Chapter 11 My Imperial Favors Are Not So Easy to Receive
Time flies, and half a month has passed since the first time the emperor favored the emperor.
Inside the west wing of Changxin Palace, Shuixian sat by the window at a small table, looking at the gradually withering begonia on the windowsill.
The leaves of that potted plant were no longer lush green; their edges were slightly curled and yellowed, giving it a sickly appearance.
Narcissus picked up the small silver pot next to her and carefully poured some water into the flowerpot.
This potted crabapple tree became her substitute.
Every time Consort Yi bestowed that bowl of medicine, she drank it all and then vomited out most of it, eventually secretly pouring it into this flowerpot.
At first, the flowers were just listless, but now they are visibly withering away.
"I'm sorry to have wronged you." Narcissus sighed softly, raising her hand to gently brush the wilted petals.
Even though I tried my best to spit it out each time, some of the toxicity of the medicine seemed to remain.
Lately, she has often felt inexplicably tired.
Thinking of this, Narcissus subconsciously rubbed her slender waist.
Emperor Zhaoheng did not visit the inner palace often, nor did he frequently summon the same concubine repeatedly.
Under these rules, she was summoned twice in just half a month.
Each time, she had to drink that dark medicine in front of Xue Mei... Perhaps she should subtly reduce the frequency of serving the emperor?
Just as Narcissus was thinking about how to subtly refuse the emperor's advances without affecting his favor,
A sharp shout came through the window.
"You clueless idiot! Clumsy as a mule! You can't even hold a basin of water properly, are you trying to scald me to death?!"
It was Song Changzai's voice, filled with undisguised anger.
"This servant deserves to die!" A muffled female voice followed, not loud, but it caught Shui Xian's attention.
Narcissus froze, then suddenly stood up, quickly walked to the window, and looked out through the crack in the window.
In the courtyard, Consort Song stood with her arms crossed, glaring with disgust at a palace maid kneeling in the snow.
The palace maid was thin and wore a faded old palace dress. She had her head down, so her face was not visible, but her shoulders were trembling slightly, indicating that she had just been beaten.
At her feet, a copper basin lay overturned, spilling water that quickly froze into a thin layer of ice in the cold air.
It's a silver bead!
Narcissus couldn't help but hold onto the window frame, her knuckles turning pale from the effort.
She recognized that figure, the one who, even when she first entered the palace and began training at the Imperial Household Department, always silently took on more of the chores for her and secretly slipped her half a cold, hard steamed bun after she was punished!
"Hmph! Always wearing that deadpan face, who are you trying to fool? It brings me bad luck! Do you think I'm easy to bully? Even you lowly servants dare to take advantage of me?!"
Song Changzai spoke indirectly, saying, "Don't you even know what kind of person you are! Get lost! Just looking at you annoys me! I'm punishing you by making you kneel in the snow for a full hour! Let this wake you up!"
Another palace maid beside Consort Song immediately stepped forward and shoved Yinzhu hard in the back, saying sternly, "Did you hear that? Hurry up and thank the young mistress for her kindness!"
Yinzhu was pushed so hard that she stumbled, her forehead almost hitting the cold ground.
She gritted her teeth, without uttering a sound of pain: "Thank... thank you for your grace, my Lord."
The cold wind swirled fine snowflakes, relentlessly lashing against Yinzhu's thin clothes. On her exposed skin, faint bruises from being hit were visible.
Through the crack in the window, Shui Xian looked at Yin Zhu, who had been beaten many times recently, and felt as if her heart had been squeezed hard.
In her previous life, when she was newly pregnant, there was a quiet and reserved maid named Yinzhu among the palace maids assigned by the Imperial Household Department to serve her.
The two met when they were in the Imperial Household Department. Yinzhu was not good with words, but she always lent a helping hand when Yinzhu needed it most.
In the desolate depths of the palace, they relied on each other and gradually became each other's support within the palace.
Until that day... an assassin suddenly attacked from behind the artificial hill in the Imperial Garden, the cold blade aimed straight at her swollen belly!
