Chapter 14 Creating Chance Encounters
One day, Liu Yuetang was sitting in front of the window practicing calligraphy.
The jade fingers lightly touch the love that has not stopped, the sound of reading is lingering without any sorrow.
Writing and meditating is also healing.
Perhaps it was because the Liu family had inherited the true literary talent from generation to generation, that even though Liu Yuetang had never had a teacher, he had beautiful handwriting when he was young.
By now, she has been able to copy the handwriting of many masters.
"Be careful, everyone. This is a gift from the Emperor. Even if you smash ten heads, they won't be enough for you to chop off."
Jiang Baolin's voice from the opposite side came crisply into Liu Yuetang's ears.
Jiang Baolin is pretty and has a sweet voice, which makes her very popular with Xiao Heng.
Moreover, she was a person who curryed favor with the powerful. She fawned over Concubine Yu and was soon promoted to a talented lady. She became even more arrogant and complacent in the palace, and beat and scolded the servants at will.
Liu Zheng pursed her lips and said, "Jiang Cairen is getting more and more arrogant. My dear, don't you want to make some plans?"
Liu Yuetang picked up the brush and dipped it in the thick black ink, then said calmly, "Wait for the opportunity."
*****
On the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, Jiang Cairen came to sleep with him again.
The sudden good news made her start dressing up in the afternoon. However, at the beginning of the evening, instead of the sedan chair from Chengming Palace, a young eunuch from the imperial court arrived.
He bowed and said, "Young Master, there is no need to go to the Purple Palace tonight. You should go to bed early."
Jiang Cairen asked quickly, "Did the emperor go to other palaces?"
"This..." The young eunuch looked sentimental.
Jiang Cairen quickly gave the palace maid a wink.
The young eunuch received the reward and finally spoke, "The Emperor suddenly changed his mind and decided to go to Yaohua Palace, so I came to inform you."
Seeing that the other party was Concubine Zhao, who had a higher status than herself, Jiang Cairen had no choice but to grit her teeth and walked into the palace with a sullen face.
The conversation between the two vaguely reached the ears of Liu Yuetang who was standing in front of the window. She was silent for a long time, and her jade nails fiddled with the entwined flower patterns on the wooden window frame.
She knew her chance had come.
Yaohua Palace was the bedroom of Concubine Zhao.
Concubine Zhao is the most special person in the harem.
Although her favor remained unchanged, she seldom slept with the emperor, and the emperor rarely stayed overnight.
And today she was going to make a bet on whether the emperor would stay overnight in Yaohua Palace.
Yaohua Palace.
When Xiao Heng arrived, the sky was completely dark and as black as ink.
Concubine Zhao was sitting on the chaise longue, supporting her chin with one hand, looking out the window at the starry sky.
Her skin was as white as snow, pure and beautiful, but her slightly raised beautiful eyes were cold and indifferent, like a snow lotus blooming on the ice of a high mountain, making people dare not touch her.
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is here."
Only when she heard the voice of the palace maid did she come back to her senses and stood up calmly.
Before she could salute, Xiao Heng held her hands.
"I told you that you don't need to bow to me in private."
Concubine Zhao was not flattered by such an honor. Instead, she said calmly, "Even the Empress has to bow to the Emperor. What right do I have to not bow?"
Xiao Heng's expression froze for a moment, then he smiled gently: "It's up to you whether to be polite or not, as long as you are happy."
"Look, I have something for you."
As he spoke, Xiao Heng opened the brocade box in his hand.
It is a plum-painted beaded hairpin inlaid with rubies. The gems are moist and shiny, like stars shining among dark clouds.
"This is a scented ruby unique to Xiangling Country. I know you love plum blossoms, so I specifically ordered the Imperial Household Department to craft it in the shape of a plum blossom."
Looking at the unique and sparkling hairpin in the brocade box, Concubine Zhao's eyes finally showed some warmth.
Just as she took the brocade box, she smelled a strong, sweet fragrance from Xiao Heng, which was the fragrance of Concubine Yu.
Her slender eyebrows knitted slightly, and she smiled coldly: "I'm afraid this hairpin is not only owned by me, right?"
"What do you mean?" Xiao Heng tried his best to maintain a gentle expression.
Concubine Zhao put down her hairpin and said slowly, "I am not feeling well and need to go to bed. You can go back to where the emperor came from."
