Lei Xing along with the other Imperial wives were escorted out of the main hall, down the stairs and were led through an entrance to the right, which opened into a passageway the size of a street.
There were rows of lavishly decorated palanquins with maids and eunuchs already lined up around each one. Lei Xing's mood had been getting progressively worse. Since they left the hall she could feel disgruntled stares being sent her way.
{...What are you unhappy about? Let me tell you, I am a thousand times unhappier than all of you right now, okay?!! You think I want to play this stupid game with you all?!...}
Ling mama bowed to them, "Your Highnesses, you should all get on - " She froze in between her speech as she looked at the palanquins and the number of the imperial wives, and her face had on a complicated expression.
It seemed the other servants around also just realized this problem, and they all looked at Ling mama, who was covertly glancing at the imperial wives who were standing in front of her, trying to figure out how to handle this.
{...I can't exactly ask any of them to wait here for a palanquin, what if that person holds a grudge?...but I can't ask all of them to stand here and wait for a palanquin for one person, what if they all hold a grudge?!...}
Ling mama covertly glanced at Lei Xing.
{...By right, it should be her that would have to wait, but she's the noble consort personally chosen by His majesty, how can I send concubines and leave her here?...what if she gets angry? Worse, what if the Emperor gets angry?!...}
"Ah, this, your highnesses..." Ling mama bowed her head, trying to find her words. "Ah..."
Lei Xing sighed, "I'll walk, have someone lead the way."
"Ah? No, you must not. It is really far. How can - ?" Ling mama protested.
"Aren't you walking the distance?" Lei Xing flatly asked and Ling mama gaped at her.
"Anyway, I need some exercise right now." Lei Xing dismissively said and started walking forward with Xiao Ruo following behind her, she really wasn't in the mood to deal with people right now.
Ling mama became anxious and quickly pulled an eunuch to tell him where to escort Lei Xing, but another problem surfaced they didn't know where to send her as they weren't given any instructions for her. She didn't feel it was right to send her to any palace, but they couldn't send her back to the courtyard she was staying in as it would be disrespectful to her new status, while Ling mama was debating this...
"Noble consort Lei, please wait." A voice suddenly shouted from behind.
Lei Xing frowned at hearing that title, but she still turned around. It was an eunuch rushing over. Ling mama turned to the eunuch and said, "Ah Eunuch Li, does the emperor have any orders?" Eunuch Li nodded to her and walked toward Lei Xing.
When he got to her front, he bowed and then said, "Your Highness, the emperor is aware that preparations haven't been made to receive you, so he had me come down to escort you to your palace and also has asked that you make use his palanquin."
In the same moment, a bunch of eunuchs passed through the entrance carrying an even bigger and more lavishly decorated palanquin over, with eunuchs and maids trailing behind it.
As soon as he said this, Lei Xing got more disgruntled stares that evolved into glares, and her mood worsened.
{...Did this ass**le send over his whole retinue?! He's really trying to have me suffocated to death, isn't he?!! Either that or he's trying to cajole me into a botched assassination attempt...Either way, I won't let him succeed, it's not that easy to kill me!! I will kill you first, Conniving bastard!!...}
The palanquin was put in front of her and the eunuch said, "Your highness, please enter."
Lei Xing took a deep breath to restrain her anger and then said, "No need. I want to walk."
"That's fine as well. We will have the palanquin follow behind, so when you feel tired, you can get on." The eunuch said in an understanding tone with a smile.
Lei Xing narrowed her eyes at him. She wanted to argue, but she already figured it wouldn't make a difference, this eunuch looked like the stubborn sort.
{...What the hell are you smiling about?!!... These people are really trying to have me killed!! Must it be so abnormal!! T_T)...}
Lei Xing took another deep breath and started walking off, and the eunuch followed behind her with the palanquin and the servants trailed after them.
{...Great! Just great...As if they already didn't hate me enough...now this...}
The other Imperial wives stared on as Lei Xing's entourage went ahead, some envious stares, some bitter stares, some filled with rage.
"Your highnesses, please enter the palanquins." Ling mama said, bringing the other Imperial wives back from their reveries.
They looked towards the palanquins lined up with their own retinue of servants that had been arranged and no matter how one looked at it, it really couldn't compare with what they just saw.
