Chapter 141 Not a Concubine

Although the little actor and the little eunuch were kowtowing砰砰作响 (with a loud thud), Pan Yueqing, who was sitting upright behind them, showed no sign of pleading for mercy. Qi Tai couldn't sit still any longer. He turned his head and glanced at Pan Yueqing: "Aren't you going to plead for them?"

Pan Yueqing said indifferently: "They are the servants raised by His Majesty. Why should I plead for them?"

"You really know where you stand." Qi Tai waved his hand. Looking at the little eunuch who had survived the disaster, a somewhat vicious smile played on his lips. Just like looking at two ants, he hadn't really intended to take the lives of these two people. However, he just wanted to make sure that this person couldn't sing well on the stage anymore. Since Pan Yueqing didn't want to make things difficult for the other party, she lazily said: "I don't want to watch anymore."

"This excerpt from the opera is well-written, but I suppose you don't have the interest in it." In the end, Qi Tai listened to Pan Yueqing and raised his hand to have the opera stage removed. Pan Yueqing's eyes were empty as she stared at the gap in the blue stone bricks in front of her. There was a row of ants crawling along the gap towards the door. Her eyes were indifferent: "It is well-written. However, Emperor Minghuang of Tang's love was too heavy. The Imperial Concubine was young and didn't understand it at first. Later, she had an epiphany, but when she looked back, all she saw was chaos caused by war. When she reminisced about it, she felt all sorts of emotions."

She understood what Qi Tai meant by arranging this excerpt from "The Everlasting Regret" in front of her. It was just to tell her that he could promise the same favor that Imperial Concubine Yang could get. But she was not the Imperial Concubine, and she didn't want to be an Imperial Concubine who died with regret in love. She had believed in love too much in the past, which was why she was so miserable and humble. And now she didn't expect any great favor at all, nor did she care about being of noble birth.

What could be more exhilarating than holding power in one's hands and being able to manipulate everything at will?

Qi Tai finally understood the implied meaning of Pan Yueqing's words. He didn't argue but stood up and looked at Pan Yueqing with a smile: "Would you like to take a walk with me?"

Pan Yueqing turned her head and refused without thinking: "I'm tired, Your Majesty."

The eunuch Wei beside her quickly winked at her, but Pan Yueqing ignored it: "Your Majesty, please go back."

"I thought you would be happier if you could go out." Qi Tai still spoke in a gentle tone, as if he didn't care at all about the alienation in Pan Yueqing's words. He smiled softly, stood up and glanced at Eunuch Wei: "Take good care of her. See if there's anything she needs to add here."

Eunuch Wei responded with a smile and saw Qi Tai off from the palace. When he came back to his senses and looked at Pan Yueqing, who was sitting under the corridor teasing the oriole, he let out a sigh and stepped forward. But before he could speak, Pan Yueqing turned her eyes back indifferently and said unceremoniously: "You've worked hard, Eunuch. I just broke a Moonlight Cup this morning. I don't like things that are pieced together. Please get me a new set." After saying that, as if she had just remembered something, she raised her eyes to meet Eunuch Wei's astonished gaze and added: "Not the one with the fish roe pattern."

Eunuch Wei seemed not to have expected that she would speak so unceremoniously. He had seen people who were unwilling to be sent to the palace. Most of them didn't say a word easily and made no requests at all, as if they were afraid of having any connection with the royal family. However, it was rare to see someone like Miss Ruyue who didn't follow the rules. He could only respond with a flattering smile.

"Little ancestor, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it." Eunuch Wei stood beside Pan Yueqing, bowing slightly.

"If you're not sure, then don't say it," Pan Yueqing stopped the straw stick she was using to tease the bird, turned her head and smiled at him.

"But for your sake, I have to say it," Eunuch Wei was a shrewd person and wouldn't be silenced by just one sentence. At the moment, he smiled and said: "You're not being nice to His Majesty. Now that His Majesty is still interested in you, he doesn't care. But if one day he loses interest, you've seen the fate of that Concubine Zheng before, haven't you?"

Pan Yueqing said indifferently: "I know."

"But I've already said that His Majesty is neither Emperor Hui of Han nor Emperor Minghuang of Tang." Pan Yueqing stood up, let out a sigh towards the direction of the palace gate, and raised a smile: "I'm not Empress Zhang, nor will I be Imperial Concubine Yang. Now he just hasn't thought it through. When he does, he will naturally let go."

She slowly closed the main door, shutting everyone outside.

She turned her back, as if she had lost all her strength. She slumped to the ground, buried her head in her arms, and took several deep breaths before she managed to calm herself down. Every word she said sounded indifferent, but not a single word was said with real confidence. She wasn't sure at all whether His Majesty would let go. But if it really came to that point, what could she do?

Another five or six days passed in a muddled state. Qi Tai didn't appear in her place for these two days. Eunuch Wei just came to her every day like clockwork and asked the same routine questions: "Did you sleep well?" "Is there anything you lack?" "Are the palace maids and servants obedient?" "Is there anything you want to eat or play with?" Even the order of the questions was almost the same.

She was still trapped in this small world. Looking up at the closed palace gate not far away in the courtyard, she could only see a grayish sky above. The palace maid who used to comb her hair hadn't appeared since the third day. This imperial palace was a ferocious beast that devoured people without spitting out their bones. She didn't ask and knew she couldn't ask.

Once she showed the slightest concern or attachment to anyone in the palace, it would be a flaw.

Early in the morning, the gate was opened again. It was an auntie who looked about thirty-something years old. Seeing that Pan Yueqing was sitting under the corridor and didn't even stand up to greet her, she said unhappily and rebuked: "How impolite! Don't you know you should stand up and greet the guests when someone comes?" She was from the Empress's side, and everyone in the palace respected her as Aunt Shen. Even the concubines treated her politely, but she had never seen such a new arrival!

Pan Yueqing just glanced at her and said indifferently: "If you don't announce which palace you're from, how would I know who you are?"

"Empress Dowager wants to see you!" Aunt Shen raised her eyes, suppressed her anger and said to Pan Yueqing flatly: "I'm here to advise you. Since you're the new favorite of His Majesty, although you don't have a title yet, you should also know some principles! Even in an ordinary commoner's family, a concubine has to pay respects to the main wife!"

"You're right," Pan Yueqing's eyes were still on the chirping canary in front of her: "But I'm not the so-called new favorite of His Majesty, nor am I a concubine. Naturally, I don't need to pay respects to Empress Dowager. Auntie, please go back. There are many people around the Empress, and she surely doesn't lack my greeting."

"You!"

Pan Yueqing slowly put a spoonful of pearl rice into the canary's feeding trough. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the auntie who wanted to give her a hard time and said in a solemn tone: "What? Aren't you leaving yet?"

Aunt Shen sneered: "I hope you won't regret being arrogant because of the favor you have today."

"..." Pan Yueqing didn't speak, but a calm voice came from the door: "I also hope that the Empress won't regret being so petty today." Pan Yueqing looked back and saw that it was Aunt Yang beside the Empress Dowager standing at the door, holding a red sandalwood box in her hand with an indifferent gaze.