Chapter 86: The Gathering of the Harem Part III
“Otherwise? Do you think that if Zhen permits you to leave the Imperial palace, that I will divorce you? Don’t forget, there has never been a consort that has been divorced in the Imperial Harem since ancient times. The ending of an unfavored consort is merely nothing more than dying in the Cold Palace.” The Imperial Palace was not a place where one could come and go as one wished, especially so for consorts in the harem. Once they entered the palace, even if he were to die, they could only die in the palace. But, Liyou did not necessarily care about these rules. These rules were made by others but what she was willing to do was what really mattered.
Of course, Qin Ning was naturally aware of the situation and felt even more confused. Why would the Empress allow him to leave the Palace? Was it really because he had made such a request?
“Your Majesty, can this consort also go out of the Palace to have a look?” Li Qujun’s eyes sparkled brightly. Life in the palace was too dull and he had grown up outside of the Imperial palace. Although he did not have many opportunities to explore outside as a man, he could occasionally go for an outing. Since entering the palace, he had been looking forward to the day when he could take a step outside the palace again and pay a visit to well-known qin masters and collect music scores to improve his skill.
“What do you want to go out of the Palace for?” The outside world was not exactly peaceful and the dynasty was currently warring with other countries. Qin Ning had martial arts as a form of protection but Li Qujun did not.
“This consort has always wanted to visit various well-known qin masters and hope to learn more.” Li Qujun carefully observed the Empress’ expression, feeling apprehension in his heart. After all, such a request was indeed bold, and he would absolutely have never asked otherwise.
Liyou looked at Qin Ning , then at Li Qujun and at all the consorts who looked at him with various expressions.She pondered for a while and said, “Is there anyone else who wants to go out of the Palace for an outing?”
All the people present looked at each other, but no one spoke. Feng Xue, Anhui and Yun Tailing, the three of them, were already quite unrestrained in their daily lives and it was not difficult to leave the Palace. Naturally, there was no need to bring up such a topic for them at this time. Luo Weiqing, as the King Consort, naturally would not have such desires. He was a person who was content, who enjoyed the ordinary and not to mention, he did not feel life in the Palace was tedious or boring. As the Empress, Liyou also had a lot of things to deal with and did not care much for the world outside the Palace. As for the remaining two, Sang Zixin and Luo Xingchen, they had always been the taciturn and uncommunicative type. This kind of silence was not actually keeping silent, but it was an act of ignoring their own sense of existence. Especially Sang Zixin, who always felt that he was not worthy to come to such an occasion at all. But, it was a rare chance to see the Empress, so he had no choice but to attend.
“It is possible to leave the Palace, but to ensure one’s safety, Zhen will send Shadow Guards to protect you. You are Zhen’s consorts, no accidents are allowed to happen!” The worldview in the Palace was too small and he expected that experiencing the outside world would broaden the horizons of these men. Just like how Feng Xue grew up, these people still needed to mature.
“Thanking your Majesty for your kindness!” Li Qujun knelt down to thank the Imperial grace and was so pleasantly surprised that his joyous feelings were exhibited in his speech. If it was said that his affection for the Empress in the past was because this woman was his wife and sky, and a person he was willing to comply and pour out his affection to, now, his feelings toward the Empress contained warmth, admiration and was filled with favorable impressions and adoration. He did not know when, but the Empress had become less scary than before and the Empress’ shadow had long made its way into his heart.
Li Qujun had always known that the Empress preferred his qin playing over others. Maybe, without his qin, he would not be valued by the Empress whatsoever. In the past, he hated himself for playing the qin. After entering this deep Palace, he was like a bird whose wings had been cut off and could no longer fly freely. But now, he was glad that he could marry such a worthy woman. He would truly admire, obey, respect and love her, and become one of her own.
“Little pitiful thing, you can go out with Noble Consort Li and also Noble Consort Luo. The three of you can go out together. Zhen will send someone to protect you. However, during wartime, you three should keep a low profile.” According to her investigations, Sang Zixin had remained within the Sang Empire’s Imperial Palace his entire life and had never once gone out. Although he may not heave any yearning for the world outside the Palace, it was still beneficial to go and experience it. People’s experiences are enriched with the broadening of one’s horizons. As for Luo Xingchen, Liyou did not quite understand why this man always looked so melancholy. In her opinion, Luo Xingchen was a more suitable candidate for going out to relax than Qin Ning. Hence, since people were going out, the more the merrier.
Sang Zixin, who was called little pitiful thing by the Empress, was actually very different compared to his past self. Maybe it was due to the calm life in the Palace and that no one was bullying him, hence, he no longer needed to live a life of fear. Sang Zixin’s noble facial features appeared even more distinct and rounded out. His face, which was as round as pearls and as smooth as jade, carried three points of loveliness, three points of daintiness, and three points of feebleness. The pitiful appearance he had in the beginning was also gone and this made Liyou feel quite satisfied.
When Sang Zixin heard what the Empress said, he did not know how to react. He seldom had his own opinions and did not have any wishes or expectations. The world outside the palace was too unfamiliar. Could he really go out and have a look?
