Chapter 184: The Emperor’s Reaction
Translator: Antonia
Mo Qianxue stepped back and plucked the candle wick. Nanny Mo retreated to the iron door and watched out through the crevice of the door.
“It’s harder to avoid an arrow from the dark. I just want to take this opportunity to squeeze out and rid of all the pimples so that I won’t have to worry about them in the future.”
The candlelight licked up and down, sometimes bright and sometimes dim, veiling Mo Qianxue’s face with a special effect, which enchanted Su Qi’s heart, “Qianxue, am I still a friend?”
Mo Qianxue looked up in his eyes, “Of course you’re still friend.”
Su Qi’s face softened at once, becoming as gentle as the sweet moonlight flowing over people’s heard, giving people a feeling of standing on the edge of a beautiful abyss, a feeling that your hearts somehow shivered along with the waves of ripples.
He had been looking forward to her attentive gaze for long. Although now it didn’t contain any romance, the eyes were still focused on him alone, “You can totally tell me what’s your plan. I’ll help you. It’s unnecessary that you put yourself in danger.”
She had never expected to make such a sincere friend in this world. Mo Qianxue smiled, “Thanks for caring for me. I just need you to stand by and watch.”
Su Qi’s heart was lit again by the smile, which reminded him of the erotic scene taking place in the horse carriage, “I…I’m afraid you will be trapped again. You don’t know. The jail is full of dirty…”
Reminded by him, obviously Mo Qianxue thought of that scene too. She had never been that eager with a man, not even Ning Shaoqing. Instantly, she felt a little awkward.
However, in a moment, the shyness was replaced by ruthlessness. She squinted, “I was trapped once due to kindness and innocence. For a second time, it meant I was stupid. Do I look stupid?”
“I never think you’re stupid, but here isn’t a place for girls. When you stay here, I feel…” The word distressed was at the tip of his tongue, but he managed to say something else, “restless.”
He wanted to confess, but he never had a chance.
Mo Qianxue didn’t hear the overtone and earnestly said, “Thanks!”
She never thought in that way, because that embarrassing incident had left an impression too strong. She had a modern soul and didn’t value virginity that much. If something really had happened between she and Su Qi that time, she wouldn’t blame him.
She never believed that there were gentlemen who behaved themselves in any situation. Only when they didn’t like it would they remain unmoved.
But she never thought it might also because he loved her too much to hurt her and to want more.
Finally, Su Qi managed to put on the playful dandy mask again, smiling wickedly, “I just fear your reputation will be ruined if you stay here. You can’t be married by a man in the future…”
How he wished that her answer would be ‘I’ll just depend on you if I can’t get married’…
However, Mo Qianxue, awake from her pondering, just snorted, “Shaoqing won’t mind it. He’ll be proud of me.”
“Besides, a person should focus on himself. Why care about others’ opinion? Those who don’t care about me are only visitors in my life. They have nothing to do with me…”
Su Qi, eyes darkened, sighed. He knew her, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Brother and I will be at court too. I’ll use whatever we have to protect you and beg the Emperor to…”
Mo Qianxue heard the sigh and sensed his protection, but the thought of the Emperor almost having killed her last time set off her stubbornness, “Beg the Emperor? Is that useful? It’s better to beg oneself than others!”
This was a vital matter, and she didn’t want Su Qi be dragged in, but at the moment she had no one else to talk to, “The weakness in human nature is that one person is able to remain sensible and clear-minded when disasters are far away. Only when misfortune happens to the person can he/ she understand the misery. Hence, instead of seeking comfort from an unrelated person, it’s better to man up yourself.
In this world, no on-lookers care about your innocence and grievances! Others’ opinions don’t’ matter. What matters is how you do important things. When you succeed, the flaws will become advantages; when you fail, your devotion will only be a laughing stock to others. If no other accidents happen, I believe, everything will be well-placed automatically.”
At this moment, Mo Qianxue seemed to have a nimbus around her, which touched Su Qi greatly. He had never known that a woman could say such a deep and wonderful philosophy of life. Nor had he believed that a woman could be so energetic and courageous.
She had seen through the world! But he was still bothered by the dust of secular stuff. She had said it so naturally that Shaoqing wouldn’t mind it. Even her brows were smiling. Evidently, her choice never changed.
Perhaps, watching from afar and missing faintly would make him happier than actually having her!
Seeing that she was confident and well-prepared, Su Qi stopped trying to persuade.
Instead of taking her out of the jail, he stood outside the door for a night. He said he would protect her. If she didn’t need that, he just stayed around her.
Of course, another reason why he didn’t leave was to keep an eye in the filthy jail, just in case.
**
The night sky above the capital was inky. The candlelight was quiet. Occasional noise soon sunk in the quietness too, just like a wavering ribbon, like intertwined human feelings, soaring or plummeting and finally submersing by time again and again.
Tonight was destined to be unusual and sleepless night for many.
Deep inside the imperial palace, which was teemed with pavilions, towers, corridors and gardens. The rocks in artistically strange shapes and babbling waters were also quiet. Princess Yuhe paced fast on the trail, but the beautiful night scenery couldn’t attract her attention at all.
It was the second time she went to the Emperor.
The first time was when she came back, but the Emperor was reading memorials in the study, and the eunuch claimed that the Emperor shall meet no one and asked her to go back.
After she went back to have dinner and bath and went on a second time, the chief eunuch said the Emperor was too tired and already went to bed and told her that everything could be discussed the next day.
Princess Yuhe stomped her feet and went to the Kunning Palace.
In the imperial study.
The Emperor didn’t rest, but was enjoying massage by the eunuch. Meanwhile, the chief eunuch asked, “Your majesty. Princess Yuhe must have something to say by coming twice. Why didn’t you meet her?” Actually he knew the reason.
Yet, he knew better that the higher the position a person took, the more he wanted to be admired. An emperor sat in the highest place and certainly needed more admiration from others. Therefore, the eunuch’s trick was to pretend to be a fool who knew nothing, so that the Emperor appeared smarter.
As expected, the Emperor smiled smugly, “Today was peach blossom party. The Empress and Yuhe gave Mo Qianxue a good play. To their surprise, Mo Qianxue is a bone hard to chew and didn’t play based on their scripts. Yuhe panicked and put Mo Qianxue to jail before telling me. Now she wants me to clean the aftermath. Certainly I can’t be the cleaner….”
The eunuch massaged and pretended to be puzzled, “Since the Empress has made a trap, Mo Qianxue can’t prove she is innocent. Why don’t you follow their plan, giving the Empress a grace while deterring Mo Qianxue so that she will meekly submit the black token? Wouldn’t it be better?”
The Emperor smirked, “She couldn’t have been alive now if she was scared that easily.”
“You mean…”
“As long as I don’t make a decree, there is wiggle room for this matter. That scholar isn’t important. I want Mo Qianxue to beg me to do her justice. As for what happened today, I…have no idea at all.” The Emperor made a cunning smile.
The chief eunuch flattered, “Your majesty is so thoughtful. As long as you don’t make a decree, even if their plan has a flaw, it won’t affect your reputation as a wise emperor.”
The Emperor enjoyed the massage, not saying more but smiling insidiously. The Xie family wasn’t behaving nice recently. If their plan had a flaw, he could exactly severely punish the Empress and Yuhe using this excuse. On the one hand, this was an apology to the countrymen, a proof that he was a wise and fair emperor. On the other hand, it was a little disciplining to the Xie family.