This Lady Is Trying to Kill Me - Chapter 59

Chapter 59: As Long as You’re Bold…

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

“Uh…” Ye Jingtang glanced at the empty red sandalwood box and felt slightly embarrassed. “This box is quite special. Um… Miss, you can report this matter to Her Highness. 1’11 explain it to her later.”

The empress didn’t probe further into Ye Jingtang’s ridiculous actions just now. She turned around and sized up the bookshelves. “Young Master, you stayed overnight at Jasper Pavilion and even dared to touch Her Highness’s personal belongings. It seems you have a deep relationship with Her Highness.”

Ye Jingtang had nothing to do with the Prince of Jing. If the people in the palace misunderstood him and the news reached the empress, there would be trouble. Heroine Luo would probably stab him to death when she came back!

“I’m just a foster son of a merchant family, and I just entered the capital at the beginning of the month. 1 have some martial arts skills that Her Highness appreciates, so I’ve helped the Black Office with some cases. Yesterday…”

Ye Jingtang explained seriously why he was here.

But the empress didn’t listen at all. Even though what Ye Jingtang said was uninteresting, her sister’s attitude toward him was already unusual since she could let a man sleep in Jasper Pavilion. “You’re not bad-looking, and you have such skills at such a young age, so you’re quite capable. Do you want to be the prince consort of the Black Office?”

Ye Jingtang hurriedly shook his head. “I’m a foster son of the Pei family of Heavenly Water Bridge. 1 am a businessman, so 1 can’t avoid running into trouble on a daily basis. I came to the Black Office purely to make friends and find a big tree to take shelter in. Her Highness has a high status and extraordinary looks. Our families and statuses are unsuitable. How could 1 dare to have such thoughts?”

The empress felt that Ye Jingtang wasn’t lying. She nodded slightly and said, “It’s true that Her Highness values martial arts, but Her Highness was born into the imperial family and has seen too many people with high martial arts skills. Lu Taiqing and Daoist Xuanji of Void Jade Mountain are both Her Highness’s masters. No matter how powerful ordinary martial artists are, in the eyes of Her Highness, they’re just thugs. If you want to build a relationship with Her Highness, you’d better find another way.”

Ye Jingtang was slightly surprised. “Miss, you want to give me advice?”

The empress revealed a smile. She hugged her chest and rested her buttocks on the desk, looking like a female CEO instructing her subordinate. “Although Her Highness dances with spears and staves all day long, Her Highness has good ‘literary talent’. Her Highness is proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting. Young Master, when you talk about martial arts, Her Highness can’t teach you much. But if you are proficient in zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, and song, Her Highness can chat with you for half a day.”

Seeing that this woman was from the palace, Ye Jingtang actually wanted to ask about the situation in the palace. But these questions were too sensitive, and he couldn’t find a chance to bring them up. When he heard her talk about poetry, he began to think of a way to get information. “I know a little about poetry.”

“Oh?” The empress looked up, slightly surprised. “I really couldn’t tell. Young Master, can you compose a poem for me to comment on? If you have real talent and knowledge, I will help you tell Her Highness that 1 unintentionally heard you express your feelings. If it’s a casual work, it will save you from embarrassing yourself in front of Her Highness.”

Ye Jingtang placed one hand behind his back, looked at the palace outside the window, and pondered for a moment. “Hmm… Wait till the Double Ninth Day in fall comes around, I’ll bloom when other flowers’re to be withered and gone. The rushing fragrance is sure to sweep through… through Yun’an, and there’ll be golden armor spreading all o’er th’ town…©”

The empress was stunned for a moment. After she thought about it carefully, a thought-provoking look slowly appeared in her eyes.

Why did this poem sound like a rebel poem?

In the future, if you want to send troops to Yun’an and usurp my position…

You wrote this thing and even read it in front of me. Aren’t you afraid that 1 will castrate you…

Seeing that Ye Jingtang didn’t know her identity, the empress didn’t show any surprise. “Did you write this poem?”

Ye Jingtang shook his head and smiled. “I’m a martial artist. I’m not good at literature. 1 happened to remember this poem and recited it out of feeling. What do you think, Miss?”

“Recited it out of feeling… Young Master, could it be that you have some bumpy experiences with unfulfilled ambitions? For example, the Imperial Court has treated you unfairly. One day, you want to…”

“Miss, you’re joking. 1 just thought it was suitable for you, so I recited it to you.” Suitable?The empress was slightly stunned, and a strange look appeared in her eyes.

If someone had written this poem for her, it would indeed be quite suitable.

She and Liren had been born princesses. Although they were shockingly talented, intelligent since childhood, and deeply loved by their father, females were destined not to be able to show their talents on stage.

After their father, the emperor, passed away, his eldest son succeeded to the throne. Out of old resentment, he even wanted to marry the two sisters to the enemy country, Northern Liang.

