Chapter 22 I only want to be with you
Xiao Chenglan listened quietly to what Empress Dowager Xue said, and smiled gently.
"How could that be? I came quickly because yesterday, the concubines also caused trouble and displeased the Queen Mother, and today they are restless again. They have disturbed the Queen Mother's peace three times, so naturally I had to come and see her quickly."
When Empress Dowager Xue heard what Xiao Chenglan said, her expression froze for a moment, and then a sense of pride and satisfaction rose in her heart.
It seems that the emperor was not stupid enough to challenge her for the sake of three concubines.
I don’t think he would dare.
Empress Dowager Xue raised her head. "Although their quarrels give me a headache, I am helping you manage the harem because I understand that you are busy with government affairs and want to share the burden with you. You don't have to worry about it. If they cause trouble, I will decide and punish them. Why should you bother to leave your government affairs and come here?"
Xiao Chenglan's smile deepened. "My mother should have been enjoying her old age, but she's been disturbed by the affairs of the concubines. If this gets out, I'll be considered unfilial."
Seeing Xiao Chenglan's obedience, the Queen Mother was finally pleased. Her voice softened, "I am very satisfied that you have this heart."
"It's important to have good intentions, but also to put them into practice." Xiao Chenglan said slowly.
"I have thought about it for a while, and I finally can't bear to see my mother work so hard. The new concubines have just entered the palace and haven't learned the rules well yet. They often offend my mother. Therefore, the daily morning meeting will be changed to the first and fifth day of the lunar month. This will prevent them from disturbing the peace in front of my mother."
The empress dowager, who was sitting at the top, didn't even have time to retract the smile on her face before it froze.
Nanny Xia's expression also changed.
The emperor said respectful words, but in fact he was causing trouble for the empress dowager.
The concubines haven't paid their respects to the Empress Dowager for a few days, and they haven't even applied the necessary eye drops yet, yet His Majesty has actually reduced the number of times they greet her in the morning.
Is this what it means, kicking someone upstairs?
It seems like he is being praised highly, but in fact he is being beaten and kicked.
Faced with the respect and filial piety expressed in these words, the Queen Mother was at a loss for words to refute.
What's more, the daily morning meeting was originally held at the Queen's place, and she really only needed the concubines to come on the first and fifteenth days of the month. However, now that there was no Queen in the palace, it was defaulted that they had to come to her every day.
Could she really go against the ancestral rules?
The Queen Mother's eyes twitched, and after a long while she finally uttered a single word: "Now that there is no Queen in the Six Palaces, if we only hold meetings on the first and fifth mornings, it will inevitably lead to their loosening of the rules."
"Then there's no need for you to worry about it, Mother." Xiao Chenglan said. Before the Queen Mother's face fell, he smiled again. "How can I let you worry about everything? I see that you look unwell. This is my fault."
Before he could stop, Xiao Chenglan turned around and apologized.
The Queen Mother was so angry that she was unable to vent her resentment, and her hands holding the Buddhist beads were shaking.
Xiao Chenglan stood up straight and glanced at the concubines kneeling on the ground.
"Although the election was rushed, the maids assigned to your home to teach etiquette were diligent and diligent in their duties, yet you refuse to learn your lesson. Every now and then you're causing trouble in front of the Wanshou Palace. If I hadn't come, what trouble would you have planned to cause for Mother tomorrow?"
The concubines on the ground were silent as a cicada, not daring to say a word.
"Why are you still kneeling here, obstructing my mother's eyes? Why don't you leave immediately? When you are not greeted by the morning greetings, reflect on your mistakes in your respective palaces. If you do it again, I will punish you personally."
The concubines, as if they had been pardoned, quickly stood up and left the Wanshou Palace without daring to stay for a moment.
Only after leaving the hall did Chen Zhuxin breathe a sigh of relief.
Cui Sheng supported her and asked with concern, "My lady, are you okay? Why do you look so pale?"
Chen Zhuxin shook her head to indicate that she was fine. She looked into the distance, as if she had just recovered.
The exchange between the Empress Dowager and the Emperor just now seemed to be kind and filial, but in fact it was suffocating her.
No wonder her father told her not to judge things by appearances.
Everyone said that the current emperor's ascension to the throne was a stroke of luck. The crown prince had forced the emperor to abdicate, and the other princes had lost their patience and were determined to fight to the death, which gave him the opportunity to ascend to the throne.
However, after seeing His Majesty's remarks today, which showed a hidden dagger within a smile and remarkable composure, she finally realized that her father was right. The current emperor was no ordinary person.
That so-called opportunity from heaven is pure nonsense.
It has always been the case that everything depends on human efforts.
Cui Sheng glanced at the front of the hall, but didn't see Song Zhaoyi and the others who had just left the hall being punished to kneel. She asked curiously:
"Why aren't there any people being punished to kneel?"
Although Chen Zhuxin was also curious, she could understand it when she thought of the emperor in Wanshou Palace.
How could His Majesty let Concubine Jia kneel in front of all the concubines? Perhaps His Majesty simply couldn't bear to let her kneel.
"Let's find a reason to send the three of them somewhere else to be punished. This is none of our business. Let's go back to the palace quickly." Chen Zhu thought to himself.
Cui Sheng also nodded, "Okay."
The other concubines passed by the Wanshou Palace and were also curious why they didn't see the person who was punished to kneel.
