But if it were Qiu Lanxi, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that she would be condemned by thousands and despised by all. Not to mention herself, even Emperor Qinghe would be criticized.
Therefore, Qiu Lanxi found it hard to imagine the price Yan Qingli had paid for this, and she didn't think the other party's feelings for her could be that deep.
……perhaps?
She was no longer sure; she could no longer rationally analyze Yan Qingli's movements.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Qiu Lanxi didn't think any further and kowtowed earnestly to her. There was no greater grace than this, and she didn't even know if she could repay it.
Yan Qingli slightly turned aside to avoid her before helping her up. Knowing that this might make her feel better, she pursed her lips and said, "There's no need for that. I also have my own selfish reasons."
Qiu Lanxi hadn't heard her refer to herself like that in a long time, and she was slightly dazed.
Yan Qingli said calmly, "The court cannot be just me. If you are truly grateful to me, then do your job well and strive to become a role model."
Qiu Lanxi immediately understood. No matter how outstanding Yan Qingli was, they would all think it was only natural, after all, she had been famous since childhood and was the emperor's daughter. But Qiu Lanxi was different. If she went in and stirred up trouble, many people would unconsciously have the illusion that "I could do it too", which was enough to arouse the deep-seated ambitions of many women.
She lowered her head and said, "Your Highness, I will certainly not disappoint you."
Qiu Lanxi almost immediately re-evaluated her position, or rather, she couldn't wait to have this new identity rather than reject her original one.
Yan Qingli's eyes were dark and unfathomable. After a long silence, she said, "I don't need you as my subordinate."
Her tone sounded somewhat stiff.
Qiu Lanxi's lips moved slightly, and after a moment of silence, she asked, "What does Your Highness desire?"
Yan Qingli stared at her, and just when Qiu Lanxi thought she wouldn't speak, she heard her say, "I want you to accompany me to do what we should have done long ago."
Qiu Lanxi's eyes widened in astonishment, finding it hard to believe these words had come from her mouth. She took a breath before asking, "So this is a deal?"
“This is a request,” Yan Qingli lowered her eyes, “You can refuse if you want, don’t worry.”
This was her selfish desire. She didn't want to cut off Qiu Lanxi's wings. The place where she was born meant that she never grew wings. But Yan Qingli knew that once she entered the court, she would grow wings and fly away. But before that, she wanted to have them briefly.
Does this make sense?
No.
But Yan Qingli still wanted to do it because she had never experienced love between a man and a woman. If she did, she would definitely remember it vividly. Moreover, the fact that she agreed at least proved that she was not completely without feelings.
Yan Qingli had to admit that she was no saint. She couldn't bear to take what she wanted by force, and she was willing to attach a feather to it for her, but she minded that she would fly away lightly without leaving a trace.
Qiu Lanxi opened her mouth, speechless. She sensed a kind of madness from Yan Qingli, but this madness seemed to be something she had forced out of herself.
She stood there, her back straight, her face calm, as if she could accept whatever the outcome might be.
Qiu Lanxi's eyebrows twitched slightly. A monarch and his minister with a romantic scandal are two different things from a monarch and his minister who actually had a relationship.
The former can become two parallel lines again, while the latter is most likely to be a tangled mess that cannot be untangled.
But since the other person had already taken so many steps forward, she couldn't bring herself to stay in the same place.
Qiu Lanxi moved closer to her and led her to the bedside. Yan Qingli gazed at her and said, "I didn't force you."
"I know."
Perhaps at first, Yan Qingli did want to force her to act in some plays, but later, she continued to act simply because she didn't trust Yan Qingli.
She loosened her belt, peeled away her wet clothes little by little, and finally placed her hand on her knee.
Qiu Lanxi stared at the bruises on her knees and suddenly understood how she had obtained her qualification for the imperial examination.
A wave of indescribable bitterness welled up in her heart, and she gently kissed him.
"Don't cry," Yan Qingli said helplessly, "We won't..."
"Shhh."
Qiu Lanxi reached out and covered her mouth, then pressed her down onto the bed.
Yan Qingli stared at her tear-streaked eyelashes and felt a pang of regret. She really hadn't intended to take advantage of her kindness, but it seemed she had once again made the other person misunderstand.
Chapter 45
The next day, it was broad daylight.
Yan Qingli still got up early as usual. By the time Qiu Lanxi woke up, she was already gone. It wasn't until almost noon that she invited her to the study.
She pointed to a stack on the table: "These are the exam papers for the first three books of each imperial examination."
As she spoke, her eyes darted around unconsciously, and when Qiu Lanxi approached, she tensed up even more.
