Chapter 66: A ’Smack’ Kiss on Her Face
The Empress Dowager had struggled desperately but failed to stop Prince Kang from being thrown into the Heavenly Prison. Her words, her imperial edict—they had all become a joke.
Publicly shamed by the Emperor, she could bear it no longer. With a flick of her sleeves, she departed.
Everyone could see the sparks of war flying between the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, but it didn’t stop the banquet from continuing.
Only Mr. and Mrs. Xie were on pins and needles, terrified that the Emperor would take a disliking to them and have them dragged away as well.
They had arrived with a thousand plans, but now they could only bottle them up, not daring to say a single word.
Han Yang was summoned to re-dress the Regent King’s wound. Rong Yin held out his palm, revealing a mangled, bloody mess.
He took a deep breath and began bandaging it with an air of resignation.
The patient, however, didn’t even glance at his own injury. His gaze was fixed on the young Emperor, who was drinking nonstop. Rong Yin’s brows furrowed. "Your Majesty, you should drink less."
’That’s the fourth jug already!’
Xiao Yang didn’t even deign to roll her eyes at him. ’He wants to control the heavens, the earth, and even the air I breathe.’ She couldn’t be bothered to respond.
She turned to Li Wei, raised her cup, and shot him a challenging look.
Li Wei, who could drink a thousand cups without getting drunk: "..."
’It’s like I’ve just been pecked by a baby chick.’
Suppressing a laugh, he raised his cup in response.
Xiao Yang then looked at Xiao Lv, tilting her head. "Brother, why aren’t you drinking?"
Afraid the Little Emperor might do something rash, Xiao Lv, who had been deliberately staying sober, sighed and poured himself a cup. "To Your Majesty."
Only then was Xiao Yang satisfied. Her gaze swept across the nearby officials. Anyone her eyes fell upon tactfully raised their cup. Not a single person close by was spared—except for Rong Yin.
Rong Yin, who was unable to drink: "..."
The banquet was enjoyable, but three hours was Xiao Yang’s limit.
Her eyes were tired and she’d had her fill of wine. She got up and left.
As she walked out of the great hall, she saw a thick layer of snow had accumulated outside. The cold made her shiver.
Lin Yi draped a heavy cloak over Xiao Yang. "Your Majesty, the sedan chair is ready."
Xiao Yang waved him off. "No need. I’ll walk. It’ll help me sober up."
She was in an excellent mood tonight and wanted to play in the snow.
So Xiao Yang led the way, deliberately stepping wherever the snow was deepest. Two eunuchs, four palace maids, and a dozen or so Imperial Guards followed, all on high alert. Their eyes were glued to her, terrified she might slip and fall.
Xiao Yang was no child. As a martial artist, she had at least that much balance.
But no amount of skill could prevent an accident. A figure rushed around the corner, heading straight for her with clear intent to collide.
The Imperial Guards drew their swords instantly, but Xiao Yang recognized the person. "Hold!"
She raised a hand to knock aside the guard’s sword, only to be hit with the full force of the person’s body. Her feet slipped, and she landed hard in the snow, becoming a human cushion in the process.
Xiao Yang’s face contorted in agony. ’My royal backside!!’
"Your Majesty!"
Lin Yi reacted in a flash, managing to cushion the Emperor’s head. But seeing this disaster, he felt he was about to lose his own.
"Your Majesty, are you all right? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Two eunuchs tried to help Xiao Yang up while two palace maids struggled to pull away the woman clinging desperately to her. "Get off her!"
It all happened in an instant.
When Xiao Yang came to her senses, she realized something was wrong with the person on top of her. The woman was clutching her waist, her body was fever-hot, and her eyes were glazed over.
"*Sob*... please... save me..."
Xiao Yang seemed to realize what was happening, and a feeling of ’Oh, for fuck’s sake’ washed over her.
’I’d love to help, really.’
"Someone! Go get Han Yang!"
Using Lin Yi’s support to get up, she reflexively wrapped an arm around the woman’s waist and used her other hand to cover the woman’s face. "Song Qingyi, calm down."
’Don’t rub against me!!’
Song Qingyi had clearly been drugged. Xiao Yang pointed to a random guard. "Go find Xiao Lv. Tell him to investigate this."
