Feeling rather embarrassed, Lanqi tugged the silk blanket even higher above her bosom. This made Xuanye snap out of his daze. He sat down on the bed and pointed at Lanqi with an irate expression on his face. "You dare to lie down while the Emperor is sitting down? Sit up, girl!"
"But..." Lanqi didn't dare to protest. Pulling the blanket securely around her, she wriggled a little and sat up on her bed. The moment she loosened her fingers around the blanket, it would pop open to reveal her body, which was barely covered by her undergarments. Knowing this, Lanqi blushed even more fiercely, which only made her look cuter.
"Did my eyes really deceive me this morning?" Xuanye demanded, glaring at Lanqi.
However, Lanqi wasn't afraid. Shaking her head frantically, she said, "I was the one who lied. Your eyes did not betray you, Your Majesty."
"So I was the one who rescued you, then?" Xuanye continued to press.
Lanqi bit her lip and nodded, burying her chin into her blanket. In a soft voice, she said, "Your Majesty, could you let me off just this once? If I didn't make that lie up on the spot, my mistress would have been punished severely. It would have been better for everyone involved if we all forgot about that matter."
"And you decided the best way out of your predicament was to lay the blame on me?" Xuanye demanded, his voice rising as though he wanted to frighten her. "Uya Lanqi, you must be really brave! No one has ever made me into a scapegoat before. Nobody!"
Lanqi looked up, startled. Did the Emperor just call her by her name?
Uya Lanqi. Did he actually know her name?
"What are you staring at?"
"Your Majesty, I was just thinking..." Lanqi gazed intently at Xuanye, as though she was trying to burn his image onto her eyeballs. "Since you're able to bear the burden of ruling over our great oceans and mountains, it must be nothing for you to bear the burden of being a scapegoat for once."
Xuanye froze and burst into laughter.
Truthfully, he wasn't really that angry at Lanqi. If he had found a stuttering, obedient woman in his bedchamber tonight, it would have meant a great deal of trouble for him. He had taken Lanqi in as his concubine in front of his grandmother, and it wasn't going to be so easy for him to take his words back if he didn't like her.
However, the girl didn't seem to be frightened at all. In fact, her eyes were full of gentleness and cuteness, and looking at her made him feel quite delighted.
Now that he thought about it, Xuanye realized that he had never selected any of his consorts or concubines by himself. His grandmother had chosen Empress Xiaochengren to be his wife, before adding Noble Lady Rong to the melee. Even others like Noble Lady Hui and First-Class Female Attendant Bu, who had been chosen through the Selection Process, hadn't been his idea.
Of course, he had grown to love Empress Xiaochengren over time, but even his marriage with her had been a political one. The shivering girl in front of him was the first woman he had ever chosen for himself.
Xuanye leaned closer to Lanqi and sat down by her side. As he turned to look at her, Lanqi's neck turned red with shame, and he had the sudden urge to tease her. "By the way, I have a question for you. Why were you dragging that huge bag of charcoal all over the palace grounds the other day? Your mistress treats you like that, and you still decided to stand up for her this morning?"
His gaze made Lanqi feel a little uneasy. She met his eyes and saw her stiff, frightened figure in those dark orbs. However, she still bothered to reply Xuanye's question properly, telling him about what happened that fateful day and thanking him for sending his eunuchs to help her.
"Oh, yes, there are lots of Aunts in here who like to abuse their authority," Xuanye said, chuckling. He continued, "After tonight, you'll be a First-Class Female Attendant yourself. Will you be disciplining her harshly?"
Lanqi shook her head. "She's under the service of First-Class Female Attendant Bu—I don't have the right to discipline her. Besides, I'm not someone who holds a grudge. Even if I did, I don't think it's right to abuse my power like that."
Xuanye gazed at her thoughtfully. If it had been anyone else, he would think this was nothing more than a bunch of well-memorized gibberish meant to make them sound good in front of him. However, he found himself wanting to believe Lanqi.
"Are you scared?" He suddenly tilted Lanqi's chin up, looking at her teasingly. "If you are, I'll send you back to the Palace of Accumulated Purity this instant, and you can return to being a palace maid. If not, remove those blankets right now. What's the point of being so sneaky and shy?"
Lanqi's heart was beating so fast that it was going to explode. Seeing the smile on Xuanye's face, she didn't want to go, but she didn't want to expose herself to him either. Just as she was going to cry, she suddenly blurted out, "Your Majesty, do you want me to leave?"
Xuanye's eyes burnt with rage. Withdrawing his hand, he snapped, "I'm the one asking you a question! How dare you ignore me and try to make a fool of..."
At that moment, the girl in front of him pulled the blanket apart to reveal her fair, voluptuous body. She bit her lip, her eyes already red with tears. The humiliated expression on her face made Xuanye's heart melt.
"It seems I should be thanking Consort Zhao," Xuanye mused. He covered Lanqi with the blanket again. "I still have two memorandums I need to finish reading, but I'll be back soon. If you're bored, go and have a look at those books on the table."
Lanqi's heart rate returned to normal. The blanket around her made her feel warm with the Emperor's kindness and generosity, and the fear she had felt earlier dissipated into thin air.
Truthfully, she replied, "I only know a few characters."
Xuanye was nonplussed. "I'll teach you when I come back, then."