Shoutout to Tachibanaswife for the commission!
The Empress Dowager, the ultimate big boss, had spoken and told me to come over. Naturally, I didn’t dare disobey. I took the opportunity while standing up to take a deep breath, forcibly pulled the corners of my mouth toward my ears, and then… chest out, head up, butt clenched… step by step I walked toward the Empress Dowager.
While I was still far away, the Empress Dowager had already stretched out her hand toward me from her high seat.
I gave myself psychological encouragement: a beauty is still a beauty, even at ninety-nine she’s still a beauty. One must learn to discover beauty through the thickness of time… The corners of my mouth stretched even wider as I extended my uninjured arm toward her.
The Empress Dowager pulled me to sit beside her and sighed lightly with a smile: “This polo was never meant for women. When the late emperor was alive, I advised him several times, but he was stubborn, once he decided something, he would never change it.”
I truly didn’t know how to handle this kind of situation, so I could only lower my head and pretend to be a quail. A Consort beside her joined in with a few light remarks. The Empress Dowager turned to look at me again, gently patting the back of my hand, and asked softly: “The Crown Prince’s temperament is ninety percent like the late emperor’s. Pengpeng, you must quarrel with him quite often, don’t you?”
I thought to myself: only an idiot would complain about her husband to his grandmother. No matter what, they’re family. So I recalled Beauty Shen’s expression from earlier, lowered my head again, and replied gently: “His Highness treats me very well.”
The Empress Dowager looked at me with a smiling gaze and praised to the beauties around: “Pengpeng is indeed sensible. The late emperor truly judged correctly.”
Since the ultimate big boss had spoken like this, the others naturally echoed her. Immediately Lady Zhang was praised as though she were celestial, some said she had a gentle temperament, some said she was virtuous, some said her face carried noble fortune…
Hey? Why didn’t anyone say Lady Zhang was full in front and curved in back? That’s the best advantage of all!
Once the Empress Dowager shifted the topic, fewer people upstairs paid attention to the match. After a while, loud shouts from the soldiers suddenly rose outside. Only then did this group of women, who had already moved on to discussing clothing and adornment, realize that the match had ended.
Under Crown Prince Qi Sheng’s leadership, the Yellow Team, despite losing two “generals”, still defeated the Green Team by one goal and won the championship.
On the field, the yellow and green teams lined up on either side. The Emperor rode onto the high platform to deliver remarks and award prizes. Qi Sheng rode forward from the formation, leapt gracefully onto the platform, accepted the brocade banner from the Emperor, then urged his horse to the front. With one hand he pulled the reins, making the horse rear upright, while the other hand raised the great flag to dance in the wind. The surrounding soldiers and officials shouted “Mighty!” so loudly it shook the sky.
Seeing this scene, I had to admit, although Qi Sheng might be a bit of an idiot, his martial ability was indeed extremely impressive.
The Empress Dowager looked at Qi Sheng, then turned to me and spoke softly amid the cheers: “When I first met the late emperor, I was sixteen. He said he would marry me. It was not until I was twenty-three that he truly made me empress, seven full years in between. How many seven-year periods does a woman have in her youth? Everyone advised me not to wait, but I refused. Since he said he would marry me, I believed him and waited for him. Though later there were other women in his heart, I knew I must also be in it, so I neither resented nor complained, I simply waited. And in the end, the late emperor did not fail me. He once said that Sheng’er resembled him the most, stubborn in temperament but clever at heart. I believe him. Since Pengpeng has married Sheng’er, you must also believe in him.”
This heartfelt speech nearly brought me to tears.
Heavens! Why are you so unfair to me? When I was a man, you wouldn’t let me meet such a wise and gentle woman, and now that I must be a woman, you make me be such a wise and gentle woman myself…
The Empress Dowager still looked at me expectantly.
“Pengpeng, are you willing to believe him?”
With tears in my eyes, I nodded.
“I believe…”
I believe…. believe him my foot! Why don’t you first ask whether Qi Sheng believes me?
Steel needles had been placed under Jiang Yingyue’s saddle. Everyone here knows she and I don’t get along. Now she’s suffered three fractures, how could I possibly escape suspicion? Would that idiot Qi Sheng really let me off easily?
I… wanted to cry.
Empress Dowager, Empress Dowager, why couldn’t you call Qi Sheng over first and lecture him instead?
***
After the match ended, the Emperor accompanied the Empress Dowager and led the imperial consorts back to the palace. Everyone packed up and dispersed.
Zhao Wang’s body was still present, but his heart had already flown back to his residence with Lady Jiang. Now that the event was over, he didn’t even say goodbye, he simply spurred his horse and rode off.
Lord Toilet looked at me sympathetically before leaving. Lord Tree-Climber even came over and quietly scolded me: “You’re really stupid. Why didn’t you find an excuse to stay with the Empress Dowager for a few days?”
I had no words to argue, and no tears left to cry. Why does everyone assume I harmed Lady Jiang?
When I turned back, Qi Sheng was staring at me with a gloomy expression. When he saw me looking at him, he gave a cold snort and rode off.
After thinking it over, I carefully followed him back to the Eastern Palace.
Sure enough, when we reached the palace gate, Qi Sheng was still on horseback waiting for me. When I arrived, he dismounted immediately. Without even handing his whip to the attendants, he grabbed my arm and dragged me inside.
I struggled to keep up with his pace while trying to shake free, silently thanking my luck that he hadn’t grabbed my injured arm.
He kept dragging me forward; I kept struggling without speaking, repeating only one sentence in my mind:
If you try to reason with an idiot, you’re even more of an idiot.
After dragging me for a while, perhaps annoyed that I walked too slowly, or that I struggled too much, he suddenly lost patience. He hoisted me onto his shoulder and strode toward my chambers.
