Chapter 9: She Got a Better Crying Face

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Soon, Li Wangde entered Qin Ke’s courtyard. Qin Ke immediately greeted him with a smile, “Wangde, you’ve come at the right time. Why don’t you sit down and eat? Lili has been waiting for you. He refused to eat before you came. Isn’t he sweet?”

Li Wangde was obviously very pleased with her words. He was happy to be a loving father. He went to the table and gave his son a test on the six terms of the Analects of Confucius he learned before they had the meal together.

The courtyard was filled with laughter while Li Baojia’s courtyard was particularly cold.

But of course, she couldn’t care less.

At the moment, she had got a lot on her plate, so she couldn’t focus on something else. Otherwise, she would feel heartbroken just like before.

Soon it was the next day.

Because she was anxious to confirm the reason why Li Jiaying went back to her mother’s house to nourish the fetus, she had already made up her mind that she would go to the assistant minister’s residence every day to kill some time.

In the morning, she ordered the servants to make snacks. Then, she hurriedly got on a carriage and went to the assistant minister’s residence.

When she arrived at the assistant minister’s residence, Taotao came down and handed over the sign before helping Li Baojia down.

The assistant minister was a passable position in the Imperial City. However, the residence was somewhat miniature. Certain designs of the house, including a display of plants, made the entire place appear low-classed.

It was not like Jiaying’s style at all, which Li Baojia silently noted in her mind.

When she arrived at Li Jiaying’s courtyard, Li Jiaying was embroidering a decorative tiger head hat beside her bed. She was surprised to see her enter. She greeted her and said, “What a pleasant surprise. Come inside!”

Li Baojia smiled and walked over to her. “Is my presence today inconvenient for you?”

Li Jiaying shook her head gently and said with some hesitation, “No, it’s just that this is the first time you’ve come to my place, and your brother-in-law should have come to meet you and do justice to your…”

Li Baojia asked curiously, “Then, where did my brother-in-law go? I thought he was off duty today.”

Li Jiaying sighed. “He went to pray today. He should spend the night at the temple and will return early tomorrow morning.”

The men of this dynasty did not have a habit of praying and worshipping God. They usually went with female members of the family. Now that Jiaying was here, Assistant Minister Zhang’s mother went there the year before last year.

Li Baojia wondered who he went with.

Li Baojia saw that Li Jiaying did not want to say more, so she decided not to ask anymore and turned around. She said, “Are you embroidering a tiger head hat? It’s so cute.”

Li Jiaying looked at the little hat, her eyes full of affection. “It will take a while to finish it. But the baby won’t be due for a while.”

“This color is also festive. Both boys and girls could wear it.” Li Baojia was a bit envious when she said this.

Although she started to do needlework at a young age, she could never do it well. However, she was a fast learner when it came to poetry and painting. Even her teacher said she was talented.

The purse she gave to the prince basically represented her highest level of needlework.

While the two of them were catching up on their family business happily, Zhao Yi seemed to be having a hard time.

Granted, his special ability that came out of nowhere provided him with certain advantages, but problems were also included.

For example, a particular problem was troubling him right now.

While holding a teacup, a maid, who looked as normal as usual, was secretly hatching a plan. “This sure is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to serve His Highness. I have to come up with a way to impress him!” she thought.

He threw a glance at her and drank the tea. Then, the maid refilled his cup while giving him an extremely coy and coquettish look.

Zhao Yi hated people with know-it-all personalities, like her. He was completely disgusted by such women who took the initiative to flirt with men.

So, he leaned back on his chair, and the maid fell to the ground.

He couldn’t even take delight in this.

The girl crawled on the floor and raised her head slightly, which perfectly outlined the curve of her waist. Her eyes were pitiful and tearful. “Please forgive me for being clumsy, Your Highness.”

Zhao Yi reached out and clamped her jaw with his hands. He said somewhat playfully, “How do you want me to forgive you? Hmm?”

He had always acted like a modest gentleman in front of outsiders, and at the moment, he was leaning forward with a smile, his dark hair tumbling down like a cascade on his chest.

Because he didn’t have to do his service today, he was dressed in his casual clothes. His collar was slightly open, revealing his snow-like skin and muscular body. His sword-like eyes squinted, looking extremely seductive and completely different from what he looked at ordinary times.

The maid looked dumbfounded. She stammered with her mouth slightly open, “Your Highness, you can do whatever you like to punish me so long as you please.”

He found it even more boring.

Someone had just taken stupidity to the next level. He didn’t know who brought her here and what Huang Gao was doing. He thought it was either the emperor or the empress.

His patience had almost worn out when Mr. Huang came late. “Your Highness, please forgive me. I… I was… I think I had a stomach ache just now. I went to the washing room so that I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of Your Highness.”

He was prompt in admitting his mistake, kneeling on the ground while he kept apologizing. But what he was really thinking was, “I’m so sorry, Your Highness. Her Majesty has given the order. I simply couldn’t turn her down.”

Zhao Yi kicked him directly in the chest, knocking Mr. Huang onto his back and displacing the hat on his head.

Mr. Huang hurriedly got up and put his hat in place while crawling to his feet. “Your Highness, I stand corrected. You can do anything to punish me, Your Highness.”

Zhao Yi let go of his hand. Mr. Huang immediately handed a handkerchief over. Zhao Yi wiped his hand. “Take this woman away. You know what to do with her.”

Mr. Huang said yes and then, he shouted to the door, “Someone, take this woman away!”

Two guards immediately came and grabbed the maid. The maid didn’t know what was happening for a while until she was dragged. Then, she struggled violently. “Your Highness, please forgive me. Please…”

The two guards reacted quickly and used something to gag her. The maid’s tears kept running down her cheeks, yet she could not speak a word.

Zhao Yi threw a glance at her and turned away in disgust.

“She looked really ugly when she cried,” he thought.

He preferred Li Baojia’s crying face.

Mr. Huang knew the empress well. “Her Majesty…”

Zhao Yi casually flipped through the book. “Just turn her down. Stay here and I can make sure you’re safe.”

Huang Gao was relieved. He patted his chest and said, “Rest assured, Your Highness. It’s my negligence this time. I promise nothing like this should happen next time. I will do anything you need me to do, Your Highness.”

Zhao Yi did not even look at him. “Get lost.”

Mr. Huang immediately stumbled his way out like he had lost his sense of direction.

With the ability of mind reading, he would always have a headache when he was somewhere populous, such as a garden, a backyard, or a study.

The most unbearable thing was when he read the thoughts of those women, which seemed to be filled with dirty thoughts.

Although he never touched those people in the backyard, they were his women in name. At the thought of having all these women in his backyard, he became extremely bored.