Chapter 75
Satisfied, Zisang abandoned his journey and returned to Quanrong in the carriage arranged by Lingwu, accompanied by a troop of secret guards.
Now that this matter is over, I finally remembered Lu Chengfeng's gentle charm. The phoenix carriage landed at Qingming Tower.
Yun Ji revealed two dimples, and her well-behaved appearance sent a chill down Lu Chengfeng's spine as he waited at the door.
Upon noticing this, Lingwu couldn't help but feel curious.
Yun Ji was very good at reading people's expressions, so he raised his hand slightly and said, "This lowly servant will serve Your Majesty a cup of Cangshan Snow Green Tea. Your Majesty, please try it. This green tea is fragrant and sweet, not astringent or bitter. It is also the best tea that this lowly servant has ever brewed."
After saying that, he went inside with Lingwu. Seeing that Lu Chengfeng had also presented a bowl of pastries, he added, "Your Majesty, can you guess whose masterpiece this jade osmanthus cake is?"
Lingwu glanced at Yunji and Lianwu, and seeing that they were both blinking and not saying a word, she turned her gaze to Lu Chengfeng.
He was dressed in a simple blue servant's uniform, had a handsome appearance, was no longer as thin as before, and even looked much better.
But she lost her former gentle and bright spirit, and became as meek and submissive as all the other servants in the palace.
He has become completely indistinguishable from the crowd.
"Your Majesty always guesses so accurately!" With that, he pushed the plate of jade osmanthus cake in front of Ling Wu.
The taste upon tasting was indeed superb, comparable to that of the imperial kitchen.
Then he took a sip of Cangshan Xuelu, just as Yun Ji had said.
"How did you do that?" Ling Wu asked directly.
After hearing this, Yun Ji waved his hand and dismissed Lu Chengfeng.
After hesitating for a long time, he clenched his hands and confessed everything.
"My father was born a courtesan, and my mother... is unknown. Although my father was indulging in love, he doted on his servants. But how could someone in that situation be a complete novice?"
He spoke slowly, without his usual coquettishness or bitterness, simply narrating calmly.
"This profession relies on youth. After twenty-five, one is considered old and losing one's beauty. In fact, a courtesan can decide for herself whether to stay or leave at twenty-five, but Father insisted on giving birth to me."
"After I served you, my father was also controlled by Qingfeng Tower. It's a pity that he didn't live to be twenty-five. He died on the bed of a playboy." He lowered his eyelashes, and his expression was unreadable.
“At that time, when my father passed away, I was only five years old. After I turned five, I became a servant to the male prostitutes in the brothel.”
"Thus, I have witnessed many passionate encounters between men and women, as well as many sordid practices. Through this exposure, I have also become familiar with countless punishments."
“When I entered the palace, I was just twelve years old, which is the age of childhood.”
"A twelve-year-old can be a male prostitute..."
His face showed reminiscence, but he only went this far, not revealing the bitterness of his escape.
"I do not wish to die there like my father. Although entering the palace was out of necessity, I have always heard people around me talk about the prosperity of the palace, and I have also developed a longing for it."
"But once you enter the palace, you realize that while the palace is indeed luxurious, all that luxury belongs to the masters."
"Your servant's appearance... is acceptable." He hesitated for only a moment, then blushed slightly.
Then she added, "Having never been favored by my masters and unable to find a place to go, I was sent to the Yongxiang Palace. The Yongxiang Palace is a melting pot of all sorts of people; if you're not shrewish, you'll be bullied and never have peace..."
He glossed over the hardships he endured.
"Fortunately, I met Your Majesty, but when I met Your Majesty..." He closed his eyes, "I used some tricks."
After a long while, he could only smell the unique cool fragrance emanating from the person beside him, which gradually made him relax.
He thought that if His Majesty were to punish him, he would be content with this moment of peace.
But when he opened his eyes, he was met with a pair of gentle eyes.
When they first met, he knew in his heart that this was a god sitting high in the clouds.
But at this moment she is not like a god, because a god would not dote on one person so much.
