, he was always an outsider in Li Ying’s eyes, not to mention that there was the Empress Dowager ready to provoke discord.

Li Ying was raised by the Empress Dowager since he was a child. He had a deep relationship with her and always respected her very much.

When they were newly married, Li Ying told him everything, including the fact that the Empress Dowager had asked him for official positions, but no matter how much he respected the Empress Dowager, he was still the emperor, and he was in a dilemma between principle and family affection.

In fact, Empress Dowager Zhang not only cried in front of Li Ying, but also in front of Yun Qingci. She cried that she was not loved by the late emperor. She cried that she had finally endured until the time the prince became the emperor, but Li Ying was distant. Was Li Ying the same as the late emperor and, after ascending the throne, didn’t want to recognize her as a mother?

Yun Qingci thought about his own mother and helped the Empress Dowager to persuade Li Ying.

He originally didn’t want Li Ying’s mother to be hurt because of such trivial things, but in the end the Zhang family was strengthened and the Yun family was weakened, and it became a matter of raising a tiger.

However, the monstrous power of his maternal family was not a bad thing for Li Ying. With the help of his maternal uncles, Li Ying’s status was only getting more and more stable.

Seeing these three people coming out, Yun Qingci thought that this scene was probably over.

As soon as these people sang in harmony, they would soon turn the matter of stealing the porcelain into a small thing.

He took the hand stove from Yinxi and indifferently watched the three of them kneel down: “Greetings to Your Majesty, we don’t know what crime this dog committed, but we hope Your Majesty will clear the misunderstanding!”

Since they asked, Li Ying clarified: “Lord Empress’s porcelain, do you have it?”

As soon as these words came out, the people breathed out a sigh of relief, and Zhang Siyong even curved the corners of his mouth.

That’s it?

Old Marquis held his waist and was lifted up by his two sons. His eyes fell on Yun Qingci’s face, his expression full of unconcealed contempt.

He smiled and said, “It turns out that Your Majesty came here for this. This old minister thought Siyong had committed some unforgivable crime.”

Li Ying stared at him.

The Old Marquis looked at Yun Qingci and said, “I really didn’t know that that thing belonged to the Lord Empress. If Lord Empress is offended, please forgive this minister’s negligence.”

There were a lot of them, and Yun Qingci naturally didn’t persist. He also smiled and said, “Old Marquis is very right. Next time I invite people to view, I will put my name in big letters, lest those who don’t have eyes offend me as a commoner.”

This was obviously meant for Li Ying.

The Old Marquis’s face sank, and he said, “Your Majesty Lord Empress, please speak with caution, my Zhang family has never bullied anyone!”

Yun Qingci’s eyes opened slightly. His fingers clenched on Li Ying’s sleeve, he hid behind Li Ying and whispered, “I never said that… Old Marquis is so fierce.”

The Old Marquis choked, “You…”

“Enough,” Li Ying said. The Old Marquis was silent, but when he saw him tilt his head slightly, his tone became lighter again: “What does Lord Empress want to do?”

Of course I want your uncle’s family to die.

Yun Qingci said, “Since we are all relatives and there was a misunderstanding, just return the porcelain to me.”

A misunderstanding?

Zhang Siyong felt suffocated. Yun Qingci obviously did it deliberately. He got shot with an arrow; if he had to return the porcelain, wouldn’t he have suffered the injury in vain?

As soon as the Old Marquis was about to make a sound, Zhang Siyong said stiffly: “Your Majesty, I’m afraid that the porcelain cannot be returned to the Lord Empress.”

Yun Qingci raised his eyebrows, but Li Ying was very calm: “Oh?”

“There was a cat making trouble in the mansion yesterday and accidentally broke it.”

Yun Qingci pinched Li Ying’s arm with a sudden force.

Li Ying did not move and confirmed with Old Marquis Zhang: “Is this true?”

Whether they were a family or not, Old Marquis reacted quickly and said, “That porcelain, it was indeed placed in his room, and the old minister doesn’t know.”

Li Ying’s eyes looking at Zhang Siyong became deep and meaningful, and he reconfirmed again: “Is it really broken?”

