Chapter 20 A Bottomless Pit of Insatiability
The matter of the imperial heir was like a fleeting trace, leaving only a few marks before fading into oblivion.
When Gan Cao was sent back to Cuiyuxuan, her legs were still weak. She was helped up when she was being chased away so that she did not fall to the ground.
"Ah, my lord, what happened to you?!" When Mao Gen helped him to bed, he saw the purplish-blue marks and was so frightened that tears welled up in his eyes.
Gan Cao's face flushed, and she awkwardly pulled her newly changed nightgown tighter around herself: "It's alright, don't panic."
Seeing the young mistress's sweet and shy expression, the young palace attendant vaguely understood something and then asked in a low voice, "Should we apply some medicine?"
The licorice root touched those marks, where the intense aftertaste seemed to linger, causing a slight discomfort, yet a desire to keep them there longer, as if His Majesty were possessing him at all times.
"...My lord?" Seeing his sweet smile, as if he were lost in some kind of beautiful dream, the palace servant had no choice but to speak up and remind him.
Gan Cainan sighed softly, "Apply it."
His Majesty is very fond of his fur coat, and he cannot neglect its maintenance because of his own selfish desires.
The young palace servant wanted to help, but he refused, saying, "It's getting late, you should all rest first."
After they were all settled, Gan Cao took off her nightgown and lowered the bed curtains, carefully applying medicine to the bruises on her neck, shoulders, chest, waist, hips, and thighs.
Every trace testifies to the intensity of that time, and every trace tells of the beautiful, passionate love.
He still remembers how he felt then, wishing he could melt into His Majesty's body.
After applying the medicine, he savored the feeling as he drifted off to sleep.
This night was long for many, but short for licorice.
"My lord, it's time to get up." Mao Gen called him softly several times before he finally woke up from his sweet dream. Although his body was still a little weak, his spirit was full of energy.
Last night, I applied some medicine, and the marks on my body became lighter, but they were still quite obvious. Gan Cao straightened her collar and found that the marks on her neck could not be covered up, so she thought of finding a scarf to tie them up.
Xiao Li noticed his predicament and took out pearl powder, saying, "My lord, you can use powder to cover it up."
Licorice was somewhat reluctant, but had no choice but to do so.
After covering that area up, he looked in the mirror again to make sure there were no problems before saying, "Let's keep the makeup simple today."
Xiao Li naturally understood his meaning. Not only did she not use rouge or lipstick, she also mixed some dark pigment and pearl powder to suppress the spring-like color between his eyebrows and eyes.
Gan Cao looked at himself in the mirror and found it amazing. His appearance hadn't changed at all, but he looked like he hadn't slept well all night. He couldn't help but praise him, "Your skill is truly masterful."
"Thank you for the compliment, Your Highness." Xiao Li was also very happy, but a little regretful. His Highness had to go to the hot spring palace to wash up before serving him, so he had no chance to show off his skills. But who knows what the future holds?
Once everything was in order, Gan Cao, accompanied by a young palace maid, went to Changning Palace to pay her respects.
Previously, he and the other palace attendants would go to Changning Palace with Liu Shangqin, but now that the other palace attendants haven't moved in yet, he naturally has to go alone.
At this time, it was still not fully light, but fortunately the lanterns along the palace roads were already lit.
Oguri led the way with a lantern, and the young palace servants, who had already begun their activities, immediately bowed upon seeing his male palace attire.
At first, Gan Cao was a little unaccustomed to it, but as he saw more and more palace servants bowing, he gradually got used to it.
Even if he was just an eighth-rank attendant to the king, he was still a true master, and this realization was reinforced in his mind once again.
The distance from Anle Palace to Changning Palace was a bit farther than the distance from Shangqin Bureau to Changning Palace, but fortunately Gan Cao set off early and arrived just as Liu Shangqin arrived.
Liu Shangqin gave a slight curtsy to him, and the palace maids behind him naturally followed suit, as did the other palace maids who were following behind him.
Now, Gan Cao has gotten used to it quite a bit. In front of Changning Palace, he didn't want to be too high-profile, so he just nodded slightly as a gesture of respect.
His composed demeanor made Bai Ping and the others feel uneasy, but what upset them even more was that Liu Shangqin turned around and said to them, "You ladies are now official palace attendants, so it's not appropriate for you to follow me around anymore. You should go and follow behind the young lady Cai Nan."
Go behind the male master?!
Bai Ping gritted her teeth and forced a smile: "Okay."
Piaopeng ran over and whispered incessantly in his ear, "Brother Gan, how is Anle Palace? Did you sleep well last night?"
“Anle Palace has a nice environment,” Gan Cao glanced back at his expression and realized that he probably really didn’t know that he had served the emperor last night. It seemed that Liu Shangqin and Sun Momo hadn’t said much about it in the Shangqin Bureau. “The side halls are all very elegant. I chose Cuiyuxuan, and there are a few other nice ones as well.”
