Chapter 10: The changing clothes are pink! I really want to touch them. ...

Before dawn the next day, Su Panyue got up, quickly tidied herself up, and rushed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Learning from yesterday's experience, she was determined not to be late today.

Fortunately, the palace maid's quarters where she was currently staying were not far from the Hall of Mental Cultivation, and she arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Mental Cultivation at 1:15 a.m.

She initially thought Xie Lanzhou was trying to make her wait at the door for an hour.

As soon as she arrived, she saw that Eunuch Fu was already instructing the young eunuchs to prepare water.

Su Panyue asked incredulously, "Eunuch Fu, His Majesty has already risen?"

Eunuch Fu nodded: "Perfect, you may go in and help His Majesty change his clothes."

Su Panyue responded and walked inside, but she still sighed inwardly. It was one thing that he got up early for court yesterday, but today there was no court, so why did he have to get up so early?

She rubbed her eyes as she walked. She hadn't gotten up this early in a long time, and now she felt that her body was up, but her soul was still asleep.

Xie Lanzhou was still in the sleeping quarters behind the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Su Panyue walked in, dazed, and that suffocating feeling returned.

The fear of dying in her past life resurfaced in her mind. She took two deep breaths and tried her best not to think about it.

Xie Lanzhou had already stood up. He was wearing a moon-white nightgown with the collar open, revealing a large expanse of his chest.

Su Panyue immediately forgot her fear and said "Greetings, Your Majesty" while her round almond-shaped eyes darted around his open collar.

The man had well-defined features, with two muscles on his chest that looked very soft to the touch. His fair skin was dotted with two cherry-like spots, and the outline of his abdominal muscles could be seen below, before disappearing into his pajamas.

Su Panyue thought to herself, "It's pink! I really want to touch it."

Xie Lanzhou paused slightly as he fastened his belt, and then heard the woman's inner thoughts again:

"Don't tie it! I haven't seen it clearly yet."

Xie Lanzhou quickened his pace, adjusting his clothes and tightening his belt.

[You're moving so fast, are you shy? I wanted to help you, my little beauty.]

"Little beauty?" Was she talking about herself? Xie Lanzhou turned his head to look and saw that she was smiling very brightly. He pursed his lips silently and said coldly, "What are you standing there for? Change my clothes."

"Okay, okay." Su Panyue snapped out of her daze and took the clothes he was going to wear today from the clothes rack next to her.

There was no court assembly today, so his clothes were not so elaborate. They were still the dark black he wore most often, and only upon close inspection could one see that they were embroidered with dragon patterns. They felt extremely luxurious to the touch.

Su Panyue held the robe up with both hands to prevent it from dragging on the ground.

When she got to the man's side, she realized how tall he was, and Su Panyue had to stand on tiptoe to put her clothes on him.

Then she took out the waist sash, which felt heavy in her hand. She then realized that the emperor's waist sash was sewn with a circle of gold and jade.

She thought to herself, "If one of these accidentally falls and I happen to find it, wouldn't I be rich?"

Hearing her thoughts and seeing the light in her eyes, Xie Lanzhou subtly curled her lips into a smile.

He obediently raised his arm and turned to look at her.

Su Panyue held the valuable waist sash in both hands, walked around to his front, and wrapped her arms around his waist. The two were so close that Xie Lanzhou could smell the faint fragrance on the woman's body. He took a deep breath, which was refreshing.

Su Panyue also noticed their intimate posture and sighed inwardly:

[That man has such a slim waist; I wonder if he's strong.]

Xie Lanzhou had never heard such bold and explicit remarks before. He was stunned for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he coughed lightly.

Thinking he was getting impatient, Su Panyue quickened her pace, quickly tied his clothes, took a step back to look at them, and gave a satisfied smile.

Even when His Majesty is silent, he is an exceptionally handsome man.

Xie Lanzhou's lips curved into a smile, but the smile vanished in an instant.

The king's breakfast consisted of eight dishes, but because she had gotten up so early, Su Panyue had no appetite at all. So when she was served the meal, she only took a couple of bites and then dozed off to the side.

After finishing her meal, Xie Lanzhou glanced at Su Panyue, who was dozing with her eyes half-closed. She looked less beautiful and lively than usual, but more charming and cute.

As if possessed, he reached out and pinched her cheek.

Her skin felt soft and supple to the touch, and her red lips were slightly pouting as they were pinched, reminding Xie Lanzhou of the cherries that were presented as tribute—red, plump, and delicious.

Startled awake by his pinch, Su Panyue uttered a muffled "Your Majesty" upon seeing the man in front of her. The man's hand, still pinching her face, remained firmly in place.

She glanced down at the man's long, slender fingers and the...prayer beads on his wrist, looking puzzled.

This was the first time she had seen the string of Buddhist prayer beads on His Majesty's hand, and she couldn't help but be drawn to it. It was so incongruous that an emperor who killed people all day long was wearing such a smooth string of prayer beads that looked like they had been played with for many years.

She wanted to take a closer look, but the man suddenly withdrew his hand.

Su Panyue looked up at him, only to see that he had already turned and walked out, saying as he went, "Tired? I'll take you to wake you up."

An ominous premonition welled up in her heart. Su Panyue followed him out of the palace gate. Along the way, she felt that Eunuch Fu was looking at her from time to time. She couldn't help but ask in a low voice, "Eunuch, why are you looking at me? Is there something wrong?"

Grandpa Fu waved his hand and remained silent the rest of the way.

The two followed Xie Lanzhou eastward. Su Panyue looked at the increasingly remote and unfamiliar road ahead, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Where am I being taken? Are they going to find a deserted place to kill me?

