Chapter 26 Chapter 26 Sister, this is not called sleeping separately, this is called hooking up...
He leaned over and gently lifted Qiao Tang's head from the pillow. His fingertips brushed against the blush on her face. "Don't sleep like this. You're getting red from being bored."
It would have been fine if she hadn't said anything, but as soon as she did, Qiao Tang's cheeks turned even redder. It wasn't the pillow that was the problem.
She no longer dared to tell the truth, fearing that Pei Chengjue would tease her. So she brushed off Pei Chengjue's hand, turned her back to him, and said, "Your Majesty, please leave!"
"Then sister, have a good sleep."
After a while, the gauze curtain fell and footsteps were heard. Qiao Tang turned over and sat up, gently lifted the gauze curtain, and watched Pei Chengjue go out quietly.
The gauze curtain fell, and she touched her empty side. She was shocked to find that even if Pei Chengjue was not there, she could not sleep. She took out the night pearl with one hand and stared at the bright white light.
She didn't know how long it had been when she heard footsteps. She put away the night pearl, closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
At this moment, only Pei Chengjue could walk freely in the hall. Why did Pei Chengjue leave and come back?
But after a moment, the footsteps stopped beside the bed, but the gauze curtain was still not lifted. She opened her eyes in confusion.
Through the veil, she saw a figure sitting down on a small stool beside the bed, and then heard a soft voice, "Sister?"
Qiao Tang didn't respond for a moment.
The hall was quiet, and Pei Chengjue just sat there.
Qiao Tang waited for a long time, but heard no more from him. Suspicions arose in his heart, like ripples on the surface of a lake.
When she realized that Pei Chengjue was guarding her, her suspicion turned into excitement, and the ripples rolled into waves, sweeping over her and drowning her in the silent night.
Never——
She had never been so happy, nor had she ever felt so helpless. What should she do...
The unstoppable rapid heartbeat made her bite her lips, and the fingers that were holding the night pearl were trembling slightly.
Suddenly Pei Chengjue moved. Through a layer of thin gauze, his fingers stretched out from his sleeves and gently stroked, landing only on the gauze, and his fingertips rubbed it gently, as if he was stroking Qiao Tang's cheek.
The night pearl leaked light. Qiao Tang tilted her head and looked at the shadow of the finger. It was very close to her, but she couldn't bear to disturb her, so she was willing to be blocked by a layer of gauze.
Qiao Tang's heart was beating like a drum, as if he was bewitched by the shadow. He slowly sat up, stroked his heart with his left hand, and hesitantly stretched out his right hand.
Little by little, the palm of his hand pressed against the palm outside the gauze, with the fingertips facing each other, fitting so tightly that it seemed that even the scorching heat could be transmitted.
Suddenly, the gauze was wrinkled, and Pei Chengjue grabbed her hand fiercely, so eagerly.
Then there was a hissing sound, and the gauze curtain was torn apart, and the bright white light of the night pearl illuminated the whole place.
Qiao Tang subconsciously closed her eyes, her butterfly-like eyelashes trembling nervously. Pei Chengjue whispered in her ear, "Sister, this is not called sleeping separately from me—"
"This is called seducing me."
Nonsense, she really didn't do that this time. It was clearly Pei Chengjue who bewitched her first!
Qiao Tang opened his eyes in surprise, and his gaze met a pair of dark eyes. His throat seemed to be strangled by something, and he couldn't utter a word.
With the back of her neck held down by a hand, she was forced to straighten her upper body on the bed. Under Pei Chengjue's arrogant and oppressive gaze, she slightly opened her lips and tried to defend herself.
However, Pei Chengjue didn't give her a chance. He picked up her upper body and pressed it into his arms. He lifted her chin, aligned her lips with his thin lips, and smiled slightly, "Sister, continue."
Qiao Tang's heartbeat just now turned into anger. He kissed Pei Chengjue with dissatisfaction, wishing he could bite his lips to pieces.
