Chapter 98 The Emperor's Heart is Difficult to Fathom

Pan Yueqing blushed with embarrassment, covered her stomach, and looked at the Emperor who was walking down step by step. She was so hungry that she couldn't bear it any longer. If the Emperor hadn't stopped her, she would have dragged her uncle to Changxian Pavilion to get a bowl of fish porridge.

The Emperor looked at her like this and suddenly realized that it had been a while since lunchtime. As a young emperor, he was always engrossed in handling government affairs. If it hadn't been more than half an hour, no eunuch would have dared to persuade him to have a meal. Qi Sian coughed twice with his fist in front of his mouth and smiled obsequiously at the Emperor, "Your son is also hungry."

Pan Yueqing turned to look at Qi Sian in surprise, whose expression had returned to calm. She thought to herself and then looked at the Emperor's somewhat stunned expression. She smiled sincerely twice. The Emperor naturally understood the hidden meaning of the two of them. He coughed softly and signaled the chief eunuch to serve the meal.

The dishes were served one by one. Under the guidance of the little eunuch, Qi Sian and Pan Yueqing were seated on the left and right sides of the Emperor respectively. Pan Yueqing looked at the dazzling array of dishes in front of her, and her stomach was already rumbling with hunger. Although she didn't usually care much about food, she couldn't resist the hunger at the moment. The Emperor picked up his chopsticks, and the little eunuch serving beside him also picked up a piece of fish and put it in Pan Yueqing's bowl.

Before Pan Yueqing could start eating, Qi Sian just held his chopsticks and raised his eyes to meet the Emperor's. His tone was calm, "Father, the matter of the Duke of Weiguo's trading of palace maids that you asked your son to investigate is almost done. Since it involves Consort Qian, your son thinks..."

Pan Yueqing froze in an instant. At this moment, she didn't know whether she should get up and take her leave.

The Emperor finally saw what she was thinking. He waved his hand to indicate that she could do as she pleased. Then he faced Qi Sian and didn't mean to avoid Pan Yueqing, "After all, he is Consort Qian's nephew. Let the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs investigate it as well."

Qi Sian didn't have any objections and responded with an "Yes". Then the Emperor continued to give instructions, "Don't be too busy. Take care of the injury on your leg first. What did the imperial doctor say?"

"Just keep at it," Qi Sian smiled and faced the Emperor, "Your son has caused you a lot of trouble."

The Emperor waved his hand and didn't say more. Pan Yueqing listened to the conversation between the two, which was like a riddle. Her heart tightened, and she really didn't know what to say. She could only try to lower her head and eat without expressing any opinions. The meal time passed quickly. The Emperor stood up with the help of the chief eunuch, and Qi Sian and Pan Yueqing also stood up. Just as they were about to take their leave, the Emperor took the initiative and stopped them again, "Yue girl, accompany me for a walk."

Pan Yueqing lowered her head and agreed. Qi Sian finally stood up and took his leave. He took a deep look at Pan Yueqing and shook his head slightly. Pan Yueqing followed the Emperor step by step to the Imperial Garden. From a distance, there was a beautiful woman playing the qin and singing. The sound of the qin didn't seem to be the music of the Central Plains at all. The rhythm was very strong, and it showed a desolate and proud spirit in the singing. The Emperor stopped at the side of the garden gate and turned his head as if asking the chief eunuch who it was.

The people serving the Emperor were all extremely shrewd. At the moment, they lowered their heads and said softly, "It's a noblewoman from the Zheng clan of the Chaoguo who entered the palace some time ago."

"Tell her to leave," the Emperor seemed to have no interest in this so-called noblewoman. He raised his foot and walked towards the Imperial Garden. Pan Yueqing followed behind. The noblewoman wearing the clothes of the Northern Qi Dynasty not far away didn't seem to be very old. She raised her head and looked at the Emperor from a distance. Joy welled up in her heart, but then a little eunuch went over and whispered something to her. Her face changed. She looked at the Emperor and Pan Yueqing beside him from a distance. She packed her things dejectedly. Before turning around and leaving, she took a deep look at Pan Yueqing with a resentful gaze.

The Emperor slowly sat down in the pavilion and motioned for Pan Yueqing, who was standing beside him, to sit opposite him, "Do you know how to play chess?"

Pan Yueqing's body trembled slightly. She didn't know what to answer. In her previous life's memory, one of the reasons why the Emperor disliked her very much was that, as a woman, she only delved into the art of strategy, and her chess-playing skills showed a sinister and ruthless mindset. She blinked her eyes and was about to refuse, but the Emperor didn't give her the right to refuse. At the moment, the chessboard was set up, and the Emperor handed the black chess piece box to Pan Yueqing with a kind look, "Shall we have a game of chess?"

Now it was impossible to refuse casually. Pan Yueqing smiled, "Your servant has only learned some superficial skills. Your Majesty, please don't blame your servant if I don't play well." "Are you already making conditions before we even start?" The Emperor laughed heartily and seemed to be in an unexpectedly good mood.

Pan Yueqing made a proper move at the beginning. After dozens of moves, it really seemed like she was a "beginner". The Emperor stopped, turned sideways, picked up the tea cup, and moistened his throat, "Yue girl, do you look down on me? Are you still pretending? Your uncle said that you have great talent in playing chess." Looking at Pan Yueqing's expression, which still showed no change, he said half-jokingly and half-threateningly, "If you don't put your heart into it, I'll charge you with deceiving the Emperor!"

Pan Yueqing's eyes froze, and she lowered her eyes. She raised her hand and no longer made proper moves. She placed a piece to block the "life gate" of the formation surrounded by the Emperor's white pieces. She raised her eyes and glanced at the Emperor's expression, and said softly, "I really won't hold back anymore."

The Emperor didn't expect that when Pan Yueqing said she wouldn't hold back, it wasn't out of arrogance, but she really wouldn't give in. She pressed on step by step, and soon defeated him completely. He was stunned for a moment, and then he looked at Pan Yueqing, who had an innocent face, and laughed heartily, asking for another game. Pan Yueqing's eyes were calm. The Emperor had a deep and scheming mind, but his chess skills were really poor. But she also didn't expect that he was so easily defeated...

The Emperor looked at the little girl staring at the chessboard with great interest, "The way your father withdrew from the court is really unique."

Pan Yueqing's heart tightened, but her face showed no change, "Do you think that Father and Grandmother staged a play together?"

"Su Jing was too deliberate," the Emperor tapped the stone tabletop with two fingers. Pan Yueqing shook her head, "Uncle was standing up for me. Grandmother doesn't like me. I was raised by my grandmother since I was a child. In Grandmother's eyes, only the child born to her niece, Madam Liu, is her real granddaughter. Pan Miaoqian, who offended the Empress before, was born to Madam Liu. And for this matter that the Empress had already decided, Grandmother still tried to stir up trouble and asked Father to punish me... There are many such cases of her being unable to distinguish right from wrong. Uncle just couldn't stand it anymore."

"It sounds like something Su Jing would do. Su Jing dotes on his little sister the most. If someone bullies his little sister, he will go and seek justice even if it means suffering great losses," the Emperor laughed heartily after hearing this.

Pan Yueqing knew who the "little sister" the Emperor was talking about. She nodded.

"I'm very happy," the Emperor suddenly said as he looked at Pan Yueqing. Facing Pan Yueqing's puzzled gaze, he waved his hand and couldn't say the words in his heart: The more you grow up, the more you look like my little sister, not like Pan Haiyun. I'm happy.