Qiu Lanxi was a little surprised: "You can even get this?"
Yan Qingli hummed in agreement, saying nonchalantly, "It wasn't that difficult to begin with."
Before each imperial examination, many officials would try to obtain these items for the sake of their offspring. These items were naturally precious to those of lower rank, but for those of higher rank, they were easily obtained.
These were indeed very useful to Qiu Lanxi. The questions for each imperial examination were personally selected by Emperor Qinghe, representing his political views. By observing these questions, Qiu Lanxi was able to predict the questions after a detailed analysis.
"Thank you, Your Highness," Qiu Lanxi said, not in a hurry to look. She leaned closer to Yan Qingli and said, "However, there is something I don't understand. I would appreciate it if Your Highness could enlighten me."
How could His Majesty agree to such an absurd request?
Yesterday, Qiu Lanxi was overwhelmed by the huge surprise, but after calming down, her mind was filled with doubts. In terms of ability, she has not shown any of it yet. In terms of background, after Teng Kingdom was overthrown and became Ning Kingdom's territory, although she could barely be considered a Ning Kingdom person, it was impossible for her not to be on guard.
Emperor Qinghe was not the kind of person who spoiled his daughter excessively. This can be seen from the fact that he was able to leave Yan Qingli behind to block the enemy when he was assassinated. He was by no means a person who acted entirely on emotion.
She leaned so close that she could feel her breath. Yan Qingli lowered her eyelids slightly and said, "It's just some underhanded tricks."
Qiu Lanxi certainly couldn't believe that things were as simple as she described. However, since the other party was unwilling to talk about it, it was indeed difficult for her to find out the truth. Digging into the details was not her style. If she really wanted to know, she would rather ask Emperor Qinghe than get the information from Yan Qingli.
Well... the premise is that he won't arrest and execute me the moment he sees me.
She could easily guess that in the other person's mind, she was probably a complete enchantress and a source of trouble.
Seeing that Qiu Lanxi didn't press the matter, Yan Qingli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She wasn't exactly lying; she had indeed used some tricks, nothing more than... threatening suicide.
Yan Qingli was always well aware that she was different from others in Emperor Qinghe's heart, but she rarely abused this power, because the emperor's favor was diminishing with every bit of it used, and she should make the most of every bit of it.
Therefore, it is easy to imagine Emperor Qinghe's fury when his usually obedient and considerate daughter suddenly made such an absurd request.
He truly felt that Yan Qingli had been blinded by love. The reason she was able to thrive in the court was because she had never been raised by women and had always been personally taught by him. She had also witnessed him discussing matters with ministers on several occasions. She herself was also exceptionally intelligent. These conditions shaped her. But there was only one Yan Qingli in the world.
What is Qiu Lanxi anyway?
However, as long as Emperor Qinghe did not want to see Yan Qingli die, he would eventually compromise. Yan Qingli knew that he valued relationships, and he also knew that the other party could keep his word.
That's why Yan Qingli said that she used some underhanded tricks.
When Emperor Qinghe was powerless, he dared to wear a red dress to stop Yan Qingli from being married off. At that time, he never expected that his actions would unite the entire Ning Kingdom against Teng Kingdom. He simply did not want Yan Qingli to be taken away for the marriage. Now, he can naturally compromise under Yan Qingli's coercion.
But he was already a qualified emperor, and all his emotions would be confined to a reasonable range. Yan Qingli understood very well that she had already crossed a line, and Emperor Qinghe would never treat her the way he used to.
Even this opportunity was merely a possibility of entering the imperial court. The palace examination only selected the top 100 candidates nationwide, and it was clear that they were all extraordinary individuals. Emperor Qinghe was well aware of Qiu Lanxi's background; a concubine's daughter who had been taught from a young age how to please others was nothing more than a joke in this arena.
Yan Qingli also understood that Qiu Lanxi might not be able to stand out among them. The palace examination was in March next year. If she wanted to back down during this period, everything would be calm on the surface, and no one except her and her father would know that such a thing was going on.
If she insists on going on stage, Emperor Qinghe will not back down. His control over the Ning Dynasty is at its peak, and he is not afraid of this moral failing. But Qiu Lanxi and Yan Qingli are different. The Non-Council is always with them, making it difficult for them to move forward.
But Emperor Qinghe wouldn't care about these things; they should bear the consequences of their choices.
Yan Qingli wouldn't care about any of that. She had done all she could. Whether Qiu Lanxi performed poorly in the palace examination and was beheaded by Emperor Qinghe, or whether she truly excelled, it was up to her to face the consequences. She would never interfere.
