Yan Liu and Dong Nan were both astonished when they saw Ming Yue drag Ji Shiyou into the rear hall.
However, their moods were vastly different. Dong Nan's astonishment was tinged with relief. He was surprised by the Empress's initiative and relieved that his master's efforts were finally paying off.
Yan Liu's astonishment, on the other hand, was mixed with worry. She was surprised that Ming Yue had acted so quickly. She worried about Ming Yue's potential failure and also about Ji Shiyou being killed. Regardless of the outcome, neither would end well.
"Eunuch Dong Nan, there are many items that the Emperor sent yesterday that I don't recognize. I can't record them. Could you help me?" After a moment of thought, Yan Liu decided she had to help the princess. She feared that if there was too much commotion inside, Dong Nan would discover it, so she wanted to lead him away.
"Miss Yan Liu, you can just call me Dong Nan. There's no need to be so formal. It would be my honor to assist Miss Yan Liu." Yan Liu was a favored attendant of Ming Yue, and Dong Nan was eager to curry favor with her, so how could he refuse? Dong Nan dared not be presumptuous, and with a smile, he agreed. The two then went to the storeroom.
Inside the inner chambers.
Ming Yue pushed Ji Shiyou onto the bed and haphazardly threw a quilt over him.
"Close your eyes and sleep!" Ming Yue stood by the bed and said fiercely.
Ji Shiyou complied obediently and closed his eyes.
"I can't sleep if you keep staring at me like that. Also, didn't you say we were going to sleep? Why aren't you sleeping? How about we chat?" Ji Shiyou opened his eyes and said to Ming Yue, who was staring at him.
"Chat about what? I have nothing to chat with you about. You have so many quirks. I'll sleep too, even if I don't look at you." Ming Yue said fiercely, then took off her shoes, got into bed, and lay down on the other side, crossing over Ji Shiyou.
"Close your eyes and sleep!" Ming Yue roared at Ji Shiyou, then pulled another quilt over herself and wrapped herself inside it.
"Don't cover your head when you sleep; it's not a good habit!" Seeing Ming Yue wrapped up like a caterpillar, her entire body hidden within the quilt, Ji Shiyou wanted to remind her but was afraid of angering her. In the end, he couldn't help himself and quietly whispered, "Why are you talking so much? Are you going to sleep or not? If not, get out of Lan Yue Palace!" Ming Yue yanked the quilt off her head and roared.
Startled, Ji Shiyou dared not speak again. He immediately closed his eyes, and the room fell silent.
"Ji Shiyou, are you asleep?"
"No, do you want to talk to me?"
"Sleep!"
Half an hour later, Ming Yue tentatively whispered, and Ji Shiyou replied.
"Ji Shiyou, are you asleep?"
"I'm asleep."
"Scram!"
Another half an hour passed, and Ming Yue tested him again. Ji Shiyou said he was asleep. This kind of exchange would occur periodically in the room until three hours later, when it was deep into the night. Ji Shiyou finally began to snore and no longer responded.
Ming Yue carefully sat up and took out a dagger, its blade worn to a fine sheen, from her sleeve. A sinister smile spread across her face, thinking, "He's finally asleep." Moonlight streamed through the window, falling on Ji Shiyou's face, making his chiseled features appear even more three-dimensional and profound.
"What a handsome face! Too bad your heart is black." Ji Shiyou, asleep, looked like an innocent child, and Ming Yue was momentarily dazed. She hesitated to strike, but then she remembered the heinous crimes this man had committed. The slight hesitation in Ming Yue's heart vanished. She raised the dagger high and fiercely thrust it towards Ji Shiyou's chest.
In the moonlight, Ji Shiyou's eyes suddenly snapped open, emitting a sharp glint. He reached out and grabbed Ming Yue's wrist, the one holding the dagger. With a twist and a flick, the dagger fell into his hand. He had been curious why Ming Yue kept urging him to sleep. So, in the end, he stopped responding and pretended to be asleep, wanting to know what Ming Yue would do once he was asleep. Now he knew; she intended to kill him while he slept.
