Yun Chaoxi's crying abruptly stopped, and she froze, seemingly not expecting to be caught in her disheveled state. She hesitated, like a startled deer, and half-turned around, her eyes blurred with tears, misty and wet as she looked up.
"It's you? How come I always run into you here?"
Chu Xiao walked over, his gaze calm and composed, and asked again, "Why are you crying?"
Yun Chaoxi's delicate eyebrows furrowed, a hint of melancholy in her expression. "Last time I mistook the Emperor for someone else. Although he didn't blame me, he seems to have stopped paying attention to me. He hasn't come to Liuxia Palace these past few days, and even today he chose one of his concubines."
Do you think I'll never be able to gain the Emperor's favor again?
She seemed to only treat this unknown person in front of her as a confidant, "This is completely different from what I imagined when I entered the palace."
Chu Xiao stood quietly beside her, his eyes slightly lowered, his gaze sweeping lightly over her downcast eyes, his voice devoid of emotion, "What do you imagine? Do you know that the emperor is not interested in women, and no new concubines have entered the palace in the past two years? What makes you think you will be different?"
"If you regret it, go and beg the emperor to let you leave the palace. For your father's sake, he will probably agree."
Chu Xiao admitted that he had softened a little. The women in the palace were destined to never receive any of his favor. He didn't care about the other women, but he still gave this timid woman a chance to change her mind.
Yun Chaoxi was so dejected by his words that she looked like a wilted flower. "I... I didn't think that much about it. I just admire His Majesty. I've heard my father talk about His Majesty's great achievements since I was a child. He ascended the throne at eighteen, personally led an expedition to pacify the Northwest at twenty, and at twenty-two, he suppressed public opinion to implement new policies and purged the corrupt officials in the court. From then on, His Majesty has been different from others in my heart."
"His Majesty is now thirty-two years old but has no children. He must also want an heir of his own, but he has not met the right person to bear him an imperial heir. Whether that person is me or not, I hope to be by his side."
Chu Xiao was slightly shaken, her words touching his deepest, most hidden pain. He also longed for a child of his own; who would willingly hand over the empire they had worked so hard to protect?
He never expected that Yun Chaoxi would be interested in him. The women in the palace were either there for wealth and status or were sent by their families to maintain the prosperity of their families. How many of them were truly willing to put aside these things and treat him sincerely?
Chu Xiao listened silently to her story. "It's getting late. I'll take you home."
"Okay, I feel much better now that you've told me. Before, Consort Su mocked me, saying that the Emperor didn't like me, which made me sad for several days. Now I'm much more open-minded."
"But don't tell anyone about what happened tonight," Yun Chaoxi winked at him.
"Let's go, I'm not one to gossip."
"By the way, I still don't know your name. Are you a palace guard?"
"My name is Xiao Chu. I patrol the perimeter of Qinfang Garden and occasionally sneak in to take a break."
Yun Chaoxi, "..."
Chu Xiao, Xiao Chu, does he think she's a fool?
On the way back to Zichen Palace, Chu Xiao asked Liu, the eunuch accompanying him, "Who is Consort Su?"
Eunuch Liu knew more about the harem than the emperor did, and after a moment's thought, he came up with an answer: "Is Your Majesty referring to Su Ling'er, the daughter of Minister Su of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices?"
Chu Xiao: "Su Ling'er's words were inappropriate; her rank is reduced by one level to Jieyu."
Eunuch Liu, "Huh?"
Chu Xiao: "Find out the specifics of what happened tomorrow."
Eunuch Liu, “…” No, Your Majesty, you don’t even know what happened. Why did you suddenly demote her?
Eunuch Liu: "Yes."
The next day, the emperor suddenly issued an edict demoting Consort Su to Consort Su because of her inappropriate remarks.
Everyone in the harem speculated what mistake Consort Su had made to anger the emperor, since he rarely paid attention to ordinary quarrels and seldom demoted his concubines.
After some analysis, they all concluded that it was because Consort Su had previously offended the Empress Dowager, and the Emperor, being filial, was helping the Empress Dowager vent her anger.
As for punishing Consort Su for the sake of Consort Yun? Impossible! There was a case before where a concubine who had been bullied complained to His Majesty, and His Majesty didn't even blink, just ordered that concubine to be expelled, and that matter was dropped.
Everyone was relieved that they hadn't jumped out to refute the Empress Dowager's words that day, otherwise they would have been the ones in trouble.
After finishing the morning court session, Chu Xiao stayed in the Imperial Study until the afternoon.
The Imperial Household Department did not send over any nameplates. According to past practice, if the emperor summoned a concubine yesterday, he would not choose another one the next day or even for the next few days.
Unexpectedly, after dinner, the emperor suddenly decided to travel to Liuxia Palace.
Yun Chaoxi had just finished bathing, wearing a white silk undergarment, her long, smooth hair cascading down her back. Her clean, unadorned face, like a lotus emerging from the water, was still breathtakingly beautiful.
Upon hearing that the emperor was coming, Yun Chaoxi turned off the lights and consciously lay down on the bed.
She pondered to herself that it seemed her words at Qinfang Garden yesterday had had an effect. She just wondered if the Emperor would come in person this time, or send that secret guard again. If it was the latter, well…
Just as they were waiting quietly, a steady footstep came from outside the hall.
Chu Xiao noticed that the lights in the bedchamber were already off, and instructed Zhu'er to go in and light them.
One by one, the candles were lit, and the view inside the hall gradually brightened. The beauty on the bed sat up, clutching the quilt, and looked at him with a mixture of surprise and doubt.
As if just realizing what was happening, Yun Chaoxi got off the bed and bowed, "Your Majesty, may you be well."
"Get up."
Yun Chaoxi, suppressing her shyness, asked him, "Why did Your Majesty order the lamps to be lit tonight?"
Chu Xiao said, "I've come to sit for a while, and I'll leave in a bit."
Yun Chaoxi instructed Zhu'er to serve tea. She sat down next to Chu Xiao, her eyes smiling, "I am already very happy that Your Majesty could come."
Chu Xiao asked, "Do you know how to play chess?"
Yun Chaoxi nodded, "I know a little, I can play a game with Your Majesty. If I win, may Your Majesty grant me a favor?"
Chu Xiao nodded in agreement and had someone set up the chessboard. He played the black pieces, and Yun Chaoxi played the white pieces.
As the two talked back and forth, Chu Xiao's thoughts drifted away. All day long, he kept thinking about Yun Chaoxi's tearful complaints from last night; his coldness seemed to have made her very uneasy.
Since Prime Minister Yun sent his daughter to the palace, Chu Xiao should treat her the same as other women and give her the favor she deserves. However, if An Yi were to favor her, Chu Xiao would worry that Yun Chaoxi would cause trouble again, and he himself would not want to do so.
Occasionally visiting her at Liuxia Palace to keep her company is considered an act of favor.
Chu Xiao was preoccupied with something and didn't play the game seriously. Within half an hour, he was at a disadvantage and was narrowly defeated by Yun Chaoxi.
"Your Majesty has won!"
Yun Chaoxi was very happy, and a bright smile appeared on her delicate and fair face. "You can't go back on your word, Your Majesty."
"I keep my word. What do you want?"
Yun Chaoxi walked up to Chu Xiao and suddenly bent down to kiss his lips.
"I'll take this one."
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