“Yes.” Zhang Siyong did not hesitate, saying with a respectful attitude: “This matter is indeed the responsibility of this servant, and this servant will make up for it later, aaaaa——”

With a scream of horror, Old Marquis Zhang suddenly saw the emperor swing a sword, and one of his youngest son’s arms fell on the ground in front of him.

Blood gushed out.

No one expected that Li Ying would suddenly do something, and even Yun Qingci stiffened.

But he did not see blood.

Before Li Ying moved, one of his hands pressed Yun Qingci’s head to his shoulder. Gently rotating him, he turned him around and ordered: “Help the Lord Empress get in the carriage.”

Jin Huan and Yinxi turned pale, and they hurriedly came up to help Yun Qingci.

Behind him, Old Marquis Zhang knelt down again: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, this servant will look again! Hurry up, go and see if it is broken!”

Zhang Siyong kept rolling in pain.

Blood quickly flowed all over the ground.

Old Marquis Zhang stretched out his hand to help his son in an extreme panic, trying to block the blood spurting from the injury, forgetting about his back pain: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, spare him, he just spoke without thinking, there was no malice, Your Majesty.”

“I’ll give you one more chance. If it’s really broken, then I’ll have him…”

The blade reached Zhang Siyong.

“…buried with the porcelain that belonged to the Lord Empress.”

Chief Lieutenant Zhang quickly rushed back with the box, threw himself down in front of Li Ying and raised his hands high: “Here, no, it’s not broken. Your Majesty, look, it’s good, it’s here.”

Li Ying looked at Jin Huan who quickly stepped forward, took the box and handed it to Yun Qingci in the carriage. After a short while, he returned and confirmed: “It’s the Lord Empress’s porcelain and everything is alright with it.”

Old Marquis Zhang felt elated, as he said, “Your Majesty, Your Majesty, after the things have been returned to the Lord Empress, please, for the sake of Empress Dowager, forgive him for being quick-mouthed.”

Li Ying said thoughtfully, with a cool expression: “Is it being quick-mouthed or is it lying to the Emperor?”

The sword was thrown in front of Old Marquis Zhang, and Li Ying said slowly, “Old Marquis should know the laws of our country. You will personally deal with this villainous official and thief.”

If one covered up for an official who deceived the monarch, it was tantamount to treason.

For conspiring to treason, the whole family had to be seized and beheaded.

Li Ying boarded the carriage.

Yun Qingci sat in the carriage in silence. He heard the clatter of horse hooves and turned around.

Outside the carriage, Zhang Siyong frantically begged for mercy: “Dad, Dad, I was wrong, father, don’t kill me, father –”

The voice stopped abruptly.

The carriage passed through the silent alley and soon arrived at the bustling street. There was a sound of lively hawking around, but it was quiet in the carriage.

Li Ying sat next to Yun Qingci, looking at him for a while. His gaze fell on Yun Qingci’s hand that rested quietly on his lap.

The wide sleeves moved slightly, and Li Ying’s palm was placed over Yun Qingci’s hand.

Yun Qingci lowered his eyes and withdrew his hand abruptly.

After a brief silence, Li Ying said, “Why are you upset?”

Yun Qingci looked at him, and for a moment, he thought that he didn’t know Li Ying anymore.

How could he do this for his sake?

Yun Qingci pursed his lips very lightly, raised his eyebrows and said, “Your Majesty, you are really cruel.”

Li Ying’s fingers trembled slightly, and it took a while for him to say, “You are blaming me.”

“How dare I?” Yun Qingci said, “Your Majesty was angry for me, and I haven’t even thanked you, how would I dare to blame you?”

Li Ying paused, took a breath and said, “If you don’t blame me, why are you so distant?”

Yun Qingci stared at him for a long time, then suddenly softened his voice: “Your Majesty.”

There was inquiry and hesitation in his tone: “Do you really have a heart?”

Chapter Twenty One

He really didn’t expect that Li Ying would do all this.

Last night, he called Li Ying to Chaoyang Palace. Even if someone wanted to report Zhang Siyong’s grabbing of the porcelain, there would be no time for that.

Early this morning, he brought Li Ying here. From the time he proposed to shoot Zhang Siyong to the time Li Ying agreed, it took only a few breaths.

But Li Ying was able to react quickly.

