Chapter 57 Chapter 57 Palace Maid Fifty-Seven Days

She thought she might not be able to sleep with such a person standing by her bed, but maybe the pills or the medicine she drank at noon had a calming effect, Shen Qing fell asleep again.

But after she had slept for a while, she began to sweat and felt sticky. She wanted to lift the quilt, but she was wrapped even tighter.

She could only let others control her while she was sleeping. Soon, her body was soaked, as if she had just been fished out of the water.

The person who was tucking her in the quilt might have noticed it, and he used something like a handkerchief to wipe her forehead and neck, but he stopped at her collarbone and didn't go any further.

The dry towel had a fatal attraction to Shen Qing at this time, even though she hadn't woken up yet. She subconsciously rubbed in the direction where the towel was stretched out, thinking only of the comfort of having the sweat on her body wiped away.

A person in a coma has no idea how miserable she is. If Shen Qing looked at herself in the bronze mirror at this moment, she would surely find that her black hair was soaked with sweat, her originally fair face was not as radiant as before, and her brows were shrouded in an unbearable fragility.

But she didn't know, so she wouldn't cover her head to hide herself.

This was a good opportunity for Ji Chen. When Ji Chen saw people leaning towards him, he suddenly felt a ripple of surprise in his heart. Sick people are the most vulnerable and more dependent on those close to them.

Then isn't he a person that Shen Qing can rely on and confide her sincerity to?

As for any disdain, Ji Chen had already moved closer, fearing that if he was a step slower Shen Qing would move back into the bed.

His hand stroked Shen Qing's cheek. Shen Qing felt the touch and rubbed it unconsciously with his chin.

Ji Chen softened his gaze.

He put the handkerchief aside, thinking only that it was him that Shen Qing needed.

Shen Qing had a severe high fever, so she naturally sweated more than once. Once again, her whole body began to sweat, her mouth curved downwards, and she felt extremely sad.

Ji Chen stared at the dense beads of sweat on Shen Qing's forehead, once again confirming that she would not wake up immediately, and stroked her body to wipe away the sweat.

Shen Qing didn't understand why he was still dreaming even though he was sick.

The dream was very bizarre. She turned into a white kitten and was pressed down by a bigger cat by the neck. She couldn't move, and then the big cat licked her face.

The kitten struggled hard with its four paws, but the strength gap was too great. Soon, it was exhausted and collapsed, and it no longer had the initial resistance to being licked on the face.

It’s just a dream anyway. Even if I’m licked once or even several times, it won’t hurt.

Afterwards, realizing that he was dreaming, Shen Qing woke up from this strange dream, slept for a while, and then woke up.

She slept for about two hours. Shen Qing saw that the sky outside had become much darker. What she didn't expect was that Ji Chen didn't leave and was still guarding her bedside.

Shen Qing took a quick look and found that she slept very properly, in the same position as before and after sleeping. The only difference was that the quilt seemed to be much tighter, and she was wrapped like a silkworm pupa!

She looked at Ji Chen. Ji Chen still looked calm, but she always felt that he seemed a little too pretentious.

Ji Chen said with a guilty conscience: "I asked someone to prepare a bowl of mushroom and black chicken soup. Do you have an appetite now?"

Shen Qing touched his head. The original strong discomfort was only replaced by physical weakness. The prescription written by the imperial physician said at the time that it would take two days to really take effect. Now that the illness was mostly cured, it could only be because of the pills that Ji Chen brought.

Yes, he is the emperor, so he must have a lot of good things in his hands.

But this quick-acting pill must be rare to him.

Shen Qing loosened the quilt: "I want to take a bath first."

"No." Ji Chen immediately rejected her proposal. He was a dictatorial person. It was hard to change his nature. It was normal for him to reject something he didn't agree with. But seeing Shen Qing's weak appearance, he softened his tone and said, "Why don't I bring the soup on the table and have a sip?"

Shen Qing was in good health now, so she wouldn't lose her temper. She was just unhappy when she heard that, but she also knew that Ji Chen was doing it for her own good.

So he gave in a step and said, "Just drink two sips."

Ji Chen nodded and turned to get the soup bowl. Shen Qing sat up from the bed, touched his hair and smelled it, then turned away with disgust.

Ji Chen turned around and saw her little action, and said seriously: "You don't smell bad at all."

