Expressing feelings through letters requires mutual consent.
Xie Zhixing, expressionless, tossed the letter back to Qing Que: "Tell her to rewrite it."
Qing Que had no choice but to visit Xianfu Palace once more.
"Lady, the Emperor..." He carefully chose his words: "Perhaps he feels that your reply was too short, so you might want to add a bit more."
This back-and-forth left the ink ground by Xue Ya still wet.
Yun Jiao picked up the pen again, pondering.
She knew no classical language, only plain speech:
"I was playing chess with Concubine Li when I received the Emperor's letter and was instantly taken aback. Regarding what you mentioned, Emperor, I'll just keep it simple. As long as you understand, that's what matters. Your decision is your decision, my thoughts are my thoughts, the meaning is as it is. For those who understand, they understand, those who don't never will; the waters of the harem run deep, involving many complexities."