"Yes."
It would be a while before Han Yang arrived, and it wasn’t proper to be holding a woman like this in front of everyone.
She didn’t care for her own sake, but Song Qingyi’s reputation was on the line.
Xiao Yang tried to hand Song Qingyi over to the palace maids, but the dazed woman was clinging to her so tightly they couldn’t pry her off.
Just as Xiao Yang tried to push her away, Song Qingyi found her chance and planted a loud SMACK of a kiss on her cheek.
Xiao Yang: "..."
One kiss wasn’t enough for Song Qingyi; she leaned in for more. Xiao Yang finally sensed real danger.
"Quick, get her off me!"
’Getting a peck from a girl friend is one thing, but any more of this and we’re going to have a problem!!’
After seeing the kiss, the four palace maids went into a frenzy. They threw caution to the wind and literally tore Song Qingyi away.
Xiao Yang quickly retreated two steps and took a deep breath. ’That was close. I’m saved!’
Patting her chest, she turned her head, about to let out a sigh of relief, only to find herself surrounded by a crowd of onlookers!!
The sigh of relief caught in her throat, almost choking her.
Xie Liuzheng and Princess Suiyi were standing in the covered corridor, each peeking out from behind a pillar.
Xie Liuzheng’s inner voice was buzzing. ’Even though the original male lead is dead, the original female lead has hooked up with the new male lead! It looks so sweet this time, it must not be an angsty plot! Haha, the domineering female lead forcing her love on him, I ship it so hard!’
Xiao Yang was speechless. ’Your inner monologue is deafening!’
’Ship it so hard? You’ll ship anything that moves. Aren’t you afraid of getting indigestion?’
Prince Jing stood with his hands behind his back, studiously looking at the sky, the ground—anywhere but at Xiao Yang.
’A nephew’s pride is still pride,’ he thought. ’It’s best if I pretend I didn’t see him being forcibly kissed. The Little Emperor is so thin-skinned, he might fly into a rage out of sheer embarrassment.’
Rong Yin stood at the edge of the corridor. Lanterns shone down from above, illuminating the surroundings, but he was perfectly shrouded in the only patch of shadow.
His tall figure was like a pool of thick, impenetrable darkness that no light could pierce.
By the time Han Yang arrived, Prime Minister Song and his wife were also there.
Han Yang did a quick examination. "Your Majesty, it’s just a common aphrodisiac."
He quickly performed acupuncture, then took out a vial and had a palace maid give the pill inside to Song Qingyi.
"She’ll be fine after she sleeps it off."
Prime Minister Song hurriedly expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, Your Majesty. And thank you for your trouble, Doctor Han."
Lady Song had already heard about her daughter’s "heroic feat" of kissing the Emperor in public. She glanced at her husband, then at the Emperor, looking as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t.
Xiao Yang couldn’t be bothered with any of that. Since the girl was fine, she yawned and took her leave. It was time for bed.
Xiao Yang had replaced the entire staff of Zichen Palace. The Chief Eunuch, Lin Yi, had been chosen through a rigorous selection process. He was young but came from an unimpeachable family background. While his service wasn’t always perfect, Xiao Yang wasn’t particular; he was good enough.
The other two supervising eunuchs, Liang Sha and Su Sheng, were not yet thirty. Their abilities were secondary; the main criteria had been their clean backgrounds and obedience.
The palace maids and the guards at the door had all been carefully screened as well.
’Only by ensuring my safety can I sleep in peace,’ she thought. ’And while the hidden compartment works in a pinch, the Dragon Bed is so much more comfortable.’
In Zichen Palace, Xiao Yang was sleeping like a log.
Meanwhile, in the Regent Prince Mansion, Rong Yin lay in bed, tossing and turning.
Every time he closed his eyes, the image of the Little Emperor being held and kissed flashed through his mind.
’He’ was the Emperor, destined to take wives, father children, and fill a harem of three thousand.
’He’ was his junior... the Emperor... a man...
At this thought, Rong Yin shot up in bed with a WHOOSH.
His jet-black eyes glinted in the darkness. Man, or woman... He had to find out. Once he verified it, perhaps he could finally let this go.