ARC 1 - The Way to become an Empress Part 45

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My body stiffened with the surprise.

But luckily, I managed to move my body slightly and the teacup missed my face.

"Empress!" Xi Jiu shouted scoldingly, as if he couldn't believe what Li Zhen Zhen had just done.

"What! Are you going to defend her again?!" Li Zhen Zhen turned around and faced Xi Jiu, scolding him.

"I- this servant apologizes for his rashness." Xi Jiu went down to his knee with a bang.

"Hmph." Li Zhen Zhen then turned around and faced me again.

"You got lucky the teacup missed."

Though the cup missed my face, the tea in it spilled into my arm. I can feel the tea scalding me inside my sleeve. But of course, I didn't show the pain I'm feeling in my face.

"Look down on me again, and I'll do worse to you! How dare you, a mere lowlife! If not for my brother, do you think you'll even be here right now?! Haa! Making my blood boil... Bitch!" Li Zhen Zhen turned around and left.

In the end, what's the purpose of this meeting? Did she just want to make fun of me? Mock me? Well, sorry if that doesn't work. I shrugged inwardly.

When Li Zhen Zhen left the room, Xi Jiu immediately approached me and suddenly took hold of my arm.

I looked up at him from where I was sitting and asked,

"What are you doing?"

"Miss Ye, uh, Imperial Consort Ye, sorry for this. Please leave immediately and get this treated." He said as he raised my sleeve slightly, seeing the redness in my arm. What he's doing is pretty impolite, but I didn't bother reminding him and instead heeded his suggestion.

"Then I'm leaving." I stood up with Xi Jiu's help and left.

But before I was truly out of the room, Xi Jiu once again apologized. "This servant truly apologizes for not being able to stop the Empress' impulses."

"It doesn't matter. But, don't tell the Emperor about this, okay?" He should deal with Li Ming first as he's the most crucial part of Li Zhen Zhen's rebellion plan. Telling Ji Zhen Tian about this incident may cloud his judgement on who to deal with first. I got back my confidence of him caring for me, after all.

"Yes, Your Highness." Xi Jiu politely bowed and I left ahead of him without turning back.

I didn't immediately tell my maids of the incident that happened inside.

When we reached my palace, that's when I finally told them and asked them to go find ointment for my arm.

"Your Highness! Again?! Why does something bad always happens to Your Highness every time you visit the Empress privately?!" One of my maids couldn't help but raise her voice.

"Shh. Calm down. Lower your voice. I don't want anyone else to know about this incident. Even the Emperor. At least, not now."

My maids were reluctant to answer, but they couldn't possibly question the command of their master.

"... Yes, Your Highness." They had no choice but to agree. After their response, they immediately left the room to fetch some ointment for burns.

In the meantime, I called the system in my head.

"System, is Ji Zhen Tian's spy around? Did he hear what my maid just said?"

"No monitor right now, host."

"I see. Thanks."

Ji Zhen Tian was probably confident that Xi Jiu would report to him everything that happens inside Li Zhen Zhen's palace, and that's why he didn't bother sending someone to spy on me during my time there.

My maids returned in record time and started treating my scalded arm.

"Your Highness..." The maid who's always reporting to me looked pained as she applied the ointment in my arm, as if the one who was burned was her.

"It doesn't hurt." It does, actually. A lot at that. But I comforted my maid instead.

It seems I'm always making other people worry about me.

It feels... great that someone else cares about me that much, but at the same time, it feels... heavy, hurting. I don't want to be a burden to another person, but that doesn't seem to be the case all the time.

"Your Highness, please be careful next time. And, as much as possible, though this is overstepping my role as a mere maid, but please don't get too close to the Empress next time." My maid said.

"Un, I will." I nodded. There may be no next time meeting Li Zhen Zhen privately.

I switched topics and told my maid, "Why don't you share palace gossips like you usually do this time?"

My maid slightly cheered up with that.

"Your Highness, about whom do you want to hear?"

Really amazing, I can even choose.

Then whose story is the most interesting?

My maid went silent for awhile, pondering.

"His is the most intriguing rumor I have heard, but I don't know if Imperial Consort wants to hear about him."

"Him?" I asked.

My maid then hesitated before finally saying who she's referring to. "It's General Li Ming."

"...Oh. What about him?" I don't mind talking about him, but my maid thought I didn't want to know about Li Ming because I didn't want to be reminded of my past incidents with him.

"The Great General already left the capital, Your Highness."

"When?"

"The day when Your Highness got sick. It's pretty weird considering there have been no orders from the Emperor to go back to his post at the borders. For him to have suddenly left, rumor has it that he's up to something."

So he immediately left after he did me. I think the Li siblings are not doing a great job in hiding their intentions with that many people having an inkling of their plans through mere rumors.

"Hmm... What do you think he's up to? Where did he go?"

"This servant doesn't know that much, and I don't want to speculate..." My maid replied such, her last word dragging on.

"Hmm... Then how about another story?" I changed topics instead, since not much is known.

We continued talking on about other things like this until lunch was served.