Chapter 15: Early death at the Emperor’s Society
The glazed tiles of Fengyi Palace shone brightly under the midday sun. Tiny dust particles floated in the air, and it was so quiet that one could hear the occasional lazy chirping of cicadas outside the window.
This deep palace is as orderly as a stagnant pool of water, with not even a ripple appearing.
"elder sister--"
A drawn-out, sickly sweet call, like a pebble, suddenly shattered the tranquility of the stagnant water.
Fourteen-year-old Dongfang Yuning, dressed in a bright goose yellow dress, like a little butterfly just emerging from its cocoon, rushed without hesitation into the East Warm Pavilion where Queen Dongfang Qiwu handled palace affairs.
Half a step behind her was the eldest princess Nangong Yue, who also looked uncontrollably excited. The two exchanged a look that only they understood, a clever and cunning one.
Dongfang Qiwu was concentrating on the account book in his hand when he was suddenly pounced on. The jade bracelet on his wrist hit the rosewood table with a crisp sound.
She reluctantly put down her pen, raised her graceful and gentle face, and looked at her most outgoing little sister, with a habitual indulgence in her tone:
"Ning'er, what trouble have you gotten yourself into again? Or are you eyeing some snack from my palace again?"
Her eyes swept over Nangong Yue who was standing beside her.
"Yue'er is here too? Doesn't she need to go to the Grand Tutor's lecture today?"
"Oh, what's the big deal about dim sum!"
Dongfang Yuning curled her lips, hugged her sister's arm and shook it, her almond-shaped eyes were surprisingly bright, hiding a secret that could not be suppressed.
"Sister, Yueyue and I have something extremely important and interesting to discuss with you! It's such a great news! It's a thousand times better than snacks!"
Nangong Yue immediately nodded like a chicken pecking at rice, trying to tighten the curve of her lips and appear serious, but the light in her eyes gave it all away:
"Mother, it's true! It's about...it's about our 'grand plan'!"
Dongfang Qiwu was a little confused by this scene. He looked at his cute and naive little sister, then at his own daughter who was trying hard to hold back her laughter, and a bad premonition crossed his mind.
What kind of "grand plans" could these two come up with, especially with Ning'er's eccentric personality? Most of them would be ridiculous ideas.
Just as she was about to ask for details, Dongfang Yuning impatiently grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the soft chair.
"Let's go, let's go to the bedroom and talk! It's inconvenient here because there are too many people around!"
Dongfang Yuning was very strong. He dragged his sister out and did not forget to turn around and give Nangong Yue a wink.
Nangong Yue understood and immediately instructed the palace servants standing by:
"All of you, please go down. My aunt and I will serve you here. You are not allowed to approach within ten steps of the bedroom unless you are summoned."
The palace maids were well-trained. They bowed their heads in response and retreated quietly. Suddenly, only the three of them were left in the warm room.
He was half-dragged, half-pulled by his sister into the inner chambers of the palace. A heavy brocade curtain fell behind him, blocking out the light from outside. Only a few long-burning candles flickered in a dim glow. The air was filled with the faint scent of agarwood, a characteristic of the empress's chambers.
Dongfang Qiwu was forced to sit on the edge of the soft phoenix couch. As he watched the two little girls approach him mysteriously, his bad premonition became stronger and stronger.
"Okay, can you tell me now? What's going on with all this mystery?"
She tried hard to maintain her dignity as a queen, but there was already a subtle hint of vigilance in her tone.
Dongfang Yuning took a deep breath, as if about to announce some earth-shattering secret. She suddenly pulled out a flat object tightly wrapped in fine brocade from her wide sleeve pocket, with the solemnity of presenting a treasure.
She carefully placed the package in the center of the phoenix couch, and then together with Nangong Yue, holding their breath, they peeled off the soft brocade layer by layer.
When the last piece of cloth was lifted, revealing what was inside, the gentle expression on Dongfang Qiwu's face froze instantly.
