9 Do these count?
，獵人卻不敢向前一步。地上佈滿了鮮血，有人類的血也有狼的血，雖然屍體全是狼的，但獵人的傷勢也冇有好到哪裡去，大多是負傷作戰。加上此刻不知為何，狼群突然變得躁動不安。"Everyone, calm down. Don't mess up our formation." The leader of the group whispered a reminder but did not dare to a...Chapter 9, Are These Considered...
"Don't let him touch you."
"Find a way to get this privilege."
"Absolutely don't become his woman."
Said very simply, but according to Feng Changqing's words, she would eventually have to share the emperor's bed regardless of her willingness.
However, when Ah Piao said that to her last night, she saw a seriousness and earnestness on his face which almost never appeared there before. She also heard the definitiveness in his voice.
I vaguely asked him if it was possible for me to become his woman one day.
No ifs or buts about it.
Before I could finish my sentence, he grabbed my shoulder blade and denied it outright. The lingering pain in my shoulders made me feel a little sweet, so when he hugged me tightly, I silently swore to protect myself.
Because... you are mine alone.
Hearing this sentence, she felt like she had fallen into warm water that enveloped her and brought her a small happiness.
Squeezing his waist with both hands, she softly said "Alright."
I am yours, completely yours.
She had even thought this way before.
But now, she couldn't understand what kind of feelings he had for her And what kind of feelings did she have for him
Lovesick Or dependency
"Aaaaahhh!!!"
"What's wrong" Qilin was startled by the ear-piercing scream and reflexively asked. She then saw Miao Tiao pointing at something in front of her with great fear. Looking down, Qilin followed the direction of her finger:
Haha... The fruits prepared for the Empress Dowager were cut into bizarre shapes by Qilin, some even having a fifth of their flesh attached to the peel. Embarrassed, she tried to find new fruit but found that there was hardly any left.
"Ermm... I...
I..."
"You foolish girl, do you know these are precious fruits from the Agate Kingdom, gifted specially for the Empress Dowager by His Majesty Even those Consorts wish to have them but cannot."
Miao Tiao crossed her arms and stepped beside Qilin, shoving her aside. Seeing the mess, she turned around and pinched Qilin's arm hard while scolding harshly, "Today the Empress Dowager wanted fruits, so we prepared them specially. Didn't you see how busy everyone is You're taking a break in the middle of work and making things worse."
Qilin lowered her head but wasn't focused on the matter at hand. She carefully touched her pinched arm; she often broke things when drunk, yet Qiaoer and Susong would cover for her...
The thought of this made Qi Lin feel a pang in her heart, and she showed a faint sadness in her eyes, lowering her eyelids so that Miao Tiao would not notice.
This visit to the palace was not only due to Zi Yin's order but also to protect Qiao'er and the others.
However, Qi Lin wasn't as virtuous as one might think, so she wavered a bit.
Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain on her head from above. Qi Lin touched her head and raised her eyes to look at Miao Tiao.
"What are you looking at" Miao Tiao seemed unsatisfied with Qi Lin's attitude and waved her sleeve dismissively as she said, "You should go and apologize to the Empress Dowager now. Whether you live or die is predetermined; just don't drag us into it."
She then gave a signal to several young eunuchs.
"Wait." Qi Lin smiled slightly, looked at the fruits she had been tormenting, and raised her chin as she said, "Auntie, please give me these fruits. I will make sure the Empress Dowager is satisfied; if not, I am willing to take my punishment without involving anyone."
"You!" Miao Tiao glanced at Qi Lin with contempt and said, "Today letting you touch them was a stroke of luck for several lifetimes. Do you still want to serve the Empress Dowager"
Qi Lin smiled indifferently as she looked at these common fruits from her century—pitahayas, banana flowers, kiwis, etc., tropical fruits that were not in good shape except for the pitahaya and banana flower. However, they weren't rare or precious.
"Auntie, if I try my best, there might still be a chance to turn things around," Qi Lin raised her eyes to look at Miao Tiao and continued, "If nothing is done, you will also bear some responsibility when the Empress Dowager blames us. Then it won't just be me who bears the consequences."
"You" Although she was annoyed, looking at Qi Lin, Miao Tiao felt powerless.
Seeing that Miao Tiao had softened, Qi Lin said again, "Auntie, you must understand the pros and cons; please let me try."
Miao Tiao, an old hand in the palace, understood the stakes involved. She sternly replied, "Hmph! This is what you asked for."
"Thank you," Qi Lin smiled slightly.
What did she study before Designing—interior design, fruit platter design, and flower arrangement were compulsory courses; this was nothing difficult for her.
Thus, in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, a splendid peach blossom made entirely out of fruits appeared. Qi Lin also mixed the remaining pieces together with pitahaya and other soft fruits, adding some common sugar syrup and kiwi juice to create a unique blend. Thanks to her master’s help, she could achieve this.
"Wow, I didn't expect you to pull off something like this," Miao Tiao was surprised by the sight in front of her and smiled, "But it also depends on whether the Empress Dowager likes it; wait until the Empress Dowager is pleased before you're happy."
Qi Lin nodded slightly. She had specially arranged these fruits to aid digestion, as well as balanced their sourness and sweetness—of course, they would be liked by the Empress Dowager.
However, she knew this was just the beginning.
As expected, when everyone was resting after preparing food in the afternoon, the head of the Imperial Kitchen came smilingly to announce how delighted the Empress Dowager was and distributed silver rewards. Of course, Qi Lin did not claim any credit for her significant contribution but gave her reward to Miao Tiao as an apology.
