25. Qing Scolds Li

### Chapter 10:

In mid-December, large snowflakes finally began to fall from the sky, dyeing the vermilion and gold imperial palace a snowy white. Palace maids and eunuchs donned thick cotton garments.

The princes and princesses studying in the palace were given a rare break. The tutors and grand preceptors no longer came to teach, and the spirited Li, with her mischievous nature, led a group to tromp across the snow-laden rooftops. Below, countless eunuchs and maids jumped in panic, raising their hands in alarm.

"Master! Come down! Master! Be careful not to hurt yourself, come down..."

"Hmph!"

Li, dressed in a cyan woolen cloak and a small wind-blocking cap, tiptoed along the long eaves of the palace walls. Her jade-like eyes cautiously glanced to the side, resembling a deer afraid of disturbing something.

A snow-white sparrow, seemingly unaware of the unexpected visitor, lazily lowered its head, grooming its wings with its tiny beak.

"Hey!"

Li lunged forward suddenly.

But the sparrow, as if it had eyes on its back, flapped its wings and took flight.

"Annoying!" Li huffed in frustration. She prepared to find a new angle to study the sparrow's landing spot, oblivious that her footing had strayed to a dangerous edge.

Suddenly, her foot slipped, and amid the panicked cries of the maids and eunuchs below, she plummeted downward.

Yet in midair, a gentle force seemed to emerge from nowhere, catching Li's falling form and guiding her swaying body to safety within the railings of another eave.

Her wind cap fluttered off during the fall, drifting onto a treetop, revealing ears as delicate as budding flowers, tinged with a faint pink warmth. Her neatly combed hair scattered across her forehead, slightly messy yet endearing, like a startled deer blinking its large eyes, still shaken.

Beneath the eaves stood a girl in white, poised like a proud plum blossom atop a snowy cliff or the eternal moonlight casting frost across the ground. Her dark hair flowed like a cascade in the snowy wind, and her fitted robe accentuated her figure perfectly, exposing a refined neck and collarbone. Her fair skin faced the cold wind without a hint of chill, but her aura was colder still, majestic and untouchable, like the moon above the ninth heaven, unshaken by the tumbling Milky Way.

"Sister!"

Seeing her elder sister, Li knew she was in the wrong, her gaze darting evasively.

Qing merely nodded, her eyes shifting to the maids and eunuchs below, who had ceased their clamor. A rare frost flickered in her gaze, colder than the swirling snow by far. "Is this how you care for Li?"

"Eldest Princess Highness..."

The old maid in charge of Li's daily schedule knelt immediately, ashamed. "This servant deserves death!"

"Sister..." Li spoke up. "It's not their fault. I was the one being playful and naughty..."

Qing looked at her younger sister seriously. "No more of this. If I weren't here next time, how would you face Father and Mother?"

"I... I know I was wrong, Sister. I won't do it again."

Li's small, delicate mouth pouted. She knew her sister wouldn't tolerate such risky antics anymore and obediently admitted her fault, lowering her head. "Li won't make Father and Mother sad."

"Mm."

Qing nodded. With a flick of her slender hand, the sparrow seemed guided by some unseen force. It flapped its wings, soared briefly, then landed steadily on Li's jade-like finger.

"Wow!!!"

Li gazed at the sparrow in delight but, fearing her sister's reprimand, clasped her hands together, fingertips touching, her face displaying the coquettish expression that never failed to charm the emperor and empress.

She was, after all, her flesh-and-blood little sister. Even the cool and composed Qing softened her gaze, like a frigid winter moon suddenly warming into a gentle summer glow.

She placed the now-tamed sparrow in her sister's hands and asked softly, "Will you come with me to see Mother?"

"Uh..." Li, who had been behaving, hesitated. Her eyes darted around, glancing toward the palace gates, though she said, "No, if I go, Mother will ask about my studies. I'll visit later."

"Oh."

Qing looked at her sister, fully aware that her thoughts had already leapt to the sights and fun beyond the palace walls... or perhaps to that person.