After that, she came out with ‘golden armor spreading all o’er th’ town’, washed the Imperial Court with blood, abolished her brother, and sat on the throne that only men could sit on since ancient times. From then on, she was no longer subject to anyone, any rules, or any etiquette, and became the emperor of this dynasty.

The empress thought that Ye Jingtang had seen through her identity, so he showed off his literary talent to please her, wanting to enter the palace to be her bed-warming beauty.

But after she carefully observed Ye Jingtang, it didn’t seem like it. She asked, “What do you mean?”

Ye Jingtang looked out of the window and sighed softly. “I heard that the women in the palace are all the women of the emperor, but our Majesty probably won’t favor women. Miss, you are so beautiful, but you have to live alone in the palace for half your life. Isn’t this like a scholar who’s depressed and frustrated? But with your speech and appearance, I think that one day, you will definitely be able to ‘bloom when other flowers’re to be withered and gone’…”

This time, the empress understood what he meant. This audacious Young Master Ye in front of her was trying to flirt with her because she was beautiful!

The empress raised her eyebrows slightly and sized up Ye Jingtang’s figure. “The palace isn’t as lonely as you say. If a palace maid isn’t favored, she can leave the palace to marry at the age of twenty-five. I’m still in the palace because 1 don’t fancy a man outside.”

Ye Jingtang only wanted to start the conversation. Following this line, he asked, “Is the palace very interesting? Other than serving people, what else can you do?”

“Everyone has their own duties. They take care of the palaces, halls, pavilions, courtyards, flowers, and plants. The palace is so big. When they’re free, they can walk around.”

The place where palace maids could stroll around was definitely not the core area where the emperor appeared. Ye Jingtang looked at the palace and asked, “Is that so? 1 see that the palace is full of houses, and there’s no special scenery. Where do you usually go?”

The empress raised her fair finger and pointed at the imperial garden behind the palace. “There. Do you see it? It’s to the right of the Longevity Palace.”

Ye Jingtang looked up and saw that it was at the northwest corner of the Imperial City. Just as he was about to nod, he looked carefully and found a big tree in the area that the woman was pointing at. The trunk was probably dozens of feet wide and was already taller than the palace.

Ye Jingtang’s heart stirred as he asked, “That tree is huge. What kind of tree is it?”

“It’s a ginkgo tree that’s more than twelve hundred years old. It was planted by Emperor Xuan’s beloved concubine.”

“Twelve hundred years old?” Ye Jingtang’s eyes were amazed, but he was pleasantly surprised in his heart. His foster father’s letter had only mentioned the ginkgo tree and didn’t mention anything else. The ginkgo tree that hid the Roaring Dragon Chart was most likely this one.

Although it was still out of reach, he could at least see the place with his naked eye.

Ye Jingtang memorized the location of the thousand-year-old ginkgo tree and began to size up the surrounding terrain…

The empress saw Ye Jingtang sizing up the ginkgo tree and asked, “Do you want to go over and take a look?”

Ye Jingtang hurriedly retracted his gaze and smiled. “This is the first time I’ve heard of a twelve-hundred-year-old tree. I’m surely curious. But that’s the harem. As a man, how can I dare to go in? Miss, can you let me take a look?”

The empress naturally could, but she didn’t say it explicitly. Instead, she said, “That poem just now was not bad, but the killing intent was too strong, and there was a feeling of rebellion. Don’t spout nonsense in the future. I’ll pretend I’ve never heard it.”

“If you don’t think it’s appropriate, I naturally won’t mention it.”

“Young Master, excuse me. I have to head down. Let’s meet again if fate allows.”

Ye Jingtang’s mind was completely focused on the ginkgo tree, so he didn’t ask this memorable female official to stay.

But just as the woman was about to disappear from the stairs, he felt that knowing someone from the palace might be helpful in digging up the Roaring Dragon Chart in the future. “It’s fate that we met. May 1 ask for your name?”

The empress walked gracefully and looked at Ye Jingtang meaningfully. Only when her figure disappeared did she say, “Yuhu.”

Ye Jingtang felt that this name was strange, but for some reason, he felt that it suited this woman’s temperament. She was exquisite like jade and grandiose like a tiger…

Ye Jingtang waited until the woman’s footsteps disappeared before coming to the window to observe the scenic lake and look for the jade object he had thrown down. There was a maid walking by the lake, so he would definitely be discovered if he went into the water to fish for the Mr. Horn.

While he was thinking about countermeasures, a maidservant suddenly ran upstairs with his robe and saber. “Young Master Ye, Her Highness asked you to go back to your residence first. Her Highness will summon you when Her Highness is done. Hurry up and change your clothes. 1 will send you out of the estate.”

“Hmm?” Ye Jingtang didn’t expect that the Prince of Jing would ask him to leave without even meeting him. He couldn’t forcibly stay. He looked at the lake in the garden and wanted to pick it up when he went out.

Unexpectedly, the maidservant didn’t bring him through the main entrance. Instead, she sneakily took him out of the side door used by servants and sent him to the back street as if he couldn’t be seen…