Chapter 3 Don't make a sound, they're right next door.
The next morning.
Consort Yi carefully dressed herself, brought camellias, and personally went to the Qianqing Palace to apologize to Emperor Zhaoheng.
The Qianqing Palace.
The hall was filled with the fragrance of incense, creating a solemn atmosphere.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects." Consort Yi bowed gracefully, her posture gentle and submissive.
"Your Majesty, I have failed to properly discipline my maid, Shui Xian, who behaved improperly before Your Majesty last night, disturbing Your Majesty's presence. I am filled with fear and unease, and have come to apologize to Your Majesty."
Camellia knelt down immediately after her, her head bowed, but she couldn't help but steal glances upwards out of the corner of her eye.
Her heart was pounding. The narcissus had been returned last night. Would Miss... consider letting her give it a try?
Emperor Zhaoheng sat upright behind his desk, his bright yellow dragon robe highlighting his dignified and composed demeanor.
He was reviewing a memorial when he heard this. He didn't look up immediately, but simply hummed in response, dipped his pen in the vermilion ink, and continued writing.
A brief silence fell over the hall.
Consort Yi maintained her curtsy posture, secretly pondering the situation.
Camellia was somewhat anxious. Taking advantage of Consort Yi's lowered head, she boldly raised her eyes again, looking at Emperor Zhaoheng with fervent eyes. She even slightly adjusted her kneeling posture, trying to show off her beautiful figure.
However, Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze remained focused on the memorials. His slender hand held the vermilion brush, his knuckles distinct, his demeanor steady and powerful.
His thoughts, however, drifted uncontrollably back to last night.
What appears before my eyes is that little face, brimming with tears, in the bedside last night.
It was those words, spoken in a tearful voice, that she inadvertently uttered: "...Her Majesty told me that on the night of my service to the Emperor, I must never lift the covers, lest I offend His Majesty's countenance..."
Looking at Consort Yi's earnest words, a faint hint of cold mockery flashed across Emperor Zhaoheng's deep eyes.
This was the first time he had glimpsed a hypocritical side in the usually dignified and generous Consort Yi.
He put down the vermilion brush and finally raised his eyes.
"You flatter me, my beloved consort." Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was unreadable. "It was a trivial matter, and I did not take it to heart. As for Shuixian... she is a bit timid and cowardly. My beloved consort will teach her more in the future."
Consort Yi felt relieved and quickly said, "Your Majesty is so magnanimous, I am deeply grateful! When I return, I will definitely discipline her strictly and make sure she knows the rules so as not to fail Your Majesty's grace."
She assumed that Emperor Zhaoheng had accepted her explanation, and her initial unease vanished instantly, replaced by a sense of pride.
It seems the Emperor still trusts her.
Just then, Emperor Zhaoheng changed the subject, saying casually, "What happened last night is over, there's no need to mention it again. I have some free time tonight, so let's have dinner at Changxin Palace."
Consort Yi looked delighted and knelt down to express her gratitude, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace! I will certainly make careful preparations to welcome Your Majesty!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's attitude seemed to indicate to her that the lowly maid Shuixian had not left a trace in the emperor's heart. Emperor Zhaoheng still wanted to come to Changxin Palace to dine with her, which was enough to show that the emperor cared about her!
Consort Yi was overjoyed, and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
Camellia knelt to the side, and her heart pounded wildly when she heard that the Emperor was going to dine at Changxin Palace!
Her chance had come—a chance to shine before the Emperor!
Camellia forgot the occasion and couldn't help but look up again, her gaze fixed intently on Emperor Zhaoheng, filled with undisguised ambition.
This time, her gaze was too obvious and was caught by Consort Yi, who had just straightened up!
The smile on Consort Yi's face froze instantly, then turned into a cold, gloomy expression.
This lowly servant girl! How dare she so openly covet the Emperor right in front of her?! Who does she think she is!
Consort Yi was furious, but with Emperor Zhaoheng present, she could only suppress her anger. She quickly composed herself, thanked the Emperor again, and then took her leave with Camellia.
Emperor Zhaoheng watched the two figures depart, his deep gaze seemingly piercing through the palace gates and landing in the direction of Changxin Palace.
Go to Changxin Palace... perhaps I can see her one more time?
