Chu Xiao brushed away Yun Chaoxi's hand, which was tightly gripping his sleeve, and strode into the bedchamber. "I'll go in and take a look. If you're scared, then don't go in."
Yun Chaoxi stopped and waited outside the hall with Eunuch Liu.
Chu Xiao strode to the bed in the inner room and immediately saw the bodyguard lying unconscious on the bed.
Seeing the idiot's mouth still twitching as he dreamt some wonderful dream, Chu Xiao was furious and poured a cup of cold tea on his face.
An Yi suddenly woke up from his dream and saw the emperor staring at him with a gloomy expression, as if he wanted to kill him. Recalling the scene before he fell asleep, his hair stood on end, and he quickly jumped out of bed and knelt in front of Chu Xiao.
"emperor……"
Chu Xiao's cold gaze swept over the guard from head to toe. "If you dare to come without being castrated again, I won't mind sending someone else."
An Yi broke out in a cold sweat. He understood what the other person meant: the Emperor never kept useless people around.
But! He took a shower before he came!
He tried to explain, but Chu Xiao wasn't going to listen. He turned and walked out, saying, "I'll send the people outside away first, then you can come out."
Chu Xiao turned and went back outside the hall. He glanced at Yun Chaoxi, who was wrapped in his outer robe and looking at him expectantly, and said, "The person inside is indeed His Majesty. This is Eunuch Liu, who is by His Majesty's side. Even if you don't recognize His Majesty, Eunuch Liu will not mistake him."
Eunuch Liu nodded repeatedly.
Chu Xiao continued, "Consort Yun, you must not speak recklessly without evidence, or you could lose your head. Now that His Majesty has awakened, he will not pursue the matter because you are new to the palace and inexperienced. Right now, he does not want to see you, so you should leave."
Yun Chaoxi blushed instantly with shame, her head hanging low as if she wanted to bury it in his chest. Upon hearing the next sentence, her shame turned pale, and she swayed with fear, replying in a trembling voice, "I didn't mean to offend His Majesty, I... I'll leave right away."
After she finished speaking, she remained standing still.
"Hmm?" Chu Xiao lifted his eyelids and glanced at her.
Yun Chaoxi's voice sounded like she was about to cry, "I... my legs are weak, I can't walk."
Chu Xiao scoffed lightly. How dare she question the Emperor's favor during their night of service? He had no patience to wait for her to recover. He stepped forward, scooped her up in his arms, and strode towards the side hall of Liuxia Palace.
Yun Chaoxi gasped softly, instinctively raising her arms to hug his neck. The soft, light gauze slid down her smooth forearm, revealing a section of her fair wrist and an undeniably beautiful arm.
The waist beneath her palms was soft, and two soft spots pressed lightly against her chest as she walked.
Yun Chaoxi blushed as she looked down at him because of this sudden intimacy.
Chu Xiao had to admit that the woman before him was stunningly beautiful, a truly rare beauty. If he were a normal man, he would have taken her as his own without question. Unfortunately, he wasn't.
Chu Xiao carried the person to the side hall and placed them on the bed, saying without any hesitation, "You can leave after the Emperor leaves. Since you are unwilling to serve him in bed, the Emperor will not choose you again. Just stay in the palace and live a peaceful life."
Yun Chaoxi was furious. It was like casting a seductive glance at a blind man.
Seeing him turn to leave, Yun Chaoxi quickly called him back, took off her outer robe and returned it to him, thanking him softly, "Thank you, here's your robe back. Thank you for today. Although I don't know who you are or what you look like, I will do my best to help you if you ever need my help in the future."
Chu Xiao didn't respond. He took the outer garment and left without looking back.
Once outside Liuxia Palace, Chu Xiao removed his mask, revealing a handsome and dashing face. He tossed his outer garment into Eunuch Liu's arms, saying, "Throw it away."
"yes."
After taking a couple of steps, Chu Xiao said again, "Never mind, take it back and leave it."
"Eh." Eunuch Liu was very puzzled. It was just a piece of clothing. Why did he change his mind about whether he wanted it or not?
The next morning, Yun Chaoxi got up, dressed up, and took Zhu'er to the Empress Dowager's palace.
According to palace regulations, a concubine was required to pay her respects to the Empress after her first night with the Emperor, but Chu Xiao had not yet established an Empress. The highest-ranking concubines in the harem were only the Virtuous Consort, the Gentle Consort, and the Virtuous Consort, who jointly assisted in managing harem affairs.
Without an empress present, and since it was the tenth of the month, Yun Chaoxi went directly to the Empress Dowager's Shou Kang Palace to pay her respects.
Other concubines in the harem also gathered at Shou Kang Palace, all of them very curious about the newly arrived Consort Yun.
The reason is simple: this Consort Yun is the youngest among them and is known as the most beautiful woman in the capital. What man doesn't love youth and beauty, especially since Consort Yun comes from a high-ranking family; her father is Prime Minister Yun.
The concubines were all afraid that Yun Chaoxi would enter the palace and gain favor, thus taking away their affections. They had all been paying close attention to the movements of Liuxia Palace since yesterday.
Yun Chaoxi ignored the gazes directed at her from all around and bowed respectfully to the Empress Dowager, Consort Xian, Consort Shu, Consort De, and others at the head of the table.
The Empress Dowager was getting old and didn't usually manage affairs. She only received greetings from the concubines on the tenth of each month to maintain stability in the harem.
Empress Dowager Chaoyun beckoned over, "Good child, come here and let me take a look at you."
Yun Chaoxi obediently stepped forward, and the Empress Dowager carefully examined her, becoming more and more satisfied and fond of her with each look.
“I never saw you at the palace banquets before. The last time I saw you, you weren’t even as tall as your mother’s leg. Now you’ve grown into a graceful young woman, and you’re a delight to behold.”
"Your Majesty flatters me. I don't like going out and am used to staying at home. I know you miss me, so I make sure to attend every palace banquet and come right under your nose." Yun Chaoxi winked mischievously.
The Empress Dowager chuckled and took her hand, but in her heart she was thinking of her good-for-nothing son.
He did treat all his concubines equally, but he always sent them contraceptive potions, and recently he even had plans to adopt a child.
The Empress Dowager simply couldn't understand why, wouldn't it be better to have her own biological child? Why insist on adopting someone who wasn't her own?
She never imagined that her son didn't just not want to have children, but was simply unable to.
Looking at the beautiful woman in front of her, whose beauty could rival that of fish and geese, the Empress Dowager began to plot again. If even such a beauty could not persuade the Emperor to change his mind and have a child, then the legitimate line of her Great Chu would truly be extinct, and she would have no face to meet the late Emperor after her death.
"From now on, serve the Emperor well in the palace and strive to produce offspring for the royal family as soon as possible. If you can give birth to an imperial heir, I will certainly not treat you unfairly."
Yun Chaoxi lowered her head shyly.
Seeing the Empress Dowager and Yun Chao enjoying each other's company, countless people below felt as sour as if they had eaten lemons.
Consort Su, sitting at the lower end, suddenly spoke up, "Your Majesty, in my opinion, the Emperor doesn't seem to like Consort Yun very much. In the past, after the sisters served the Emperor for the first time, the Emperor would bestow rewards and promote them by a small rank. But after Consort Yun served the Emperor last night, the Emperor did not make any gesture."
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