Chapter 37 (None)

As dawn broke, the Qionghua Pavilion was illuminated as if it were daytime. Palace maids and eunuchs bustled about, moving quietly and in an orderly fashion.

Emperor Yuanming sat on his couch and instructed Huang Liang, who was serving him as he put on his boots, to bestow upon him a jade comb with a peony design, a celadon-glazed Yuhuchun vase, a white-glazed plum vase with lotus design, and a set of celadon-glazed octagonal cups.

Last night, she wore a light blue-green padded jacket, the color truly like the sky after a rain shower. She always complained that he was stingy, even eyeing a sugar jar, a disgrace to the imperial family. Her curly black hair made her skin appear even whiter than snow, like jade...

Emperor Yuanming's heart was sometimes filled with indignation and sometimes with turmoil.

She was incredibly audacious, daring to force the emperor, the most powerful man in the land, to submit to her and serve him!

That feeling was so intoxicating that he was completely captivated and unwilling to wake up.

Huang Liang paused slightly, then quietly raised his eyes, glancing at Emperor Yuanming's dazed expression, and was secretly astonished.

After a concubine had been favored by the emperor, Emperor Yuanming would bestow many rewards upon her. It was not surprising that Jiang Ling received a reward today after being favored by the emperor last night.

Huang Liang had served Emperor Yuanming closely for many years, and he had never seen the emperor so eager to bestow rewards the moment he got up.

The vases and cups that Jiang Ling acquired were all made in the official kilns at the behest of Emperor Yuanming, and were items he usually enjoyed.

Huang Liang thought to himself, "It seems that the taciturn beauty is quite capable."

Flowers don't bloom for a hundred days; the fresh and vibrant concubines in the imperial harem come one after another like spring chives, only to wither and fade away like autumn and winter grasses.

Huang Liang didn't take it seriously, respectfully agreed, and continued with his work.

After putting on his boots, Emperor Yuanming got up to have his meal. He took a couple of steps, then paused slightly and said, "If anyone from Fanying Pavilion comes, let them in."

According to custom, after a concubine had spent the night with the emperor, she was required to come and express her gratitude to him.

Huang Liang hurriedly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, Wen Juan, who serves at Fan Ying Pavilion, came earlier and said that Consort Jiang was unwell and might pass on her illness to Your Majesty. Therefore, Wen Juan came to kowtow to Your Majesty outside to express her gratitude."

Upon hearing that he was unwell, Emperor Yuanming's face immediately darkened, and he couldn't help but grit his teeth inwardly: "Has the imperial physician been summoned?"

Huang Liang hurriedly said, "This servant asked Wen Juan, and Wen Juan said that she had not called the imperial physician. Now is the time of celebration for the winter solstice, and it is not appropriate to call the imperial physician. Consort Jiang can hold on for a while. If there is no improvement after the winter solstice, then we can call the imperial physician."

Emperor Yuanming walked out with a dark face and without saying a word.

It's truly infuriating that she has the audacity to use her pimples as an excuse time and time again!

It made it seem like he had not only been slept with by her, but was also eagerly sending gifts to express his gratitude, which was simply outrageous!

Emperor Yuanming wanted to take back the reward, but the words caught in his throat and he swallowed them back.

The emperor's words are law, how can I stoop to her level! Today is the day of the grand court assembly, I'll settle accounts with her after he's finished his session!

Fan Ying Pavilion.

Jiang Ling didn't sleep well all night. He felt dizzy, lightheaded, nauseous, and weak after drinking. He tossed and turned in bed, unable to find a comfortable position.

Wenjuan brought the steamed bun soup into the room. She placed the bowl on a high table, lifted the bed curtains and hung them up, saying with concern, "My beauty, get up and have some steamed bun soup. Once your stomach is warm, you'll feel more comfortable."

Jiang Ling lay motionless, weakly saying, "I have no appetite. I'll be fine after a nap."

Wenjuan was very worried and advised, "This servant should go and fetch the imperial physician. This cannot go on, my lady."

Jiang Ling was very familiar with the feeling after drinking: the world seemed unreal, and he felt listless. Generally, a good night's sleep would restore most of his energy. At most, he would be fully recovered in two days.

