Chapter 33 Chapter 33 [VIP]

Shen Youyi was just unhappy at first. She didn't have any illness, but she was prescribed a lot of bitter medicine after seeing the doctor. But when she heard this, her face fell instantly.

She is not the emperor who owns six palaces. What is the difference between the emperor's abstinence and hers!

But just as he opened his mouth to say something, he looked up and was startled by the emperor's stern expression, and swallowed back his words.

No wonder the envoy from the Song Court said nothing just now. The emperor seldom went on a public tour for half a year. After just being in the palace for a while, he wanted to cultivate his body and mind and stay away from such a clinging demon as her, as if he was questioning Emperor Yuan Shuo's health.

She wanted to ask but didn't dare. Emperor Yuan Shuo glanced at the timid beauty calmly. He knew what she was thinking, but he didn't show it on his face. "How long do you need to raise it?"

The Song court envoy did not dare to look directly at the emperor's face, but bowed his head and said, "I think one month is a good time."

Emperor Yuan Shuo nodded. He had grown accustomed to a life of austerity and obedience, and saw no disadvantage in it. "If you manage well, I will reward you handsomely."

Court envoy Song thanked him and left. He raised his hand slightly and took the struggling beauty in his arms. Unexpectedly, the usually docile woman began to struggle, like a live fish that could not be restrained.

When Emperor Yuan Shuo indulged her, he tacitly allowed her to break free with a little effort, but now he just wanted to hold her tightly.

So Shen Youyi was forced to sit quietly in his arms. There was a slight awkwardness in the palace. She didn't know how to start, so she reached out and asked him to lean his head against her chest. She awkwardly comforted Emperor Yuan Shuo, "Your Majesty, I don't care much about that matter."

She had no experience in this area, so she was inevitably nervous. After all, she was marrying the prince's father. The embarrassment that she should have faced more than ten years later caught her off guard.

His forehead rested on her soft and delicate skin, and his ears were filled with unpleasant words. Emperor Yuan Shuo said lightly, "Oh," and said meaningfully, "A Zhen, don't you have anything else you want to say to me?"

He wanted to hear it from her own mouth.

Shen Youyi hesitated for a moment and stammered, “Azhen will drink the medicine well and serve Your Majesty well.”

Emperor Yuan Shuo's heart sank. He smiled as gently as he could and said lovingly, "It's okay. We have a long way to go."

Since she was cured the first time, she can naturally get better the first time as well.

Emperor Yuan Shuo stroked her tender face, looked into her bright and clear eyes, and his fingertips trembled slightly.

Regardless of whether she was sincere or not, at this moment, the woman's obsidian-black pupils only reflected him.

Only after she had forgotten all her past was she willing to bear children for the emperor. There was only him in her eyes.

The memories of her father, her brother, her husband, and her sisters and relatives all turned into a cloud of mist. She had lost all her ways of retreat and could only cling to the emperor, carefully hiding the secret of her mental illness, trying hard to please the emperor, and even willing to sacrifice her body for him whom she had never met, for fear that he would dislike her and think she was a monster.

She was a complete liar and had never truly missed him...this strange man.

Even if she thought about him, she only thought about the power and benefits he could bring her, and perhaps she even vaguely disliked his age and body.

I wouldn't even believe what he said.

A thought that even he himself despised suddenly flashed through Emperor Yuan Shuo's mind.

This disease should not affect her mind. As long as he is willing, she can live like this in a daze, making love with him every day in bed, performing thousands of postures according to his wishes, and begging him to forgive her in a delicate voice.

Even if she never remembers it in her lifetime, it is not a bad thing. The inner court will support her for life. Even if he dies one day and makes her the empress dowager, there is still the prince to take care of the widow of the late emperor. Zihui will not be stingy with that little expense.

As long as he likes it.

The man's fingers were so close yet so far away that Shen Youyi felt a little itchy. She took the initiative to rub his palm, and without hesitation, she put her cheek against it, placing herself in Emperor Yuan Shuo's palm and letting him play with her.

The touch as warm and smooth as jade pressed down on him, and Emperor Yuan Shuo subconsciously held her tightly.

The emperor's wealth includes the beauty in his arms.

