Chapter 114 Serving the Emperor

"Your Majesty, the time has come."

The palace maid's respectful voice interrupted her thoughts.

Xie Nu'er concealed all the sharpness in her eyes and let the palace maid help her up from the water.

A soft, warm brocade bath towel wrapped around her damp body, absorbing the water droplets.

Next came the more complicated steps—layers of smooth, silky inner garments were put on, and long hair was carefully dried, combed, and tied up, adorned with a few elegant pearl hairpins.

Finally, two strong old women stepped forward and wrapped her up from head to toe in a brand-new brocade quilt infused with ambergris, leaving only her plain yet undeniably beautiful face exposed.

Like a tribute waiting to be presented.

She did not wear the clothes the emperor had arranged for her; she had to do the opposite to get clues. When she refused to change, the aunt in charge of serving the emperor in bed did not stop her. She couldn't help but wonder if this aunt was also one of the young lady's people.

Seeing herself wrapped up like this, Xie Nuer closed her eyes, suppressing the slight sense of humiliation in her heart.

These are the rules, the rules of the inner palace, the rules of the emperor.

The body, wrapped in a brocade quilt, was steadily lifted and placed on a specially made palanquin.

The palanquin moved through a series of deep palace gates, finally stopping outside the side gate of the emperor's sleeping quarters.

Desheng was already waiting outside the door. When the palanquin arrived, he put on a practiced and obsequious smile and said in a high-pitched voice, "Your Highness Consort Ru has arrived? Please come in quickly. His Majesty is already waiting for you inside."

Xie Nu'er's heart skipped a beat.

Are they already waiting?

This doesn't make sense!

According to old palace custom, after the emperor selected a concubine, she would first wash and dress herself, be wrapped in a quilt and sent to the emperor's bedchamber, where she would be settled on the dragon bed before the emperor would arrive late to enjoy the sense of control he had over her.

The emperor arrived even earlier than she, the concubine who was to spend the night with him... This was simply unheard of...

The brocade quilt was carefully carried into the warm inner chamber of the bedroom.

The door closed behind them.

There weren't many candles lit inside the hall; only a few large red candles burned near the dragon bed in the inner chamber, casting a dim, ambiguous light, and the air was filled with a strong ambergris fragrance.

Xie Nu'er was gently placed on the large, soft dragon bed, and the nannies quickly unwrapped and took away the brocade quilt that was wrapped around her.

She was only wearing a thin, plain-colored undergarment.

According to custom, she should close her eyes at this moment, displaying just the right amount of shyness and obedience, and quietly wait for the emperor's favor.

However, Xie Nuer slightly opened her eyes, her gaze quickly sweeping across the inner room.

Not far away, beside the huge sandalwood dragon table, with his back to the dragon bed, a tall figure wearing a bright yellow sleeping robe stood with his hands behind his back.

Pei Yan.

He's actually here!

And judging from the looks of it, they've been standing there for a while!

He didn't turn around, but just stood there quietly, as if gazing at a painting hanging on the wall, or perhaps deep in thought.

The dim candlelight cast a long shadow of him.

What is he waiting for?

Xie Nu'er's heart raced slightly, not from shyness, but from excitement.

The young lady's performance targets are looming ahead!

Observe him! Record him!

She subtly adjusted her position to lie more docilely, but her gaze remained fixed on every subtle movement of that figure's back.

Time passed second by second in this deathly silent and oppressive atmosphere.

The candlelight occasionally crackled softly, making the bedroom feel even quieter, as if a pin drop could be heard.

Pei Yan still showed no intention of turning around.

He just stood there.

Like a sculpture.

Only the hand behind his back would occasionally twitch unconsciously with its fingertips.

Xie Nu'er was getting anxious. Should she speak up or continue to wait?

Xie Nuer's nerves were stretched to the limit.

She could even clearly hear the pounding of her heart in her chest.

No! We can't just wait passively! We have to earn our own performance! We have to actively gather intelligence!

She took a deep breath, and with all her acting skills, she pinched her throat and let out a perfectly timed soft call, a voice of exquisite beauty:

"His Majesty…"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was unusually clear in the deathly silent bedchamber.

