Chapter 18: The Sleeping Record

[Zhaixing Tower?!] Yun Zhao was struck by lightning. [That villain Su Mingli is now the Imperial Concubine! I go to serve her? Isn't that just asking her to humiliate me?! What the hell is this bastard emperor up to?!]

[Wait…] A more "wonderful" thought flashed through her mind, and a strange excitement flickered in her eyes. [Let's go! Just in time to let this arrogant and incompetent emperor see with his own eyes that the "childhood sweetheart" he's been dreaming of bringing into the palace is no longer perfect! On her wedding night, she discovers a vast grassland above her head… Tsk tsk, that scene! Just thinking about it makes me feel… refreshed! Hahaha! So cool!]

The villain in my heart was already laughing wildly with his hands on his hips.

Xiao Jin clearly caught the whispers of "Green-haired Turtle" and "Grassland." His back teeth clattered, and veins throbbed in his forehead. "Yun Zhao! Listen up! Tonight, you must serve me closely! Every detail of my relationship with Concubine Su must be recorded in detail! I'm missing a link..."

His eyes were as cold as a knife, "I will twist off your head and kick it like a ball!"

[Personal service? Recording every detail?! Isn't that the job of the Shangqin Bureau?!] Yun Zhao internally complained furiously, [Record it! Who's afraid of who?! I've even copied pornographic paintings! Whoever blushes first will be the coward!]

On her face, she raised an extremely "submissive" and even a little "expectant" smile, and her voice was clear and loud: "Yes! Your Majesty! I obey your command! I will leave no detail, not a single word missing, to leave the most 'perfect' record of your and Lady Su Guifei's wonderful night!"

The sedan chair swayed on the palace road. Yun Zhao followed behind, his eyelids drooping with sleepiness. He yawned one after another and nodded his head like a chicken pecking at rice.

The lights in the Zhaixing Tower were on brightly. The palace servants had obviously not expected the emperor to arrive so late at night. They knelt on the ground in a panic to welcome him, with unconcealable surprise on their faces.

[Oh, first night in the palace, and she didn't even prepare for the night? This Su Mingli, it would be strange if she didn't have any tricks up her sleeve!] Yun Zhao sneered inwardly, and his sleepiness faded a little.

Xiao Jin's face was as gloomy as water, but he continued walking as he rushed into the inner hall.

Yun Zhao followed closely behind, only to see Su Mingli in plain clothes, without any makeup, with a pale and haggard face, and an inextricable sorrow shrouded her brows. Where was the joy of a newlywed?

"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be well and healthy." Her voice was also weak and feeble.

"No thanks." Xiao Jinxu gave him a hand and sat down in the main seat. He took the tea offered by the palace maid, rubbed his fingertips on the warm cup wall for a while, and then put it back on the table intact.

"It's your first time in the palace. Are you used to it?" He asked, his voice devoid of emotion.

Su Mingli lowered her eyebrows and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am used to it."

[Habit? I'm afraid she's just used to playing this role! She's got her heart set on becoming the Princess of Qin, the future Queen! Now, she's just using you as a 'stepping stone' to practice being a competent harem pawn!]

Yun Zhao felt contempt in his heart.

Xiao Jin seemed too lazy to beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Now that you're settled, prepare to sleep with me."

"Sleeping with you?!" Su Mingli's body stiffened noticeably, as if she had been pricked by a needle. Then she fell to her knees with a plop, her voice filled with tears: "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I... I suddenly had my period today. I am filthy and dare not defile the Holy Body! I am guilty!"

[Tsk! You really don't dare! Childhood sweethearts are nothing, worthless in front of power and the King of Qin!] Yun Zhao saw it clearly, [Nowadays, in the former and harems, the civil officials are in a clique, and most of the concubines are their daughters. What are you, the emperor? Just a decoration that is being used as a figurehead! The father and daughter are secretly happy!]

A trace of cold sarcasm flashed across Xiao Jin's eyes. "Oh? What an unfortunate coincidence that I came. I'm afraid Prime Minister Su must be worried about his beloved daughter and can't sleep all night."

Su Mingli lowered her head even lower, her voice choking with sobs: "Father... will understand. It's not that your Majesty came at an unfortunate time, it's just that my body... is not up to the task..."

Xiao Jin's gaze suddenly turned to Yun Zhao, and he gave an unquestionable order: "Remember! On August 15th, the third year of Chengping, Concubine Su had her period and was unable to sleep with me. I will come again in five days."

"Yes, I obey your command." Yun Zhao picked up her pen and wrote neatly in the book, but she sneered inwardly: [Five days later? What new excuse will this Imperial Concubine come up with by then? Falling into the water and getting frightened? Sudden illness?]

