inspire-indiana Chapter 308 Qi Huai's Side Story 2
Chapter 308 Qi Huai's Side Story 2
The next day, Yun Fuzhao heard her father tell her that the officials had impeached her for flirting with the prime minister at the Hundred Flowers Pavilion the day before.
She was speechless. She had only said something perfectly normal, how could it be considered flirting? She hadn't even said anything more flirtatious.
The emperor's eyes darted around, and he looked at Yun Fuzhao, "What do you think of the Right Chancellor's appearance?"
Yun Fuzhao got excited when this was mentioned. She grabbed a handful of melon seeds and plopped down next to the emperor. "All I can say is, she's stunning. I thought I had seen the most beautiful person in the world, but I didn't expect there to be another expert."
With such an androgynous face, it's no wonder she mistook her gender. She looks just like a fox spirit from a folk tale, sucking people's life essence.
"I never knew that my father had such a beauty among his ministers."
The emperor pushed her forehead with his index finger. "All you ever think about is having fun outside. You never care about matters of state."
"I'm not the crown prince, why should I concern myself with the affairs of the court?" Yun Fuzhao said dismissively. "A life of lying down and doing nothing suits me best."
"If you want, your father can hand over the entire empire to you."
Yun Fuzhao was startled. "Father, stop trying to appease me."
The emperor immediately sat up straight, his face serious. "Why are you trying to coax me? I'm very serious."
"..."
She knew her father doted on her, but she never expected it to be to this extent.
"Historically, there have been women who have become empresses; others have done it, so why can't I, Zhaozhao, do it?"
Yun Fuzhao was initially happy, but the thought of having to get up at 5 a.m. to prepare for court as emperor made the position less appealing.
Not to mention the assassinations and power struggles in the court that might occur...
“Father, I don’t have such lofty ambitions. I’m content with being a princess.”
Land, silver notes, beautiful women—she could have as much as she wanted.
The emperor knew her well and understood her nature, so he didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he changed the subject, "Speaking of which, you've been of marriageable age for several years now. Do you have someone in mind for your ideal husband?"
Yun Fuzhao's melon seeds suddenly lost their appeal. "I haven't had enough fun yet."
"I only told you to settle things as soon as possible, I didn't say you couldn't have fun." The emperor blinked. "What do you think of the Right Chancellor?"
"He's not married yet?"
"No, I've investigated. He's completely clean-cut; there isn't even a concubine among his family."
To be honest, Yun Fuzhao wasn't particularly interested in romantic relationships; she simply enjoyed admiring beautiful women.
She finds the idea of falling in love and growing old together troublesome.
and,
"He's so good-looking, how come he's been single for so long?" Yun Fuzhao reasonably suspected. "Either he's too picky, or he's... gay."
The emperor's eyes widened. "Hey, you little brat. What are you saying?"
"Your Majesty, the Right Prime Minister has arrived."
The emperor chuckled and said, "Let him in."
Yun Fuzhao clapped his hands. "Since Father has important matters to discuss, then I shall take my leave."
"Where are you going?" the emperor said sternly. "The other day I asked you to write an inscription for the Dali Temple, and what you wrote was rubbish. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was something trampled by poultry. From today onwards, the Right Chancellor will teach you how to write."
Just then, Qi Huai walked in from outside.
Yun Fuzhao hadn't expected this matter to be over yet, and she scratched her face guiltily. It was all Xiao Cui's fault for always flattering her to death, making her really believe that her handwriting was good, which was why she volunteered to write an inscription.
"Minister Qi, I entrust the task of teaching the princess to you. Do not disappoint me."
Qi Huai bowed and replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."
When Yun Fuzhao saw his face, she swallowed her words of refusal. Oh well, what does a little fatigue matter if I can see this face?
The emperor gave them some more instructions and then impatiently kicked them out.
With such a beautiful woman standing beside him, Yun Fuzhao suddenly didn't know what to say, so he made conversation by saying, "Look how blue the sky is."
Qi Huai tilted his head and said directly, "Every day at 1-3 PM, I will come to the Princess's residence to teach Your Highness calligraphy."
"Are all you prime ministers this free?"
"..." Qi Huai said calmly, "I am not free, but if it is about the princess, I have plenty of time."
Yun Fuzhao choked, turning to look at him. He was very tall, and Yun Fuzhao had to tilt her head slightly to see his face. His profile was clear and smooth, with a contour as rugged and imposing as a mountain peak.
*
Just as he said, he would arrive at the Princess's residence promptly every day at the hour of Wei (1-3 PM), rain or shine. And each lesson would last for two hours.
This left Yun Fuzhao with no time to check if there were any new faces at Baihualou.
"Your Highness."
Yun Fuzhao was lost in thought, pen in hand, when a clear, gentle male voice suddenly reached her ears. Before she could react, her wrist was gently grasped.
Qi Huai said, "The ink has blurred."
Yun Fuzhao then came to her senses, and the character "美" (beauty) on the paper blurred.
Qi Huai stared at the character. "Your Highness seems to have made a mistake in copying. It should be the character '骛' here."
He looked up at her. "What's on your mind, Your Highness?"
When Yun Fuzhao met those beautiful eyes, his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself that even the most beautiful courtesan in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion paled in comparison to him.
"I wasn't thinking about anything," Yun Fuzhao chuckled, abruptly changing the subject. "I heard from my father that you're still unmarried. Why is that?"
Yun Fuzhao's eyes lit up at the mention of gossip. "You became prime minister at such a young age, and you're so handsome and have such a good temper. How come no girl likes you?"
Qi Huai suddenly fell silent, his golden eyes fixed on her.
Yun Fuzhao was somewhat puzzled. "Look—"
“When I was young, a girl said she wanted me to be her... husband, and I have remembered that ever since.”
Upon hearing that there was juicy gossip to be had, Yun Fuzhao perked up, "And then?"
Qi Huai glanced at her meaningfully, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger, "Then she went around seeking out women and engaging in philandering. She completely forgot what she had told me."
"There are actually women like this in the world, they're really wicked." Yun Fuzhao clicked his tongue. "It's alright, if she knew about your achievements now, she would definitely regret it to the core."
Whether it was her imagination or not, Qi Huai seemed to smile slightly after hearing her words.
After a long pause, Qi Huai suddenly asked, "What about His Highness?"
"Huh? What's wrong with me?"
"What kind of men does Your Highness prefer?" Qi Huai took a leisurely sip of tea and asked casually, "Are all the beauties in Your Highness's residence to your liking?"
“Yes,” Yun Fuzhao said, “but it’s not romantic love; I simply admire you.”
Upon hearing the first two words, Qi Huai's grip on the cup tightened suddenly, then relaxed slightly upon hearing the next sentence.
Qi Huai concluded, "His Highness prefers people with exceptional appearances."
Yun Fuzhao nodded in agreement, "That's right, that's right."
She looked at him and said, "It's so much easier to talk to smart people."
Hearing this, Qi Huai's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. His eyes lowered, like a fox's tail brushing against her heart, tickling her.
She stared in utter disbelief.
What's worse, Qi Huai then looked at her with those narrow eyes and slowly asked, "And what about me, Your Highness...?"
"—The face?"