Jiang Ling said no, she lifted the covers, brushed the hair from her forehead, and asked, "What color are your pimples?"

Wenjuan leaned forward for a closer look and said, "This servant noticed that it has already turned white."

Jiang Ling suddenly regained her strength, sat up, and said with great interest, "Wenjuan, go and get a clean, hot towel, cloth, and a bronze mirror."

Although Wenjuan didn't know what Jiang Ling was going to do, seeing that she finally seemed more energetic, she quickly fetched it as instructed.

The bedroom was dimly lit. Wenjuan lit the candlestick and stood in front of the bed holding up a bronze mirror.

Jiang Ling wiped his hands clean, then pressed hard on the pimple in front of the bronze mirror. The white pus inside splashed onto the mirror with a "pop."

"All done!" Jiang Ling squeezed a few more times and gently wiped his brow with a cloth.

She loved popping pimples; it relieved her stress. The discomfort she felt after drinking had at least lessened by now.

Looking at Jiang Ling's red and swollen brow, Wen Juan said anxiously, "My beauty, if I had known earlier, I would have stopped you. If you break your skin, you'll have a scar later. Besides, it's on your brow, it'll be hard for anyone to not see it."

She hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "His Majesty prefers elegance and perfection. In the harem, His Majesty's favorite is not Consort Lin or Consort Zhao. Consort Huang used to be the most favored, and His Majesty spent almost every night with her, showering her with endless favor. Later, His Majesty suddenly stopped going there. I heard that when Consort Huang was making undergarments for His Majesty, she accidentally injured the back of her hand, leaving a scar the size of a bean. His Majesty felt that Consort Huang was like a piece of flawless jade; once it had a crack, it was no longer beautiful."

After her fall from grace, Huang Jieyu became depressed and passed away from illness the winter before last.

"It's okay, it will fade away quickly. Even if it leaves a scar, it will disappear after a while."

Jiang Ling was experienced; even if she was left with scars, she didn't care.

After last night, she saw Emperor Yuanming from the inside out, and even with her scarred face, she was more than a match for him!

She can use floral decorations to cover up the small blemishes between her eyebrows.

His physical limitations mean he has no hope for recovery in this lifetime!

Seeing that her attempts to comfort him were futile, Wen Juan had no choice but to give up. Jiang Ling lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes, trying to rest.

While she was still half asleep, Wenjuan woke her up: "My beauty, Zhang Shan has brought the Emperor's reward."

Jiang Ling could only get up, tidy himself up slightly, and go to the main hall to receive the reward. Zhang Shan's face was full of smiles, and he congratulated her with utmost respect and politeness, and sent a eunuch to carry the box forward.

Jiang Ling thanked her for her kindness. Wen Juan took out a purse and stuffed it into Zhang Shan's sleeve. He took it and put it into his sleeve, raised his hand in greeting, and said, "My lady is not feeling well, so I won't bother you any longer. Please take good care of yourself."

After Zhang Shan and the others left, Jiang Ling returned to the side room. Wen Juan, A Ruo Fang He, and others carried the box into the room, opened it, and took out the vase, teacup, and jade comb inside.

Jiang Ling picked them up and examined them one by one. When he saw the official kiln and palace emblems, he lost interest and put them down: "Put them away."

It may be valuable, but in reality it's only good for decoration; gold and silver are much more practical.

Jiang Ling could now deeply understand that Consort Zhao's family would become increasingly impoverished because of Emperor Yuanming's rewards.

She was in the same boat; just bribing Huang Liang and Zhang Shan had already cost her a considerable amount of money. If Emperor Yuanming were to visit a few more times, she feared she wouldn't be able to save up her meager monthly allowance.

Jiang Ling's stomach was empty, her head was spinning, and thinking about her money, she even felt a tightness in her chest. She didn't even want to move a finger, so she lay down on the couch and said listlessly, "Wenjuan, I'll rest here. Go and get me some bedding."

Wenjuan hurriedly went into the bedroom, grabbed some bedding, and covered Jiang Ling with it, signaling A'ruo Fanghe to be gentle so that Jiang Ling could rest peacefully.