Xie Lanzhou suddenly slowed his pace and said, "Follow me, we're going to the training ground."

Looking at the man who was only a step away from her, Su Panyue wondered if she hadn't kept up. How much closer did she have to be?

After walking for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, we finally arrived at the martial arts training ground at the easternmost part of the palace.

The training ground was very large, with many target figures and straw men standing inside, as well as rows of various weapons.

This was Su Panyue's first time here, and she looked around with some curiosity, not expecting that Xie Lanzhou had gotten up so early to practice martial arts.

Xie Lanzhou casually picked up a bow, nocked an arrow, drew the string, aimed at the target at the other end of the training ground, and with a slight movement of his finger, the arrow left the string and hit the bullseye perfectly.

He looked at Su Panyue, who paused for a second, then clapped her hands and exclaimed, "Your Majesty is truly amazing! A perfect shot, hitting the bullseye every time!"

"Here you come." Xie Lanzhou interrupted her flattery and handed her the bow.

Su Panyue looked puzzled and pointed to her nose: "Me? I'm not very good at it."

The emperor never repeats himself; a single glance is enough to say everything.

Su Panyue immediately took the bow he handed her, and only after holding it did she realize that this seemingly ordinary bow was actually quite heavy.

When she was adopted, she learned some martial arts and common weapons, but she only learned the basics of archery. She didn't know why Xie Lanzhou wanted her to shoot, but she wondered if she would be punished if she missed.

Thinking this, Su Panyue drew an arrow, mustered all her strength to pull back the bow, and squinted one eye to carefully aim at the distant target.

She was completely unaware that Xie Lanzhou was watching her every move.

With a whoosh, the arrow flew out and hit the edge of the target.

Su Panyue pouted, a red mark left on her hand from the bowstring, which she blew on.

"Your Majesty, I have done my best."

Xie Lanzhou didn't speak, but looked down at her palm: "Little good-for-nothing."

[I told you I wouldn't, but you still made me shoot. Next time I'll shoot it on your head!]

Xie Lanzhou looked at her coldly. Another one who wanted to kill him, she had the desire but not the courage.

He suddenly felt bored, waved her aside, and picked up a sword to practice his swordplay.

Su Panyue was no longer sleepy and watched with great interest. His moves were decisive and swift, the sound of his sword cutting through the air echoing as it swept across the ground, and his clothes fluttering as he moved, making it a delightful sight to behold.

Xie Lanzhou sheathed his sword, barely breaking out in a sweat, and not even panting.

Su Panyue observed this and secretly thought to herself: [With such good stamina, wouldn't that mean...]

Hearing her raunchy words, Xie Lanzhou didn't even realize his heart was racing. He calmed himself down and threw the sword back onto the shelf.

Suddenly, he spoke to Su Panyue: "If you had shot that arrow at me just now, at such close range, you might have succeeded."

Su Panyue looked confused: [Successfully got what? Was he testing me to see if I wanted to kill him?]

Realizing what had happened, her legs immediately went weak and she knelt on the ground: "This servant is utterly loyal, how could I possibly harm Your Majesty?"

His tone was sincere yet aggrieved, sounding as if he was about to cry.

[If you don't believe me and still want me to serve you, you might as well send me back to the Imperial Kitchen. Do you think I want to stay here?]

Xie Lanzhou looked down at her, his face expressionless, making it impossible to guess what he was thinking.

My knees hurt so much!

The training ground was not flat, and there were inevitably some pebbles and gravel. Su Panyue had only been kneeling for a short while when she felt as if her knees had been rubbed raw and were burning with pain.

Xie Lanzhou turned his back to her, no longer looking at her, and said, "Go back."

Su Panyue nodded, puzzled, and left the training ground.

After she had walked away, Eunuch Fu spoke up: "Your Majesty, this servant thinks that although this palace maid is a bit lazy, she doesn't seem to have any intention of harming anyone."

Xie Lanzhou hummed in agreement. He would come to the martial arts arena to practice for a while every day, and he brought her here today to see her attitude, but this woman was really hard for him to understand.

Judging from her movements and strength in drawing the bow and shooting the arrow, she must have learned some skills. However, this bow was his special one, with immense power. It was already difficult for her to draw it, let alone hit the target. The fact that she could hit the target really impressed Xie Lanzhou. It was hard to imagine that a woman with thin arms and legs could have such strength.

What surprised him even more was that she seemed genuinely unwilling to kill him, but judging from her inner thoughts, she seemed to loathe herself.

Xie Lanzhou, who was usually decisive, was unusually conflicted at this moment, his emotions were mixed and he could not tell whether he was happy or angry. He disliked the feeling of being swayed by others, so he picked up the bow again and shot arrow after arrow without getting tired.

*

Su Panyue walked alone on the palace road she had come from, but this was the first time she had walked this road, and she got a little lost as she walked.

She sat down on a rock by the roadside to rest, rubbing her knees, and secretly cursed Xie Lanzhou in her heart for being capricious and always making trouble for people.

Suddenly, a eunuch rushed out from behind the artificial hill, startling her. He immediately covered Su Panyue's mouth.

She looked closely and realized it was the same eunuch who had kidnapped her last time. She stopped struggling and obediently followed him to the Cining Palace.

Su Panyue was brought into the hall and knelt before the Empress Dowager. She looked up in surprise, only to find that the Empress Dowager herself was seeing her this time.

The Empress Dowager glanced at Su Panyue and said condescendingly, "You do have some beauty. I want you to seduce the Emperor. Are you willing?"

A note from the author:

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Tsk tsk tsk, this guy is so unpredictable and insecure [doge emoji]

By the way, I'll be updating every other day this week! [Please!]