Yuan Qingling took two things out of her sleeve pocket.
One was a small exquisite box that he had seen before, but it wasn't this small when he saw it.
The other was a sheet of paper folded into the shape of an origami crane. He first unfolded the paper and saw that it was a promissory note for ten thousand gold taels issued by the Emperor Father and stamped with the big seal.
He felt somewhat complicated. Why did this woman who had always been ignored and hated by everyone suddenly become so favoured by the Emperor Father and the Retired Emperor?
He started fiddling with the box. There was a small hidden catch that he touched and it opened with a snap. Inside was empty, nothing at all.
Strange, there should have been something inside this box. She said it contained medicine, and she had also taken out that anesthetic needle from here. Could it be used up?
It would be good if it's used up. She wouldn't be able to deal with him anymore in the future.
However, since she treasured this box so much, he had to hide it away. Can't have you going on a drunken rampage and slashing people with a kitchen knife.
He picked up the box and casually shoved it under the bed.
Then he was stunned.
As soon as this box touched the ground, it grew bigger!
Although he had felt this box was strange from the beginning, it was still very shocking to see the box instantly grow from the size of a finger to that of a medicine chest.
What the hell was this?
"Are you stealing my things?" Came Yuan Qingling's startled and hoarse voice from above his head.
He looked up and met her angry eyes. There was a flash of panic in his eyes before he stood up holding the medicine chest and angrily asked while pointing at it, "Tell this prince, what is this?"
"It's a medicine chest!" She rubbed her aching head. Her mind was still groggy and slow.
"Why does this medicine chest shrink and grow?" Yuwen Hao asked solemnly.
"How would I know?" Yuan Qingling panicked for a moment, and forgot that she was going to accuse him of theft.
"You better explain properly. This concerns a major issue, it could cost you your head." Yuwen Hao said very seriously, as if it was a huge matter.
Yuan Qingling slowly sat up and looked at the medicine chest with a blank expression. "Why would it cost my head?"
Yuwen Hao said coldly, "His Majesty hates occult arts the most. This medicine chest can be considered a demonic object, right? Once His Majesty finds out, chopping off your head would be the least of it. I'm afraid even the lives of hundreds of people from Jinghou Palace would be implicated."
Yuan Qingling didn't believe him. "Don't treat me like a fool. It's just a medicine chest, what occult arts? Implicating the lives of hundreds of people, aren't you exaggerating?"
"You'd better believe it!" Yuwen Hao looked at her intently, not missing any change in her expression. "Something similar happened five years ago. Back then, a county magistrate presented a jewellery box as tribute. That jewellery box was very strange. If you put one piece of treasure in, it would become two pieces of treasure. His Majesty obtained this box then and was very delighted. However, at the same time, theft cases arose frequently among the commoners. After investigation, it was discovered why that box could magically duplicate treasures - they were all stolen from the commoners. His Majesty was furious and executed that county magistrate's entire family. This case caused great commotion. You must have heard of it, right?"
Yuan Qingling shook her head in confusion. "I haven't heard of it."
"You haven't heard of it?" Yuwen Hao looked at her in surprise. "No wonder you still harbour hope."
Yuan Qingling said, "But this isn't any occult arts either."
"In His Majesty's eyes, these crooked ways are all occult arts."
Yuan Qingling started to believe him then, and couldn't help feeling afraid. If it was just her life at stake it would be fine... No, even her life being at stake is unacceptable. She didn't want to die, and if this implicated the lives of others in Jinghou Palace, her sin would be grave.
"Are you trying to scare me?" Yuan Qingling squinted at him. She felt that something was off behind his solemn and serious front.
Yuwen Hao calmly said, "If you don't believe, just bring this box into the palace. Let's see if your head can remain attached to your neck safely."
Yuan Qingling truly didn't expect that being an imperial consort in this ancient era would be such dangerous work. Weren't those imperial consorts in history able to live their happy lives safely? Why was she so unfortunate?
In less than half a month since transmigrating to the ancient times, she felt like she was being driven crazy.
Thinking that she would die anyway, she immediately felt disheartened. Right in front of him, she picked up the medicine chest. It shrank, and she put it into her sleeve pocket together with the promissory note. Lifting her chin arrogantly, she said, "I'll just go all out now. If you dare to bully me in the future, I'll take you down with me."
Seeing the chest suddenly shrink made Yuwen Hao shocked again. After pondering her words, he was so angry smoke was practically coming out of him. "Just because you wildly swung a kitchen knife around, didn't manage to cut anyone, and only injured yourself, you daring fool, you actually dare to threaten this prince? Do you have no shame?"
"No, I don't want anything anymore. No shame, no quality, no morals. Anyway if I can't keep my head, you'll definitely be the first to suffer." Yuan Qingling said viciously.
Yuwen Hao inexplicably found it funny.
It was as if he saw an ant clutching a speck of dirt and declaring it would take down a tiger along with it.
"Hahaha!" He laughed out loud.
Yuan Qingling's expression immediately darkened. Watching him laugh with his teeth bared and eyes disappearing, the previous gloominess and viciousness were completely wiped away. She was so angry yet also felt...indescribable.
But she didn't plan on reconciling with him. There was a huge grudge between them now.
After he finished laughing, she coldly said, "Don't laugh. It's because of you I'm in this state. You owe me..."
"Wait," he interrupted her. The burst of laughter left his eyes and brows looking gentle and harmless. "What about that scheme you and your sister plotted against this prince at the Princess Manor, how do you calculate that?"
Yuan Qingling pondered for a long time.
Yuwen Hao had the final say, "We're even now."
Now Yuan Qingling understood. Why did she feel like the pot calling the kettle black?
She wasn't stupid either. She slowly slid down and closed her eyes, weakly pulling up the quilt to cover her face. "I'm heavily drunk. Let's talk after I sober up."
Yuwen Hao flung away her quilt. "Stop pretending. Tell me, after you entered the palace, what did His Majesty say? Did he reprimand you?"
"Go ask him yourself." Yuan Qingling was completely uncooperative.
Yuwen Hao warned, "If you don't say, I won't be able to help analyze for you. This concerns your head, think it over yourself."
Yuan Qingling was so exasperated yet helpless that she had to sit up again. Giving him a white look, she said, "His Majesty only asked why I went back on my word, having agreed before to let you take a concubine but then disagreed. From his expression he didn't seem very angry, but I met Premier Chu in the hallway outside the Imperial Study. He seemed somewhat angry."
"Did he say anything to you?" Yuwen Hao asked.
"No, he didn't even greet me and walked away directly." Yuan Qingling looked at him, "Why didn't you marry Chu Mingyang?"
Yuwen Hao flicked his sleeve arrogantly, "Didn't want to marry her."
Yuan Qingling said, "Although I don't like how you pushed me out to take the blows, I have to admit you did the right thing."
Yuwen Hao glanced at her. "Right?"
Yuan Qingling said, "Don't misunderstand, I'm not against you taking a concubine. I just feel that if your heart is set on staying loyal to someone, you shouldn't continue harming another woman. You don't like Chu Mingyang, marrying her wouldn't make her happy either. For you it would be a stepping stone of power, but for her it would be ruining her life. No one except herself has the right to ruin her life."
Yuwen Hao stared at her dazedly. Her words were clearly approving of him, yet he felt guilty about it.
He had never considered Chu Mingyang before, much less thought about potentially ruining her life.