Jiang Ling finally fell asleep. When he woke up, it was already afternoon. After having lunch, he felt a little better.

Wenjuan poured tea and served it to Jiang Ling, who leaned back on the cushion, held up the pale blue teacup and examined it, saying, "The teacup is nice, but the tea leaves are a bit lacking."

"When I was serving in the palace, I heard the palace maids in the tea room say that the millet buds and dragon and phoenix tea cakes from the stream, which were tributes from Min, had a clear tea soup and a fragrant aroma. They could quench thirst and aid digestion!"

Wenjuan was making sachets on a stool. Realizing she had misspoke, she quickly smiled apologetically and said, "Tea requires a tea maker, which I have never had before. I only heard them talking about some baseless rumors."

Regardless of the quality or authenticity of the tea, the favored concubines like Consort Lin and Consort Zhao certainly had access to fine tea.

Wenjuan, fearing that Jiang Ling would be unhappy, added words to comfort her.

Jiang Ling didn't care at all. She was like tea leaves now, and the favors Emperor Yuanming bestowed upon her were like celadon cups, while a beggar was dressed in silk and satin.

"Is this fresh winter plum blossom delivered today?" Jiang Ling asked.

Wenjuan replied, "Yes, while the beauty was asleep, Qin Shanggong came and brought some winter plum blossoms. He said that Chuigong Hall had requested a lot of winter plum blossoms, and now winter plum blossoms are in high demand in the palace, and there are very few left in the gardens."

Yesterday, Emperor Yuanming fell asleep on his couch during his afternoon nap, accompanied by a sachet of winter plum blossoms. He must have liked it so much that he ordered the flowers and plants in the Chuigong Hall to be replaced with winter plum blossoms.

Following the example set by those in power, whether it was to appear cultured or to curry favor, the winter plum blossom quickly became popular in the capital.

At that time, wintersweet will become a hot commodity, and its price will rise. Apart from iris and camellia, the imperial gardens will not even be able to supply wintersweet.

Li Jieyu's elder brother, Li Yuanwailang, learned the news quickly. If he had any sense, he might have bought the shares in advance and made a fortune.

Jiang Ling rolled her eyes and berated Emperor Yuanming. It was all his fault; she'd lost her beloved winter plum blossoms, and now she had no share of the silver!

Speak of the devil, and he appears. Aruo rushed into the room and said, "My beauty, the Emperor has arrived."

Wenjuan hurriedly gathered the sachets and plum blossom branches, but seeing Jiang Ling's disheveled hair, she realized there was no time to tidy herself up. She gritted her teeth and said, "It's too late, my beauty, quickly lie down on the couch."

Jiang Ling lay down, and Wen Juan quickly covered her with the quilt before turning around to go out and greet her.

After a chorus of greetings, Emperor Yuanming strode into the side room. Jiang Ling, feigning weakness, struggled to rise, intending to get off the bed and pay his respects.

Emperor Yuanming looked Jiang Ling up and down. There was a red mark between her eyebrows and her face was a little pale. She didn't look like she was seriously ill and bedridden.

Jiang Ling struggled a few times, but Emperor Yuanming didn't tell her to dispense with the formalities. She cursed inwardly, "Damn, what a scumbag who doesn't know how to cherish a woman!"

Although Emperor Yuanming didn't understand what "grass" or "scumbag" meant, he was certain that Jiang Ling was insulting him. He was still hesitant at first, but seeing this, he remained silent and expressionless, waiting for her to get off the bed.

Jiang Ling dragged her legs off the bed, trembling slightly as she said in a weak voice, "Your Majesty, I am ill and unable to greet you in time. Please forgive me."

Emperor Yuanming's cold gaze swept over Jiang Ling. Her crime was far more than just failing to greet the imperial entourage in time. Her disheveled hair, disheveled clothes, and lack of decorum before the emperor were enough to convict her of a grave offense of disrespect!

"Jiang, your acne is truly a chronic and incurable disease." Emperor Yuanming leaned closer, looking directly at Jiang Ling, and said, word by word.

