Chapter 359 - Tea Party~ (1/2)

Due to the presence of too many eyes, the Emperor and Lei Xing were left with little choice but to indulge the Empress dowager and accept this ambush of an event. So Lei Xing and the Emperor sat across from each other, exchanging looks as the Empress dowager quietly went about brewing a new batch of tea because their distraction had ”ruined” the pot.

The musicians began playing a soft melody while a dancer moved with the warm spring wind. Honestly, it was quite a beautiful and peaceful setup that one could easily enjoy... if one was not currently sitting a few feet away from what seemed to be the devil playing house.

Lei Xing inwardly sighed and faced forward at the Emperor, who was currently busy scrutinizing the Empress dowager and her right-hand man standing behind her, who was looking anywhere but at the Emperor.

{...Guilty conscience, Eunuch Li? You must be one orc.h.e.s.trating all this crap (≖_≖ )...}

”This one for the Empress...” The Empress dowager said and Lei Xing's attention flicked back to the woman to find her looking at her with another skin-crawling smile. It was not that she had a weird or naturally creepy smile, it was quite pretty honestly, but on the Empress dowager's face, it just seemed unnatural and wrong.

Ling mama picked up the little tray and came up to Lei Xing's side and put the teacup in front of her. Lei Xing raised her eyebrows in genuine intrigue as she saw the transparent deep blue color of the ”tea”. What's more, she then looked up to see the Empress dowager pouring regular black tea from a different pot into two cups and directing one to be served to her ”son” and picking the other for herself, smiling at the Emperor.

The Emperor raised an eyebrow at the tea in front of him and then skeptically looked at the Empress dowager and flatly asked, ”Why is Xing er's tea different?” Beating Lei Xing to the punch.

”It has quite the interesting color...” Lei Xing added, smoothing the edge of the question with a plastered on smile, trying not to seem bothered. But she felt a bit relieved knowing that she was not the only person that had a problem with this.

The Empress dowager did not seem at all bothered with the question and casually explained, ”Ah, it is made from the butterfly pea flower... It is great for expectant mothers.” She added, slightly leaning towards Lei Xing with a smile.

”I'm sorry?” Lei Xing blurted out without thinking, slightly leaning back with knit eyebrows.

The Empress dowager sighed and put her teacup down, put her hands in her l.a.p, and looked at Lei Xing, straightfaced, ”I have been informed that you have stopped taking the contraceptives...”

”Ahh...” Lei Xing said, her mind calming down. That pregnancy talk from Ah Jin the day before had really put her on edge with the topic.

The Empress dowager glanced at the Emperor, then looked up at Eunuch Li who gave her a nod of encouragement. She then took a deep breath and let it out, ”I have decided to make my peace...with you.” She said, nodding in Lei Xing's direction.

Lei Xing blinked at her, at a loss for words and unsure how to react as the Empress dowager's declaration hung in the air.

The Empress dowager faced forward, haughtily raising her head as she said, ”I realize that I have been perhaps...unfair in my dealings...with you. A lot of that is due to the fact that I have a grudge against your father - but you must understand he took an active role in the demise of my family, country, and my people. He ruined my life!” She suddenly barked, jumping in her seat and glaring at Lei Xing, who slightly jumped, seemingly ready to defend.

The Empress dowager blinked at her wide-eyed as she realized she was shouting again, which was not good. So she swiftly turned to the Emperor with raised eyebrows, ”But as you said, he was simply following orders and the past has nothing to do with a child that was not yet born. I understand that and I have accepted that.” She said wide-eyed, holding her c.h.e.s.t and fervently nodding, trying very hard to be convincing.

The Emperor just looked at her, the two locked eyes for a bit, before he cast a brief glance at Eunuch Li and tentatively said, ”I see... That is good.”

”It is good.” The Empress dowager said, turning her smile back at Lei Xing, who was awkwardly holding her teacup and looking down at her ring, glad to see that the color remained neutral. Even though she was now the Empress and the Empress dowager was apparently currently groveling, she did not put it past the woman to stab them in the back. After all, it would not be the first time that the Empress smiled while attempting to stab her in the back.

”So do you accept?” The Empress dowager asked, bringing Lei Xing out of her distracted thought.

Lei Xing looked up to find the Empress dowager boring her. She blinked and cast a quick glance at the Emperor, but she could not quite read his expression. She turned back to the Empress and then said, ”Um... Of course. The past is the past, the future is what matters.” Lei Xing said, pinning up a smile. She could see from her peripheral vision that the Emperor smiled at her as well and she inwardly sighed.

{... How could I say anything but ”of course”?... I don't know what you're up to but... okay... I'm still on to you though ≖_≖)...}

”Very well said. You have always had a way with words~” The Empress dowager said with a laugh, ”Let's drink the tea before it gets cold. I know it's not wine, but I think a toast is still in order.” She picked up her cup and raised it and motioned to Lei Xing and the Emperor to do the same.

Lei Xing looked at the Emperor and they both tentatively raised their cups and the Empress dowager proclaimed, ”To our family and new beginnings... new life as well - a grandchild will only be a matter of time, won't it~?” She asked, facing Lei Xing again.

”E-en.” Lei Xing awkwardly responded, quickly facing away and sipping her tea, her ears were now bright red.

{... What exactly is this rampant fascination with my babies all of a sudden? Stop talking about it! Don't you all have better things to think about?! (⁄ ⁄>⁄ω⁄<⁄ ⁄)...}

”Do you like it?” The Empress dowager asked and Lei Xing awkwardly turned to her and weakly smiled, ”Yes, i-it is quite... pleasant.”

The Empress dowager smugly smiled, ”Naturally~... This is my own blend, personally grown flowers too! You can't find them anywhere else in the country.”

”I see... You are quite gifted.” Lei Xing awkwardly responded again.

The Empress dowager's expression suddenly fell, and Lei Xing was put on edge again, slightly panicked that she had said something wrong again. It was not that she really cared or that she was actually scared, it was just that she could not help being on edge around this woman.

But to Lei Xing's relief, the Empress dowager simply looked down with what looked to be a pout and fingered her teacup as she mumbled, ”... Not as gifted as the one I learned from... I still had much to learn.”

Both Le Xing and the Emperor were taken aback that the Empress dowager could actually compliment someone else, but neither cared enough to further the discussion.

After that, the Empress dowager seemed to have fallen into a daze and did not say anything more. She blankly stared at her cup until the meal came and even then, she did not notice when the dishes were placed in front of her and it was only after Song mama practically shouted next to her ear that she snapped out of it.

It seemed this happened quite a bit. Even after that, she picked up her chopsticks and simply stared at the food, lost again. Although they were creeped out by the strange atmosphere, Lei Xing and the Emperor slowly ate in silence, both wanting to get this over with and leave in peace.