The Consequences Of Accidentally Flirting With A Paranoid Empress (Transmigration Into A Book) - Chapter 7

The winter wind raged, sweeping up layer upon layer of snow. Beneath the eaves of the long corridor, sharp icicles had formed, glittering crystal clear. The lanterns swayed endlessly like kites on the verge of falling.

The roof tiles and windows of the warm study rustled under the beating snow outside, the soft scraping sounds making the interior seem even quieter.

He Xiu blinked. Her gaze landed on the beautiful older sister, who was flipping through an account book, then secretly glanced at that stack of banquet invitations. It seemed Zhuo Mingke had no intention of opening them to take a look.

It looked like the beautiful older sister probably had other arrangements for the New Year.

Speaking of which, ever since He Xiu had moved into the Zhuo residence half a year ago, she had never seen the beautiful older sister’s family. Even the mother Zhuo Mingke had mentioned had never appeared. It was very mysterious.

“Is there something you don’t understand?” Zhuo Mingke noticed the young girl’s distraction and paused in the movement of her fingertips as they toyed with the bodhi flowing beads, speaking slowly.

“No. I just thought that since it’s snowing so heavily outside, the New Year should be coming soon. When will Sister’s family come back for a reunion?” He Xiu looked at the beautiful older sister’s lovely face. Her brows were like distant mountains, her eyes dark as lacquer, and her skin gave off a warm, lustrous glow like pale cold jade. He Xiu felt even more embarrassed to directly voice her curiosity, afraid of offending her privacy, so she could only ask in a roundabout way.

Zhuo Mingke met the young girl’s bright, clear eyes. Seeing that she knew nothing of the Zhuo clan’s past, she explained, “Once snow falls in Da Yue during winter, the land is sealed in ice for a thousand li. No one would risk venturing into an icy, snowy desert. Mother is busy with affairs this year and will not return to the imperial capital. The Zhuo family also has no other relatives.”

The ancestors of the enormously wealthy Zhuo clan had once nearly been exterminated. Perhaps in the eyes of the top nobles among the kingdoms, they were nothing more than an enticing piece of fish meat, something to be taken from at will, their very survival tied to the hands of others.

Hearing this, He Xiu fell into thought. Then she suddenly understood: the beautiful older sister might have come from a single-parent family.

“So that’s how it is. I don’t have family either, so I’ll spend the New Year with Sister!”

“This year, I will have many banquets to attend. I’m afraid I won’t often stay in the residence.”

After saying this, Zhuo Mingke raised her hand and picked up the invitation list nearby. The categories inside represented the various noble forces of Da Yue. As merchants, social dealings were always unavoidable.

As soon as He Xiu heard this topic, her curiosity flourished. She could no longer care about writing her homework and eagerly asked, “Are all these people inviting Sister to banquets?”

Zhuo Mingke flipped through the list and answered without hesitation, “Mm.”

“Then can I go take a look?”

“What do you want to see?”

He Xiu nearly blurted out the honest truth. Fortunately, she reacted in time and changed her words. “I-I don’t really want to see anything. I just want to go eat at the banquet. I can sit at the children’s table too!”

With the beautiful older sister’s illustrious family background and appearance, she had even encountered assassins the last time she attended a banquet. Who knew how many bad people might be hiding among her suitors with improper intentions? It really made He Xiu uneasy.

Zhuo Mingke looked at the very eager young girl. Her eyes shone with expectation, like a little bird fluttering its wings, waiting for Zhuo Mingke’s permission. Zhuo Mingke laughed softly and said, “Fine. The condition is that you must finish your homework first.”

The young girl was still Da Liang’s hostage prince. If she could adapt in advance, she might also be able to make some connections among the people of Da Yue in the future. In the end, it would only benefit her.

“No problem!” He Xiu immediately worked hard to copy her homework, full of energy.

Outside the window, the flying snow did not stop. As the New Year approached, carriages and horses were already coming and going endlessly in front of the Zhuo residence’s main hall, as if the holiday had already arrived.

The banquets for guests in the front hall often did not quiet down until nightfall.

He Xiu had thought the beautiful older sister would not have time to take her out to attend a gathering. Unexpectedly, on New Year’s Eve, she followed Zhuo Mingke into the Da Yue imperial palace by carriage.