She should take responsibility for the choices she made. She doesn't regret her actions, nor will she continue to help Qiu Lanxi just because of her feelings for her. Yan Qingli has a clear conscience.
If she were to die because of this, Yan Qingli would not stop her; if she were to gain power, Yan Qingli would not use that power. She had a scale in her heart, and once she had done what she believed she should do, she would not add anything more.
Qiu Lanxi was unaware of the inside story, but it wasn't hard to guess the consequences. If she appeared in such a setting, she would inevitably face a barrage of criticism. Moreover, this year's "interview" would be the most difficult in history. Cutting off someone's future was like killing their parents. And those who could appear in the palace examination, no matter how badly they fared, wouldn't be too badly off. At that time, Yan Qingli might not be able to protect her.
Even if she performed brilliantly in the imperial examination, it would not eliminate the doubts. Just as before her death, many people still believed that female executives obtained their positions through sexual favors, let alone in this day and age.
Furthermore, Emperor Qinghe would not be able to grant her an official position without any reservations. Parents will hate the person who made their children confused. No matter how enlightened Emperor Qinghe is, he might still try to trip her up.
Based on Qiu Lanxi's current understanding, Emperor Qinghe can be considered a person who repays evil with kindness. As long as there is no deep-seated hatred, even if an official was once his opponent, he can still put them in a suitable position. He is a rare emperor who has not done the "killing the dog after the rabbit is caught" thing during his many years on the throne.
That alone is enough to earn admiration.
However, this does not mean that he is completely without selfish motives. That is impossible. Qiu Lanxi knows that she is already on the edge of a cliff and could fall at any moment.
Even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire, she was still willing to take the plunge.
Qiu Lanxi actually had no confidence in the palace examination. In her previous life, she ran a clinic, not a city or town, so all her experience might not be useful at any time, but that was not important now.
She could feel the fire burning fiercely in her heart with perfect clarity. She couldn't adapt to this era, but she had the opportunity to change it, even if the possibility was extremely slim. But how could she know it wouldn't work if she didn't even try?
Yan Qingli did not disturb her. After a long while, she tapped the table and said, "It's time to eat."
She looked down at the half-organized exam papers, a strange light flashing in her eyes. Although she didn't know how Qiu Lanxi had organized them, Yan Qingli could tell that one pile of papers was from the period when her father's power had waned, and the other pile was from when her father began to gradually gain power.
Qiu Lanxi rubbed her eyes, did a quick set of eye exercises, and then stood up, smiling, "Qingli, let's go."
Yan Qingli paused, lowered her gaze, hummed in agreement, and calmly walked to the front.
She didn't quite understand why Qiu Lanxi called her that. Calling someone by their name was a very offensive thing. Even close friends and family members would be addressed by their titles or courtesy names. Only when cursing someone would one call them by their given name.
This was also true of the State of Teng.
But Qiu Lanxi didn't seem to be scolding her.
Yan Qingli wanted to ask, but didn't know how to start. Qiu Lanxi, however, remembered the ancient custom and explained, "In my hometown, people like to call each other that to show affection."
"I see," Yan Qingli replied, then fell silent again.
Since yesterday, she has been unsure how to interact with Qiu Lanxi, and sometimes she even hears auditory hallucinations telling her to relax.
Qiu Lanxi's attitude was quite natural. When someone is more uncomfortable than herself, the other person will inevitably relax. She gently hooked Yan Qingli's finger and followed in her footsteps.
...
…………
Unlike Yan Qingli, who could read at night without worrying about nearsightedness, Qiu Lanxi didn't stay up very late. She had already written nearly a page of her personality analysis report on Emperor Qinghe, but she hadn't been able to deduce much about his political views because she wasn't yet familiar with them.
Compared to other scholars, her disadvantages were obvious, so Qiu Lanxi knew that if she wanted to stand out, she had to cater to their preferences and then demonstrate her true talents. The palace examination questions were mostly practical, and they were basically about what Emperor Qinghe was planning to implement or related to people's livelihood. This relieved Qiu Lanxi, since she couldn't possibly master the Four Books and Five Classics in just a few months.
She stood up, stretched, and prepared to go back to her room to sleep so she could continue the analysis tomorrow. Seeing Yan Qingli standing still, she raised an eyebrow: "Qingli, do you plan to sleep in the study from now on?"
Yan Qingli paused for a moment before following her. They walked in silence for a long time before her lips moved slightly: "You don't have to do this."
Qiu Lanxi chuckled lightly: "Does Your Highness think I'm repaying a debt of gratitude?"