Chapter 504: Being Confessed To
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After Jiang Yeqian took Zhao Xin to follow Little Lizi to the palace, most of the Imperial Guards were shocked to see the Head Grand Secretariat leaning on crutches. They did not expect the G.o.d-like Head Grand Secretariat would to have had actually injured his leg…
Poor Master!
The maids in the palace felt some pity when they saw Head Grand Secretariat with his injured leg leaning on crutches. Some of them began to silently pray for Head Grand Secretariat’s leg to heal soon.
However, Jiang Yeqian was completely unaware of what was going on in their heads.
After arriving at the door of the study room, Zhao Xin waited there as Jiang Yeqian followed Little Lizi inside.
He bowed slightly as soon as he went in, and without even looking at the lady on the dragon seat, he said, “I, minister Jiang Yeqian, have come to see you.”
When he pushed open the door, the empress’ whole heart was thumping in excitement. After he had entered and paid respects, she hurriedly stepped out of the dragon seat and excitedly helped Jiang Yeqian up, “My dear minister, get up quickly.”
Jiang Yeqian took a step back. He did not dare to accept the empress’ support. After he got up, he leaned on his crutches and looked straight at the empress in front of him.
The empress felt a little awkward as she rubbed her hands. She took a step back too and placed her hands behind her back and said smilingly, “Long time no see. You’ve lost a lot of weight.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern.” Jiang Yeqian said calmly.
The empress stared at the crutches in his hands, and then looked at Jiang Yeqian’s leg, “My dear minister Jiang, your leg…”
“This minister’s leg has gotten a lot better. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your concern.” Jiang Yeqian slowly said, “As for the State Preceptor, when he arrives at the palace tomorrow, may Your Majesty take good care of him.”
The empress was slightly startled. She coughed gently and said, “I know, I received a tip-off. It said that your leg was injured and the State Preceptor went blind in one eye.”
Jiang Yeqian slowly said, “This minister’s leg is almost completely healed, but the State Preceptor’s right eye is completely blind. Your Majesty, please remember to take good care of the State Preceptor tomorrow.”
The empress suddenly frowned and asked puzzlingly “I’m talking to you. Why do you keep bringing up the State Preceptor?”
Jiang Yeqian said with a slight cadence in his tone, “Because this minister has already resigned. In the future, in the court of Northern Liang, only the State Preceptor is a man of both civil and military ability! He’s the pillar of the country! He’s able to take on big responsibilities!”
It had taken him a few years to get everyone to infiltrate the court of Northern Liang. It would be meaningless for him to continue staying here.
“…”
The empress hesitated for a moment before realizing Little Lizi was beside him. She felt a bit embarra.s.sed and quickly ordered, “Little Lizi, I have something to talk to Head Grand Secretariat about in private. You can leave first.”
Little Lizi was relieved and hurried out of the study room. He went to stand next to Zhao Xin and sighed in relief.
Zhao Xin, “??”
Did the empress want to denounce His Excellency?
He could not help but start to worry.
After Little Lizi left, the empress instantly gew restrained and a bit uncomfortable. She motioned for Jiang Yeqian to sit next to the window “My dear minister Jiang, there’s only the two of us here right now. You don’t have to be so formal.”
Jiang Yeqian frowned and stayed still.
The empress patted the table. “Come sit.”
Jiang Yeqian, “…”
The empress saw that he did not move, so she anxiously said, “Your leg isn’t easy to stand on, so hurry and sit down. You don’t have to be so polite with me.”
Since he used to sit next to the window in the study room with the empress in the past to discuss state affairs, Jiang Yeqian was silent for a moment. He then sat down and nodded slightly. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Jiang Yeqian would not naturally take the initiative to speak when the empress and the minister sat together.
He would only say something when the empress asked him something.
The empress personally poured him a cup of tea and said that this new tea was the best Biluochun tea that was recently sent from Daming!
Jiang Yeqian held the tea as he looked at the fresh tea leaves. There was a good color to them. He took a sip out of respect.
After a long moment of silence.
Feeling a little embarra.s.sed, the empress coughed lightly and asked, “It’s been several months since you left. Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
“?” Jiang Yeqian turned his head in confusion to look at the lady in the Dragon robe seated next to the table.
“Didn’t you miss me?” The empress’ hand which was holding the tea bowl trembled slightly as if she used all her strength to ask the question.
Jiang Yeqian said in a very formal and polite manner, “Of course this minister has missed the court of Northern Liang and Your Majesty.”
The distant and polite tone pierced the empress’ heart. It made her feel upset. She shyly said, “There is no one else here except us. We don’t need to address each other as minister and empress. You can just treat me like an ordinary lady, okay?”
“Your Majesty…” Jiang Yeqian frowned in confusion and said, “This minister does not dare to.”
The empress put down her tea bowl and snapped, “Jiang Yeqian!”
Jiang Yeqian got up, immediately bowed, and politely said, “Your Majesty.”
After a pause, he said again, “There’s a difference between the minister and empress, and this minister does not dare.”
The empress smacked the table with might till the tea tray on the table flipped over. The tea bowls were knocked onto the window too, and the tea soaked the mattress.
The empress suddenly got up, eyes as sharp as blades, and yelled, “I’m giving you the privilege! I’m allowing you to do it!”
Jiang Yeqian continued to bow expressionlessly and repeated, “Your minister does not dare.”
