Chapter 14 Help! She instinctively wrapped her arms around the man's neck, and...
Su Panyue was going to Cining Palace, so she would inevitably pass through the Imperial Garden.
When she was working in the Imperial Kitchen, she often came to the Imperial Garden to slack off. She discovered that there was a small path between two artificial hills in the Imperial Garden that could be passed directly through. It was very hidden and would not be easily discovered by others.
So she walked without hesitation and went into the path, but unexpectedly, she heard a conversation behind the artificial hill when she was halfway there.
"He really doesn't want you to lead troops? He must be afraid you'll make a name for yourself in battle."
"Mother, do not worry, your son has a plan. Since he will not allow me to lead the troops, then we cannot win this battle."
Su Panyue recognized the voices as those of the Empress Dowager and Prince Rui. She hadn't expected such an unexpected discovery. She held her breath and continued to eavesdrop by pressing her ear against the artificial hill.
The Empress Dowager said, "But I have heard that the envoy from Yan is already on his way. If they truly want to negotiate peace, I'm afraid this war will not be able to continue."
Prince Rui said, "No, this battle must be fought, and I will force him to lead the army personally." His tone revealed a hint of ruthlessness.
Upon hearing that her son was personally leading the expedition, Su Panyue understood that the two of them were plotting to harm Xie Lanzhou.
The Empress Dowager said, “He is very vigilant. You must be careful in your actions and lest he find any fault with you. He is already infamous. If he is gone, you can rightfully take the throne.”
Prince Rui: "Mother, rest assured, this position should have been mine all along, and I am determined to get it this time."
The Empress Dowager sighed softly: "Being in this inner palace, it's really difficult for me to intervene. Originally, your uncle was there to help you plan things out, but I never expected that ungrateful wretch to be so ruthless."
"But don't worry, without concubines, this harem is my domain. I've already arranged for several women to seduce you, and some of them are quite attractive. Who knows, things might turn out well."
Prince Rui: "Hmph, he has always been averse to women and pretends to be celibate. Today I saw him bring a palace maid to court, which is quite rare. Who knows how many palace maids he has harmed in private."
The Empress Dowager, having witnessed countless palace intrigues, was far more experienced: "You mean, he was late this morning and brought a woman to court?"
Prince Rui also realized: "That palace maid is no ordinary woman. If she were to tidy herself up, she would be an absolute beauty."
The protagonist of their discussion, Su Panyue, was crouching down to eavesdrop, but she didn't expect that there was something about her, so she listened even more attentively.
Empress Dowager: "I know, I will definitely find this palace maid and have a good talk with her."
Prince Rui smiled and said, "Mother, please don't frighten the beauty."
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly, her tone carrying a hint of disdain: "She's just a palace maid; it would be best if she could be of use to us."
"If you can't, then kill him. Don't let a woman ruin your future!"
Hearing the Empress Dowager utter such shocking words in such a nonchalant tone, Su Panyue covered her mouth in surprise and stepped back.
I accidentally kicked a pebble, making a soft sound that reached the artificial hill.
Prince Rui immediately noticed and shouted, "Who's there?" He then tried to walk around behind the artificial hill.
Su Panyue panicked and ran away.
They sped past the artificial hill and ran deep into the Imperial Garden.
Prince Rui behind them reacted quickly and immediately caught up.
Su Panyue had been chased and beaten a lot when she was stealing chickens and dogs before, and now, driven by her desire to win, she ran very fast.
However, Prince Rui was also a robust man who had practiced martial arts since childhood. He was tall and had long legs. He chased after him with all his might, and in just a few breaths, the distance between the two became closer and closer.
"Stop right there! I might spare your life," Prince Rui's voice, accompanied by rapid breathing, came from behind.
Su Panyue ignored him and didn't slow down. She wouldn't believe such nonsense. If she were really caught, she would be lucky to be strangled to death.
However, her stamina was ultimately limited, and as she ran, her calves began to tremble, clearly indicating that she was running out of energy.
The man behind her was still relentlessly pursuing her; if this continued, she would be caught sooner or later.
Su Panyue dared not turn around, afraid that Prince Rui would see her face, and suddenly turned to the right onto the path.
Passing through a patch of trumpet creeper in full bloom, she finally saw the pond with a large lotus pond.
The man behind her was right in front of her. She took a deep breath and suddenly leaped down.
At the same time, Prince Rui reached out and grabbed only a small embroidered shoe; the woman had already sunk to the bottom of the water and disappeared without a trace.
Although she was certain that Prince Rui wouldn't go into the water to chase her, Su Panyue still swam as far as she could.
They only peeked out when they reached the middle of the lake, hiding among the dense lotus leaves to look back.
She only slowly exhaled when she saw Prince Rui's figure disappear around the corner on the shore.
Fearing that the Empress Dowager and Prince Rui would send people to guard the place, she dared not swim back and changed direction to prepare to go ashore.
When Su Panyue was a homeless woman with no parents, she was once thrown into the water for stealing a meat bun. She learned to swim out of her survival instincts, and unexpectedly, she used this skill again to escape.
By the time she swam to shore, the sun was already setting, and she was exhausted.
To make matters worse, as soon as she climbed out of the water and took a step, she felt a sharp pain in her ankle. She then realized that she had twisted her ankle when Prince Rui grabbed her.
