Chapter 53 Part-time Palace Maid

After leaving Changchun Palace, Xu Lanshan was in no hurry to return, wanting to wander eastward. Concubine Bai hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward to invite her, and the two of them went for a stroll together.

Lady Bai has a gentle temperament, and Xu Lanshan doesn't dislike her. Although it is impossible to open her heart to her, it is not bad to have her as a companion.

The two of them strolled around for a while and decided to have lunch together at Xu Lanshan's place. Then Concubine Bai returned to Qiuyuexuan.

Before leaving, Concubine Bai hesitated for a moment and whispered to Xu Lanshan, "This Yulinglong Hall is closest to Wan'an Palace, and it has been uninhabited in previous years. This is the emperor's grace, but I'm afraid many people will be jealous of it. Sister, you'd better be careful..."

Xu Lanshan was stunned for a moment, then quickly smiled and said, "Thank you, Sister Bai, for reminding me!"

Lady Bai nodded with a smile, said goodbye and left.

Xu Lanshan pondered and thought, "Great! The potential conditions for pushing Concubine Lian into the water are already there. I don't believe that Concubine Lian can hold back and not find fault..."

She didn't think that the emperor let her live here on purpose to put her on the spot. There was no need for the emperor to do that.

Anyway, the emperor promoted her, a palace maid, which was already hated. She was not worried about the debts, and she was not afraid of more grace.

If the emperor is willing to give it, she dares to accept it.

A hot potato is still a hot potato. If it's handed to you, just take it and eat it. As long as your thinking doesn't slip, there are always more solutions than problems!

That night, Xu Lanshan disguised herself as a palace maid and quietly came to Wan'an Hall by passing through the pomegranate forest and exquisite rockery under the cover of darkness.

Emperor Yuan Yong was at a loss whether to laugh or cry, but he did not drive her away. Instead, he treated her as a palace maid and ordered her to serve him by his side, pouring tea, serving water, grinding ink and spreading paper.

That pair of slender hands was extremely beautiful. The clear black and white when grinding ink and the elegant and delicate way when serving tea were all eye-catching. Emperor Yuan Yong was always inadvertently attracted by that pair of hands when reviewing memorials. He would look up at their owner along the way, and the woman would smile gently with her eyebrows full of affection. It was truly a pleasing thing to the eye.

Even the memorials were not so irritating anymore.

Realizing this, Emperor Yuan Yong thought that if he had nothing else to do, he might as well ask her to come and serve him every day. After all, this was a temporary palace, and Yulinglong Hall was close to here, so no one else would know about it.

After dealing with all the memorials, it was already past three o'clock in the morning.

In the past, Emperor Yuan Yong would have been so tired that he would have just fallen asleep.

None of those ministers are easy to deal with. Reviewing their memorials is extremely time-consuming and one can easily fall into their trap if one is not careful.

However, tonight, with the company of the intelligent, interesting, lively and fresh beauty, Emperor Yuan Yong still felt very energetic and not tired at all. When the two of them rested together late at night, he still had the energy to do something else.

Xu Lanshan was not in the palace. After serving the emperor, she did not return to Yulinglong Hall, and Emperor Yuan Yong did not ask anyone to send her away. The two of them slept in each other's arms, sleeping very soundly, with a sense of intimacy that was a mutual affection.

From that night on, Xu Lanshan would come every night to work part-time as a palace maid serving Emperor Yuan Yong. Sometimes, Emperor Yuan Yong would publicly summon her to have a meal together and stay overnight, but more often, she would come quietly after dark.

Sometimes, when there weren't many memorials to be dealt with quickly, the two would relax under the moon and flowers, or gaze at the moon by the water on the corridor behind the palace, whispering sweet nothings, embracing each other, and laughing endlessly. When they were done, they would return to the palace and sleep together, like a pair of immortal lovers, their affection growing stronger day by day and unable to leave each other.

Every time Xu Lanshan went there, she pretended to go to bed and then quietly got up and left. Only Yuchan knew that she had tripped Yuxing, and even Yuxing didn't know.

Half a month had passed unknowingly. During this half month, Emperor Yuan Yong had not called anyone else's name except for summoning Xu Lanshan to sleep with him once.

The concubines in the harem were so surprised, they didn't know what had happened to displease the emperor again! Normally, it wouldn't happen. The only person who could displease the emperor in harem affairs was the empress dowager. Every time the empress dowager tried to interfere, the emperor would lose his temper and not enter the harem for 10 to 20 days or even more than a month.

But the Queen Mother is in the palace right now!

Even the Empress was puzzled. One day, when the Emperor went to Changchun Palace for lunch, the Empress laughed and said, "But what have you sisters done wrong? Since the Emperor has come to the palace to relax, but there is no one to accompany him, it must be my negligence."

Emperor Yuan Yong then remembered what had happened and said, "The court is very busy these days. The Empress should just relax and have fun. There's no need to worry about me."

The Queen thought to herself, how could she dare to intervene? She was just asking because she was annoyed by the concubines' nagging.

"Yes, I understand! Your Majesty's health is paramount, and you need to balance work and rest."

Emperor Yuan Yong nodded.

He was a little stunned when the queen said this. He had been with Lan'er every day for a while and didn't feel bored. Instead, he enjoyed it very much. Every day he couldn't help but look forward to her coming to accompany him early after dark. When he thought about the other concubines, he suddenly felt bored.

Thinking this way, Emperor Yuan Yong naturally did not want his harem to fall into chaos.

So that night, Xu Lanshan was summoned to sleep with him, and in the next few days, Concubine Yu and Noble Lady Bai were summoned.

He even went to sit with Concubine Lian.

If Concubine Lian hadn't spoken without thinking again and upset him, perhaps she wouldn't have stayed overnight.

Now, the atmosphere in the palace finally became a little more lively. The concubines all saw hope and no longer felt that Concubine Xu's victory was so hateful.

Xu Lanshan didn't mind either, she was very clear about her position.

The emperor feeds her with good food and drink, fine clothes and delicious food, and is considerate and doting, and gives her endless rewards. What else could she not be satisfied with?

However, one still has to fight for favor, otherwise how can one make Concubine Lian angry and kick her into the water?

Xu Lanshan pestered Emperor Yuan Yong to accompany her to the lake to appreciate the lotus flowers, and Emperor Yuan Yong agreed with a smile.

To the east of Wan'an Hall is the largest lake in the palace, called Fuhai. Fuhai is home to a vast expanse of lotus flowers, and at this time of year, the blossoms and leaves spread out in a breathtaking display of beauty, making it a perfect time to enjoy the lotus.

Xu Lanshan asked someone to prepare a wooden boat. She was wearing a pomegranate-red embroidered silk skirt, with a slender waist and graceful figure. She pulled Emperor Yuan Yong onto the boat and only asked a healthy eunuch with excellent swimming skills to row the boat. They rowed leisurely towards the depths of the lotus flowers.

The broad and round green lotus leaves are stretched out, and the pink, rose-red and snow-white lotus flowers are graceful and charming. The boat is rowing slowly among them, and the sound of clear water can be heard in the ears. The fresh and elegant fragrance of flowers and leaves hits the face, which makes people feel relaxed and happy.

Emperor Yuan Yong casually picked a number of lotus flowers and threw them into the boat. The two of them sat hugging each other among the beautiful and charming flowers on the boat, and the fragrance of the flowers became more and more intoxicating.

Xu Lanshan snuggled softly in Emperor Yuan Yong's arms, her delicate hands playing with the beautiful lotus flowers. Occasionally, she broke off pieces of plump petals that looked like small boats and threw them into the water, attracting fish to scramble to eat them. It was so interesting.