As if struck by an invisible thunderbolt, her beautiful eyes, which always held a gentle smile, suddenly widened. The two "clothes" were clearly reflected in the depths of her pupils - so thin that they were almost transparent, woven from silk threads, and embellished with tiny, shimmering pearls and gold threads. The boldness of the design and the economy of the materials were something she had never imagined in her life!
The bedroom was warm as spring, but Dongfang Qiwu felt a chill rising from the soles of his feet to the top of his head. His cheeks instantly burned, as if even his ears were emitting hot air. The blush spread fiercely, quickly spreading to his neck, and his entire face was like a ripe peach, almost dripping with blood.
She abruptly turned her eyes away, her voice changing tone, filled with incredible shame and trembling:
"Dongfang Yuning! Nangong Yue! How…how disgraceful is this?! Where did you…where did you get such…such…filthy things?!"
She was so angry that she could hardly utter complete words, her chest heaving violently, and the gorgeous and solemn phoenix robe could not suppress the shame and anger surging at the moment.
"Oh, sister!"
Dongfang Yuning was not afraid at all, but came closer, his little face full of self-righteousness and a strange, fanatical admiration for "beauty".
"How can this be called obscene? This is art! A treasure that makes a woman's beauty shine! It's the flagship product of the Yueji Pavilion that Yueyue and I are opening soon, exclusively for the most distinguished ladies and socialites in Beijing!"
Nangong Yue nodded vigorously and added:
"Mother, it's true! We've researched the market and it has enormous potential! Think about it, the ladies in the palace, the ladies in the mansion, who wouldn't want to add some... ahem... fun to their boudoirs?
It's just that due to etiquette and laws, there are no suitable channels. We, 'Yueji Pavilion', are committed to being the first to do so and to leading the trend!"
She tried to make her words sound high-sounding, as if she were talking about a great cause that would benefit the country and the people.
"Nonsense! Absolutely nonsense!"
Dongfang Qiwu felt dizzy. These two little girls actually dared to set their sights on such a shameful thing. What were they talking about "noble ladies" and "setting a precedent"?
She pointed at the two small pieces of cloth, her fingertips trembling.
"Take it away! Burn it immediately! The empress's sister, the eldest princess of a country, actually runs this...this..."
She was once again at a loss for words, filled with shame and indignation.
"Sister—good sister—"
Dongfang Yuning immediately resorted to her tried-and-true method of acting like a spoiled child. Her voice was soft and sticky, like it was coated in honey. She almost clung to Dongfang Qiwu.
"Don't be angry yet! Just listen to me! This 'Yueji Pavilion' is the result of our hard work! The initial investment was huge! Now everything is ready, all we need is a 'living signboard' that will make a big splash!
Looking across the entire Yan Kingdom, who is more suitable than you, the Empress Dowager who rules the country? Wherever you put it on, you will exude unparalleled appeal!"
She blinked her big eyes, which were filled with "sincere" pleading:
"Just try it on! Try it on for a bit! Give us a sample! We promise to keep it absolutely confidential! Only the three of us will know about it!"
You are so beautiful, if you put this on, I guarantee that your brother-in-law... oh no, His Majesty... will be completely captivated and won't be able to let it go! Just think of this as helping us, and for the sake of your and His Majesty's... um... harmony and happiness, right?"
Nangong Yue also quickly joined in, shaking her mother's arm:
"Yes, mother! Just try it on! Auntie is right, it will look great on you! You are the most beautiful woman in our Yan Country! If you don't wear it, who else will? Whether our store can become a hit depends entirely on you!"
"shut up!"
Dongfang Qiwu blushed and felt so embarrassed by their constant calls of "bewitching" and "harmonious and happy" that she wished she could find a hole to crawl into.
But looking at his sister's bright eyes full of expectation and trust, and his daughter's eager gaze beside him, the overwhelming anger and shame were squeezed out of him with a trace of helplessness.
These two were her closest and most beloved girls. No matter how mischievous they were, they were ultimately good people. This business... sounded outrageous, but they were so enthusiastic...
Forget it! Just consider it as… I’m completely helpless against these two little devils! Dongfang Qiwu sighed inwardly and closed his eyes in resignation.
