Chapter 19 Worries: "Prepare water for a bath; I will stay here tonight."...
Xie Lanzhou glanced at her indifferently, too lazy to argue with her. After spending an hour together, his headache had eased considerably.
He sat down on a grand chair to prevent her from overthinking and got down to business: "Today, the Empress Dowager summoned many palace maids."
Su Panyue sat up straight and asked, "Summon the palace maids, what, what for?"
Xie Lanzhou gave her a meaningful look.
"Are you going to arrest me? Your Majesty, you must save me!" Su Panyue's face fell, and she said pitifully.
Xie Lanzhou fiddled with the Buddhist prayer beads on his wrist and asked, "Why did I save you?"
Su Panyue blinked, hesitated, and said, "Because this servant is loyal and wants to live to serve Your Majesty for a long time."
In his mind, he was furiously complaining: "They still don't want to save me? They're really turning their backs on me now that they've done their bidding!"
Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou's forehead twitched. He felt that if he continued to be misunderstood, he would really become a heartless man who started something and then abandoned it. But explaining at this time would be strange. He could only wait and see when she would discover the truth herself.
Xie Lanzhou snapped out of her thoughts and casually asked, "How long do you mean by 'a long time'?"
Su Panyue answered instinctively, "For a lifetime, this servant is willing to serve Your Majesty for a lifetime."
Xie Lanzhou fell silent, lowering his eyes and waiting quietly to hear her completely opposite true thoughts.
There was complete silence; he heard nothing.
He turned his head to look, wondering if his mind-reading ability had failed, when he heard the woman's thoughts again:
[Is one lifetime not enough? My ancestors, do you expect me to serve you for the next life and the life after that?]
He chuckled softly and said "okay".
Su Panyue pressed on, still worried, "If the Empress Dowager finds me, will His Majesty protect me?"
She regretted her words as soon as she finished speaking. How could she have the nerve to compare herself to the Empress Dowager? Even if the two of them had a strained relationship, His Majesty would not risk being branded as unfilial for the sake of a mere palace maid like her.
The man then said "okay" in a low voice.
This time, Su Panyue was truly stunned, wondering to herself: [What's so good about it?]
Looking at the blank expression on the girl's pretty face, Xie Lanzhou resisted the urge to pinch her cheek and instead reassured her: "As long as I don't agree, no one can harm you."
The emperor's word is law, and Su Panyue naturally believed him, so she immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Your Majesty, the hot spring water is ready," said Eunuch Fu through the gauze curtain.
Su Panyue: [I've been lying in bed all day, I really want to take a bath!]
Hearing her thoughts, Xie Lanzhou recalled the scene of wiping her down and dressing her last night. He rubbed his fingertips together, as if the smooth touch of the woman's skin still lingered on them.
Xie Lanzhou's Adam's apple bobbed as he realized what he was thinking. He pursed his lips and pondered for a moment before saying to Eunuch Fu outside, "Set up the carriage and return to the Hall of Mental Cultivation."
【Huh? They're leaving already?】
Su Panyue secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although she had read the fire avoidance booklet, she couldn't remember anything about what happened last night. It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous.
After watching him leave, Su Panyue lay back down.
I probably slept too long during the day, and now I can't fall asleep no matter how much I toss and turn.
I finally managed to fall asleep in the middle of the night, but then I had strange dreams.
The scene in her dream was very familiar to her; it was the rear bedroom of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
Palace servants came and went, bringing out basins of bloody water.
Eunuch Fu was anxiously calling from the doorway, "Has the imperial physician arrived? Quickly, everyone come in!"
Leading the group was Imperial Physician Gao, who carried a medicine chest and walked in hurriedly, followed by a group of imperial physicians, all with solemn expressions.
Xie Lanzhou lay on the canopy bed in the palace, his eyes closed, his face pale, and a touch of bright red on his lips, which added to his bewitching and fragile appearance.
