strictlysupreme Chapter 224 Where should we start trouble first?
Chapter 224 Where should we start trouble first?
Qin Le'an was sitting in the Imperial Garden, casually fiddling with the flower petals, secretly pleased with himself.
The flowers in the Imperial Garden are truly beautiful; the entire garden is filled with rare and precious flowers that are rarely seen in the world.
Peony, black magnolia, winter plum blossom... these flower species that outsiders had never even heard of were simply placed in front of her.
Qin Jiuwei could only see it when she entered the palace, but it was different for her; she could see it whenever she wanted.
This is what makes imperial concubines different from other women.
Qin Le'an lowered his head and gently sniffed the lingering floral fragrance on his fingertips, feeling extremely pleased with himself.
Qin Jiuwei had no idea what she had actually lost!
She was smart; she made the decisive choice to switch marriages with him back then, which led to her current life of wealth and luxury.
Now, the best things in the world are readily available to everyone, but Qin Jiuwei has lost everything and can only hide in the cramped Marquis's mansion, becoming someone else's stepmother!
Thinking of this, Qin Le'an felt happy again.
At this moment, a palace servant hurried over and whispered, "Young Master Qin, please come to the pavilion."
Qin Le'an's heart skipped a beat, and his eyes lit up. "Is the Emperor summoning me?"
The palace maid lowered her head, her tone unchanged: "Princess Qin, just go ahead."
A hint of excitement flashed in Qin Le'an's eyes.
The Emperor still remembered her after all; as soon as her confinement was lifted, he immediately summoned her!
She raised her hand to tidy up the stray hairs by her temples and gently dusted off her sleeves.
She followed the palace attendants briskly toward the pavilion, her heart filled with anticipation.
But when she stepped into the pavilion and saw the person sitting inside, the smile on her face instantly froze.
It wasn't the Emperor, but Consort Chen!
Her steps faltered slightly, and she froze on the spot, too afraid to move.
Hearing footsteps, Mo Qingkui looked up at her and said, "Qin Changzai, you've arrived."
Qin Le'an bowed and gave a smile that looked more like a grimace, "Your Majesty, this concubine greets Consort Chen."
Mo Qingkui gave a cold laugh.
Now you're quite polite, but you were so unrestrained when you were vying for favor before!
Mo Qingkui flicked her wrist, slowly tossing the round object into the air, and casually asked, "Do you know what this is?"
Qin Le'an looked at the round object and shook his head blankly.
Mo Qingkui's lips curled slightly, and with a casual toss, the round object flew into the distance and landed on the grass.
"Go, pick it up."
Mo Qingkui's gaze fell coldly on her.
Qin Le'an froze on the spot, staring at her in disbelief.
Let her go pick up the things...
How is this any different from a dog?
She had never suffered such injustice in her entire life!
Qin Le'an clenched his fists, trembling with anger.
Seeing that she didn't move, Mo Qingkui's tone suddenly turned cold: "What? You won't even help me pick something up?"
The palace maids surrounding Qin Le'an stepped forward in unison, their imposing aura and silent pressure instantly enveloping him.
Qin Le'an's face turned pale. She dared not resist and could only endure the humiliation as she walked step by step toward the bushes.
Just then, Mo Qingkui's lazy yet teasing voice came from beside him: "Hurry up, even a dog wouldn't dawdle like this."
Qin Le'an's face turned even paler with anger, her fingertips trembled, and her eyes were filled with shame, indignation, and grievance.
Amidst the subtle smiles of the many palace servants, she lowered her head and bent down to pick up the frisbee that had been thrown out.
But as soon as she handed the frisbee to Mo Qingkui, before she could even stand up straight, she chuckled, flicked her wrist, and tossed the frisbee a few steps further away.
"Oh dear, you're too slow. You need to be faster this time, okay?"
Qin Le'an's eyes instantly stung, and tears welled up in them.
This is outrageous! This is absolutely outrageous!
Once, twice, three times...
Every time she handed the frisbee up, it would be thrown far away again the next moment.
She could only bend over again and again, like a dog, and be teased at will.
Mo Qingkui humiliated her wantonly, her eyes full of laughter.
"Why don't you bark a couple of times? Dogs bark when they're happy."
Qin Le'an bit her lip hard, tears streaming down her face.
"What are you doing?"
When Gao Xian returned after finishing his official duties, he saw this scene.
Qin Le'an knelt on the ground, clutching a frisbee tightly in her hand. Her sleeves were covered in dust, her hair was slightly disheveled, and there were still traces of tears on the corners of her eyes.
Gao Xian paused, his gaze flickering slightly.
Qin Le'an and Qin Jiuwei already bore some resemblance, and now, with Qin Le'an kneeling on the ground in such a disheveled state, he resembled the person in Qin Jiuwei's memory by a great deal.
The memories he had been forcibly suppressing suddenly surged up, pulling him back to that night at Kaiyuan Temple—
That day was the first time he had ever been so close to her.
He was so close that her breath lingered in his ear, so close that his heart pounded wildly, so close that he couldn't think of anything.
It wasn't until Qin Jiuwei called out "Your Majesty" that he realized what he had done.
He lost his composure and grabbed his wife's sleeve.
They even...refused to let her leave.
But the disgust in Qin Jiuwei's eyes pierced his heart like a sharp blade, throwing him into complete disarray.
So he ran away.
That night, he ordered his guards to silently take Xiao Dezi's life.
The next day, he hurriedly returned to the palace.
The palace gates closed, as if the excitement and loss of control of that day were shut out, never to be mentioned again.
These days, he has been even more restrained in not recalling or fantasizing about it.
Now Qin Le'an is like a young animal that has been teased and made a mess of things, kneeling humbly on the ground.
He couldn't help but mistake her for Qin Jiuwei, and a sudden pang of pain shot through his heart, his eyes filled with unbearable sorrow.
Upon hearing the voice, Mo Qingkui turned to look at Gao Xian and said indifferently, "I was merely teaching Consort Qin some manners."
"Your Majesty," Qin Le'an suddenly looked up, calling out in a hoarse voice, tears welling up in his eyes.
Gao Xian looked at her trembling body and felt a mix of emotions.
He waved his hand, his voice steady yet undeniable: "Alright, let's leave it at that for today."
As he spoke, he turned his gaze to Qin Le'an's face and said gently, "You go back first."
Upon hearing this, Qin Le'an was immediately overjoyed.
She knew it!
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Qin Le'an bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
Mo Qingkui stood to the side, her gaze heavy, but a sense of dissatisfaction welled up inside her.
But I still held back.
After the last incident, she realized that Gao Xian was not like the boyfriends she had dated before, and she could not lose her temper with him casually.
He wouldn't pamper her or indulge her.
Mo Qingkui lowered her eyelashes, and when she looked up again, her eyes were filled with a smile once more.
She reached out and took the emperor's arm, saying softly, "I made some other interesting things today. Would Your Majesty like to see them?"
Gao Xian did not refuse, letting her hold his sleeve.
Hou House.
These past two days, Qin Jiuwei has been busy with the account books, which took a lot of time, but she has finally sorted out the Marquis's family's accounts.
"Young Madam," Nan Nan stepped forward and placed a teacup on the table. "The tea is ready."
Qin Jiuwei didn't raise her eyebrows, and gave a soft "hmm", "That's fine then".
Her fingertips tapped lightly on the ledger in front of her.
The entire Marquis's residence has quite a few flaws.
But where should we start trouble first?