With my head hanging downward, I finally lost my composure and shouted: “Qi Sheng, you idiot, put me down!”
He carried me straight inside, kicked the door shut with a loud bang, and then, obediently, threw me onto the bed.
With a flick of the whip in his hand, there came a sharp crack. A porcelain vase beside the bed shattered on the floor. I instinctively shut my eyes in fright, and then heard him calmly order: “Take off your clothes.”
I froze.
Wait, this tone and these words really didn’t match.
I opened my eyes. Qi Sheng was playing with the whip, looking at me from the corner of his eye, repeating slowly: “Take off your clothes.”
My heart started racing.
Did he see through my fake fall, or was he about to commit… domestic violence?
Qi Sheng grew impatient. The whip flicked again, crack! The porcelain vase on the other side of the bed followed its companion to the floor.
With such strong motivation, I immediately became efficient. Loosening my belt and removing my layers, I stripped clean in moments. Holding up the last remaining pair of shorts with both hands, I asked:
“This… should I take these off too?”
Qi Sheng’s expression was… rather… complicated.
I really didn’t understand. Same one nose and two eyes, how could he convey so many meanings at once?
Shock, confusion, embarrassment, anger…
Was he dissatisfied that I undressed too… efficiently? Should I have clutched my collar and cried “No, don’t!” a few times?
I’d been a man for over twenty years, acting coy like that would be too pretentious.
Qi Sheng’s gaze remained fixed on me.
Following his eyes, I suddenly understood, and immediately raised my arms to cover my chest.
That finally snapped him out of his frozen state.
Yes, that was definitely the problem.
But it wasn’t entirely my fault. For over twenty years, these two hands had only needed to cover one spot. Now suddenly there were two more, give me some time to adapt!
Qi Sheng still silently watched me.
I secretly felt relieved that I’d asked before removing the shorts. Otherwise, with only two hands, I really wouldn’t have been able to cover all three spots at once.
Ah… women really have it hard…
While I was still sighing internally, Qi Sheng suddenly moved. He stepped forward, grabbed the quilt, and threw it over my head.
“Wrap yourself!”
I was speechless. This man was way too hypocritical. He’d already slept with me, why act shy now?
With some effort, I poked my head out from the quilt, glanced at him, saw his fierce expression, and obediently wrapped the quilt around myself.
“Then what?”
The veins on Qi Sheng’s forehead jumped twice. Without answering, he pushed me down onto the bed and began pulling the quilt again.
This time I was truly confused.
Should I struggle while shouting “No, don’t!”, or simply let go?
I used to think only women were hard to understand. Now I admit, I was wrong.
Gripping the quilt tightly, I asked calmly: “What exactly are you trying to do?”
If he planned to use the whip, better to keep the quilt. If it was something else, being unencumbered might improve my chances.
Qi Sheng’s hand trembled slightly. Then he gritted his teeth and pulled the quilt down partway, revealing my shoulder.
When I fell from the horse, I landed on my shoulder and rolled forward to reduce the impact. Nothing broke, but the shoulder had bruised badly, and my arm was twisted.
Qi Sheng carefully examined the bruise, then grabbed my arm and stretched it.
I sucked in a breath from the pain, finally certain he was checking whether I’d faked the fall.
Seeing my reaction, Qi Sheng gave a low cold laugh. While working my joints, he mocked: “Now you know it hurts? Why weren’t you afraid of breaking your neck when you fell? You were lucky you ran into He Bingze. If it had been someone else who couldn’t control their horse, you’d have been trampled to death, or at least broken several bones!”
To prove I wasn’t faking, I kept hissing in pain.
He continued mocking me nonstop.
Seriously, how could a grown man be this annoying?
I endured it until I couldn’t even be bothered to hiss anymore, clenching my teeth in silence.
Qi Sheng suddenly said: “If it hurts, cry out.”
What? It wasn’t that painful. Besides, I’m not a woman, why would I cry out?
Qi Sheng suddenly pressed harder.
I immediately screamed.
Qi Sheng smiled, leaning close to my ear: “Cry out a few more times, otherwise everything earlier will be wasted.”
I glanced sideways at him, not understanding.
He added threateningly: “If you don’t, don’t blame me for actually using the whip.”
I glanced at the whip beside the bed and decided it was best to cooperate.
“Give me a moment to think.”
Qi Sheng watched silently.
I recalled all the movies I’d watched in my previous life. Not many horror films, but plenty of romance action films.
Turning to him, I asked: “Do you want high-pitched or low-pitched?”
He didn’t answer.
I decided for him.
“If it’s whipping, it should be high-pitched.”
I cleared my throat and let out a sharp scream like a horror movie heroine.
Qi Sheng’s body stiffened.
I asked, “Is that okay?”
The veins on his forehead jumped again.
“Lower.”
Since the boss had spoken, I naturally obeyed. I lowered the pitch by an octave and began shouting with dramatic ups and downs.
Qi Sheng continued massaging my shoulder and suddenly asked:
“Why did you crash into He Bingze?”
I replied irritably: “I don’t have eyes on the back of my head. Whoever was there was there.”
Qi Sheng said nothing.
But my heart tightened. Had he already seen through my intention? I did want to draw the He family to my side, but I hadn’t even done anything yet!
Distracted by my thoughts, my screaming grew perfunctory.
Teachers always say: focus on one thing at a time. I never took it seriously before.
Now I learned the lesson the hard way.
By the time I realized what was happening, Qi Sheng’s hand had already slid from my shoulder down to my back…
My body stiffened. Suppressing the goosebumps all over, I turned to look at him.
Qi Sheng’s lips were slightly pressed together, his gaze dark.
I glanced at my shoulder, then at him, and said calmly: “My back isn’t bruised. No need to rub there.”
