Chapter 38 (None)
Jiang Ling sat cross-legged on the couch, watching A'Ruo brew tea with a look of utter despair. Wen Juan continued making plum blossom sachets, the room filled with the fragrance of flowers mingling with the aroma of tea.
Aruo placed the tea on the table beside the couch, beaming, "My beauty, this tea is truly excellent."
Wenjuan glanced at Jiang Ling's expression and said, "Aruo, put the tea cakes in the jar and take them out when it's time to brew."
A'Ruo carefully packed away the tea cakes, then took the jar and went out. Wen Juan cut the thread, placed the finished sachet around Jiang Ling's waist, and asked, "How is your health, my beauty? Are you still feeling unwell?"
"I'll be fine after a night's rest," Jiang Ling replied, taking a few sips of tea before warming his hands with it.
The tea soup was not bitter at all, and had a slightly sweet aftertaste, making it several times better than the tea she usually drank.
Jiang Ling's hometown used to produce tea, and her maternal grandmother's family owned a tea plantation, so they never lacked good tea. After getting used to good tea, she no longer found it amazing; it was no different from ordinary tea.
It was just a few packets of tea, yet A'Ruo was so excited, thinking that from then on, she would be able to rise to the top along with her!
Wenjuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately said nothing more, saying only, "This servant will do your hair and makeup for you, my lady."
Jiang Ling wouldn't fuss over trivial rules when it came to welcoming the emperor. She said "okay," put down her teacup, and sat down in front of the dressing table.
Wenjuan deftly tied her hair into a bun, then took out a jade comb and a gold filigree hairpin, gesturing them in her hair as she said, "Your skin is as delicate as fine jade, and a jade comb is the perfect match for you."
"Since these are all gifts from the Emperor, a testament to His boundless grace, let's put them all in." Jiang Ling said calmly, gazing at the bronze mirror.
The concubines in the imperial harem removed the floral hairpins from their hair ornaments, and instead wore various elaborate and ornate hairpins and crowns. Jiang Ling, however, wore a jade comb and a gold hairpin, a rather ordinary outfit.
Wenjuan responded and placed the jade comb and gold hairpin into Jiang Ling's hair. She looked around and exclaimed in amazement, "You are so beautiful, I can't take my eyes off you."
“You’re beautiful too. The harem is full of beauties,” Jiang Ling said with a smile.
Wenjuan paused for a moment, then smiled apologetically and said, "How could this servant compare to a beauty like you?" She paused for a moment, then said sincerely, "If I were truly beautiful, I would not still be a palace maid after serving in the palace for so many years."
"I can't offer you the hypocritical comfort that being a palace maid is better than being a mistress, since there's a chance of being released from the palace. Nor can I tell you that if you catch the emperor's eye, you'll live a life of wealth and honor."
Jiang Ling patted Wen Juan's hand, smiled, and said, "I'm fine. I just drank too much last night and am a little tired."
Jiang Ling could see through Wen Juan's thoughts quite clearly.
She was secretly worried that Jiang Ling's low spirits might anger Emperor Yuanming. She comforted Jiang Ling, saying that she was beautiful and there was no need to worry about the emperor's favor not lasting.
In addition to this, Wenjuan also had another deeper meaning.
The palace rules were strict and difficult to endure. By the time one left the palace around the age of thirty, life there was rarely any better than that of a palace maid.
Women of Da Yin's age married early and became mistresses. They rarely married unless they became nuns. If they did marry, they mostly married older men as concubines or second wives. Even the worst life in the palace was more comfortable than life outside.
Wenjuan's words were, in a way, a form of self-mockery after recognizing reality. Everyone has selfish desires; her wish for Jiang Ling's well-being was no different from that of A'Ruo Fanghe.
If Jiang Ling truly enjoys continued imperial favor and rises in rank, it would be neither good nor bad for Wen Juan. She could ask Jiang Ling to help her leave the palace sooner. Alternatively, she could rise in rank along with Jiang Ling and stay by her side as a head lady-in-waiting.
Jiang Ling couldn't tell Wen Juan her true thoughts. The reason she lacked enthusiasm was that Emperor Yuanming, both in terms of his physical attributes and his performance in bed, was utterly unremarkable and uninteresting.
Another point Jiang Ling wasn't in the mood to bring up. Wen Juan couldn't solve it, and mentioning it would only add to her troubles.
The palace was already turbulent, and her repeated visits to the emperor's bedchamber were bound to cause even more trouble.
Seeing that Jiang Ling had thought things through, Wen Juan stopped trying to persuade her. She applied rouge and face powder for her and prepared to paint her hair ornaments.
"No need to draw anymore, it'll get dirty and cause pustules," Jiang Ling said, turning her head away.