However, she was too nervous at the time to notice, and after soaking in the water for so long, her ankle is now swollen.
Su Panyue sat on a rock on the shore, soaking wet. Water droplets slid down her cheeks, a few strands of wet hair stuck to her face, and one of her shoes was missing. She looked utterly disheveled.
She lowered her head and silently watched the water droplets dripping from her clothes and hair fall to the ground, wetting a small patch of ground in front of her. She pursed her lips, and two more crystal-clear water droplets fell and disappeared.
She curled up, hugged herself, buried her face in her knees, and thought sullenly:
The poison in my body should be taking effect soon, right? I wonder if it will hurt.
[Dying in such a remote place, it's likely no one would find him for ten days or half a month. There wouldn't even be anyone to collect the body.]
If I had known it would turn out this badly, I would have gone back, changed into some nice clothes, and obediently waited to die.
[I've never experienced a man's touch in my life. I should have just gone for it yesterday. What a pity.]
Suddenly, a soft laugh came from above.
Su Panyue thought she had misheard, so she slightly raised her eyes from behind her knees. The first thing she saw was a pair of auspicious dragon-patterned boots.
She was stunned for a moment, then looked up in disbelief and saw the man standing in front of her, who was actually Xie Lanzhou.
She stared in surprise, wanting to call out "Your Majesty," but no sound came out as she opened and closed her mouth.
Xie Lanzhou looked down at her, her eyes filled with meanings she couldn't understand.
The man extended a hand towards her.
Su Panyue looked at the large, well-defined hand, her eyes inexplicably stinging, and she blinked hard.
Xie Lanzhou's deep, magnetic voice came through: "What? Still want to sit here and wait to die?"
Su Panyue spoke in a muffled voice: "Your Majesty."
She had barely uttered two words when her voice choked with emotion, and the rest of her words were stuck in her throat.
She tried to tilt her head back to hold back her tears, only to see the man still looking down at her, his outstretched hand still there.
Su Panyue didn't reach out, resignedly sitting down and saying, "I sprained my ankle and can't stand up."
What's so interesting about me looking like this?!
Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou glanced at her soaked clothes and disheveled hair, frowned slightly, and seemed to be thinking about something.
In a moment, he took off his dark black robe embroidered with gold patterns and draped it over Su Panyue's head. Before she could react, he picked her up and carried her in his arms.
Su Panyue gasped in surprise. As she left the ground, she lost her balance and instinctively grabbed the man's shirt.
Xie Lanzhou clicked his tongue softly.
His clothes carried a faint scent of ambergris, completely covering Su Panyue, leaving only her pale face exposed.
The man's strong arms supported her back and the back of her legs, and she could only lean gently against his chest.
After removing his outer garment, he was only wearing a plain-colored undergarment. His warm body heat flowed continuously from where the two were touching, making Su Panyue feel inexplicably at ease.
She loosened her grip on his collar, leaving a wrinkle on the Shu brocade fabric. She quietly raised her hand to smooth it out, her fingertips lightly brushing against the man's chest.
Xie Lanzhou looked down at her and met her wet eyes and her hand that hadn't been withdrawn yet.
He raised an eyebrow and quickened his pace.
Su Panyue awkwardly withdrew her hand, turned her head to look in the direction he had walked, and saw a towering pavilion in front of her.
Although she had never seen it before, she recognized it at a glance; this must be the famous Zhaixing Pavilion.
She had no idea before that the Star-Picking Pavilion was actually built by the lake, a six-story building that now looked quite majestic and magnificent from a distance.
Su Panyue glanced at it from afar, then suddenly felt a jolt.
Fearing she might fall, she instinctively wrapped her arms around the man's neck, bringing them even closer together.
She looked up and saw the man's Adam's apple bob, but his steps remained steady, as if the earlier jolt had been just her imagination.
Su Panyue said with difficulty, "Your Majesty, please forgive me." Then she awkwardly withdrew her hand.
Although she often spoke wildly in her mind, this was the first time she had been held in a man's arms like this. Her pale cheeks flushed slightly, and she regained some vitality.
She lowered her head somewhat embarrassed and didn't say anything more, just in time to miss the man's slowly curving lips.
Xie Lanzhou walked quickly and steadily, and soon arrived at the first floor of the Star-Picking Pavilion.
Eunuch Fu stood at the door and was very surprised to see His Majesty carrying a woman back.
His Majesty visits the Star-Picking Pavilion on the first and fifteenth of each month, spending some time alone on the top floor. Today, the fifteenth, is no exception.
However, today he only stayed upstairs for less than fifteen minutes before rushing downstairs. When Eunuch Fu tried to follow him, he was stopped by the emperor's wave. It was unexpected that His Majesty would bring back a woman after going out.
Concealed by the loose robes, Eunuch Fu couldn't see the woman's face, but he was very perceptive and stepped forward to ask, "Your Majesty, there are bedrooms on the second floor. May I go and arrange them?"
Xie Lanzhou continued walking, nodded and ordered, "Prepare hot water and summon the imperial physician."
A note from the author:
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How can it not be considered a hug?!
If you've already hugged, how far away can a kiss be?
Also, there will be double updates this weekend, starting at 8 PM, so remember to check back! [cheering emoji]
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