At the critical moment, it was Yinzhu, who always stood silently in the corner, who rushed over like a shadow and used her slender body to shield her!
Yinzhu collapsed into her arms, her breath faint.
Her usually downcast eyes looked directly at her, and for the first time, a clear concern appeared in them. She uttered with difficulty, "It's good that you're alright..."
That was the first time Narcissus realized that Yinzhu truly considered her family!
Narcissus closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down.
Unexpectedly, the silver beads that were given to her in her previous life were now mistakenly assigned to Song Changzai because she and Song Changzai moved in at the same time.
She can't go out! She can't rush out to stop them now! And she absolutely can't go to Consort Yi or Consort Song to ask for the silver beads!
Song Chang already hated her to the core, and Consort Yi brought her bowl after bowl of poison.
If they find out that Yinzhu and she have a past relationship... not only will they not give Yinzhu to her, but they will also torture Yinzhu even more severely!
The only solution is... Emperor Zhaoheng.
However.
Emperor Zhaoheng was busy with countless affairs of state, so how could he care about such a trivial matter as the allocation of servants in the palace?
Each palace master has the authority to deal with palace servants; this is the rule.
If she speaks rashly, it will make her seem arrogant and presumptuous, interfering in the affairs of the person in charge.
However, she knew.
When is it best for a man to speak?
"You're going to have to work hard again."
Narcissus spoke softly to the hibiscus that had taken the poison for her.
Today, in order to get the silver pearl back, and to lessen its suffering...
She had to serve the emperor in bed.
——
Emperor Zhaoheng did not intend to choose a concubine today.
The relentless political work and the clamor in the court about adopting offspring left him physically and mentally exhausted. He just wanted to finish the backlog of affairs by himself and find some peace and quiet.
"Your Majesty, the imperial concubines have sent over some late-night snacks..."
Feng Shunxiang cautiously stepped forward to ask for instructions.
"Withdraw everyone."
Emperor Zhaoheng didn't even look up. "I have no appetite."
"Yes." Feng Shunxiang quickly responded and waved for the eunuchs to remove the exquisite food boxes sent from each palace.
The hall fell silent again, with only the soft scratching of a brush tip gliding across the memorial.
Time passed little by little.
Just as Emperor Zhaoheng was engrossed in reviewing the memorials, Feng Shunxiang's barely audible announcement came from outside the palace gates:
"Your Majesty, Consort Shui Xian requests an audience. She says she wants to bring some tonics for Your Majesty."
Emperor Zhaoheng paused slightly in his writing.
Narcissus? She never came to the Qianqing Palace to bring any food.
Did you encounter some difficulties? Or...?
"Let her in." He put down his pen, his voice devoid of emotion.
The palace door opened slightly, and Shui Xian appeared at the entrance carrying a food box.
She wore an elegant moon palace dress with a silver fox fur cloak over it. Her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold wind outside, which made her skin look even whiter than snow.
"This humble servant greets Your Majesty."
She curtsied, her voice soft.
"No need for formalities." Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze fell on her. "What brings you here so late?"
Shui Xian raised her head, her eyes clear: "I have seen that Your Majesty has been busy with state affairs lately, and I am afraid that it may harm your health. I remembered that there are some nourishing soups warming in the small kitchen, which are most good for warming the body and calming the mind, so I took the liberty of sending them over."
As she spoke, she gently placed the food box on a corner of the imperial desk, her movements careful, as if afraid of disturbing him while he was reviewing memorials.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at her with her eyelashes lowered and took the white porcelain bowl out of the food box.
In the candlelight, she was dressed in white, which made her small face look like it was carved from ice and jade. When she reached out, her wide sleeves fell down halfway, revealing her fair wrist with a jade bracelet, which made her skin look even smoother and gave her an indescribable pure and charming aura.
Undeniably, her beautiful figure did stir a slight itch in his heart.
He lingered on her for a moment before forcing himself to look back at the open memorial.