The men of Da Yue favored full beards, and the emperor was the same. From a distance, He Xiu could not even see his face clearly. All she saw was one large mass of beard.

However, Da Yue’s young noblemen were not that exaggerated. Most of them simply looked rough and rugged, but at least their faces could be seen.

And He Xiu could clearly feel many gazes falling in the beautiful older sister’s direction. Immediately, she lost even the mood to eat.

At this moment, Zhuo Mingke was speaking with Da Yue’s empress and did not notice the young girl’s abnormal state.

“I heard that Miss Zhuo encountered assassins last time. You must have been frightened. Is your health all right?” Da Yue’s empress asked with concern.

“Thank you for Your Majesty’s concern. It was nothing serious,” Zhuo Mingke answered gently, as if she did not know that the mastermind behind the scenes was Da Yue’s empress’s niece, and that the person before her should also have been involved.

A probing look flashed in Da Yue’s empress’s eyes, yet her smile was very kind. “That is good. Madam Zhuo has only you as her daughter. If something happened to you in Da Yue, it would be no small matter.”

Of course, Da Yue’s empress knew about the assassination. It had happened in the first place because the Zhuo residence moved with ease among Da Yue’s powerful nobles, so she had wanted to give instructions to warn and intimidate Zhuo Mingke a little.

The current eldest imperial son of Da Yue was not born of the empress, while her youngest son was too weak. Since this concerned the rise and fall of her family, naturally, extraordinary methods had to be used.

However, the empress had not intended to take Zhuo Mingke’s life. The Zhuo family’s wealth spread throughout all the kingdoms. Truly forcing them into a corner would bring Da Yue no benefit.

Only after the banquet was halfway through was Zhuo Mingke able to return to her seat. She noticed that the young girl’s appetite seemed poor. The food on the table had hardly changed, which did not quite match her nature.

Of course, it was not that He Xiu had no appetite. She simply felt that the lecherous gazes of Da Yue’s noble young men were too disgusting and had ruined her desire to eat.

“Does the food not suit your taste?”

“No. I just think those people staring at Sister are too impolite.”

Zhuo Mingke’s gaze swept over those noble young men. Her expression did not reveal the slightest concern as she said calmly, “Da Yue was once a dynasty formed from a tribal alliance. Its folk customs are fierce and forceful. They are skilled in horseback riding, archery, and wrestling, wild and hard to tame. Don’t mind them.”

There were even rumors that Da Yue’s tribes once had a habit of eating people, and women were things on their dining tables.

It was precisely because many of Da Yue’s customs were far too barbaric that many surrounding dynasties called it a land of uncivilized savages.

After Zhuo Mingke spoke, she discovered that the young girl had straightened beside her. Rarely, there was no smile in her brows and eyes as she mumbled seriously, “Even then, they can’t be allowed to stare at Sister so disgustingly. Annoying flies are cuter than them.”

Zhuo Mingke paused slightly. She did not stop the young girl. Seeing that He Xiu was not even willing to eat, she thought that she really must be very unhappy.

Once the New Year’s palace banquet ended, the carriage slowly drove away from the imperial palace. Wind and snow raged outside. He Xiu’s stomach growled, and she muttered awkwardly, “Sister, I’m so hungry. Let’s eat New Year’s Eve dinner when we get back!”

Zhuo Mingke’s pale fingertips toyed with the bodhi flowing beads. She silently looked at the young girl’s bright, clear eyes. A hint of a smile appeared in her lacquer-dark gaze as she answered faintly, “All right.”

The carriage passed through the snow filling the sky and slowly moved forward. The horizon revealed the pale white of dawn. On the first day of the New Year, the front hall of the Zhuo residence was extremely lively.

Early in the morning, He Xiu, still drowsy in her small courtyard, heard burst after burst of firecrackers without pause.

What was terrifying was that these New Year visits continued for several days before the Zhuo residence finally showed some signs of quieting down.

In the afternoon, He Xiu carried her homework to the study. Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered, she saw another richly dressed woman. The woman was chatting and laughing with the beautiful older sister, and the two of them looked very close.

“I knew that even after the New Year festivities, the Zhuo residence might not necessarily be quiet. Now, seeing you even once is truly not easy.” Shen Ruoyan looked at the gorgeous Zhuo Mingke and teased her.

