Chapter 139 Summoned by the Emperor

Seeing that she couldn't outargue Pan Yueqing, Zhao Pinxuan opened her mouth and started wailing loudly towards the room of the Elder Lady Zhao, looking as if she had suffered a great deal of grievances.

Pan Yueqing clicked her tongue. "Are there no servants in the mansion? Pull her out!"

Huitan, the personal maid beside the Elder Lady Zhao, came out of the room with a cold face. She glanced at Zhao Pinxuan. "Miss Zhao, Grandma has just had an acupuncture treatment and is calming down. Please come another day."

This was a straightforward way of sending her away. Zhao Pinxuan was stunned for a moment. She knelt down on the ground and pleaded towards the room, "Grand-aunt! Only you can save my brother now... How can you watch the Zhao family have no descendants!"

"First, His Majesty hasn't issued an order to take your brother's life. If you keep talking nonsense here, I can report you to the Emperor. Second, Grandma needs to rest quietly to soothe her nerves. Your shouting like this is disrespectful, and I can also accuse you of it," Pan Yueqing waved her hand gently, squatted down, and looked at Zhao Pinxuan with a calm smile. "If you go out quietly, I'll let bygones be bygones. But if you make any more trouble, I'll directly accuse you of trespassing on private property."

Zhao Pinxuan's body trembled slightly. She raised her eyes and stared at Pan Yueqing with a mocking look. "Stop scaring people. You and I are both commoners. How can you go and speak in front of the Emperor?"

Pan Yueqing placed her hands under her chin, revealing two small canine teeth. "Congratulations. You've finally become a little smarter."

Zhao Pinxuan sneered. But before she could utter the vicious sarcasm on her lips, a strange voice suddenly came from behind. It was the squawky voice unique to eunuchs. The person passed through the ornamental gate and stopped in front of the inner courtyard. He called out loudly to Pan Yueqing and the others from a distance, "Oh! My Miss Yue! So you're here!"

Pan Yueqing didn't know him. She stood up straight and curtsied slightly towards the person. "Greetings, Eunuch."

The eunuch's surname was Wei. He took a look at Pan Yueqing's curtsying manner from a distance and immediately recognized her as dignified. He nodded in approval.

Just as Pan Yueqing stood up straight and asked Wan'er to prepare some refreshments, Eunuch Wei stepped forward and smiled obsequiously at Pan Yueqing. "Thank you for your kindness, Miss. But they're urging me on the other side, and I don't dare to be negligent!"

Pan Yueqing just smiled and didn't say anything. She knew this was just an excuse. So she still winked at Wan'er. Wan'er understood immediately and quickly brewed a cup of top-grade Longjing tea. Eunuch Wei finally took the tea cup from Wan'er's hand, took a sip, looked at Zhao Pinxuan, who was standing there awkwardly like she was just air, and said anxiously to Pan Yueqing, "I've had your tea, Miss. Please come with me quickly!"

"Pardon my boldness," Pan Yueqing curtsied again gracefully. "Which noble person wants to see me?"

"Good Miss, don't you really know?" Eunuch Wei looked at Pan Yueqing's truly confused expression with a mix of amusement and helplessness. He let out a sigh. "You'll know once you enter the palace!"

Since it was like this, Pan Yueqing really couldn't decline. She said to wait a moment, turned around, and was about to bid farewell to the Elder Lady Zhao. After closing the door and keeping Eunuch Wei outside, she lowered her voice and asked Huitan, "Sister Huitan, you've been by Grandma's side all year round. Do you know where that eunuch outside comes from and which noble person he serves?"

Huitan said in a low voice, "He looks familiar to me. I seem to have seen him in front of His Majesty, but I'm not really sure about the details."

As soon as she heard that he had been seen by the Emperor's side, Pan Yueqing's heart tightened. She raised a smile. "Sister Huitan, please do me a favor. Remember to tell my father about this matter."