Jiang Ling stumbled backward, bumping into the couch and falling down. Feeling guilty and short of breath, she didn't know how to answer and hung her head without saying a word.

Emperor Yuanming snorted, lifted his robe and sat down beside Jiang Ling, lifting her chin with his fingers. He stared at her brow with displeasure and said in a deep voice, "How did your face become like this? A perfectly good face, now disfigured."

"Your Majesty, I apologize for my disheveled appearance." Jiang Ling turned her head away, lowering her eyes respectfully, but inwardly she cursed, "I hate people who touch me inappropriately! What does my face have to do with you? Even if I'm disfigured, I'm still a million times better looking than you! If you can't stand it, you should reflect on yourself and see if there's something wrong with your eyes. Are you blind and heartless?"

Emperor Yuanming was so angry that he flung his hand away, the delicate touch of his fingertips barely preventing him from turning around and leaving.

"You still know what's indecent!" Emperor Yuanming glanced at her sideways, and seeing the space between her eyebrows made him angry. He simply turned his head away and refused to look at her anymore.

Huang Liang led Wen Juan forward to serve tea before withdrawing. The emperor was busy with state affairs, and had finally found some free time. Still thinking of her, he hurried to Fanying Pavilion, not even bothering to drink his tea.

Enraged by her, Emperor Yuanming felt even more parched and picked up his teacup, drinking half a cup.

"Do you like this set of teacups?" Emperor Yuanming asked slowly, tracing the cracks in the glaze.

"I am deeply honored and overjoyed by this gift from Your Majesty," Jiang Ling replied, her words contradicting her true feelings. In her heart, however, she thought, "What I truly desire is gold and silver, real gold and silver! Please bestow gold and silver upon me, shower me with gold and silver!"

Emperor Yuanming was furious but laughed. He deliberately used a teacup to remind her that she should come to the Chuigong Hall to express her gratitude.

He served her well and rewarded her, yet she still despised him!

"The tea is so bad... No, he definitely wouldn't be able to stomach my tea!"

Thinking of this, Jiang Ling lifted her eyelids and secretly glanced at Emperor Yuanming's teacup. The tea leaves she had received produced a tea soup that was almost the color of soy sauce. The tea soup in his cup, however, was bright red and clear. Indeed, he was drinking good tea.

"Good heavens, as an emperor who possesses the entire world, not only is he stingy, but he also eats all the food himself!" Jiang Ling looked at the soy sauce in her cup and despised him a thousand times over in her heart.

Emperor Yuanming followed her gaze and noticed the difference in the tea, feeling a strange pang of guilt. He coughed lightly and said awkwardly, "These pale celadon teacups were made by the imperial kiln at my order. The finest teacups from each kiln were selected and sent to the palace. These teacups are rare, so they should be paired with some good tea to do justice to such fine cups."

He summoned Huang Liang and ordered, "Bring me two cups of the Dragon and Phoenix Tea that I drink."

Huang Liang should withdraw. Jiang Ling blinked and stood up to express her gratitude: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your reward."

Seeing that she had finally calmed down, Emperor Yuanming's expression softened, and he said gently, "Sit down."

Jiang Ling sat back down, thinking to himself, "If only I could get some more gold and silver as a reward! The fact that the winter plum blossoms are in such high demand is all thanks to me. The money I should have earned is being used to help others. What kind of reward am I supposed to get?!"

When Emperor Yuanming heard her constantly mentioning gold and silver, he secretly cursed her for being vulgar and looked thoughtful.

Winter plum blossoms are in high demand, so how can she make money, and for whom is she doing all the work?

Huang Liang brought over Dragon and Phoenix Tea. Emperor Yuanming, still preoccupied with the matter of the winter plum blossoms, stood up and said, "I will have dinner later."

Jiang Ling rose to see him off, but in his heart he wondered, "Did he just come for a meal, or is he offering himself up for me to sleep with?"

Emperor Yuanming staggered, his old face flushing red.

Recalling the excruciating taste of last night, he couldn't bring himself to curse or refute.

He was truly bewitched and willingly offered himself up!