That lingering image in his heart, that fleeting glimpse of her captivating beauty, even stirred a deep, indescribable longing within him, the emperor.
He picked up the memorial again, but what flashed through his mind was the girl trembling in the quilt last night.
......
As soon as she stepped out of the threshold of the main hall of the Qianqing Palace and walked to the quiet corner of the palace corridor, the gentle smile on Consort Yi's face vanished without a trace.
She stopped abruptly and turned around.
"Smack!"
A resounding slap landed hard on Camellia's face without warning!
Camellia was knocked so hard she staggered, her ears ringing.
She covered her face, her eyes wide with disbelief: "Mother...Your Majesty?!"
"You lowly servant!" Consort Yi's voice was extremely low, carrying a warning: "I think you have a death wish! What kind of look was that in front of the Emperor just now! Hmm?!"
Camellia was both surprised and frightened: "This servant didn't..."
"No?" Consort Yi stepped forward and poked Camellia's forehead hard with her hand. "Do you think I'm blind? A lowly servant like you dares to dream of climbing into the Emperor's bed?!"
Camellia trembled all over, feeling an unprecedented humiliation.
Why?! Why can narcissus be allowed to have it, but she can't?
She bit her lower lip hard, barely managing to suppress the rebuttal that was about to burst out, and reluctantly said, "This servant... knows she was wrong..."
"Hmph!" Consort Yi disgustedly shook her off. "Go back to Changxin Palace! You useless thing!"
Camellia covered her face and followed Consort Yi back to Changxin Palace, watching Consort Yi enter the main hall.
She could no longer hold back, sobbing as she ran back to the side hall of Changxin Palace, threw herself onto the hard bed, and began to cry in suppressed sobs.
The pain in my cheek was nothing compared to the agony of having my dignity trampled upon.
She hated Consort Yi's ruthlessness, but she hated Narcissus even more!
If it weren't for Narcissus, she might have been the one who slept with me last night!
Just then, the door to the side hall was gently pushed open.
Narcissus entered carrying a small copper basin and a clean cloth, her face showing just the right amount of concern: "Sister Camellia? What's wrong?"
Camellia suddenly raised her head, her eyes filled with blatant anger: "Get out! I don't need your fake kindness! It's all your fault! It's all because of you, you jinx!"
As if she hadn't heard her curses, Narcissus walked to the bedside, placed the copper basin on the low stool, soaked a cloth, and said gently, "Sister, quickly wipe your face, it's terribly swollen."
As she spoke, she reached out to pull the hand that Camellia was using to cover her face.
"Don't touch me!"
Camellia was angry, just like before at the Yi residence. She reached out and pinched the inside of Narcissus's slender wrist hard!
"Hiss..." Narcissus gasped in pain, and several red bruises instantly appeared on the inside of her fair wrist.
She instinctively withdrew her hand, staring at the glaring bruise. A cold glint flashed in the depths of her eyes, too quick to catch.
"Why..." Camellia saw Narcissus in pain, and the resentment in her heart found an outlet. "Why can you serve me in bed... while I can't even think about it? Why?!"
Narcissus lowered her eyelids, concealing the calculation in her eyes, and spoke softly:
"Sister, don't say that... Actually, not serving the emperor in bed isn't necessarily a bad thing."
Camellia was stunned and stared intently at her.
Narcissus continued, her tone filled with longing: "You see, we are still servants after all. When we reach a certain age, we will eventually be released from the palace. Then, we can marry an honest and law-abiding ordinary person, live a peaceful life, have children, and not have to live in this deep palace, constantly on edge and watching other people's faces... That is true happiness."
She knew what Camellia hated, and she knew exactly what to say about it.
"Marry an ordinary person?"
Camellia seemed to have heard the most ridiculous joke in the world, and sneered, "Who wants to live that kind of hard life of coarse tea and plain food, worrying about firewood and rice!"
Narcissus's words seemed to plant a seed in her heart, causing Camellia to feel a little strange.
Camellia was panting heavily, her eyes darting around as if she had come up with a brilliant idea to climb the social ladder.
She ignored Narcissus, turned and rushed out of the side hall, leaving Narcissus alone. Facing the glaring bruise on her wrist, a cold smile slowly curved her lips.
......
As night fell, the main hall of Changxin Palace was brightly lit.
