Chapter 511: We Wish To Meet Si Jin
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
It made the little woman look like a delicate doll that had descended to the mortal realm from the heavens. Her skin was like congealed fat and her face was like fine porcelain. The girl’s eyes were big, her lips red, her pupils looked like they were painted, and her brows were like that of an ink painting. Her gaze was bright as she started directly forward.
There were not any beaded embellishments on her head and she looked very plain.
The little empress, however, felt as if she was looking upon a peach blossom fairy…
The little empress could keenly sense the woman’s calmness and said, “Your eyes tell me that you do not fear me.”
After all, Qi Qingyao used to be an undercover agent. She possessed a certain degree of skill in acting. She had initially wanted to express a bit of fear. The best would be for her to look like someone who has never seen the world. Alas, she always had Si Jin by her side and this was equivalent to her possessing the codes to nuclear weapons. Not only that, she had created a lot of news about herself in Qingzhou City, and the little empress definitely would have gotten hold of intel on her and already knew what kind of a person she was.
She would only succeed in looking fake if she were to pretend to be too meek now.
That was the reason for her appearance now. She asked, “Will your majesty kill this civilian?”
“No,” replied the little empress.
Qi Qingyao said, “In that case, why should this civilian be afraid of you?”
The empress, “…”
The little empress was silent for a moment before she waved her hand. “At ease, then!”
“…”
Qi Qingyao got up, unruffled. She looked at the ground in front of her, somewhat expressing an att.i.tude that a normal civilian would have.
She did not look at the little empress, but she could already tell that the first generation queen was watching her.
Watching her in a very detailed and serious manner, at that.
After about ten minutes.
Qi Qingyao maintained her original att.i.tude while she waited for the empress to ask her questions.
The little empress suddenly said, “We’ve heard about you.”
“…”
Qi Qingyao was stunned for a moment. She did not know how to answer this.
So she could only look down in silence.
The little empress asked, “Did Si Jin not come with you?”
Qi Qingyao’s deep brows were filled with calmness as she replied, “Your humble servant replies to Your Majesty that, no, he did not.”
The little empress’s eyes were half-lidded and she spoke with apparent thoughtfulness, “We don’t have information on Si Jin, and the Zhaixing Administration is unable to obtain it either.”
Qi Qingyao, “…” How was she to answer this question? It was not a question, though, so she probably did not need to answer.
The little empress’s features were intense as she said, “Are you aware of his origins?
Qi Qingyao hurriedly answered, “Your humble servant replies to Your Majesty that, no, I’m not.”
The little empress instantly became more aggressive at her lack of answers. “Swear on your children’s lives that you really do not know.”
Qi Qingyao was still at ease. She immediately raised three fingers and said solemnly, “I swear on the lives of my three children that I really don’t know Si Jin’s origins. If I lied, my children and I would be struck by thunder simultaneously!”
The little empress, “…”
She had just wanted to deceive her with that trick. If Qi Qingyao had hesitated for a second, then the little empress would know that she was lying, but she did not and swore an oath so readily.
Which meant that she really did not know where Si Jin came from.
The little empress took a deep breath and said, “We wish to meet Si Jin.”
Qi Qingyao, “…”
What was this? It was not another question; how was she supposed to respond to it? Her majesty wanted to meet someone but even if she was the only ruler in the world with the entire Northern Liang as her territory, she still would not be able to find him… Since this was not a question, Qi Qingyao simply did not answer.
The little empress added another question. “Do you have a solution?”
Qi Qingyao replied seriously, “Your humble servant replies to Your Majesty, this civilian has no solutions.”
The little empress, “…” From how easily she answered, it seemed that Si Jin had truly disappeared.
The little empress was somewhat curious. “What is his relations.h.i.+p with you?” It was written in the intelligence report that they were master and servant, brother and sister…
Qi Qingyao answered without hesitation, “Your humble servant replying to Your Majesty, this civilian thinks that we are friends, but Si Jin seems to think we are master and servant.”
The little empress, “…” An honest answer one could not nitpick.
Suddenly recalling the incident at Nanfeng Pavilion from the night before, the little empress said, “We want you to make an oath that you will pledge your loyalty to Northern Liang forever.”
“…”
Qi Qingyao did not take the oath immediately this time but remained silent where she stood.
The little empress was instantly displeased. She said heavily, “I want you to swear on your children!”
Qi Qingyao knew that she would be killed if she still did not take the oath. If she were to be killed just because of this, it would be better for her to stand her ground. She suddenly said,
“Your humble servant replying to Your Majesty, this civilian cannot do it.”
“Are you perhaps thinking of treason?!” The little empress instantly narrowed her eyes.
As if faced with death’s final trial, Qi Qingyao immediately shook her head and said, “Your humble servant replying to Your Majesty, I am not.”
“Then why won’t you pledge your loyalty?” The little empress’s expression eased up a little.
Qi Qingyao answered as if nothing happened, “Your humble servant replying to Your Majesty, it is because this civilian feels that the empress wants to get rid of me quickly. It feels like if this civilian did not take the oath, the empress would kill them on the spot with the authority of the law. This civilian’s life was at stake, hence they could not pledge their loyalty to Northern Liang against their will. ”
After a pause, Qi Qingyao’s features became more steely although her voice was still calm when she spoke. “This civilian is just an ordinary person and doesn’t have any great ambitions in this life. I just want to live safely with a small fortune and…I just want to live. ”
After that,
She stood where she was quietly, waiting for the empress’s verdict.
There was dead silence in the imperial study.
It was as if there was only the sound of both their breathing.
The silence was horrifying.
Qi Qingyao knew that the little empress was still examining her, but her mind was blank.
The little emperor watched her for a while. Suddenly, a mocking smile appeared on her initially stiff face.
“You’re very smart,” she said slowly.
Qi Qingyao lifted her head and looked squarely at the empress opposite her.
The little empress laughed.
“You purposely wore a pink and white robe with red floral curls in an attempt to create a naive and harmless image of yourself when you came to see us today.”
“You so cautiously added ‘your humble servant replying to Your Majesty’ in all of your sentences to show respect, and you always refer to yourself as ‘civilian’! We cannot find any mistakes in your words.
“But it’s because you were too perfect…
“Apart from the court officials who see us often and are calmer in our presence, any ordinary person who comes to Northern Liang for the first time, be it stepping into the palace or meeting me, would curl up in fear and be unable to speak. Their minds would turn into a paste and they would make a lot of false claims. They would tremble even more when we ask questions and become unable to answer us. This is normal behavior.
“But you’re different.
“All of your answers could be the truth, but you have carefully considered and screened through all of your sentences. You do not allow yourself to make any mistakes.
“Truly, you are too calm.
“So calm that it makes one sick!”
…
Qi Qingyao listened to the little empress’s condescending evaluation of herself, she neither refuted nor even dared to speak.
After all,
She was facing the empress of a nation.
However, she somehow felt that there was a thorn in this evaluation of her.
It was like she was nitpicking her.
Just what did she do to offend the little empress?
Could the little empress just loathe her because Si Jin was one of hers and that the little empress was envious that she could order around a super grand master?
The little empress reminded her coldly, “It’s not always good for someone to be too intelligent.”
Qi Qingyao, “…”
So being stupid was good?
The empress was obviously the one who was being self-righteous and behaving like a smart-aleck, yet at the end of the day, she expected her people to be fools she could order and push around. Was this what she was implying?