His Majesty And I ✔️

Good News

Remember that Zhen means I, used by the emperor. It emphasizes authority and position.

Chapter 23

Second Class Female Attendant Wei
Lady Wei Li Lian
Dragon Palace Study Room

The Dragon Palace study was a room of dozen bookshelves with hundreds of books. The huge window space let in the sun and fresh air for one to concentrate. Yellow walls with brown surfaces weren't artsy to Li Lian until she entered this room.

Yuwen Hong was next to her, showing off his calligraphy. His hand danced on paper with unique prose. He was comfortable in the emerald green changpao she chose for him to change into after his morning court. The disappointment was him sitting by the length of the short table while she was at the width of it, wishing they could be closer.

Li Lian acted like she didn't eavesdrop. Yuwen Hong carried on as normal too, as if he never sent Luo Meng with punishment for her. Things were the same as any other day when she turned up to serve him.

"The ink is too watery," Yuwen Hong rumbled as he shredded his paper and discarded it. "What is going on in that small brain of yours?" He looked at her like she grew horns.

"My apologies, Your Majesty." She hurriedly added more material to her ink grinder to thicken the black ink mixture. Yuwen Hong was right. She made the ink runny. "His Majesty must remember this is not my job." Servants did this kind of work, so why was he asking her to do it?

He dipped his finger in the ink and smudged the tip of ner nose. "So what if it isn't? You will do what I require, servant or not."

As Dao said, she shouldn't speak back. She should be nice and gentle like Noble Consort Qi.

His eyes took hers. What was it about him staring at her as if he could see into her soul? He understood her, could easily read her words as truth or lies.

"If I tell you to behave, will you stop being naughty?" His words were serious, but his eyes shone with humour. "I don't appreciate eavesdropping from my woman."

She blushed profusely. "I don't know what you are talking about."

He bit his lip, and a coy smile followed. "You are a bad liar."

No, she wasn't. It's the person she was lying to that was the problem.

He wiped her face off of the ink he put on her earlier. "You are not wearing make-up today." His eyes observed her with the intensity as of a storm.

She normally liked to have make-up on and enhance her features but she was thinking of how Noble Consort Qi was the only woman he seemed to have taken a liking to. She didn't wear make-up.

In some way, Li Lian needed to have Yuwen Hong fall for her again. Since he fell out of love with Elora she could ensnare his heart as Noble Consort Qi because Noble Consort Qi still got visits from him once in a while. Many said the Noble Consort lost favour as the emperor didn't ask for her at night anymore but to Li Lian, if he still visited her during the day, that wasn't lost favour.

"You noticed?" Yuwen Hong noticed she looked different. Though he wasn't speaking to her, he was very much aware of her to see when something was missing on her face.

He took her head in his one large hand. The feel of his calloused hands was rough but assuring. Those were one of the most skilled hands, with the sword, and somewhere between her legs.

Her thoughts gave her cheeks a tint.

Unlucky for her, he picked that up, a smirk enveloping his face. His hazel eyes scrutinised her, her lips, her eyes, her lips again. A coat of need dressed his eyes but was washed away when he blinked. "I don't like this canvas face. You are not as attractive without make-up."