The empress was infuriated. She stepped forward and grabbed onto Jiang Yeqian’s collar, and forced him to look up at her.
Her tone was resentful.
She stared into Jiang Yeqian’s peach blossom eyes and his calm disposition. It was like he was Jiangnan’s rain in spring trapped in a cloud of smoke. His whole person was not in a hurry whatsoever, just calm and indifferent.
It made the empress yearn for him.
“Jiang Yeqian, do you need me to explain my words clearly before you can understand my feelings?” the empress asked helplessly.
“All these years, the way I feel about you, do you still not know?”
“Why I rejected Grand Tutor and all of the pretty portraits of me given by the old ministers of the court, why I rejected all the suitor’s courteousness, and why I’m not married yet at this age, do you really not know why?”
Jiang Yeqian was stunned. He stared dumbfoundedly at the empress. “…”
The empress spilled her feelings in a rage, nervous and agitated. She urged, “Say something!!”
After Jiang Yeqian returned back to his senses, his expression remained indifferent. “I don’t know what to say.”
The empress looked at the man with deep eyes. “When you are in front of me, you will never be a minister. Never a minister, but yourself!”
Jiang Yeqian looked deeply into the eyes of the woman in front of him. “…”
The empress felt a bit fl.u.s.tered as he stayed silent.
She was the state’s empress. She had waited for him to confess for many years, but who knew this man was so abstinent it was as if he was a monk? He had never seen her indifferently from the very beginning. Now, as he was ready to resign, she had gathered up her courage and confessed.
In any case, she was the empress.
The person who held the power to kill.
Why did he not feel anything, nor have any response?
This made the empress a bit disappointed.
Could it be that he was afraid that her status was too n.o.ble and that he was not worthy of her?
The empress quickly patted her chest and said, “Jiang Yeqian, look at me. Right now, I’m not the empress, not the high-ranking empress of Northern Liang. I’m just an ordinary lady, a lady who likes you. Do you understand?”
“This minister…” Jiang Yeqian tried to explain.
“This minister? What minister? I already said you’re not one!”
The empress interrupted him harshly and immediately calmed down a little before showing her usual ability to read people. She was slightly startled and said, “Your expression tells me that you never thought of me in any other way.”
Jiang Yeqian was about to say something.
The empress quickly interrupted “What minister? You better not mention this word in front of me again. If you bring it up again, I’ll have you mercilessly killed!”
Jiang Yeqian raised his eyebrows, pupils s.h.i.+ning. He asked, “Why me?”
What did he mean, why him? “How can there be so many why’s in this world?”
The empress laughed bitterly and said almost humbly, “I just like you and want you.”
She was the empress and also a lady, yet she could still be questioned about why she had chosen the man she wanted him.
Jiang Yeqian pursed his lips. “If Your Majesty…”
The empress glared piercingly straight at his face, her pale white face turning even paler with suppressed rage. “Now you can only refer to me as ‘you’. Don’t call me Your Majesty again!! If you call me that again, I’ll have you mercilessly killed!”
Jiang Yeqian looked at the girl with an unsightly expression on her face, his eyes darkening. “Calm down.”
The empress clenched her fist under her sleeve, her eyelashes trembled as her breathing grew rapid. “I am very calm. Ever since you left, I’ve been calm for months. I’ve gotten so calm, to the point where I can’t be calm anymore.”
Jiang Yeqian helplessly said, “Sit down first, and let me calm down.”
“Okay, I’ll sit… You don’t have to rush, think through it thoroughly.”
The empress quickly sat on the window after hearing what he said. She picked up the table she had flipped and awkwardly picked up the teapot. Luckily it was only wet on one side of the window, so they could still sit on the other.
After she was done, she felt a burning between her eyebrows. Her eyes were a dim red. She spoke in a scattered and confused manner as if she herself did not know what she wanted to say.
“I am the empress of Northern Liang. If you marry me, you’ll be the Emperor in the eyes of others. However, I can promise you that I will leave all the court’s affairs to you. I don’t want to be an empress. I only want to give you children and be your woman! I can also promise you that I only want you. I won’t have a harem of three thousand lovers!”
Jiang Yeqian felt a ma.s.sive headache from the empress’ rambling and coldly shouted. “You, calm down! Shut up for a bit!”
Despite being cruelly yelled at by him, the empress still felt a little sweetly for him in her heart.
After all these years of distance, could the gap finally be crossed? …He had forgotten about their status as minister and empress and reprimanded her. Could that be considered a good start?
Jiang Yeqian stood there and looked at the light that seeped through the gap in the window. He had actually felt frightened by the empress’ words today.
On usual days, wealthy girls often liked to find excuses to trip and fall into his arms. Sometimes they liked to throw fresh flowers at him. He was not stupid; he knew the women’s intentions.
However, his ident.i.ty had determined that it was not possible to get involved with those women.
Thus, he had always kept his distance.
However, Jiang Yeqian thought to himself that he had never done anything to lead on any woman, including the empress in front of him.
Why would the empress be interested in him?
There was no way that the empress was the same as the basic women who only liked him for his decent looks…
It was impossible to even consider that to be the case.
Even someone like Qi Qingyao had not fallen for him because of his good looks, so why had the empress?
The reason could not possibly be so superficial!!
There were so many attractive guys in and out of the Capital City of the Imperial Palace…