The shame was like a heavy tide, crashing against the dam of her rationality. She bit her lower lip and squeezed out a few words almost through her teeth:
"...Just...just this once! It won't happen again! You...you all turn around! No peeking!"
"Okay, okay! We promise not to peek!"
Dongfang Yuning and Nangong Yue cheered immediately, turned around in unison, facing their backs to the phoenix couch, and covered their eyes with their hands, but their fingers were quietly open.
Dongfang Qiwu took a deep breath, suppressed the trembling of his fingertips, and stretched out his hand as if ready to die, and his fingertips touched the cold and smooth, almost non-existent silk fabric.
Every subtle sound of fabric rubbing against each other, every clumsy movement when tying the belt, made the blush on her face deepen a little, and her heart beat like a drum in her chest, almost bursting out.
She had her back to the door, her mind completely immersed in the immense shame and the agony of completing the task, and she didn't notice at all that while she was clumsily struggling with the thin straps, the heavy carved wooden door of the bedroom was silently pushed open a crack by a small hand, and a goose-yellow figure slipped out as nimbly as a civet cat, then closed the door silently again.
The heavy door blocked the light and shadow from inside and outside. Only the faint flickering of the long-burning candle could be heard in the bedroom, casting Dongfang Qiwu's slender and delicate back, only slightly clothed, onto the huge mica screen.
The curves drawn by the light and shadow were breathtaking, with a fatal allure and fragility that could never be glimpsed in ordinary times. She finally managed to tie the last thin pearl chain, her tense nerves slightly relaxed, and just as she was about to let out a long sigh, she suddenly froze!
A powerful and familiar masculine aura descended from behind her without warning, carrying an undeniable aggression. A pair of strong, scorching arms, like iron hoops, suddenly and domineeringly wrapped around her slender waist!
"ah--!"
A short, panicked scream was forcibly blocked in Dongfang Qiwu's throat. He was so frightened that his soul was about to be shattered. The blood in his body instantly rushed to his head and froze in the next second!
She didn't even have time to struggle before her entire back was forced to press against a solid, broad chest that radiated scorching heat. The heat penetrated the thin fabric and almost burned her.
She turned her head suddenly and ran into a pair of bottomless eyes. The owner of those eyes was her husband, Nangong Yu!
At this moment, those eyes that were always cold and majestic, as if frozen for ten thousand years, were burning with two clusters of dark flames that could burn everything. Those eyes were as hot as substance, firmly locked on her, with an aggression and possessiveness that was almost like a beast locking onto its prey, and a hint of undisguised amazement and ecstasy that was completely ignited by the ultimate beauty before him.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty?!"
Dongfang Qiwu's voice was trembling, and she was almost suffocated by the immense shame and shock. She subconsciously tried to cover herself, but her arms were firmly restrained by the other party, unable to move.
She could clearly feel his equally violent heartbeat beneath his chest, and his hot breath sprayed on her sensitive ears and neck, causing her to shudder.
"Qiwu..."
Nangong Yu's voice was very low and hoarse, with a long-suppressed, heart-pounding magnetism. Every word seemed to carry a spark, branding her skin.
"My queen... is very beautiful today."
As the last word fell, his hot lips covered her slender and fragile neck without any explanation, with the force of conquering a city.
Dongfang Qiwu's mind went blank, and all her exclamations were silenced. That powerful and lingering kiss, with its irresistible force, instantly drained all her strength. The "treasure of the shop," so thin and light it seemed to weigh nothing, had become the most useless barrier.
Like a small boat caught in a storm, she could only passively endure the emperor's passion. The candlelight cast a clear shadow of their embrace on the huge screen, their silhouettes undulating and entangled, their clothes fluttering, and occasionally interspersed with suppressed, tiny sobs and low gasps.
The temperature in the hall rose sharply, and the scent of agarwood was replaced by another more primitive and fiery scent.
An unknown amount of time had passed before Xiaolian, the senior palace maid guarding the outer hall, vaguely heard a low groan coming from the inner hall, which sounded like pain, or something else.