Shen Qing complained to him: "You don't know, it's all sweat, it's disgusting, I want to take a shower first but I can't, I don't want to get sick again."

Ji Chen thought to himself, how could I not know this? But he didn't dare to say anything. He lowered his head and scooped a spoonful of black chicken soup and fed it to Shen Qing's mouth.

Shen Qing tasted the delicious taste after taking a sip, and immediately forgot what she had just said about only drinking two sips.

He looked at Ji Chen with an urging look.

The main reason was that the medicine at noon was too bitter, so a bowl of black chicken soup seemed like a divine delicacy.

Shen Qing ignored it. Ji Chen would never make fun of her for this. The more she drank, the less valuable his smile became.

It was not until Shen Qing reached out and pushed his hand holding the spoon that he put down the bowl of soup and took out a brand new handkerchief to wipe her mouth.

Shen Qing had never been served like this before and was very uncomfortable with it, but when she saw Ji Chen looking at her, she felt relieved.

"When you have recovered, you can set off for the summer resort according to the time. Before leaving, I will choose an older servant for the eldest prince." Ji Chen's eyes were gentle.

Then he said something like thunder: "When will you become my concubine?"

The noble concubine is of the third rank and is also the head of a palace. Just as Shen Qing once said, if she wants to be a concubine, she will be the head concubine.

Shen Qing was stunned. She was really surprised, but when she saw Ji Chen's serious gaze, she realized that he was really moved.

If it were usual, she would definitely agree directly, sooner rather than later.

But... the disease was slowly getting better, and she felt very unhappy, so she didn't want to satisfy others, especially Ji Chen.

Shen Qing blinked and said with a guilty conscience: "Since you are already a noble concubine, why not go one step further and give her a Zhaoyi?"

Zhaoyi is just below the rank of concubine. There are only two concubines in the harem now, Defei and Xianfei. Defei never leaves Yongshou Palace unless there is something important, while Xianfei often goes to Cining Palace. Unless you plan specifically, the probability of running into her is very low. The newcomer is gaining momentum, and there is no telling when she will be promoted to concubine or noble concubine.

Not to mention that there are two concubines, Linpin and Yupin. Linpin is not a concern, but Yupin is favored. As long as she gets pregnant or waits for the next grand ceremony to confer titles on the harem, she can be promoted to a noble concubine. By then, she will have the qualifications and titles, and maybe she will be able to perform a half-courteous ceremony when she sees her.

Ji Chen looked at her, and his eyes seemed to reflect her greed.

He touched the ring on his hand, but what he was thinking in his heart was that this bold and guilty look could easily arouse the anger in people's hearts, and they just wanted to throw her hard on the bed, but not now, she was not fully recovered yet.

How could there be someone who is so...suitable for his taste?

Shen Qing twirled her fingers, feeling that she could not escape his gaze, but so what? The more this seemed to be the case, the more she wanted to throw the jar into the air. Rationality was a thing of the past.

Even though what she should do most is to pretend to be noble, so that it matches her appearance and temperament, rather than looking so materialistic.

But she just couldn't help but want to test Ji Chen's bottom line.

If she really becomes a concubine, she has a golden finger and knows his attitude. If he gets tired of her, she will try not to show up in front of him and stay in the palace.

Although Ji Chen was not generous with the positions of concubines, he would give them every share they deserved and would not allow any deductions to occur.

I think even if she is just a queen in name only, she will live a very comfortable life in the future.

Shen Qing pouted in disappointment: "If Zhaoyi doesn't work, then Xiuyuan will do."

She actually took a big step back.

Ji Chen felt increasingly helpless, but he remained calm: "Do you think this is bargaining when buying vegetables?" There was a back and forth.

Ji Chen has always believed that if one is seven points emotional, one should show two or three points, but this rule is often ineffective in front of Shen Qing.

Things are different now. He wants Shen Qing to be his concubine, so some emotions that fuel her arrogance should be completely hidden. Otherwise, his pampering and indulgence will only lead to her becoming more and more lawless and eventually burn herself.

Even though Ji Chen thought Shen Qing would not be like this, she always knew when to act and when to retreat in front of others, and was not always spoiled in front of him. She knew how to handle things so well that even after thinking about it, he could not help but praise her for being smart.

But he didn't want to gamble.

Shen Qing felt ashamed of what he said and started to sulk, as if she couldn't even reach Xiu Yuan's position.