"Have you ever hated your mother?" Ling Wu listened patiently and asked in a slow voice.
Yun Ji snapped out of his daze and shook his head.
"I don't hate him."
He has been alone for ten years, and upon careful reflection, it can be summed up in just three words.
It's not surprising.
"Do you wish to find your mother?" Lingwu asked again.
For a fleeting moment, she felt the sweetness of the soul of the person before her.
Yun Ji was slightly taken aback, then smiled sweetly, "I don't want to!"
He said these things not seeking Your Majesty's sympathy, otherwise, the son of a mere courtesan would be enough to charge him with the crime of deceiving the emperor.
He just inexplicably wanted to show the person in front of him his true colors.
He really...is not kind at all.
Ling Wu turned her head, seemingly puzzled, "Are you finished?"
“…Hmm.” Yun Ji felt uneasy.
"We haven't even talked about how he ended up like this yet," Ling Wu said calmly.
"Your Majesty, do you not despise your servant? Will you not punish your servant?" Women are most fond of simple and innocent men, but he was a fake, not to mention that he had tricked the emperor when they first met in the inner palace.
Under Yun Ji's tense gaze, Ling Wu finally spoke softly: "I don't hate it, and I won't punish you, not today, not in the future."
This time, Yun Ji didn't cry. Instead, he pondered blankly for a long time before slowly curving his lips into a wide smile.
The endless sweet words of the past have been reduced to just one sentence: "Your Majesty, it's so good to have you."
Under Ling Wu's unchanging gaze, Yun Ji suddenly remembered Lu Chengfeng's matter. He spoke at this moment in an extremely slow pace, as if it were the slow, agonizing torture of death:
“In Qingfeng Tower, Yun Ji witnessed tortures that did not touch the skin, which were used to break his arrogance, while the remaining male precepts corrupted his soul.”
That was something that made it even harder to breathe than hundreds or thousands of beatings.
Lu Chengfeng was one of them, but his defenses had already collapsed the moment His Majesty brought him to Qingming Tower.
He didn't know why Lu Chengfeng had become like that; he only knew that he was His Majesty's blade, a blade that pierced through Lu Chengfeng, rendering him utterly unable to muster any will to resist.
"Three years from now, I will grant you the status of a young master from a noble family. At that time, whether you stay or leave will be entirely up to you."
"Three years? Does Your Majesty intend to abolish the harem for the sake of the Empress, and live a life of one love with her?" He was filled with bitterness, and for the first time, he did not go along with Ling Wu's wishes, but asked what was on his mind.
Lingwu finished her tea and touched Yunji's forehead with her cool fingertips.
“If that’s the case, I will not allow you to leave or stay,” she said.
Yun Ji's anxious heart was temporarily at ease.
"Your servant will not leave!"
When Ling Wu left, Lu Chengfeng also left Qingminglou.
Even after the phoenix-adorned carriage was in motion, the writing brush showed no unusual activity.
It wasn't until evening that a thought from Lu Chengfeng suddenly came through:
If I could travel back to the modern era, Her Majesty would be my sole ruler. How wonderful that would be.
For two or three days, Lu Chengfeng's thoughts were filled with jealousy and rivalry with the other servants, and resentment and curses after being bullied by the palace maids and eunuchs. But after all that, he began to recite the precepts for men with a sinful heart.
Lingwu brought Sang Lingwu with her.
When Sang Lingwu saw this scene, she couldn't help but laugh until tears welled up in her eyes.
In the end, Ling Wu led him to take a look at the magnificent landscape of the Qi Dynasty, the grand scene of the people leaving their doors unlocked at night, the intimacy with Sang Yu that they had shared before, and Xi Ruoyu's gentle smile.
Finally, Lingwu brought out a jar of her own brewed peach blossom wine from the Yiyou Tower, and they clinked glasses.
Then Sang Lingwu took a small sip, and her eyes suddenly lit up with a rich light. "Delicious!"
After just one bowl, she neither got drunk nor lost consciousness. Instead, gazing at the familiar Qi Chao, she murmured in confusion:
Where is this?
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