Chapter 17 Entering the Palace to Provoke the Empress
Just as Fangru was reeling from this change, the iron arm around her waist suddenly tightened, Zhou Ling's burning chest pressed against her soaked, slightly trembling back, and his hot breath once again touched her sensitive earlobe.
"Have you seen enough?" His low, husky voice carried lingering lust and a hint of dangerous amusement, as if he weren't the one who had just lost control and forcefully kissed someone. "Or are you comparing... bathing with me, or being chased by the Ministry of Justice official, which is more exciting?"
Fangru froze, trying to break free, but he held her even tighter underwater.
The surroundings were silent, and all the guards and palace servants had their backs to them, as if they had built an invisible high wall, turning this pool into a prison that isolated them from the world.
"Your Majesty..." her voice was strained, filled with humiliation and anger, "Please let go! This is against propriety!"
"Propriety?" Zhou Ling chuckled softly, his other hand slowly scooping up a handful of water, watching the droplets slide down her slender neck and disappear into her clothes. "My words are propriety." His fingertips lightly traced the pulse beating on the side of her neck, feeling her uncontrollable trembling. "Where did you go, pointing at me and calling me a 'dog emperor'? Hmm?"
He suddenly released his grip on her chin, and just when Fangru thought he was finally going to let her go, he took the opportunity of hugging her from behind to rip open his black outer robe and wrap it around her soaking wet, curvaceous body without saying a word.
The large robe instantly enveloped her petite frame, still bearing the warmth of his body and the rich scent of ambergris, like an inescapable mark.
"Are you cold?" he asked close to her ear, his tone devoid of emotion, yet his arms remained locked around her like iron hoops, preventing her from escaping.
Fangru was both cold and angry, her teeth chattering, yet she stubbornly refused to show weakness.
Zhou Ling seemed quite pleased with her expression of anger that she dared not speak out, completely enveloped by his presence.
He suddenly hugged her and stood up from the pool!
The water splashed loudly, and he was soaked to the bone, his dark hair dripping wet, yet he still walked steadily, holding her wrapped in his outer robe, as if he had captured the most precious trophy, step by step walking to the edge of the pool.
Wherever he went, all the kneeling guards, palace servants, officials, and noble ladies lowered their heads even further, none daring to look up at the emperor's face, and no one daring to glance at the woman he held tightly in his arms.
"Regarding today's events," Zhou Ling's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of everyone present, carrying an undeniable authority, "if even a single word of it leaks out, I will cut out everyone's tongues."
He didn't look at anyone else; his gaze remained fixed on Fangru, who was pale and trying to hide herself with his robe in his arms. A cruel tenderness curved his lips: "As for Miss Shen..."
He paused deliberately, feeling the body in his arms tense up instantly.
“Disrespectful behavior before the Emperor, offending His Majesty, according to the law…” He drew out his words, enjoying the fleeting fear in her eyes, then changed his tone to a slow and deliberate pronouncement, “From this day forward, you are confined to the palace and will be personally instructed by the Empress.”
Fangru's heart sank suddenly, as if she had fallen into the depths of an ice cave, and a chill ran through her entire body.
Confined to the palace?
These four words exploded in her mind like a curse.
She was actually... going down this path again? Memories of being forced to submit to the emperor and losing everything in her first life flooded back, almost suffocating her.
Could it be that no matter how much she struggled, she couldn't escape this predetermined fate? This desperate thought entwined her heart like a poisonous vine, chilling her to the bone.
However, Zhou Ling did not give her more time to wallow in fear.
He held her arm firmly, as if she were nothing at all.
After saying those words, he simply held her, who was soaking wet, completely ignoring the palace rules and etiquette, and also ignoring her insignificant struggles in his arms, which seemed more like a reluctant acceptance. He turned around and strode towards the nearest palace room where he could rest.
His steps were steady and firm, each step carrying an unquestionable authority. Wherever he passed, palace servants, guards, and high-ranking officials hurriedly knelt down and bowed their heads, not daring to look him in the eye.
As he passed the lush sycamore tree, his steps seemed to pause almost imperceptibly. His gaze, seemingly unintentional and extremely indifferent, swept over the branches and leaves behind the tree, which swayed due to some intense emotion, and then suddenly froze the moment his gaze swept over them.
There was no surprise in his eyes, only a cold, all-knowing understanding, and an absolute sense of control as if he held everything in his grasp. It was as if he were saying, "Look closely, this is my person, and I can do whatever I want with him."
With just a glance, he withdrew his gaze, as if it were merely an insignificant interlude. Holding the still slightly trembling body in his arms, he walked straight toward the brightly lit palace.
...
Once inside the palace, the only thing that could be considered "fortunate" was that Zhou Ling finally relented, and Gu Zhou's execution was temporarily suspended, so his life was temporarily safe.
This finally gave her a brief respite from her heavy heart.
However, another headache was about to arise: the Queen's "personal instruction."
What made her even more uneasy was that in this life, Zhou Ling did not immediately bestow any title of concubine upon her.
This seemingly lenient and non-condemning action, when heard by Fangru, who was well aware of the rules of the harem, was more terrifying than an imperial edict of investiture!
Without a formal title, her status in the palace was ambiguous, neither master nor servant.
To put it bluntly, she was nothing more than a "temporary palace maid," a "guest" who depended on the emperor's whim.
Such a person, in the deep palace where people fawn over the powerful and value rules and etiquette above all else, is like a fish on a chopping board!
If she were already a concubine, even if the Empress wanted to "teach" her, she would still have to consider palace rules and etiquette as well as His Majesty's face, and her methods would not be too cruel.
However, her current awkward situation of being neither here nor there has given the Empress more room to "manipulate" her. The Empress can use her position as the Empress to "discipline" and "teach rules" under the guise of discipline, and even use more "strict" and "legitimate" methods, because it is much easier and less likely to give others a handle to punish a female official who "does not know the rules" than to punish a concubine with a title.
This is definitely not a good thing! It clearly puts her in a more vulnerable and easily manipulated position!
Moreover, having lived through the previous three reigns, she knew all too well how cunning and ruthless this seemingly virtuous and kind empress was.
The Empress was of noble birth and valued rules and etiquette above all else. In her previous life, she harbored resentment because of Zhou Ling's excessive favoritism towards her.
Although the Empress, due to her status as a "favored concubine" and the Emperor's obvious protection, never dared to directly punish her severely, the painless "teachings" and the ubiquitous constraints of rules were enough to make one feel suffocated.
What impressed her even more was that although the Empress did not touch her, she could always find a plausible reason to make life difficult for those close to her.
She still remembers Lingzi, a palace maid she quite liked at the time. She was lively and very good at combing hair.
Just because she once styled her hair in a novel and unique way, which caught Zhou Ling's eye and who casually praised her for her "ingenious idea," Lingzi was transferred to the remote needlework department by the Empress on the grounds that her hairstyle was "not in accordance with palace rules and too frivolous." Although she did not suffer any physical pain, she could no longer serve by her side.
On another occasion, she simply ate two extra bowls of sweet soup sent from the Queen's Kitchen, which she didn't actually like. Upon seeing this, His Majesty rewarded the chef who made the dessert. As a result, a few days later, the chef was found guilty of "neglecting his duties" and transferred from an important position.
A note from the author:
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