Chapter 17: The Jealous, Flirtatious Palace Maid and the Eight Male Guards...
Around noon, a young eunuch and a palace maid arrived at the Star-Picking Pavilion.
Su Panyue was feeling bored and worried because she had no one to talk to when she was pleasantly surprised to find that she knew both of them.
The young maid, named Shouxi, is the adopted son of Eunuch Fu. She often runs errands for the emperor, while the palace maid is actually Lu Tingyu, the daughter of the Vice Minister of Revenue.
When she followed Eunuch Sukiyaki in, she looked meek and obedient, as if she had already adapted to her role as a palace maid.
When he saw that the person leaning against the bed was Su Panyue, he stared wide-eyed in disbelief and pointed at her, asking:
"You, you, you... how could it be you?"
Su Panyue looked at her, puzzled, and asked, "What's wrong with me?"
Shouxi stopped Lu Tingyu's rude behavior and turned to Su Panyue respectfully, saying, "Miss Su, His Majesty sent us to take care of you while you recover. Please feel free to ask us anything during this time."
Su Panyue was somewhat flattered. She was just a palace maid, yet His Majesty had sent two people to take care of her.
She quickly said, "Father-in-law, you're too kind. I have difficulty walking, so I'll have to trouble you a lot."
As she spoke, she winked at Lu Tingyu. Even though her father-in-law was inconvenient in many ways, she still needed to rely on this young lady more.
Su Panyue never minded and was very good at making others happy, especially innocent young ladies from well-to-do families.
Lunch was served. Although it was far inferior to the imperial cuisine, it still exceeded the portion that an ordinary palace maid should receive.
Since Su Panyue couldn't get out of bed and wasn't used to being fed, she simply asked Shouxi to move a small table to the bed so she could eat by herself while sitting on the bed.
She hadn't eaten for two meals, yet she was eating with great relish, showing no signs of needing to recover from an injury.
Shouxi and Lu Tingyu stood aside watching her eat, waiting to serve her food and water whenever needed.
Su Panyue felt a little embarrassed by their stares and waved her hand, saying, "I can manage on my own. You guys go eat too. I'll call you if I need anything."
Lu Tingyu had already turned to leave, but Shouxi was still hesitating.
Su Panyue smiled at him: "Go ahead, go ahead, and while you're at it, divide up the food too, don't waste it."
Lu Tingyu paused, then turned back to pick up the food box, glanced at her again, and then went out.
Su Panyue didn't really care what others thought; she just smiled and shook her head.
Lu Tingyu was a pitiful little girl. She had just come of age and was at the age where she loved to play and eat, but her family sent her to the palace. She must have had a hard time.
After eating and drinking her fill, Su Panyue asked someone to take the things away and then chatted with Lu Tingyu by the bedside:
"Yu'er, have you eaten enough? I feel like you've lost weight since the day you first entered the palace."
Lu Tingyu sat at the table drinking water and replied somewhat irritably, "My name isn't Yu'er; my courtesy name is Jingtian."
As for losing weight, from being a young lady to a palace maid, not only did her food become worse, but she also had to work all day long. In addition, she was depressed, so she did lose weight.
Su Panyue asked in surprise, "You even have a courtesy name? That sounds lovely. Did your father give it to you?"
Perhaps recalling something painful, Lu Tingyu fell silent and did not answer.
Undeterred, Su Panyue continued to try and find a topic to talk about: "Have you been serving His Majesty these past few days?"
This time, Lu Tingyu rolled her eyes at her, seemingly quite displeased.
Su Panyue immediately understood and comforted her, "It's okay, Yu'er. Don't doubt yourself. It's normal for some people to be so unpredictable and difficult to please. Don't be too sad."
Lu Tingyu suddenly raised her voice: "First, I said my name isn't Yu'er; second, I haven't had a chance to see His Majesty these past few days. Are you satisfied now?"
Su Panyue was stunned for a moment, not knowing why she suddenly had a fit, but when she saw the back of her head turned and her slightly raised face, she suddenly understood something.
She pulled out a handkerchief and handed it over: "Here you go, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Lu Tingyu didn't turn around. Hesitantly, she reached out her small hand from behind her back, grabbed the handkerchief Su Panyue offered, and wiped her tears. She wiped for a long time without making a sound.
Su Panyue said, "If you want to cry, just cry. It's not shameful. I'll tell you a secret: I thought I was going to die yesterday, and I cried until my eyes were swollen."
Whether it was because of what she said or not, Lu Tingyu's shoulders trembled more noticeably, and she let out a soft sob.
Su Panyue didn't say anything more, and quietly lay on the bed flipping through a storybook.
She had just asked Shouxi to find these storybooks for her. She hadn't had high hopes, since it wasn't allowed to read these things in the palace. Only palace maids could read them secretly. As long as they were careful not to be discovered, they would be fine. She didn't expect Shouxi to find them for her so quickly.
After about fifteen minutes, Lu Tingyu's crying gradually stopped.
Turning around, he saw Su Panyue engrossed in her book, ignoring him completely, and couldn't help but ask, "Why are you like this?"
Without even looking up, Su Panyue asked, "What's wrong?"
Lu Tingyu's face flushed red: "Why, why aren't you comforting me?"
Su Panyue gave her a strange look. As an orphan who had grown up without parents, she knew all too well that people didn't need comforting; they just needed to vent. There was no hurdle that couldn't be overcome.
