Chapter 6 Drunken Ghost Face Mask
Not far from the pavilion, the Grand Eunuch Xu Sheng stared wide-eyed at the scene before him.
He knew that His Majesty valued Lady Wen and had long harbored the idea of bringing her into the palace and presenting her with the Phoenix Seal. That's why he cautiously tested the waters and received His Majesty's approval after calling her "Your Majesty" in front of His Majesty.
But he never expected that His Majesty's regard for him would reach such a level! The dignified emperor, above all others, who had never even knelt before the heavens since his ascension to the throne, actually knelt down like this just to help his mistress and empress untie her skirt.
This...this is simply...
Xu Sheng wiped the cold sweat from his temples and looked around guiltily. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that no one was around.
Fortunately, he was the only one accompanying His Majesty today; otherwise, if others had seen this scene, they would have been torn to shreds by those stubborn old ministers! It might even have jeopardized the Empress's grand plan to enter the palace! As His Majesty's confidant, he had to keep an eye on everything!
Thinking of this, Xu Sheng immediately sharpened his gaze, scanning his surroundings to prevent a fourth person from appearing.
This old servant has been working tirelessly for His Majesty and His Highness!
Xu Sheng was on high alert, while Wen Miao was still under the influence of alcohol and her mind was sluggish.
She instinctively felt something was amiss, but her sluggish brain couldn't process it. Only after the man in the dragon robe said, "It's untied," did Wen Miao look blankly to the side—
The cherry-red dress stood out completely from the emerald green flowers, and even the folds at the hem of the dress were carefully straightened, hanging naturally to cover the satin shoes.
Wen Miao said slowly, "Thank you?"
Emperor Qian Yuan smiled, stood up and took a half step back, restraining his urge to get closer and embrace her. "You're too kind, Madam."
Actually, he shouldn't have shown up today.
He was in a hurry.
But he was also glad that he had come here because he was in a hurry.
He said naturally, "Is Madam also a guest invited by Consort Rong at today's Magnolia Banquet?"
“Yes,” Wen Miao nodded. She was feeling a bit sleepy from the slight intoxication, and her words seemed to have a damp, limp quality. Her limbs felt weak, and she couldn’t concentrate.
Little did she know that Emperor Qianyuan, who had long harbored a secret desire for her, was utterly captivated by her appearance.
Emperor Qianyuan then asked, "Are you sleepy?"
Wen Miao blinked, her cheeks still flushed, and nodded.
The magnolia wine was the mildest wine that Emperor Qianyuan specially selected and had Xu Sheng deliver. The imperial physicians also said it was most suitable for women, as it had the effects of warming the body and calming the mind. However, the emperor overlooked Wen Miao's alcohol tolerance, and unexpectedly, after a few cups, she revealed this state.
"Let's go to the side hall for a short rest."
Emperor Qian Yuan spoke as if he were coaxing someone, his tone gentle and careful, his arm slightly raised throughout, as if afraid that the drunken woman might accidentally slip and fall.
Wen Miao gradually came to understand the emperor's words. She shook her head and insisted, "I want to go back."
She felt unsafe here. Even though she had only felt harmony in the palace since entering it, a subconscious fear still drove her to leave.
Emperor Qian Yuan pressed his lips into a straight line, hiding his emotions just as he was about to reveal them.
He asked, "Back to the Xie residence?"
Even those Xie family members whom he personally selected and arranged, he would still be jealous of.
Wen Miao nodded, then shook her head. She enunciated each word carefully, uttering a sentence that made Emperor Qian Yuan's lips curl into a smile—
"Qinyuan".
"We want to go back to Qinyuan."
Qinyuan was a garden he had arranged for her.
In this world, he was the only one who truly understood her.
Slightly tipsy, the beautiful woman leaned against the pavilion, her cheeks flushed and her eyes hazy. Emperor Qian Yuan saw that she was drowsy and her eyelashes were about to close completely, so he reached out and took off his light crane cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
"Then let's go back."
Just as he finished speaking, he seemed to remember something. The veins on the back of his hand bulged slightly. He casually pulled a jade pendant from his waist and hung it on the front of the crane cloak before steadily lifting the person into his arms.