The imperial physician stepped forward and lifted the brocade quilt covering him, revealing a inch-long wound on his waist and abdomen, a bloody mess that was a horrifying sight.
The imperial physician Gao began to treat his wounds, and it took him a full half hour to stop.
Eunuch Fu asked anxiously from the side, "Director Gao, how is His Majesty's injury?"
"The knife was poisoned, and the wound is very deep, having already damaged the lungs and internal organs. I will now prepare an antidote for His Majesty, but it is uncertain whether His Majesty can survive the night," the Imperial Physician Gao said truthfully.
Eunuch Fu exclaimed in alarm, beckoning a young eunuch to ask, "Is there any news from the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Has the assassin been caught?"
The young eunuch shook his head: "Sir, there's still no news."
Eunuch Fu was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, pacing back and forth in the palace, while a group of imperial physicians knelt on the ground, discussing countermeasures.
The man on the bed remained motionless, with only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicating that he was still alive.
Su Panyue wanted to see if he could make it through the night, but the dream came to an abrupt end.
She opened her eyes somewhat blankly and saw the luxurious cloud brocade canopy overhead and the equally large canopy bed. For a moment, she couldn't distinguish between dream and reality.
The thought of the man's pale face and the glaring wound on his abdomen made her feel a tightness in her chest. Although it was just a dream, the scene in the dream felt incredibly real.
She was sullen all morning until Xie Lanzhou came for lunch, which helped her calm down.
However, he was somewhat absent-minded when serving him meals, which Xie Lanzhou noticed at a glance, and Shouxi came to ask him about it.
What did she do today?
Shouxi replied, "Your Majesty, Miss Su sat on the bed in a daze after getting up today, until you came just now."
Xie Lanzhou nodded, and when he returned to the inner hall, he saw Su Panyue looking at him with her big, watery eyes, which seemed to contain a hint of worry.
He sat down in the armchair, tapping his fingers on the table one tap at a time, waiting patiently.
Before long, Su Panyue asked, "Your Majesty, do you often encounter assassins?"
Xie Lanzhou raised an eyebrow. So, her look just now was because she was worried that he would be assassinated?
He answered truthfully: "Often."
Su Panyue frowned silently, thinking to herself: [Being an emperor is far too risky; assassins are always around.]
"Your Majesty must be very careful and arrange for more guards to protect your safety."
Please, you absolutely must live!
Hearing her inner thoughts, Xie Lanzhou gave her a deep look. This was the second time he had heard her praying in her heart that she would live well. There were countless people in this world who wanted him dead, but this woman wanted him to live.
Xie Lanzhou lowered her head, curled her lips, and whispered "okay."
Days passed by, and in the blink of an eye, Su Panyue had already been staying at the Star-Picking Pavilion for five days.
She spent most of the last five days in bed, taking her medicine on time every day, chatting with Lu Tingyu and Shouxi, and reading several storybooks.
Strangely, the recent storybooks all tell tales of palace maids and emperors. Su Panyue read them while complaining to Lu Tingyu:
"These stories are getting more and more outrageous; they're only good for swindling money from us palace maids."
Lu Tingyu was also influenced by her, and would often tell her about the interesting things that happened among noble ladies, and would also read storybooks with her.
The only thing Su Panyue could do when she was bored was to serve Xie Lanzhou meals. He would come over for meals every day at noon and in the evening, sometimes bringing some memorials with him.
This kind of life—eating until you're full, sleeping until you wake up, eating again—should have been Su Panyue's favorite, but she became increasingly restless.
Since the day she dreamed of Xie Lanzhou being seriously injured, she had several more dreams, piecing together the whole story of the assassination attempt from fragmented fragments.
In the dream, the envoys from the Yan Kingdom arrived in the capital. Xie Lanzhou received them in the Xuanhua Hall. During the banquet, the peace talks failed, and one of the Yan envoys was assassinated on the spot.