The frozen figure suddenly jolted!

It was as if a sleeping beast had been suddenly awakened!

Pei Yan slowly, extremely slowly, turned around.

It was a well-maintained, still handsome and dignified face.

However, when his gaze fell on the woman on the dragon bed, who was dressed only in plain clothes and had long hair flowing down her back, the expression on his face changed!

It's not because of lust.

It wasn't because it was amazing.

Instead, it was disappointment and anger!

What surged in his eyes was undisguised irritability, disgust, and a kind of rage at having his perfect plan disrupted!

"Who told you to dress like that?!"

Pei Yan's voice was hoarse and low, each word seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, carrying displeasure and accusation!

His gaze was like a knife, sweeping over Xie Nuer's plain undergarment as if it were something filthy!

Xie Nu'er felt a chill instantly run from the soles of her feet throughout her entire body! She was terrified.

But at the same time, her suspicions were confirmed!

really!

As expected, there was something wrong with those clothes!

He wasn't waiting for her as a person! He was waiting for her wearing this dress!

If I'm not mistaken, this is the color my stepmother likes, because the eldest daughter also likes to wear clothes of this color. She once said that her mother's favorite color is cyan!

I hadn't thought of that before, but now that I see it, it must be true!

If that's the case, then...

That's disgusting!

A body double is one thing, but now they're making her play the stepmother!

Is this emperor out of his mind?!

This guess sent a chill down her spine, but at the same time, she was overjoyed!

This is absolutely a major discovery!!

Performance bonuses! A ton of performance bonus points are beckoning to her!

This is definitely intelligence! And it's related to my stepmother!

But the prerequisite for receiving performance bonuses is that you have to survive.

In a flash, Xie Nu'er's face switched from fear and helplessness to tears, her eyes instantly reddening and on the verge of sobbing, her voice trembling with just the right amount of grievance:

"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! I...I deserve to die! I was terrified that Your Majesty had been waiting for so long, and I thought...I thought Your Majesty was annoyed by my slow movements...so...so..."

She choked up at just the right moment, shifting the blame for not having had time to change her clothes, and appeared pitiful, "Your Majesty, I'll go change right away! I'll go immediately to change into the palace dress His Majesty bestowed upon me! I beg Your Majesty... please don't despise me..."

She struggled to get up from the dragon bed, her movements flustered and delicate, perfectly portraying a concubine who was afraid of being rejected by the emperor.

Pei Yan's cold and violent eyes flickered when he heard the words "palace attire"!

That anger was replaced by longing!

"etc!"

He spoke abruptly, his voice tinged with urgency.

The anger on his face subsided somewhat, but his scrutinizing gaze remained fixed on Xie Nuer.

"There's no need to get up."

"Right here on this couch... show it to me."

boom--!

Xie Nuer felt another "buzz" in her head!

On the dragon bed…in front of him…to change?!

This is no longer objectification; it is blatant desecration and humiliation!

A strong feeling of nausea instantly welled up in my throat!

She almost couldn't hold it in and vomited on the spot!

Her fingers, hidden under the quilt, dug tightly into her palms, the sharp pain barely allowing her to maintain the shy expression on her face.

"Yes... Your Majesty, I obey..."

If I don't do it, I might be disliked and won't have the chance to serve the young lady again.

I chose this path myself, and no matter how disgusting it is, I have to keep going.

Although I tried to comfort myself with these thoughts, I still couldn't help but tremble.

Is this the emperor of Daqing?

There was absolutely no respect for women; they were treated like objects...

Only now did she understand what her teacher, Granny Zhou, had said: "Once you're in the palace, you should see yourself as a courtesan who only serves the emperor. There is no love, and you can't get love. You use your body to get what you want."

At the time, she thought the old woman's words were a bit too harsh, but now, the old woman's words have made her more aware of the truth.

She reached out shakily, groping for the jade palace dress that had been prepared by the bedside, and dragged it under the brocade quilt...

This garment will be the stepping stone for Xie Nu'er to climb up the social ladder through perverse means!

She's determined to boost her performance score!