Chapter 128 A Tale of Unbridled Jealousy: Vibrant and Alluring, Captivating and Seductive

Lu Lingyue never expected that her former friend would take the initiative to participate in the imperial concubine selection and enter the palace to serve His Majesty with her.

She was even quite favored.

When the two sat down to meet again, Cui Minglan couldn't help but make a joke.

"Ling Yue, I finally understand why you admire His Majesty."

"Your Majesty is truly an admirable and heroic woman. I have already fallen for her after only a few days of conversation. If it were to continue for longer, I might very well start competing with you for His Majesty's affections."

He smiled brightly, making jokes, his tone as friendly and straightforward as ever. But Lu Lingyue couldn't laugh at all.

"Minglan, why did you suddenly come to the palace?" Lu Lingyue suppressed her emotions and tried her best to maintain her original state.

Cui Minglan was oblivious and continued joking, "What, wouldn't it be good for me to enter the palace? It would not only solve my lifelong marriage problem and satisfy the clan, but I could also keep you company in the palace."

To keep him company?

In the past, Lu Lingyue might have felt comforted by this. Unfortunately, she didn't want this kind of companionship at all now.

If he had known beforehand that Cui Minglan would gain the Emperor's favor upon entering the palace, he would have done everything in his power to prevent her from participating in the imperial concubine selection.

A faint, lingering bitterness remained in Lu Lingyue's heart, making him feel less close to his old friends than before.

My hands, which have been aching from copying books for the past few days, have started to ache again without me noticing.

...

At the same time, Zheng Fu also felt extremely disappointed.

With the increase in the number of men in the harem these past few days, the entire palace has become quite lively.

Every day, countless men try to get close to His Majesty. Some bring him soup and food, others try to catch him by chance in the Imperial Garden, and still others even sing songs to win his favor... the variety is dazzling.

With so many men vying for his favor, Zheng Fu naturally became lost among them.

It has been more than half a month since Zheng Fu entered the palace, but he still hasn't been able to wait for her to be his concubine.

This made Zheng Fu feel increasingly disappointed. Looking at her young and beautiful face in the mirror, she couldn't help but ask the servant.

"Do you think His Majesty dislikes my appearance and has forgotten about me since last time?" Her voice was melancholy, and she seemed to have lost some confidence.

"How could that be? Even in this palace full of beauties, Your Majesty's appearance is among the best. To put it bluntly, in our eyes, Your Majesty's appearance is no less than that of the recently favored Cui Shaoqing," the palace servant comforted her kindly.

If that's true, then why hasn't His Majesty come to his palace yet... Zheng Fu couldn't help but sigh.

However, despite her sigh, Zheng Fu knew that such matters could not be rushed. Regardless of a man's status before entering the palace, or whether he would gain favor after entering, it all depended on His Majesty's will.

All he could do was wait silently. He inquired about His Majesty's preferences, worked hard in the direction His Majesty favored, and learned the strengths of the various palace officials, hoping to one day gain His Majesty's favor.

...

Recently, after the young men entered the palace, Yuan Yan experienced the lively atmosphere of being surrounded by beautiful women.

Because of the large number of eligible men selected in this election, Yuan Yan has only favored a portion of them so far.

Later, due to Yu'er's jealousy and persistent pursuit, Shen Lianzhou and Yang Lingyi spent a considerable amount of time together, inevitably forgetting about the other men for a short period of time.

It was only after Zheng Fu's cousin performed a meritorious service that Yuan Yan remembered Zheng Fu and summoned her to his bedchamber that very night.

When the eunuch delivering the imperial decree arrived at Zheng Fu's palace, Zheng Fu still felt somewhat surreal, as if struck by a sudden imperial favor.

"Your Majesty, do you wish to summon my son to serve you tonight?" Zheng Fu heard it clearly, but still couldn't help but confirm with the eunuch who delivered the decree.

It was neither Cui Shaoqing nor Du Shiqing... Today, the Emperor's grace has finally descended upon him.

The thought of seeing His Majesty tonight sent an uncontrollable surge of excitement through Zheng Fu's heart, as if her entire heart had suddenly begun to beat wildly.

The imperial eunuch who delivered the imperial decree had seen many men summoned to court. Seeing Zheng Fu's expression, he knew that his master was overjoyed. As usual, he smiled and offered a few words of congratulations, reminding Zheng Fu to make all the necessary preparations.

Emperor Yuan Yan initially treated Zheng Fu's summons as a favor to the Zheng family. However, after actually enjoying his company, he discovered that Zheng Fu was a talented, witty, and refined man.

He was skilled in poetry and prose, and also proficient in music. He played the zither beautifully and was also adept at playing the flute.

What's even more remarkable is that Zheng Fu, in order to create more common ground with Yuan Yan, diligently studied riding and archery for a period of time before entering the palace, despite not originally knowing how. He hoped that these skills would win Yuan Yan's favor and allow him to serve by her side.

Such a talented and beautiful woman looked at Yuan Yan with undisguised affection in her eyes, and how could Yuan Yan not see it?

When she asked Zheng Fu, Zheng Fu was slightly taken aback. Recalling the scene of throwing flowers and gazing at each other that day, a sweet feeling welled up in her heart.

"Your Majesty may not remember. When Your Majesty returned to the capital in triumph, many people lined the streets to welcome you. I was standing by the window facing the street at that time, watching Your Majesty ride by on horseback. I was so captivated by Your Majesty's proud and heroic figure that I unconsciously let go of my hand and tossed that peony flower onto Your Majesty."

When Zheng Fu spoke of their first meeting, her eyes shone brightly.

