Chapter 30 An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
During this period, Emperor Zhaoheng did not frequently visit the inner palace.
Busy with official duties and troubled by the Northern Barbarians, he spent his days in meetings with court officials to discuss matters.
That day, he finally managed to steal a moment from his busy schedule to spend some time with Narcissus in Chengming Hall.
As soon as Emperor Zhaoheng entered the palace, he noticed that there was someone else at Shuixian's place. Granny Yan stood guard by the door with a blank face, like a door god, her presence was too strong.
He glanced at Granny Yan and asked, "Where did this come from?"
“Your Majesty,” Shui Xian said softly, “this is the tutor sent by Consort Qi to help me manage Chengming Palace.”
Her voice was as gentle as water, and Granny Yan couldn't help but mutter to herself.
She really is a vixen; even her voice sounds lewd!
Although Granny Yan kept a straight face and did not reveal her contempt, Emperor Zhaoheng had finally gotten half a day of free time and did not want to see Granny Yan's serious face at all.
Emperor Zhaoheng dismissed the servants and did not order dinner. He then led Shui Xian directly into the inner chamber.
As soon as the pearl curtain in the inner room was lowered, Granny Yan outside the hall couldn't help but let out a cold snort.
She's been pestering men for sex in broad daylight... what a vixen! She's unfaithful!
Shui Xian, who was currently pregnant, was being carried to the bedside by Emperor Zhaoheng when she was quickly thinking of a solution.
Emperor Zhaoheng had been discussing matters with his court officials for days, feeling that all he saw every day were men. Now that he had finally encountered a beautiful woman, he could hardly resist.
Before Shui Xian could come up with a solution, Emperor Zhaoheng's kiss had already followed.
Although it is permissible to have sexual intercourse while pregnant.
But it's not even been three months yet, and the risks are unknown. Shui Xian would never risk this child!
She seemed to have made up her mind and returned Emperor Zhaoheng's kiss.
Emperor Zhaoheng pulled the person into his arms, and after a moment, he suddenly opened his eyes.
She actually...
Emperor Zhaoheng clenched his teeth and looked at her hand.
Narcissus leaned close to his ear, her voice tinged with grievance.
"My period suddenly started... I was planning to send someone to the Qianqing Palace to inform them of the removal of my nameplate... but unexpectedly, His Majesty arrived..."
Emperor Zhaoheng no longer cared. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly as he embraced her, feeling that everything about Narcissus was wonderful.
Seeing him so engrossed, the narcissus felt her heart finally settle down.
a long time.
Shuixian went to wash her hands, and Emperor Zhaoheng pulled her into his arms, kissing her repeatedly, calling out, "My dear Shuixian..."
Narcissus chuckled and dodged, then was embraced by Emperor Zhaoheng.
The two did not actually consummate their marriage, but Emperor Zhaoheng was already satisfied.
Holding the fragrant narcissus in his arms, he casually asked, "That Granny Yan from earlier seemed quite stern and rigid. Did she give you any trouble in your Chengming Palace?"
Narcissus sighed softly, and Emperor Zhaoheng could feel the subtle rise and fall of her petite body: "Granny Yan was sent by Consort Qi, so her rules... are naturally extremely strict. Sometimes she is a bit too harsh on the palace servants."
She traced the raised gold thread patterns on Emperor Zhaoheng's dragon robe with her fingers:
“A few days ago, she even beat a eunuch named Xiao Chuanzi who served me, saying he had stolen something…”
"From what I can see, the child is usually quite well-behaved, but since the nanny insists, I dare not say anything. After all, she was sent by Consort Qi..."
When Yi Guichun was mentioned, Emperor Zhaoheng couldn't help but think of the auspicious stone presented by the Yi family.
He also recalled that Yi Guichun had apologized to him a few days ago, sincerely reflecting on his initial suggestion of adoption as a lack of consideration.
In addition, I recently heard that she hosted several small gatherings in the Imperial Garden, showing great leniency towards lower-ranking concubines, which earned her much praise.
"Consort Qi must have meant well, fearing that you are too young to manage the servants."
Emperor Zhaoheng's tone was reassuring, and even hinted at exonerating Consort Qi.
“If Granny Yan is really too strict, you don’t have to tolerate everything. You can go and report the situation to Consort Qi. Consort Qi is reasonable and will probably restrain her a bit.”
