Chapter 50 Chapter 50 Concubines are about to become a high-risk profession...
The small boat was shaking violently in the rolling waves. The wooden planks seemed unable to support it and it swayed and creaked for a long time.
...It's very hot and dizzy.
The pain wasn't that severe, and I couldn't really describe what it felt like.
I just felt like I was about to melt, like an ice cream that had been exposed to the afternoon sun for more than ten minutes, becoming sticky and soft like a puddle of water.
There are all kinds of chaotic sounds in my ears, tick-tick-tick-tick, da-da-da-da-da-da...
The sound of machine gunfire continued...
Li Shuyao unconsciously counted the beats in her heart.
Suddenly, a dull "bang" sound was mixed in with the regular tapping sounds.
I felt a dull pain in my head belatedly.
Li Shuyao opened her misty almond-shaped eyes drowsily and looked around with a puzzled expression.
Couldn't find the source of the sound.
But the man on top of her quickly stopped, grabbed her two slender ankles, and dragged her towards him.
He himself...
“Hmm—”
A clear feeling of expansion came from deep within her body, and Li Shuyao suddenly widened her eyes: ...
She once again overturned her conclusion that this person was really bad.
So he kicked his right foot unhappily.
I don't know where I kicked, but I heard the man groan in a tone that sounded like both pleasure and pain.
...The waves rolled even more violently.
*
After the first time, Li Shuyao felt pain in her legs and waist.
After two times, she couldn't even move her fingers.
Three times, four times...
In the end, she couldn't even scream. Her throat felt like it was on fire, dry and painful.
She simply closed her eyes and was picked up and put into the water in a daze.
The warm water flowed over her skin, and she subconsciously shuddered, then realized: Water?
Is there water?
She didn't care about anything else and just retracted her neck and wanted to bury herself in the water.
Unexpectedly, someone seemed to have noticed his intention and quickly pinched his chin to lift his face out of the water.
A deep and sincere voice said something, and after a while, something cold was pressed against Li Shuyao's lips.
Her thirst was quenched in this way, and her consciousness returned slightly.
After seeing clearly that he was in the bathtub, he obediently raised his hand and took the cotton cloth on the edge of the bathtub, wanting to wash himself.
The emperor was afraid that she would do something "stupid" again, so he simply snatched the cotton cloth from her hand, grabbed her wrist, put it to his mouth and kissed it twice, and said in a low voice: "Just go to sleep."
Seeing that the little palace maid was unable to open her eyelids and could not put her legs together, the emperor felt inexplicably proud.
Being in a good mood, he was happy to serve her for once.
Li Shuyao heard clearly what he said this time.
Although I feel a little embarrassed that I, as a grown-up, still need someone to help me take a bath.
But...who is responsible for her becoming like this?
Of course he has to make it up to me.
So he nodded without thinking and muttered, "Okay..."
She closed her eyes and leaned into the arms of the person behind her with great intimacy and trust.
Unfortunately, her brain power was insufficient at the moment, and she had no idea what harm this action would bring to her.
The result was... the next second, someone pushed me hard into the water, and it happened again in a turbulent and violent manner.
This time, Li Shuyao really fainted.
*
The next morning.
Li Shuyao lay on the bright yellow bed, opened her eyes with a look of despair, her body limp and powerless as if she had been drugged.
She looked around and didn't see the second person, so she knew he must have gone to the morning court.
...I don’t know what time it is now.
There must be a lot of people outside waiting for her to wake up, right?
Li Shuyao didn't want to get up. She turned over with difficulty and buried her blushing face in the quilt.
She wanted to scream but was afraid of alerting the people outside, so she could only bite her lips. However... her lips, which had been overused last night, could not withstand any external stimulation.
She just touched it and felt a sharp pain.
No need to look, he must have been kissed until his skin was broken.
I guess it's on my body too.
...After she goes out, what will those people outside think when they see the marks on her body?
Also, they kept making noises so late last night... They don't think they are some kind of vixen bringing disaster to the country and the people, do they?
Li Shuyao trembled her fingers hidden in her sleeves, recalling that in the original novel, Qingyao only did it twice on the first day of serving him in bed.
Uya was once.
