"Good, and how have you been?" Liu Liu replied truthfully.
The letter did mention something, perhaps a polite remark, but Cui'er was still very happy to hear it.
Liu Liu turned and walked into the main hall. Seeing Cui'er following her, she stopped and said lightly, "I need to rest for a while. Don't follow me. Go about your business?"
"Very well, this servant will go about her tasks," Cui'er nodded. Because Huaqing Palace was short-handed, there were many tedious tasks to attend to. Moreover, since the Imperial Consort did not observe strict etiquette, everything was quite ordinary. Liu Liu entered the sleeping quarters to rest.
The wind blew in through the window, causing the gauze curtains to flutter. Fallen flowers drifted in. Although they were withered petals and broken branches, they still carried the last hint of summer's fragrance. Liu Liu fell asleep amidst the scent.
She slept until the moon hung high amongst the willows, showing no signs of waking. This continued until a strange presence enveloped her. She quickly opened her eyes, her black pupils filled with sharp, icy coldness. She abruptly turned her head to look at the approaching figure.
Moonlight, like water, streamed in through the window, illuminating the handsome and charming face of the person who had arrived. A pair of eyes glinted with sinister, cold light, fixed on her as she slept on the bed. Liu Liu flipped over and leaped up, scoffing coldly.
"Feng Lie, what are you doing in my sleeping quarters in the middle of the night?"
The person standing in the moonlight was none other than Prince Yan, Feng Lie. Today, after hearing the rumors from the palace, his heart ached, and he could barely breathe. He finally realized that he actually liked this woman. If he didn't like her, why would he be so shocked that he wanted to kill someone?
He would no longer be foolish enough to believe this was merely a relationship between friends. It was a genuine emotion between a man and a woman. Did his Imperial Brother not like Liu Liu?
Why did he stay overnight in Huaqing Palace? Could it be to stop him? But Liu'er was not someone who could be easily manipulated. Could it be that she liked his Imperial Brother?
The thought of this possibility made Feng Lie feel as if he could not breathe. Every capillary in his body ached. He realized that he had liked her very much.
But why had he hesitated when she spoke to him? And why had he not persisted later? If he had persisted, everything would be different.
However, his Imperial Brother did not like her. It would be better if he took her away. They would abandon all titles of Prince and Imperial Consort.
"I heard that His Majesty stayed overnight in Huaqing Palace yesterday," he said, his voice hoarse. It was difficult for him to get the words out.
Liu Liu originally wanted to explain, but when she considered this man's feelings, she held back and said nothing. She had not forgotten that the Emperor had betrothed Princess Jie Lan to Prince Yan, and Jie Lan was indeed an excellent woman. They were a good match, both talented and beautiful.
"Feng Lie, you should go back. I told you long ago that you are a Prince, and I am the Imperial Consort. We used to be friends. Since I entered the palace, we haven't even been friends anymore. Moreover, His Majesty has already bestowed a marriage upon you. Princess Jie Lan is a woman of both talent and virtue, and she will not disgrace you, my Prince."
After speaking, Liu Liu pulled the thin quilt from the bed, wrapped herself in it, and stood further away from Feng Lie. He looked extremely angry and cold at the moment, breathing heavily as if he were about to fight someone. She hadn't provoked him, so why was he acting so crazy here?
Feng Lie saw Liu Liu's defensive posture and his heart ached even more. She used to trust him the most. He would take her out to play secretly, take her to eat things she liked, and her face would always be filled with a satisfied smile. She trusted him unconditionally.
At that time, he always felt fortunate. He considered her a confidante because women could be as pure as ice. Due to the birthmark on her face, he had never considered marrying her.
Even when she entered the palace, he hadn't had that thought. Now that he thought about it, perhaps he was too sure. He thought his Imperial Brother would never like her, as if no matter where she was placed, she would still be the closest person to him.
But as time passed, she and he drifted further apart, almost to the point of not recognizing each other.
He panicked. When he heard about last night, he was almost certain he was going mad. His blood boiled, and his innate murderous aura was provoked, instinctively wanting to destroy something to calm his heart.
"Liu'er, I like you. Why don't I take you away from the palace? We can roam the world."
Feng Lie spoke with deep sorrow. His pupils flashed with struggle. Because of the pain, his entire face was distorted. He stared intently at Liu Liu. As long as she nodded, he would take her away from this accursed palace.
Unfortunately, Liu Liu was not so irrational. Perhaps in her maiden days, she had fantasized. Feng Lie was a distinguished man, and any woman who spent time with him would be attracted to him, and she was no exception.
How many times had she foolishly waited for him? Even later, when they went out to play together, it was not appropriate for a woman to do such things, but she just wanted to stay by his side. Sometimes her heart would ache.
Because he was such an outstanding person, and she was considered an ugly woman in the eyes of others. Although she didn't care, when a person likes another, they can't help but care about their appearance. For a time, she deeply resented her ugliness.
But after a period of internal struggle, she knew that he only saw her as an ordinary friend and never thought of anything else. She, too, buried that youthful unrequited love and eventually only regarded him as a friend.
What use was it for him to say these things now? As far as she was concerned, she no longer liked him and simply regarded him as a Prince.
If she had to say something, it would be that he was still somewhat of a friend to her. The former longing was already very distant. It was just a dream.
"You're crazy. Go back quickly. If His Majesty finds out, who knows what trouble it will cause? You might be fine, but our Liu family will be ruined. If Prince Yan truly remembers the goodwill from the past, then pretend that nothing has happened. Go back, I'm tired."
Liu Liu refused directly. The night was getting deeper, and she and a Prince were staying in the sleeping quarters in the middle of the night. If this matter got out, it would not end well, no matter what.
Her expression turned cold. If he really didn't leave, she wouldn't mind driving him out. Liu Liu clenched her fists, a gust of palm wind condensed in her palm, her face exuding a cool, indifferent aura.
"Get out. From now on, we are nothing. You are Prince Yan, and I am the Imperial Consort. I don't want to see you."
"Do you really want to spend your entire life in the palace?" Feng Lie's expression suddenly changed upon hearing Liu Liu's words. As he spoke, his figure flashed and he moved to Liu Liu's side.
Because Liu Liu was wrapped in a thin quilt, her movements were inconvenient. She was half a beat slow, and her body was grabbed by Feng Lie. She couldn't break free for a moment. In the dark night, they could both hear each other's breathing.
The coldness in Liu Liu's dark pupils suddenly intensified. She raised her arm and struck swiftly at Feng Lie. The thin quilt shook and transformed into a sharp long blanket, sweeping past with a whistling, strong wind.
If it hit him, the impact would be considerable. Feng Lie knew Liu Liu was not holding back, and he could only defend himself with all his might.
The two of them actually began to fight in the sleeping quarters, knocking things over with their back-and-forth movements.
Seeing that the fight was not yielding a winner, Liu Liu grew anxious. She concentrated her internal energy in her palm and swept it across. Feng Lie saw this and abruptly withdrew his hands, staring directly at Liu Liu, waiting for her palm strike with a look of resignation.
Liu Liu did not expect this fellow to not fight back. If this palm strike hit him, he would surely die. She had to abruptly withdraw her hand, but some of her internal energy still leaked out, hitting Feng Lie.
His body lost its balance, wobbling and retreating two steps. Liu Liu felt a sense of unease. If he had fought back and she had injured him, she could have ignored it. But now that he wasn't fighting back, it made her feel unsettled.