Chapter 140 Under House Arrest

"Aren't you afraid that I'll order your death?"

The Emperor's deep voice still rang in her ears, like the whisper of a nightmare. Pan Yueqing suddenly opened her eyes. Looking at the exquisite but unfamiliar room, her hand touched the cold silk quilt specially provided for the inner palace. She felt a sense of suffocation. She covered her chest and exhaled a long breath. Her gaze slowly swept over the gilded utensils. On the dressing table beside the sandalwood burner, which was full of Western Regions style, there were piles of various items.

Perhaps when she got out of bed to pour water, her slender fingers didn't hold the fish roe pattern moonlight cup steadily. The cup collided and shattered on the ground. A low and respectful voice came from outside the door, "Has Miss woken up? This servant will help Miss with her dressing and grooming." After saying that, the person was about to push the door open and enter.

Pan Yueqing blurted out instinctively, "Don't come in! Let my maid come."

But as soon as the words came out, her muddled mind finally cleared up. She remembered that she was brought here in a magnificent carriage yesterday, while Wan'er was taken to another place. She believed that as long as Qi Tai wanted to keep her, he wouldn't do anything to Wan'er, but he would definitely not let her see Wan'er easily again.

The palace maid outside the door was in a dilemma. "The girl beside Miss has her own arrangements. This servant is only responsible for Miss's dressing and grooming. I know nothing about other things. If I don't do this job well, I'll lose my head. Please have mercy on this servant, Miss!"

Hearing how pitiful the palace maid's words were, Pan Yueqing exhaled a long breath. "Come in." The palace maid entered with her head lowered, led Pan Yueqing to the dressing table, and didn't dare to say a word. She was almost looking at her nose and minding her own business. She respectfully styled Pan Yueqing's hair into a double-flying bun. Looking at herself in the mirror, who was full of spirit, Pan Yueqing slowly shook her head. "A flowing cloud bun will do. I don't like such a showy hairstyle."

The palace maid gave Pan Yueqing a strange look, but still responded with a plain "Yes". She raised her hand and took off all the vermilion hairpins and false hairpieces. Then, with Pan Yueqing's soft long hair, she slowly coiled a flowing cloud bun. She was about to apply jasmine hair oil on the sideburns and the parting of the hair to make it shiny, but Pan Yueqing avoided it. "You can go now."

The palace maid quickly stepped back three steps, curtsied formally to Pan Yueqing, and was about to leave.

Pan Yueqing was like a puppet being served by the next group of palace maids for washing her face, applying makeup, and changing clothes. Throughout the whole process, no one dared to speak casually. Pan Yueqing knew that someone must have given the order to prevent these palace maids from talking to her easily.

She waved her hand, got up, and stepped out of the room. She didn't know which palace she was in. Her courtyard was very large, with rare treasures such as white cranes, parrots, and orioles. Standing under the corridor, she looked at the closed palace door and glanced at the palace maids who were walking back and forth with their heads lowered. She let out another sigh.

She knew that she was under house arrest.

Under house arrest by the Emperor of the Northern Qi. These birds trapped in cages were a harbinger of her future situation. She just didn't expect her life to come to this. In her previous life, she remembered that the Emperor of the Northern Qi disliked her extremely. At that time, there was a long scar across her face, and half of her face had burn marks. Kneeling beside Qi Sicheng, she received the full-fledged disgust of the Emperor as expected.

"I thought you hated me," Pan Yueqing sighed softly. She had always believed this. At least when the Emperor indifferently dealt with the tribute girls from the Chaoguo last time, she had already sensed something was wrong from the Empress Dowager's panic. But she never expected it to be this crazy.

Just thinking of this made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave.

But the familiar voice that suddenly came from behind made her hair stand on end.

"Who hates you?" The Emperor stood majestically in front of the palace gate. He didn't bring many people with him. There were two eunuchs by his side. One was Eunuch Xu, the chief eunuch she had seen before, and the other was Eunuch Wei who went to pick her up that day.

Pan Yueqing stopped talking. Those palace maids who had been bowing their heads and being cautious knelt down tremblingly. Pan Yueqing, who was sitting upright under the corridor, looked so out of place. She showed neither submission nor hatred. There was a calmness in her pair of black eyes, a calmness that didn't seem to belong in this world. She just glanced at the Emperor and called out softly, "Your Majesty."

And said nothing more. "Tell me, who hates you?" Qi Tai had an inexplicable good temper. He waved his hand at Eunuch Xu, signaling them not to follow. Then he stepped forward and said in a tone that was somewhat like coaxing a sulking child, "I'll stand up for you."

Pan Yueqing turned away from those smiling eyes and shook her head.

"Accompany me to watch the opera script, shall we?" Qi Tai didn't force her. He stared at Pan Yueqing's moon-white lotus-patterned four-panel cover garment and the gold necklace with agate around her neck. The only thing about her was that her headdress was too plain and not showy enough.

How could Pan Yueqing know that this set of clothes was actually worn by her mother, Su Lan, when she was in the palace! She just felt that the gaze Qi Tai cast on her made her uncomfortable, but she couldn't tell exactly what was wrong. The person in front of her was the Emperor. Now that she was under his roof, she didn't dare to be really presumptuous anymore.

She had already made herself so clear at the palace gate yesterday, but the other party still pretended not to understand and brought her in. Now, Wan'er's life was still in his hands. Not only Wan'er's life, but also the lives of her father and Uncle's family. Before she found a perfect solution, she didn't dare to provoke Qi Tai. So she sat where she was and asked, "Where are we going?"

Qi Tai probably didn't expect Pan Yueqing to agree to him. He laughed heartily and raised his hand to hold the slender little hand in front of him, but Pan Yueqing deliberately avoided it. However, his joy made him not care about this small act of defiance. He smiled and said, "Right here. I know you're too lazy to move. I'll ask someone to make the arrangements now."

"..." Pan Yueqing couldn't stand the enthusiasm of this person beside her. She slowly moved her position and instinctively moved half a foot away.

She wasn't lazy. On the contrary, she desperately wanted to stride out of the palace gate so that she could be completely sure that Qi Tai wasn't just talking to her, Pan Yueqing. Behind those eyes filled with doting and surprise, the emotions hidden there shouldn't be poured on her.

The tune of the Southern Opera was always soft. Although Pan Yueqing had once fought on the battlefield, she was still a little girl at heart. Having listened to a lot of martial and heroic songs, she still liked these delicate and affectionate words in the moonlight. But she really didn't rest well yesterday. The melodious singing of the imperial concubine on the stage, like the warbling of an oriole, not only failed to make her empathize with that romantic love story, but also made her yawn several times.

Just as a scene ended, the young female lead didn't exit the stage but knelt on the ground tremblingly.

Pan Yueqing was a bit curious, but she didn't want to ask and didn't open her mouth. Eunuch Xu said with a straight face, "Is this how the Southern Opera Academy teaches you? You sing without any momentum at all!"

"It's my fault!" A eunuch-like person stepped forward bravely and kowtowed in fear.

Qi Tai's face was calm. "Don't you like it, Yue'er?" "I like it," Pan Yueqing replied indifferently, but there wasn't much joy on her face.

"You don't mean it," Qi Tai glanced at Pan Yueqing, raised a smile, and waved his hand gently. "Drag him down."