Chapter 83 Pampered Favor
The moment the Imperial Concubine spoke, she immediately embarrassed Xie Qingran.
A young woman's affections should never be spoken aloud; otherwise, it would be shameless. The Imperial Concubine certainly understood this principle, which is why she deliberately humiliated Xie Qingran.
However, Xie Qingran did not react in any particular way to such humiliation. She just gave a shy twitch of her lips and remained silent.
Seeing this, the Imperial Concubine was somewhat surprised. It was truly remarkable that someone so young could have such a thick skin.
She suddenly chuckled softly: "However, this is also a good thing. It's much better for two people to live in harmony than to be merely polite to each other. I just don't know if the young master is feeling better now, and whether he is able to have children or not?"
Well……
Although Xie Qingran had known for a long time that the Imperial Concubine was an oddball, her expression immediately changed upon hearing these words. Her face was filled with helplessness, and she almost spat out a mouthful of blood.
She looked at the Imperial Concubine in disbelief, then at the Empress, and lowered her head even further.
"Do not speak of what is improper, Your Highness, you have gone too far."
The Empress also sensed something was wrong at this moment, and she frowned deeply, looking at the Consort with displeasure.
The Imperial Concubine clearly didn't take the Empress's words to heart, or rather, she didn't take the Empress as a person at all.
"The eldest daughter of the Xie family is about to get married, so she should naturally learn more about the bedroom arts, otherwise how will she serve her husband in the future?"
"Besides, since the young master is unwell, she will definitely have to take the initiative. I am only thinking of the young lady and for the young master's good."
As the imperial concubine spoke, she covered her mouth and burst out laughing.
"In that case, I beg Your Highness to teach this humble woman a lesson."
"Presumably, the Imperial Concubine is so favored by the Emperor precisely because she is skilled in this art?"
Xie Qingran stared longingly at the Imperial Concubine.
This one sentence caused the expressions of the two people, who were initially angry and smug, to change.
All the smugness on the imperial concubine's face vanished instantly, leaving only anger and shame.
The empress, who was originally furious, almost burst out laughing after hearing these words.
She had known for a long time that Xie Qingran was a formidable character, but she hadn't expected her to be this formidable.
"presumptuous!"
"You vile woman, how dare you humiliate me like this?"
The imperial concubine stood up angrily and slapped Xie Qingran hard across the face.
After being slapped, Xie Qingran was stunned for a moment, and then tears slid down her cheeks.
She looked at the Imperial Concubine with disbelief, seemingly unaware of what she had done wrong, and simply knelt on the ground, trembling.
"Why is the Imperial Concubine so angry? Did I say something wrong?"
"This... Your Highness did not come here today to instruct me on this?"
As Xie Qingran spoke, her body trembled slightly, and tears streamed down her face, making her look as pitiful as could be.
Now, even the Empress understood Xie Qingran's meaning, so she raised an eyebrow and looked at the Consort.
"Now that there are only the three of us here, it's normal for you to want to discipline Miss Xie. Why are you getting angry now that it was your sister who brought it up?"
Only then did the Imperial Concubine realize what was happening. She stared at Xie Qingran with her eyebrows furrowed tightly, unable to tell whether Xie Qingran was genuinely naive or deliberately trying to disgust her.
She suddenly snorted coldly, then said, "Xie Qingran, well done!"
"I am feeling unwell, I must take my leave now!"
The imperial concubine rose, gave a perfunctory curtsy, and then strode outside.
"Good child, you've been wronged."
"Quickly, let me see it."
The Empress quickly helped Xie Qingran up from the ground and gently touched her cheek.
But Xie Qingran felt a pang of sorrow in her heart.
She sighed and looked at the Empress with some sympathy and pity. The Consort was so arrogant and domineering that she even dared to hit people in front of the Empress. This showed how arrogant she was in daily life.
The empress was being beaten and suppressed by the imperial concubine; it was truly pitiful.
The Empress was also very perceptive and immediately sensed Xie Qingran's sympathy and heartache. She sighed helplessly and said, "Noble Consort, that's just how she is."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I understand."
"Your Majesty, I am not in pain. Please do not be distressed."
Xie Qingran knew that the Empress had always been gentle and magnanimous when she was a girl at home, and this personality had not changed much after she entered the palace. She was a gentle person by nature, and if she had married an ordinary person, she would have lived a happy life. But she married the Emperor and became the Empress, so her life was naturally very difficult.
The Empress touched Xie Qingran's cheek and said with a smile, "Now that I see how obedient and well-behaved you are, I am relieved. I am not afraid that you will suffer after you marry into the family."
"Your Highness, he is a very kind person and will not let me suffer any losses." Xie Qingran's cheeks were flushed, and she lowered her head, looking like a shy young girl.
Thus, the Empress became even more convinced of Xie Qingran's affection.
She felt a surge of relief. With Xiao Jue in his current state, the Empress had long since given up any other hope and simply wished for him to live a more comfortable life.
The Empress looked around, lowered her voice, and said, "Although he is injured, he is absolutely fine in bed."
"The Empress?"
Xie Qingran looked up in disbelief, staring at the Empress with a face full of shock.
The Empress smiled faintly: "I was just saying it casually. You must be tired today. Go and get some rest."
"yes!"
Xie Qingran immediately nodded and turned to walk towards her Jiaohe Palace.
Upon entering, Baozhu immediately brought over some ointment, looking at Xie Qingran with a pained expression: "This Imperial Concubine is going too far!"
"Shut up! How can you talk such nonsense in the Imperial Palace? If someone hears you, you'll cause trouble for yourself and the Empress!" Xie Qingran's expression immediately changed, her eyebrows furrowed tightly as she looked at Baozhu with displeasure.
This child is good in every way, except for this mouth of his, which is just too loose.
Baozhu hurriedly covered her mouth, looked around to make sure no one had heard, and then breathed a sigh of relief. She looked at Xie Qingran with pleading eyes and said in a muffled voice, "Miss, I was just worried about you. Look, your face is all swollen."
"It's just a slap in the face. She's a concubine, what can I do?" Xie Qingran sneered disdainfully.
The Imperial Concubine is currently the most favored concubine in the palace. Even after giving birth, her favor remains undiminished. Even the Empress avoids her, let alone a mere daughter of an official.
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