After shooting an arrow, he cut off Zhang Siyong’s arm, and then forced Old Marquis to kill his son with his own hands, each action more ruthless and more extreme than the previous one.

For all this, Li Ying didn’t have much time to think carefully and investigate the pros and cons. It seemed spontaneous, but everything also seemed to be carefully arranged.

He was really the natural choice for the emperor.

Suddenly it was scary.

Yun Qingci felt ridiculous, but he was ridiculous indeed.

Because of his previous life, he wanted to control Li Ying. How could such a man be easily controlled by ordinary people?

He deserved ending up like that.

But at the same time a wave of hatred and unwillingness surged in his heart. Why should he be played by Li Ying?

“Do you really have a heart?” He inquired with hesitation, but his expression was full of ridicule and coldness.

Li Ying gave a tragic smile and slowly leaned against the wall of the carriage. He tilted his head, the line of his slender neck smooth and graceful.

His Adam’s apple rolled as he swallowed.

Li Ying said, “Is everything I do now wrong?”

Yun Qingci was a little surprised.

“How can it be,” he said, “You are the emperor, and naturally you are right in whatever you do.”

Li Ying seemed very tired. He opened his eyes. At first, he just looked at the carriage ceiling quietly, his thoughts unknown. After a while, he turned his head to look at Yun Qingci.

Yun Qingci was familiar with this expression.

In the years that followed, Li Ying often looked at him like this, with infinite tenderness and indescribable suffering mixed in his eyes.

He only needed to look this way at Yun Qingci quietly, and then he would get a warm hug and comfort, and he would sigh, holding Yun Qingci in his arms affectionately.

All those years, Yun Qingci had been waiting.

Waiting for Li Ying to confess his heart and share everything with him as he did when they were newly married.

The ridicule in Yun Qingci’s expression became even greater.

He finally understood why Li Ying looked at him like this. Because Yun Qingci loved him and as long as he made this appearance Yun Qingci would feel distressed and would obediently be understanding of him and comfort him.

He needed Yun Qingci to be a virtuous empress, a well-behaved person who didn’t tell him what to do and didn’t try to control him.

Yun Qingci didn’t want to just play the role of a tool. He was a greedy guy. He wanted to get something in return for his effort, wanted to be loved when he loved, and wanted to live and die together.

So Li Ying got rid of him.

Yun Qingci frowned coldly.

The Li Ying in front of him was not the Li Ying of the previous life. He didn’t want to bring the hatred of the previous life to this life. In this life, as long as Li Ying did not touch the Yun family, they could be at peace.

If he touched them, he would die.

But if possible, Yun Qingci still hoped that he could live in peace. In this life, he didn’t want them to torture each other.

If he can live in peace for a lifetime, why would he want to lick blood from a knife blade?

The carriage drove back to the Forbidden City and stopped at the gate of Chaoyang Palace.

Yun Qingci got up, but was suddenly caught.

Li Ying said, “If you have any questions, I can answer them for you.”

“This subject has no questions,” Yun Qingci pulled back his wrist and said lightly: “His Majesty has his own reasons for his actions.”

Along the way, he finally sorted out Li Ying’s thoughts about killing his uncle. He must have gotten reports before about Zhang Siyong bullying men and women. Maybe he wanted to punish the Zhang family a long time ago. Today, he had an excuse to vent his anger and went ahead according to his plans.

After all, Yun Qingci, who brought him over, was a ready-made shield.

Will the Zhang family retaliate against Li Ying?

No, they will hold Yun Qingci and the Yun family accountable.

At this moment, the Zhang family was extremely powerful. If they fought with the Yun family, they’d weaken each other, and he, the emperor, could take advantage of the profit.

Sure enough, he deserved to be the emperor. It was so easy for him to keep check and balance of the court.

Yun Qingci returned to the palace and sent someone to the Prime Minister’s mansion to deliver the porcelain set as well as inform about Li Ying’s murder of Zhang Siyong.

Prime Minister Yun was not stupid. Since the owner of the porcelain was Yun Qingci, he would know how this account would be settled from the Zhang family’s side, and he would be prepared.

