After entering the room, Xiao Yi untied his outer robe and handed it to the maid beside him. He sat on the chair, slightly closed his eyes and rubbed his temples. He was tired after traveling all the way. The maid was very smart and served him the calming tea in a moment.
At the same time, a woman came in, wiped her hands on her skirt and said, "Prince, you called me?" She was about thirty years old, plump and pretty, and her clothes were simple but neat. She had worked diligently in the palace for more than ten years, and others called her Shui Niang.
"Shui Niang, why can't I see the princess?" Xiao Yi came over from the bedroom and walked around the garden corridor but did not see any trace of the woman.
Shui Niang immediately said, "Your Highness, the princess entered the palace early this morning. The Third Princess came to pick her up, saying that they were going to visit the Queen together."
He nodded, then asked, "Does she often go to the palace?"
"Not often. The princess herself has been there twice, and the other two or three were invited by the third princess."
Xiao Yi thought to himself that she and his third sister-in-law were good friends, so it was natural for them to get along since they were both good at chatting. "How is the princess these days? What do you do on weekdays?"
Shui Niang tilted her head and thought for a moment, then replied, "The princess usually only reads in her room and occasionally walks in the garden, it's very quiet. So the stomachache she complained about a few nights ago is nothing serious."
Xiao Yi had already opened the book and was about to lick the ink, but when he heard Shui Niang say that she had a stomachache, he put down his pen and frowned and repeated: "Stomachache?"
"Well... it's a girl's business." Shui Niang said hesitantly.
He understood, and coughed awkwardly, and stopped asking, waving his hand to signal her to leave. When Shui Niang knelt down to salute, Qiao Yu stood at the door and poked his head out: "Your Majesty, the princess is back."
Xiao Yi immediately said, "Ask her to come see me."
Almost an incense stick of time had passed since the words were spoken, when Zhao Pei appeared slowly at the door. She did not come in, but leaned against the door and watched the man in black clothes bending over the table writing some official documents. Zhao Pei had just come back from having dinner with him when she saw Qiao Yu, who looked like a bad luck star, standing at the door, saying that the prince wanted to see her.
She was a little reluctant but had no choice, after all, he was her husband. She thought of hundreds of responses under the pretext of changing clothes, and then she felt a little relieved.
Standing here at this moment, all those thoughts were suddenly forgotten.
It was just because this man's innate temperament oppressed her and made her feel suffocated. She felt that in front of him, all her tricks were useless. It seemed that she had no choice but to adapt to the situation.
Xiao Yi was so absorbed in his work that he didn't notice her. Zhao Pei didn't say anything, silently looking at this man with a fickle temperament and various thoughts. Although she wanted to ask him why he had left her alone before, she immediately killed the question in her stomach. She knew without thinking that he would pretend to be surprised and ask her, "Are you complaining about being ignored?" Oh my God, how should she answer that
While I was daydreaming, I suddenly heard a deep voice: "Come in."
Zhao Pei swallowed her saliva and walked over. Seeing that Xiao Yi didn't look up to pay attention to her, she found a chair farthest from him and sat down.
Just as I sat down, I heard him say, "Come here."
Zhao Pei went over obediently and stood beside him. From this angle, he could see his resolute profile and long, thick eyelashes. His thin lips were slightly pursed, and his brows were never relaxed. He kept staring at the official document in front of him, as if he was thinking about something. Zhao Pei looked at him for a moment, and had a sudden illusion in his mind: it was like the emperor reviewing the memorials. He couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. What a terrible thought.
Xiao Yi tilted his head slightly to look at her standing there in a daze, pointed at the inkstone and said, "Grind the ink."
After hearing this, Zhao Pei felt like a maid. This man always spoke to her in two-word commands.
Although he was angry, he still reached out his hand. Before he figured out his true intentions, he should not act rashly.
"Have you had dinner yet?" Zhao Pei was grinding ink and thinking as she looked at the lines of dark and moist small characters he wrote, when she suddenly heard him ask this.
"Yes, I have used it. I used it with Ruan...mother, my third sister-in-law, and my eldest sister." Zhao Pei replied.
When Xiao Yi heard the word "mother", he felt a strange feeling in his heart and a faint smile appeared on his lips, but he still said in a cold voice: "You didn't call me mother clearly."
Zhao Pei stood aside quietly and obediently without saying anything, and kept complaining in her mind: "How do you want me to be efficient?"
"I'm hungry." He pushed the documents aside, stood up and said, "Come with me to the Moon Hall. Since you've eaten, just watch me eat." Zhao Pei was stunned. Seeing his rude and cold look, she couldn't help but get annoyed. She had a bad temper to begin with, but she had been holding back a little just now. Now she couldn't help but wanted to get angry, but when he stood up, she met his eyes, one deep and one dull.
Thus, all the anger turned into dust and scattered outside the sky in an instant. Zhao Pei nodded and followed him obediently. She was just a maid.
Xiao Yi must be unhappy at this moment. I thought he would have a quarrel with her, but I didn't expect her to compromise like this. It's really boring. However, it's not a bad thing for a woman like this to be submissive.
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It was late at night, but the light in the study was still on.
Xiao Yi sat at the desk and wrote documents quickly, probably presenting the emperor with the results of his one-month investigation in Jingzhou. Zhao Pei leaned on a chair not far away, flipping through books to relieve her boredom, but she was even more bored. "Strategies of the Warring States", "The Art of War"... all military books. Zhao Pei asked dissatisfiedly just now if there was "In Search of the Gods" or something like that, but Xiao Yi ignored her without even raising his head.
Zhao Pei felt a little sleepy, and dozed off in a chair. Even in her daze, she still cursed Xiao Yi for saying that he couldn't leave without his permission. It was already the second watch, and he was the only one who was sleepy.
Just after meeting with Zhou Gong, Xiao Yi said, "It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Zhao Pei stood up immediately after hearing this and walked towards the door. It was getting late, and it would be dawn soon.
After walking a few steps, she suddenly thought of something and turned around to look at Xiao Yi under the lamp. The wick of the tall candle was already very long, and the flame was swaying violently from side to side, but he was completely unaware of it. Except for his wrist, the rest of his body did not move at all. The firelight illuminated his focused and serious expression and cast his slightly lonely light blue shadow.
Zhao Pei's heart softened, and she asked softly, "Aren't you going to sleep?"
Xiao Yi looked up at her and asked calmly, "Do you want me to rest with you?"
Zhao Pei was startled, and her face suddenly turned red. I knew it! She immediately shook her head vigorously to deny it. Xiao Yi's face darkened slightly, and Zhao Pei realized that she had shaken her head too much. But she couldn't just nod.
Xiao Yi shook his head with a half-smile: "Forget it, I won't tease you anymore. Go and have a rest."
Zhao Pei was so grateful that she ran out, but was stopped by Xiao Yi. She turned back and glared at him angrily, wondering how long he would play tricks on her. But he stood up and stood in front of her, spreading his palms and looking at her with a smile.
Zhao Pei was slightly stunned, seeing that he was holding a black jade chain in his palm. The black color was rich and the jade color was transparent. The three strands of the silver chain were twisted and entangled together. He looked very nice wearing this leaf-shaped black jade.
She stared at the chain and listened to Xiao Yiru saying, "I saw this when I came back and thought you might like it."
Zhao Pei reached out to take it, carefully placed it in the palm of his hand and said softly, "Thank you." The black jade seemed to have been held by him all the time, retaining his warmth.
Although it is cold, it feels warm. (To be continued)