Yueshu didn't write many times.
Wei and Wang, who were more favored in the middle and late periods, seemed to have only slept with the emperor three times during their first time?
Li Shuyao didn't understand what was going on.
She buried her face in the quilt, thinking in confusion for a long time, and found that the plot of the original novel seemed to have really collapsed.
Five times, is this the treatment a cannon fodder deserves?
She was very afraid that the butterfly effect she brought about might lead to some strange trends.
Can……
What else could she do?
She doesn't even know how to fight in the palace.
I wanted to ask Tian Jiarou about Wu Ya's recent situation, but she couldn't find out anything.
Qingyao has been busy with the enthronement ceremony next month, so it's difficult for the two of them to even meet...
Eh, that's not right.
She slept with the emperor!
After serving the emperor in bed, she can move to the outer room. Qingyao is still living in the outer room now. Even if she is not there during the day, she will always come back to sleep at night, right?
She could go to Qingyao's room and wait for her, and then discuss the matter of Uya with her when she came back.
After all, Qingyao will be moving to the harem soon, and it would be much more logical for her to send someone to keep an eye on Uya than for her, a government official.
Thinking of this, Li Shuyao suddenly felt stronger and no longer felt the unbearable pain in her body.
She struggled to sit up by supporting herself on the bed.
She carefully lifted the curtain beside the bed, poked her head out, and was about to call the palace maid outside to come in and help her wash and dress.
But before he could finish his words, he heard the outer door being pushed open with a creaky sound, followed by the sound of dozens of palace servants kneeling and paying their respects.
"Your servant greets the Emperor."
"Your servant pays homage to His Majesty."
…
Li Shuyao's face was immediately filled with shock, and she silently lowered the curtain in her hand.
How long had she slept? How come the morning court was over?
*
Just when Li Shuyao was falling into self-doubt, the concubines in the harem also received the news that there was a new official girl serving as the emperor in the Qianqing Palace.
It shocked many people at the time.
Seeing that the enthronement ceremony is about to take place, how can the emperor still have the mind to visit the palace maids?
In Chengqian Palace, Concubine Tong tore the note in her hand into pieces with an expressionless face.
He stood up and walked around the hall, then turned and asked the palace maid who had brought the news, "Do you know where that official girl originally served?"
The maid shook her head. "The people in the Palace of Heavenly Purity are very tight-lipped. If the Emperor hadn't arranged for the people from the Jingshifang and Yanniantang to serve, the outside world would probably not have received any news at this moment."
Jingshifang was under the Imperial Household Department and was responsible for all matters related to the emperor and his concubines during their stay in the palace. Yanniantang was a small department under the department that specialized in the study of health preservation. It was also responsible for providing massage for the emperor and beauty treatment for his concubines. [1]
Nowadays, only a few concubines in the palace can receive advance service from the palace maids in Yannian Hall when they sleep with the emperor.
As for the official daughters...there has never been a precedent before.
It is natural to imagine how much the emperor loves this official girl.
Thinking of this, Concubine Tong silently clenched the silk handkerchief in her hand.
After a while, he asked the palace maid in a deep voice, "Has the Yikun Palace known about this?"
Yikun Palace is the current residence of Concubine Niuhulu.
The maid said, "The news has spread throughout the harem. I'm sure that person has also known about it." She then asked, "Your Majesty, can you bribe a few palace servants in the Qianqing Palace to investigate?"
As soon as she mentioned "the palace maids of Qianqing Palace", for some reason, Concubine Tong's mind appeared Li Shuyao's delicate and flower-like face.
After a while, she shook her head in astonishment, thinking that it couldn't be this little palace maid.
All she cares about is food, and the Li family is in faraway Jiangnan. Even if she is favored by the emperor, she will just become a target in the harem. She has no family background and no one to support her. How long can she last in the harem with just a pretty face?
I guess he's not that stupid.
But...what if?
Concubine Tong pursed her lips, and a brilliant idea seemed to flash through her mind, so fast that she had no time to think about it.
Concubine Tong quickly came back to her senses and looked at the palace maid with clear eyes: "No need to check."
She paused and continued, "Right now, Yikun Palace, Yanxi Palace, and everyone else is probably much more anxious than I am."
