Huo Qinghe's nightgown today had a slightly narrower sleeve. When the emperor sat down, she was staring at a wide-mouthed round bowl on the table next to her, in which two lotus buds were placed, quietly drooping on the water.
Upon hearing the Emperor's question, she subconsciously touched her earlobe and replied in a tactful tone, "Thinking that I would be serving you at night, wearing earrings would probably weigh me down, so I didn't wear any."
When Huo Qinghe first came to serve him, she was wearing off-white earrings. That time, she didn't press down on the Emperor or anything, but she herself felt uncomfortable for half the night. It wasn't until later, after the Emperor returned to Funing Palace, that she had time to take off the earrings and put them under her pillow.
However, although Huo Qinghe explained why she wasn't wearing earrings today, she didn't tell the Emperor that she liked or was grateful for the gifts sent during the day.
Judging from the tone of her reply, it was as if nothing of the sort had happened.
Pei Yuanhui chuckled and waved to Huo Qinghe.
He didn't rush to ask anything more.
Having just bathed, Huo Qinghe's long black hair was occasionally damp, cascading over her shoulders. In the candlelight, the intertwined white and black hair was a striking sight.
Huo Qinghe slowly walked towards the official and finally sat down beside him.
"His Majesty."
Pei Yuanhui hummed in agreement. He looked around, then lazily climbed onto the bed, leaning against the dark, soft pillows. "How have you been these past few days?"
The official spoke as if it were a casual conversation.
Huo Qinghe looked at the Emperor, her tone sweet: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The other day, I went to the Imperial Garden with the maids to pick lotus flowers. Did Your Majesty like them? Lately, these are just casual pastimes."
Pei Yuanhui glanced at her upon hearing this: "Didn't your nanny teach you this when you were chosen for the imperial concubine selection? Are you not allowed to inquire about my preferences?"
Huo Qinghe stood up like a startled rabbit, saying what she was afraid of, but after standing up in a flustered manner, she stole glances at him with her doe-like, watery eyes.
Pei Yuanhui was amused by this series of small actions, and he pointed at Huo Qinghe: "Just standing there without saying a word?"
Caught peeking, Huo Qinghe's face turned as red as a boiled shrimp: "This concubine forgot. Does Your Majesty wish to punish me?"
Perhaps out of fear, her voice trembled slightly when she spoke, and that slight tremor made one want to bully and tease her.
The official was never a good person to begin with, and now he is even more unrestrained in his evil intentions.
“You have done something wrong, so naturally I will punish you.”
He glanced at Xiao Huo, from his drooping eyelashes to his pointed chin, like the most fragile willow, fragile yet vigorous, timid yet resilient.
"Come sit here."
Pei Yuanhui patted the front of him lightly.
Huo Qinghe saw it and was a little surprised.
Suddenly, he thought of all sorts of private conversations he had overheard from the servants and maids when he was at the Huo family's residence.
Pei Yuanhui did not urge Huo Qinghe.
After a long while, Huo Qinghe finally moved.
He slowly moved his hands up his knees, eventually straddling the official's body.
But Huo Qinghe only stayed for less than a second before darting away like a rabbit.
Clearly, they didn't dare linger for even a second longer.
Pei Yuanhui simply looked at Huo Qinghe with a pair of smiling eyes, and he raised his hand to support Huo Qinghe's waist when she fell backward.
"Sit tight. I may not like lotus flowers, but this 'beauty flower' in front of me is more interesting."
If someone else had said that, it would probably have sounded like a flirtation.
However, the emperor always stared directly into Huo Qinghe's eyes while speaking, and the words spoken by this supreme ruler did not seem fake.
Upon hearing this, Huo Qinghe's earlobes seemed to turn pink. She lowered her head and asked, "Is this His Majesty's preference?"
After all, it was the emperor himself who said that "one should not inquire about his preferences."
Pei Yuanhui pinched Huo Qinghe's slender waist: "You want to become my favorite? You're not one of those objects. I don't like you asking me that."
Whether Huo Qinghe's questioning of his likes and dislikes was intentional or not, Pei Yuanhui no longer wanted to dwell on this topic for too long.
Upon hearing this, Huo Qinghe stole another glance at the Emperor: "Yes. I misspoke."
Her posture didn't seem like she was intentionally bringing it up.
Pei Yuanhui had no intention of continuing, so he forcefully pulled Huo Qinghe along.
Huo Qinghe then slumped down in front of Pei Yuanhui: "I still have to punish you. You dare not wear the things I bestowed upon you?"
Pei Yuanhui hadn't forgotten about this incident yet.
Huo Qinghe raised her hand and touched her earlobe again: "I've already said that... I've already said that."
"Still trying to argue?" Pei Yuanhui slapped him.
Huo Qinghe dared not argue anymore, and only blinked her watery eyes at the official.
She was already strikingly beautiful, and her gaze was naturally alluring. When she looked at people with affection in her eyes, it was even more irresistible.
Pei Yuanhui's vision blurred slightly, making it even more impossible for him to remain unmoved.
The word "placement" had already reached Pei Yuanhui's ears, but there were always those who didn't understand romance who came to disturb him.
"Your Majesty, someone from Zhongcui Palace has come to invite you." Jin Yang's voice was low outside, clearly indicating that he dared not offend the Emperor.
Upon hearing this, Huo Qinghe dared not move even more. As the two approached, their breaths mingled, and she noticed that the Emperor's breathing became noticeably more rapid after Jin Yang finished speaking.
I don't know if it was from anger or something else.
Huo Qinghe didn't dare to make a sound for a moment.
She heard it too; it was someone from Zhongcui Palace who came to invite her.
Huo Qinghe wasn't very familiar with the East and West Six Palaces, but she remembered that the head of Zhongcui Palace was Consort Cao, who was pregnant at the time, and that the East and West side halls seemed to only house Consort Xie, who was among the newest concubines.
But at this moment, the only one who would dare to cause a disturbance is probably Consort Cao, the head of Zhongcui Palace.
Huo Qinghe naturally couldn't speak at this moment; she had her own considerations.
At this moment, she had no intention of advising the emperor to take a look. She was a newcomer, and what she needed from the emperor right now was not to be virtuous.
She hung her head, looking completely helpless.
Pei Yuanhui remained silent for a few moments before speaking: "What's wrong?"
Jin Yang quickly replied from outside: "Your Majesty, it was Lady Cao from Zhongcui Palace who sent someone to invite you. She said that Consort Cao is feeling unwell."
Pei Yuanhui, having heard clearly, immediately became somewhat impatient: "Has the imperial physician examined him?"
"Your Majesty, the imperial physician has already been sent. However, he has not arrived yet. Lady Cao said she was not at ease, so she sent someone to invite Your Majesty."
Pei Yuanhui's hand, which was around Huo Qinghe's waist, tapped lightly from time to time, making her feel a little itchy. Huo Qinghe resisted the urge to pull away.
"Does she feel better just because I go? Today she's not feeling well and wants me to go see her, tomorrow someone else will be not feeling well and wants me to go see them too. I think she's increasingly forgotten the rules."
Pei Yuanhui's voice was extremely cold, and he did not immediately get up and say he would go to Zhongcui Palace just because Consort Cao was pregnant.
This prompted Huo Qinghe to steal a glance at the official.
Pei Yuanhui noticed this and pressed Huo Qinghe's waist again.
"Don't be afraid."
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