Chapter 9 The massage wasn't because he couldn't wait for the girl to arrive tomorrow, but now...
After waking up, Su Panyue went to the Hall of Mental Cultivation again. This time she was not late; Xie Lanzhou was still on the dragon bed in the back hall. It seemed he didn't like sleeping in late and preferred taking a nap.
When Fulin saw her coming, he asked her to pour water for His Majesty.
Looking at the familiar dragon bed in the palace, Su Panyue felt her neck start to hurt again, and the suffocating feeling she had before her death surged into her heart once more.
With trembling hands, he poured a cup of tea, not daring to approach the dragon bed, and stretched out his arm to hand it over from two steps away.
Seeing her avoidance and her slightly trembling hands, Xie Lanzhou felt something was amiss. He didn't reach out to take it, but instead scrutinized her nervous appearance.
When Su Panyue was stared at like that, she felt the hairs on the back of her head stand on end, and all she wanted to do was run away and leave this terrifying place.
Her behavior was really strange. Xie Lanzhou looked down at the teacup in her hand and curled his lips. So she had poisoned it.
"Drink it."
Su Panyue's mind was blank. She responded reflexively and then, somewhat dazed, drank the tea in her hand in one gulp.
Xie Lanzhou raised an eyebrow. She probably took the antidote beforehand; she was quite clever.
She was acting strangely today. Despite having some odd thoughts in her mind, she was unusually quiet. I hadn't heard her thoughts since she entered the room.
Could it be that the mind-reading ability has failed? Xie Lanzhou asked, "Tell me, what are you thinking?"
She replied, "Your Majesty, this servant was not thinking anything." But she touched her neck, her breathing becoming somewhat rapid.
But Xie Lanzhou still heard her inner voice: "It hurts so much, I don't want to die, I just want to live."
Xie Lanzhou gave her a strange look, then got up on his own. Fu Lin helped him put on his outer robe and whispered, "Your Majesty, the Vice Minister of Revenue requests an audience."
Xie Lanzhou: "Since you brought it here yourself, let's meet you."
Then he turned and glanced at the person who was standing there dumbfounded, "You follow too."
Su Panyue gave an "oh" and followed like a wooden doll, her mind completely silent.
Xie Lanzhou glanced at her again.
*Hall of Diligent Governance.
Lu Xingchang, the Vice Minister of Revenue, was waiting inside the hall. He was probably in his forties, with a fat head and big ears. His indigo official robe was stretched so much that there wasn't a single wrinkle on him.
Xie Lanzhou entered the hall, and Lu Xingchang immediately bowed and greeted him: "Your humble servant greets Your Majesty."
Xie Lanzhou walked to the main seat and sat down, with Eunuch Fu and Su Panyue standing on either side of him.
Xie Lanzhou didn't tell him to get up, but asked, "What is it?"
Lu Xingchang looked up, glanced at Su Panyue with a hint of surprise, and carefully said, "Your Majesty, regarding the military supplies and war preparations discussed at today's court meeting, the Ministry of Revenue is in deficit every year and simply cannot come up with that much silver."
Xie Lanzhou: "I remember that the taxes collected in the past few years were quite substantial."
Lu Xingchang: "Your Majesty, although there was no war in the past few years, the repair of Wanfo Temple and Zhaixing Pavilion was a huge expense."
Xie Lanzhou's expression grew even colder.
The Empress Dowager was a Buddhist, and the Wanfo Temple was built under her initiative in her early years. It was located in the southern suburbs of the city. After its completion, she only visited it two or three times, saying that the essence of worshipping Buddha lies in sincerity and not in being confined to temples.
However, the temple is currently attracting many dignitaries from the capital to worship Buddha, and its incense offerings are still quite prosperous.
The Zhaixing Pavilion was built during the reign of the late emperor. It was built on an open space within the palace, with a total of six floors. Each floor had a different layout and a different view. The pavilion was decorated with carved beams and painted rafters, and it was magnificent and imposing. It is unknown how much gold and silver was invested in it.
Xie Lanzhou: "I've heard that Wanfo Temple is always bustling with worshippers."