Consort Yi was dressed in her finest attire, her high bun adorned with jade and pearls, which made her appear even more noble and dignified.
She personally greeted the emperor at the palace gate.
Soon, Emperor Zhaoheng arrived as promised.
His dark-colored casual clothes accentuated his tall and straight figure, and his imperial features appeared even more profound and handsome in the candlelight.
Consort Yi greeted him with a smile and welcomed him into the palace. Shui Xian and Shan Cha, as Consort Yi's head maids, were also serving in the palace.
Narcissus stood quietly not far behind Consort Yi, her head bowed and eyes downcast, behaving herself as if she were a shadow with no presence.
Camellia, on the other hand, stood slightly closer to Emperor Zhaoheng and was in charge of serving the dishes.
Camellia suppressed her excitement and tried her best to imitate the charming manners of the favored concubines in her memory, her eyes darting around as she tried to fix her gaze on Emperor Zhaoheng.
Taking advantage of the opportunity to serve the dishes, she lightly stroked the back of Emperor Zhaoheng's hand with her fingertips, leaning forward slightly, trying to show off her exquisite curves.
How astute was Emperor Zhaoheng?
Camellia's clumsy tricks held no appeal for him.
He frowned slightly, a sense of annoyance rising in his heart, which also added to his displeasure at Consort Yi's poor discipline.
Consort Yi naturally saw Shan Cha's embarrassing appearance and was so angry that her face turned pale. However, she did not dare to lash out in front of Emperor Zhaoheng and could only give him a warning look.
However, blinded by ambition, Camellia paid no heed to Consort Yi's warning. Her mind was consumed with how to attract the emperor's attention!
Finally, as she once again tried to seduce the emperor with her alluring gaze, she became so excited that she didn't pay attention to her hand movements and accidentally let her wrist tremble!
"Whoosh!"
A full bowl of freshly served soup was poured directly onto Emperor Zhaoheng's front robe!
As he felt the soup seep into his clothes, Emperor Zhaoheng frowned sharply!
Camellia was terrified and fell to her knees with a thud. "Your Majesty, spare me! I deserve to die! I didn't mean to!"
Consort Yi was also shocked and stood up, wishing she could tear that good-for-nothing idiot, Camellia, to pieces immediately!
She immediately knelt down and begged for forgiveness: "Your Majesty, please calm your anger! It is my fault for not disciplining her properly! This lowly maid is clumsy and disturbed Your Majesty's presence. I will certainly punish her severely!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's thin lips were tightly pressed together, and his face was ashen.
His cold gaze swept over the trembling Camellia and the kneeling Consort Yi, and finally landed on Narcissus, who had been standing quietly the whole time.
"It's alright," Emperor Zhaoheng said calmly. "Just change your clothes." He stood up and his gaze was fixed on the narcissus.
"You, come in and serve me."
Yi Fei and Shan Cha both froze at the same time!
Narcissus seemed to be taken aback for a moment, then quickly lowered her head and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty."
She strode forward, following Emperor Zhaoheng with a respectful demeanor, and headed towards the inner chamber.
As Consort Yi watched the two figures disappear, she sensed something was amiss.
The Emperor actually specifically requested that Narcissus serve him while he changed his clothes?
Something's not right.
The inner room was warm and cozy, with soft candlelight.
Emperor Zhaoheng stood behind the screen, arms outstretched, waiting for Shui Xian to remove the soaked outer garment of his dragon robe.
Shui Xian seemed a little nervous. She took half a step forward, her movements gentle and careful, trying to avoid touching Emperor Zhaoheng's body.
She tiptoed slightly to unbutton the first button on his collar.
The two were extremely close. Emperor Zhaoheng could see her small face, which was so close to his, with a focused and serious expression as she carefully unbuttoned his shirt.
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart felt as if it had been lightly scratched by a feather, giving rise to some tender feelings.
As Narcissus leaned forward to undress, he pulled her into his arms.
Narcissus gasped and instinctively placed her hand on his open chest, but then recoiled as if burned.
Emperor Zhaoheng found it intriguing and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't make a sound, they're right next door."
He curled his thin lips slightly and reached out to grab her fair wrist, but the moment he touched it, he saw Narcissus frown slightly and let out a low cry of pain.
"It hurts so much..."
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