Chapter 244 World Ten (Fifteen)
As soon as Chu Boyu walked out of the Empress Dowager's palace and reached the corridor, he saw a woman in a brocade dress waiting there with an eager look in her eyes.
Chu Boyu had always been kind to the people in the palace. Even though he knew this woman had deliberately met him by chance, and even though he felt annoyed, he didn't want to blame her and simply avoided her. However, Tang Xiunu was obviously unaware of Chu Boyu's thoughts. She looked at the emperor, whom she had finally "encountered by chance," and saw that he hadn't even glanced at her. She couldn't help but feel disappointed and hurriedly called out, "Your Majesty!"
Tang Xiunu stepped forward, leaning forward deliberately, intentionally showing her most beautiful profile to Chu Boyu. Her face was shy, and her eyes sparkled with hope: "It is a coincidence to meet Your Majesty."
Chu Boyu frowned and asked, "You are..."
When Tang Xiu Nu heard His Majesty ask her name, her cheeks flushed with excitement, and she said softly, "I am Xiu Nu Tang..."
Before he finished speaking, Chu Boyu said in a deep voice, "Since you are a concubine, you should stay in the concubine's palace and learn the rules. Don't walk around the palace casually."
Although these words were not harsh, they made Tang Xiunu, who was full of expectations, feel like a bucket of cold water poured over her head, and her whole body was chilled to the bone. She said yes softly, and when she looked up again, Chu Boyu's figure was already far away.
The maid hiding aside walked tremblingly to Tang Xiunu's side and said, "Your Majesty may be worried about something. Xiunu should go back first."
Tang Xiu Nu refused. She didn't know how much effort she had put into gaining an audience with His Majesty, so how could she give up so easily? She gritted her teeth and said solemnly, "There are thousands of roads in the palace, and there's always one that leads to the same path as Your Majesty."
In this way, he actually wanted to follow Chu Boyu.
Because Chu Boyu was tall, although his steps were slow, the moment he lifted his foot and put it on the ground, he was already two or three steps away from the woman.
Tang Xiunu hurriedly caught up with Chu Boyu. But before she could even call out "Your Majesty," she saw a slender woman bowing softly.
Tang Xiu Nu looked at the woman. She was pretty, but her clothes were obviously inferior to hers. She was definitely not a person of status in the palace.
Sarcasm appeared on Tang Xiunu's face, and she thought to herself which palace maid who wanted to climb up the social ladder was so bold as to seduce His Majesty.
The palace is different from the harem. If you are a little pretty, you can try your best to get a status. But in the palace, you can lose your life if you are not careful.
Tang Xiunu watched coldly as the woman pulled out a rough object from her bosom and presented it to Chu Boyu. Suddenly, the mockery on Tang Xiunu's face grew even stronger. But the maid behind Tang Xiunu was surprised to see the woman's appearance, thinking to herself: Why is it her?
Because in his dream, Chu Boyu had some romantic thoughts about the treasure fan.
Now that he saw Baoshan in person, he couldn't help but feel restrained.
He heard the soft sound of the treasured fan, which was exactly the same as the sound of the woman who hugged his shoulders and cried softly in his dream.
Chu Boyu twirled his fingers lightly, deliberately avoiding Bao Shan's sight: "What's the matter?"
Bao Shan looked timid, her voice trembling a little, "I made something and wanted to present it to Your Majesty, but my craftsmanship is crude and certainly not as good as the ones made at the Tailor Bureau."
When she mentioned embroidery, Chu Boyu thought of sachets and the like.
Chu Boyu couldn't help but frown. The accessories on the emperor were all elegant and gorgeous, without a single flaw.
If the precious fan was given as a gift, it must be a sachet. If he wears it close to his body, it will definitely attract the attention of others.
But if Chu Boyu refused, he turned slightly to look at Baoshan's lowered head and soft black hair. He had already imagined how ashamed and angry this weak and pitiful woman would be. She would probably never make anything for him again.
Chu Boyu thought to himself, why not put the sachet away and place it under the soft pillow.
This way, I won't disappoint Baoshan's kindness, and I won't be criticized by others.
After thinking about this, Chu Boyu's tone softened a bit and asked, "What is it?"
Baoshan took out a round cloth ball from his wide sleeves and handed it to Chu Boyu.
Seeing the puzzled look on Chu Boyu's face, Bao Shan explained softly, "This is a cloth ball I made. The material was a gift from the Empress Dowager, and it's soft and next to the skin. I sewed it into a round ball and put some fine sand and peeled millet inside. It feels heavy, but not too heavy."
Chu Boyu picked up the cloth ball and frowned, "Is this for me?"