Some are simply curious, while others want to see a good show.
After all, one was a high-ranking concubine who had just gained favor, and the other was an old friend who had served for four years. It was comforting to think about walking past them when they were being punished.
Unfortunately, those who want to watch the show are destined not to have this opportunity.
Because, at this moment, Song Zhaoyi was sitting with her legs crossed in the hall on the left side of Baohua Palace, looking bored.
Xiao Chunzi, who was in charge of watching over Concubine Song, had a worried look on her face. "Oh, your Majesty, your Honored Majesty, although His Majesty has exempted you from the punishment of kneeling, you should at least sit up straight and reflect on your mistakes. If His Majesty saw you like this, I would lose my head!"
Song Zhaoyi swung her toes disdainfully and chuckled nonchalantly: "Just put your head in your stomach. His Majesty won't come to me."
Xiao Chunzi didn't know why Song Zhaoyi was so confident. He didn't feel relieved by her words and stood guard at the door in fear.
Jiang Yingli on the other side sat upright.
Fu Wanquan walked in with a smile on his face, carrying a freshly chilled fruit plate.
"My Lady Concubine has felt hot just now. Please cool down."
Jiang Yingli looked at Fu Wanquan in surprise and doubt: "Eunuch Fu, this is a punishment. Is it really okay for us to do this?"
"Oh, it couldn't be better!" Fu Wanquan said with a smile.
"My dear, rest assured. His Majesty knows that you are innocent and have been implicated. He told me on the way here and has pardoned your punishment."
Jiang Yingli finally felt relieved and sat down obediently waiting for Xiao Chenglan.
Thinking of what happened just now, Jiang Yingli's thoughts drifted away.
Not long after the Cold Dew Festival, which was exactly the time it took to go from Wanshou Palace to Changqing Palace and back, His Majesty arrived.
This means that as soon as Hanlu went to Changqing Palace to report, His Majesty did not delay for a moment and came immediately.
Jiang Yingli pursed her lips, pulled herself back to her thoughts, and forced herself not to think about it anymore.
Soon, the door was pushed open, and Xiao Chenglan's tall figure blocked the doorway, and the light in the hall dimmed for a moment.
Seeing His Majesty coming, Fu Wanquan tactfully retreated, not forgetting to close the door.
Jiang Yingli was about to stand up and salute when Xiao Chenglan came over quickly and held her wrist.
"Don't move. Does it hurt?"
Jiang Yingli reacted briefly and shook her head. "It didn't hurt. I was just kneeling for a while when His Majesty arrived."
Xiao Chenglan breathed a sigh of relief.
They were so close that Jiang Yingli could even see the dark circles under Xiao Chenglan's eyes and the fatigue between his brows.
Didn’t I get enough rest last night?
If I delay this moment, the government affairs will pile up again, and I will have to stay up late tonight.
Seeing Jiang Yingli staring at him blankly with eyes full of heartache, Xiao Chenglan felt that the anger he had just felt in his confrontation with the Queen Mother had dissipated a lot.
He bent down slightly and easily picked up Jiang Yingli horizontally.
Jiang Yingli exclaimed and quickly hugged Xiao Chenglan's neck.
Xiao Chenglan held her and sat down, his slender knuckles holding the hem of Jiang Yingli's skirt.
Jiang Yingli's mind was in a state of confusion. With a red face, she pressed the back of Xiao Chenglan's hand and whispered:
"Your Majesty, it's daytime! No!"
Xiao Chenglan paused, then let out a few laughs, his lips slightly raised with a hint of teasing.
He moved closer to her, his tone almost harsh.
"Jiang Yingli, what are you thinking about? I want to see your knees."
Jiang Yingli was stunned, her face burning so much that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into, so she buried her head deep in Xiao Chenglan's chest.
Xiao Chenglan chuckled, hugged her, lifted the hem of her skirt, and slowly pushed up her trouser legs.
In addition to a few scars on Jiang Yingli's knees that have faded with time, there are also some faint red bruises.
Xiao Chenglan blew gently on the bruise and said to the person outside the door:
"Fu Wanquan, bring in the ointment."
Fu Wanquan quickly brought in the ointment he had just taken out.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw Concubine Jia sitting on the emperor's lap. He quickly lowered his brows, not daring to look up again. He handed over the ointment and left quickly.
Seeing that he was about to apply medicine to her, Jiang Yingli quickly said, "Your Majesty is busy. I can handle such a small matter myself."
"I'm not busy anymore. I worked late into the night and dealt with a lot of things. I'll spare the morning to spend time with you."
Xiao Chenglan took out a small amount of paste from the small porcelain jar and gently applied it on Jiang Yingli's knees.
Jiang Yingli was completely surprised: "Last night? But didn't His Majesty flip Song Zhaoyi's name card last night..."
"I'm not in the mood, so I'll just deal with government affairs." Xiao Chenglan said.
He looked into her eyes and spoke in a soft voice, as if he was talking about something very ordinary.
"I only want to do intimate things with you."
Jiang Yingli was stunned.
While she was still in a daze, Xiao Chenglan had already applied the medicine to her.
Only after she lifted up her skirt did Jiang Yingli come back to her senses.
When His Majesty said that just now, was he trying to comfort her, or... was he still bothered by that incident from their childhood?
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