Yun Qingci’s expectation was correct. Not long after he returned to the palace, someone reported to Empress Dowager to go to Zhang Mansion in a hurry. The first thing she did when she came back was to send Zhou Zhao to Chaoyang Palace, saying that Yun Qingci was invited to come over for a talk.

Yun Qingci leaned on the beauty couch, closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, without even looking at Zhou Zhao.

He was going to play dead in this matter. Anyways, he didn’t kill the guy. If the Empress Dowager really had the ability, she was welcome to make trouble with Li Ying and squeeze him like a soft persimmon.

Although it was not his Yun family who had killed the Empress Dowager’s younger brother, he knew that since Li Ying had used this poisonous plan, he wouldn’t take the initiative to help Yun Qingci against Empress Dowager Zhang’s anger. 

Knowing that the Empress Dowager was going to sort him out, Yun Qingci was not going to obediently rush to her, unless he had a brain disease.

When Zhou Zhao’s third invitation failed to make him move from the couch, his tone sank: “Lord Empress doesn’t want the Empress Dowager to come here in person, does he?”

Yun Qingci finally opened his eyes. He turned his head to look at Zhou Zhao and said slowly: “That’s more than I can ask for.”

Who knows what they will do to him as soon as he goes through the gate of Taici Palace. If she comes to Chaoyang Palace, at least he’ll be on his own territory.

This Yun Qingci, now he even looked down on the Empress Dowager.

Zhou Zhao was quite angry, but Yun Qingci was a lunatic, and he didn’t dare to act insolently, so he turned around and wanted to leave but heard Yun Qingci exclaim in surprise: “Zhou Gonggong.”

Zhou Zhao was on alert and had to treat him respectfully again: “Lord Empress, what other orders do you have?”

“Your ears,” Yun Qingci said suspiciously: “Why is half of them missing?”

Zhou Zhao: “…I was bitten by a cat when I went to bed at night.”

When he said this, his tone was gloomy and a little bit resentful.

Yun Qingci raised his eyebrows. Really, why was he looking at him like this? It was not his cat.

After Zhou Zhao left, Yun Qingci collapsed again.

The ears didn’t look like they were bitten off by a cat, but seemed to have been cut off by something, with only half of them left.

Who dared to touch the people around the Empress Dowager?

Yun Qingci thought that since Zhang Siyong had died so tragically, Empress Dowager Zhang must have felt suffocated. But for several consecutive days, the Zhang family stayed in peace with the Yun family, while arranging the funeral services.

Of course, Yun Qingci didn’t go to the funeral, and Li Ying didn’t go either.

After the funeral service was completed, it was New Year’s Eve. Except for the Zhang family that was in mourning, the whole Shangyang City was illuminated. Even on a snowy day, it was full of lively scenes that continued until late at night.

Yun Qingci was sitting in the lonely Chaoyang Palace, listening to the conversation between Jin Huan and Yinxi, who had been home visiting their mothers, and his heart suddenly felt hopeful.

Did he want to go home and find his brothers to accompany him?

But with the approach of the New Year, he was afraid they would be very busy. The criminal department had to clear up cases, and the city guards were responsible for patrolling back and forth. Third brother participated in the city defense. His father was even more occupied; in the past few days Li Ying often called him to the palace to discuss matters.

They were all very busy, but he was the most free.

It was boring.

He called Yinxi and said, “Go to the music department and call the musicians who came that day.”

Yinxi was puzzled: “Musicians?”

“Yes, I want to learn how to play qin.”

Of course, Yun Qingci has also studied to play qin. In his previous life, his qin skills almost surpassed those of the teachers from the music department. As for this life, by coincidence, before he was expelled from the palace, Li Ying had ordered him to learn qin, chess, calligraphy, painting, bow and horse riding. In fact, it didn’t matter what he learned, as long as he didn’t bother Li Ying.

The day before he broke into the Full Moon Pavilion and took Li Ying away, he was still getting lessons from an old gentleman in the music department.

But why learn from an old gentleman, if a handsome young man can teach him? You can learn while admiring the beauty, and also tease and flirt a little. Since he was alive again, he couldn’t continue to hang on to Li Ying. Wouldn’t it be beautiful to touch flowers without getting emotionally involved, just like Young Master Qiu. 