She had long been in his control, unable to leave the palace. She had lived for ten years but had no memory left. She served the elderly monarch in fear every day, worried about being discovered by him, and also worried that one day the mountain tomb would collapse and she would be liquidated by the Yang family.

A gentleman does not bully in secret. Although he is not a good man, he should not bully a weak and innocent woman, let alone the one who serves him in bed every day.

Shen Youyi doesn't understand much about medicine, but he knows a little about men.

Her father only gave birth to her and her brother, so she could not hold her head up among her uncles and cousins. The emperor had many more wives and concubines than an official. It would be embarrassing for her to have such a private matter exposed in front of the favorite concubine.

Although she felt sorry, she was not so ignorant as to lose her sense of propriety. Seeing that Emperor Yuan Shuo was silent, she wondered what he was thinking. The gentlemen were waiting for His Majesty. You always stay by my side.

Emperor Yuan Shuo was amused by her and his brows relaxed.

Although he was thinking about her in his heart, the emperor still stood up and went out to the front court to discuss matters.

After staying in Qingping Palace for a while, he wanted to go out for a walk.

In order to avoid the emperor and the prince, she had not wandered around the familiar palace for a long time.

The eunuchs had already set up the swing as the imperial concubine had requested, but Tan Rui, looking at the several-foot-high rope, refused to let the imperial concubine get on it. "How can this be good? You are a precious child. If you fall, His Majesty will be so distressed!"

The imperial concubine told her the secret that no one else could know and not even the emperor could hear. She was always worried about it, afraid that the imperial concubine would fall and hurt her head, which would delay her recovery.

Shen Youyi disagreed: "Swinging is a trend in the palace. It's not like I don't know how to do it. What can go wrong if I play for a while?"

When she was little, she would practice in the garden at home. Her brother would sometimes sit by and watch over her with the maids, fearing that she would fall and get hurt.

At that time, her brother could also paint, with a variety of subjects, not limited to ladies, flowers and birds. He also painted her daughter swinging on the swing with great detail, her clothes fluttering in the wind, as if she was floating away. But compared to his strange hobby of not painting eyebrows and eyes now, his brother at most never gave his drawings to others, and he also burned his drawings regularly. Once, when she caught him, she realized that those drawings that she had only glanced at for a few times and planned to ask for as a dowry in the future had all been burned.

Although he explained to her in a rare panic at that time, Shen Youyi did not believe it. Men probably have the problem of being conceited. If they can't do their best, they will not show it to others. She didn't know how exquisite the painting must be before he was willing to put his own seal on it and give it to her.

The imperial concubine insisted on playing on the swing, and the maids could not persuade her. Tan Rui and Sui Chao had no choice but to ask people to lay a thick mattress where the imperial concubine might fall. Shen Youyi stood on it and exerted a little force, trying to swing carefully a few times, and the swing frame was stable.

She was satisfied and relieved.

When the Queen went up to the Phoenix Tower to relax, what she saw was a gorgeous dress fluttering like a butterfly in a corner of the dense shade.

The shawl that fluttered like clouds almost flew away with the wind. The woman's cheerful laughter was as clear as a silver bell. The sunlight shone on her fair and tender skin, like jade soaked in water. A light and affectionate butterfly flew through the flowers and willows, fluttering its wings, almost soaring into the sky.

The light separated the queen from the towering pavilion behind her. Zhui Yu took a quick peek and saw a barely perceptible smile on the queen's slightly sad face, revealing a few fine lines on her lips caused by her thinness.

"It's so good to be young." Feng Chongyi stood behind the empress, fanning herself gently and sighing, "No matter where she goes, the imperial concubine is always the most eye-catching. Now that she has regained the emperor's favor, she looks even more charming, outshining all of us."

The Queen turned slightly, shook her head, and whispered, "I never experienced such a situation when I was young. The Imperial Concubine is a playful and active person. She likes these things, but not for Your Majesty."

Feng Chongyi had always had a good relationship with the empress. She had only one daughter, Princess Wuyang, but she was promoted to the position of the ninth concubine. It was not until the imperial concubine entered the palace that she was able to take a backseat to the empress.

"It's true that Your Majesty values ​​the Imperial Concubine, but she may not appreciate your kindness."

Feng Chongyi thought of the Qixi Festival banquet and felt a little uncomfortable. Before the imperial concubine entered the palace, although the emperor did not celebrate with the concubines on Qixi Festival and would only send them rewards most of the time, he would not abandon his concubines and spend the whole night with a new concubine.

