Chapter 71 - 71 Lay Off (1/2)
While Lei Xing was still trying to figure out what she was supposed to be deriving from this embroidery piece.
The doors opened and Eunuch Li came in with some servants carrying in some equipment; a stool, an embroidery rack with a blank sheet strung on, a big pin cushion covered in long-threaded needles and a board.
Lei Xing knit her brows and as she watched the servants who arranging the equipment on Eunuch Li's direction.
After the arrangement was done to his satisfaction, Eunuch Li approached the Emperor, ”Your majesty, it is ready.”
Lei Xing raised an eyebrow at them.
{...He embroiders now? Seems he's a jack of all trades, very good...But why am I here? To appraise?...}
”En.” The Emperor simply responded and then looked at Lei Xing with a smirk. Lei Xing's expression immediately became guarded.
The Emperor then grabbed her hand and pulled her to the embroidery set up and sat her down on the stool in front of the rack.
Eunuch Li also took the embroidery piece from the table and hung it up on the board in front of the rack. The actual situation finally dawned on Lei Xing and she frowned.
{...You want me to embroider that? No way!...}
Lei Xing immediately turned to look at the Emperor, but before she could open her mouth to speak, he looked down at her and said, ”I want you to embroider that for me.”
”But-” Lei Xing opened her mouth to protest but the Emperor cut her off with a smile, ”Don't worry, it's okay if it takes you a few days. Take your time.”
Lei Xing nervously laughed for a bit and honestly admitted, ”Hehe~ Um, even if you gave me a whole year, I can't do that.”
{...Seriously, I'm not even sure where to begin to make that...}
”Really?” The Emperor asked raising his eyebrows in false surprise.
Lei Xing tried to reason, ”You have seen my embroidery before. My style is more...um, is more abstract with focus on non-living subjects. The art of living things is very different”
”Ah, I see...” The Emperor nodded in understanding, and Lei Xing thought she had gotten off the hook.
Then the Emperor continued, ”In any case, just do your best and then we'll see.”
He pat her on the shoulder and then left her to the work while he returned to his throne chair to deal with his own work.
Lei Xing watched him leave and was bewildered by this sudden event.
She turned at Eunuch Li in hope to appeal her case but he just smiled and withdrew, leaving the two of them alone, each to their work.
Lei Xing sat there frowning at the blank sheet and then at the embroidery piece.
{...Where do you even start? The corner or the center?... Since there's more pink, the outside...No, I'm pretty sure you start with the center...Okay, so do you just start with a random petal, is there a stem?...
...Which demon possessed this guy today for him to wake up and come up with this sort of punishment for me? Also, why should I be punished?! -_-)...*sigh* I'll guess I'll start somewhere...}
Lei Xing got up and walked over to the board to scrutinize the piece.
{...I don't see a stem...Well, it's like an aerial view, right? So just some random petal then..}.
Lei Xing sighed in annoyance and went back to sit down, glanced up at the Emperor who seemed to be busy and then picked up a random thread.
{...There's no point in even thinking about it...Even if you gave me fifty years, I couldn't do that. He should have called Li Ru or someone else if he wanted to expand his collection!...
...*sigh* I'm just going to do whatever and he can do whatever the hell he wants with the crap production -_-)...}
The Emperor was covertly watched her contemplating and snickered to himself.
After staring at the sheet for a while more, Lei Xing began to make a skeleton of a blue petal at the center after concluding that was the best strategy.
{...It's just like painting...You draw the outside first, then color in the insides...Doesn't seem too complicated when you think about it that way, just a lot of annoying work -_-)...}
After a short while, some maids brought in tea and snacks. As they set it down in front of her, Lei Xing glanced up at the Emperor with resentment.
{...Again your bribery skills are VERY POOR...Make my life miserable and then try to bribe me with food? -_-)'...You better pay me for this!...}
Time passed and her petal skeleton came to life, and she began working on ”coloring” the inside. A few times, a maid came to add on more threaded needles as she used them up.
After a long time had passed, Eunuch Li entered the room and informed, ”Your majesty, Prince Yi has arrived.”
The Emperor looked up and smiled, ”Ah, let him in.” Then he glanced towards Lei Xing who was looking up at him with an expectant face, anticipating her dismissal and said, ”Continue.”
Lei Xing let out a breath in annoyance and pouted. Prince Yi entered and bowed to the Emperor and then glanced towards Lei Xing with raised eyebrows.
Lei Xing gave a half-smile and lightly bowed her head in greeting and then looked back down.
{...Don't ask me why I'm here because I don't know either...Your brother there apparently has issues -_-)'...}