On the other hand, Luo Xingchen’s lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but under Liyou’s concerned gaze, he did not say anything. Since the Empress asked him to go out of the Palace to take a look, then he would go out and have a look. It didn’t matter where he was anyways.
No one objected and Liyou’s suggestions were naturally settled. The dishes on the table had grown a bit cold and Liyou encouraged everyone to eat more. She drank two more glasses of wine by herself and although everyone was earring, their eyes were unconsciously paying more attention to Liyou. Liyou’s drinking speed made everyone a little worried and in the end, it was Luo Weiqing who could not stand it anymore and softly said to Liyou: “Your Majesty, do not drink so much, it will hurt your health.”
Liyou slightly smiled. Even a few more barrels of wine could not hurt her body. But seeing everyone’s anxious expressions, she found this laughable. But, this wine was not weak and she was beginning to feel as light as a feather.
“Do not worry about zhen, you all eat more.” After Liyou finished speaking, she drank another glass of wine. Everyone did not have the time to react and say anything, so they could only watch on at the scene helplessly.
Liyou set down the empty wine glass, looked around the crowd and a wicked grin appeared on her face, “Zhen is looking forward to see, what you all will look like when drunk…”These men were already stunning, but now that she was drunk, the scene made her feel amazed the more she looked. And she found that she was a little drunk and her sense of smell had heightened. The aroma emanating from the people around her made her feel hungry again, but she had already fed just now and knew she wasn’t truly thirsty. But, such fragrances were so tempting that she was having a hard time controlling her desires.
Liyou’s words caused the tip of everyone’s ears to flush and they felt that these words had a flirtatious connotation. Such ambiguity made their imaginations run wild.
The banquet continued in this ambiguous atmosphere until the end. Liyou drank a few more glasses of wine, but her face was only slightly flushed and her expression became more immoral. But, she didn’t say anything and this made people blush as their heartbeats beat faster. After dinner, everyone drank tea together. Liyou just watched the scene with a smile and let them talk about some trivial matters until xushi (7-9 pm), in which everyone then left.
“Your Majesty, are you going to sleep with this consort tonight?” Luo Weiqing could not help being a little embarrassed when he saw that everyone had left but the Empress seemed to have no intention of leaving.
“Do you want Zhen to stay here?” Liyou knew the answer in his heart, but she still wanted to hear Luo Weiqing say it himself.
“It is this consort’s blessing to be able to serve the Empress. Naturally, this consort hopes that Your Majesty can stay here.” Although he felt a little embarrassed to say this, these were words coming from his heart.
The Empress was changing more and more, and this made him more and more entrenched by the other and unable to extricate himself from his cage of love.
Liyou smiled and pulled Luo Weiqing into a deep kiss, the smell of alcohol making Luo Weiqing lightheaded. He had also drunk a lot of wine and he was actually feeling a little dizzy at the moment. But, the Empress had drank even more and he did not know if she was comfortable or not…..Even as he was being kissed, Luo Weiqing could not help but think such thoughts.
“Not paying attention? Not paying attention at such a time, this is a crime worthy of punishment.” Liyou noticed Luo Weiqing’s distracted state and said this with a slight smile.
“Your Majesty, it would be better to drink less wine in the future. The smell of wine on your breath makes this consort feel a little drunk.” Luo Weiqing confessed with a blushing face.
“Being drunk is better, one is more attractive when drunk.” Liyou pecked the corner of Luo Weiqing’s lips, the desire in her eyes gradually igniting. As they talked, he slowly led Luo Weiqing to the bed…
Just after midnight, Liyou slowly opened his eyes. Luo Weiqing was already sound asleep, but she could not sleep. The alcohol was still coursing throughout her body and although this body was originally a mundane human’s body, but after fully merging with this body, it had changed little but little under the influence of her spiritual energy. The remnants of alcohol in her body would not dissipate and even after more than two hours, she still felt hot and dry, which made her unable to sleep.
Since she could not fall asleep, she got up. Liyou covered Luo Weiqing with a quilt, casually threw on an article of clothing and got off the bed. There was a palace attendant outside the quarters and when she saw the Empress coming out, she hurried to salute but was stopped by Liyou’s stare, “No need, Zhen is going out for a walk.”
The palace attendant nodded nervously and didn’t even dare to breathe until Liyou left.
Although it was already spring, the nights were still a little cold. Liyou thought carefully. She had been here for more than half a year. In the past, half a year would pass by in the snap of her fingers. But now, she felt that many things had occurred during this time. The Enchanting guifei, abdication, Luo Yu, the chaos of war, Anhui, Feng Xue, etc., many such shadows flashed in her mind, leaving indelible traces behind. Thinking about it now, the experience of the past six months seemed to be richer than that of a thousand years ago. She could not help but sigh. Time was truly a marvelous thing. It was not something that could be measured by length, but by experience. There are some things that you could never imagine what the feelings were without having not experienced them before. Just like now,everything she had was something she had never thought of before. And this feeling was even more wonderful and elusive, something that could not be described in words……
TN: New chapter! Stay safe and happy everyone! ❤
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Twin Dragons Translations 
thanks for the chapter!
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