Chapter 31 Confession: "Don't you have anything to say to me?"...
Su Panyue stayed in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for three days, but she saw Xie Lanzhou very few times. He left early and returned late every day, and she didn't know what he was busy with.
With nothing to do, Su Panyue strolled over to Jingchun Palace to check on the repairs.
She was genuinely surprised when she first visited, and finally understood why the palace was called Jingchun Palace.
Upon entering the palace gate, the first thing that catches the eye is a carved and inlaid rosewood screen depicting the four seasons, with fine gold lines outlining the scenes of spring, summer, autumn and winter.
Beyond the screen, a long carpet of Western Region floral patterns covered the floor, leading to a golden sandalwood canopy bed at the far end. Beside it stood a life-sized gilded bronze mirror, and on the other side, a wardrobe was filled with a dazzling array of summer dresses.
The entire palace was like a treasure box that contained all the beauty and wealth of the world. Since entering the palace, Su Panyue's lips had never left her mouth.
The steward of the Imperial Household Department in charge of the repairs bowed respectfully: "This servant greets Consort Su." His tone was almost excessively respectful.
Looking at the other palace servants who were still busy, Su Panyue asked in confusion, "Everything in this palace is ready, is there anything else that needs to be repaired?"
The steward replied, "My lord, the vermilion lacquer on the door, the carvings on the beams, the lanterns under the eaves, and all the furnishings inside all need to be renovated and replaced, so it's been a bit slow."
Su Panyue frowned and asked, "How long will this take to fix?"
The steward bowed even lower, his smile becoming even more obsequious. "Please don't be impatient, Your Highness. This is all for your comfort in the future, isn't it?"
Su Panyue didn't want to make things difficult for him, so she left Jingchun Palace with Feixue, asking on the way, "Can a mere beauty rank be allowed to live in such a fine palace?"
Feixue spoke frankly: "Your Highness may not know this, but Jingchun Palace is no ordinary palace. It has always been the residence of the most favored imperial concubines."
Su Panyue raised an eyebrow in surprise. So this was the residence of the Imperial Concubine. No wonder it was so luxurious. Xie Lanzhou had a bad temper, but he was generous to his concubines.
*
Xie Lanzhou, who was in the Hall of Diligent Governance, sneezed and waved his hand to stop Eunuch Fu from speaking with concern. He then listened to a young eunuch below report: "Your Majesty, Consort Su has gone to Jingchun Palace."
Without looking up, Xie Lanzhou asked, "What are you going to do?"
"It should just be a visit. Lady Su seemed quite satisfied after seeing it and asked what could be repaired."
Xie Lanzhou said without changing his expression, "No rush. Tell the Imperial Household Department to take another month to repair it. Make sure it's done meticulously. When Consort Su goes there again, ask her what she thinks and do everything she says."
Eunuch Fu praised, "Your Majesty's move is truly brilliant!"
Xie Lanzhou gave him a cold look and asked, "Any news from Seventeen?"
Fu Gonggong replied, "We're already on our way back, but traveling with the children might be a bit slower. We should arrive in the capital by the end of the month at the latest."
Upon hearing the word "child," Xie Lanzhou nodded silently.
At this moment, the Fifteenth Guard requested an audience.
"Your Majesty, I have found some clues."
"explain."
"The person who kidnapped Miss Su earlier must have been a palace eunuch. He was highly skilled in martial arts, especially in lightness skills. However, he managed to escape even after I had been staking out him for several days."
Xie Lanzhou asked, "Are you sure he's a eunuch?"
Fifteen nodded: "He was indeed wearing a eunuch's robe, but I couldn't see his face clearly."
Xie Lanzhou then asked, "Have you found out where he previously detained people?"
Chapter Fifteen said, "Your subordinate led men to inspect all parts of the palace, and the most likely place is the Cold Palace."
Xie Lanzhou raised an eyebrow, clenching and unclenching her fist. So it was the Cold Palace. No wonder she looked so listless when she came back.
He waved his hand: "I understand. Continue to send people to keep an eye on things. If there is any news, do not alert them. Inform me immediately."
Fifteen remained kneeling, saying, "Your subordinate is incompetent; I beg Your Majesty for punishment."