Pei Chengjue didn't feel any pain either. He held her tightly, indulging her. Finally, to prevent her from feeling any pain, he pulled her out of his arms and said, "Sister, don't be so anxious. The night is still long."
Qiao Tang closed his eyes in despair, what a bad guy!
The night passed slowly.
At the hour of You, Qiao Tang, who had finally fallen asleep, was startled by the movement beside him. He slowly opened his eyes, but only saw Pei Chengjue's departing back.
Pei Chengjue whispered to me last night, "Sister, in half a month, I will be nineteen years old."
As if he had this reason, he pestered Qiao Tang even tighter, "Sister, have you prepared a birthday present for me?"
Qiao Tang didn't respond at that time. In fact, she had already received the news and was just worried about what gift to prepare.
She was still thinking about this problem. When she got up, she felt a little tired. She leaned lazily against Nanny Wang and asked her for advice.
Nanny Wang laughed and said, "Young lady, you are truly confused. His Majesty loves you so much, he would be pleased with anything you give him. You only need to follow your heart."
After hearing this, Qiao Tang suddenly became enlightened, his bright eyes curved, and he smiled brightly.
Nanny Wang sighed with relief. She had said it long ago that the young lady and Lord Wei were indeed not suitable for each other. His Majesty was the one who loved the young lady the most and made her happy.
Qiao Tang didn't know what she was thinking. After a moment's thought, he came up with an idea and began to prepare.
A few days later, during the morning court session, the Ministry of Rites proposed preparing rituals for the emperor's birthday, and Pei Chengjue agreed.
After the court session ended and they returned to the Qinzheng Palace, Pei Chengjue had not yet sent anyone to invite Qiao Tang. The empress dowager, who rarely appeared here, was escorted into the palace by palace servants.
Pei Chengjue knew that she had something to say, so he ordered the palace servants to help her sit down. He walked to the imperial table, took the tea brought by the palace servants, lowered his head and took a sip.
He caught a glimpse of Wei Qingmo's memorial, freed his hands to flip through it, and seeing that it was congratulating him on his birthday, he closed the letter and put it aside.
Seeing this, the Queen Mother said, "It must be a memorial to congratulate Your Majesty on his birthday. Your Majesty didn't like to read it before, and now he's almost nineteen, and he still doesn't like to read it."
"What's so good about words of congratulations?" Pei Chengjue was not interested. He looked through other memorials and found that they were all from officials from other places congratulating him on his birthday. The words were no different from previous years. He frowned and ordered the palace servants to take them away.
"Other children celebrate their birthdays with joy since childhood, but Your Majesty is different. You frown every time you celebrate your birthday. You are just like your father."
Pei Chengjue's frown slowly relaxed, "In previous years, I really didn't like festivals, but this year I have Consort Hui, so things are different."
He raised his lips and smiled, walked down the steps, and ordered the palace servants to invite Qiao Tang.
The Queen Mother's smile faded a little. "Your Majesty still needs Concubine Hui's company to govern the country. This is different from your father."
Pei Chengjue said, "Mother is wrong. Why should I be like Father in everything?"
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I didn't mean that. It's just that I've been dreaming about the late emperor a lot lately, so I've mentioned him a lot."
"Hasn't your mother slept well these days?"
Pei Chengjue sat down opposite her and looked at her with concern. Her heart warmed, "No, I slept well. I just remembered some things about your father."
"When your father was nineteen, he already had me and several concubines. The palace was bustling with activity. Now you are nineteen too, and you only have Concubine Hui by your side. You are all alone, and I feel bad seeing you like that."
"Mother, don't worry about this."
Pei Chengjue's expression faded, and he slowly stood up. "I have Noble Concubine Hui, and Noble Concubine Hui also has me. What does this have to do with Gu Lingling?"
When the Queen Mother heard this, she knew that he was still unwilling to choose a concubine. Her eyes darkened and she smiled, "Then I was wrong."
Pei Chengjue didn't want to bring it up again. He glanced outside the palace, only wondering when Qiao Tang would arrive. He casually replied, "Don't worry, mother. As soon as I come of age, I will marry and establish my empress."
