His wiping hurt, and I felt so aggrieved that in the heat of the moment I blurted out, "But the moment I see you, I am completely captivated by you. My heart beats so fast it feels like it is going to jump out. And my mind is filled with nothing but your face. How could I possibly remember to introduce myself?"
As soon as those words left my mouth, a dead silence fell over the hall. Even the sound of the wind outside the window could be heard clearly.
Ling Yao's hand wiping my tears froze in midair, the handkerchief still hovering by my cheek. The tips of his ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye, and even the base of his ears flushed a soft pink. His eyes darted away, not daring to look into my tearful eyes. He stiffly averted his gaze, his tone softening completely. "That is somewhat understandable. My striking presence indeed makes it easy for one to lose their composure."
After a pause, he put on a stern face again to warn me, though his tone had lost all of its intimidation. "Those private thoughts I shared with you, the ones back at the villa, you are not allowed to repeat them to anyone. If word gets out, I will punish you by making you copy the Commandments for Women a hundred times."
Mentioning this instantly made me angry. I slapped his hand away, puffed out my cheeks, and retorted. "How dare you say that, Your Majesty? You said plenty of bad things about me back then. You said I was vulgar and boring, and that I wasn't as gentle as Li Aqiu. You were the one who started it all. Why am I the only one being punished?"
Left speechless by my retort, Ling Yao let out two dry coughs. His eyes drifted to the teacup on the table as he stiffly changed the subject. "Ahem. Let's not talk about this. Drink some water. If you keep crying, your voice will go hoarse. Then you'll blame me for bullying you again."
I pouted, picked up the teacup, and took a sip. To my surprise, he took the opportunity to lie down on my bed. He even nudged himself further inside and patted the space beside him. "I am tired. Accompany me to rest for a while."
Hesitantly, I leaned closer to his chest. I could clearly hear his rapid heartbeat. It was even faster than mine. His warm breath fell upon my forehead. My face instantly flushed with embarrassment. "Your Majesty, why don't, why don't you return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation?"
But Ling Yao suddenly pressed down on my shoulders. He wrapped the blanket tightly around both of us. His tone was mock serious, but the tips of his ears were still red. "What is there to panic about? I wouldn't go so far as to lay a hand on a sick person. I am just worried you might run a fever again in the middle of the night with no one to care for you."
I buried my face in his chest, secretly stifling a laugh. This face-blind emperor with his sharp tongue and soft heart clearly just wanted to hold me. Yet he made up such a clumsy excuse.
The news of the Emperor staying the night at Changle Palace spread throughout the entire imperial palace in less than an hour. In the past this would have been a common occurrence, but it just so happened that a few days ago Ling Yao, for the sake of a commoner woman, Li Aqiu, had a huge row with the court officials, argued fiercely with the Empress Dowager, and even threatened to depose the empress. Yet now he was staying overnight in the empress's palace.
This massive contrast caused a huge stir throughout the entire palace. The eunuchs and palace maids gossiped in private, and even Minister Li sent someone specifically to inquire whether Li Aqiu had fallen out of favor.
Early the next morning, the Empress Dowager made an angry visit to Changle Palace. As soon as she entered, she saw Ling Yao holding me, sleeping soundly, not even noticing her arrival. Seeing this, I quickly took the opportunity to slip out of bed. While tidying my clothes, I made an excuse. "Imperial mother, I shall go and change my attire."
The Empress Dowager was trembling with rage. She glared at him. "Do you think taking a wife is child's play? Qinghuan is a good girl. She has a good family background and a gentle disposition. To be matched with a face-blind emperor like you is truly a pity. You should not, out of spite toward me, toy with her feelings like this and treat her as a substitute."
Ling Yao sat up straight with a serious look on his face. "Mother, I am not acting out of spite, nor am I treating her as a substitute. I truly care for Qinghuan. I used to mistake her for others, which caused her to suffer so much grievance. From now on, I only want to make it up to her."
The Empress Dowager was taken aback for a moment, then sighed, her eyes filled with helplessness. "Fine. I can no longer control you. Whom you marry or do not marry is none of my business. But before that, you must settle Qinghuan properly and not break her heart again."
Hearing this, Ling Yao felt he was suffering from his own undoing. He quickly took the Empress Dowager's hand to explain. "Mother, you have misunderstood. The Li Aqiu from before was actually Qinghuan. She deceived me on purpose. Qinghuan is intelligent and beautiful. She has always been the one my heart desires. There was never any substitute."
The Empress Dowager's gaze instantly turned into one reserved for a scoundrel. She rolled her eyes. "Your heart certainly changes quickly. Just a few days ago you insisted on marrying no one but Li Aqiu. Today you say Qinghuan is the one your heart desires. This reminds me of the late Emperor. He too fell in love with every new face he saw."
Ling Yao's face instantly flushed red. He knew that the Empress Dowager's words were triggered by memories of the late Emperor's past, leaving his heart filled with helplessness.
From then on, the Empress Dowager summoned me to stay at Cining Palace every night, under the pretext of keeping her company and chatting. But in truth she was afraid Ling Yao would bully me again.
One day I went to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager as usual. While serving tea, I casually mentioned, "Mother, the Emperor has been handling memorials late into the night recently and often suffers from severe headaches. I would like to bring him a bowl of soothing soup tonight, so he can get some proper rest."
To my surprise, the Empress Dowager instantly flared up. She slapped the table and said angrily, "If he has a headache, he should see the imperial physician. Why is he looking for you? Did he force you again?"
She was even more furious than I was. Pointing in the direction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she ranted, "What does that rascal take you for? One moment he wants to depose the empress for a commoner woman, and the next he pretends to care so much about you. Who would believe his nonsense?"
Left with no choice, I had to tell her everything that had happened recently. From pretending to be Li Aqiu to deceive Ling Yao, to Ling Yao seeing through my identity, and then to all the ways he had treated me with genuine sincerity. I told the Empress Dowager everything, down to the last detail.
She fell silent for a long time after listening. "You say the Emperor can remember your face. Impossible. He can't even remember me, his own mother. Last time he even mistook my personal maid for me and handed me a candied hawthorn stick."
The Empress Dowager sighed, patting my hand with earnest concern. "Qinghuan, I advise you to just accept the Emperor's harem. It is not that I don't care about you, but an emperor's heart is the most unpredictable of all. Their words cannot be taken seriously. If you give him your true heart, in the end you will be the only one who gets hurt."