Feng, I hope you don't betray Li's heart...

Her expression returned to its usual calm. She entrusted Li to a group of maids. After the earlier lapse, the head matron, now as vigilant as if guarding against a thief, summoned a crowd to surround Li tightly.

Li, smothered in protection, wasn't thrilled. She could only pout, clutching the sparrow as the throng escorted her back to her chambers.

With a step, Qing's figure vanished, reappearing the next moment at the entrance of Vermilion Pavilion.

"Qing! You're here?!"

Mei Su, the empress, looked at her daughter with joy.

"Mother, be well." Qing bowed to her mother. Her gaze lingered, noting that Mei Su's complexion was unusually radiant today, the loneliness and melancholy between her brows much faded.

A light touch of makeup adorned her face, her timeless beauty shining as if she were still a young bride. The rigid air of etiquette had softened, revealing a youthful charm ill-suited to her age.

"What? Is there something on my face?" Mei Su smiled, touching her cheek.

"Nothing." Qing withdrew her gaze, murmuring, "Mother seems happy today?"

"Oh? Do I?"

Mei Su brushed her face with both hands. Beneath the heavy phoenix robes, her brows arched slightly, a faint smile tugging at her lips, reminiscent of the romantic cheer of her girlhood. Paired with her youthful, exquisite features, even Qing had to admit her mother was a peerless beauty. Those legendary immortals and enchantresses of the nine realms paled in comparison.

"Mm, Mother looks beautiful when she smiles."

"You little..." Mei Su chided her daughter playfully, but hearing her grown daughter still found her charm undiminished warmed her heart. She chuckled, gently caressing Qing's face, a masterpiece of nature's finest craftsmanship, blessed by the heavens.

She could still see traces of herself in Qing, echoes of her own youthful days. She remembered stepping from the bridal sedan, gazing into the mirror on her wedding night, shy yet blooming, so beautiful and unforgettable.

Back then, the emperor wasn't yet emperor, nor Prince Ren, just the witty, smiling fourth prince. He was so dashing, so carefree, unforgettable at first sight, binding her heart for life...

But why had it come to this?

Mei Su's thoughts drifted, her smile faltering briefly before she brushed it aside, banishing the troubling notions. She held Qing's hand, chatting warmly about family matters, recalling Qing's childhood antics, then lamenting the painful years of separation, mother and daughter torn apart by thousands of miles. She spoke of carrying Li, the ten months of pregnancy, how Li grew from a tiny bundle into the budding beauty she was now at sixteen, no longer obedient, even learning to lie...

By noon, Mei Su kept Qing for lunch, and they worked on needlepoint in a side hall. Reluctantly, she bid her daughter farewell, and as Qing left, she could hear her mother humming a tune from her hometown, clear as a nightingale.

"Mother... What's with her today?"

Leaving Vermilion Pavilion, Qing asked the maid who had served Mei Su for over a decade. This maid had accompanied her mother since her marriage and now held the rank of Long Autumn among the palace women.

Long Autumn replied, "Princess, you may not know, but by custom... tonight, His Majesty will stay at Vermilion Pavilion."

"Stay?"

Qing understood instantly. So, tonight, Father would spend the night with Mother, or rather... favor her?

A flush crossed her cheeks.

Spend the night... favor her... and then, the act of intimacy... the union of man and woman...

Unbidden, her thoughts wandered to that night in Elder Mu's room, his withered, bony fingers gripping her hips, the man's rough hands kneading her pert buttocks, her round curves molded into various shapes. His turbid breath grazed the space between her thighs, hot and steamy, as if burrowing into her core. A fiery sensation surged from her abdomen, spreading like wildfire through her body, leaving her numb and weak, her legs barely able to hold her up...

Even Mother anticipates that? Longs to unite with Father...

Feng and Xian Lilith, their faces alight with unfeigned ecstasy after that act...

"Hoo!"

She felt herself veering into dangerous thoughts and shook her head, dispelling the unrealistic notions.