Remember that Zhen means I, used by the emperor. It emphasizes authority and position.

Chapter 23

Second Class Female Attendant Wei
Lady Wei Li Lian
Dragon Palace Study Room

The Dragon Palace study was a room of dozen bookshelves with hundreds of books. The huge window space let in the sun and fresh air for one to concentrate. Yellow walls with brown surfaces weren't artsy to Li Lian until she entered this room.

Yuwen Hong was next to her, showing off his calligraphy. His hand danced on paper with unique prose. He was comfortable in the emerald green changpao she chose for him to change into after his morning court. The disappointment was him sitting by the length of the short table while she was at the width of it, wishing they could be closer.

Li Lian acted like she didn't eavesdrop. Yuwen Hong carried on as normal too, as if he never sent Luo Meng with punishment for her. Things were the same as any other day when she turned up to serve him.

"The ink is too watery," Yuwen Hong rumbled as he shredded his paper and discarded it. "What is going on in that small brain of yours?" He looked at her like she grew horns.

"My apologies, Your Majesty." She hurriedly added more material to her ink grinder to thicken the black ink mixture. Yuwen Hong was right. She made the ink runny. "His Majesty must remember this is not my job." Servants did this kind of work, so why was he asking her to do it?

He dipped his finger in the ink and smudged the tip of ner nose. "So what if it isn't? You will do what I require, servant or not."

As Dao said, she shouldn't speak back. She should be nice and gentle like Noble Consort Qi.

His eyes took hers. What was it about him staring at her as if he could see into her soul? He understood her, could easily read her words as truth or lies.

"If I tell you to behave, will you stop being naughty?" His words were serious, but his eyes shone with humour. "I don't appreciate eavesdropping from my woman."

She blushed profusely. "I don't know what you are talking about."

He bit his lip, and a coy smile followed. "You are a bad liar."

No, she wasn't. It's the person she was lying to that was the problem.

He wiped her face off of the ink he put on her earlier. "You are not wearing make-up today." His eyes observed her with the intensity as of a storm.

She normally liked to have make-up on and enhance her features but she was thinking of how Noble Consort Qi was the only woman he seemed to have taken a liking to. She didn't wear make-up.

In some way, Li Lian needed to have Yuwen Hong fall for her again. Since he fell out of love with Elora she could ensnare his heart as Noble Consort Qi because Noble Consort Qi still got visits from him once in a while. Many said the Noble Consort lost favour as the emperor didn't ask for her at night anymore but to Li Lian, if he still visited her during the day, that wasn't lost favour.

"You noticed?" Yuwen Hong noticed she looked different. Though he wasn't speaking to her, he was very much aware of her to see when something was missing on her face.

He took her head in his one large hand. The feel of his calloused hands was rough but assuring. Those were one of the most skilled hands, with the sword, and somewhere between her legs.

Her thoughts gave her cheeks a tint.

Unlucky for her, he picked that up, a smirk enveloping his face. His hazel eyes scrutinised her, her lips, her eyes, her lips again. A coat of need dressed his eyes but was washed away when he blinked. "I don't like this canvas face. You are not as attractive without make-up."

Yuwen Hong was a bad liar too. But whatever made him feel better, they would ride his boat until he wanted to call it quits and surrender to her.

"His Majesty is kind," she spoke softly, in that way Noble Consort Qi could do so nicely.

His eyes squinted suspiciously. "What now Elora? Why are you talking like a depressed cat?"

She laughed at this, slightly. But what he called her didn't go unnoticed.

Elora.

He said, Elora. Yuwen Hong was forgiving her, bit by bit. Elora is the woman who owned his heart.

She blinked rapidly, lost for words by his teasing words. What is a depressed cat? She thought she sounded sexy. Maybe her plan to portray herself as someone else for love was not working.

Their moment was broken when someone from outside announced. "Your Majesty, Concubine Pi seeks your audience."

He let her go, realising that he had made the unfortunate mistake of speaking to her and ruining his established streak of being a cold block. On this day the words he had spoken were the most she had received ever since the day they had Litchi tea. That was the same day he caused every woman to be jealous, making her a subject of all their anger and tantrums. She was the most ignored in the harem, currently. They didn't greet her in passing or even look her way in Hougong.

"No woman may get an audience without Zhen summoning them." Yuwen Hong objected to the announcer.

"She says she was granted approval by the Grand Dowager Empress, Your Majesty."

Li Lian could tell he was annoyed. "Let her in," he reluctantly relented.

A few seconds and Concubine Pi emerged. Li Lian's eyebrows raised in agreement with Dao's words that she indeed gained weight all of a sudden. Why was she eating a lot?

