Chapter 227 Transaction

Wen Wanqin tidied herself up casually with the help of the palace maids Suyi and Sujin.

After making sure there was no problem, he followed the two eunuchs who came to convey the message to the Zichen Hall.

At this time, the Zichen Hall was quiet and silent.

The palace servants were all busy with their tasks in an orderly manner, and their every move was light and graceful.

However, the emperor was not in the palace.

The eunuch respectfully asked her to sit down and rest for a while, and then served her a cup of fragrant tea.

"The Emperor will be back soon."

However, this so-called "soon" seems a bit long.

Wen Wanqin waited for an hour and a half.

Fortunately, she did not sit there in agony, as a palace maid brought her a travel book at the right time.

Wen Wanqin has been in the palace for many years, and reading has become an indispensable part of her daily life.

Sometimes I can immerse myself in it for a whole day.

Therefore, this hour and a half was not too difficult for her.

By the middle of the night, Wen Wanqin was engrossed in reading. The anecdotes and local customs in the book seemed to unfold before her eyes like a gorgeous scroll. Suddenly, footsteps were heard outside the hall.

She subconsciously looked up and saw a man in a bright yellow dragon robe walking towards her with steady steps.

The person who came was the emperor.

Wen Wanqin quickly stood up and bowed, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be well and safe."

Yan Shixu raised his hand slightly, motioning her to stand up.

His eyes inadvertently fell on the book in Wen Wanqin's hand, and he asked casually, "What book is Wen Xiurong reading that makes her so focused?"

Wen Wanqin replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, it's a travelogue. It details many anecdotes and local customs and practices. It's truly fascinating."

When Yan Shixu heard this, his imperial concubine suddenly appeared in his mind.

The guy was holding the "Book of Songs" seriously and reading it with fascination, but what was hidden inside was a book of fabricated stories.

He chuckled, stretched out his hand towards Wen Wanqin, and said, "Let me see."

Wen Wanqin was slightly stunned, her heart full of confusion. She didn't understand why the emperor laughed just because she was reading a book.

She respectfully presented the travelogue to the emperor as instructed.

Yan Shixu casually flipped through a few pages and then handed the book back to her.

Wen Wanqin really couldn't figure out the emperor's thoughts, so she had to stand aside obediently and wait quietly for the emperor's instructions.

Yan Shixu waved his hand and dismissed the palace maids serving in the hall. Then he gestured for Wen Wanqin to sit down and asked Yongtai to personally pour her a cup of tea.

Then, he asked casually, "Does Wen Xiurong know how to play chess?"

Wen Wanqin answered truthfully, "I know a little bit about chess."

Yan Shixu immediately ordered the palace maids to set up the chessboard.

The two men sat opposite each other, and a game of chess quietly unfolded.

On the chessboard, black and white chess pieces crisscrossed like thousands of troops fighting, and the situation gradually became complicated.

Yan Shixu played with the black piece in his hand and asked casually, "Wen Xiurong, do you know why I summoned you here today?"

Wen Wanqin paused slightly while holding Bai Zi's hand.

She raised her eyes to look at Yan Shixu, then lowered her head again: "Your Majesty, please explain a few things."

"I want to make a deal with you." Yan Shixu spoke slowly, his tone calm but with unquestionable majesty.

Wen Wanqin was completely stunned.

She originally thought that the emperor summoned her so late at night just to make others misunderstand that she had slept with him tonight, but she didn't expect that the emperor actually wanted to negotiate a deal with her.

Wen Wanqin took a deep breath and calmed herself down: "Your Majesty, please speak."

The black piece in Yan Shixu's hand fell gently, making a crisp sound.

He said, "I need a woman to stir up conflict among the concubines in the harem. When they resort to all means to win my favor, even to the point of implicating their own families, I will close the net."

Wen Wanqin's heart was pounding, but she remained calm.

She asked softly, "Is the Emperor planning to choose me as the target?"

Yan Shixu nodded. "I've researched your past, and you're quite intelligent. Back when the late emperor was on the throne, he had a crush on you, but you used a little cunning to give the chance to sleep with him to the talented woman you shared your residence with. Later, you were chosen by Concubine Yang and sent to my Eastern Palace, knowingly letting her see your strengths. Once there, you passed on messages for her, half true, half false, making Concubine Yang annoyed at your uselessness, yet never suspecting you of ulterior motives."

Wen Wanqin pursed her lips and fell silent.

Her thoughts flooded back to the audition that year.

She, Wen Li'er, Lin Fujia and others were all selected as concubines at the same time.

However, she was chosen to enter the old emperor's harem, while Wen Li'er and Lin Fujia entered the Eastern Palace.

After entering the harem, she was noticed by Yang Guifei and was arranged to live in a side hall of Guanju Palace.

At that time, the old emperor often went to Guanju Palace. When Yang Guifei was unable to serve him, his eyes fell on other women in the side hall.

Although Wen Wanqin's appearance was not as good as Yang Guifei and Chen Yian, her beauty was top-notch, and coupled with her graceful figure, the old emperor became interested in her.

However, Wen Wanqin was really unwilling to serve that incompetent old man.

On the night when the old emperor went to the side hall to ask her to sleep with him, she secretly switched bedrooms with a talented woman who lived with her.

As expected, the talented woman served the old emperor all night and tried her best to please him, which made the old emperor very satisfied.

The next day, when they discovered that the person was not right, they did not pursue the matter. Instead, they promoted the talented woman to the rank of Jieyushi and rewarded her with many jewels.

In order to thank Wen Wanqin for giving her the opportunity, the concubine promised to owe her a favor and let her make any request in the future.

Later, Wen Wanqin learned that Yang Guifei persuaded the old emperor to select two women from the harem who had not served him in bed and send them to the Eastern Palace.

This clearly means that he wants to place his own people in the Eastern Palace.

Wen Wanqin was moved. The prince was not interested in women, there were very few women in the Eastern Palace, and the prince only favored one person.

If she stayed in Guanju Palace, maybe the old emperor would let her sleep with him again one day.

If you can escape once, can you escape every time?

So, she began to think about going to the Eastern Palace.

At that time, the imperial concubine who owed her a favor was still in favor, so Wen Wanqin came to her and asked the imperial concubine to express her dissatisfaction with her in front of the emperor.

In this way, she became one of the women sent to the Eastern Palace.

In the blink of an eye, several years have passed.

She did what she wished and kept her innocence.

But unexpectedly, the emperor actually investigated what happened that year.

The white chess leaf in Wen Wanqin's hand slowly fell. She whispered, "The Emperor wants me to use my life as a target. I wonder what the Emperor can give me?"

Upon hearing this, Yan Shixu nodded with satisfaction.

Sure enough, talking with a smart woman is always much easier.

A smile played on his lips as he said, "Two years from now, regardless of whether all those concubines and their families have been completely eradicated, I will return your freedom so that you can live with the man you love forever."

“Pah…”

Wen Wanqin picked up the chess piece again and it fell onto the chessboard, making a harsh sound.