Chapter 63 How about becoming an imperial concubine?
Xie Yushu and Meng Jing were led into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
In the imperial bedchamber, only Consort Zhang Youyi was present; Emperor Xiao Xu was not there.
Zhang Youyi warmly invited Meng Jing to sit down, and then smiled and pulled Xie Yushu to her side to look at her carefully. She sighed and said, "Today you risked your own life to save the emperor, which touched me deeply. I had heard Youwei mention you before, but I had never met you. Seeing you today, I can see that you are indeed a courageous and good girl."
Xie Yushu was quite uncomfortable with this warm welcome. Her only interaction with Consort Zhang was when Consort Zhang sent her an invitation to the Duke of Yingguo's birthday banquet. In retrospect, Consort Zhang must have invited her on behalf of Xiao Zhen.
In the original drama, Xie Yushu couldn't understand Zhang Youyi's stance. She entered the palace as a concubine for the sake of her family, sided with Song Jie, and relied on Song Jie's help to reach the position of Noble Consort. However, she fell in love with Xiao Zhen, betrayed Song Jie, and secretly became Xiao Zhen's spy.
In the end, she even poisoned the old emperor for Xiao Zhen's sake. But if you say she was love-struck, after Xiao Zhen became emperor, she took the initiative to tell the female lead, Xie Jianing, "Xiao Zhen is a heartless person. The only person I have ever loved in my life is you. I have decided to let go."
Then, Zhang Youyi faked her death and left the palace to live a carefree life. She had the best ending among the supporting female characters in the drama, which doesn't seem like she was driven by love.
"Your Majesty flatters me." Xie Yushu couldn't figure out whether she was Song Jie's man or Xiao Zhen's man.
Zhang Youyi seemed to genuinely like her, rewarding her with many brocades and jade items that were only available in the palace, and even giving her a hairpin, saying that it was a gift from the Emperor when she first entered the palace.
Meng Jing immediately realized something was amiss and smiled as he politely declined the hairpin on Xie Yushu's behalf: "This is a precious gift bestowed upon the Empress by His Majesty, and Yushu truly cannot accept it. These brocades are more than enough." He then called out to Yushu again, urging her to express her gratitude.
Xie Yushu knew that Meng Jing was helping her, so she obediently thanked Zhang Youyi for the reward and only accepted the brocade.
Zhang Youyi simply smiled at her, showing no displeasure whatsoever.
A palace maid tiptoed out from the inner palace, bowed to Consort Zhang, and whispered, "Your Majesty, His Majesty has taken his medicine."
Zhang Youyi nodded, stood up, and pulled Xie Yushu back, smiling as she said, "Yushu, come with me to receive His Majesty's reward." She then tried to pull Xie Yushu into the inner hall.
“Your Highness,” Meng Jing immediately stepped forward and said, “She is timid and ill-mannered, I will go in with her.”
“With me by her side, what is the princess afraid of? It’s just a reward. Even if Yu Shu is not perfect, His Majesty will not blame her.” Zhang Youyi smiled and patted Meng Jing’s hand: “His Majesty is not feeling well and does not want too many people to disturb him. The princess can just wait here.”
The palace maids on either side came forward to invite Meng Jing to sit down and have tea. Zhang Youyi took Xie Yushu's hand and led him into the inner hall, not allowing Meng Jing to say anything or refuse.
Meng Jing's face darkened considerably. His gaze followed Xie Yushu's retreating figure as she entered the inner hall. He was still thinking: Perhaps she was overthinking it. What could possibly happen with Zhang Youyi here?
Little did she know that after Zhang Youyi brought Xie Yushu into the inner hall, she found an excuse to leave through the side door of the inner hall.
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The hall was filled with an extremely strong smell of medicinal pills. Apart from a eunuch standing behind a gauze curtain, Xie Yushu did not see anyone else.
Where is that old geezer Xiao Xu?
Xie Yushu stood in the hall and heard the sound of the side door closing after Zhang Youyi left. He wondered what that old man was up to.
She looked up and around, and saw the gauze curtain being lifted. The eunuch came out from inside and said with a smile, "Madam Pei, please come in and pay your respects to His Majesty."
Xie Yushu then vaguely saw that the area behind the gauze curtain was a resting place, and someone seemed to be reclining on the couch watching her. Who else could it be but that old man?
She did not go in, but instead curtsied slightly in place: "His Majesty is resting inside, and I should take my leave so as not to disturb him."
The eunuch had barely stepped in front of her when a weak, hoarse voice came from behind the gauze curtain: "I haven't rewarded you yet, are you leaving already?"
Xie Yushu stopped and looked at the gauze curtain again. She saw two palace maids lifting the curtain from the left and right. Xiao Xu, with his hair loose, was sitting on the couch directly opposite her, looking at her with a smile in his eyes.
