Chapter 28 New Favorite's Worries
Amidst the intense anticipation of the crowd, the imperial edicts bestowing titles upon the selected men were issued one by one.
To everyone's surprise, most of these forty-six candidates were uniformly appointed as eighth-rank officials.
Only three people were exceptions: Liang Xiuchuan, the son of a border general, was granted the title of Zhaoxun, a fourth-rank official; Qu Youlan, the nephew of Emperor Wenzong; and Lu Yueying, the grandson of the Grand Master of Works, were granted the title of Cairen, a sixth-rank official.
Only Qu Youlan was known for his talent; the other two never even gained fame for their good looks.
Many people felt sorry after hearing this.
Upon hearing this, Gan Cao breathed a sigh of relief: there were only three newcomers with higher ranks than him.
Immediately afterwards, a sense of unease arose in his heart: his rank was actually higher than those noblemen from high-ranking families, was he worthy?
“My lord, His Majesty recently raised your rank, is that because…” Xiao Li didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning behind her words was self-evident.
His heart pounded: Had His Majesty really gone to such lengths for him?
Does His Majesty care about him in some way?
Overwhelmed by a mixture of joy and fear, he was nearly overwhelmed.
"The captive has come to congratulate the master!" Xiao Li's voice was filled with barely suppressed excitement.
Gan Cao was somewhat flustered and anxious: How could he repay His Majesty's great kindness?
"Go and invite Granny Sun." He had no family background, no talent, and all he could do to repay His Majesty was this body.
He needs to take better care of his health so that he can better serve His Majesty.
Sun Momo came running over. During the talent show, he was also assigned to teach the young men the palace rules. He had seen some outstanding young men and thought they would get high rankings. But when he saw the results, he knew that he had made the right bet. Now he dared not be careless at all.
Hearing Gan Xiaozhu's veiled request, he hesitated, "The old barbarian does have some special skills, but His Majesty is an upright man..."
Gan Cao's heart tightened; he remembered the thirty lashes he had received that time.
Her lower lip was bitten so deeply that it left deep teeth marks: "I want to learn."
“My lady, those techniques are a bit difficult to learn.” Sun Momo was still somewhat hesitant.
He didn't care about those things: "Please teach me."
The two young palace servants wisely closed the doors and windows and left.
...
The lesson lasted for an hour. Gan Caoyuan, who was initially blushing with shyness, later felt so uncomfortable that her eyes welled up with tears.
Once he had fully mastered it, Sun Momo then guided him through body sculpting exercises.
After this period of training, his waist-to-hip ratio is excellent, and his chest is very strong.
But in Sun Momo's eyes, there was still room for improvement, so she continued to amplify the already undignified movements and postures.
The licorice didn't stop for the entire afternoon, and it was the Imperata cylindrica that finally saw Sun Momo off. His body was so sore and weak that it didn't feel like his own anymore.
The next day, before he even invited her, Sun Momo arrived.
A few more days passed, and it seemed that all the muscles and bones in his body were fully opened up, and his stamina also seemed to have increased.
Seeing these improvements made all his hard work worthwhile. He would be even happier if His Majesty could also feel this progress.
Unfortunately, even as the new concubine was about to enter the palace, His Majesty did not summon him to serve him in bed again.
The first person to be carried into the palace was Liang Xiuchuan, a fourth-rank official.
On the first day, Gan Cao didn't see anyone, but only a small blue sedan chair being delivered to Chang Le Palace.
On the second night, His Majesty summoned Liang Zhaoxun to his bedchamber.
Licorice continued to exercise and maintain her health as usual, but her body was exhausted, and she still suffered from insomnia at night.
Zichen Palace.
Liang Zhaoxun was stripped of her palace attire and, after bathing in the hot spring palace, was sent to her bedchamber.
He was uneasy because he was taller and larger than most men, with a somewhat rugged appearance, which made him unpopular with women. He wondered if His Majesty would also be disgusted with him.
Fortunately, His Majesty did not find it offensive.
Under His Majesty's patient guidance, he completed his transformation from a young man to a young husband.
From that moment on, he had the most important person in his life—his wife, his Majesty.
On the third day, when paying her respects, Gan Cao finally saw Liang Zhaoxun's appearance: just as the palace maids had said, she was tall and strong, and her skin was not delicate.
Her appearance was not as unpleasant as the women in the changing room had said.
Moreover, he has broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and his physique is comparable to his.
With just one glance, Gan Cao's heart skipped a beat.
"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty and Empress, may Your Majesty live a thousand years." Liang Zhaoxun knelt down to pay his respects, but his back remained straight.
Knowing his special status, the Empress did not make things difficult for him, but simply smiled and said, "We are all brothers serving Your Majesty, there is no need for such formalities, please have a seat."
Soon after, the emperor arrived.
Next, we will proceed with the tea ceremony according to procedure.
Liang Zhaoxun knelt and bowed three times to His Majesty. Si Ze then reached out and accepted his tea, thus formally accepting him as a palace attendant.
Then, he kowtowed to the Empress and offered her tea, which she accepted, thus acknowledging him as her 'brother'.
Then, the lower-ranking palace servants paid homage to him.
Although Gan Cao was an elder, he was only a seventh-rank official, and according to custom, he should first pay his respects to those of higher rank.
The other servants in the changing rooms did the same. Bai Ping was initially a little uncomfortable, but when she thought that even the servant Gan, who was of a higher rank than them, had to bow, she felt inexplicably happy.
All eyes in the hall were on Gan Cao, some with ulterior motives.
He smiled, took two steps forward, and curtsied to Liang Zhaoxun: "Your humble servant, Gan Cao, greets Zhaoxun. May Zhaoxun be blessed."
Is this the maid Gan Xiaoshi that the palace attendants were talking about?
Before Liang Zhaoxun could even see his face clearly, he was first attracted by the clear chirping of the bird.
Even though he was extremely careful, the tinkling sound of the jade pendant wasn't as pleasant as he thought, which showed a lack of proper masculine manners.
Looking up from the forbidden area, one sees an exceptionally superior physique.
No wonder she is His Majesty's favorite palace attendant.
He nodded in return, saying, "No need for such formalities, young servant."
Although Gan Xiaoshi came from a poor background and held a low rank, he was favored by the Emperor and would not be negligent.
Yes, although Gan Cao often felt inferior due to his background, in the eyes of the palace men, he was already a favored servant.
Next came the changing of clothes and greetings. While he didn't disregard these formalities, he didn't pay much attention to them either.
After paying her respects, Liang Zhaoxun returned to Changle Palace and received a long imperial edict bestowing rewards upon her.
His wife was a young king, both valiant and considerate; how could he not love her?
In the following days, Si Ze summoned him to his bedchamber every day. Knowing that he had practiced martial arts, he even took him to the martial arts arena to practice a few times.
He was confident in his martial arts skills, but he was always thoroughly defeated in sparring sessions.
His heart pounded wildly as His Majesty's knee pressed him to the ground.
Ten days later, the slightly older Consort Lu was carried into the Brocade Palace.
Fifteen days later, Consort Qu was carried into Jinfu Palace.
Both of them enjoyed the favor for a few days.
Eighteen days later, all the men were brought into the palace and were dispersed to the side halls of the six palaces.
Seeing the several handsome young men moving into Anle Palace, Xiaoli and Maogen were anxious: His Majesty hadn't favored their young master for almost a month, and now so many new men had arrived, what should they do?!
Gan Cao was also a little flustered. What use were his hard-earned skills, meticulously maintained skin, and diligently sculpted physique if His Majesty didn't appreciate them?
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