The silver moon hung in the sky, casting a faint light.
In the corridor deep within the imperial city, a woman in a red dress holding a palace lantern stood quietly and solemnly.
Tap——
Drip, drip...
A soft sound came from the end of the corridor. A handsome guard dressed in a black robe emerged. His robe was already soaked through, and water was dripping from his sleeves and hair. He walked while looking back, seemingly preoccupied.
The Female Emperor took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and walked closer:
"Young Master Ye, are you alright?"
Ye Jingtang's mind was now full of thoughts of "so big, so big," and he was also worried about whether Miss Luo would kill him if she found out. He was truly a bit absent-minded. Seeing Yu Hu, he put aside his distracting thoughts, took the handkerchief and wiped the water off his face, and took out the jade pendant from his sleeve:
"I'm fine. I've found the jade pendant."
The Female Emperor really didn't expect that in such an embarrassing situation, Ye Jingtang still didn't forget to retrieve the jade pendant for her. She raised her hand to take the Double-Fish Jade Pendant and blinked her eyes:
"I saw someone go towards Canyang Pool just now. You weren't discovered, were you?"
"I'm a guard. It's normal to be seen while patrolling around. Don't worry, I didn't betray you. Be more careful in the future. It was just that I was there today. If it were someone else, this jade pendant definitely couldn't have been retrieved."
He didn't betray me...
The Female Emperor didn't know whether to say that Ye Jingtang was too chivalrous or just a silly boy. Anyway, she felt like a heartless elder sister-in-law who had deceived her simple-minded brother-in-law. She was slightly silent and put away the jade pendant:
"Thank you, Young Master Ye. I don't know how to repay you."
If he hadn't encountered Prince Jing, when Ye Jingtang heard this expression of gratitude, he might have thought of Prince Jing's offer to let him find a pretty palace maid in the palace to take home and serve tea.
But now, Ye Jingtang really didn't have the mood to chat and joke with the girl:
"It's just a small favor. There's no need to repay me. It's already so late. Miss Yu Hu, you should go back quickly. I need to continue my patrol."
The Female Emperor curved her lips into a smile and curtsied gracefully like flowing water:
"I really troubled you, Young Master. I will repay your great kindness in the future."
Ye Jingtang didn't think that this beautiful palace maid could actually repay him for anything. He just took it as a polite remark, nodded slightly in return, and turned to leave the corridor. However, after walking a short distance, he suddenly remembered the red handkerchief in his hand.
"Ah?"
Ye Jingtang turned back and wanted to call out to Yu Hu, but he saw that the palace lantern had already turned the corner of the corridor, and he could only see the afterglow. After a slight hesitation, he decided to forget it.
The moon had risen to the top of the sky. There were few people in the palace pavilions. This unforgettable night finally became completely quiet.
Ye Jingtang thought that the palace was very strange and didn't dare to run around anymore. He just paced back and forth under the palace wall, waiting for the night wind to dry his clothes.
Although he tried his best to calm his thoughts, his mind was always filled with the overwhelming pressure when Prince Jing jumped into the water, as well as the faint feeling of hair...
It wasn't that he was a lecher. The impact was just too great. As long as he was a man and encountered such a thing, he would have to lie awake for a few days before he could calm down. Someone who could become completely calm immediately was a sage, and he clearly wasn't one.
Suddenly having such an amorous encounter, if Prince Jing asked him to take responsibility, he definitely couldn't escape.
When Miss Luo came back, if she found out that he had become the consort prince, he didn't know how heartbroken she would be...
What should he do...
Ye Jingtang was in a state of confusion and couldn't even think about the Minglong Painting. Afraid that Prince Jing would look for him, he even went to Jingfu Palace to take a look. As a result, apart from a silly palace maid who was waiting there with a bird in her arms, there was no sign of Prince Jing.
Although he knew that Prince Jing was unlikely to come again, he still waited in the courtyard according to the message passed on by the palace maid and pondered various martial arts skills on his own...
-----
On the other side, in the Emperor's bedroom in Yongle Palace.
After a series of chaotic experiences, the atmosphere among the Empress Dowager, the Female Emperor, and Prince Jing had become very strange.
It was the middle of the night, and the bedroom was very quiet. Only the moonlight outside the window and the palace lanterns provided a faint light.
