Dai Mei's entire small face lit up upon hearing Liu Liu's words. She reached out and grabbed Liu Liu, "Is what the楼主 says true? Are we going to make a big splash?"
Liu Liu looked at the woman's overly excited expression, feeling both amused and annoyed. She pinched the woman's pretty cheek, "Yes, as long as I return, I will definitely make a big splash. But what are you and Zhi Gu doing in the capital?"
Dai Mei raised an eyebrow and pouted indifferently.
"We're escorting a shipment for someone. It's such pitiful cargo that I have no interest. I left Zhi Gu to guard the inn alone and came out to wander around. That person hasn't come to pick up the goods yet. As soon as he takes the cargo, we'll leave the capital and return to Xiaoyao Island."
"Good, be careful on your way back. If nothing unexpected happens, I'll be back on Xiaoyao Island soon," Liu Liu said softly.
Her slender fingers plucked at a dry, yellow twig, flicking it from time to time. This was just her initial plan, and she didn't know if it would come to fruition.
The Emperor had been showing increasing concern for her lately. She had no idea why he had such strange thoughts. Their interactions had always been confrontational.
"Yes, I'll tell everyone about this. I believe everyone will be extremely happy," Dai Mei's flushed face was exceptionally captivating due to her excitement.
Liu Liu watched as she had been out of the palace for some time. If she didn't return soon, Feng Xie would worry even more. His suspicious nature was well-known. She waved her hand, signaling Dai Mei to hurry down the mountain.
"Go down the mountain, be careful, and don't let the guards down there see you."
"Okay," Dai Mei nodded, waved goodbye to Liu Liu, and with a leap, her figure, as agile as a graceful swallow, quickly darted down the mountain, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Only the yellow expanse of grasslands swayed from side to side.
Liu Liu returned to the nunnery. Her master had not yet returned. She assumed her senior sister was still sulking. Liu Liu sighed softly and instructed the young Daoist nun guarding the door to inform her master that she had left when the abbess returned.
The young Daoist nun escorted Liu Liu to the mountain gate. Cui'er and the other three young maids were tired from playing and were resting on the stone steps in front of the mountain gate. The moment they saw Liu Liu, they rushed over quickly.
"Your Highness, is everything alright? Are we returning to the palace?"
"Yes," Liu Liu nodded, turned to look back at the nunnery. She hoped her master and the others had truly come to their senses and abandoned their thoughts of revenge. This would save so many lives. Feng Xie was not someone to be trifled with. They would only be throwing their lives away.
Down the mountain, Ri Ying and the others waited respectfully. Upon seeing Their Highness descend the mountain, they breathed a sigh of relief.
Just a moment ago, he had already sent people to scout the surroundings. This mountain was indeed a nunnery, and the incense there was very prosperous. Perhaps this was a nunnery their Highness had visited often in the past.
The entourage set off for the palace.
Liu Liu no longer dwelled on the matter of her identity. Since she was not a princess, she should find an opportunity to return the South Sea Night Pearl to Zhao Jiu. Although the item was extremely precious, it was not hers, and she was not accustomed to owning things that did not belong to her.
The harem became lively due to Jin Jiali's pregnancy. Liu Liu quietly stayed in the Weiyang Palace as if nothing had happened. The other concubines began to speculate if Her Highness the Empress was jealous, as she hadn't even sent a word of慰问 or bestowed any gifts for a concubine's pregnancy.
How could such a woman be fit to be the ruler of the harem? If other concubines became pregnant in the future, would she be unable to tolerate them either? Thus, the concubines were very displeased with Liu Liu's attitude.
Cui'er felt disgusted, as if she had swallowed a fly, upon hearing this news. She looked at her mistress, who was casually sitting on a soft couch reading a book, her expression serene, making it impossible to discern her thoughts.
What did Jin Jiali's pregnancy have to do with her mistress? Why was she being spoken of so disparagingly?
Although Liu Liu had been reading, her heart was not calm. She was aware of the stir in the palace. By rights, as the Empress, she should have bestowed gifts upon Jin Jiali, but she had done nothing because that woman harbored ill intentions.