Lu Xingchang quickly shook his head: "Your Majesty is unaware that the incense is used to gild the Buddha statues in the temple, so it cannot be touched."
Xie Lanzhou clicked his tongue, his face darkened, and his voice carried a hint of intimidation: "Then I'll need Vice Minister Lu to spend the money. You have quite a few treasures on your estate in the suburbs of Beijing."
"Let it all go into the national treasury."
The estate contained the ill-gotten gains Lu Xingchang had made during his years as Vice Minister of Revenue. His expression changed drastically, but he couldn't utter a single word of dissent in the face of the stern and ruthless emperor.
He could only reply, "Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens."
Upon arriving at the Hall of Diligent Governance, Su Panyue's suffocating feeling vanished, and she couldn't help but inwardly grumble:
[How could they do this?! Isn't this blatant robbery?!]
Before she could finish complaining, she saw Xie Lanzhou tap the teacup lightly. Su Panyue was startled and realized that she had been so dizzy that she had forgotten to pour him tea.
I quickly poured him a glass.
Xie Lanzhou looked at her slender hands holding the teapot and said calmly, "I have read Minister Lu's memorial."
The Minister of Revenue, whose face had been ashen, suddenly looked up, his eyes gleaming with excitement: "To be honest, my daughter came of age last year and has been hoping to enter the palace to accompany Your Highness."
Xie Lanzhou: "Really?"
The Minister of Revenue quickly assured him, "My daughter is both beautiful and talented. She has studied the Four Books and Five Classics and the teachings on virtue and conduct since childhood. She is also proficient in music, chess, calligraphy and painting. It is her good fortune to serve Your Majesty."
Xie Lanzhou: "Alright, let her come tomorrow."
"Tomorrow...?" The Minister of Revenue hesitated slightly. Since ancient times, there has always been a set procedure for emperors to take concubines. How could there be enough time tomorrow?
But Xie Lanzhou had lost his patience. He raised his hand and pinched the space between his eyebrows, his tone slightly cold: "What else do you want?"
The Minister of Revenue dared not ask any further questions and quickly took his leave: "No, no, this humble subject will now take his leave."
Seeing him leave in such a hurry, Su Panyue couldn't help but think:
[That old man has a cruel heart; he sent his own daughter to the palace.]
Then he mentally criticized Xie Lanzhou:
[Rumors are unreliable. They said he was indifferent to women, but he agreed to date that girl without even meeting her. Tsk tsk tsk, men these days.]
Xie Lanzhou paused in rubbing his temples, glanced at Su Panyue standing to the side, and beckoned her hand.
After Su Panyue concluded that he was a lecherous fiend, her thoughts gradually went astray.
[What is this? Could it be that he can't wait for the girl to arrive tomorrow and is about to unleash his beastly desires?]
Then she saw that the emperor's face had darkened even more, and he was staring at her with eyes that seemed capable of killing.
Su Panyue quickly walked to his side and asked in a low voice, "What is it, Your Majesty?"
If he tries to have sex with me, should I resist? What if he strangles me again?
Xie Lanzhou: "That's enough!"
Su Panyue was startled and looked at him innocently, seemingly unaware of why he had suddenly become angry.
Xie Lanzhou: "Press my head down."
After he finished speaking, he saw that she was still standing there in a daze, and asked, "You don't know how?"
"Yes, I will." Su Panyue tried to look away from his face and secretly swallowed.
[He's so handsome. If he wanted that, I wouldn't be at a disadvantage, hehe.]
Xie Lanzhou turned to look at her and saw her rosy cheeks. He swallowed back the words he wanted to use to scare her and waited quietly.
Su Panyue had previously learned massage techniques from Granny Wei. Granny Wei said that His Majesty's headaches often flared up, and massage could alleviate them to some extent.
However, Su Panyue looked at his golden hair ornament and didn't know where to start. She turned to him and asked, "Your Majesty, shall I take off your hair ornament for you?"
The woman's warm breath brushed against his ear, accompanied by a faint floral fragrance.
Xie Lanzhou nodded silently.
A pair of hands gently removed his hair crown, and his dark hair cascaded down.