Some resigned themselves to their fate and went forward and got in, while a few still lingered on looking at the palanquin that was moving farther away, but eventually, they also turned and got on theirs.
***
Eunuch Li entered the royal study, bowed to the Emperor and informed him that they had finished the task.
"What did she say?" The Emperor calmly asked without looking up from the memorial in his hands.
"She didn't say anything..." Eunuch glanced up at the Emperor, saw he had no reaction, and then continued, "She also chose to walk the whole way."
The Emperor snorted and glanced up, "Walk?"
"We had the palanquin following behind her, but she insisted on walking the whole way."
The Emperor snorted again, "I'll go pay her a visit now."
Eunuch Li smiled slyly and bowed, "I will inform her palace to prepare."
"No need." The Emperor stood up and started out of the room with Eunuch Li following behind him with a wide smile.
{...In such a hurry? ...Ah, I feel like a proud father...}
***
Lei Xing had been delivered to a lavish palace with a wide and beautiful garden at the front, but she was in no mood to admire the scenery.
She was currently in her new unnecessarily large bedroom, standing in the center of the room pacing about, she sat down for a bit but was so anxious, she couldn't sit still and got up and began pacing again.
Xiao Ruo was watching her pacing around and was so confused as to what she was worried about. To her, it seemed that Lei Xing had won magnificently against all odds.
{...Shouldn't she be over the moon now? Not only did she get chosen, but she was personally appointed by the emperor! Not to mention, he also sent over his personal palanquin and servants to escort her, this palace as well...what is there to be unhappy about?...}
"Your highn- "
"Shut Up!" Lei Xing immediately cut Xiao Ruo off, that title was grating to her ears.
Xiao Ruo immediately kept quiet, she understood that Lei Xing was in a bad mood, even though she was unsure as to why and wanted to inquire, but from her reaction, she knew now was not the time, and so quietly watched as Lei Xing continued to pace back and forth.
"The Emperor has arrived." An eunuch shouted from outside the room. Lei Xing froze in her tracks and looked at the door.
{...What the hell is this ass**le here for now?!...}
The doors were opened and the Emperor walked in with eunuch Li trailing behind him with a foolish smile on his face. Lei Xing stood in place and skeptically looked at them.
Xiao Ruo on the side bowed and greeted the Emperor and then looked towards Lei Xing, who was just standing in place. She glanced at the Emperor and was about walk up to Lei Xing to remind her to greet when the Emperor calmly said, "You both leave."
Eunuch Li's smile widened, and he bowed, then looked at Xiao Ruo, who was sending worried glances at Lei Xing. He cleared his throat towards her and motioned his head to the door.
Xiao Ruo looked at him and saw his smile, and understood, she also smiled, and the two smiling idiots left and quietly closed the doors behind them.
The Emperor stood in place looking at Lei Xing for a while, then frowned.
{...What's special about her?... Is it because she's Yong's sister and so I have an affinity with that family? But that can't be all, right?... Even without her, I already have their loyalty...and even if don't have it, it wouldn't be so catastrophic for me to regret it...could it be Prince Yi?... But what could she possibly do for him that would cause me to regret it? The Lei family isn't fickle, they would never give her to him...}
Lei Xing skeptically looked back at him.
After a while of the staring contest, the Emperor took a step forward, and Lei Xing instinctively took a step back and looked at him with a guarded expression.
{...Look, let me warn you, don't come near me...If you dare touch me, I will kill you and then kill myself!!... Okay, I can't really kill myself...and I don't think I can kill you either...BOTTOMLINE! Don't come near me!!...}
He raised an eyebrow at her, then took another step forward, she took another back. He took another forward, she took one back and then frowned and flatly asked, "What are you doing?"
"What are YOU doing?" He returned her question.
"Walking."
"Backwards?" He quizzically looked at her.
Lei Xing pursed her lips in annoyance and also a bit of embarrassment but confidently said, "Yes."
He smirked, "Okay, then I'm walking too, forward."
Lie Xing's lips twitched in annoyance as she watched him take a few steps forward and then turn to the side and sat down, "Relax, I just want to talk. Sit down."
{...Talk about what? -_-)...}
Lei Xing stood in place, still looking at him with a guarded expression. He looked up at her and said, "Or you can remain standing, that's fine too."
