Chapter 17: Taunting
Xiao Chenglan smiled gently when he heard her words.
"Since my beloved concubine is tired, please settle down first. I still have official documents to write."
Tsk, work hard.
Song Wanyan now completely understood that His Majesty did not mean that at all.
She actually felt a little secretly happy in her heart.
However, she was not opposed to sleeping with the emperor.
Since she agreed to serve in the harem, this is no big deal. Just serve in the bedchamber.
However, it would be better if I could not sleep with him.
Because my grandfather had instructed that the Song family could not produce a queen, let alone a prince.
If someone dies while she's sleeping with him, it will be difficult to deal with.
The maids she brought into the palace were specially trained in massage techniques, just to be on the safe side. They would massage her after her bedtime to secretly prevent pregnancy. After all, contraceptive soup was harmful to the body, and if caught drinking it secretly, it would ruin her reputation.
Now that she doesn't have to sleep with the emperor, and doesn't even have to endure the torture of being pushed and pressed, Song Wanyan is very happy.
She tried her best to sound regretful, "Then Your Majesty, please don't write too late. Rest early. Your health is the most important thing. I will go to bed first."
"Yes, I know. Thank you for your concern, my beloved."
When Song Wanyan heard the somewhat exaggerated word "beloved concubine", she got goosebumps all over her body and quickly turned around and left.
Looking at Song Wanyan's back as she turned around and left without hesitation, Xiao Chenglan showed an expected expression on his face.
The people of the Song family are indeed smart.
He didn't need to say much, Song Wanyan understood what he meant, and she also knew very well what she was doing in the palace.
Since there is a conflict of interest between her and him, there is no need for any further communication.
She doesn't need to fight. As long as he is on good terms with the Song family, she can live a prosperous and stable life.
In this case, the old Grand Tutor must have already told her so.
A family as sensible as the Song is a true family. They take the country and the people's livelihood as their own responsibility. Their power is accumulated over hundreds of years and is not deliberately sought.
Those who abandon the people's livelihood for the sake of power, put the people in dire straits, and try to control everything are nothing but parasites in the court.
Sooner or later, he will crush all these insects.
Fu Wanquan prepared paper and pen for Xiao Chenglan and ground the ink.
Xiao Chenglan pressed his sore temples and began to write official documents.
However, after writing only two words, Xiao Chenglan's pen stopped, his eyes fell on the rice paper, a little absent-minded.
Fu Wanquan seemed to know what the emperor was thinking. He stood aside without retreating, waiting for the emperor to ask questions, and he could answer them immediately.
"How is Jia Jieyu doing tonight? What are you doing?"
As expected, the question was directed at Concubine Jia. Fu Wanquan quickly replied, "Your Majesty, Concubine Jia seems to have a poor appetite tonight. She ate a few mouthfuls and then said she wanted to rest."
When Xiao Chenglan heard this, complex emotions flashed in his eyes, including the expected understanding, heartache, and some...secret satisfaction.
He took out the sachet that Jiang Yingli had given to Fu Wanquan as money from his sleeve and held it in his palm. He slowly stroked the pattern on it with his fingertips and sighed softly.
She must be crying secretly.
......
Xiao Chenglan was writing official documents and handling government affairs in the outer hall of Roufu Palace, while Song Wanyan was sleeping soundly in the inner hall.
When Song Wanyan stood up, Xiao Chenglan had already gone to court.
"Your Majesty, did you sleep on the small couch in the outer room last night?" Song Wanyan asked with a yawn.
Song Wanyan's personal maid, Hanlu, paused and whispered, "Your Majesty, His Majesty was busy writing at his desk all night last night and didn't sleep well."
Song Wanyan was confused.
No wonder my grandfather, father, and uncles were all optimistic about this emperor who suddenly emerged.
Who can be more diligent than him?
However, if you work so hard, won’t you die young?
Song Wanyan waved to Hanlu and lowered her voice: "Don't tell anyone about this, and you should pretend you never told me."
Letting His Majesty sit in the palace all night writing official documents is a dereliction of duty for a concubine. To put it more seriously, it would be damaging to the emperor's body, which is also a serious crime.
But if no one talks about it, no one will know.
She also pretended not to know.
As soon as the main hall of Roufu Palace called for people to stand up, several palace maids and eunuchs came in one after another carrying rewards and imperial edicts, and stood in front of the hall to congratulate them.
As expected, after serving the emperor, Song Xiuyuan was promoted to the title of Song Zhaoyi.
Now, Song Zhaoyi's position directly surpasses Su Xiuyi and she is ranked first among the nine concubines.
Upon hearing the news, Su Xiuyi threw a tantrum in Qixiang Palace.
"This bitch!"
Su Xiuyi angrily threw a blue-glazed vase with a lotus pattern on it, causing the porcelain pieces to break and shatter all over the floor.
All the palace maids knelt aside with bated breath.
"The position of the head of the nine concubines should have belonged to me! If I had not been under house arrest, I would have been the first to sleep with you!"
Why should Song Wanyan go beyond her!
The sound of porcelain breaking in the main hall of Qixiang Palace was endless, and Zheng Baolin, who lived in a side hall, was frightened.
Every time there was a sound, she trembled, and Qian'er quickly pulled her away.
"My lady, let's go and greet the Queen Mother as soon as possible."
Qian'er's figure hurriedly leaving with Zheng Baolin caught the eye of Su Xiuyi in the main hall, and she paused in her action of smashing the vase.
She looked at Zheng Baolin's back meaningfully.
How could she have forgotten that His Majesty had confined her to her home? The plaques presented to the Emperor by the Imperial Household Department every night did not include her name, but did include Zheng Baolin's.
Zheng Baolin can serve as an attendant on the emperor's bed, which means that there is still a possibility that His Majesty will come to Qixiang Palace.
As long as she could let His Majesty see her when he came to Qixiang Palace, she believed that His Majesty would stop for her.
**
Today's good morning greeting is the same as yesterday. All the concubines are now gathered in front of Baohua Palace.
Jiang Yingli has been in the palace for so long, and she is finally going to meet the Queen Mother.
She stood among the concubines in Baohua Palace and found that the newlyweds today were much more well-behaved than yesterday.
Yesterday, some people dared to whisper to each other, but today they are like quails, not saying a word.
It seems that His Majesty's punishment of two people in a row yesterday really left a big shadow on the concubines.
However, there are still exceptions among so many people.
That was Concubine Liang, who had won the favor of the Empress Dowager.
She waved the handkerchief in her hand, her expression not at all reserved, but rather dissatisfied:
"Oh my! Someone just received the favor and he's already putting on airs. The sisters have been waiting here for a long time, but no one has come yet."
The concubines around were hesitant and didn't dare to respond. Jiang Yingli glanced at Concubine Liang who had her head held high.
When Lady Liang said this, she was naturally referring to Concubine Song who had slept with her last night.
Song Zhaoyi hasn't arrived yet.
However, it’s not really true that she was late, because it was not yet time and she was not the only one who didn’t come.
Jiang Yingli was really confused. Song Zhaoyi had a prominent family background and had just been favored by the emperor. She was extremely popular. Why did Concubine Liang provoke her?
Even though no one responded, Lady Liang continued to speak enthusiastically: "She only gained favor because of her family background. Your Majesty is only doing this to give her family face. She really thinks she has won the emperor's heart, so she is so arrogant."
While Lady Liang was speaking, Jiang Yingli felt a chill running up from behind.
She looked back and found that Song Zhaoyi had walked behind her without her knowing.
And Lady Liang was still mocking her without knowing anything.
Jiang Yingli felt that something big was about to happen.
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