Chapter 21 Pampering "Su Panyue, it's only been a few days, and you're already so arrogant..."
Su Panyue was instantly wide awake and finished dressing and washing up in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.
He limped and helped Lu Tingyu out of the house in a hurry. When he saw the teaching assistant waiting outside, he let out a howl and rushed over to her.
"Aunt Cui, what brings you here? I've missed you so much!"
Aunt Cui was working in the Imperial Kitchen, but yesterday she was suddenly notified by the chief eunuch Fu, who was close to the emperor, to report to the Star-Picking Pavilion today.
Upon seeing Su Panyue, he understood His Majesty's intention and patted her hand, saying, "His Majesty asked me to teach you some manners."
Su Panyue chuckled, waved for Lu Tingyu to leave first, and then pulled Aunt Cui to sit down at the table.
Aunt Cui asked with concern, "What happened to your leg?"
Mentioning this, Su Panyue pouted and began to cry, "Aunt Cui, you have no idea, I almost didn't see you again?"
She leaned against Aunt Cui and vented her frustrations, not mentioning the Empress Dowager and her son, but only talking about how she had been wronged by villains and how difficult her life had been, almost losing her life, and so on.
After she finished speaking, Aunt Cui looked her over with some suspicion and asked, "But you look quite plump? You must not have suffered any mistreatment while following His Majesty, have you?"
Su Panyue glanced down at her increasingly full figure and smiled sheepishly, "His Majesty saved me and left me here to recover. I guess I've gained some weight from lying down for so long."
Aunt Cui looked knowing and whispered, "His Majesty really dotes on you. He said he called me here to be a tutor, but he didn't actually tell me what to teach you. Now it seems he just called this old woman here to keep you company."
Upon hearing this, Su Panyue blinked, unsure how to respond.
His Majesty saved her and sheltered her in this luxurious palace to recover from her injuries. He even kissed her last night. But is this what you call affection?
Seeing her confused expression, Aunt Cui earnestly advised, "The emperor's heart is unpredictable. While you are by His Majesty's side, don't think too much. Just do your job well."
Su Panyue nodded, agreeing with those words. After all, she never asked for much; she just wanted to live a good life, and if she could have enough to eat and drink and live comfortably, that would be even better. She never expected anything more.
After Aunt Cui arrived, Su Panyue had someone else to talk to, which should have made her happier, but she became more and more anxious each day.
Since Xie Lanzhou stayed overnight last time, it has been five days since he last came.
Knowing that Shouxi's master was Eunuch Fu, who served the Emperor, Su Panyue subtly inquired about what the Emperor had been busy with lately, but only received the reply that he did not know.
Normally, eating and drinking every day, lying down without having to do anything and having someone to keep her company and relieve her boredom should have been her favorite life, but in the past two days, Su Panyue has obviously become much more listless.
She couldn't even concentrate on the new storybooks that Shouxi had collected for her, nor could she be attracted by the gossip stories about the young masters and ladies of noble families that Lu Tingyu told her. She spent her days listlessly leaning against the window, lost in thought.
Aunt Cui lifted the curtain and came in, saying, "Imperial Physician Gao has arrived."
Su Panyue can walk again now, and she doesn't feel anything as long as she walks slowly. She asked with a hint of hope, "Doctor Gao, my injury should be healed by now, right?"
The imperial physician nodded: "He's generally fine. He can walk normally, but he shouldn't do anything like running or jumping for now."
Su Panyue nodded obediently, then couldn't help but ask, "Do you know how His Majesty is doing lately?"
Upon hearing the words "Your Majesty," Imperial Physician Gao's expression darkened slightly, but he calmly replied, "I don't know."
Su Panyue observed his expression and found it increasingly strange, but no matter how much she pressed him for an answer, Imperial Physician Gao refused to say anything and hurriedly left Zhaixing Pavilion with his medicine box.
With no other options, Su Panyue decided to go see him herself. After staying in the second-floor bedroom for half a month, she began to consider leaving for the first time.
But when she got to the entrance of the Star-Picking Pavilion, she found a row of guards standing outside. She was stopped before she could even step out of the gate.
Su Panyue said to the man who appeared to be the captain of the guards, "I'm healed and need to go serve His Majesty. Why are you stopping me?"
The guard replied expressionlessly, "His Majesty has ordered that you are not to leave."
Su Panyue held up a finger, pointed to herself, and asked incredulously, "Me?"
The guard nodded, and held his spear in front of her.
Still unwilling to give up, Su Panyue pointed to Shouxi beside her and asked, "What about him? Can he go out?"
The guard nodded: "Alright."
So they don't want me to go out? Su Panyue smiled and said, "How about this, you take me to His Majesty. If he doesn't agree to let me go out, you can bring me back. I will never run away."
The row of guards were well-trained; they listened to her chattering away beside them without even turning their heads slightly, remaining completely unmoved.
Su Panyue was getting thirsty from talking so much that Aunt Cui pulled her back.
Aunt Cui: "His Majesty may have important matters to attend to; please do not disturb him."
Su Panyue pouted, preparing to go back to lie down. As she slowly walked to the second-floor bedroom, she glanced up at the stairs leading to the third floor.
With a flick of its dark eyes, it was about to take a step forward.
Suki tried to stop her: "Miss Su, where are you going?"