The Queen Mother's expression softened. "Then I am relieved. By the way, I haven't had a meal with Your Majesty for a long time. Why don't you bring Concubine Hui to the Cining Palace during lunch so that I can have a chat with her?"
Pei Chengjue naturally agreed and ordered the palace servants to send her back to Cining Palace. When Qiao Tang arrived, he mentioned the matter to Qiao Tang.
Qiao Tang thought to herself, perhaps the Queen Mother had something for her to do. Did she want her to continue accompanying Princess Jingyi to listen to Wei Qingyan's lecture, or did she want her to bring the girl closer to Pei Chengjue?
Thinking of the latter possibility, Qiao Tang clenched the paintbrush in his hand. His hand trembled slightly, and the tip of the brush tilted, almost ruining the portrait in front of him.
She simply put down her pen and stopped painting. At lunch time, she went to the Cining Palace with Pei Chengjue.
The three of them had lunch together. After the meal, they sat in the main hall. The empress dowager asked Pei Chengjue about some matters concerning the court officials.
Qiao Tang had always wanted to test the Queen Mother's intentions. Now that he had the chance, he sat next to Pei Chengjue and listened carefully.
The Queen Mother glanced at the two people standing next to each other. "I heard that an official named Xue from the Censorate has accused his wife of poisoning him."
Pei Chengjue's voice sank, "That's indeed the case."
The official surnamed Xue in the Censorate had been childhood sweethearts with his first wife, and they loved each other deeply after they got married.
Unexpectedly, two years later, the official surnamed Xue changed his mind, took a concubine, and ignored his wife from then on.
His wife turned from love to hatred and was so obsessed with poisoning him that she tried to poison him, but he saw through her plan and reported her to the government.
The Empress Dowager was amazed. "This man abandoned his wife and fell in love with his concubine. After the incident, he showed no remorse and even reported his wife to prison. He is truly heartless and disloyal. How will the Ministry of Justice handle this case?"
Pei Chengjue mentioned the minister's private affairs with a calm expression, "The wife attempted to murder an official, and although it was unsuccessful, she was still sentenced to death by beheading."
The Queen Mother sighed, "It's a pity that this woman was so infatuated that she ended up going astray and losing her life to such a heartless man."
Qiao Tang also felt sorry for the official's wife and subconsciously looked at Pei Chengjue.
The two of them were so close that her breath was so close that Pei Chengjue also turned his head.
Their eyes met, Pei Chengjue smiled at her, gently pulled Qiao Tang's hand into his sleeves, and stroked it gently.
The Queen Mother, still looking slightly annoyed, said, "Look, all the men in this world are stupid and evil. They are never satisfied with one woman, and they only crave more and newer ones. It's a pity that this woman has such deep feelings for you, but in the end, she still has to be abused by you men!"
Pei Chengjue didn't want Qiao Tang to hear this, so he turned to the Queen Mother and said, "Mother, why are you so angry about others? Just calm down."
The Queen Mother said, "Your Majesty, please stop talking and go about your business. I will leave Concubine Hui to talk with me."
Pei Chengjue looked at Qiao Tang, and it was obvious that he wanted to take Qiao Tang away. Qiao Tang had a feeling that the Queen Mother had something else to say, so she shook her head and said, "Your Majesty, please go and do your work. I will stay with the Queen Mother for a while."
Pei Chengjue had no choice but to agree, and raised his sleeve to help her carefully comb her hair. The empress dowager watched from the side without saying a word.
After Pei Chengjue left, she also stood up and led Qiao Tang out of the Cining Palace, "Noble Concubine Hui, please accompany me for a walk."
Qiao Tang agreed.
It was late autumn, and the air was bone-chillingly cold as the two walked a few steps in the Imperial Garden.
Suddenly, a woman in palace dress appeared in front of them. She was about forty years old, with decent makeup, but her behavior was crazy. She just ran forward, followed by a group of palace servants, "Madam Concubine, Madam Concubine!"