"Just keep an eye on their movements. If you receive any news, just intercept a copy and send it to me."
The Tong family is the emperor's maternal family. Even if he likes a certain official girl, her status and treatment in the palace will not be affected at all.
But...it's not certain for others.
Yikun Palace.
Concubine Niuhulu felt as if her heart was soaked in coptis water, burning and sour.
Next month will be her coronation ceremony, but the emperor has already visited a new official girl and given her such treatment. If this gets out, won't people talk about her, saying that she, the queen, does not enjoy the emperor's favor?
Is the emperor really so heartless that he doesn't even care about her feelings?
Concubine Niohuru was so caught up in self-doubt and struggle that she didn't even hear the nanny calling her.
The nanny had no choice but to reach out and hold her arm twice.
Seeing the queen's eyes gradually darken, she realized that she had regained consciousness. The nanny asked in a low voice: "Your Majesty, do you want to check the identity of that official woman?"
Concubine Niuhulu was silent for a moment, and the voice seemed to be squeezed out from her throat, "Investigate!"
…
Yanxi Palace.
Concubine Nara had just packed a box of clothes to send to the prince's residence when she heard the news.
She was no longer surprised by this, and although she felt a moment of loss in her heart, she quickly calmed down.
She softly gave a few instructions to the palace maid who was about to go to the prince's residence, and her words were full of deep love for the eldest prince.
Wu Yalianchu stood silently in the corner holding a tray.
The light flickered on her face, and the upper half of her face was hidden in the darkness, with gloomy eyes and dark clouds rolling.
She didn't even have to think about it, she knew that the new favored palace maid must be Li Shuyao.
She should have thought of it earlier. If the emperor had not given the order before, why would the other palace maids in the Qianqing Palace show such fear and trepidation towards Li Shuyao in front of her?
Fortunately, she had misunderstood before, thinking that Li Shuyao had offended Eunuch Liang, and the other palace servants didn't want to get close to her, so...
Wu Yalianchu's fingernails almost dug into the wooden tray, and the veins on the back of her hand throbbed.
When Concubine Nara turned around, she quickly adjusted her facial expression, relaxed the pressure on her fingers, and slowly walked over. She carefully moved the stew pot on the tray to the table, and said to Concubine Nara in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, the Tremella, Lily and Lotus Seed Soup is ready. Do you want to drink it while it's hot, or let it cool down?"
Concubine Nara sat down absentmindedly.
He did not answer Wu Yalianchu's words immediately.
Wu Yalianchu was not in a hurry. She held the tray and waited silently for a while before speaking again and asking the same question as before.
Concubine Nara came back to her senses, gave her a faint smile, and said, "Drink now."
As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the stew pot and picked up the spoon beside him to stir it. As if remembering something, he asked Wu Yalianchu, "Did you send a portion to Baoqing as well?"
Wu Yalianchu nodded: "It has been arranged, don't worry, Your Majesty."
Only then did Concubine Nara lower her head to drink the soup.
After drinking, he took a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth, praised Wu Yalianchu for her good cooking skills, and then got up and returned to his bedroom.
Wu Yalianchu packed up the stew pot she had used and put it back in the small kitchen.
At this time, a little palace maid came over and asked her in a low voice: "Sister Lianchu, what's wrong with the concubine? Is she in a bad mood?"
Wu Yalianchu smiled softly and replied, "Probably."
The little palace maid asked again: "Sister, won't you go and comfort the Empress?"
Wu Yalianchu paused for a moment, then spoke slowly, "I've only been here a short time, and I'm only a second-class maid. The other sisters will worry about comforting the Empress, so it's not right for us to interfere, right?"
The young palace maid was a little surprised when she heard this. "But, hasn't Your Majesty always loved your elder sister?" After she finished speaking, she glanced around furtively, leaning closer to Wu Yalianchu, and whispered softly, "Just like last time, if Your Majesty hadn't listened to your elder sister's advice, how could the Emperor have allowed Your Majesty to visit the eldest prince twice a month?"
"It's the same these past few days. I always feel that the Queen is in a bad mood at the moment. It might be useless for the sisters to persuade her. It would be better for Sister Lianchu to come forward. Don't you think so?"
