Ning Lianchen walked towards Liu Yinyin. “There are some things you don’t understand. Yinyin, it’s time for you to keep your recent temper in check.”
“How could I understand your thoughts? Fang Lingdang has visited your repose palace a few nights in a row, and even stayed over for the night before.” Liu Yinyin’s voice became increasingly softer as she turned away from him. When I initially entered the palace, he came to visit me every day because he was afraid that I wouldn’t be used to it. Now, not only does he not do so anymore, he even allows Fang Lingdang to his repose palace!
Even though His Majesty is 16, everyone says that he should already have a room concubine servant. Fang Lingdang just turned 15, and her period has also come, making her the most suitable candidate to be a room concubine servant.
Although Liu Yinyin didn’t understand what a room concubine servant was, she knew that the person accompanying Ning Lianchen would be Fang Lingdang instead. The thought of this made her very uncomfortable, as if something that belonged to her had been suddenly snatched away.
Ning Lianchen dismissed the little eunuch next to him, then turned her head back to face him. “Yinyin, from whom did you hear that Fang Lingdang has spent the night at this Emperor’s repose palace?”
“You dare to do something, but you don’t dare to let others know?” Liu Yinyin ignored him and tried to turn her head away, but his strength was too much for her.
Hence, Liu Yinyin could only furiously stare at him.
“You just trust what others say? How come even this Emperor doesn’t know that Fang Lingdang has spent the night in my repose palace?”
Liu Yinyin became confused. “She didn’t stay over at your repose palace? But you did summon her to your repose palace, right?”
The former was completely untrue, but the latter was a fact. He did summon Fang Lingdang to his repose palace, but it was completely for the sake of pacifying Imperial Physician Fang and the court ministers.
Some of the ministers who support me think that I’m already at the age where I should be taking room concubine servants.
That was why he had to choose a woman of a suitable age among the ministers’ daughters to be his handmaiden. After mulling over it, he felt that Fang Lingdang’s temperament was gentle since she came from the countryside. As a result, she would likely be less precocious and easier to control. If I summon a minister’s daughter into the palace, she may cause trouble, and even harm Liu Yinyin in the future.
But Liu Yinyin wouldn’t understand even if I tried to explain it to her. Thus, Ning Lianchen decided to keep it to himself and simply patted her head. “Yinyin, be obedient. Why doesn’t this Emperor take you out of the palace to look around later?”
When she heard that she could leave the palace, Liu Yinyin’s eyes began to sparkle again. As soon as she thought about how Ning Lianchen would still summon Fang Lingdang to his repose palace though, her heart grew unsettled.
“Can you send Fang Lingdang back to the Fang Residence? Then, you won’t need to summon her to your repose palace anymore.” Liu Yinyin oversimplified things with her guileless character.
Ning Lianchen shook his head. “You don’t have to care about this matter.”
“Forget it then; you can leave. I have nowhere to go anyways.” Liu Yinyin refuted out of spite, slapping his arm away.
Yet, her unintentional words had stabbed Ning Lianchen’s heart. With the Liu Residence already destroyed, she has nowhere to go. However, Grand Tutor Liu wouldn’t have died if not for me. It was his death that forced Prince Yun to hand over half of his power.
“Yinyin, be more obedient. After some time has passed, this Emperor will send Fang Lingdang back, alright?”
Liu Yinyin’s eyes shone. “You’re not allowed to lie to me.”
“I won’t lie to you.” Ning Lianchen ruffled her hair to comfort her.
Only after receiving his assurance did Liu Yinyin finally smile, the bitterness in her heart dissipating like an early morning mist.