"From that time on, I have never forgotten Your Majesty." His words contained a hint of a man's shyness.

After Zheng Fu recalled it, Yuan Yan also remembered it.

"So it was you who threw the flowers that day."

She looked up following the falling peony blossoms and indeed saw a group of men throwing flowers out the window.

However, when Yuan Yan looked up, he was backlit and couldn't see clearly who the owner of the peony was.

I only learned about this from Zheng Fu today, and pieced together the whole story.

Unexpectedly, she and Zheng Fu had such a past connection. Yuan Yan felt a slight pang of emotion.

No wonder Zheng Fu was so tender and affectionate towards her, harboring a sincere heart and always paying attention to Yuan Yan's words and thoughts.

On one occasion.

Yuan Yan only mentioned unintentionally a certain border food he ate during his military campaign, which had a unique and unforgettable taste.

What was said unintentionally was taken to heart by the listener.

Not long after, Zheng Fu sent someone to the border to find the person who made this kind of food and send them to the palace... Such dedication is truly rare.

For these reasons, and also because Zheng Fu's performance during his night with the emperor was very satisfactory.

Soon, Yuan Yan promoted him to a higher rank, placing him alongside Cui Minglan and He Jia as a Junior Minister.

Not only did Yuan Yan continue to favor Zheng Fu, but he also promoted him so quickly, which is enough to show how much he liked him.

This has certainly stirred up a lot of jealousy among the women in the harem.

Shen Lianzhou sent someone to invite him: "Your Majesty has not visited me for several days. Would you like to come and sit in my palace later?"

Yuan Yan agreed.

However, as soon as Shen Lianzhou's people left, Yu'er ran over on her own.

He somehow managed to sneak in and appear on Yuan Yan's imperial bed.

Yuan Yan noticed the bulge on the couch, lifted the covers, and saw Yu'er lying there with her legs crossed, carefully posing like a reclining mermaid. Seeing Yuan Yan, she smiled smugly at him.

He was only dressed in a red gauze robe, which was practically the same as wearing nothing at all. Beneath the red gauze, his snow-white skin was faintly visible…

What a vivid and alluring scene!

"Your Majesty, come quickly." Yu'er's eyes were alluring, and her voice was like a nightingale's song.

He placed his hand on his chest, deliberately slowing down his movements, and ruffled the red gauze.

"My heart aches so much, Your Majesty needs to massage it to feel better~"

What's going on today? Yuan Yan raised an eyebrow at him.

Seeing that Yuan Yan was standing still and unresponsive, Yu'er called out even more enthusiastically.

That alluring voice was incredibly seductive.

Yuan Yan strode forward, grabbed the wriggling Yu'er, turned him over, and slapped his pert buttocks.

"Keep it down. You want all the palace servants outside to hear, don't you?"

"Hmm..." Yu'er did not stop being whipped by Yuan Yan. Instead, she let out a comfortable groan, clearly enjoying the beating.

His eyes were red at the corners, and he held onto Yuan Yan's hand tightly, drawing out the last syllable as if he were pleading, "Your Majesty, please don't leave tonight. Stay and keep the barbarians company."

Yuan Yan looked at Yu'er's disheveled appearance, estimated the time, and felt that it was enough, so he did not refuse.

"You do nothing but think about how to provoke me all day long." Yuan Yan snorted in dissatisfaction, and his mood was reflected in his actions.

Yu'er felt no shame at all. "The barbarians are His Majesty's ministers, and serving His Majesty is of utmost importance."

Even at a time like this, he couldn't resist being jealous, speaking haltingly with gasps for breath.

"Your Majesty, tell me... is the barbarian more beautiful, or is the newly appointed Zheng Shaoqing more beautiful?" Yu'er asked, turning her head to look at her.

"I think no one in this harem can compare to you."

No one can compare to him in his ability to be dramatic and unrestrained.

Yuan Yan didn't say the rest of the words aloud, but his tone was already very clear.

"His Majesty……"

Unfortunately, Yu'er could no longer understand what was being said. She only heard Yuan Yan's words, "I can't compare to you," and she suddenly relaxed her tense mind, letting herself sink completely into the depths of desire.

...

When Lu Lingyue heard that His Majesty had gone to Lian Guiqing's place tonight, her hand holding the paintbrush remained motionless. Only when she saw the flickering candlelight did her eyelashes tremble almost imperceptibly.

He got up and opened the window, letting the cold night wind blow in, as if only in this way could he extinguish the fire of lust in his heart.

The act of being sick can be used once, but not a second time.

Lu Lingyue knew she was different from Shen Lianzhou and the others. If she wanted to gain the Emperor's favor, she had to find other ways.

Knowing that Yuan Yan had recently been secretly vying with them because of issues such as powerful families encroaching on government land and evading taxes.

After careful consideration, Lu Lingyue summoned members of the Lu clan and sent them a message, hoping to persuade them to cooperate with the land survey and to show their loyalty to His Majesty.

"Sigh... any large family does the same thing."

After hearing Lu Lingyue's message, the members of the Lu clan shook their heads repeatedly. "If the imperial court sends people to investigate, what will happen to the clan's original land? The extra taxes will amount to a considerable sum. If we do as you say, our Lu clan will surely suffer countless losses."

Lu Lingyue knew that her clansmen were unwilling, so she calmly continued.

"Is money more important, or is the future of the Lu family more important?"

“My mother and aunt were involved in the Prince of Qi’s rebellion, which offended His Majesty. Now is the time for my Lu family to redeem ourselves and show our loyalty.”

"If we can take this opportunity to actively cooperate with the investigation, make up for the tax shortfall, and set an example for the people, His Majesty will surely remember the Lu family's contributions."