Chapter 518 - 426: Please, Your Majesty, Grant Me Death
Chapter 518: Chapter 426: Please, Your Majesty, Grant Me Death
[’My name is Si Li. I have a deal I’d like to make with you, Sir. What do you think?’]
[’Sir, are you sure you don’t want to dual cultivate with me?’]
[’If you become the Sect Leader of the Wandao Sect, Sir, I will stay by your side forever.’]
[’Sir, look, the moon is so bright...’]
[’So what if it’s bright? I like it even when it’s not!’]
Si Li raised her head and looked at the man before her.
The moment Si Li saw the man’s face, her vacant eyes quivered. Her mind went blank, and her thoughts began to scatter uncontrollably.
Scenes from her past flashed through her mind.
Just then, Si Li felt an intense heat from her Storage Pouch.
Inside Si Li’s Storage pouch, although the spirit of the broken Dyed Ink Blade had long since scattered, the residual consciousness within the Long Saber itself sensed a familiar aura and reacted.
Normally, finding its master’s reincarnation with the Dyed Ink Blade would require setting up an Array and a great deal of preparation time.
But now, with the Dyed Ink Blade barely five steps away from the Sovereign of Zhou, it had acknowledged its master on its own!
Even though Si Li hadn’t obtained a drop of the Sovereign of Zhou’s blood, she was now certain of his identity!
There could be no mistake!
The Dyed Ink Blade’s reaction said it all!
A joy she had suppressed for so long surged through Si Li’s heart.
Everything before her even felt somewhat unreal.
In the past, she had exhausted every means to find him, dreaming every night of their reunion.
But now that she had truly found him, it felt like a dream, and she feared she would wake to find it was all just an illusion.
"Sir..."
Si Li gently bit her lip, her gaze following his every move as she whispered the name, her lips trembling.
"Hm?"
Xiao Mo turned and looked in Si Li’s direction, finding the young woman staring blankly at him.
She looked at him the way one would look at a long-lost love.
Xiao Mo, in turn, felt a sense of familiarity toward this woman.
And yet, Xiao Mo was sure he had never met her before.
Seeing Si Li’s breach of etiquette, the head Palace Maid, named Yang’er, was startled. She quickly rushed forward, pulling Si Li to her knees before His Majesty.
"Please forgive her, Your Majesty! She is a new Palace Maid, recently transferred to Yangxin Hall to serve you. She was overwhelmed by Your Majesty’s extraordinary Dragon Might and lost her composure!"
Xiao Mo ignored Yang’er, walking up to the two of them. He looked at the woman and asked calmly, "What is your name?"
"My name is Si Li, Your Majesty..." Si Li said timidly.
"You’re a new Palace Maid?" Xiao Mo asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Si Li lowered her head and replied, "I entered the palace not long ago. My instructor, Shuang’er, said that I excelled in all my assessments, so she sent me here to serve you."
"I see." Xiao Mo nodded. "Were you speaking to me just now? What did you call me?"
Si Li lowered her head even further. "I saw that you, Sir, have an extraordinary appearance, like a gentleman of jade from the stories. That is why I lost my composure. I await Your Majesty’s punishment."
"Why would I punish you for something so trivial?"
Xiao Mo said indifferently, not paying her much mind.
He had only spoken with Si Li because he’d heard her speak, and turning to see a new face had piqued his curiosity.
"In my service, just do your job well. There’s no need to worry about such trivialities. You’ve only just arrived, so you can learn as you go. If you need anything, you can speak with Yang’er and the others," Xiao Mo said reassuringly.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your grace." Si Li kowtowed.
"Rise."
Xiao Mo said no more, turning and walking into the bedchamber.
Only after Xiao Mo had left did the palace maids straighten up and raise their heads.
Yang’er let out a sigh of relief and chided Si Li, "Oh, you... Si Li, my dear sister. If His Majesty weren’t so tolerant and kind, that habit of yours of speaking out of turn in front of him would have cost you your life."
"You are right to scold me, sister. I will be more careful in the future," Si Li said.
"As long as you understand." Yang’er glanced at the bedchamber. "Go on. As His Majesty’s personal Maid, you’ll be by his side constantly from now on. Once you’ve secured your position with him, we’ll all be relying on you for matters in the inner palace."
"You’re too kind, sister. In the future, I will still need your guidance on many things I don’t understand."
"Hehehe... Little sister Si Li, guide you? We just hope you won’t speak ill of us to His Majesty if we ever accidentally offend you..." a Palace Maid named Liu Mi joked.
"Don’t listen to their nonsense," Yan’er said with a gentle smile. "You should go in, little sister."
"Yes." Si Li bowed to the other palace maids and walked toward the bedchamber.
Si Li knocked on the bedroom door. After receiving permission to enter, she saw Xiao Mo sitting at a desk, flipping through a book, with Wei Xun attending to him by his side.
She looked at the old eunuch.
’There’s a hint of melancholy in this old eunuch’s expression, isn’t there?’
"Si Li pays her respects to Your Majesty." Si Li stepped forward and bowed.
"Mm."
Xiao Mo put down his book and looked at Si Li.
"Si Li, from now on, you will stay by my side, attend to my daily needs, and be responsible for relaying my orders in the inner palace. Don’t worry if there are things you don’t understand; just take your time. I’m usually not very busy anyway."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Si Li replied, her heart filling with joy.
"Wei Xun, starting tomorrow, you can just wait for orders in the front hall. You don’t need to follow me around all the time," Xiao Mo said to Wei Xun.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Wei Xun wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
But there was nothing he could say.
After all, it was proper for eunuchs to manage the outer court and for palace maids to manage the inner palace.
’I was only able to follow His Majesty into the inner palace before because it was empty.’
’Now that two Imperial Consorts are about to enter the palace, I naturally can’t go to the inner palace as I please anymore.’
"What are you crying for, you old fool?" Xiao Mo scolded with a laugh. "It’s not like you’ll never see me again."
"But this old servant feels suffocated knowing I can’t be by Your Majesty’s side at all times..." Wei Xun said dejectedly.
"Alright, alright, stop being so melodramatic. I have to go to the Imperial Study every day, don’t I? When will you not see me? Go back to the front hall and rest. Si Li can handle things here." Xiao Mo waved his hand dismissively.
"Very well, this old servant will take his leave..."
Wei Xun bowed, gave Xiao Mo another sad look, and then left the bedchamber.
Only Xiao Mo and Si Li remained in the bedchamber.
Just as Xiao Mo picked up his book to read again, Si Li suddenly dropped to her knees before him.
"I, Si Li, have committed a crime worthy of death! I beg Your Majesty to mete out punishment!"
"Hm?"
Xiao Mo looked at the woman before him and said with a smile,
"You’ve only just arrived. What crime could you have possibly committed?"
"Your Majesty!"
Si Li bit her lip and kowtowed deeply.
"On the orders of the Empress Dowager, I was sent to spy on Your Majesty! Please, Your Majesty, grant me death!"