A somewhat clear, flattering smile appeared on her face.
Wu Yalianchu just felt bored and wondered what was the point of being obedient.
She had not been in the Yanx Palace for long, and even if he listened to her once or twice, his affection could not compare to that of the old man who had been with her for many years.
Otherwise, she wouldn't even be given the position of a first-class palace maid.
…She was not allowed to enter the bedroom either.
The jewelry he received as a reward was not as exquisite as others'.
Although she doesn't lack these, but...
Wu Yalianchu pursed her lips, realizing that she was too anxious.
She quickly adjusted her mentality, showed a sad expression to the little palace maid, sighed and said nothing.
The little palace maid felt as if she had understood something.
*
Palace of Heavenly Purity, East Warm Pavilion.
Not long after Li Shuyao lay back down, the curtain was gently opened a little from the outside, revealing a handsome face.
The emperor came to dig her out.
Li Shuyao didn't dare close her eyes and pretend to be asleep. She could only timidly show him a pale and bright smile, and called out in a flattering and hoarse voice: "Your Majesty..."
The emperor nodded, hung the curtains on both sides, and then sat directly beside her bed. The first thing he did was to reach out and touch her forehead.
Li Shuyao was stunned.
Before she could say anything, the emperor had already withdrawn his hand leisurely and said to her calmly, "No fever."
Li Shuyao: "..."
She was confused and didn't know what was going on.
After a while, she nodded her head hesitantly and said, "Yes, I don't have a fever."
Then what?
She blinked her watery almond-shaped eyes, and her eyes seemed to speak.
The emperor then reached out his hand and touched her lips, as if to crush some petals. He rubbed them in circles for a moment and said, "It's broken here."
Li Shuyao glared at him with some resentment, wondering who had done this?
Thinking that this man was the emperor, he didn't say anything in the end. He just puffed his cheeks depressedly and said nothing.
After touching her lips, the emperor continued to move his fingertips down and tapped her fair and smooth neck. The plum blossoms of different colors seemed to move, blooming towards him with a vivid and charming scene.
Seeing this, his Adam's apple rolled again.
Li Shuyao was very clear about the meaning of his action. She immediately raised her hands to cover her neck with a terrified expression and buried herself in the quilt like an ostrich.
After a while, the quilt was gently patted twice by someone from outside. The man's voice was somewhat helpless, "Come out."
Li Shuyao didn't dare to move.
The emperor then added, "I won't touch you in broad daylight."
Li Shuyao poked out half of her face and said aggrievedly, "Your servant, I'm in great pain. Your Majesty, please allow me to rest for a few days."
"Otherwise, I will be gone."
Her words made the person beside the bed laugh.
The big hand went straight along her chin into the quilt.
Every time he touched a place, the little palace maid under the quilt trembled.
Some fun.
But in the end, pity prevailed.
He quickly withdrew his hand, stood up, went outside and brought back something.
Then he took down the curtains on both sides from the golden hooks to block out all the light outside the bed. Then he got on the bed and sat next to Li Shuyao. He reached out and tore off the quilt wrapped around Li Shuyao.
This scene... is so similar to yesterday!
It instantly brought back some bad memories.
Li Shuyao suddenly became even more frightened, and tears began to fall from her eyes.
The emperor didn't think about it, he just wanted to give her some medicine, why did he make her cry again?
It wasn't the kind of earth-shaking crying like a child, nor was it the kind of gentle sobbing with a resentful expression that was common among concubines in the harem.
The little palace maid cried without making any sound, but her tears flowed violently.
If he hadn't reached under the quilt, wanting to dig the person out, but felt a wet hand...
He probably didn't realize that he had made someone cry.
A trace of embarrassment and rare helplessness suddenly crossed the emperor's handsome face.
He sat there for a long time before he regained his composure.
He approached cautiously and lifted the quilt a little bit to prevent the little palace maid from crying herself to death in the quilt.
But the quilt had just been lifted when the little palace maid inside pulled it back angrily.
emperor:……
Well, as long as I still have the strength.
He waited quietly for a while.
