Chapter 29 She lost her balance and fell onto the man's lap. ...

The next morning, Su Panyue was woken up by Feiyan and Feixue.

"Your Highness, the imperial eunuch has arrived. Please rise and receive the decree."

Su Panyue was completely bewildered. They just said yesterday that the imperial decree would be delivered today? That's too fast!

As she was being carried out of the house like a puppet, there were indeed three eunuchs waiting outside. She recognized the one in the lead; it was none other than Eunuch Suki.

Upon seeing her emerge, Shouxi picked up the imperial edict and read aloud: "Please receive the edict, Consort Su."

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: I believe that in governing the country, virtue and talent are essential. Palace maid Su is intelligent, gentle, and wise, and has won my heart. She is hereby conferred the title of Beauty and granted residence in Jingchun Palace."

Su Panyue thanked the emperor and accepted the imperial decree. Looking at the powerful characters on the decree, which were the same as the handwriting she had seen Xie Lanzhou reviewing memorials, she was surprised to realize that the imperial decree was actually written by him personally.

In his eyes, she was actually considered intelligent and gentle? Su Panyue herself felt a little embarrassed.

Before he could even get up, he heard Grandpa Shouxi continue:

"In addition, the following gifts are bestowed upon Consort Su: a pair of gold and kingfisher feather hairpins, five bolts of newly made Suzhou brocade, a sandalwood pipa inlaid with mother-of-pearl, ten boxes of South China Sea pearls, two Western Region luminous pearls, and two additional palace maids and eunuchs. This is the imperial decree!"

Upon hearing this, Su Panyue could no longer suppress the smile on her face. If she had known that becoming a beauty would bring so many rewards, she would have agreed immediately yesterday.

After seeing off the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree, Feixue and Feiyan congratulated her together.

Soon, palace servants brought over brocade boxes of all sizes, filling her small maid's room to the brim.

Su Panyue touched the fine jade hairpin, then picked up a pearl and played with it in her hand, completely captivated by it.

Then, remembering something, she asked, "Do you know how much a beauty's monthly salary is?"

Feiyan replied with a smile, "My monthly salary is five taels of silver, and I also receive a share of the profits from cloth and clothing each season."

Su Panyue smiled even more happily. When she was a palace maid, her annual salary was only five taels.

Feiyan suggested, "Why don't you go and thank His Majesty?"

Su Panyue hesitated for a moment, but still went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Feiyan went with her, while Feixue stayed in the room to tidy up.

They asked the eunuch guarding the gate and learned that Xie Lanzhou had gone to court and had not yet returned.

Su Panyue then stood next to Shouxi and waited.

It was always like this before, but today Suki immediately jumped up, bowed and said, "Please wait a moment, Lady Su, this servant will go and bring you a chair."

"No need, His Majesty should be back soon." Before Su Panyue could finish her refusal, Shouxi ran off.

A chair was quickly moved and placed in the shade outside the palace gate. "Please sit down, Consort Su."

Su Panyue felt a little uncomfortable with his politeness and said softly, "The rank of a beauty is only slightly higher than that of a female official. You don't need to be so polite."

She was right. The hierarchy in the palace was always very strict. She was originally a low-ranking palace maid. Above her were female officials like Aunt Cui, who managed dozens of people. Above that were the chief stewards. Her rank of beauty was only slightly higher than that of a female official.

However, Sukiyaki did not think so. He still spoke respectfully: "How can that be the same? Apart from that one, you are the only master in the harem."

Su Panyue thought about it again and realized that it was indeed true.

After Xie Lanzhou ascended the throne, he sent all of the late emperor's concubines to the imperial mausoleum, leaving only the Empress Dowager in Cining Palace.

Before he even participated in the imperial concubine selection, the harem had been empty for a long time. This was one of the reasons why Su Panyue had such a good time working in the Imperial Kitchen, because there were hardly any masters in the palace who needed to be served.

As he was lost in thought, a procession carrying a sedan chair approached from afar.

Su Panyue squinted to look, and there was indeed the true mistress of the harem, the Empress Dowager.

She quickly stood up from her chair, bowed, and said, "This humble servant greets Your Majesty the Empress Dowager."

Su Panyue secretly regretted almost saying the wrong thing.

She hadn't seen the Empress Dowager for a long time; the last time seemed to be the time she overheard something. Come to think of it, the Empress Dowager didn't even appear at the banquet for the Yan envoys.

Upon hearing her self-identification, the Empress Dowager alighted from her sedan chair, raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Who are you? Raise your head so I can see you."

Su Panyue sensed something was wrong, took a deep breath, looked up, and replied respectfully, "My name is Su Panyue."

When the Empress Dowager saw her face, she took two steps back in surprise: "You, aren't you that palace maid?"

He murmured, "Shouldn't you be dead already?"

Upon hearing the Empress Dowager's words, Su Panyue's expression turned cold. It turned out that the Empress Dowager had never intended for her to live. In her eyes, the lives of low-ranking palace maids like them were as worthless as weeds.

Feiyan spoke up at the right moment, reminding, "Your Majesty, this is the newly appointed Consort Su by His Majesty."

The Empress Dowager frowned deeply, "The Emperor took a concubine without even informing me."

After saying this, he was about to walk into the hall, but was stopped by the guards.

"Your Majesty, His Majesty is not in the palace."

The Empress Dowager waved her sleeve and said, "Then I will wait for him here."

Su Panyue sighed helplessly. Since the Empress Dowager was standing, she naturally couldn't sit down. She could only stare at the Empress Dowager and wait.

Just when Su Panyue was starting to have second thoughts, Xie Lanzhou finally appeared, and Su Panyue looked at him hopefully as if she had found a savior.

[Oh, our ancestors, you're finally back!]

