Chapter 8 The Promise to Serve the King Again
Although the book "Admonitions for Men" is extensive, its language is extremely concise, containing only a little over a thousand characters, yet it took Gan Cao two whole months to copy it.
He spent the last two months extremely fulfilling: apart from sleeping, eating three meals a day, taking necessary care of his body, and exercising his waist and abdomen, he spent the rest of his time studying and copying the "Admonitions for Men".
During this period, he learned 1,327 characters, fully understood and memorized the "Admonitions for Men," and also learned to write. Although his writing was not very good, he still completed the punishment of copying neatly.
After closing the book "Admonitions for Men," he gained a clearer understanding of his situation: serving His Majesty had elevated his status, but it was not secure.
The position of the Imperial Bedchamber Attendant seems prestigious now, but that's because there isn't a true mistress in His Majesty's harem yet. Once a truly noble lady enters the palace, his situation will likely become even more awkward.
If the important person doesn't like him, he'll be in real danger.
To protect oneself, one must be cautious, discreet, and strictly adhere to palace rules.
He now fully understands the Emperor's intention in punishing him.
With careful care, the wound had long since healed, and the area had regained its fair complexion, even appearing more perky and shapely under the support of the specially made palace attire.
Grateful for His Majesty's thoughtfulness, he also devoted himself even more diligently to his health and exercise.
He was of humble birth and had no relatives or friends to serve Your Majesty; he was of limited talent and could not offer Your Majesty any advice or strategies, so he could only use his meager body to please Your Majesty, and therefore he had to take good care of his body.
A punishment and two months of reflection brought about a dramatic change in his demeanor. He became low-key and dignified in every move, but unintentionally revealed a charm that was even greater than before.
"Excellent!" Cui, the eunuch, couldn't help but praise. Even he, a man, felt pleased to see it, let alone a woman.
He's struck gold!
"The master has arrived?" Gan Cao invited him in as if he were an old friend.
After spending this time together, they became much closer, completely abandoning their previous formalities. During the time he was confined to his quarters copying books, Eunuch Cui even helped him send a birthday gift to the Imperial Chamberlain, helped him win over the maids in the Laundry Department with a combination of kindness and severity, and sent Liu Zhi back to relearn the rules.
Nowadays, everyone in the Imperial Household Department knows that Gan Siqin is not someone who can be bullied at will.
“Now that the ‘Admonitions for Men’ has been copied and the injuries have healed, you can prepare to serve the emperor.” Eunuch Cui didn’t beat around the bush with him.
To serve the emperor in bed...
A ripple of emotion stirred within Gan Cao: He had not served His Majesty for two months; did His Majesty still remember him?
Men are naturally lustful, and he had just tasted the pleasures of love. His Majesty was such a desirable man, how could he not think of him in the dead of night?
However, by reading "Admonitions for Men" every day and facing punishment with a sincere heart, I suppressed those thoughts. Now, just mentioning these words warms my heart.
No matter how agitated he was, he maintained his composure and nodded slightly: "I will follow your instructions, sir."
As the two were talking, another palace maid came to deliver Liu Shangqin's message: "Please ask Gan Siqin to prepare to serve you tonight."
"It seems we've come to the same conclusion as Lord Monk Qin." Eunuch Cui couldn't help but laugh, unaware that this was an order from the Zichen Palace.
The sun broke through the clouds, casting golden rays that added warmth to this early spring.
Because the preparations for serving the emperor required careful attention, Gan Cao did not keep Cui the eunuch for long and went to the bathhouse early.
Sun Momo was already waiting. As soon as he entered, she knelt down and kowtowed loudly: "You scoundrel is guilty, please punish me!"
Gan Cao stopped in his tracks. He had guessed that Sun Momo would come to apologize, but he didn't expect her to let him deal with her directly. The little resentment he had left dissipated completely.
"Your Majesty is magnanimous, and did not punish me with beatings for the crime of 'bewitching the monarch'..." Recalling what happened that night, he could now speak calmly and without emotion.
He should be beaten to death!