She recalled the words Concubine Wei had said to the Empress when she first entered the palace, and couldn't help but sneer. "She said she didn't want to go out to crowded places because she hadn't yet finished mourning her deceased husband. But everyone in the palace knew how she got into the palace. Now that she's finally back by His Majesty's side, she doesn't even pretend. I wonder if she still feels like the Empress, and yet His Majesty still loves her, a married woman."

The Queen frowned, then smiled. "If His Majesty wanted to go out with you on Qixi Festival, you would probably be willing to accompany me and my sisters, but you would also observe the virtue of turning back the chariot."

Feng Chongyi was speechless for a moment. She felt a little unfair: "I just feel that the Imperial Concubine refused to let me taste even a sip of soup. Your Majesty also pleaded for the Imperial Concubine repeatedly, but once the Imperial Concubine gained the Emperor's favor, she forgot your kindness and seemed to be less affectionate."

"Once you enter the palace, you belong to His Majesty. If His Majesty knows what you said, you will suffer."

The Queen frowned and smiled, "In the final analysis, I didn't help her at all. The Imperial Concubine's return to favor was due to her own efforts. If you want to compete for her favor, you can challenge her to a duel. I don't care about these things."

Feng Chongyi covered her face and smiled: "Wuyang is almost of marriageable age. Why should I argue with the imperial concubine? I just hope that Your Majesty will visit Wuyang more often and love this daughter more."

She had been in the palace for more than seventeen years. She was not particularly favored in her early years, but everyone was the same at that time. His Majesty only valued the Queen and the Prince's biological mother more, and had always been indifferent to other concubines. Now, not to mention His Majesty, even the Queen valued the Imperial Concubine more, and she couldn't help feeling jealous.

"Autumn is coming soon. Who still holds a fan? Even Your Majesty wants to hold a warm stove."

In fact, except for the one who could ascend to the throne of empress dowager, the fate of these emperor's women was similar. Maybe they would have to live together in the future. Feng Chongyi looked at the beauty on the swing and couldn't help feeling a little melancholy in his heart.

There is never a shortage of beauties in the inner court. Today, Wei is so famous, but no one knows what will happen to such a beauty as the imperial concubine in the future.

The empress was a very calm and natural person. She watched the imperial concubine floating high in the sky for a while. Seeing her perform the movements of a kite entering the forest, fish playing on lotus leaves, and a boy worshiping Guanyin, she suddenly became more energetic. She asked Zhuiyu to help her go down the stairs. When she got closer, she was already a little out of breath.

The palace maids around were so engrossed in watching the beautiful woman on the swing that they didn't notice the empress quietly approaching. It was Shen Youyi who could see farther. When she saw the procession in the distance, she stopped under control. As soon as she jumped off the swing, she asked Tan Rui to hand her a handkerchief to wipe her sweat. She quickly walked to the empress, saluted, and tentatively invited her: "Your Majesty, would you like to play with me too?"

The Queen laughed, took out her handkerchief and wiped off the half-faded powder on her face. She shook her head and said, "I just saw you were having fun and wanted to come over to have some fun with you. Who would have thought I would disturb your fun?"

Feng Chongyi had also loved playing these things in his early years, but she had long since given up on the swings. She only enjoyed the fun of enjoying them, and she declined, saying, "If Wuyang were here, she could play with the Imperial Concubine a few times. We are new to the swings, and our legs would tremble if we tried."

Since the queen and concubines were all here, Shen Youyi couldn't leave them alone to play. She was also a little tired. She held the queen's hand and put it in her sleeve, saying playfully, "Your Majesty's hands are a little cold, I just want to warm them up for you."

The queen's hands and feet were never warm and her limbs were always cold, which was a sign of blood deficiency and cold stagnation. Zi Yan often said that she was like fire and very similar to water.

But the imperial concubine's skin was warm and firm. She had just sweated, and the touch of her arm became more delicate and warm, with a faint fragrance that made people reluctant to let go. Her fingers curled up because of the heat, and she couldn't help but gently caress it.

The imperial concubine is just like a child, she likes eating, drinking and having fun. She feels sad for the man occasionally, but that is all she does to fulfill her husband's love. There are many men vying for a beauty like her, so how can she have time to feel sad?