If anything she sent was construed as poison or something else by her, wouldn't it be asking for trouble? Therefore, she did nothing, but hearing those annoying words made her extremely irritated.
"Cui'er, what are you doing? The tea is overflowing?" Liu Liu looked up and glanced at the maid who had been staring at her, still pouring tea. The sound of the tea spilling out did not even register with her. What a foolish girl. She gave her a cold, amused glare.
"Your Highness?" Cui'er hurriedly stopped, pouted, and looked up at her mistress. How could her Highness appear so indifferent to the matter? Those women were too hateful, accusing her Highness of being too jealous and unable to tolerate concubines in the harem becoming pregnant, hence her indifference to Noble Consort Shu's pregnancy.
In fact, Jin Jiali had killed Qiao'er and Jiang Cheng. She wished she could avenge Chief Steward Jiang and Qiao'er, yet she still dared to want their gifts. Dream on.
"They've gone too far. Your servant is furious. Isn't Your Highness angry at all?"
"What's there to be angry about? Why should I be angry? I should be happy. She is carrying an imperial descendant of Tian Feng. How can one be angry about such a thing?" Liu Liu's lips curved into a mocking smile, but her heart felt a trace of bitterness.
Originally, she could have achieved a state of equanimity, but ever since that night of aphrodisiacs, Feng Xie's image would occasionally surface in her mind. After all, he was her man.
And at this time, she heard that this man's other woman was pregnant. Her heart felt as uncomfortable as an unripe grape, but what could she do?
Was she going to go find the Emperor to complain? That was not her place, and she might even have enmity with the Emperor. Even if she didn't care, because she was no longer the Su Liuli of the past, the Emperor wouldn't think that way?
If he knew, he would only kill her to protect his empire. She was absolutely certain of this.
"Your Highness?" Cui'er's mood grew even more dejected upon hearing her mistress speak, and she handed the tea to her mistress before stomping out, looking disgruntled.
Liu Liu shook her head and continued to read her book. It was truly a case of the emperor not being anxious, but the eunuchs being anxious to death. She had no idea why that girl was in such a hurry. As a woman of the harem, the emperor naturally had many women, which was why she had been planning to leave all along, not wanting to give anyone a chance to hurt her.
Furthermore, she was truly unsuited for palace life. Every day, seeing those women's hypocritical faces gave her a suffocating pain. Those concubines, clearly consumed by jealousy, still had to put on expressions of congratulations. She really didn't know if they were tired.
At night, the Weiyang Palace was resplendent with gold and jade, adorned with red gauze curtains and golden censers. Everything was so luxurious and magnificent. This was her life: eat and sleep, sleep and eat. Liu Liu sighed and put away her book.
Xiao Anzi walked in from outside and respectfully reported, "Your Highness, Eunuch Xiao Wanzi has arrived?"
"Let him in," Liu Liu stretched her limbs. This eunuch coming to find her was certainly not for anything good. A cold smile played on her lips. She wondered what trick the Emperor was up to now. Liu Liu was lost in thought when Xiao Wanzi rushed in from outside, bowing respectfully and speaking quickly.
"Your servant is here on the Emperor's orders to summon Her Highness the Empress to dine at Yongyuan Hall."
"Hmm," Liu Liu raised her slender eyebrows, a fleeting dark glint in her eyes.
Feng Xie actually wanted her to go over for a meal. It couldn't be to ask her to magnanimously accept Jin Jiali or something similar, could it? Her face turned cold and icy, her lips curving into a mocking smile. She really didn't know what these people were thinking. They all thought she was jealous of Jin Jiali and intolerant, but they never considered that she disdained playing these deep palace games.
"Alright, you go ahead first. I will be there shortly," Liu Liu waved her hand, and Xiao Wanzi retreated. As he left, a glint in his eyes met Her Highness's gaze. Liu Liu ignored his look, assuming he, like others, was trying to guess her attitude. What did Her Highness mean? Noble Consort Shu was pregnant, and as the ruler of the Three Palaces, she should be comforting these harem concubines.