Sun Momo's pupils contracted, and she became genuinely terrified.
"I was only punished with thirty strokes of the cane, but those strokes were so heavy," his voice was somewhat unsteady, as if he were lost in memories, "At that time, I really did feel a little resentful..."
He bent down to help Sun Momo up, saying, "But I did it myself, and Momo took a risk to help me. How can I blame Momo?"
Sun Momo was shocked. He had considered many possibilities: such as Gan Siqin giving him a severe punishment, or using this matter to threaten him into working for him, but he never expected him to have this attitude.
His magnanimity is even comparable to that of a woman!
He was grateful and became even more optimistic about Gan Siqin's future, so he decided to use his family's wealth to help him secure the emperor's favor.
After expressing his determination, he began to take good care of him by bathing and maintaining his health.
After much hard work, the licorice root transformed into a delicate pink lotus.
Wearing a plain nightgown and a smoky-colored cloak, and with her hair tied up with a silver hairpin, Gan Cao and the other four palace attendants followed the head palace attendant to the Zichen Palace.
Last time, he was the bedchamber attendant, while the other three were the male attendants. He walked ahead of them, feeling quite pleased with himself.
Now that he realized his mistake, he subtly lagged behind the four men by half a step and adopted an attitude of repentance.
The other four were momentarily surprised, but considering that he had offended His Majesty, such an action was only natural.
He walked discreetly to the palace, and let the other four people go in first before slowly kneeling at the very edge.
The incense in the hall still had that familiar scent, giving him a dreamlike feeling.
It felt like an eternity had passed, yet also like a fleeting moment, when His Majesty's footsteps echoed outside the palace.
Even though he had only heard her footsteps twice, he had already memorized them. Before the palace servants could announce his arrival, he bowed deeply with his hand on his forehead, waiting for her arrival with the utmost reverence.
As soon as Si Ze entered the hall, he saw Gan Cao. In the two months since he last saw him, Gan Cao's figure had become even more handsome.
"Your Majesty, shall we keep them here?" the steward asked softly.
All the bedchamber attendants were filled with anticipation, secretly displaying the most beautiful parts of their bodies.
Si Ze didn't look at it much, and only said, "Leave the licorice."
Several hearts sank instantly, but they had no choice but to bow and retreat.
"Is Qingqing's injury healed?" It's no wonder Si Ze asked this question, given how striking the injury was.
Gan Cao bowed again: "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. The enemy's wounds are not serious and he has fully recovered."
His demeanor was still beautiful, but his bearing had become more dignified.
Things have changed after all; I wonder if his sincerity is still there.
Si Ze felt a moment of melancholy, but then felt relieved: wasn't this what she wanted?
When they went to Wushan together, she discovered that he had not only become more dignified, but also more reserved and charming.
The original passion did not dissipate, but was buried even deeper and erupted even more intensely, as if it wanted to completely merge itself into her body.
Gradually, Si Ze also completely forgot about love.
A thousand-foot waterfall plunges down, splashing huge sprays of water against the rocks; in the deep abyss, surging waves rise...
...
After a long while, the clouds dispersed, the rain stopped, and the birds returned to their nests.
The young man was completely limp, yet he still stared at her intently.
Si Ze touched the old wound, as if belatedly feeling a pang of heartache: "Does it hurt?"
The man buried his face in her arms and began to sob, trembling.
Hot tears soaked her nightgown. The young king was momentarily at a loss, then gently stroked his temples.
"It hurts... but I'm even more afraid of His Majesty's disgust."
She has such a pitiful nature.
"As long as you are obedient and follow the rules, I will never despise you," the king promised.
The man's tears flowed even more freely.
Your Majesty is good, but he is just a bedchamber attendant who uses his looks to please others. In the future, when there are talented and handsome noblemen in the palace, will Your Majesty really remember him?
A note from the author:
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Even Ah Cao's writing isn't that shallow.
I felt like I'd gotten back into form today, but when I checked the backend, the click-to-receive ratio dropped from 3:2 to 10:1 (even though the number of clicks wasn't high to begin with). Is it really that badly damaged?
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