Upon hearing this, Wenjuan quickly put down the rouge and said, "It's getting late, His Majesty should be here soon. I'll go out and check first."
Jiang Ling returned to her room and sat down. After a while, there was a commotion outside. Wen Juan came in to report. Jiang Ling got up and walked to the eaves to greet her from afar.
Emperor Yuanming changed into a dark blue dragon-patterned robe and strode over expressionlessly, seemingly in a bad mood.
Upon reaching the eaves of the gate, Emperor Yuanming stopped and scrutinized Jiang Ling from head to toe. His gaze lingered slightly on her brow as he said with displeasure, "It's very cold outside. Come inside quickly."
Wen Juan lifted the curtain, and Emperor Yuanming walked in first, followed by Jiang Ling. Seeing his dark face, she couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "Honestly, what's with the long face? Whoever offends you, go find them, behead them, confiscate their property, let blood splatter for miles!"
Emperor Yuanming's face grew even darker with anger. He opened his arms, waiting for someone to come forward and serve him.
Huang Liang stood still for a moment, and seeing that Jiang Ling remained unmoved, he quickly stepped forward and helped Emperor Yuanming take off his cloak.
Emperor Yuanming thought to himself, "As expected, she won't take the initiative to serve me!" He snorted coldly, took a sip of tea, and then impatiently put it down, ordering, "Serve the meal."
When the emperor ate, all the food was sent from the imperial kitchen, and the eunuchs in charge of the food would test it for poison first. The servants of Fanying Pavilion were not allowed to go forward.
Palace maids and servants, carrying food boxes and hot water, slowly made their way in. The Fan Ying Pavilion was bustling with activity like never before, filled with people everywhere.
Emperor Yuanming was troubled by thoughts of flowers and trees, his brows furrowing frequently. After washing his hands, he sat down at the table, looked at Jiang Ling sitting to his lower right, and said, "Sit closer."
Huang Liang hurriedly led the eunuchs to move Jiang Ling's food table in front of Emperor Yuanming, and stood respectfully with bows, ready to serve the meal.
Emperor Yuanming waved his hand, and Huang Liang hurriedly led the servants out of the room. Jiang Ling watched quietly, sitting properly at the table, waiting for Emperor Yuanming to order the meal to begin.
Wine was prepared for dinner. Emperor Yuanming picked up the wine pot and poured himself a cup. Jiang Ling held the wine pot, steeled his heart, and thought to himself, "He's a jerk. I'll just have a few more drinks tonight to avoid him finding fault. At worst, I'll just have to suffer a bit more."
When Emperor Yuanming saw that Jiang Ling was finally starting to make a fuss, fearing that she would start cursing again after drinking, he glanced at her sideways and said casually, "Your pimples are so bad, don't drink too much."
Jiang Ling secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thanking him while thinking to himself, "At least he's showing some humanity!"
Emperor Yuanming had heard this so many times that he was too lazy to pay attention to her disrespect. He took a sip of wine, picked up his chopsticks, and said, "Let's eat."
Jiang Ling said yes, picked up his chopsticks, and silently began to eat. He hadn't had much of an appetite during the day, and had only eaten half a bowl of hot noodle soup at noon, so his stomach was empty now. He slowly picked at the steamed fish and ate it.
Emperor Yuanming looked at Jiang Ling without changing his expression and said with a smile, "The weather is cold in winter, you should eat more mutton to warm your body. Fish has a fishy smell, it's a wonder you can eat it."
Jiang Ling disliked the muttony smell even more than the fishy smell. She forced a smile, pretended to lower her head sheepishly, and secretly rolled her eyes: "You're really nosy!"
Emperor Yuanming was speechless and couldn't help but glare at her. His good intentions were being taken for granted, so he ignored her and let her be.
Emperor Yuanming ate very little in the evening, barely touching his food. Jiang Ling, on the other hand, ate all the food on her table, except for the stewed mutton and fried goose slices.
Emperor Yuanming glanced at Jiang Ling's table, remained silent for a moment, and said, "You ate so much tonight, be careful of indigestion. Come with me for a walk."
After putting on his hood, Jiang Ling followed Emperor Yuanming, walking slowly along the eaves. The night was bitterly cold, and after only a few steps, Jiang Ling's face turned icy, so he quickly pulled his hood tighter to block the cold wind.
Emperor Yuanming stood with his hands behind his back, turned to look at Jiang Ling, and saw that only her eyes were visible. He chuckled and said, "The coldest days of winter don't arrive until after the winter solstice, and you're already this cold?"
Jiang Ling said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, protected by the dragon's aura, so you will not feel cold. I am but a mere mortal, and can only rely on this hood to keep warm."
