Chapter 14
Inside the hall, Li Zhan picked up the young emperor effortlessly, his movements looking entirely natural.
Ji Qingzhou stood nearby and glanced up, noting that the scene did seem to have a “benevolent father and dutiful child” vibe.
Li Zhan was twenty-two this year. If he had married earlier, his child might have been about the same age as the young emperor. However, Ji Qingzhou recalled that in the original story, this regent was so focused on state affairs that he never married. If it weren’t for that night at Fengxian Pavilion, Ji Qingzhou would have suspected Li Zhan’s lack of marriage was due to some issue.
After all, a person with status and looks like him should not have remained unmarried for so long.
Li Zhan glanced up and caught the young man’s gaze.
The young man looked momentarily stunned and quickly lowered his head, not daring to look further.
“Mr. Lu mentioned that you had some criticism about His Majesty’s studies?” Li Zhan asked.
Ji Qingzhou was momentarily taken aback but quickly realized the question was directed at him. He hurriedly replied, “Mr. Lu has his own reasons, and I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me, Your Highness.”
“Forgive you? Speak up,” Li Zhan said.
The young emperor looked at Ji Qingzhou curiously, smiling.
Ji Qingzhou hadn’t expected Lu Tingyi to report him to the regent. Since Li Zhan was asking him directly, denying it would only make him seem guilty. Thus, Ji Qingzhou said, “His Majesty is exceptionally intelligent and can memorize most texts after just one or two readings. But he is still young, and many of the complex texts may be too advanced at this stage, potentially dampening his interest in studying.”
Li Zhan’s gaze fell on the young emperor as he asked, “What do you suggest?”
“I’m not very insightful, but I think perhaps some of the complicated texts His Majesty copies every day could be reduced,” Ji Qingzhou said. “His Majesty spends almost an hour memorizing and another hour copying each day, which is quite taxing.”
As soon as the young man finished speaking, the hall fell into a long silence.
After a moment, Li Zhan looked out the window and said, “I remember when I studied in the palace school as a child, the Grand Tutor would only teach for half the day. He would then take the late emperor and me to do some rather unconventional things… The small garden outside the palace school still has the peach trees he planted with us.”
“Uncle,” the young emperor, sensing the melancholy in Li Zhan’s voice, wrapped his arms around Li Zhan’s neck and affectionately nuzzled his forehead.
“Forget it, I’ll think about it,” Li Zhan said as he set the young emperor down. “Today is your mother’s birthday. Go inside and change your clothes, and after lunch, have them take you to pay your respects at Wanshou Palace.”
The young emperor obediently nodded and then turned to Ji Qingzhou, saying, “I want Ji iGonggong to help me change.”
Li Zhan slightly nodded in response, and Ji Qingzhou led the young emperor into the inner hall.
This wasn’t Ji Qingzhou’s first time in Li Cong’s quarters. Over the past few days, he had been serving by Li Cong’s side. Although he was nominally there to assist with writing, Li Cong liked him and always wanted him close, often refusing to let him leave. Sometimes, Li Cong even insisted that Ji Qingzhou stay with him during his afternoon naps.
Tu Dayou had teased Ji Qingzhou about this, saying that since he arrived, the emperor didn’t want anyone else to serve him.
“Do you think this robe looks good?” Li Cong asked, spreading his arms as the palace attendants helped him change. He glanced down at his new robe and said to Ji Qingzhou, “They always make me yellow robes, but I actually like red.”
The young emperor spoke seriously, and after a moment, he glanced at Ji Qingzhou’s blue eunuch uniform and added, “Blue looks nice too.”
Ji Qingzhou almost couldn’t help but laugh. The young emperor might not care much about other things, but his love for beauty was real. He liked beautiful people and beautiful clothes.
However, Ji Qingzhou’s amusement quickly faded when he stood near the screen in the inner hall and overheard the eunuch in the outer hall announcing that Miss Qiu had arrived. If Ji Qingzhou stayed hidden in the inner hall, he might be fine, but if he stepped out, she would surely recognize him. He couldn’t predict whether Qiu Lanxi would say something inappropriate in front of the regent.
In the outer hall, Qiu Lanxi entered with two maids following her. She was caught off guard when she saw Li Zhan standing by the window.
The man, dressed in luxurious clothing, still had the same handsome face as before, but now there was a deeper, more inscrutable expression in his eyes.
In the past, Qiu Lanxi would have blushed and felt her heart race upon seeing him, secretly delighted. But after the incident at Fengxian Pavilion, all she could remember was how his slender fingers had nearly crushed her jaw and the way his eyes had looked at her like a wild beast…
The naive and vague affection in her heart had vanished instantly due to that unexpected incident, replaced by an inexplicable fear and unease.
“Greetings, Your Highness,” Qiu Lanxi said, trying to suppress her anxiety and fear as she bowed to Li Zhan.
“Hmm,” Li Zhan responded indifferently, quickly shifting his gaze away from her and adding, “His Majesty is changing clothes.”
The atmosphere in the hall was extremely awkward. Qiu Lanxi stood at the entrance, not daring to go further inside but also feeling that leaving would be rude, leaving her stuck there, unsure of what to do. Her pale face and slightly trembling body made her seem even more out of sorts.