Thick smoke billowed inside the palace, creating chaos. Xie Lanzhou was also seriously injured at this time and fell into a coma. Prince Rui took over the administration, and the court was filled with a foul atmosphere.
It was just a dream, but the dream felt so real that it made Su Panyue feel uneasy.
I had heard about the Yan envoy when I was serving in the Hall of Diligent Governance, but when the envoy would arrive and whether Xie Lanzhou would be assassinated as in the dream were all unknown.
Su Panyue dared not tell anyone else, wanting to pretend that nothing had happened, but the scene of His Majesty carrying her back that day kept appearing in her mind.
Such a strong and powerful man lay motionless on his bed in his dream, his face pale.
She hoped it was just a dream, but every time she did, she felt a tightness in her chest.
Su Panyue hesitated for three days before finally deciding to reveal the matter to him, even if it was just a subtle reminder to make him more prepared.
Xie Lanzhou came to Zhaixing Pavilion for dinner as usual tonight. Su Panyue's injuries have recovered well, and she can now hop and skip a few steps on her own.
Upon seeing Xie Lanzhou enter, Su Panyue hopped on one foot to greet him, verbally saying, "Greetings, Your Majesty."
She nearly lost her balance when she jumped in front of him, but Xie Lanzhou reached out and helped her to sit down at the table.
Su Panyue secretly pinched the muscles on his arm; they were so hard.
Originally, palace maids were not qualified to dine at the same table as the emperor, but Xie Lanzhou insisted that she serve him. Since it was inconvenient for her to stand, they had to sit at the same table. After a few days, Su Panyue got used to it.
Su Panyue poured Xie Lanzhou a cup of tea, then hesitated, unsure how to begin, her mind wandering as she thought absentmindedly:
How can I tell him about the dream in a way that makes him believable? I can't just say I dreamt that someone assassinated the envoy from Yan at a banquet, can I?
Xie Lanzhou raised an eyebrow. It turned out that her unusually preoccupied state these past few days was due to a dream she had.
After the two were seated, Su Panyue hesitated before asking, "Your Majesty, when will the envoy from Yan arrive?"
It was truly inappropriate for a palace maid to ask such a question, but Xie Lanzhou answered without a care, "I will arrive in the capital at the beginning of next month."
Su Panyue nodded, opening her mouth as if to ask something else.
"Speak your mind," Xie Lanzhou said directly, disliking her timid manner.
Su Panyue bluntly said, "Does Your Majesty wish to receive them personally? There may be danger if the peace talks fail."
"When envoys come to pay homage, of course I must appear. Why are you concerned about these things?" Xie Lanzhou asked calmly.
He was already aware of the dealings between Prince Rui and the envoy from Yan, and had made arrangements accordingly. He simply enjoyed seeing the girl's worried expression.
Su Panyue sighed inwardly:
[You can't reason with a damn fool, I'm just warning you, you'll regret it when you get hurt.]
She replied respectfully, "I am worried because I will not be able to serve Your Majesty at that time."
Unexpectedly, Xie Lanzhou spoke up, saying, "Imperial Physician Gao said that in another week, your foot injury will be healed and you will be able to walk normally. I grant you permission to serve me."
Upon hearing this, Su Panyue's expression was complicated, but she could only force herself to say, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
[It's like I'm begging to serve you! If it weren't for the fact that you saved me once, I wouldn't bother with you at all.]
Hearing her rebellious thoughts, Xie Lanzhou smiled at her instead.
Su Panyue was mesmerized by the sight and couldn't help but continue to command in her mind: [Why are you smiling so beautifully? Aren't you trying to seduce me by touching me?]
Xie Lanzhou nodded and said softly, "Prepare water for a bath. I will stay here tonight."
A note from the author:
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My next book is "The Stolen Sister-in-Law Has Amnesia," a story about brothers fighting over a wife and a seemingly innocent but actually cunning female lead. Please add it to your favorites if you like it!
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