Lei Xing inwardly sighed in annoyance and walked to the chair on the other side of his and sat down, then poured herself a cup of tea from the table and downed it in one shot.
When she finished, she saw him looking at her, then he glanced down at the tea set on the table, then back at her. She looked at him suspiciously, then he did it again, and she understood.
{...Fine, let's be cordial...perhaps we can negotiate this...}
She poured a cup of tea for him, he picked it up and was casually sipping the tea slowly. Lei Xing was watching him and getting more annoyed by the second.
Finally, after a while, he said, "I have a question." He put the cup back on the table and looked at her, signaling for her to refill the cup.
Lei Xing looked forward and pretended as if she didn't see it. He scoffed, refilled the cup himself, and refilled hers, and then went back to casually sipping the tea again and didn't speak.
This time the silence was stretching out longer and Lei Xing was getting more irritated. She wasn't a very patient person and hated silent games like this the most. Finally, she couldn't stand it, "What is the question?"
"You seem dissatisfied."
{...I am dissatisfied! and that's an understatement!...}
"Do you not like this palace? I had specifically chosen it for you, if you don't like it, you can ch-"
"It is fine." Lei Xing said through gritted teeth.
"That's good then." He said and resumed sipping the tea.
Lei Xing skeptically looked at him, "Is that the question?"
"No, I just had that thought." He coolly replied.
{...This as**ole!! He's playing with me, isn't he?...fine then, I won't ask...When you're tired, you'll talk!...}
Lei Xing crossed her legs, leaned back in the chair and folded her arms, and looked off to the side. The Emperor glanced at her and then looked away. The two of them sat silently for a while, each dealing with their own thoughts.
"What's your relationship with Prince Yi?" He finally asked.
"None." Lei Xing flatly replied with a frown, remembering another annoying existence.
{...Is that why?...}
"Really? It doesn't seem that way." He said calmly looking at her.
{...That must be why? It's a misunderstanding! ...okay, we can fix this...}
Lei Xing looked at him and explained, "I really don't have anything to do with him. I didn't even know who he was until I entered the palace."
"He seemed to know you."
"I did encounter him once before, it was the day before entering the palace, and I ended up offending him, so if anything, he may hold a grudge against me."
"It didn't seem like a grudge though."
"He gave me harsh criticisms in the first two rounds and must have decided to be magnanimous, to let go of the anger, and so said some good words to balance out the scale."
"He's not one to be magnanimous without reason."
Lei Xing narrowed her eyes at him and blurted out, "Well then, maybe I tormented his dreams."
The Emperor looked at her then, snorted, and then burst into laughter. Lei Xing glared at him, she was not amused and flatly asked, "Is that why?"
The Emperor comported himself and repeated, "Why...?"
"Prince Yi and I really have nothing to do with each other, neither do I plan on ever having anything to do with him. If you can't believe that, I promise, if you let me go, I will immediately leave this city, no, I will leave this country." Lei Xing earnestly said.
{...I have no interest in getting in the middle of your brotherly feud, so please just let me go, Please!...}
"I have no interest in his matters." The Emperor dismissively said.
{...Then why?!! You obviously don't have any feelings for me...is this really out of SPITE?!...}
"Your brother and I are close friends..." The Emperor informed.
Lei Xing narrowed her eyes.
{...So that's why? Go marry him then! Why involve me? -_-)...}
"...Of course, I wasn't aware of that until you introduced yourself earlier." He added.
Lei Xing frowned, "Then why?"
He lightly shrugged, "Who knows?"
{...You should!! -_-)...}
Lei Xing took a breath to restrain her anger and tried to negotiate, "It is a great thing that you and my brother were able to meet and become close friends. For his sake, you shouldn't hold past transgressions against me, you obviously don't have feelings for me, and I also don't...So how about we settle as friends and amicably part ways here?" Lei Xing finished with a smile.
"No." He flatly said and put his teacup down. Then he stood up said, "You should sleep early." and started walking off, Lei Xing stood up, fed up with everything, and loudly asked, "Why?!"
He stopped and turned to look at her and simply asked, "Why should I?" Then he smirked, turned, and left.
Lei Xing stood there with her hanging mouth open in exasperation.
{...Why...Why should you?!! Why should -...haah...I think before the harem scheming kills me, I am going to die from frustration!!... This FREAKING Conniving ARGGHH!!!!...}