Su Panyue lifted her skirt and climbed up, replying, "His Majesty only said I couldn't go out, but he didn't say I couldn't go upstairs."
Shouxi hesitated for a moment, then told Lu Tingyu to follow and keep an eye on things before leaving the house.
Su Panyue didn't stand on ceremony and took Lu Tingyu's hand for leverage, quickly making her way up to the third floor.
If the second floor could only be considered a luxurious sleeping quarters, the third floor was practically a veritable feast of wine and meat, with a several-meter-long white marble pool and a pure gold platform, only now it was empty, looking as if no one had used it for a long time.
While shocked, Su Panyue became even more curious about the other floors.
At her insistence, Lu Tingyu helped her to the fourth floor.
Upon reaching the fourth floor, a strange fragrance of elixir wafted through the air. Inside the main hall were two enormous furnaces, surrounded by smaller ones. Several gourds lay scattered on the ground. Compared to the third floor, the place was far more extravagant and desolate, with a thick layer of dust covering the furnaces.
Su Panyue thought to herself that this must be the work of the late emperor, and she wasn't interested. She took a breath and went up to the fifth floor.
The fifth floor was like a treasure trove, with rows and rows of antique shelves filled with a dazzling array of rare and precious items, including coral from the East China Sea, thousand-year-old lingzhi mushrooms, pearls the size of goose eggs, and jewelry. Many of these items were things that Su Panyue had never even heard of, let alone seen.
She lingered on this floor for a long time, looking at and touching each item with great interest. Lu Tingyu, who was beside her, reminded her, "Someone should regularly organize and inventory the things in here."
Upon hearing this, Su Panyue said incredulously, "What are you saying? Do you think I would secretly take His Majesty's things? What kind of person do you take me for?"
Lu Tingyu scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly, unaware that someone had secretly taken a white jade thumb ring with their wicked little hand and quietly stuffed it into their sleeve.
Su Panyue comforted herself: I was just giving His Majesty his things, it certainly doesn't count as stealing.
Having seen enough on this floor, Su Panyue slowly climbed up to the sixth floor.
Halfway up the stairs, she heard rustling sounds coming from the sixth floor. She hesitated and stopped, exchanging a glance with Lu Tingyu. Both of them saw fear in each other's eyes.
But since she was already there, curiosity drove Su Panyue to continue upwards.
He gestured for Lu Tingyu to be quiet, then quietly moved up one step at a time.
Having finally reached the top floor, she was startled by a snow-white ball of fur that suddenly appeared as soon as she peeked out.
Upon closer inspection, they realized it was a white cat running towards them.
The cat was pure white, tilting its head and staring at the two uninvited guests with its round, blue eyes.
Su Panyue was attracted by its adorable appearance, and her fear instantly vanished. She squatted down and waved to the kitten with a smile.
The white cat wasn't afraid of strangers. It strode over, its fluffy tail standing tall behind it. When it reached Su Panyue's side, it plopped down.
It rolled over, revealing its soft belly, and nudged her hand with its tiny paws, then slowly winked at her.
Who could possibly resist this?!
Su Panyue reached out and stroked the cat's head twice, listening to it purr.
He simply picked up the cat and petted it as he walked into the hall.
They had only taken two steps when a door opened, and a little boy appeared, supporting an old woman.
Both of them froze on the spot, and the cats they were holding began to struggle, jumping down and running to the old woman's feet.
The old woman asked, "Quan'er, isn't this His Majesty?"
The little boy named Quan'er looked to be about six or seven years old. He timidly said, "Grandma, there are two girls."
Hearing their conversation, Su Panyue noticed that half of the old woman's face was covered by a cloth, and her cloudy eyes were lifeless; she must be blind.
The old woman spoke in an unusually hoarse voice: "Who are you two?"
Su Panyue obediently said, "We are His Majesty's maids. We have accidentally disturbed your rest. Please forgive us."
The old woman's expression softened: "Young lady, you misunderstand. I am just a servant, not some noblewoman."
Su Panyue was somewhat surprised and secretly looked around.
Only then did I realize that this floor was completely different in style from the other floors. The desks and chairs were low-key and elegant, and a few vases with a few begonia flowers were placed on the simple antique shelves. The items in the hall were not luxurious, and some were even old.
She had many questions but didn't know how to bring them up.
Just then, the white cat meowed and arrogantly walked to her feet.
"Little Whitey likes you very much, play with it for a while," the old woman said.
Su Panyue squatted down and petted the kitten, asking, "So its name is Xiaobai. Is it your cat?"
The old woman replied, "It was raised by His Majesty."
This truly surprised Su Panyue; she couldn't believe that the man who seemed uninterested in anything would own a cat.
The old woman continued, seemingly oblivious to her own thoughts, "How has His Majesty been these days? Has he been eating more?"
This question stumped Su Panyue, who hadn't seen him for a week. After a long silence, she said, "Your Majesty is in excellent health, so naturally you are in very good health."
The old woman gently shook her head, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end she only sighed.
Su Panyue was intrigued by her hesitant words and wanted to press for an answer, but then a deep male voice sounded behind her:
"Su Panyue, it's only been a few days, and you're already trying to ascend to heaven?"
A note from the author:
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They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, is that true? [Winking face]
Normally, I update between 7 and 8 PM, but lately I've been so engrossed in cooking that I've been forgetting and my app is always locked. If it shows as locked, it means I'm making changes...
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