No matter how good Xiao Heng's temper was, it was completely worn out by Concubine Zhao's sarcasm.
He frowned and said, "My patience is limited."
Concubine Zhao remained silent, and the atmosphere in the palace was solemn and dead silent.
Xiao Heng stood still for a moment, his face gloomy, then waved his sleeves and left.
At the same time, Concubine Zhao closed her eyes tightly.
After leaving Yaohua Palace, Xiao Heng did not rush to get into the sedan chair. Instead, he looked up at the endless starry sky.
At this moment, loneliness, frustration, anger and all kinds of emotions were surging in my heart.
Since ancient times, emperors have all been widowers, and he is no exception.
Looking over the three palaces and six courtyards, there is not a single person I understand.
"All of you go down. I will walk back to Chengming Palace alone."
Zhou Defu and a group of guards nodded and retreated.
Xiao Heng unknowingly walked to the side of the plum garden.
When Concubine Zhao entered the palace, because she loved plum blossoms, she renovated the Yaohua Palace, which was close to the plum garden.
I thought she would be very happy.
But she said that the palace was a birdcage and it didn't matter where she lived.
Xiao Heng was about to look away, but he vaguely saw an apricot-colored dress swaying in the wind among the blooming flowers.
His eyes fixed, and he became curious and looked over.
Among the crisscrossing clusters of red plum branches, he vaguely saw a white, slender hand picking off a red plum and placing it in the arms. Under the cold moonlight, the woman's hand was as soft as a piece of silk, purer and more flawless than white mutton-fat jade.
He pushed aside the branches that blocked his view and followed the figure, wanting to catch a glimpse of the woman's face.
But the plum blossom in the woman's hand just covered her beautiful face, leaving only her bright red lips smiling, quiet and charming.
Xiao Heng unconsciously quickened his pace. After he passed a few dense and lush trees, the woman's figure had already disappeared in the plum garden, leaving behind only a lost sachet.
He stepped forward and picked up the sachet.
There are only two simple fallen flowers embroidered on the sachet bag, and what’s unique is that there is a poem embroidered next to the fallen flowers: The best thing in the world is pure joy.
He gently stroked the sachet, remained silent for a long time, and slowly nodded: "What a wonderful life! The best thing is pure happiness."
He didn't expect that the woman in the harem would have such a state of mind.
Judging from her clothes, she shouldn't be a palace maid.
When did such a wonderful person appear among the concubines?
The scene just now was like a stunning silhouette under the moon, as if it was a fairy in a painting.
Xiao Heng opened the sachet, and the faint fragrance invaded his nose.
He closed his eyes involuntarily and took a deep sniff.
He didn't really like fragrance, but the fragrance in front of him was really nice. At first it smelled like juicy grapes, sour, sweet and refreshing.
The scent is fresh and sweet, like the purity and elegance of gardenia and jasmine hit by rain, exuding a fairy-like feeling at any time.
The aftertaste has citrus notes, which are refreshing and cool.
Xiao Heng's irritability gradually faded away, and he opened his eyes with interest.
Liu Yuetang returned to Jinxiu Pavilion and drank several sips of hot tea before holding the teacup and admonishing: "Don't tell anyone where I went tonight."
Liu Zheng understood: "Don't worry, my lady, I will keep my mouth shut."
"It's just... I don't understand why the young lady doesn't let the emperor see you."
Liu Yuetang shook the tea in her hand and said thoughtfully, "Men are always interested in the unknown. The so-called revealing yet concealing, the ambiguous, is the greatest temptation for men. Even if this glimpse cannot astonish the emperor, it can at least arouse some curiosity in him."
Liu Zheng nodded, not quite understanding what he meant.
"Also, if anyone asks you about the sachet, just say you don't know."
Liu Zheng was slightly stunned. "Why? Didn't the young lady leave the sachet behind so that the emperor could find you?"
Liu Yuetang smiled faintly and said quietly, "Men won't cherish things that are too easy to get. On the contrary, the harder it is to get something, the more they want it. If you want to maintain the mystery, you can't let the emperor find the owner of the sachet so quickly."
As the saying goes, women rely on coaxing, men rely on fishing. If the emperor is the fish, the lost sachet is the net she casts the fish with.
High-end women will not actively pursue men.
Instead, you have to learn how to trap him, to lure him into having endless fantasies about you and becoming obsessed with you.
She also put some thought into the scent of the sachet.
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