Su Panyue found the corresponding acupoint and pressed it gently. It was actually her first time pressing someone else's acupoint, and she really wanted to ask if the pressure was appropriate.
She saw the man relax his body, close his eyes and lean back in the chair. Although his face was still expressionless, Su Panyue felt that he seemed to be enjoying himself.
Xie Lanzhou did indeed feel an unprecedented sense of relaxation. It wasn't that her massage technique was particularly skillful or exquisite; it was simply that her proximity to him eased the restlessness and dull pain that had been constantly bothering him. Now, with her massaging him, whether lightly or heavily, he no longer felt any discomfort.
The hall quieted down, and Su Panyue also cleared her mind, pressing his acupoints again and again.
After about 15 minutes, she felt her wrists getting sore and slowed down to take a break.
Only then did they realize that the man had fallen asleep sometime earlier.
Su Panyue stopped what she was doing and looked down at him.
The man, who is usually aloof and cold-faced, looks harmless when he's asleep, like a sleeping deity, sacred and inviolable.
Su Panyue, however, was somewhat eager to try, recalling the feeling of touching his face when he was unconscious last time, which she found quite pleasant.
But with several palace servants nearby, she could only think about it in her heart.
Soon, Eunuch Fu also noticed that His Majesty had fallen asleep. He dismissed the other palace servants and mouthed to Su Panyue, silently signaling her not to disturb His Majesty's rest.
Su Panyue nodded and prepared to leave, but in the instant she withdrew her hand, she inadvertently caught a glimpse of the man's slightly furrowed brows.
As if guided by a ghost, she raised her hand and smoothed out the wrinkles between his brows, and saw his expression relax again.
Su Panyue nodded in satisfaction: "Such a handsome face, how can he always be frowning?"
Seeing her actions, Eunuch Fu couldn't help but hold his breath, but when he saw that His Majesty was still sleeping peacefully, he breathed a sigh of relief.
His Majesty suffers from headaches and often cannot sleep at night. This Miss Su's massage technique actually allows His Majesty to fall asleep peacefully during the day. Eunuch Fu looked at Su Panyue with a complicated expression.
But she is a spy sent by the Empress Dowager, so we must be wary of her.
Xie Lanzhou slept for more than half an hour.
Su Panyue tried to leave several times during this period, but every time she tried to leave, the man would frown. After a while, she simply touched his head and sat on the armrest of the sandalwood chair he was sitting on.
Eunuch Fu opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but after glancing at the sleeping Emperor, he ultimately chose to ignore him.
The hall was very quiet. Before long, Su Panyue also began to doze off, her head lower and lower, little by little, like a chick pecking at rice.
Grandpa Fu couldn't stand it anymore and was about to step forward to remind him.
Then they saw Su Panyue's head collide directly with His Majesty's face.
Startled by the impact, Su Panyue cried out. She saw Xie Lanzhou suddenly open his eyes, a red mark gradually appearing on his face. She immediately sat up straight and pretended nothing had happened.
Seeing the man looking over, she quickly said softly, "Your Majesty, you're awake."
If you keep sleeping, it will be dark by then.
Xie Lanzhou: "What time is it now?"
Su Panyue was asleep and had no idea what time it was, so she looked to Eunuch Fu for help.
The latter replied, "Your Majesty, it is the second quarter of the hour of You (5:45 PM)."
Xie Lanzhou touched the red mark on her face where Su Panyue had bumped into her, raised an eyebrow at her, and seemed to be waiting for an explanation.
Su Panyue hesitated for a moment before saying, "This servant was wrong. This servant massaged Your Majesty for an hour and was so exhausted that I accidentally bumped into Your Majesty."
I'm so clever! They can't punish me for saying that, can they?
Xie Lanzhou, who rarely gets a good night's sleep, scoffed lightly, didn't argue with her, and let her go back to rest as well.
After Su Panyue left, Seventeen, dressed in black, appeared. Xie Lanzhou said, "Seventeen, go and investigate what's going on between Su Panyue and that guard."
A note from the author:
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Xie Lanzhou: Why is it that there are always people trying to harm me?
Su Panyue: Your Majesty, your paranoia has gotten worse again...
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