Yun Qingci’s heart ebbed and flowed, dispelling the loneliness he’d felt just now, and he became sincerely happy.

Yinxi glanced at him hesitantly and hurried to obey.

Not long after, the musicians brought their instruments into Chaoyang Palace one after another.

Yun Qingci leaned lazily on the couch, his gaze flowing over their faces like water. Some of them carried qins, others brought zithers and flutes.

He waved his hand resolutely and said, “Sit down.”

The young men took their seats one after another and settled their instruments.

Soon the sounds of music filled Chaoyang Palace. Yun Qing listened with his eyes closed, and his heart gradually calmed down.

The music continued. Yun Qingci was fed a fruit cake by Yinxi and opened his eyes to look around carelessly. Suddenly, he found that one of the musicians was very handsome. His heart was moved and he stared with interest.

“The one playing the qin,” Yun Qingci said curiously: “What’s your name?”

“This little one’s surname is Ruan, and his first name is Lian.” The young man spoke in a soft voice: “Lord Empress asked before.”

Yun Qingci remembered, and he said, “Did I drink the wine you handed me?”

Ruan Lian smiled and said, “Exactly.”

“You seem to be thinner.”

Ruan Lian pursed his lips, his eyes flickering, and said, “This little one has been feeling a little unwell recently.”

“Unwell?” Yun Qingci beckoned to him and said, “Come here.”

Ruan Lian: “…”

“I know some medical skills.“ Yun Qingci didn’t lie to him; this was what Li Ying asked him to learn: “Come and show me.”

The eyes of the others were a little weird.

They all remembered that time they had knelt for the whole night, but Yun Qingci didn’t know about it. Li Ying warned everyone not to tell him.

Ruan Lian could only stand up.

He was very tall, polite but not too humble, and had excellent manners.

Yun Qingci’s eyes lit up. Motioning to squat down in front of him, he said, “Give me your hand.”

Ruan Lian lowered his eyelashes, pulled up his cuffs obediently and exposed his slim white wrist. Yun Qingci solemnly checked his pulse, glanced at him for a moment and said, “Haven’t slept well lately?”

Ruan Lian replied in a warm voice: “There will be a large-scale event in the palace for the New Year. Everyone is working hard.”

“Ah so that’s it.” The white fingers slid from Ruan Lian’s wrist to his palm. Ruan Lian’s hand trembled slightly. Yun Qingci tilted his head and said softly, “Do you have sleeping incense in the music department? I can give you some.”

Ruan Lian was taken aback for a moment and replied, “This little one thanks Lord Empress for his kindness.”

“In fact, not everyone has to participate in the activities in the palace.” Yun Qingci stared at his palm, slowly hooking his fingers. “His Majesty always thinks that I am unlearned. I think Ah Lian’s qin skills are superb. Tonight, will you stay and teach me how to play the qin?”

The other musicians looked at each other. Some of them wanted to say something, but remembered Yun Qingci’s usual cruel image and kept silent.

Ruan Lian paused for a while before saying, “I’m afraid, it’s not right.”

How could Yun Qingci care what he thought: “It’s settled, let the others go back first.”

Yinxi and Jin Huan glanced at each other, and the latter was very nervous: “Lord, Lord Empress.”

“What?” Yun Qingci said, “I’ve just found a teacher for myself to learn qin. You guys, why do you look like that?”

“Get out,” he said,

The musicians left Chaoyang Palace without daring to breathe, all of them sweating for Ruan Lian.

No one dared to guess what the Lord Empress was thinking.

The musicians walked along the wall, suddenly seeing a sedan chair turning in front of them. They recognized the crest on it and knelt down.

The sedan chair stopped in front of them.

A hand pushed the silk curtain away. “Lord Empress called the musicians to listen to the music. Doesn’t he want to listen to it anymore?”

“Lord Empress wanted to learn the qin and fancied Ruan Lian’s qin skills, so he sent the others to go back to the music department.”

The silk curtain was put down, and the sedan chair drove on to Chaoyang Palace.

The musicians didn’t get up until the other party was far away. Someone whispered, “Lord Empress and Ruan Lian, are they really going to play the qin?”

The others looked uncertain: “Probably…”

“…right.”