The imperial concubine was about to bump into Qiao Tang, and her hand was about to grab Qiao Tang's collar. Qiao Tang wanted to dodge, but suddenly he caught a glimpse of the imperial concubine's infatuated and resentful eyes. He was stunned for a moment and was immediately thrown to the ground by the imperial concubine.
"Noble Concubine Hui!"
"Hurry up and take her away! Call the imperial physician!"
In the chaos, the palace servants hurriedly dragged the concubine away. Even after she was dragged far away, she still stared at Qiao Tang.
When Qiao Tang was helped up by the palace maids, he was still stunned by those infatuated and resentful eyes. Even after returning to the Cining Palace and being helped to sit on the couch, he was still in a trance.
The Queen Mother just looked on indifferently. After a while, seeing that the imperial physician was about to arrive, she called out, "Noble Concubine Hui?"
After a while, Qiao Tang finally gathered her thoughts and belatedly responded. The Queen Mother sat down beside her and sighed, "I guess I scared you. That's the late emperor's Concubine Chen."
Qiao Tang listened quietly. "Concubine Chen entered the palace earlier than I did, and for a while she was favored by the late emperor, becoming possessive of him. When the late emperor chose his concubines, and I and the other concubines were included, she inevitably grew resentful and gradually changed her personality. The late emperor grew tired of her, and she had no family, father, or brothers to care for her, which is why she became the madman she is today."
Qiao Tang's eyelashes trembled slightly, and the Queen Mother sighed, "Fortunately, although the late emperor had many concubines, there was only this one. The others were well-behaved. I only hope that when Your Majesty has concubines, even if there are many, they will all respect the Empress and live in peace."
"Today, I went to the Qinzheng Palace and raised the matter of appointing a queen. Your Majesty meant to discuss this matter after she comes of age. By then, Your Majesty will have someone to accompany her. If Concubine Hui wants to leave the palace, it won't be impossible, is that correct?"
Qiao Tang understood, and slowly, her mind became clearer. She smiled softly, "The Queen Mother is right."
The Queen Mother smiled and said, "I think you are a clear-headed person. You should have advised His Majesty to choose a concubine early so that you can have a way out and leave the palace as soon as possible."
Suddenly, a palace maid came to report outside the palace that the imperial physician had arrived. Qiao Tang said no more, but stood up and saluted the empress dowager, saying that he was fine and there was no need to call the imperial physician in.
The Queen Mother ordered the palace maids to call the imperial physician back, and ordered Aunt Sulan to send Qiao Tang back to Taiji Palace to rest.
Qiao Tang refused Aunt Sulan's offer to see her off and walked slowly on the road with a few palace maids. The coldness seeped into her heart and lungs, making her shiver uncontrollably. The words of the Empress Dowager that she had heard since she arrived at the Cining Palace replayed in her mind.
The first wife of the official surnamed Xue and the crazy Concubine Chen of the previous emperor were both warnings from the empress dowager. Pei Chengjue was the emperor of the new dynasty, he would have a harem and a queen, and she would eventually leave the palace.
Qiao Tang returned to Taiji Palace and called Nanny Wang over. As Nanny Wang approached, she hugged her, "Nanny, it's so cold outside."
Nanny Wang was very puzzled. The girl was dressed warmly, so why was she so scared? She hugged Qiao Tang back and patted her back, "Don't worry, Nanny is warm."
Qiao Tang hugged her tightly, his throat choked with sobs, and said aggrievedly, "Mammy, are you the only one I have?"
Nanny Wang laughed and said, "Silly girl, the Madam and Master are gone, but we still have His Majesty."
There were hurried footsteps in the hall.
Nanny Wang paused as she was caressing her back and slowly let go of Qiao Tang. Qiao Tang felt a chill and clutched her sleeve tightly, "Nanny, don't go."
The next moment she was embraced in a familiar warm embrace. Nanny Wang smiled, glanced at the two of them, lowered her head and walked out quickly.
Pei Chengjue lifted Qiao Tang's cheek and saw her red eyes. He felt distressed and blamed himself, "I really shouldn't have left my sister with the Queen Mother."
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