Chapter 27 Emperor: ...She's seducing me. Hehe...

Hanyuan Hall

It was dusk, and the palace had not yet been lit. The clouds on the horizon, carrying the last rays of light, poured into the palace through the window lattices, making the black jade-like floor tiles appear as if they were covered with a layer of gilded gold.

It was very quiet—after the palace doors closed, the silence inside was so profound that A-Zhu could almost hear her own heartbeat.

A-Zhu's steps became lighter and lighter. As she stepped into the palace, she dared not raise her head as usual, but Emperor Xuanpei, who was looking down at her, could clearly observe her.

Unlike the blue shirt she wore when we first met, and the emerald green dress she wore that evening when serving tea, the simple pink and white dress made her look even more fresh and delicate, like a pink lotus just picked from a branch.

Emperor Xuanpei's gaze swept over Azhu's temples, seemingly casually—

Instead of the two plain silver hairpins, there were two small pink beaded flowers, delicate and exquisite, set on the neatly bound black hair, one on each side.

Emperor Xuanpei at the head of the table was calm and composed, while Azhu below, whose heart was pounding anxiously, appeared extremely steady.

She walked into the hall without looking to the side, and then performed a grand salute.

"This servant greets Your Majesty."

May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and lasting happiness.

Ah Zhu's voice is very distinctive, crisp and clear like it's pinching and kneading the tip of your ear, yet her uncontrollable nervousness is subtly revealed in her tone, making one involuntarily think of her trembling appearance.

You tell me, you say she's timid, yet she struts around arrogantly, everyone knows her ambition to rise to the top, she even dares to come to the Emperor's presence alone under the banner of Kunning Palace.

But if you say she's brave, she's kneeling there without daring to lift her head, her voice so soft it's unbelievable, trembling as if begging for mercy.

Emperor Xuanpei was actually quite annoyed when he heard that Azhu had come to the emperor's presence at this hour, which was quite improper.

But now that he's seen someone, he's stroking his thumb ring, and his voice doesn't have that cold, authoritative quality.

"Get up."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After standing up, A-Zhu held the food box slightly higher, "This servant is ordered by Her Majesty the Empress to deliver some tea and snacks to His Majesty."

"The Empress gave the order?"

Of course not!

Ah Zhu was startled when she was caught lying. She instinctively looked up and gave a slightly fawning smile.

Unexpectedly, when she looked up, she didn't see the familiar maids from the inner palace, but rather, the emperor, dressed in a black robe with wide sleeves embroidered with golden dragons and trimmed with red, exuding an imposing aura.

Emperor Xuanpei, who sat at the head of the table, was truly unlike any of the guards and eunuchs that Azhu had ever seen.

Even though you can't see his face clearly, the way he sits there inspires fear in people, like a shadow lurking deep in the fog and clouds.

After a moment of stunned silence, A-Zhu quickly knelt down.

With a loud "thump—!", Emperor Xuanpei's heart seemed to skip a beat.

He frowned. Why was he kneeling down again?

"Your Majesty, please forgive me."

"His Majesty's power is profound; this servant was momentarily confused and offended you..."

Looking at Jiang Zhu, who was admitting his mistake like a quail, Emperor Xuanpei found it both funny and a little helpless. Why was he so afraid?

The Empress's hints, along with A-Zhu's own attire, were enough for Emperor Xuanpei to see through.

But he didn't refuse.

But looking at Ah Zhu now... she still says she wants to serve him, but could it be that in the future she'll be so scared that she won't dare to lift her head, trembling and shaky, kneeling back and forth in front of him with a "thump, thump"?

For Emperor Xuanpei, things that belonged to him felt different from other things.

Therefore, even though he suspected that this might be a unique tactic by Ah Zhu... Emperor Xuanpei waved his hand without showing any annoyance.

"Alright, get up."

Looking at A-Zhu with her head down, and considering that she was still quite young, and the frighteningly loud "thump" of her kneeling, Emperor Xuanpei softened his tone and added a sentence.

"From now on, you won't have to kneel like this before me."

Huh~~~? ? ?

Hearing Emperor Xuanpei's words, Ah Zhu, as if in a dream, secretly pinched herself. Ouch, that really hurts!