Her heart tightened, and she subconsciously looked up at the closed door of the inner hall. After a moment, it seemed that only fragmented and vague whispers and a blushing, indescribable silence remained inside.
Xiaolian immediately lowered her eyes, her cheeks slightly hot, but she took a few steps back without hesitation and stood in the shadow of the pillars about seven or eight steps away from the door of the bedroom, like the most loyal rock.
She raised her hand slightly and gestured to the little palace maids who were peeking in from a distance, confused as to what was going on, to keep quiet and not allow them to come near.
The entire sleeping area of Fengyi Palace fell into an unspoken and impenetrable silence.
The next morning, in the Golden Palace.
In the solemn and dignified court, a throne adorned with nine coiled dragons shone brightly. Nangong Yu sat upright on it, dressed in a black robe embroidered with twelve golden dragon patterns and a crown with twelve tassels.
However, today, this emperor, who has always been known for his cold and majestic appearance, had an indescribable look between his brows...refreshed?
The thin lips that were always tightly pursed were now slightly raised in an extremely subtle but real arc.
Deep in his eyes, there was still a lingering sense of contentment and warmth from last night, like hot magma surging beneath the surface of a frozen lake.
However, this pleasant feeling like a spring breeze formed an extremely strange contrast with the emperor's physical discomfort.
When all the ministers shouted "Long live the emperor" and stood up to make their responses, Nangong Yu subconsciously and very slightly frowned.
He raised one hand very naturally and calmly pressed it on the back of his waist, as if trying to gain support. At the same time, he adjusted his sitting posture very slowly and imperceptibly, and the extremely noble dragon throne under him suddenly became uncomfortable.
At this delicate moment, Dongfang Yuning sat on the luxurious stool given to her by the emperor's brother-in-law, chatting happily with the system!
A clear and loud voice, filled with undisguised excitement and gloating, resounded in everyone's heart without any warning, like a thunderclap!
[Ding! Eat the melon! Eat the big melon! Extra-large royal melon!]
The electronic sound of the system was so excited that it was a little broken.
[Look, look! Host, host! The target person, Nangong Yu, Emperor of Yan State, has vital signs analysis showing extreme mental excitement, dopamine secretion exceeding the limit, and excessive adrenaline residue!]
BUT! Here comes the point! The core muscles, especially the erector spinae and quadratus lumborum areas of the lower back, have obvious symptoms of acute strain!
The initial diagnosis was a soft tissue contusion caused by excessive exercise and improper posture! In layman's terms: the old house caught fire too fiercely and too quickly, and I sprained my back!
Hahahaha! This melon is guaranteed to be ripe! Guaranteed to be sweet! The emperor is eating it! This system is dying of laughter! Hahahaha…]
This sound was like an invisible spell, instantly sweeping across the entire Golden Palace!
All the civil and military officials in the court, who had been standing in silence with their heads bowed and holding their breath, suddenly became extremely unnaturally stiff at the same time.
Then, as if struck by an invisible electric current, everyone's shoulders began to shake uncontrollably and wildly, as if they were collectively suffering from some strange spasm.
Those faces that usually appear serious, dignified, or shrewd are now tightly tensed, their lips pressed into hard straight lines, and their cheek muscles twisted and twitching as they try desperately to endure.
Worse still, veins on his forehead bulged faintly, and his breathing became heavy and difficult. The air in the entire hall seemed to freeze, leaving only countless extremely suppressed, muffled gasps and the subtle sound of frantic shoulders shaking.
If it weren't for the heavy court robes and black hats on their heads, some of them would have collapsed on the ground laughing.
The Grand Tutor Dongfang Yanru, who was standing at the front of the queue of civil servants, swayed his body, covered his face with his sleeves, and began to cough violently. His cough was so deafening that it seemed as if he wanted to cough out his lungs, in order to cover up the laughter that was about to burst through his throat.
Dongfang Liezheng, the chief military commander and Marquis of Zhenguo, had a resolute square face that turned red and purple, like a boiled shrimp.
