Detective Ghost Empress

” I do not wish to dirty your handkerchief, consort,” replied Zhai Tianyu as he pulled his own handkerchief out and then wiped his nose causing Ji Yu to drop her hand on the lap that was clutching the thin fabric.

” Are you really going to be like this, your majesty?” Ji Yu could not help herself when she saw that Zhai Tianyu was keeping his distance from her. She did not know where she went wrong, was it when she confessed her feelings to him? Or was it when he found out that the Ji family was not as innocent as they made themselves out to be, or was it when her grandaunt told her that she will make it so that Zhai Tianyu will only pick her even if he had a thousand of women in front of him?

” Like what?” questioned Zhai Tianyu as he turned his head and looked at Ji Yu. ” You asked me to break the customs and bring you with me instead of the queen and I did, everything is just like you all wanted no? What is it that I am not doing according to your wishes that is making you upset? Tell me, I will work hard to work as a more decent puppet for you and your family.”

Ji Yu clenched her fingers at his accusations, she knew that her family was not right but the Queen was not any good woman either. She raised her head and stubbornly looked at Zhai Tianyu before she said, ” You speak as if the Liu family treated you well, your majesty. They have treated you like you are a fool and that too without an ounce of respect towards you, the Ji family stood by your side and from the beginning we have been loyal to you and everyone else in the imperial family.”

” That’s the thing isn’t it consort?” Zhai Tianyu smiled at Ji Yu with a derisive hint in his smile. ” The Liu family have always been rather clear of their loyalties and actions but your family haven’t been as clear as them, which makes me wonder just what kind of lies you have told me and what other secrets you are hiding. Make sure you take a look at your own lies before you start digging graves for others lest you fall in it.”

” I have never treated you like a puppet,” insisted Ji Yu, her words caused Zhai Tianyu to raise his lips even further as he looked at her.

He did not say anything against her instead he simply asked one small question, ” You knew me for how many years, consort? We got to know each other when I was seven and you were what, five? Now I am in my twenties and you are eighteen, how many years it has been since then?”

.....

Ji Yu did not know what Zhai Tianyu meant by this question but she still answered as she said, ” It has been thirteen years, your majesty.”

” That is right, thirteen years …a long time has passed right?” Zhai Tianyu continued to smile as he looked at Ji Yu and then with a soft voice, he brushed the dust off his robe and continued speaking, ” And let’s say that you fell in love with me around thirteen, maybe twelve? Something like this can happen at any time, right?”

” What are you trying to say, your majesty?” Ji Yu asked as she looked at Zhai Tianyu who was smiling at her even though he was smiling, Ji Yu felt like his smile was more like thorns that were digging into her skin making her feel restless.

” I mean to say that you have many years, years that only you shared with me and you never once came to me and said, your majesty, I have feelings for you, why is that? It’s not a secret that I treat you like a friend and an acquaintance, and not as a lover —— we came to the same conclusion of giving birth to an heir because there have been many times when two people in the imperial family have never shared any mutual feelings much less love but they have given heirs to the throne.”

Zhai Tianyu looked at the golden embroidery of his robe which was dark green with a dragon embroidered on it along with many spider lilies. He raised his head and looked at Ji Yu with a gaze that was similar to the poisonous spider lilies as he added, ” And yet when I was sharing my plans, you never once told me what you felt for me, why is that?”

Ji Yu clenched her fingers as she looked at the man who was questioning her and then replied as she licked her lips with her tongue, “That’s because I was shy your majesty.”

” Shy? You are the same woman who tried to force a kiss on me right?” Zhai Tianyu asked making Ji Yu blush in embarrassment as she clenched her fingers even more tightly. ” The reason you did not say anything was not because you were shy, Yu’er…the reason you were silent was that you knew that everything will fall in your lap as you wanted and desired because I was nothing but a puppet without a clear head having grown up listening the praises of the Ji family and the atrocities of the Liu family.”