Xie Lanzhou said, "Even you couldn't catch him, so this person is definitely not a good person. Let's give up for now and you can leave."
Fifteen got up and left. Xie Lanzhou's face was gloomy. Such a master. Was he being targeted by him or Su Panyue?
Disturbed, he put down the procedures for tomorrow's earth sacrifice and returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation ahead of schedule.
Upon entering the hall, one sees Su Panyue sitting cross-legged on the chaise longue, her head bowed, seemingly busy with something, her expression one of intense concentration.
She only noticed his presence when he was right in front of her.
Before she could even offer a proper greeting, Su Panyue hurriedly hid what she was holding behind her back, her tone slightly unnatural:
"Your Majesty, why are you back so early today?"
[Why didn't anyone inform me when this ancestor came back? I almost got caught by him.]
Xie Lanzhou hummed in agreement and asked, "What are you doing?"
This is a surprise I prepared for you, how could I tell you beforehand?
With one hand behind her back, Su Panyue replied, "Nothing, nothing at all."
He was completely unaware that her thoughts had already betrayed him.
Upon hearing the word "surprise," Xie Lanzhou stopped pressuring her and turned to go to the back hall to bathe.
The wound on his arm had scabbed over. Ever since she helped him bathe and he fell into the water, Su Panyue refused to come again.
Watching him leave and walk towards the bath at the back, Su Panyue hurriedly jumped off the chaise lounge and stuffed the half-embroidered sachet in her hand into the corner of her dressing case.
When Xie Lanzhou came out after his bath, he saw the woman sitting in front of the bronze mirror, arranging her hair. On the newly added dressing table in front of her were several hairpins, which he had given her a few days ago.
He walked behind her and looked at the woman in the bronze mirror.
With her long hair flowing over her shoulders and without any makeup, she could easily be mistaken for a fairy descended to earth, except that this fairy's heart was somewhat tainted.
Su Panyue also saw him through the bronze mirror, and her eyes widened instantly: "Your Majesty."
Why aren't you dressed properly! Aren't you trying to tempt me to commit a crime?!
The man, who had just finished bathing, was loosely draped in a moon-white nightgown, the belt undone, revealing a large expanse of skin on his chest. His half-wet, dark hair was draped behind him, with a few strands hanging in front of his chest, and water droplets occasionally dripping from the ends of his hair.
It then slid down along the muscle fibers and disappeared.
Only his upper body was visible in the bronze mirror. Su Panyue blinked, turned her head to look at his pants, which were still properly worn, and sighed silently.
Xie Lanzhou sat down beside her, and Su Panyue naturally picked up a comb to dry the ends of his hair, asking, "Your Majesty has been very busy lately?"
Xie Lanzhou hummed in agreement and said, "You will accompany me to the Earth Worship Ceremony in three days."
Su Panyue paused in her work of styling his hair, pulling out two long strands which she secretly tossed on the ground. She asked in surprise, "Me too?"
She had only heard about these customs of the Great Qi from Feixue a few days ago. The summer solstice was for worshipping the earth, and the winter solstice was for worshipping the heavens. These were important days for praying for favorable weather and abundant harvests.
The emperor himself had to preside over the sacrificial ceremony, and all imperial relatives and key ministers were required to attend, but someone of her rank would never get a turn.
While she was still hesitating, Xie Lanzhou continued, "Fei Xue Fei Yan will tell you what to do, so you don't need to worry."
Su Panyue could only nod in agreement.
After drying his hair, it was time for him to go to bed.
Although Su Panyue had been living in the Hall of Mental Cultivation for some time, she always fell asleep on her own. She had no idea when Xie Lanzhou returned at night or when he got up and left. He had never woken her up once.
But since he came back early today, Su Panyue felt a little uncomfortable and lingered in front of her dressing table.
Then came the deep voice of the man already lying on the bed: "Come and sleep."
She got up and walked towards the bed, muttering to herself, "You're the one who called me here, you'd better not regret it if I suddenly become a beast!"
Xie Lanzhou lay on the outermost side of the canopy bed, while Su Panyue stood by the bed looking at the empty space inside. There was more than enough room for three more people to sleep in.