Concubine Pi wore a blush pink hanfu with floral patterns at the edge of her skirt. Her jewels dangled, reflecting the sunshine that shone through the windows of the study chamber. "Greetings to His Majesty," she curtseyed.

"What is it?"

Concubine Pi hesitated, slowly walking toward them. "May this concubine help with the ink?" She did not waste time kneeling beside Li Lian and taking over the grinding of ink.

The woman was a jealous one so Li Lian let her have it.

"This work is for a lowly woman. Let Li Lian make it." They were degrading words spoken by Yuwen Hong but why did they make Li Lian feel he liked her better than the other woman?

Concubine Pi had smeared her hands with the blank ink when she attempted to grind―something Li Lian was sure she had never done for herself in her life. Looking at the mess on her hands, she took the skirt of Li Lian and wiped her hands.

"His Majesty is right." Concubine Pi rose and went to sit by the emperor. "Second Class Female Attendant, I am jealous of you. You were taught everything His Majesty likes and dislikes. Us higher-ranked women don't have that opportunity."

Was she mocking her?

Although it was everyone's dream to be near the emperor, women in the harem disliked being an attendant because an attendant was not allowed to serve the dragon in bed. If desire took him over, he could bed her, but per the Inner Court rules that was looked down upon. If Li Lian was to bore him a son, it would be followed protocol for the child to be handed over to a higher titled Inner Court woman for adoption. No one wanted their child raised by another woman.

Li Lian was amazed by her self control before this woman. Deciding to not be herself and act as Noble Consort Qi on this day had benefits.

"All this servant knows is what His Majesty wants us to know." They taught her his preferences when it came to food, dressing and habits. But who knew what made him tick, his fears, uncertainties and feelings?

Yuwen Hong dropped the scroll he had picked to read. "The dragon palace is not a stage for tantrums, Concubine Pi. What brought you here?"

"Aiya, Your Majesty, please don't be harsh to me. It might disturb what I carry." She whined and her veiny hands clasped him possessively.

Li Lian squeezed her hands, letting her short nails dig into her palm. She wished they were longer so they could hurt her and keep her grounded.

"What do you carry?"

"Good news, Your Majesty." She pursed her lips to him and winked. "You are going to be a father."

"I am a father, already," he responded bluntly.

"Well, this time you will father an heir." The concubine rubbed her stomach. She lowered her voice, though Li Lian could still hear her. "Remember what we did in Yi Yuan?"

Yuwen Hong's face was blank. The news hadn't sunk in.

Li Lian took this opportunity to flung herself to the floor. "Congratulations to His Majesty. Congratulations Imperial Concubine Pi. This is good news for our Great Nevoria." Forget fisting her palms, she was pinching herself hard. It was what she could do to control her anger, hurt and frustration.

"What are you happy about?" He was addressing Li Lian, puzzled by her actions.

"A child, Your Majesty. It is good news."

He frowned. "And you are happy?"

She smiled widely, repeating, "It is good news. I'm happy for you."

"Another woman is carrying my child and you are happy?"

Love was sacrificial, isn't it? That is what Yang Liu did. She sacrificed herself for General Feng time and time again. So why is it Li Lian was saddened by this news, feeling jealous?

She wanted to be a supportive woman to him. An empress who would not throw jealous tantrums concerning other women. She wanted to prove to him that she could be this.

With the best smile she could wear, she answered, "Yes, I am delighted for you."

But to her dismay, Yuwen Hong cursed, speaking foul words that shouldn't be uttered by an emperor. He swerved his hand over the table, scattering all the things that stood on it, including the ink which stained the carpet.

"Your Majesty!" Concubine Pi was startled, flailing away from him.

Yuwen Hong pulled Li Lian by hand and she fell on his lap. His strong features were jolting when he was mad and in the tempest of anger. "Happy? You are not supposed to be happy, Li Lian." His hand fastened around hers tightly. "Jealous is the right word. I want you to be jealous. Be sad, be angry, curse if you must. Because that would have me happy that at least you feel something." He pushed her away and flipped the table, crushing everything it fell on. "Just like this. This is how a woman who likes me should act."

He did not say a word further but stood to leave, calling for Luo Meng that they should go riding.

Li Lian decided on that spot. Never would she try to be someone she wasn't. She was beautiful the way she was, even with scars and brokenness that needed fixing.

Author's Note

I will be doing edits to some scenes in Emperor And I. My first one will be on a scene that Li Lian meets the emperor in the forest. Without shooting myself in the foot by saying much, I realised there are things she did that didn't make sense in that scene so I will change those parts.

When you get notified about an upload on Emperor And I, it just means I edited something major to a scene. If it's small changes that are mere like grammar or just lil additions I won't be sending the notification.

Lastly, the changes won't be affecting the plot but if it does I will be letting you know here on the author's notes.

S.V