Zheng He'er and Zheng San stood quietly on either side of the study when a young eunuch hurriedly came to report: "Eunuch Zheng, Consort Shu has arrived, saying she has come to deliver lunch to the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Zheng He waved to the young eunuch, signaling him to leave.
Zheng San glanced at the tightly closed study door: "Master, this...?"
Zheng He Er shook his head helplessly: "Just stay put. We can't disturb them now. Go tell Consort Shu that the Emperor is busy with state affairs and doesn't have time right now."
Zheng San nodded and quickly left.
Zheng San arrived at the door and saw Consort Shu dressed in a light blue palace gown and a beige cloak; her hair was styled in an exquisite updo, and she had beautiful makeup. She wore an approachable smile, and behind her were two maids, each carrying a food box, while her personal maid, Caiyue, supported her.
As Zheng San approached, the men nodded slightly in politeness: "Eunuch Zheng, what did the Emperor say?"
Zheng San first bowed respectfully, then shook his head regretfully: "Your Highness, it's windy outside, you should go back first, the Emperor is still busy."
Consort Shu was a kind and understanding person. She gestured to the maid to hand the food box to the eunuch next to her: "Your Majesty is busy with state affairs, but you must take care of your health. Eunuch Zheng, you must take good care of His Majesty. I heard that His Majesty has not had a good appetite today, so I specially prepared some food for him. Please trouble Eunuch Zheng to send it to His Majesty."
Zheng San nodded: "Your Majesty, rest assured, we servants will certainly serve His Majesty well. This servant will see Consort Shu off."
Consort Shu raised her hand and shook her head with a smile: "It's nothing. His Majesty needs someone to serve him, so I'll take my leave now."
Consort Shu, accompanied by her maids, turned and walked onto the palace path. Cheng Yi approached from the opposite direction, followed by an unfamiliar woman dressed as a palace maid. Her purple attire was quite nice. She lowered her eyes and looked at her feet, steadily following behind Cheng Yi.
Cheng Yi, accompanied by Qing He, stepped forward to greet Consort Shu, who nodded in return. She recognized Cheng Yi; indeed, everyone in the palace knew him, as he was the Emperor's right-hand man and the commander of the Imperial Guards.
It was quite strange that the emperor, who was usually indifferent to women, would suddenly allow Cheng Yi to bring in a woman of decent appearance.
"Lord Cheng, where are you going?" Consort Shu asked casually, fiddling with her handkerchief in her hand, a faint smile still on her face.
"Your Highness, the Emperor awaits my reply." Cheng Yi remained indifferent, showing no fear of offending the Consort Shu before him.
Consort Shu smiled and didn't say anything more: "In that case, Lord Cheng, please go quickly."
Cheng Yi cupped his hands in greeting, and Qing He curtsied. The two entered the vermilion palace gates of the main hall one after the other. As soon as they entered, they encountered Zheng San, who was in a daze, and the three of them almost bumped into each other.
Zheng San snapped out of his daze and hurriedly took a few steps back: "Lord Cheng is here! Please come in quickly, the Emperor is waiting for you!"
Cheng nodded slightly: "Let's go..."
Consort Shu listened to the conversation inside, her smile never fading. The maids behind her could only stand with her in the cold wind. After a while, the group finally turned and left.
Cheng Yi and the others arrived at the door of the study, where Zheng He'er was still waiting outside.
Zheng San stepped forward: "Master, Consort Shu has already left, but she left behind a lot of food."
"Let the workers distribute it," Zheng He'er casually instructed, just as he always did with the things the concubines sent over.
"Eunuch Zheng, is His Majesty free right now?" Cheng Yi asked.
"Lord Cheng, His Majesty is busy..." Before Zheng He could finish speaking, he heard Di Jingcheng's voice from inside.
"Come in and give your answer."
Everyone quickly lowered their heads, gently pushed open the door, and went inside.
Di Jingcheng was sitting on a soft couch nearby, holding Azi in his arms, looking relaxed and carefree. Ranla Azi had also recovered from their earlier intimacy, her bright eyes looking curiously at the person in front of her, her small hands clinging tightly to Di Jingcheng's neck, without the slightest bit of shyness.
"Your subject (this servant) greets Your Majesty!"
"Get up."
Cheng Yi was unaware of Ranla Azi's existence. Even with his head down, he could still catch a glimpse of the Emperor holding a beautiful woman in his arms. He was startled, wondering when the Emperor had found a woman.
The surprise lasted only a moment, and then she understood why the emperor wanted her to bring Qinghe into the palace and why he had secretly arranged for two male guards to be there.
"Your Majesty, Qinghe has arrived."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qinghe stepped forward and bowed deeply: "This servant Qinghe greets Your Majesty!"
"Qinghe, you will stay in the palace from now on." Di Jingcheng said calmly, then changed the subject and looked tenderly at the girl in his arms: "Azi, she will take care of you from now on, okay!"
Azi nodded and looked at Qinghe kneeling on the ground for a while. The woman looked older than her and had delicate features, but she couldn't see her clearly because she was looking down.
She spoke gently, "Get up quickly, let me see you."
As Qinghe listened to the gentle and melodious female voice coming from above, she slowly raised her head. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the woman in the emperor's arms and gasped in shock.
She had never seen such a lively, pure, and outstanding woman. The innocence and simplicity in her eyes were like a clear spring; her eyes were bright and clear, her cheeks were rosy, her lips were cherry-like, her nose was high and perfectly proportioned, and her skin was fair and translucent. She was stunned by the beauty of the woman before her, and forgot her manners, staring at her blankly.
This was the master she would be serving from now on. She felt very lucky. The woman in front of her must be a kind person, otherwise the emperor, who was always cold and indifferent, would not have looked at her differently.
Seeing the surprise in her eyes, Azi smiled kindly and said, "Qinghe is a beautiful name, and her temperament is as elegant and refined as a lotus flower."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Majesty!" Qinghe was pulled back to her senses by Azi's words and curtsied.
Emperor Jingcheng's expression was already unpleasant because Qinghe was staring directly at Ranla Azi, but after Azi glanced at him, he immediately stood obediently to the side. Cheng Yi and the others, who originally wanted to speak up to remind him, were also stopped by the emperor's gaze.
Di Jingcheng was pleased to see her and was in a good mood: "Azi, she is skilled in martial arts. If you encounter danger in the future, she will protect you."
Azi nodded excitedly; Jingcheng was so good to her.
"Qinghe, from now on you can just call her Master. Protecting her is your life's mission." Di Jingcheng looked at Qinghe seriously.
Qinghe knelt on one knee, clasped her hands in a fist salute, and solemnly assured him, "Your Majesty, rest assured, this servant will protect my mistress with my life!"
Seeing the atmosphere turn serious again, Azi felt quite uncomfortable. She gently tugged at Di Jingcheng's sleeve and said weakly, "I'm hungry!"
Di Jingcheng held her small hand, his face full of doting affection: "Alright, alright, let's go have lunch now."
While they were talking, the others had already quietly left. Di Jingcheng naturally couldn't bear to see his precious darling go hungry, and he wanted to carry her to the dining hall, but Azi wanted to walk by herself.
Azi pulled him out, and the palace servants outside naturally followed. Chengyi was no longer there, and Qinghe followed behind with a smile.
Just now, Professor Cheng asked her if she felt wronged. She said she didn't.
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