Su Mingli was helped to her feet by the palace maid. Her eyes seemed to casually glance at Yun Zhao, and concern instantly filled her face. "So it's Sister Zhao who's serving... Your Majesty, Sister Zhao is engaged to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qin, and she's the eldest daughter of the Duke's Mansion. You've been keeping her in the palace doing this... isn't that inappropriate?"

[Here it comes! The fox tail can't be hidden anymore! After going through so much trouble, you still want to step on me!] Xiao Jin's lips curled up in a cold arc, his tone was full of deliberate doting and unyielding toughness: "My beloved concubine, you worry too much. This is the political affairs of the former dynasty, and the harem has no need to ask about it. I brought you into the palace to let you enjoy a peaceful life, not to worry about it."

He suddenly changed the subject, speaking sharply, "As for Yun Zhao? She's the daughter of a guilty minister. It's a mercy from me that she's still alive! Serving before the Emperor is her chance to atone for her sins! She deserves it!"

What a 'deserved'! What a 'blessing'! A tyrant emperor and a slut who lost her virginity before marriage – a perfect match made in heaven!

The scorn in Su Mingli's eyes almost overflowed, but her words became more gentle: "I just... feel sorry for Sister Zhao's situation. After all, we were classmates at the Imperial College, and she was the legitimate daughter of a Duke..."

"Your Majesty, you are too kind!" Yun Zhao suddenly looked up and interrupted her with a crisp voice, a smile that was extremely "sincere" and even a little "flattered" on her face. "To be able to serve Your Majesty day and night and listen to His Majesty's teachings is the blessing I have cultivated for several lifetimes! I am willing to do this and couldn't ask for more! Could it be... in the eyes of Your Majesty, serving the Holy Emperor is actually a lowly thing?"

Su Mingli's face paled at the blunt counter-attack, her carefully maintained mask of gentleness faltering. She took a deep breath and forced a more "kind" smile, even one that held a touch of intimacy. "Sister Zhao, you really misunderstood me! You've been standing here for so long, you must be tired. Come, sit down and have a cup of hot tea to warm yourself." She personally took a steaming cup of tea from the hand of a palace maid beside her and walked slowly towards Yun Zhao, her smile tinged with a cold poison.

Yun Zhao took a swift step back, avoiding the steaming cup of tea: "I dare not! I am not thirsty!"

[Hmph! You vicious woman! You want to burn my hand and then blame me for your misbehavior? Dream on!]

Su Mingli's eyes instantly turned red, and her voice was filled with grievance: "A Zhao... are you still blaming me for what happened to Nanzhu a few days ago?" She tried to bring up the past again.

"Yes, I have." Yun Zhao looked her straight in the face, not shying away from the topic. "But you are the Imperial Concubine, and I am a servant. Why would you condescend to serve me tea? You are really embarrassing me!"

"Your Majesty!" Su Mingli turned to Xiao Jin, tears welling in her eyes. "I sincerely wish to reconcile with Sister Zhao... I beg Your Majesty to help me!"

Xiao Jin raised the corner of his mouth in a cold arc, and his eyes fell on Yun Zhao: "Yun Zhao, get out and kneel! You are not allowed to get up in less than an hour!" The gloating in Su Mingli's eyes was almost overflowing.

[Dog Emperor! I hope you'll be poisoned to death by this poisonous woman tonight!]

Yun Zhao's heart was boiling with rage. He gritted his teeth and retreated to the cold stone steps outside the hall, kneeling straight down.

The cold wind of late autumn scraped across my cheeks like a knife, and my knees instantly felt a biting chill and a dull pain from the hard stone slabs.

Su Mingli's hypocritical "plea" could be faintly heard from within the palace: "Your Majesty, please calm down... Sister Zhao was also raised with great care..."

"How can she compare to you?" Xiao Jin's voice came out clearly, with a mixture of deliberate doting and contempt. "She's just a wild girl who knows how to wield a sword and a gun! She dared to be disrespectful to you, so she deserves to be punished! My beloved concubine, there's no need to worry about her. You'll be assisting in managing the six harems in the future, and there will be many more hardships."

[Good! Very good! A tyrant emperor and a poisonous concubine!] Yun Zhao knelt in the cold wind, his body frozen stiff, his knees aching, but his mind was remarkably clear, his hatred burning like fire. [I wait to see how you two, this pair of bastards, will reap the fruits of your own actions!]

The biting cold corroded her limbs, but she straightened her back stubbornly, refusing to show weakness.

Suddenly, a shadow descended, and Xiao Jin's cold voice rang out overhead:

"You've been kneeling for so long, do you realize your mistake?"