Miao Xi eventually led Huo Qinghe to the place where she had bathed in the hot spring last time.
Miao Xi simply escorted Huo Qinghe to the door and then stopped, extending her hand to signal Huo Qinghe to continue walking.
The hot spring was filled with flowing water. Huo Qinghe could hear the gurgling sound of the water even before she went in, so she pushed open the door and went in.
The hot spring was shrouded in mist. Just like last time, Huo Qinghe changed her clothes first before entering the hot spring. She was slightly taken aback when she saw the figure leaning against the hot spring.
"You're here?"
Didn't the old nanny say earlier that the Emperor was still handling state affairs in the Funing Palace? How come he's here now?
Pei Yuanhui was lying on the shore in his undergarments, his arms crossed behind his head, and his voice was languid.
Huo Qinghe stopped at the edge of the pool, her greetings weak and hesitant.
"May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings."
Pei Yuanhui raised his eyes slightly. Huo Qinghe curtsied, and although he was looking up at her now, it was no longer so offensive or presumptuous.
"I've been waiting for you today," Pei Yuanhui chuckled, sounding pleased.
Huo Qinghe gave a very soft "hmm," which sounded like a whisper, like a feather brushing against one's heartstrings.
Pei Yuanhui glanced at Huo Qinghe again, and then he noticed something: "Why do you seem a little dazed today?"
The tone of the official's question was not very pleasant.
Huo Qinghe gave a soft "hmm" again: "It's been a while since I've seen Your Majesty. I... am a little timid as I get closer to you."
This is a case of "the closer one gets to home, the more timid one becomes" being used here.
It had been a while since they last met. Pei Yuanhui said "Oh," and silently acknowledged to himself that it had indeed been some time.
However, there were many concubines in the harem, and Pei Yuanhui hadn't seen many of them for a while. Not to mention a while, there were quite a few who hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Hearing Huo Qinghe mention it now, it did indeed evoke a different feeling in me.
Huo Qinghe squatted down to avoid offending him: "Aside from seeing Your Majesty once when Consort Ming gave birth, I haven't seen Your Majesty for twenty-four days. Your Majesty has suffered."
Yes, Huo Qinghe's inability to see the Emperor was naturally because the Emperor was preoccupied with state affairs, not because the Emperor had forgotten about Huo Qinghe or anything like that.
She directly smoothed things over for the official, which was quite pleasing to hear.
Huo Qinghe stopped by the hot spring, which displeased the emperor.
Before speaking, he raised his hand and hooked his arm around Huo Qinghe's waist as they descended into the hot spring.
Despite her lightness, Huo Qinghe still caused a splash and a gasp when she entered the water.
The hot spring water overflowed her shoulders, and her newly changed inner garments were quickly soaked. The beautiful woman's graceful figure was faintly visible under the curtain of water. Her jade-colored toes struggled to find a foothold in the pool, and in the end, she could only cling to the official's body weakly and cautiously.
"Your Majesty..." This voice was naturally tinged with shyness and timidity.
Pei Yuanhui pressed against the cool jade wall, unlike last time when he had Huo Qinghe press against it. He just held her like this, and when he heard her call, he imitated Huo Qinghe's tone and hummed in response.
"You think about these things every day when you can't see me?"
Huo Qinghe was in his arms, and even when he looked down, he couldn't see the expression on her face.
Therefore, Huo Qinghe no longer needed to hide anything.
"No... I think about it every day, but I think about it when I read, sometimes when I look at the two pots of peonies under the corridor, and sometimes when I eat, wondering if His Majesty has eaten well today."
The official casually brushed a strand of hair behind Huo Qinghe's ear.
"You're trying to find out my preferences again."
Upon hearing this, Huo Qinghe reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end, and her voice sounded extremely aggrieved.
"Your Majesty, you've wronged me again... I didn't. I only thought about it, that's all. I didn't do anything else. Is it wrong for me to even think about Your Majesty?"
Pei Yuanhui looked at Huo Qinghe's aggrieved little face with a smile, finding it quite amusing.
It's like watching your own cat stretch out its claws and scratch you. Even if a normally docile cat scratches you, it's like scratching an itch. And since the cat scratches you because you've amused it, you naturally won't feel annoyed; you'll only find it amusing.
Upon hearing Huo Qinghe's last sentence, Pei Yuanhui raised an eyebrow.
"Hmm...it seems you really miss me. It's getting hot, don't stay soaking in this hot spring."
The Emperor's shift in topic was rather unskilled, but the underlying meaning was self-evident.
However, when Huo Qinghe was lifted out of the water by the Emperor, she couldn't suppress her gasp again. Her delicate body pressed tightly against Pei Yuanhui, and the force in his arms increased, forcing Pei Yuanhui to lower his head slightly.
When he looked down, the first thing he saw was Huo Qinghe's snow-white earlobes. Moving down further, besides her beautiful appearance, he also saw Huo Qinghe's jade-colored toes.
However, after soaking in the water for a while, the tips of her feet were stained with a beautiful pink, making her even more vibrant and charming.
It felt empty, as if something was missing.
According to Pei Yuanhui's vision, if only a string of red gold and ruby-adorned anklets could be added to the bare feet, along with tiny, scattered gold bells...
At this moment, Pei Yuanhui could almost hear the sound of bells ringing when he swung his bare feet.
The water was called twice during the night at Funing Palace. After soaking in the hot spring, Huo Qinghe felt like a cooked shrimp. Naturally, after a night, she looked even more like a fully cooked shrimp.
However, the Emperor rarely made a ruckus during the night, so when Huo Qinghe woke up the next morning, she was able to see him.
However, Huo Qinghe quickly realized that the important thing was not that she would see the Emperor after she woke up, but that the Emperor had not returned to Funing Palace last night, but had rested in the West Warm Pavilion.
This was the first time Huo Qinghe had done this since entering the palace three months ago.
So when the official turned around, Huo Qinghe did not hide the look of surprise on her face.
"Did you fall asleep? You've even forgotten the rules?" Pei Yuanhui stretched out his arms, while Jin Yang, standing beside him, obediently dressed the emperor.
After her absurd and reckless behavior last night, Huo Qinghe had no recollection of how she got back to the West Warm Pavilion, let alone whether the Emperor had stayed overnight.
At this moment, the palace maids in front of the emperor were all around. Huo Qinghe did not dare to flirt with the emperor as boldly as she had the night before. Upon hearing the sound, she obediently propped herself up and tried to get off the bed.
However, it still caused some discomfort, and the gentle, unfurrowed brows of the two mountains evoked pity in people.
Pei Yuanhui was a hard-hearted man, and he waited until Huo Qinghe got out of bed before speaking.
"Now you're being obedient and staying still. Do I need another servant like you?"
Miao Xi came in carrying a tray, and Huo Qinghe saw that it contained sachets and jade pendants.
Pei Yuanhui raised his hand and picked up the calming sachet that Huo Qinghe had personally put on the Emperor last time.
Huo Qinghe silently lowered her head again.
But she felt uneasy leaving it idly to the side, so she turned her head and reached out to straighten the red jade beads that had somehow become entangled on the side of the bed.
The beautiful woman sat gracefully by the bed, her delicate, fair hands patiently untying the tassels, her serene beauty resembling a painting of a court lady.
The sound of the beads hanging down was quite loud. Pei Yuanhui looked at her, a hint of doting affection in his eyes that he himself did not realize.
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