He stared intently at the cracks in the gold bricks beneath his feet, as if there was a secret military strategy hidden therein. His tall body was tense like a rock about to break, but the shaking of his shoulders betrayed him.
The Minister of Rites, Dongfang Qichen (the second elder brother), simply lowered his head deeply, as if he wanted to bury his face in the intricate embroidery of his official robe on his chest. All that could be seen was his violently heaving shoulders and his hands clenched until his knuckles turned white.
The corners of the mouth of the imperial merchant Dongfang Linyuan (the third brother) twitched. He silently took out a white handkerchief from his sleeve and pretended to wipe the non-existent sweat from his forehead. In fact, he was desperately pressing down the corners of his mouth that were rising uncontrollably.
However, Prince Yong, Nangong Ye, who was standing at the front of the queue of nobles, did not tremble like a leaf in the wind like the others.
He just tilted his head slightly, his eyes passing over the crowd and landing precisely on the petite figure in the corner of the hall.
The icy expression on that handsome, almost bewitching face melted quietly like thin ice under the warm spring sun.
An extremely shallow but real smile, like a stone thrown into a deep pool, spread out in the depths of his deep eyes, and finally condensed into a faint and meaningful arc at the corner of his lips.
His eyes were fixed on the little girl who looked confused and didn't understand the situation.
Dongfang Yuning was dragged here by Nangong Yue to see the world today. At this moment, he was huddled in the shadow of the huge palace pillars, standing on tiptoe, looking at the solemn and majestic Golden Palace with curiosity.
She had no idea what was going on. Everything was fine just now, but how come the atmosphere in the entire hall became so strange the moment the Emperor's brother-in-law sat down?
What's wrong with those ministers? They all have their heads down, their shoulders shaking like sieves, like a group of people having a collective epileptic seizure?
[System! System!]
She called out anxiously in her heart,
What's going on? Are these ministers having a fit today? Or am I seeing things? Their shoulders are shaking so violently! This is so strange! Are they possessed?
Her little head was filled with big question marks, and her clear eyes were filled with complete confusion and incomprehension, like a little deer that had strayed into a strange human ritual.
Her innocent voice was like pouring a spoonful of cold water into a boiling pot of oil!
"Puff—cough cough cough!"
Someone finally couldn't help but let out a short laugh, which was immediately suppressed into a heart-wrenching cough.
“Uh… yeah!”
The sounds of muffled groans and gasps came one after another.
The atmosphere of stifled laughter throughout the court reached a peak in an instant, and the frequency and amplitude of the shaking of shoulders intensified wildly, like waves of wheat in a strong wind. The air was filled with a sense of suffocation, absurd and on the verge of collapse.
On the dragon throne.
The remaining smugness on Nangong Yu's face was instantly frozen when the system sounded that the old house was on fire.
At this moment, listening to the innocent and confused collective voice of his sister-in-law, and looking at the ministers below who were usually righteous but were now performing the "shoulder dance" together, he felt a surge of evil fire rushing from the soles of his feet to the top of his head!
That handsome and majestic face sank rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, and was instantly covered with a layer of frost, which was colder and harder than the ice surface in the coldest days of winter.
His tightly pursed thin lips were almost stretched into a straight line, his jawline was clenched tightly, and veins were faintly throbbing at the corners of his forehead.
Those bottomless eyes, at this moment, were like ice-hardened blades, carrying thunderous fury, slowly sweeping over every figure of His Highness who was trembling from trying to hold back his laughter.
Every minister who was swept by that cold gaze felt as if he was hit by an invisible whip. His body suddenly stiffened, his shoulders stopped shaking instantly, and he buried his head even lower, wishing he could turn into a speck of dust in the cracks of the gold bricks on the spot.
In the vast Golden Throne Hall, you could hear a pin drop. In the deathly silence, only the emperor's low voice, icy enough to crack the air, echoed with suppressed anger:
"My dear nobles..."
Every word seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth, with ice chips on it.
"Are you feeling unwell today?"
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