Although she was born a palace maid and her family was a merchant...well, it was indeed a bit far-fetched, but...she was beautiful!

At this time, Ji Chen leaned over and hugged her: "When you really think it through, I will issue an order, but you must give me an answer before the end of this year at the latest."

Shen Qing's thinking is still that of a little girl, she is confused and has no idea what it means to be his concubine, but he can give her a few months to make the transition.

Shen Qing felt relieved and put down his fingers that were stirring. Oh, it was really a false alarm.

She still had time to practice how to be a queen, otherwise she would be a little afraid of heights if her status suddenly changed. And according to Ji Chen's words, her lowest rank should be a noble concubine - she didn't mean to look down on noble concubines, but who wouldn't want better?

Shen Qing kissed Ji Chen on the side of his face, and his tone finally returned to the sticky tone of the past: "Your Majesty, you are so kind, please always be so good to me."

Ji Chen's heart suddenly softened, as if being brushed by a dancing feather, and he responded as if he was making a great promise.

Shen Qing was satisfied, and then she heard Ji Chen ask her: "The fifth day of July is your birthday. I will accompany you no matter what you want to do that day."

Shen Qing couldn't help but be surprised. When did he know this? He couldn't have just checked it before coming here, so he could have checked her birthday before or when he was angry. But in the former case, they weren't close to that extent yet. In the latter case, could he be looking for an opportunity to reconcile while being angry?

Shen Qing was amused by his own thoughts.

Everything Ji Chen did from the time he appeared to now showed that he couldn't be so humble... No matter what, Shen Qing said excitedly: "I want you to teach me how to ride a horse and shoot an arrow!"

Summer begins in June this year, August and September are the autumn hunts, and July is the time for Ji Chen to avoid the Mountain Resort, so it is a perfect time to take her out.

Ji Chen wondered: "Why do you want to learn horseback archery?"

He remembered that when he admitted that he was skilled in archery and horse riding, Shen Qing did not show any interest in these two things, so much so that he did not know how to bring up the topic when he wanted to brag about himself. He only secretly thought that when the autumn hunt came and the concubines in the harem did not have to endure the scorching heat and could join in, Shen Qing would most likely be able to go, and he would be able to show off his skills.

Shen Qing said listlessly: "I am too weak. A gust of wind can blow me down. I am very unhappy. Back then, I could work all day without any backache, and I would not get sick once a year. Even if I did get sick, I would recover quickly, instead of scaring the daylilies to death like now."

Moreover, she is now living a life of luxury and does not have to do any heavy work. The only time she is tired is probably when she holds the eldest prince.

Ji Chen smoothed Shen Qing's brows and said, "I agree, but it's hard to see results in one day. I'll think about how to find time to take you out more often."

The rules of the Mountain Resort are not as good as those of the Imperial City, and there are many loopholes to be found.

"Besides this, think about the birthday gift."

Shen Qing's eyes were confused. Doesn't what he just said count?

Ji Chen looked at her, his eyes were bright. Of course, riding and archery are good for strengthening the body, and he has been practicing them for many years.

Shen Qing didn't know what she was going to experience yet, she only knew that she had one more wish that could come true, and she immediately became happy: "I want you not to kiss me so fiercely, but to kiss me at the top of your heart!"

Since I may be with the Emperor for a long time in the future, if not now, when?

Anyway, she can't bear hardship!

Ji Chen's eyes were filled with lust and darkness. How could this be a gift from him to her? It was clearly a reward from him.

But Shen Qing looked so excited and proud, as if he had gotten a great advantage.

In fact, there is no need to wait until the birthday, he can give it to her now.

Shen Qing was frightened by Ji Chen's gaze, which was like staring at prey. She felt that she could not escape from such a gaze. She said weakly, "You have to listen to my request carefully."

Don't act like he can't wait.

Do you understand gentleness? Do you understand pampering?

Ji Chen said: "I can practice on you first, and I will definitely satisfy you then."

Shen Qing blushed, and then said angrily: "Is your learning ability so bad?"

Ji Chen chuckled: "As you can see, otherwise you wouldn't have missed me so much from last year to now because of a kiss."

He actually admitted it like that? Where was his dignity as an emperor?

Shen Qing looked at him in shock. Normally, in order to save face, shouldn't he study hard in secret and then make a splash in front of her?

Ji Chen met Shen Qing's gaze calmly.

What is face? Does he have it?