But then she thought about it again, and considering the Empress's kind and benevolent appearance, Ah Zhu felt that it was not impossible for the Emperor to be kind and compassionate as well.

Even... is it possible that His Majesty also intends to get closer to the Empress, but is simply unable to do so because of the Empress's attitude?

After all, they were a young couple with a deep bond.

The Emperor also visits Kunning Palace on the first and fifteenth of each month, and even Consort Zhang cannot persuade him to come on these two days... Thinking of this, A-Zhu felt a surge of joy—she boldly looked up at Emperor Xuanpei.

Emperor Xuanpei was extremely tall, with deep-set eyes and a more rugged appearance. His originally imposing and awe-inspiring aura had largely dissipated in the faint smile on his face at this moment.

A-Zhu's courage was inflated by Emperor Xuanpei's few words.

After expressing her gratitude, she quickly got up from the ground and placed the food box on the imperial table.

"Your Majesty, this is Emei Qingcui..." Seeing that Emperor Xuanpei did not reprimand her for getting close, nor did he interrupt her, and even seemed to be listening attentively, Azhu felt reassured.

As she placed the teacup on the table, she said in a light tone, "This was brewed with lotus dew collected from the Hibiscus Garden this morning."

Besides tea, there are also tea snacks.

Soon, Ah Zhu brought out another dish of Osmanthus Honey Lotus Root.

The sweetness of osmanthus honey usually seems particularly overpowering, but today, Emperor Xuanpei detected a warm, refreshing sweetness in this osmanthus honey.

If food is valued for its color, aroma, and taste, then people are valued for their voice, expression, and demeanor.

And at no time could anyone compare to Ah Zhu's beaming smile at this moment, her expression so vivid that everyone watching couldn't help but smile along.

Emperor Xuanpei could smell a faint sweetness, while Azhu was aroused by the overpowering sweetness of osmanthus honey.

Learning from mistakes and remembering them doesn't mean the body no longer craves them. On the contrary, having tasted the sweetness makes it even more unforgettable.

Moreover, what is presented to the emperor is far superior to a honey cup that has been diluted with water and left overnight.

Ah Zhu's gaze couldn't help but linger on the osmanthus-scented lotus root dish, and she secretly swallowed her saliva.

Of course, despite her cravings, Ah Zhu wasn't completely out of her mind.

She tried her best to suppress her unseemly gluttony and quickly set out all the tea and snacks.

Just as A-Zhu was about to retreat, a pair of silver chopsticks suddenly appeared on the jade plate in front of her, which was filled with lotus seed and hibiscus cake, with a piece of honey lotus root on it.

? ? ?

A-Zhu looked up in surprise, only to see Emperor Xuanpei, who had left the piece of honeyed lotus root, calmly put away his chopsticks.

This... oh, oh, is this a drug test?

After being startled, Azhu instinctively thought of this.

But in the small kitchen, hadn't they already been tested...? Perhaps Ah Zhu was lost in thought while looking at Emperor Xuanpei, Emperor Xuanpei also looked at Ah Zhu.

Meeting Emperor Xuanpei's eyes, which were like black jade, Azhu, regaining her senses, subconsciously smiled at him. Then, she lowered her eyes, and with the mindset of testing the poison in front of the emperor, she reached out without hesitation and grabbed the piece of honeyed lotus root from the edge of the jade plate.

As soon as he raised his hand, the golden sugar strands wrapped around it dripped down in threads. In a moment of haste, Ah Zhu slightly opened his mouth and licked them off.

——!

Emperor Xuanpei abruptly shifted his gaze.

After a while, he lowered his eyes, picked up the teacup on the table, brought it to his lips, and took a sip.

*

Outside the palace, Eunuch Chen, having finished reprimanding Fu Hai, noticed that A Zhu hadn't come out yet and wondered about her purpose... Eunuch Chen, unusually, had a rather wicked thought that made people blush.

Eunuch Chen stood close to the door, listening intently to the sounds inside.

Even though he couldn't hear anything clearly, he still listened very attentively.

Just as they were getting into the conversation, Fu Hai hurriedly said from the side, "Steward, Steward, people from Nianfu Palace have arrived."

A note from the author:

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Hehehe, sweet Ah Zhu, come and give the little ones a hug.