The Empress Can Read Thoughts

Part 3

7.

The four of them sat in a row, with their backs to me.

They were shaking their heads and swaying their bodies, I couldn't tell what they were doing.

I looked around, no one was nearby.

I sneakily knocked on the cell door six times.

Three long, three short.

After knocking, I raised the bag I was carrying, "Father! Mother! Brother and sister-in-law! I brought food for you!"

Only to see my parents and brother and sister-in-law turn around, each with a mouthful of sauce.

My parents and brother reacted quickly, immediately hiding what was in their hands.

Only my silly sister-in-law, holding a shiny, oily, big pork knuckle, cheerfully greeted me: "Yun Qing is here."

I smiled and turned to leave.

Why do they have such good food in prison? I don't even have a pork knuckle to gnaw on!

"Yun Qing! Wait!" My brother called me back.

I stopped and turned to look at him, "Brother, are you reluctant to part with me?"

"No, just put down what's in your hands before you leave."

I was wrong to trust him.

It's all because of the pork knuckle, it smelled too good, and it made me dizzy.

On the way back to the palace, my mind was filled with the image of that sauce-covered pork knuckle, soft and juicy.

Because of that, I took the wrong gate back to the palace.

After several turns, I suddenly didn't recognize the path anymore.

I could only rely on my memory to head towards the brightly lit direction.

Half an hour later, I stood at the familiar gate of the Empress's palace, completely distressed.

Luckily, the palace was dark and quiet, with no one in sight.

It seems Xie Xuan must have stayed in the Yang Xin Palace.

I really couldn't hold on anymore, I was too tired and sleepy, and I stumbled onto the bed and fell asleep.

In my half-asleep, half-awake state, the mattress beside me sank down, and I was pulled into a familiar embrace.

The scent of aloeswood made me want to snuggle closer.

This scent is nice, I'll have Chun Tao steal some back tomorrow, to fumigate the cold palace too.

8.

I dreamt that Xie Xuan turned into a dog, circling around me and refusing to leave.

The next day I had just woken up, my eyes not yet open, when Xie Xuan's voice already drifted over.

【The Empress smells so nice and soft, I like it so much!】

【I finally slept well again!】

【Without the Empress, I really can't live!】

【Yesterday afternoon, those old geezers actually suggested that I depose the Empress!】

【Isn't that just asking for my life?】

【Luckily, I scolded them all back to their senses!】

【I'm so mighty, it's not too much to hold the Empress for a while, right?】

Not too much, I mentally replied to him.

But he's held on for too long, I need to use the restroom.

So I pretended to just wake up, slowly opening my eyes, "Good morning, Your Majesty."

Xie Xuan's smile froze on his face, "It's not morning anymore, I need to go to court."

After saying that, he got up from the bed and began dressing.

【Why isn't the Empress helping me dress?】

【She wasn't like this before! Does she not love me anymore?】

"Your Majesty."

Xie Xuan paused.

【I knew it, the Empress still loves me!】

"Could you step aside? I need to use the restroom, otherwise, I will die."

There are three urgent needs [1], and I really couldn't hold it in anymore.

I pushed Xie Xun away and quickly rushed toward the restroom.

Behind me, Xie Xuan's voice gradually faded.

【The Empress must be treating me this way because I arrested the Prime Minister!】

【I need to work harder! Clear the Prime Minister's name as soon as possible!】

【The sooner I clear his name, the sooner the Empress will return to my side!】

【The nights without the Empress are too hard to bear, I never want to experience that again!】

【What excuse can I find to sleep with the Empress tonight?】

Xie Xuan actually wants to clear my father's name?

He really believes my father isn't guilty of colluding with the enemy?

9.

Before heading back to the cold palace, I casually stole a few buns from the imperial kitchen.

Today's buns were filled with carrot and lamb, and I could smell the fragrance from afar.

Chun Tao and Xia He were playing shuttlecock in the cold palace courtyard, and hurriedly came over to take the buns from my hands.

I took a sip of tea, and they had already eaten all but one.

"By the way, Your Majesty, His Majesty came looking for you again last night.

"I and Xia He told him you had gone to bed after dinner."

I decided not to tell Chun Tao the truth.

To spare her the nightmares of being beheaded for deceiving the emperor.

Life in the cold palace is quite boring.

I sat in the courtyard practicing calligraphy, Chun Tao and Xia He embroidered new patterns beside me.

It's been a long time since I last held a brush, and my arm was sore after a while.

"Chun Tao, did you bring the white flower oil gifted from the Western Regions?"

"I think so, I'll go look for it."

Chun Tao casually massaged my arm, "Your Majesty, what shall we eat tonight?"

The scent of the white flower oil made me drowsy, my mind not quite clear, "We'll eat whatever the imperial kitchen has."

"Shen Yun Qing! Do you think this is a traveling palace?"

Suddenly a sharp voice rang out, stinging my ears.

Noble Consort Song arrived with the Empress Dowager [2], bursting in with great motherentum.

I knelt behind the Empress Dowager with Chun Tao and Xia He, greeting her.

We knelt for a long time without her instructing us to rise.

I quietly raised my head to look.

The Empress Dowager surveyed the surroundings and snorted coldly.

"The Prime Minister colluded with the enemy, and the Emperor spared you from being deposed out of old affection. How can the Empress be so carefree in the cold palace?

"Since the Empress doesn't understand the rules, she should kneel here and reflect."

The Empress Dowager is not Xie Xuan's biological mother.

Xie Xuan's biological mother was the previous emperor's first wife, who passed away early, leaving Xie Xuan to be raised by the current Empress Dowager, who was Noble Consort Song at the time.

After Xie Xuan ascended the throne, Noble Consort Song naturally became the Empress Dowager.

She has always been at odds with me.

Because originally, she favored her niece, the current Noble Consort Song, as the Empress.

These two have always caused me trouble.

Especially now that my father has committed such a grave crime, they will definitely seize this opportunity to kick me while I'm down.

Father, your daughter is doomed by you!

Footnote:

[1] Three urgent needs (人有三急) is a metaphoric way to describe someone wants to pee.
[2] Empress Dowager (太后) is the Emperor's mother.