On the large dragon bed, three women with different but all hot figures were lying side by side on the pillows, seemingly all asleep.
After arriving at Yongle Palace, Dongfang Liren had prepared many words in her mind and wanted to have a fit of anger with the Female Emperor.
But after the Female Emperor returned to the bedroom, she put on an act of "I don't know anything at all." Dongfang Liren, on the one hand, was too embarrassed to speak out, and on the other hand, was afraid of her sister. In the end, she just pretended that nothing had happened.
At this time, Dongfang Liren was wearing a silver and white nightgown, covered up tightly. She was sleeping on the outer side of the bed, facing away from the other two with a slightly cold expression, looking like "I'm very angry." Her mind was filled with various thoughts:
Really... How did I end up with such a stupid sister...
Ye Jingtang was really a gentleman just now. In that situation, he knew to turn his head and close his eyes and not look around randomly...
But even if he didn't look around randomly, he still saw something...
If Ye Jingtang's sweetheart knew about what happened between me and him, she wouldn't be angry, would she...
She will definitely be angry. Women outside wouldn't be as reasonable as me. As long as it wasn't Ye Jingtang's fault, they wouldn't punish him...
If Ye Jingtang was deeply in love and was hated and abandoned by his sweetheart because of this, he wouldn't blame me, would he...
I didn't want you to see it either!
It's your own fault for being so stupid and being tricked here by my sister...
It's all my sister's fault. How could she do such a stupid thing...
The more Dongfang Liren thought about it, the angrier she became. She couldn't help but secretly poke the Female Emperor with her elbow under the thin quilt to vent her anger.
The Female Emperor had changed back into a semi-transparent red gauze dress. She wasn't as lazy and casual as a noble concubine anymore. Instead, she lay flat in the middle, with her hands folded on her abdomen, closing her eyes and concentrating. She ignored her younger sister's temper tantrum.
On the other side, the Empress Dowager, wearing a deep red nightgown, was lying on the innermost side. She turned over from time to time and was also lost in random thoughts:
If Ye Jingtang finds out that I drew his portrait, he won't think wrongly, will he...
Even if he doesn't think wrongly, it's really embarrassing for the Empress Dowager to draw a man's portrait in the room and be caught by the person himself...
What's going on with these two sisters?
After a long period of silence, the Empress Dowager turned over, glanced at the Female Emperor who was as steady as a mountain, and the side-lying Prince Jing:
"Why are your sleeping postures reversed? Didn't Liren always lie properly before?"
Dongfang Liren looked back and saw that the Female Emperor wasn't asleep yet. She turned her face back and said indifferently:
"You still have to deal with government affairs tomorrow. Why don't you go to bed, Your Majesty?"
"You two aren't sleeping. How can I fall asleep?"
Seeing that no one could fall asleep, the Empress Dowager propped herself up and asked curiously:
"Your Majesty, who wrote the poem you got today?"
Dongfang Liren's ears twitched slightly, and she was also eavesdropping. However, her purpose wasn't to show interest in the talented scholar, but rather:
To find her sister's lover and set up a trap to get revenge for today's incident!
Without opening her eyes, the Female Emperor knew what her younger sister was up to. She calmly replied:
"His surname is Ye, and his given name is Jingtang. He's the young master of a family near Tianshui Bridge. He has a pure and kind character, outstanding abilities, and can be of great use."
"..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the bedroom fell into a dead silence.
The curious expression on the Empress Dowager's face froze. Her eyes were strange as she looked back and forth between the Female Emperor and Prince Jing, probably thinking—Oh~ Could these two sisters be interested in the same man?
Then Liren doesn't stand a chance...
Dongfang Liren also turned back in disbelief and looked at the Female Emperor. The look in her eyes probably meant—How could he possibly write poetry? Are you trying to deliberately make me angry and jealous?
The Female Emperor didn't explain. She turned over and faced away from Dongfang Liren.
Dongfang Liren gritted her teeth secretly and also turned around, leaving the Female Emperor with the back of her head.
Seeing that the two sisters had fallen into a cold war, the Empress Dowager felt that something was wrong. Like a gentle and considerate single mother, she tried to smooth things over:
"Sigh, you two sisters. Why are you still holding a grudge? You should talk things out properly..."
Although her words were gentle, her bright eyes were filled with the fire of all kinds of gossip...