Emperor Yuanming couldn't help but laugh: "Nonsense!" Looking into her eyes, which reflected the starry sky, bright and dazzling, his previously agitated mood, which had been building up as he went to investigate the flowers and trees, finally lifted.
"The jade comb and the gold-inlaid kingfisher hair ornaments suit you very well; please wear them more often in the future," Emperor Yuanming said.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I've put them all on my head," Jiang Ling replied respectfully, but inwardly she scoffed, "Just these two things? How dare you even mention them!"
Emperor Yuanming felt rejected again, so he silently turned away, unwilling to pay her any more attention.
After walking around twice, Jiang Ling began to lament in his heart: "Wandering around outside on a cold winter night is so annoying. When will this wandering end!"
Emperor Yuanming's face darkened. This wretched woman! He'd only let her walk around a bit longer because he feared she'd indigestion. He was determined to teach her a lesson in laziness, and quickened his pace.
Jiang Ling hurriedly followed, thinking to herself, "The sooner I sleep with him, the sooner I can go to sleep..."
Emperor Yuanming's heart skipped a beat, and he involuntarily stopped in his tracks. Jiang Ling, caught off guard, nearly bumped into him.
"It's cold outside, let's go back inside." Emperor Yuanming took the opportunity to pull Jiang Ling into his arms, his voice as gentle as spring water.
The posture was too intimate, and Jiang Ling instinctively resisted. She stiffened, and desperately tried to restrain herself, managing not to shake him off.
"Is the sachet at your waist filled with winter plum blossoms again?" Emperor Yuanming looked down, took it off and held it in his hand, saying affectionately, "If you like, I will have someone send you winter plum blossoms every day, as many as you want, and make them all into sachets to fill the entire Fanying Pavilion, how about that?"
Jiang Ling blurted out, "You even send gifts in the summer?"
Emperor Yuanming was speechless, angrily glared at her, and said arrogantly, "Summer is full of beautiful flowers. As long as there are flowers in the world, I can find them for you!"
Jiang Ling thanked him, but her eyes practically rolled to the sky: "Do you think I'm a complete fool? What use would I have for those flowers? You want to be a tyrant, but I don't want to be a seductive vixen. What I want is money to spend, countless amounts of gold and silver, preferably gold, do you hear me!"
Emperor Yuanming's ears were ringing from the noise, so to prevent her from making any more noise, he simply shut his mouth.
After returning to his room, Emperor Yuanming went to wash up first. After washing up, he dismissed the palace maids from his quarters, lay on the bed, smelling the fragrance of winter plum blossoms filling the room, his heart pounding with unease and unable to hide his anxiety.
She lost control after drinking last night, but she hasn't touched a drop tonight. If she becomes reserved and shy, then all his expectations will have been for nothing!
A noise came from outside the bedroom, and Emperor Yuanming involuntarily held his breath. Leaning against the headboard, his eyes slightly lowered, he adopted a serene and contented posture.
Jiang Ling returned to her bedroom, covered her face, and yawned. Seeing Emperor Yuanming lying outside, she obediently went around to the inside from the foot of the bed.
Emperor Yuanming heard a rustling sound beside him, opened his eyes, and his arm involuntarily stretched out.
His hand was halfway out when it was grasped by a pair of soft hands. Emperor Yuanming's heart stopped beating instantly, and he looked at Jiang Ling. Her curly black hair was draped over her shoulders, half-covering her loosely open inner garment. She met his gaze with a relaxed expression, her eyes holding a half-smile, carrying a hint of nonchalance.
Emperor Yuanming's heart skipped a beat, and his fingertips went numb with excitement.
That's exactly what she was like last night!
Why drink wine? She herself is the strongest wine in the world, a poison. He involuntarily followed the direction of her hand and crawled down.
Jiang Ling was tired, and Emperor Yuanming's actions were like scratching an itch through a boot, leaving her uninterested. Unwilling to waste any more effort, she decided to finish him off quickly.
After groping for her inner garment and putting it on, Jiang Ling got out of bed first and respectfully curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, please rest early. This concubine will take her leave."
Emperor Yuanming, still basking in the afterglow, stared intently at her, asking blankly, "Where are you going?"
Jiang Ling would never sleep in the same bed as him. She had already had Wen Juan spread out the bedding on the couch in the west room and said, "Rules cannot be broken. I should rest somewhere else. It's getting late, and Your Majesty is busy with many affairs of state, so I won't disturb you any longer." After saying that, she lowered her eyes, took a few steps back, and turned to leave.
Emperor Yuanming couldn't help but clench his teeth. He offered himself up and served her comfortably, but she still lifted her skirt and left!
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