Shuixian sensed the protectiveness towards Yi Guichun in his words, and her inward sneer deepened, but she obediently replied:
"Yes, Your Majesty. Thank you for your guidance."
She knew that saying anything more in front of Emperor Zhaoheng at this moment would be pointless. All she needed to do was plant a seed in his heart:
Granny Yan is mean-spirited, and the people sent by Consort Qi are not kind.
That was enough, laying the crucial groundwork for her future schemes.
Emperor Zhaoheng lingered for a few more moments before finally getting up and leaving because he still had matters to attend to at court.
As soon as the emperor left, Shui Xian summoned Yin Zhu: "Go to the inner pharmacy and see how Xiao Chuanzi is doing."
Yinzhu accepted the order and left quickly.
Although Granny Yan had been dismissed by the emperor, she silently returned to the vicinity of the palace gate and kept a close eye on Narcissus's every move.
About half an hour later, Yinzhu returned in a hurry.
She looked somewhat tired, but her eyes were quite relaxed.
She walked up to Narcissus, curtsied respectfully, and spoke in a voice that was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for Granny Yan, who was not far away, to hear:
"Your Highness, I have visited Xiao Chuanzi. The apprentice in the Imperial Pharmacy said that he is recovering well, his wounds have begun to scab over, and his life is out of danger, but he still needs to rest for some time."
This was the best news in many days, and Narcissus nodded: "That's good."
Just as Yinzhu finished her report and was about to stand up, she seemed to have lost her balance because her legs had gone numb from kneeling for so long. She staggered forward! She instinctively reached out to hold onto the low table next to her for support, but her hand landed on Shuixian's leg instead!
"Oh dear!" Yinzhu exclaimed softly, sounding somewhat flustered.
Narcissus instinctively reached out to steady her: "Be careful!"
In a flash, as their bodies drew close and their sleeves overlapped, Narcissus felt a small sachet being swiftly slipped into her palm by a silver bead! The movement was stealthy and rapid!
Narcissus remained expressionless, and helped Yinzhu to her feet, saying with concern, "Your legs must be numb from kneeling for so long, right? Get up and rest for a bit."
As she withdrew her hand from the person she was helping, she very naturally tucked the small sachet into her sleeve.
The whole process was so smooth that Granny Yan, who was standing a few steps away, didn't notice at all.
"Thank you, young master!" Yinzhu said gratefully as she steadied herself.
However, in Granny Yan's eyes, this scene became irrefutable evidence that Yinzhu had offended her master!
"You insolent servant!" Granny Yan shouted, rushing over in a few steps!
She pointed at Yinzhu, spitting almost onto Yinzhu's face.
"You unruly, lowly maid! How dare you touch the noble lady's precious body! Such rudeness and disrespect have utterly disgraced Chengming Palace! I think you're itching for a beating!"
She ignored all explanations and turned to give orders to those outside the hall:
"Guards! Drag this disrespectful and insolent servant girl out of here! Make her kneel in the courtyard! Let her wake up! She can only get up when she realizes her mistake!"
Yinzhu waved her hand dismissively, "I can walk by myself, I don't need anyone to drag me!"
She straightened her back, walked against the moonlight, and knelt down in the courtyard in front of everyone. Granny Yan chased after her and nagged, standing beside Yinzhu and nagging incessantly, telling everyone around to take Yinzhu as a warning.
Shuixian suppressed the urge to rush out, knowing that any attempt to protect her at this moment would only provoke an even more furious retaliation from Granny Yan. She slowly turned around and walked towards the window of the inner room.
Outside the window, Yinzhu's figure shivered in the cold wind, yet remained stubbornly defiant.
While Granny Yan was away, Shui Xian took out the sachet that Yin Zhu had just given her.
It was a small, unremarkable sachet made of ordinary coarse cloth.
She untied the rope, and inside lay several brown wax pills, about the size of longans, emitting a faint medicinal fragrance.
It was Xiaochuanzi who, through unknown risks and great effort, managed to obtain the pregnancy-stabilizing pills for her at the inner pharmacy!
Yinzhu, on the other hand, paid the price of kneeling in the cold night to deliver the pill to her!
Narcissus gently stroked the wax pellet with her fingers, but her gaze, passing through the carved window, landed on the kneeling figure in the courtyard.
The person who hurt her...
Yi Guichun, this time I'm going to make you pay a price you've never paid before!
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!
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