He thought to himself, "Isn't he afraid of falling off the bed if he sleeps so close to the edge? Is he trying to protect me like this?"
Xie Lanzhou chuckled at her inner thoughts and whispered, "Su Panyue, has no one ever told you that you're a terrible sleeper?"
Su Panyue blinked and denied it outright: "I don't think so, but I've always slept alone before, and no one has ever told me that."
Thinking of her sickly husband and her one-year-old daughter, Xie Lanzhou closed her eyes and said nothing more.
Su Panyue ignored him and moved from the foot of the bed to the inside.
She glanced at the man's still-cold profile, inwardly fuming: [So what if he's a restless sleeper? Is that really worth getting angry about? I'm moving out tomorrow!]
Thinking this, Su Panyue turned over, her back to him pressed against the corner of the wall, the two of them on the large canopy bed, one inside and one outside.
Upon hearing her say she was moving out, Xie Lanzhou could no longer bear it and reached out to pull her into his arms.
Caught off guard, Su Panyue cried out in surprise as the scent of ambergris wafted towards her. "Your Majesty, what are you doing?"
Xie Lanzhou simply said two words: "Sleep."
Su Panyue pressed against his chest and whispered, "You don't need to hug me like this even when you're sleeping..."
Xie Lanzhou tightened his grip on her arm: "It's been like this for the past few days."
Now it was Su Panyue's turn to be dumbfounded. He had been holding her while she slept these past few days? She hadn't even noticed.
A doubt crept into my mind: "Is he really just going to do nothing? Is he impotent?"
Xie Lanzhou moved forward a little, and the two of them were immediately pressed close together. Su Panyue immediately noticed something.
He gasped: "Yeah, he's pretty good."
Then, without making a sound, he moved forward a little and said, somewhat trying to cover up his misunderstanding, "Um... it's quite hot, isn't it?"
Xie Lanzhou: "There are three ice chests in the room. If Lady Su still feels hot, we can add more."
Su Panyue wrapped herself tighter in her blanket: "That's not necessary. It wouldn't be good if His Majesty got cold."
Xie Lanzhou chuckled, then changed the subject, saying, "Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"
"Huh?" Su Panyue was a little confused, and muttered to herself:
【I haven't been doing anything lately, have I? Could it be that he caught me secretly reading manga again?】
Xie Lanzhou: "You can tell me whatever difficulties you have. I will not pursue the matter from before, as long as you..."
Su Panyue hesitated and asked, "Really?"
Xie Lanzhou nodded, her breathing becoming lighter.
Su Panyue took a deep breath and said, "Actually, the first time I served you a meal, I put something in the food."
Before Xie Lanzhou could speak, she continued to defend herself, "Your Majesty, I was forced to do it. Besides, that thing doesn't seem to have any effect. You are still perfectly fine and nothing has happened to you."
Xie Lanzhou frowned, and before he could finish speaking, Su Panyue turned around and covered his mouth.
"Your Majesty, you just said that the previous matter would not be pursued. Your word is law, and you cannot go back on your word."
A warm breath came from her palm; it was the man sighing. A tingling sensation spread throughout her body. Su Panyue awkwardly moved her hand away, her lively, doe-like eyes shining even in the darkness.
Xie Lanzhou stared into her eyes, remaining silent for a long time, so long that Su Panyue began to mutter to herself again:
Help! His eyes are so focused! If he keeps looking at you, I'm going to kiss you!
The next instant, the man suddenly moved closer and placed a kiss on her forehead, a kiss as fleeting as a feather.
"Never mind, I don't blame you. Go to sleep."
Su Panyue was still a little confused, not knowing why he suddenly kissed her forehead, but he knew she had drugged him and said he didn't blame her, which made her feel relieved.
The two embraced face to face. She secretly looked up from the man's arms and found that he had already closed his eyes. Su Panyue then brazenly traced his outline with her eyes in the dim night.
She thought to herself, "He's really handsome, but how can I fall asleep holding him like this?"
Before long, the woman's even breathing could be heard. Xie Lanzhou slowly opened his eyes and kissed her lips again.
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Author's Note: To be able to update daily, I even wrote on the plane today. See how hard I've been working? [sunglasses]
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