She quietly shifted her legs, which were a little numb from standing, and bowed, saying, "This concubine greets Your Majesty."

The Empress Dowager also said, "The Emperor has returned."

Xie Lanzhou's gaze swept past the Empress Dowager and then fell upon Su Panyue, who was still dressed as a palace maid.

"Come in." With that, he turned and entered the hall.

Seeing that she was still standing there in a daze, Eunuch Fu gave her a wink, and Su Panyue hurriedly followed.

Unexpectedly, Xie Lanzhou left the Empress Dowager waiting outside the palace and summoned her inside. Su Panyue's feelings were complicated.

The Empress Dowager already wanted to kill me, so won't this make her even more hostile towards me? Help!

Xie Lanzhou had just sat down when he heard her thoughts, and he scoffed lightly, saying, "Sit down."

Su Panyue sat on the other side of the chaise lounge, next to Xie Lanzhou at the next table.

Su Panyue habitually poured him a cup of tea before speaking, "I have come to thank Your Majesty for your grace and rewards."

Seeing the undisguised joy in her eyes when she mentioned the reward, Xie Lanzhou felt a bit better and teased, "Then why are you still wearing this?"

Su Panyue glanced down at her ordinary palace maid attire and whispered, "I haven't had time to change yet."

[That jerk, complaining about my clothes again?]

Xie Lanzhou clapped his hands, and immediately a young maidservant came up with a tray on which was placed a set of light pink Shu brocade dress.

"Go and try it on."

What woman doesn't love beautiful clothes? Su Panyue touched the light and soft fabric and asked with a smile, "When did Your Majesty prepare these for me?"

[He gave me jewelry and a dress today, could it be that he's really fallen for me?]

Xie Lanzhou lowered his eyes and said calmly, "You don't want to try, do you want me to help you?"

Su Panyue hurriedly picked up her clothes, turned around and went into the inner room, muttering, "You're not allowed to peek, okay?"

Xie Lanzhou scoffed lightly, "Can't I even look at my own concubines?" But despite his tough words, he simply sat there, picked up the tea on the table, and took a sip.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Su Panyue emerged from the inner room. Her light pink dress perfectly outlined her figure, exuding a charming and graceful air. Paired with her bright and sparkling eyes, she looked like a fairy who had stepped out of a painting.

She walked to the bronze mirror, turned around, and nodded in satisfaction.

[How come this size is so perfect? ​​I don't think anyone has ever measured me before.]

Xie Lanzhou, who was sitting to the side watching him, rubbed his palms together without making a sound, his Adam's apple bobbed, before he finally said, "Not bad."

Su Panyue smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xie Lanzhou waved to her, and Su Panyue walked up to him, not understanding why.

Xie Lanzhou, sitting upright, said, "Come over here a bit more."

"Is he going to kiss me?" Su Panyue nervously took another step forward.

Even the man sitting on the chaise longue was a head taller than her. He leaned closer and stretched out his arm, and Su Panyue subconsciously closed her eyes.

Feeling the warm breath approaching, she held her breath. After a moment, the breath moved away, and nothing happened.

Su Panyue opened her eyes and met the man's teasing gaze. She felt that he was deliberately teasing her, and looked at him with displeasure in her almond-shaped eyes.

She tilted her head and noticed a hairpin in her hair. She quickly went to look in the bronze mirror.

A white jade begonia flower hairpin has appeared in her hair, which was previously bare. She raised her hand to touch it; it felt warm and smooth, much like the thumb ring on Xie Lanzhou's hand.

Just as I was thinking this, I heard the man say, "It's made from the same piece of jade as this thumb ring."

Su Panyue was pleasantly surprised, her eyes sparkling as she turned back and asked in astonishment, "How did Your Majesty know I liked this?"

[These are my favorite crabapple blossoms and white jade!]

Seeing her radiant smile, Xie Lanzhou also smiled and said, "I'll make it up to you."

Su Panyue asked, puzzled, "What do you mean, 'compensate me'?"

Xie Lanzhou: "I accidentally lost the silver hairpin with a begonia flower that you gave me before, so I had someone make this hairpin to compensate you."

His reminder reminded Su Panyue that it was when she thought she had been poisoned and came to confront Sun Shi.

Thinking of this, she cursed Sun Shi in her heart again: "Sun Shi, Sun Shi, I really don't know whether to thank you or blame you. One day you'll be the one to ruin me."

Xie Lanzhou listened silently to her thoughts. He still remembered this guard named Sun Shi. He was the missing imperial guard. After so long, she was still thinking about him.

A nameless fire simmered in his chest, and Xie Lanzhou grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to him.

Su Panyue lost her balance and fell onto the man's lap.

Summer clothes are thin, and the Shu brocade she was wearing was as thin as a cicada's wing, making their body temperature and reactions even more noticeable.

He gave me so many things, is he going to ask for interest now?

Su Panyue could hear the heartbeat gradually quickening, but she couldn't tell whether it was her own or the other person's heartbeat.

Half of her body was forced to lean against the man, and she felt as if her back was a furnace, with a constant stream of heat coming from it. She moved her body uncomfortably, wanting to get away from him.

Xie Lanzhou wrapped his arms around her, buried his head in the crook of her neck, and whispered, "Don't move."

His anger gradually subsided. So what if she had been with many men before? She was still in his arms, and that was enough.

Su Panyue was unaware of his thoughts. At first, she obediently dared not move, but when she felt the hot breath by her ear and the hardness pressing against her back, she couldn't help but sigh.

Xie Lanzhou thought she was getting impatient with him, and his face darkened as he was about to lash out and teach her a lesson, when he heard her inner thoughts:

[It's so hot hugging like this in the middle of summer...]

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Author's Note: The holiday has begun! Wishing everyone a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day! Have fun and enjoy reading! [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers]