Chapter 63 Chapter 63 Palace Maid's Sixty-three Days

At the hour of Mao the next day, the concubines went to Shuifang Yanxiu to pay their respects to the empress.

After paying respects, Zhang Cairen was about to stay as usual, but she heard the queen say, "Today, I want to invite the emperor to have lunch, so we need to prepare it early. I won't keep you any longer."

Zhang Cairen nodded in agreement and left tactfully.

After leaving Shuifang Yanxiu, she saw Yan Jieyu and her servant, who should have left early, stopped under a tree and looked at her.

It turned out that it was directed at her, and Zhang Cairen thought to herself that something was not good.

As for Concubine Yan, Concubine Yu and others who could barely be called favorite concubines, she always avoided them whenever possible and had no intention of dealing with them at all.

But we can't help but feel that they come prepared.

Because Concubine Yan's position was higher than Concubine Zhang's, Concubine Zhang could not turn a blind eye, so she stopped and saluted Concubine Yan.

"Sister, don't you know why I am waiting for you here?" Yan Jieyu spoke first, her eyes slightly narrowed, her eyes as narrow and long as a fox's.

Zhang Cairen looked confused and said in a way that she didn't know much about the world: "Don't play dumb, Concubine Yan. I really don't know what you are talking about."

Yan Jieyu knew that there were only two pairs of master and servant around, but she still lowered her voice a little: "After arriving at the Summer Resort, my sister has been by the Queen's side every day to entertain her. Even if she has no merit, she has worked hard. The Queen should think of my sister when there are good things. But my sister Guanzhang came out of Shuifangyanxiu ahead of time, which shows that the Queen would rather recommend a young maid than make more plans for my sister."

"Sister...it's just not worth it for Sister Zhang."

Zhang Cairen understood what she said, but she just smiled: "Your Highness, what you said makes me even more confused."

Concubine Yan looked at Concubine Zhang, who was still smiling innocently, making it impossible to tell what she was really thinking. Or maybe she was completely unaware of the Queen's plan.

Concubine Yan's eyes showed some dissatisfaction, and she said to her, "Since Miss Zhang is so generous, as a sister, I won't say much."

After saying that, she turned around and left with Xing Luo.

Zhang Cairen bowed behind Concubine Yan, and even after Concubine Yan left, there was still a smile on her lips.

But this time, I was much more sincere.

Her maid Baoji was a little confused: "Jieyi ridiculed the master, why are you still happy?"

Zhang Cairen thought for a moment and said, "When I think about how Concubine Yan was on guard and wanted to use me to remove the future rival, but I didn't care at all and let Concubine Yan waste her time, I feel very happy."

After Zhang Cairen finished speaking, he also left with Breguet.

In Shuifangyanxiu, the Queen had already passed on the message to the Emperor, and she expected that the Emperor would not refuse to dine in Shuifangyanxiu to save her face.

After all, she managed the harem very well and the emperor was quite satisfied with her.

Sure enough, when he was watching the meal himself, a palace servant brought news that the emperor would come over for dinner.

Upon hearing this, the queen left the kitchen and went to see Shen Qing.

Even though she was exhausted after all the fun last night, Shen Qing slept for a long time. She only got up after the concubines paid their respects and left, so her face did not look tired or haggard.

After she stood up, she was caught by the experienced nanny and was personally bathed. Shen Qing didn't know this would happen, so she quickly said, "I'll do it myself!"

The old lady had a wooden face with deep wrinkles on it, and she looked very stern and uncompromising.

But after Shen Qing looked at her pitifully, she paused for a long time and hid behind the screen: "Wash it clean, and remember to apply the jade cream after washing."

Shen Qing nodded repeatedly and smiled: "Thank you, Madam."

After bathing, she sat in front of the bronze mirror, and the old nanny began to take care of Shen Qing's long hair with her dry hands.

After that, Shen Qing combed her hair and the queen came.

The Queen said in a gentle voice, "You will stay beside me later and serve the emperor the meal. After that, I will leave with an excuse, and everything will be up to you."

"Remember, remember, don't be too reserved. Even if the emperor rejects you, you must throw yourself into his arms."

She just didn't believe that the emperor would remain indifferent with such a beauty in his arms.

Shen Qing lowered his eyes, his earlobes turning slightly red: "...Yes."

Did the Queen mean that she took the initiative to throw herself at the Emperor in front of a room full of palace maids?

This really made her feel a little embarrassed.

She didn't even dare to think about how Ji Chen would use this to laugh at her in the future.

Just by listening to what the queen said, you can see her determination.

There was a flash of thought in the queen's eyes.

In this way, if Shen Qing failed, not only would she not be able to appear in front of the emperor in the future, but the palace maids under her would also talk about her.

The best way was to keep her in the summer resort until she was 25 years old, and then she would issue an imperial decree to let Shen Qing return home.

If it succeeds, that would be the best. If Shen Qing is placed in the side palace, wouldn't the emperor be attracted to Shui Fangyanxiu?

When she comes, she will go and take a look at the eldest prince. After living together for a long time, people are all kind-hearted. I don’t believe that the emperor doesn’t value the eldest prince.

Even if it's just this period of time at the Summer Resort, it would be enough.

The queen raised her eyes and told Shen Qing to pack up and come find her.

Shen Qing said he was paying his respects and watched the queen and her people leave.

Then he slowly sat down.

Shen Qing was not surprised at the Queen's thoughts. After understanding, she felt relieved.

How should I put it? If she and the emperor hadn't had this incident, she would be very happy that the queen would take the trouble to take care of her afterwards. Even if staying in the Summer Resort was not a good destination, she would waste nearly ten years of her life, and her status as the Grand Prince's concubine would be abolished after leaving the palace.

But the queen was willing to consider her a little and it was a great honor for her that she remembered her for ten years.

However, she seemed to be a little too ambitious. When she thought about having to stay in a side palace, the Queen's territory, she could not accept this arrangement indifferently.

Otherwise, what does this mean? When paying respects, it is close to the Queen's residence and can be reached in just two steps?

Concubine Yan doesn't like the feeling of having someone else in the main seat...

After everything was ready, Shen Qing came to the Queen and calculated the time. It was time for the Emperor to leave.

The queen's eyes fell on Shen Qing. She was wearing a frost-colored dress with a belt loosely tied around her waist, which made her waist appear slender and thin. The neckline half covered her delicate collarbone, which made people's eyes fall down involuntarily, wanting to take a glimpse of the scenery inside.

She still kept her head down and her face humble, but no one would ignore her like before.

Even if you don't see her face clearly, you will be attracted by her back.

Not to mention the tingling feeling that her half-hooked eyes gave people when the queen knew that Shen Qing was looking at her timidly.

It was impossible to refuse any request she made.

The queen withdrew her gaze and took people to the door to greet the emperor.

I heard a series of horse hooves sounds and looked into the distance to see Ji Chen riding a horse towards me. His wide sleeves fluttered backwards, revealing a part of his muscular arms holding the reins.

The rules of the Mountain Resort were not as strict as those of the Imperial City, so he did not have to use the dragon chariot all the time.

The queen was dazzled by the scene before her, and vaguely remembered why she had entered the prince's mansion at such a young age, just to be a concubine.

Now she has received more than she expected, except for the favor that has been denied to her except on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month since she became pregnant.

Shen Qing didn't look up, she was still thinking about what to do next.

Ji Chen got off his horse not far from the Queen's group, and his eyes drifted towards Shen Qing. He narrowed his eyes, making it hard to figure out his attitude: "Why did the Queen come out?"

The queen smiled and said something.

The eunuch in front of the emperor caught up with Ji Chen at this time and fell silently behind the emperor.

The group began to walk inside.

For this lunch, the queen specially arranged a room, which was surrounded by gauze on all sides. People sat in the middle to eat. There was also a bed for people to rest behind the curtain. You could see it by just walking two steps towards that side.

The meals were brought in one by one by the palace servants.

Ji Chen sat in the main seat, the queen sat next to him, and Shen Qing stood next to the queen.

The two of them started eating in silence.

The queen winked at Shen Qing, and Shen Qing silently walked from the queen's side to Ji Chen's side. Ji Chen's hand holding the chopsticks paused for a moment, and he saw Shen Qing take his chopsticks away from his hand.

Their hands touched lightly, and because Ji Chen was so surprised, he relaxed his hands and let her pass naturally.

Shen Qing was immersed in her own world. She had never served meals to anyone, so naturally she didn't want to learn these rules and regulations, and she hadn't noticed anything wrong yet.

When she picked a dish that was easy to pick up and was about to put it in Ji Chen's bowl, she suddenly realized that Ji Chen had no chopsticks.

The chopsticks were taken away by her!

She should use serving chopsticks.

Shen Qing's eyes widened in an instant, and she resisted the urge to look up. She was shocked at how she could be so stupid, and was in a dilemma for a moment.

The movement to put it into Ji Chen's bowl froze.

Then she obviously thought for a moment, then raised her hand tremblingly and handed the dish to Ji Chen's mouth, her face turning red little by little.

Shen Qing's eyes were half-closed, and the only thing he could see was below Ji Chen's mouth.

I don't know what his expression was like.

She just wanted to get over this hurdle quickly. She would return the chopsticks to Ji Chen and pick up the serving chopsticks. Then things would not be too bad.

Probably...

Shen Qing couldn't see it, but the Queen saw it clearly. She saw interest in Ji Chen's eyes, and she didn't frown or get angry from beginning to end. She was just stunned and then calmly waited for Shen Qing's next reaction.

This was a strange yet wonderful development, indicating that Shen Qing had accidentally caught Ji Chen's eye.

Afterwards, seeing that Shen Qing clearly realized that something was wrong, but did not apologize immediately, but instead hoped to get away with it, he was so naive.

The queen was worried about Shen Qing, because the emperor was not someone who could be fooled easily.

She was ready to plead for Shen Qing.

However, the emperor ate the food that Shen Qing fed him with a calm expression, without any intention of asking for punishment. He even let Shen Qing pry his hand open with the chopsticks and gave it back to him, then picked up the public chopsticks in an attempt to cover up his mistake and hurriedly put a dish into his bowl.

Ji Chen found it funny in his heart, but he couldn't laugh out loud, and he had to cover it up for her because she was thin-skinned.

It was particularly difficult to endure for a while.

So when the Queen coughed lightly and said, "Your Majesty, I need to go downstairs to change my clothes," Ji Chen nodded and let the Queen take her people away.

The queen took her attendants away, and the room suddenly became empty. Several palace maids in the queen's palace also retreated after knowing the situation. Now only Shen Qing and Ji Chen, as well as the eunuchs brought by Ji Chen, were left.

What's more, Shen Qing had even seen those eunuchs last night.

She thought that if she threw herself into Ji Chen's arms now, she probably wouldn't be so embarrassed as to throw her head to the ground.

Shen Qing did it right away. He put down his chopsticks and boldly looked up at Ji Chen. Seeing the smile on his lips, he evoked the courage to move forward. He closed his eyes and threw himself into Ji Chen's arms.

If he didn't do this, Ji Chen probably wouldn't even think about it that way.

Ji Chen hugged Shen Qing, and even though he was hit head-on, he remained as still as a mountain and held Shen Qing steadily. The scent of powder mixed with the strange fragrance of yesterday filled his nose.

At this moment, he had a vague feeling that some things were out of his control.

The smile on his lips slowly fell.

Shen Qing didn't like to put on makeup in summer, but today she was carefully made up. Her hair wasn't combed by herself, and the silk on her body that felt cool to the touch was not something she could get.

She was now pushed in front of him like a carefully arranged gift.

Because others thought that as an emperor, he would be greedy for the beauty of this palace maid.

Ji Chen clenched his fists, not knowing whether he was angry at Shen Qing for being treated like this, or angry at others for guessing his thoughts.

Shen Qing buried herself in Ji Chen's arms and did not settle down. She stretched out her hand and crawled to Ji Chen's collar little by little, trying to peel open his collar and get inside.

This way, Ji Chen should understand what it means.

The next moment, a big hand clamped Shen Qing's wrist. Suddenly, she was pulled up and forced to follow Ji Chen out.

Ji Chen left in a rage, no longer hiding his emotions, as if he didn't want to stay here for a moment.

Shen Qing was stunned. He didn't understand what was going on and why he was angry. He could only follow him in small steps and then started to jog.

Next, everything was a mess. When the queen saw Ji Chen coming out, she wanted to call him, but Ji Chen ignored her and took Shen Qing away from Shuifang Yanxiu. Then he took her on a gallop and ran to his bedroom by the reins.

Along the way, Ji Chen said nothing except driving the horse.

Shen Qing could only silently hold Ji Chen's wrist, trying to extinguish his inexplicable anger.

But it seemed to be of no use, because as soon as Ji Chen arrived at his bedroom, he carried her off the horse and strode into the palace, still roughly, until she was placed steadily on the bed.

Shen Qing placed his hands on the bed, sitting slightly tilted.

Ji Chen's body pressed towards her, but he didn't do anything and kept some distance between them.

"The Queen treats you as an object, aren't you angry?" Ji Chen frowned deeply and asked in a suppressed tone.

Shen Qing was stunned for a long time, then she pursed her lips and replied, "Your Majesty, I am a palace maid."

Why should she be angry with her status? Does she have to be angry every time she is ordered to do something? Then she really has endless anger.

He was actually obsessed with this? But wasn't he the same way to her in the beginning?

It was because she was a palace maid that he pulled her to the bed.

The couple had exactly the same attitude, and Ji Chen actually had the nerve to vent his anger on the Queen.

It's really unreasonable.

Although she thought so, Shen Qing would not say so. She pushed Ji Chen, and after he turned over and lay down, she hugged his waist and put her cheek on his chest, saying softly, "Your Majesty, don't be angry. I am yours now, right?"

"I am yours, and you are unhappy?" Shen Qing circled Ji Chen's waist and abdomen with his fingers.

Ji Chen stretched out his hand to trace Shen Qing's eyebrows and eyes, looking up at the ceiling of the tent. He knew without thinking that she was heartless.

But this is not right. Shen Qing is the one he likes, and her status is destined to be noble. Even if the queen doesn't know, she shouldn't use these dirty tricks on Shen Qing.

What would the palace maids say when they mentioned Shen Qing in the future? They would say that she was a means for the queen to flatter him and consolidate her favor.

The pretentious concubines would trample on her dishonorable dedication, ridicule her, and look at her with disdain.

But this is the fact, and Shen Qing can only stand there at a loss.

The more Ji Chen thought about it, the angrier he became. He actually took his anger out on Shen Qing, blaming her for being cowardly and for not caring about the matter.

If I had told him yesterday, he would never have left her alone.

But she said nothing and let the queen present her to him.

Was he so eager in her mind and was he happy to accept her gift?

Ji Chen lowered his head, pulled Shen Qing's hand away with a cold face, and left without looking back.

Looking at Ji Chen's departing back, Shen Qing sat up, sighed, and once again felt confused. Just now, her ear was pressed tightly against his chest, and she felt something was wrong when she heard his heavy ups and downs of breathing.

Ji Chen's temper is long-lasting and intense.

She really guessed it right. If she had known, she would have been outraged just like Ji Chen.

Although this is really nothing to be angry about.

Shen Qing touched her chin. She was anxious, afraid that she wouldn't be able to coax her baby well, but she wasn't so anxious that she acted rogue. She was thinking in a shameless way in her heart.

Just wait until he has calmed down before trying to coax him. After all, this is his territory and he won't give her the chance to delay like she did last time.

Also, don't just leave her like this again!

No matter what, no matter how angry I am, I have to keep it to myself by her side.