CH 72.2

Chapter 72.2 – This Face Causes Trouble

When Qi Yang and Lu Qipei entered the hall, they saw the Emperor sitting upright behind the table, reading through reports. After reading through one, he would pick up his brush and write out instructions.

There was already a thick pile of reports that he had finished by his side; what part of this energetic guy looked like he was sick?

Seeing the two come, the Emperor didn’t raise his head. He waited until he finished reading and working on the report on his hand, then he put down his brush and looked at Qi Yang. “My Child, why have you come today?”

Qi Yang knew what he meant; alluding to how she didn’t come yesterday. But Qi Yang already had a plan in mind, so how could she lose her composure due to his words? She immediately stepped forward to pick up the tea on the table and handed it to the Emperor.

She curled her lips and said, “Royal Father told me that you were fine yesterday, so I wasn’t worried. Besides, so many people came to see you outside the hall yesterday, and Zhang Jian almost couldn’t stop them all. Why would I come to add more trouble?”

When the Emperor heard what she said, he knew that she had really seen through him and couldn’t help smiling. He took the tea from Qi Yang and had a sip, then said, “I know you’re smart. You could guess everything.”

Qi Yang smiled, but it wasn’t easy to answer that statement.

The Emperor didn’t care either and turned to Lu Qipei, saying, “Your prince consort is also here.”

Lu Qipei bowed slightly and replied, “Her Highness is worried about Your Majesty, This Minister has come to accompany her here.”

Although Lu Qipei said that, there weren’t much worry on their faces when the couple came, and they weren’t surprised to see that he was healthy. It was clear that they already had a guess and weren’t worried. It’s just… did Qi Yang guess it and told her, or did she figured it out herself?

The Emperor fell into thought as his obscure gaze fell on Lu Qipei. He was currently staying in this hall under the pretext of illness, and even the princes and important officials had not met him. There was no need to mention Qi Yang seeing him because he was partial towards her, and he also didn’t stop her prince consort from coming in, but now it caused him to fall into thought.

Qi Yang quickly noticed the Emperor’s gaze, and her heart jumped for some reason.

For a moment, she even wanted to stand in front of Lu Qipei to block the Emperor’s probing eyes.

But no, she couldn’t do it, as it would only aggravate the Emperor’s suspicion. She could only endure her heart’s beating and let the two of them face each other. When the Emperor was almost done sizing her up and Lu Qipei didn’t show any reaction, Qi Yang pulled on his sleeves and asked, “Royal Father, you’re in seclusion right now. Do you plan to stay here for a few days?”

The Emperor withdrew his eyes, and when he looked at Qi Yang, his gaze had become kind again. “Why, do you want to go back to the capital?”

Qi Yang shook her head and said honestly, “There’s heavy wind and snow outside, and the journey is harsh. I’m not in a hurry to return soon. But a lot of people have asked to see Royal Father these two days, but me and my prince consort are the only ones that were able to come in. I’m afraid people would surround my courtyard once I return.”

After saying that, she winked at the Emperor, “I need to know how many days Royal Father will need to ‘recuperate’, otherwise it would be bad if I say the wrong thing about your condition.”

The Emperor smiled and glanced at Lu Qipei from the corner of his eye, and still ended up showing his cards to Qi Yang. “Three days. Wait another three days and I will recover from this illness, and return to the capital.”

Lu Qipei could sense that the Emperor’s attitude towards her had changed again. She kept her concentration and maintained a calm face as she heard everything. She turned into a wallflower, with just her eyes looking softly at Qi Yang from time to time.

The father and daughter chatted for a while, and the Emperor finally let them go and told Qi Yang not to come again for the next few days.

In fact, Qi Yang and Lu Qipei came here today mostly just for formality. Although she had guessed that the Emperor’s illness was fake, but her Royal Brothers were so attentive, while she, the most beloved princess, had been indifferent. No matter what, it could not be justified.

Setting aside whether it would affect the Emperor’s plan if someone with keen eyes noticed it, she was also worried if the Emperor himself would feel displeased.

But this time, by the time they left the Emperor’s residence, Qi Yang’s back had been filled with sweat even on such a cold day.

Just as they were out of sight from Zhang Jian and the others, Qi Yang grabbed Lu Qipei’s hand and squeezed so hard her fingers turned white. “There’s something wrong with Royal Father’s attitude today.” She said while looking at the person beside her. “Did he suspect you?”

Lu Qipei was much calmer than Qi Yang. She approached her slightly and held her shoulder, taking her whole body into her arms while covering Qi Yang’s lapse of self-control. “It’s okay, it’s probably just because of this face.”

Speaking of which, Lu Qipei had a love-hate relationship with her face. No one would hate her beautiful appearance, not to mention this was what made Qi Yang first take a fancy at her. But at the same time, this face had also brought her too much trouble. From Lu Qicheng to Xie Hongyi, from her previous life to her current life, this face could always bring danger to her.

Qi Yang leaned against Lu Qipei’s soft embrace, a little greedy for her warmth, but she knew that this wasn’t a place they could stay at for long. She quickly straightened up her mood, and left Lu Qipei’s arms after she calmed down. She took her hand again, and started walking back.

“What should we do now? Are we doing anything?” Qi Yang asked softly, a little concerned, but also confused.

Lu Qipei smiled gently, holding Qi Yang with a hand that was as warm as always. “Doing more would just lead to making more mistakes. Then naturally, it’s better to just do nothing.” As she said that, she took Qi Yang’s hand and brought it up to her lips, then gently kissed it. “Your Highness, it’s not time for us to enter the game yet.”

This was very true. It had only been a few months since they were reborn. One had been a naïve princess who ignored political matters, while the other was a substitute puppet who had been deprived of freedom.

In today’s game of chess, only the Emperor who had been in power for decades and Xie Yuan who had also been planning for decades were qualified to fight against each other. The reborn young couple’s advantage of knowing the future were not enough in the big picture.

It was fine for them to fight a little, but if they really tried entering the game, then they would just be looking for death. So they needed to hide, they needed to wait. Until they had accumulated enough strength, until they could control their own destiny… then decide it all in one blow!

Fortunately, the current Lu Qipei had value, so someone will help cover up her secrets.

Author notes:

Lu Qipei (disgusted): If you can’t fight, you can only wait until you have the ability to turn the tables…  It’s this face that has always caused trouble.

Qi Yang (infatuated): This face is so pretty. I like it the most.

Lu Qipei (…): Where’s my facial mask? I have to apply two sheets quickly to take care of my face!