"Today, the Empress Dowager rewarded the Imperial Kitchen," in the evening, Zi Yin practiced calligraphy as usual in his study. This was a habit of his; when discussing matters, he would practice calligraphy to calm himself down.
The man before him continued to drink tea indifferently, which was also one of his habits—when discussing matters, he preferred drinking tea.
"It seems you're not surprised," he appeared somewhat agitated by the other's calm demeanor.
"If it was expected, why be surprised I've always believed in her; if she sets her mind to something, she will definitely achieve it."
"However..." Changing the subject, he continued: "I heard you caused a commotion in the Emperor's study last night. That doesn't sound like you at all."
"Hmph." She gave a light snort and resumed drinking her tea.
Only he knew why she had to cause such an uproar; if not, would he just watch as Qi Lin became someone else's woman
Sigh... But then again, wasn't their goal to gain Feng Changqing's trust for Qi Lin This was inevitable in the long run... but he didn't want that.
Why wouldn't he want it He knew all too well.
"Could it be you've taken a fancy to Qi Lin" After pondering this thoroughly, Zi Yin could only come up with this reasonable explanation, though he knew in his heart it was impossible.
"Yes, I have."
Huh A sudden and unexpected answer caused Zi Yin's hand to tremble, spilling ink precisely on the freshly written characters. He looked up in surprise only to see her about to leave.
"Hey"
Before he could finish his sentence, she was gone; shaking his head in resignation, he smiled despite himself.
"This is such great news!" Green Bamboo immediately brightened up and served tea to Qi Lin, adding: "If the Empress Dowager is pleased, you will definitely get an audience with her."
Qi Lin nodded. For now, it was enough for the Empress Dowager to know there was a new person around, but if no further steps were taken, she would be forgotten.
"They say that even during the late Emperor's time, the Empress Dowager was known for her virtue and kindness; what she loved most was dining with the Emperor and his sons." Green Bamboo’s eyes sparkled at this thought: "If I grow old like her one day..."
Indeed, in the end, isn't it every woman's wish to have someone to rely on in their old age
Frowning slightly, as if something was about to surface from her mind.
"Lady Qi"
"Don’t interrupt." Qi Lin carefully recalled the idea that had just come to her mind.
Green Bamboo did not dare disturb her and simply watched by her side.
"Snap!"
Qi Lin suddenly clapped her hands in realization, rushing out of the room. Upon opening the door again, she stopped and told Green Bamboo: "Oh right, there's still some juice left from today’s batch. Although it’s not much, send someone to give it to His Majesty as a gift and remind him to take care of his health."
"Yes" Just as she was about to say more, Qi Lin had already disappeared in a flash. Lü Zhú pursed her lips and said, "The young mistress finally understands."
Little did anyone know that the moment Qi Lin stepped out of her room, she dashed into her own kitchen, scaring the eunuchs who were chatting idly to pieces.
Qi Lin didn’t care about the bad words they had just said about her. She walked over and looked at the simple kitchen equipment; it was nothing compared to the Imperial Kitchen.
"Prepare flour for me, any fresh vegetables or fruits you can find, get a fire going." In one breath, she listed out everything she needed. But all she saw were eunuchs looking at each other.
"Young mistress, we don’t have these items."
Qi Lin looked at the head eunuch—she remembered him as her chamberlain, Li Ping. He was slick with his words and often profited from his position; he showed half respect and half contempt towards her.
"Don’t have them" Qi Lin glanced at the discarded melon seeds and fruit pits on the floor, then smiled slightly and said, "Then what do you have"
"Young mistress is joking. If our master doesn’t have it, how can we as servants possibly have it" Li Ping still kept smiling while saying this.
“Serving a master who has nothing truly is a hardship for all of you.” Qi Lin walked over to the stove and continued, “But I’m not entirely without means.”
Thinking that they would receive some reward money, Li Ping and others immediately relaxed their faces.
"Jin Yu," Qi Lin smiled slightly as Jin Yu came in. She nodded at her.
"What does the young mistress wish for" Jin Yu glanced at Li Ping and others with a slight frown.
"Eunuch Li has worked hard, he’s taken good care of me these days." As she spoke to Jin Yu, who understood immediately, Qi Lin continued, "I should reward him today. Take them all down and give them twenty lashes."
The last sentence was almost shouted by Qi Lin, shocking everyone in the room; Li Ping was frightened stiff.
"Oh my, young mistress, even if we’re to be punished, there must be a reason." Li Ping seemed to have realized that Qi Lin wouldn’t punish them and continued, "Those who know will say you are wise, while those who don't would think you are…"
“Reason” Qi Lin smiled slightly and said, “Does deceiving superiors and misleading subordinates count Does talking back to the master count Does spreading rumors about the master count Does skimping on work count”
With each sentence she uttered, she could see beads of sweat forming on Li Ping’s forehead. That was good.
"Young mistress, you’re wishing for punishment; we…"
"Are there any who are wronging me by saying my eyesight is bad You few dog servants! Relying on the fact that I haven’t been asking about matters in the palace these days, you’ve become brazen. Do you have to wait until one day when you climb onto my head before it’s enough" As she spoke, Qi Lin carefully observed the expressions of those below her; the bold eunuchs were clearly scared by her actions. That was good.
“But I’m not a heartless person either,” Qi Lin said in a softer tone as she saw a hint of relief on their faces and smiled slightly.
"We will follow your orders."
She clapped her hands and said, "Then give me the items I asked for…"ng continued to smile as he looked at Yúmù, while Yúmù stared straight ahead.When the group arrived in front of the altar, everyone turned towards it.The two people on horseback dismounted together an...