...
When Wen Miao woke up, she was already leaning against the Xie family's carriage, swaying as she walked out.
Inside the carriage, a soft quilt had been added to the original hard couch with its edging, and she leaned against a soft pillow, a dark crane cloak covering her from below her chin.
Wen Miao's eyes were still dazed, the confusion from just waking up from her drunkenness had not yet dissipated. She stared blankly at the carriage wall for a few moments before suddenly propping herself up on her arms and sitting up.
The crane cloak slipped off her shoulder, carrying a cool, yet warm, scent of sandalwood. She looked sharply at her elbow, where the man's excessively hot temperature still lingered.
Perhaps hearing the commotion inside the carriage, Shi Cui, who had been standing guard outside, asked, "Has Madam woken up?"
"yes--"
When Wen Miao spoke, she was surprised to find that her voice was terribly hoarse. She coughed lightly, and Wan Bi leaned in halfway and handed her the warm tea that had been prepared beforehand.
Wen Miao took the document and cleared her throat. "How did I end up in the carriage..."
She only remembered that her skirt was stained with wine at the magnolia banquet, and then she went with the palace maids to a side hall to change her clothes. As for what happened after that...
Wen Miao looked down and saw the cherry-red palace dress and the crane cloak covering it.
She seemed to have seen the Emperor of Great Chu in the pavilion? The man she had met a few times before?
Is it real or a dream?
Shi Cui explained, "Madam couldn't hold her liquor at the banquet, so Granny Song sent someone to bring her back first. Miss is in the carriage behind. I just glanced at her and she's sleeping soundly."
"Is that so..."
Wen Miao raised her hand to smooth the soft blanket beneath her, then asked, "Is there no one else?"
Shi Cui paused, seemingly somewhat surprised, "I almost forgot, Eunuch Xu Sheng also came along. He sent someone to renovate our carriage and instructed us to take good care of Madam."
"And this pot of hot tea—"
Wanbi said, "It was also sent by Eunuch Xu, who said it would be perfect for Madam to drink after she wakes up."
Wen Miao pursed her lips. She vaguely felt a pair of strong arms hugging her, like iron clamps binding her shoulders and knees, making it impossible for her to struggle or escape, like a giant python coiling around its prey, unable to budge an inch.
Before she could say anything, a glimpse of lustrous milky white slid out from the front of her crane cloak and was caught by Wen Miao.
The texture is warm and delicate, and the white jade is flawless. A coiled five-clawed dragon is carved on it, which confirms Wen Miao's entire experience in the pavilion.
It's not a dream, it's real.
Wen Miao exhaled a heavy breath, a faint sorrow appearing on her face.
Shi Cui spoke up at the opportune moment: "Is something troubling you, Madam?"
"I'm fine." Wen Miao shook her head subconsciously and hid the dragon-patterned jade pendant behind her back.
From their first meeting to the events unfolding before them, even though Wen Miao had lost her memory, she wasn't some clueless little girl. Or rather, His Majesty hadn't made any deliberate attempt to conceal it, so certain intentions and desires were already quite clear.
It's still a bit hard to believe...
Wen Miao pursed her lips, put away the jade token, and after returning to the Xie residence and sending the sleepy Xie Mengjun back to her room, she went to find Xie Jingxuan again.
"Miao Niang? Is there something you need to see your maternal grandfather about?"
Xie Jingxuan put down the book in his hand, stroked his beard, and looked at his granddaughter who had hurriedly stood in the study.
Wen Miao's mind was in turmoil. She said softly, "Grandfather, I have something... that I might need you to pass on to His Majesty."
Xie Jingxuan's fingers tightened, almost pulling off his own beard. Before he could speak, Wen Miao continued, saying that she had drunk too much at the magnolia banquet today and had inadvertently offended His Majesty.
As she spoke, she placed the crane cloak and jade pendant in front of Xie Jingxuan.
When Xie Jingxuan saw the crane cloak, his expression remained relatively normal. However, when his gaze shifted and landed on the dragon-patterned jade pendant, he couldn't help but lose his composure and almost spilled the tea beside him.