Political affairs are of utmost importance; he cannot afford to become obsessed with them...
Just as his gaze shifted away, Emperor Zhaoheng inadvertently caught a glimpse of something tied around Shui Xian's waist.
A sachet that is neither the color nor the style of a daffodil.
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze suddenly froze!
That sachet... he knew it all too well.
It was the very same coin he wore at his waist that day at Changxin Palace when Shuixian helped him change his clothes! She had knocked it off, and in his troubled state of mind, he had told her to throw it away.
Unexpectedly, not only did she not lose it, but she actually kept wearing it all this time?
He put down the memorial, raised his head, and looked directly at the narcissus with his deep gaze, his voice low and resonant:
"That sachet at your waist..."
Narcissus seemed surprised that he would suddenly ask this question, and subconsciously raised her hand to gently protect the sachet at her waist, as if she were protecting some treasure.
Her eyes darted away nervously, and she said shyly, "Your Majesty... these are Your Majesty's old belongings. Although they are no longer very new, I thought that since they belong to Your Majesty, I would not want to throw them away, so I dared to keep them..."
Her appreciation seemed entirely genuine.
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart softened completely.
She cherished that old item he had left behind so much, simply because it belonged to him...
Looking at her blushing cheeks, Emperor Zhaoheng felt his body heat up even before he had tasted the tonic she had brought him.
What government affairs! What restraint!
At this moment, all of that was forgotten by the man.
"Xian'er..." Emperor Zhaoheng's voice became low, filled with an intense, overwhelming desire.
He stood up, ignoring the tonics that Shui Xian had brought, grabbed her wrist, and strode towards the bedroom.
"Feng Shunxiang!" Emperor Zhaoheng announced loudly, "Put the things away securely! No one is to disturb you!"
"Your servant obeys!"
Outside the hall, Feng Shunxiang immediately bowed in response.
Upon entering the bedchamber, feeling the man's burning kiss, Narcissus closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
Beauty may be alluring, but it is not enough to sway Emperor Zhaoheng.
But what if we add sincerity?
Even the most powerful emperors could not withstand the repeated attacks.
......
It took Narcissus a lot of effort to ask someone for a favor.
The gauze curtains hung low, and the scent of ambergris mixed with the lingering warm and ambiguous atmosphere filled the room.
Narcissus lay on Emperor Zhaoheng's sweat-dampened chest, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the contours of his chest.
She tilted her head slightly, her eyes still moist, her voice as soft as a feather: "Your Majesty..."
"Hmm?" Emperor Zhaoheng closed his eyes to rest, his large hand lazily stroking her smooth back.
"Today, I met an old acquaintance."
She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her voice tinged with barely perceptible grievance, "It was Yinzhu from the Imperial Household Department. She always helped me during my training. Just now in the courtyard of Changxin Palace, I saw her being punished by Consort Song, kneeling in the snow..."
She stopped there, saying no more, and simply pressed her body closer to his embrace, conveying a soft dependence.
Emperor Zhaoheng opened his eyes, a look of understanding flashing across them.
He always ignored the punishments that the concubines in the harem inflicted on the palace servants.
But at this moment, with a soft, fragrant body in his arms, and a beautiful woman filled with sorrow and timidity, all he asked for was an insignificant, lowly palace maid.
He pinched her delicate chin and said casually, "Since she's an old acquaintance of yours and has been wronged, I'll transfer her to serve you."
Narcissus looked up, her eyes reflecting glimmers of gratitude: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. Narcissus... has no way to repay you."
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze suddenly deepened, and he turned over and pressed her back into the depths of the brocade quilt.
"A simple thank you is all? Xian'er... My grace is not so easily accepted."
Narcissus understood immediately, wrapping her arms around his neck and whispering sweetly, "Then, I will thank Your Majesty properly again..."
The unspoken words were sealed by a passionate kiss, and the candlelight flickered and intertwined once more on the bright yellow curtains.
The night is still long...
......
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