“Miss, are you feeling unwell?” one of her maids asked.
“No,” Miss Qiu forced a smile and replied, “Perhaps we should…?” Before she could finish her sentence, Li Cong came running out of the inner hall, dashing up to Qiu Lanxi and grabbing her hand, looking up at her and calling out, “Little Aunt.”
“Greetings, Your Majesty,” Qiu Lanxi finally seemed to relax a bit.
However, when she raised her head again, she was caught off guard by the sight of the young man who had followed Li Cong out.
She had only seen the boy’s delicate face once in passing, but it was hard to forget. Especially during her most fearful and helpless moment, this seemingly thin and frail young man had risked everything to protect her…
“It’s you?” Qiu Lanxi blurted out.
Ji Qingzhou frowned slightly and responded, “This servant greets Miss Qiu.”
The man by the window raised his eyebrows almost imperceptibly and asked, “You know each other?”
Qiu Lanxi was stunned at his words, suddenly realizing something, and looked at the young man in a flustered manner.
The young man gave her a reassuring glance and said, “Before entering the palace, this servant once met Miss Qiu at a poetry gathering.”
Qiu Lanxi quickly collected herself and said, “Yes… When I heard you had entered the palace, I often thought about you.”
Ji Qingzhou gave a light cough, subtly reminding her not to say too much, lest she made a mistake by talking too much.
Fortunately, Li Zhan did not pursue the matter further, lost in his own thoughts.
The young emperor, oblivious to the subtle tension between them, smiled and shook Qiu Lanxi’s arm, saying, “Little Aunt, will you have lunch with me?”
Although there was a birthday banquet later, it was still early, and they needed to eat something to fill their stomachs.
“The Empress Dowager instructed me to take His Majesty to Wanshou Palace for lunch,” Qiu Lanxi replied.
“Great, I was just thinking of paying my respects to Mother,” the young emperor eagerly agreed.
Qiu Lanxi, feeling as if she had been granted a reprieve, took the young emperor’s hand, bowed to the regent, and then prepared to leave.
Before leaving, she glanced worriedly at Ji Qingzhou. Ji Qingzhou was about to take the opportunity to leave with them when he suddenly heard Li Zhan say, “Ji Qingzhou, stay. I have something to discuss with you.”
Ji Qingzhou’s heart skipped a beat at these words, sensing that something was wrong.
Immediately, Li Zhan waved his hand, dismissing all the palace servants from the hall.
“Do you remember the rumors about Fengxian Pavilion?” the man asked.
Ji Qingzhou’s breath caught, and his heart began to race wildly as his mind went blank.
He had never imagined that after the rumors had died down for so long, Li Zhan would bring up this question…
“Answer me,” the man demanded coldly.
Ji Qingzhou hurriedly knelt before the man, not daring to raise his head.
“This servant… remembers,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
“Do you know who was in Fengxian Pavilion that night?” the man’s voice rang out again.
Ji Qingzhou’s thoughts raced as he forced himself to remain calm. He thought to himself, if the regent was certain it was him, he wouldn’t bother asking—he would have simply killed him to silence him. If that wasn’t the case, then why ask about it now, after everything had settled?
There must be a reason—think, think!
Beads of cold sweat dripped from Ji Qingzhou’s forehead onto the ground in front of him. In that moment, a sudden thought flashed through his mind.
Was it because of Qiu Lanxi?
With the situation as it was, Ji Qingzhou knew he had to take a gamble. If he confessed directly, he would have no way out. But if he took a risk, there might still be a chance.
“The eunuch in Fengxian Pavilion that night… already committed suicide in the Lotus Pond,” Ji Qingzhou said. “Other than that, this servant knows nothing.”
Li Zhan’s gaze settled on the young man. After a moment of silence, he asked, “Aren’t you curious who the other person was?”
“This servant… does not dare to be curious,” Ji Qingzhou replied.
“Look up,” the man’s voice commanded from above.
Summoning all his courage, the young man raised his head, only to see the man leaning down to look at him. His eyes were deep and cold, filled with a hint of scrutiny.
“Ji Qingzhou, are you willing to serve me?” Li Zhan asked.
Suppressing his anxiety, the young man responded, “This servant…”
“No need to refer to yourself as ‘this servant’ in my presence,” Li Zhan interrupted. “Your father was once my teacher. A teacher for a day is like a father for life. If I treat you as a servant, how could I ever face him?”
Ji Qingzhou took a deep breath and said, “Yes.”
“Then now… answer my question,” Li Zhan commanded.
The young man met the man’s gaze, trying to discern any clues from his expression, but found nothing. Yet he knew clearly in his heart that he had no other options.
“I am at your command, Your Highness,” Ji Qingzhou said.
As soon as he finished speaking, a pair of large hands gripped his shoulders and “lifted” him from the ground.
The familiar sense of intimidation emanating from the man immediately enveloped the young man, and in an instant, his breathing became erratic. At that moment, Ji Qingzhou once again realized with stark clarity that if this man wanted his life, it would be as easy as crushing an ant.
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