“If you wish to come, the Zhuo residence naturally welcomes you at any time,” Zhuo Mingke said with a faint smile as she drank tea.

He Xiu stepped into the study, momentarily unsure whether she should speak and disturb the two of them catching up.

Shen Ruoyan noticed He Xiu first, holding her books. Seeing that her features were neat, delicate, fair, and unfamiliar, she looked her over and asked, “Is this a newly bought little servant?”

The Zhuo clan had always had servants born into the household and never bought servants lightly. Moreover, this was the inner courtyard of the Zhuo residence, where outsiders could not easily enter. The smile in Shen Ruoyan’s eyes hid a probing look.

Zhuo Mingke turned her head to look at the young girl. Her cheeks were slightly red from the cold, and the tip of her nose breathed out white mist. Zhuo Mingke said, “Yes. On ordinary days, she is responsible for copying and organizing texts.”

When He Xiu heard this, her small body straightened, and she felt a little inflated. On ordinary days, she mostly came here to write homework and look up words in the dictionary. Had she really done that much work?

Forget it. If the beautiful older sister said she had, then she had!

“I think this little servant is quite pretty. In the future, perhaps she’ll become even more pleasant to look at. Why don’t you give her to me?” Shen Ruoyan said with smiling brows and eyes.

“I’m afraid it would be inconvenient to give this one to you.” Zhuo Mingke’s expression was gentle as she answered. Her words were light, yet carried no room for doubt.

At this moment, He Xiu, who was pretending to be busy while secretly slacking off at the desk, felt the rims of her ears redden. She thought that the beautiful older sister’s friend seemed a little improper.

As soon as those words were spoken, Shen Ruoyan’s expression stiffened slightly. Then her smile grew even deeper to cover it up, because she knew Zhuo Mingke generally would not refuse her—unless this little servant was not ordinary.

The Shen family and Zhuo family had done business together for many years. Although the two of them did not meet often, Shen Ruoyan had known Zhuo Mingke for many years and understood her somewhat.

So Shen Ruoyan did not mention the little servant again. Instead, she turned to discussing the disputes among the kingdoms and business matters. There were always many things she wanted to talk to Zhuo Mingke about.

Ordinary people all assumed that Zhuo Mingke was merely the only daughter of the world-famous Madam Zhuo and looked down on her abilities because of it. But Shen Ruoyan knew that her mind and methods were exceptionally powerful.

Because of that, Shen Ruoyan also wanted to hear Zhuo Mingke’s suggestions and views.

As the two spoke, the sky outside the window darkened without anyone realizing it. He Xiu finished her homework, got up, and lit the lamps, showing no intention of leaving the study.

Candle flames leapt, bringing light. Zhuo Mingke noticed the young girl’s attentiveness and naturally understood that she had finished her homework.

On ordinary days, Zhuo Mingke would keep the young girl to eat dinner with her. But today, Shen Ruoyan had come to visit, so it was clearly not convenient to arrange.

“I heard you were attacked some time ago. What exactly happened?” Shen Ruoyan’s gaze swept over Zhuo Mingke’s lips as she sipped tea, then she unnaturally looked away.

Zhuo Mingke was an extremely rare, peerless beauty. Shen Ruoyan naturally knew this, but she was still always made a little dazed and distracted by Zhuo Mingke’s unconscious beauty.

“That matter was mainly a dispute and act of revenge caused by a border commander. Some time ago, the Imperial City Bureau already investigated it clearly,” Zhuo Mingke answered calmly, not wanting to say more about the interests involved.

Seeing Zhuo Mingke speak so lightly of it, Shen Ruoyan also felt that it was not a serious matter. The Zhuo family’s wealth was famous throughout the world; it was inevitable they would attract some envy. She then changed the subject and said, “That’s good. I brought you a meeting gift. I hope you’ll like it.”

At this moment, He Xiu raised her head and looked at the brightly lit study. She was a little bored, and also a little hungry. She could only blink her eyes at the beautiful older sister, silently signaling that it was time to eat!

Suddenly, Zhuo Mingke turned her head. Her gaze met the young girl’s bright black eyes fluttering toward her. Her fingertips pressed against the bodhi flowing beads in her palm, and specks of amusement reflected in the depths of her calm eyes.

It was truly very difficult not to understand her little thoughts.