After saying that, she sat beside the Elder Lady Zhao, looked at the prescription left by Li Zhe, wrote a few words of instructions on the back of the prescription, and then got up and left. A sedan chair was parked in front of the Dingyuan Marquis's residence. It was an extremely magnificent sedan chair, which actually seemed to be of a higher standard than that of a princess. Although Eunuch Wei directly said that it was an arrangement from the palace, Pan Yueqing still declined. "I really don't dare, Eunuch. Please forgive me. I'll just walk beside you. The palace gate isn't far from here."

Little did she know that Eunuch Wei smiled and kept nodding when he saw her like this.

In Eunuch Wei's opinion, this carriage would make any woman's heart flutter. He was an extremely shrewd person who had survived in the palace for a long time. How could he not see through the little thoughts of the noble ladies in the capital? But this young girl in front of him declined it politely, which really made him look at her differently. When they saw the palace gate in the distance, Pan Yueqing stopped. It wasn't her first time entering the palace, but it was the first time she walked on this path. This was the path that concubines must take when entering the palace. At this moment, Pan Yueqing let out a slight sigh. Could she really not avoid the Emperor's intention?

"Miss?" Eunuch Wei turned his head and looked at Pan Yueqing, who didn't move forward, feeling a bit puzzled.

Pan Yueqing shook her head. "Eunuch, I'm a subject's daughter. I can't walk this way." After saying that, she turned around and was about to leave.

Eunuch Wei stepped forward to block her. "Miss, since you know this is the path to glory, why are you turning back?"

"For an ordinary woman, this is the path to glory, but for me..." Pan Yueqing smiled softly but shook her head. "It's really absurd."

"What's so absurd about it?" A majestic voice came from behind. Then the vermilion-red gate slowly opened, and a figure in bright yellow stood on the long bluestone bricks. It was the Emperor.

Pan Yueqing gracefully bowed down and didn't say a word, nor did she take a step forward.

Wan'er, who was kneeling on the ground, was already trembling. She finally understood the Emperor's intention. He wanted to bring their Miss Yue into the palace to be a concubine! Such a thing... Although she knew that if Miss entered the palace, she would have a lofty status, she also trembled at the thought that Miss really didn't want to enter at all! This was a dead end with no way out!

The Emperor lowered his voice. He didn't seem angry, nor did he show any joy. "I'm asking you, what's so absurd about it?"

Pan Yueqing said calmly, "What does Your Majesty mean by this?"

"Don't you understand yet? I want you to enter my harem." At this moment, the Emperor of the Northern Qi seemed to put aside all his majesty. Facing this face that had haunted his dreams, he seemed to be just Qi Tai.

"Those who enter through this path include Your Majesty's empress and various concubines. I dare to ask Your Majesty, today..." Pan Yueqing raised her eyes with a sharp gaze. "Are you taking a concubine or a wife?"

As soon as these words were spoken, even Eunuch Wei was so scared that he trembled. Now that the Emperor already had an empress, how could she dare to ask such a question?

Qi Tai narrowed his eyes. "What if I'm taking a concubine? What if I'm taking a wife?"

"If you're taking a concubine, it requires mutual affection between the man and the concubine. But today, Your Majesty sent someone to invite me to the palace without revealing the name. I came here in a muddle. How can there be mutual affection?" Pan Yueqing's voice was clear and crisp. "If you're taking a wife, it's even more absurd. How can you bring someone here without asking their parents, matching the birthdates, or presenting betrothal gifts?"

"And what I think is the most absurd thing in my heart is not just this. You and my mother grew up together since childhood. My mother regarded you as an elder brother, so I regard you as an uncle. How can there be a reason for a niece to be married to her uncle? Are you going to follow the example of Emperor Hui of the Han Dynasty?"

The Emperor suppressed all his emotions and looked at this articulate Pan Yueqing. "Aren't you afraid that I'll order your death?"