Upon hearing this, the other servants who had come along perked up their ears: because Gan Cao was a rank higher than them, she moved first, but since they were also moving into Anle Palace, they naturally wanted to choose a better place to live.
Gan Cao didn't say anything more, because the people from Changning Palace came out.
The male officials and palace servants who had been talking quietly stopped at the same time. Everyone noticed that the people from Changning Palace looked strange today, and the square, which had already quieted down, became even more solemn.
"The Empress has been unwell recently, so the palace affairs of the Six Palaces will be handled by me first," said the Grand Chamberlain.
The palace servants were somewhat surprised. The Queen's diligence since entering the palace was evident. Even when she looked tired, she would still finish her daily palace duties. But today she had simply given up.
Could the Empress be seriously ill? Some well-informed people know that the imperial physician has been here.
However, no matter how much speculation they had, no one dared to show it. Except for Liu Shang, who stayed by the Grand Chamberlain's side, the other palace servants knelt and bowed before leaving Changning Palace.
After bowing, Gan Cao was about to leave when she was stopped by the head palace servant of Changning Palace: "Your Highness, please invite Cai Nan inside."
Why should I see him even though I'm sick?
Gan Cao felt a little uneasy, but still followed him inside with the proper demeanor of a bridesmaid.
The palace was even quieter, and the palace servants moved about without making a sound.
The originally rich incense in the air has turned into a light fruity scent.
It didn't smell like medicine, which made Gan Cao feel a little more relaxed.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw that the Empress was sitting at the head of the table, and that her hairpins and ornaments seemed to be missing. Not daring to look closely, she knelt down and bowed, saying, "This servant greets Your Majesty."
His body had been overused last night, and his waist was still a little sore. To maintain his posture, his movements were inevitably a bit stiff.
Shen Mingyue couldn't quite figure out what her cousin liked about him.
Although he was handsome and had a great physique, there were others who were better than him, and he came from a humble background and had a dull personality...
Shen Mingyue told herself: He wasn't jealous, he was just upset for His Majesty's cousin.
But what if he really is a high-born man from a talent show, and my cousin falls for him? Shen Mingyue tightened her lips.
Not hearing the Empress's words to dispense with the formalities, Gan Cao grew increasingly uneasy, but recalling the events of the previous night, a sliver of courage rose within him.
"The master let you in because you have served the emperor well, and he wants to reward you with something," said Momo beside him.
Gan Cao dared not think too much, and simply kowtowed and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"Master is not feeling well, you may leave now." Momo waved her hand at him directly.
Gan Cao respectfully retreated to the palace gate, bowed again, and then accepted the reward carried by the palace servant before leaving.
He was pondering to himself: After each time he served the emperor, the empress would summon him and bestow gifts upon him. Was this part of the empress's responsibility? Or was it a form of discipline?
He shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought. He was just a lowly eighth-rank palace servant; what kind of person was he? Did he need someone as high and mighty as the Empress to reprimand him?
Although he was already a palace attendant, he only had two personal male attendants and did not have the grandeur of any of the senior male attendants in Changning Palace.
Although she had gained some status in the harem, she was probably still just an ant in the eyes of the empress.
Therefore, this was not a reprimand, but merely a reward from the Queen as the 'master husband'.
Although these few bolts of fabric were a considerable fortune for him, to the Queen, they were merely a drop in the ocean.
The Queen is a model for all men, a magnanimous and virtuous queen. He should not judge her with his petty mind.
After thinking it through, he completely let go of his worries.
Inside Changning Palace, Momo sighed, "He's nothing but a worthless piece of trash. Giving him a small reward would be a great act of wisdom and generosity on your part. Why bring him in and spoil the mood?"
“My cousin keeps flirting with him. Even if he’s just a toy, she’ll still like him. I want to see what it is about him that makes her like him,” Shen Mingyue said quietly.
Momo sensed something was wrong and quickly whispered a word of advice: "You are the Empress. You only need to manage the harem and give birth to an imperial heir. No one can surpass you. Why care about such trivial favors?"
Shen Mingyue knew that what he said made sense.
But he was also a man, and he had the flaw of insatiable desires. Even though his cousin had already treated him very well, he still wanted more pampering.
More, and even more.
He felt ashamed for having studied "Male Virtue" for over a decade, and he raised his head to stop the tears from rolling down.
The pain in his abdomen started churning again, but he didn't want to massage it to relieve the pain anymore; he'd just consider it punishment.
Momo stepped forward and hugged him: "Little Lang, it's okay to cry if you want to."
"I am the Empress, I have my cousin's love, I have taken the fertility pill, and I will soon have an heir. Why should I cry?!"
Yes, he has the best things in the world.
Yet they were still not satisfied.
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