The Queen rebuked him with a smile, "You're not afraid of the cold seeping in. Once you get sick you'll know how uncomfortable it is."

Shen Youyi didn't care much. Whether she paid attention or not, she would have to start taking a bunch of medicines prescribed by the Imperial Medical Bureau in two or three days. The daily life of the nobles in the palace was taken care of very carefully, but none of them looked much better than ordinary people.

The palace maids in Yaoguang Palace had already prepared snacks and milk, so it was easy to set up the table. The imperial concubine sat near the queen and chatted casually with someone about things inside and outside the palace.

Feng Chongyi was a person who knew the current situation. What would become of the imperial concubine in the future was a matter for another time. Now the imperial concubine was the most favored in front of Emperor Yuan Shuo. If she flattered her, Wuyang would have a better marriage in the future. As for the jealousies among the concubines, they were not very important to her.

"The Queen Mother intended to teach the ladies of the Wei family the proper etiquette this year, but she was utterly disappointed. She complained to the Duke of Yan why he didn't have two more beautiful wives. She only allowed the two ladies to stay for a few days before sending them back."

Feng Chongyi had also heard rumors of the Imperial Concubine's attentive service to the Empress Dowager, and she wanted to point out that her mother-in-law wasn't a reliable support. She joked, "Your Majesty, you're truly enviable. The children of the Wei family are also known as orchids competing for beauty, and the courtyard is full of jade trees. How come none of them can compare to you?"

The Queen Mother wanted to marry two or three concubines for the Emperor, or sisters with the same surname as her. Shen Youyi said that it was impossible for her to not mind at all, but she still smiled secretly.

As a mother, she hoped that having more concubines who looked like her would make Emperor Yuan Shuo happy, but who could have expected that the emperor's body could not withstand the torture of women. What was the difference between this and adding two widows to the harem?

"Those sisters are probably my aunt's children. Their parents are different from mine, so it's only natural that they don't look alike."

She said modestly, "It's rare to be born so beautiful."

Not to mention that they are cousins, even if she and her brother are siblings with the same father and mother, their eyebrows and eyes are still not alike. If you ask outsiders to recognize them, it is probably difficult to guess their true identities.

But A'niang said that this was because she was particularly blessed. She looked somewhat like her parents, but was even better than them. Her brother looked more like her grandfather, whom she had never met, and was also a very handsome man.

Shen Youyi knew that the Queen was close to Concubine Wei, and seeing her warm smile, she didn't think there was anything wrong with her. She was about to go up to the rack and play on the swing again, but she heard a chuckle behind her.

The voice came from a man. She was somewhat familiar with it, but not completely familiar with it... and certainly not from Emperor Yuan Shuo.

The wind brought the fragrance of flowers and the smell of medicine. The empress and Feng Chongyi also stood up and bowed quickly.

At some point, Emperor Yuan Shuo and the two princes also arrived here.

In front of his concubines and sons, Emperor Yuan Shuo refused to laugh at the imperial concubine, but his face was slightly hot, and he felt that her temperament had not changed much, and she looked like her tail was about to be raised to the sky when she was proud.

Shen Youyi was embarrassed for a moment. The prince looked slightly unhappy today. A prince laughed and quickly apologized to Emperor Yuan Shuo, but it was clear that he did not have much sincere respect for her.

The queen glanced at the prince with a look of reproach before quickly returning to her usual gentle demeanor. "Your Majesty, what brings you here today?"

Emperor Yuan Shuo glanced at the empress and the prince, and said calmly, "I, Zihui, and Ziyan went out for a walk. I heard from afar that you were bustling here. I didn't know the Empress was hosting a banquet here."

Shen Youyi glanced guiltily at Emperor Yuan Shuo and the Crown Prince. Each of them had been somewhat sincere towards her, and the Crown Prince almost told her what happened that year.

And the prince born to the queen seemed to know everything about her affair with the prince.

She felt guilty for a moment and was thinking of finding an excuse to leave. When she looked back, she was stunned.

The ministers following behind the royal father and son were dressed in crimson robes. Although their brows were lowered, they still looked handsome and clear.

She would never forget this look.

Why did her brother come to the inner court with the emperor?