“Have the imperial physician prepare a blood-replenishing medicine immediately.”
She, like many other jiangshis, enjoyed feeding on ‘prey". Before, she had also raised many humans and fed on them; however, all of them eventually committed suicide in the end, which had made the experience a lot less enjoyable. Most normal humans found it difficult to end up as a jiangshi‘s food supply; after all, not only was their blood being fed on, but also their vigor. She had seen many jiangshi‘s meals being unable to bear such oppressive conditions, either turning into lunatics or deciding to end their suffering.
“Yes!”
Feng Ying retreated from the room. Qianhe Liyou rose to walk towards Luo Weiqing. He was still standing in the same position as if he wasn"t sure what to do now, his head lowered in confused thought.
“Do you know what just happened?” Qianhe Liyou indifferently asked, allowing her fingers to trail against the incisions on Luo Weiqing"s neck. Though the scars were faint and hard to see, they would forever remain on his skin. This would ensure that other jiangshis would not encroach on her food source.
“This… this servant, this servant doesn"t really understand.” Luo Weiqing hesitated before speaking. He only knew that the Empress had bitten him, and then experienced the feeling of blood leaving his body. The experience of having something draw out blood from him was extremely terrifying, though he didn"t dare to confirm with the Empress if this had really occurred.
“You really don"t understand? You flavor… is really quite delicious.” Qianhe Liyou didn"t hesitate from telling him what she thought. She had never feared that someone would know about her situation; she knew that with one sentence, she could topple over any accusation with sheer strength and crush conspiracies and plots. And that would only be necessary if they showed any sign of opposing her.
Qianhe Liyou studied the man in front of her. He was taller than her by quite a bit, and though his head was lowered she could spot the fear that flashed against his face. Though he tried to conceal it, it couldn"t escape her sharp line of sight; through the years she had seen many with the same expressions on their faces. The only thing she felt was a small amount of pity, although what for, she didn"t know.
“Empress!” Luo Weiqing kneeled against the floor. He was scared and doubtful. He didn"t know why such a bloodthirsty and savage Empress would become so strange, or why someone who loathed him so much would suddenly become extremely intimate with him (although this kind of ‘intimacy" caused an entirely new type of fear to spring up). What exactly was this Empress up to?
The room became silent. Qianhe Liyou didn"t deign to say anything, simply sweeping her eyes over the kneeling man in front of her and turning away. A desire to explore outside the palace struck her. Jiangshis, after all, preferred the nighttime, and liked the moon and the biting evening wind.
“Paying respects to the Empress, may the Empress live forever and ever and ever!:
As soon as she stepped outside the inner chambers, Qianhe Liyou was greeted with an entire hallway of kneeling people. Picking out the faces from the crowd, she noticed that there were harem members as well as ministers from her cabinet present. Thinking for a moment, she remembered that two things—one, that she had been in a short coma, and two, that right after she had awoken, she had imprisoned the Enchanting Concubine and then engaged in some kind of activity with the Imperial Consort. Who knew what these people were thinking inside of their heads right now?
“Is there news?” Qianhe Liyou"s expression was sarcastically biting.
“Empress, now that you"ve awoken, is your body alright?” The first to speak was the man kneeling closest to the door wearing a plain green robe. Though he was kneeling on the ground he did not look deferential in the least bit, with his back as proud and aloof as a pine tree. This man was called Imperial Consort Ning, or Qin Ning, and came from a . The Enchanting Consort had insulted the King Consort many times to his face by accusing him of faking virtuousness, but never had he dared to say a single word against this prideful man. Not only did Imperial Consort Ning receive the Empress"s favor, but he didn"t care for the affairs of others; when he had first entered the harem, he had warned everyone that no matter who they were, if they were to provoke him, he would be sure to kill them!
“Mm.” Qianhe Liyou lightly sighed, thinking back to the memories that she possessed of this man. Before, this man called Qin Ning had saved the life of this body, causing the previous Qianhe Liyou to become infatuated with him. However, Qin Ning didn"t possess a single shred of affection for her, so they had finally settled on a compromise. If she would help him flee his family"s internal politics, then he would marry her, but she was not allowed to lay a hand against him. If it could be said that this body loathed Luo Weiqing and adored the Enchanting Consort, then it could naturally be said that she half-hated and half-loved this man; from the time they had married, she had never been able to have him.
“If you have news to report than say it. Otherwise, forget it.” She had only wanted to see the nighttime environment. If she really had to talk to all these people, then she would be stuck in this hallway for a good amount of time.
“Empress, your servant has news to announce.” A woman in a military uniform kneeling in the third row spoke up. She was the Enchanting Consort Situ Hongyu"s mother, Situ Changqin.
“Hm. Speak.”
“Your servant would like to be as bold to ask what great crime this servant"s son has committed, to be locked inside of the Sky Prison!” Situ Changqin was the commander-in-chief of the Qianhe Dynasty"s army. In her hands she held the reigns of a force of almost five hundred thousand men, about half of the country"s military force. If there were people who did not fear the Empress, then this person could be considered to be one of them. Otherwise, why would she be so daring to ask this brash question in front of a large crowd of people?
“How audacious, Situ Changqin. Is this the way that you speak to Us?” Qianhe Liyou coldly replied. She contorted her face into an obviously displeased expression, expressing her annoyance. Her words, too, held the promise of a threat. The surrounding people shuddered, as if a pa.s.sing storm had drenched them in freezing rain.
The Situ Clan was the biggest clan inside of the Qianhe Dynasty. Under Situ Hongyu"s blessing, the Situ Clan"s members were almost all officials of the state. It was often said that once one Situ clan member received a high position, the others would soon follow suit, not disappointing any of Situ Hongyu"s hopes for expanding the clan. Within the Qianhe Dynasty, the Situ Clan"s members held almost a third of the power and influence. Because the precious Empress had been afraid of the consequences of offending such a powerful force, showered Situ Hongyu with great love and affection, and had showed no interest in dynastic politics, she had never clashed against them before. No one would have ever thought that there would be a day when the Empress would suddenly lock Situ Hongyu into the Sky Prison, and furthermore even berate Situ Changqin in front of a large amount of people. Anyone with half a mind knew that something extremely significant was about to happen…
“This servant doesn"t dare. But this servant"s beloved son Hongyu has always been obedient and open to Your Majesty"s affection. Even if he has foolishly done something to provoke you, this servant hopes that Your Majesty will see that Hongyu has always served you with great care. Furthermore, the Situ family has completed all of the tasks that You have given us with the utmost attention. This servant wishes to ask if Your Majesty can forgive this servant"s son; the Sky Prison is extremely vile, and contains many diseases that give debility. This servant boldly asks the Empress to give her a favor and release him from the prison.”
The Empress was still an Empress. Though Situ Changqin had many things she wished to say, she could only reconcile herself to keep face and speak respectfully in front of such a large crowd, all to preserve the reputation of her name. Still, her tone possessed a hint of a threatening note. She had already ran rampant for too long; if it wasn"t for the Empress"s t.i.tle, Qianhe Liyou wouldn"t have even registered in her mind. Their Situ family"s power was greater than that of the Empress, with troops that numbered greater than five-hundred thousands. If it wasn"t for the fact that she was unable to seize the position of Empress, she would have long taken it!