"You were too impatient, which made me wary. If you hadn't rushed me, and waited until I was asleep to make your move, your chances of success would have been greater." Ji Shiyou remained in a supine position, the stolen dagger spinning in his palm.
"I'm awake now, I'm very sorry. You won't be able to kill me today. Go to sleep!" Ji Shiyou said apologetically, then made a face at Ming Yue. He raised his hand and threw the dagger. With a flash of light, the dagger embedded itself deeply into the roof beam, leaving only the hilt exposed.
"Since you're awake, then be a ghost that knows why it's dead!" Ji Shiyou feigned sleep, and the dagger was snatched away, but Ming Yue did not panic. To his surprise, she calmly produced a small crossbow from beneath her pillow, as if performing a magic trick. She instantly adjusted her stance and aimed at Ji Shiyou's head, her finger on the trigger.
With a click of the mechanism, five crossbow bolts shot out, whistling through the air towards Ji Shiyou. Ming Yue was confident of success. They were on the same bed, closer than could be. She barely needed to aim, and Ji Shiyou would find it impossible to dodge.
However, Ji Shiyou's reaction speed was extraordinary. The moment Ming Yue produced the crossbow, he struck the headboard with his palm. Using the recoil, his body slithered like a snake towards the foot of the bed. All five crossbow bolts missed, embedding themselves deeply into the pillar at the head of the bed.
"Repeating crossbow! You're ruthless." The crossbow bolts missed, but Ming Yue didn't stop. Her lower body remained seated on the bed, unmoved. Twisting her upper body, she aimed the crossbow in her hand at Ji Shiyou. At this moment, Ji Shiyou's body was coiled around the pillar at the foot of the bed in an odd posture. Ming Yue pulled the trigger again, and five more crossbow bolts flew out.
Although Ji Shiyou cried out in surprise, his expression remained calm. He pushed off the bedpost with his right hand, and his body shot backward, arcing through the room before flying back onto the bed. He directly pounced on Ming Yue, snatched the crossbow from her hand, and threw it out the window.
Unexpectedly, Ming Yue produced a pair of Emei thorns from somewhere. She lunged at Ji Shiyou's temples. Ji Shiyou had no choice but to release Ming Yue. He dodged to the side, then flicked his right foot, kicking the Emei thorns away.
Following this, Ming Yue's weapons were endless. A broken axe, a long saber, a short sword, a steel whip... It was unclear how many weapons she had hidden on the bed. As soon as Ji Shiyou disarmed her of one weapon, she would miraculously produce a new one from the bed and attack. The two of them engaged in a fierce close-quarters combat on the bed.
Ji Shiyou regretted his actions, annoyed with himself. He shouldn't have returned Ming Yue's belongings, giving her so many weapons to attack him with. Now, in the middle of the night, he couldn't sleep and had to "exercise" with Ming Yue on the bed. Thinking of the morning court session the next day, Ji Shiyou swept away the plum blossom darts aimed at him with a quilt. With a tiger-like pounce, he pinned Ming Yue beneath him, controlling her limbs. Then, with a flick of his toe, the quilt flew up, covering them both completely.
"Empress, let's call it a day, shall we? You must be tired too. Let's sleep. Be good, close your eyes." Ji Shiyou lay on his side, holding Ming Yue tightly, as if she were embedded in his body. His chin brushed against Ming Yue's head as he spoke softly.
"Just because I can't kill you today doesn't mean I can't kill you in the future. Ji Shiyou, you wait. One day, I will kill you." After struggling for a while, unable to break free, Ming Yue said sternly.
"Whatever makes you happy. Stop wriggling; it's uncomfortable." Ji Shiyou's breathing quickened, his voice hoarse.
"You, aren't you... unable to perform?" Ming Yue felt Ji Shiyou's body becoming hotter behind her. Moreover, she distinctly felt something hard pressing against her lower back. She immediately stopped moving, asking nervously, "Do you want to try?" Ji Shiyou's voice was full of allure.