Then she heard a voice, in the usual tone of a ruler, say to her: "Come here, come forward and tell me, you risked your life to save me today, what reward do you want?"
Xie Yushu still did not step forward, but met the gaze and said, "Your Majesty has said several times that you want to reward me, and I would not want to spoil Your Majesty's mood, so please grant me the title of Princess."
Xiao Xu, sitting on the couch, was stunned, seemingly not expecting her to be so bold. In the current dynasty, only the two beloved daughters of the old Prince Meng, who had rendered meritorious service to the country, had been granted the title of Princess. The fact that the two sisters were granted the title of Princess was already an exception, in consideration of the old Prince Meng's lifelong service to the country and the fact that his first wife had died saving Wan Susu.
"You certainly dare to ask for a reward." Xiao Xu looked at her, a smile in his voice, and asked, "Do you know what kind of status is required to be granted the title of Princess in this dynasty?"
She stood a dozen steps away from him, neither coming over nor bowing. The candlelight flickered on the ruby earrings by her temple, the dappled light and shadow on her cheeks like a red plum blossom, making it difficult to see her features clearly, only staring at the dappled light moving back and forth on her face.
She said, "It was His Majesty who asked me what reward I wanted."
Her voice was light and melodious, yet it carried a rare hint of "unreasonability."
Xiao Xu's gaze shifted from the shards of light to her eyes, her lips. She had incredibly beautiful eyes; when she looked at you, even gemstones would lose their luster.
At this moment, he felt that Xie Yushu and the young Susu were not actually alike. When Susu first met him, she was timid, like a deer that had gone astray and was about to run away at any moment.
But Xie Yushu was more like a fledgling beast, unafraid of thunder and heavenly might. If you asked her what reward she wanted, she would even dare to ask for the stars in the sky.
“If His Majesty cannot bestow upon me the title of Princess, then the title of County Princess would be fine too.” She even conceded half a step, bargaining with him.
Xiao Xu couldn't help but laugh, and beckoned to her, saying, "Come here, come to me and speak."
He wanted to see her face clearly, and even more so, he wanted to smell her unique fragrance again.
But she still stood there and said, "I will only go over if His Majesty grants my request first."
What a bold personality!
Even the eunuchs were startled and stole a glance at Xiao Xu, only to see that the Emperor was not angry at all, but his smile was even wider, as if his eyes were fixed on Madam Pei.
"If I do not grant your request, will you disobey my orders?" Xiao Xu's tone was not harsh at all, carrying a hint of joking with her.
Instead of answering, she asked, "Is His Majesty ordering me to go there?"
Xiao Xu paused for a moment, then looked at her and slowly said, "It's not an order, it's that I want you to come over here by yourself, just like you threw yourself on me tonight. It's your own choice to protect me."
"Host, you have gained 1 point of Popularity Points from Xiao Xu." The system reminded you, "You now have 53 Popularity Points. Be careful, it might trigger a route of forceful acquisition."
If she wanted to be careful, she wouldn't have come to this banquet tonight, much less "save" this old man.
She wasn't accumulating these "charm points" to hide. The 53 charm points weren't just for Xiao Xu's infatuation with her, but also for Song Jie, Xiao Dao, and Xiao Zhen.
If Xiao Xu really embarks on a path of forceful acquisition, then Song Jie, Xiao Dao, and even Xiao Zhen will all have a common goal.
She guessed that even Pei Heng wouldn't stand idly by, since he felt indebted to her.
Under the candlelight, Xie Yushu remained standing in the same spot, smiling gently at Xiao Xu and saying, "If His Majesty wants someone to serve you, he should reward her handsomely and let her receive some benefits so that she will be more willing. Brocade and jewelry are not benefits." She also said in a joking tone, "She is not short of money either."
Looking at her, Xiao Xu felt that he had never heard such greedy and amusing words, nor had he ever seen such a shrewd and adorable person.
The palace was stifling; he hadn't been so captivated in a long time.
He couldn't help but follow her lead and ask, "She has no shortage of brocade and silver, so what does she think about being an imperial concubine?"
Xie Yushu laughed, a genuine, heartfelt sneer. What did she think?
She felt it was bad luck.
“She doesn’t like it,” Xie Yushu said. “The Imperial Concubine’s words sound more like a punishment than a reward.”
The eunuch's expression changed drastically. He immediately looked at the emperor's face and saw that the emperor's smile had also turned somber.
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Author's note: I had my dressing changed at the hospital yesterday, and I'm not feeling well today. I almost had to take the day off, but thinking of you all waiting, I gritted my teeth and decided to keep writing!
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