The people waiting outside were a little surprised and suspicious when they saw that there was no movement in the house for a long time.
Could it be that it has started again?
...It shouldn't be. Firstly, the emperor is not the kind of person who indulges in women. Secondly, if the people inside wanted to do something, they would not be silent at all.
Liang Jiugong guessed that either Li Shuyao was in a bad mood and the emperor was trying to comfort her; or she fell asleep again because she felt too comfortable when the medicine was applied.
Recalling Li Shuyao's past behavior, Liang Jiugong is more inclined to the latter.
Then he waved his hand solemnly, signaling the palace maids who were still carrying toiletries to retreat outside the warm room and wait.
*
It took half an hour for the emperor to coax Li Shuyao.
This time he didn't even have time to stay and watch Li Shuyao have breakfast, so he hurried back to the imperial study, leaving only Nanny Lin to accompany her in the warm room.
Li Shuyao ordered a table full of dishes without hesitation.
After eating to his heart's content, he walked towards the courtyard accompanied by Nanny Lin.
When they walked out of the East Warm Pavilion, Nanny Lin was still a little worried about her health after receiving the emperor's first favor, and wanted to send a sedan chair for her to travel.
But Li Shuyao felt that if she was carried back to the enclosure like this...
This is too embarrassing!
She doesn't want it.
And she has already taken medicine.
Although his hands and feet were still a little weak and his body seemed to have been torn apart and sewn back together, he was not completely without strength.
——Is it reasonable that someone who has endured military training, climbed the Great Wall and Mount Tai, can't walk just after a night of exercise?
Li Shuyao directly shook her head to reject Nanny Lin's suggestion and did not want Nanny Lin's support.
After leaving the East Warm Pavilion, I walked alone, holding on to the wall of the Palace of Heavenly Purity with my hands. I took two steps, stopped, and took five steps and took a few breaths.
She walked and stopped like this, and with her extremely strong willpower after eating, she finally walked back to the enclosure independently.
Nanny Lin was almost heartbroken seeing this.
After finally entering the familiar courtyard, Li Shuyao took a few breaths before asking Nanny Lin, "Mammy, where do I live?"
Nanny Lin pointed.
Li Shuyao followed her gesture and looked over. She was surprised to find that there seemed to be something different in the room.
She tilted her head and looked around again, her expression a little uncertain, wondering if she had taken the wrong path.
But if she had walked into the wrong courtyard, Nanny Lin should have reminded her.
And Qingyao's room is still here. Hanging at the door of Qingyao's house is the peach wind chime that she made by herself.
So she definitely didn't go wrong.
But... the one in front of her... was completely different from the room of an ordinary official lady. It was so big that she could run in it and could almost be named a "palace". What was going on with this huge room?
Isn’t she a government official’s daughter?
Are there also hierarchical divisions among official women?
Nanny Lin seemed to see her confusion and said to her with a smile, "The Emperor has previously ordered that the other women in the imperial residence be relocated elsewhere. Since Miss Guo Luoluo will be moving to the harem soon, she will remain here for the time being, living with you, young lady."
As soon as she finished speaking, the door of the big house was opened from the inside.
When Lingluo walked out and saw Li Shuyao standing in the yard, there was a little surprise on her face. Then she shouted something into the house with great joy.
The next second, there was a series of clanging sounds in the room, as if Qingyao had accidentally broken something.
But she had no time to care and ran out of the house quickly.
She was wearing an extremely luxurious auspicious dress, with her hair half combed on her neck and her makeup was fresh and delicate.
After seeing Li Shuyao, his face was full of surprise at first, but then he pursed his lips, and his expression gradually became aggrieved.
She lifted her skirt and ran towards Li Shuyao. After giving her a warm hug, she pulled Li Shuyao's sleeve and started complaining: "Wow, Shuyao, you don't know what kind of life I've been going through these past few days. It's so hot and I have to stand under the sun to learn the rules. If I don't learn well, Lingluo will take the beating for me... The auspicious dress is heavy and thick, and this hairpin almost broke my neck..."
Li Shuyao listened and nodded repeatedly with a sense of sympathy, thinking that she felt the same way.
These days, being a concubine is about to become a high-risk job...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