Wen Miao saw it clearly, "Grandfather, this jade pendant..."
Xie Jingxuan shook his head and lowered his voice, saying, "This jade tablet is no ordinary imperial item. Seeing it is as if His Majesty himself is present; its value is unimaginable."
Even Xie Jingxuan hadn't expected that the Emperor would hand this thing over directly to Miao Niang.
Wen Miao lowered her eyes, "Perhaps His Majesty accidentally left it with me."
“Miao Niang,” Xie Jingxuan hesitated, then raised his hand and pointed at the thin ribbon on the jade pendant, “this ribbon was torn off.”
It may have been done with force, or it may have been done with skill.
The palace supplies are all of the highest quality. Even the straps used to secure the jade pendants are woven by specialists. It takes considerable effort to cut them with a knife, let alone tear them like this.
His Majesty joined the army at the age of fifteen and has participated in no less than a hundred battles, large and small. He is also skilled in archery, shooting arrows from a hundred paces away and shooting stones into feathers. How could such a brave and skilled warrior not notice?
It is obvious that this was not an accidental fall, but rather something the Emperor did intentionally.
Xie Jingxuan: "Miaoniang, His Majesty's feelings towards you..."
Seeing the unease and hesitation on Wen Miao's beautiful face, Xie Jingxuan ultimately did not utter the words "intentionally".
The lie, which stemmed from protecting the Xie family and Mengjun, had already been fabricated. Even if he felt guilty now, it was too late. Xie Jingxuan sighed inwardly and could only try his best to make amends to Miaoniang and turn this love from his "maternal grandfather" into genuine affection.
“Grandfather, I have only met His Majesty three times,” Wen Miao tried to explain.
She admitted that His Majesty was indeed exceptional among all men, with outstanding appearance and demeanor. In addition, since his ascension to the throne, there had been no concubines in his harem. Even though he was over thirty, there were still many noble ladies in the capital who wanted to enter the palace to participate in the selection, but the emperor had never given them this opportunity.
Wen Miao should be happy to have the emperor go to such lengths to get close to her, but she felt completely lost, as if in her subconscious, such a thing should not happen.
Is it because, despite her amnesia, she still instinctively remembers her deceased husband?
Xie Jingxuan: "Miaoniang, let's put these two things aside for now. We'll make a decision when Grandfather goes to the palace to meet the Emperor tomorrow."
"Grandfather, will this put you in a difficult position? Otherwise..."
"It's nothing, you should go and rest." Xie Jingxuan said with a smile, "His Majesty is wise and mighty, he would never make things difficult for his subjects over such a small matter."
Moreover, the emperor's intention was for him to truly love Miao Niang as her "maternal grandfather".
That night, Wen Miao, who had returned to Qinyuan to lie down, couldn't fall asleep. She tossed and turned, staring at the gauze curtains under the night sky, and finally, unable to resist the drowsiness, she closed her eyes.
In her dream, she seemed to be walking alone in a snowy landscape, the cold biting and the wind howling. Soon the blurry scene changed, and she was pulled into an arm, the force almost as if she wanted to knead Wen Miao into her bones.
She tried to look up to see who had saved her, but she couldn't see clearly at all; she could only vaguely make out half of a dark-colored ghost mask.
Wen Miao tried her best to control herself and raise her hand, wanting to take off the mask, but the next second she suddenly opened her eyes wide and sat up in shock from her dream.
Inside the gauze-curtained bed, the beautiful woman, startled in her dream, swayed her chest, her temples and neck glistening with sweat, and even the corners of her eyes were tinged with a pitiful blush. After a moment of light breathing, she patted her cheeks in annoyance.
This dream is so strange and bizarre, and... moreover... she dreamed of His Majesty!
A note from the author:
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Emperor: My wife dreamed about me. (Tail wagging wildly)
This story contains the following elements: the male protagonist's perceived attempt to steal his wife/obtaining her through trickery/marriage of convenience leading to love/the female protagonist's unconscious dog training/the male protagonist's subconscious act of being a dog.
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