So he only said one sentence: "After you've finished crying, don't think about those things anymore. Living well is the most important thing."
Lu Tingyu was stunned for a moment before whispering, "Thank you. I will wash the handkerchief and return it to you."
Su Panyue waved her hand dismissively and handed her a storybook.
"I just finished reading it, 'Handsome Scholar and Charming Widow,' hehe, let me show you too."
Lu Tingyu took it with a puzzled look, casually flipped through two pages, then blushed and slammed it shut: "You, how could you read this kind of thing!"
Su Panyue picked up the book that had been thrown back at her. It contained only some illustrations of men and women kissing, and nothing else.
"Miss Lu, you haven't read storybooks before, have you?"
Lu Tingyu puffed out her chest: "I learned the Four Books and Five Classics and the teachings on female virtues from elementary school. How could I have read such obscene books?"
Su Panyue pursed her lips, a mischievous smile playing on her lips, and began to read the book she was reading, word by word. It was about the untold stories between a flirtatious palace maid and eight male guards.
“These eight men each had their own strengths, but her favorite was, of course, the longest one, the Imperial Guard Commander Li.”
"Guard Li was nine feet tall, robust and strong. Not only was he handsome, but he also had eight-pack abs and an excellent physique. What she was most reluctant to part with was his proud and erect member. Whenever the two of them met in the Imperial Garden, it would make her feel like she was floating on air and unable to stop."
Lu Tingyu stared in shock, wishing she could cover her mouth: "Su Panyue, stop talking!"
"Hahaha, okay, okay, then I won't read it aloud, you can read it yourself," Su Panyue agreed with a smile.
The two started arguing.
Little did they know, a man dressed in a black brocade robe with dragon patterns was standing outside the door with his hands behind his back, having heard everything that was happening inside.
Suki stood to the side, his head almost bowed so low he could hardly see it, feeling the chilling aura of the king before him, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.
He finally spoke: "Who told you to find her the storybook?"
Shouxi knelt down with a thud: "Your Majesty, it was my fault. Miss Su said she was a little bored, so I went to find a few books... I know I was wrong, please punish me, Your Majesty."
Xie Lanzhou stared at him intently for a moment and asked, "Where did you find it?"
Shouxi answered tremblingly, "These are all from the young palace maids who were confiscated earlier. They were kept in the Bureau of Ceremonies, and I just grabbed a few at random."
"Take me there."
*
The palace servants in the Bureau of Ceremonies knelt on the ground.
The chief eunuch of the Bureau of Ceremonies smiled stiffly: "This servant greets Your Majesty."
He really didn't expect His Majesty to come to this godforsaken place one day. After all, the Bureau of Palace Affairs was mainly responsible for supervising the affairs of the palace staff and storing confiscated items. It was one of the most inconspicuous places in the palace.
With a glance from Xie Lanzhou, Shouxi hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Where are all the idle books confiscated from the palace servants by the Bureau of Ceremonial Affairs put?"
The chief eunuch was sweating profusely. "Your Majesty, this way please."
A shelf was filled with colorful storybooks. Xie Lanzhou randomly picked one up, and the cover boldly proclaimed "The Domineering Bodyguard Falls in Love with Me".
His face was cold and stern as he slowly said, "Burn everything on this shelf that concerns the guards."
The chief eunuch bowed and asked, "Yes, Your Majesty, what about the rest?"
Xie Lanzhou glanced at him, said nothing more, and turned to leave.
The chief eunuch then pulled Shouxi aside and whispered, "Your Excellency, could you please enlighten me on what His Majesty means by this?"
Sukiyaki pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you have any stories about that person here?" He pointed to the sky as he spoke.
"About His Majesty? We've also received some folk tales; are those to be burned too?" The chief eunuch's voice was even lower.
Shouxi shook his head: "Keep it, I'll come back for it later. As for the rest, just do as His Majesty instructs."
"Alright, thank you for your guidance, Eunuch Shouxi." The chief eunuch bowed and watched him leave.
Xie Lanzhou returned to the Hall of Diligent Governance, sat on the dragon throne, rested his forehead on one hand, and frowned slightly.
Eunuch Fu came in and reported: "Your Majesty, it seems that the Empress Dowager is looking for someone. Today, she summoned a large number of palace maids to Cining Palace."
Xie Lanzhou raised his eyes, his voice flat and emotionless: "On what grounds?"
Eunuch Fu: "I heard that he is unwell and wants to find some palace maids to copy Buddhist scriptures for blessings. Your Majesty, would you like to go and take a look?"
Xie Lanzhou clapped his hands, and a bodyguard quickly appeared in the hall.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"how?"
"Your subordinate has discovered that Prince Rui has sent people to wait for the Yan envoy on his usual route. His specific intentions are still unknown."
Xie Lanzhou still rested his forehead on one hand and scoffed lightly: "They just want cooperation, and if cooperation fails, they'll strike first."
The guard clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Your subordinate will definitely find evidence of Prince Rui's treason!"
Xie Lanzhou's lips curled into a cold smile: "Go ahead, but that would be too easy on my good brother."
He waved his hand, and the guards retreated silently.
Eunuch Fu asked worriedly, "Is His Majesty really going to let Prince Rui act so freely?"
Xie Lanzhou shook his head, stood up and said, "Let's go, let's go see Cining Palace."
A note from the author:
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The emperor is jealous, the emperor is unhappy, someone's going to suffer! [doge emoji]
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