It seems like something only children would play with.
Upon hearing this, Bao Shan's eyes flashed with surprise. He opened his mouth slightly and timidly explained, "It's not... for Your Majesty. It's for the little raccoon cat."
Chu Boyu's frown deepened, and he said in a deep voice, "Is it for Mo Yu?"
Baoshan replied softly, "The little raccoon cat has been getting impatient lately, and has nowhere to vent his anger...
It must be boring. If there is a cloth ball to play with, it can distract your mind and your Majesty will no longer worry."
After all the twists and turns, Baoshan is still concerned about Chu Boyu.
Chu Boyu could naturally hear the hidden meaning and couldn't help but take a few steps closer.
He stuffed the cloth ball into his sleeve, held the soft and delicate hand of the treasure fan, and his slightly irritated heart gradually calmed down.
Baoshan trembled at first, but did not pull out her soft hand.
Firstly, because Chu Boyu was the emperor, how could she refuse?
Secondly, the two of them had even kissed each other, so holding hands was a small matter compared to that.
Chu Boyu's ten fingers passed through the gaps between the treasure fan and completely controlled the cool palm in his own hands.
The coldness and awkwardness faded, and the atmosphere between them began to warm up. Chu Boyu said casually, "Mo Yu has taken the medicine, and his impatience has improved."
Baoshan had already learned from Yinhua about Moyu taking the medicine.
After all, Chu Boyu's beloved pet was drugged to sever his love, which was considered big news in the palace. But at this moment, Bao Shan showed surprise and whispered, "The young master, the raccoon cat, will definitely be very sad."
Chu Boyu took the treasured fan and pulled it into his arms, then leaned over and sniffed her neck.
The elegant fragrance seems to have the magical effect of calming people's minds.
Chu Boyu's thin lips opened and closed, and his breath splashed on Baoshan's neck, causing her body to tremble slightly and her legs to almost fall.
"Mo Yu chose it himself. He has a stubborn temper and will never obey unless he is given some strong medicine. Although the cloth ball is good, I am afraid Mo Yu can't use it."
Upon hearing this, Baoshan suddenly turned around, and the elegant fragrance that was within Chu Boyu's reach escaped his control.
Baoshan lowered her eyelashes, a look of dejection and loss on her face: "This servant knows that her craftsmanship is poor, and the young master, the cat, will definitely not like it. Your Majesty..."
Chu Boyu knew that Baoshan was timid and tearful, but every time he saw the beauty in tears, he couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
Chu Boyu took out the cloth ball, stroked the needlework on it, and said solemnly: "I see that it is not much different from the embroiderers in the palace."
His praise made Baoshan's cheeks turn red instantly, and the tears in her eyes could no longer flow.
It was not until the two men left that Tang Xiunü appeared from behind the leaves.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Tang Xiunü would not have believed that the man who was intimate with the woman just now was the current emperor Chu Boyu.
Tang Xiu Nu was so angry that she almost broke her armor. She asked in a cold voice, "Who is that foxy girl?"
The maid knew Baoshan's identity and quickly replied, "She is a dancer from the Imperial Music Bureau, named Baoshan. I heard that she danced before His Majesty, and I'm afraid that's why she won His Majesty's favor."
After a while, Your Majesty was bewitched by Bao Shan's seductive tricks and ended up getting entangled with her."
The maid was still brooding over the incident at the tailor shop, so she took this opportunity to steal the precious fan.
Tang Xiu Nu grew increasingly dissatisfied. She had thought she had misjudged someone who deserved Chu Boyu's attention, and that someone of high status must be of high rank. Unexpectedly, she was just a lowly dancer. Furthermore, just as Tang Xiu Nu was being reprimanded for proper etiquette, Chu Boyu was now being intimate with the precious fan.
This made Tang Xiu Nu feel deeply humiliated. She could not blame the emperor, so she could only vent her anger on the precious fan.
"She's just a dancer. I'm afraid she's only good in bed, which is why she's attracted Your Majesty to her. But she's definitely not presentable!"
The maid said yes repeatedly.
When Tang Xiu Nu returned to the palace, several other ladies asked her how her trip went and whether she had met His Majesty.
They naturally knew that His Majesty had indeed appeared in the Chaoshou Gallery. However, judging by the look of Tang Xiunu returning in disgrace, Chu Boyu certainly had not treated her kindly.
Tang Xiu Nu was extremely angry. She usually thought highly of herself and tried to maintain superficial relationships with many other concubines.
However, at this time, because of the incident with the precious fan, Tang Xiunu felt that in the eyes of His Majesty, she was not even as good as a dancer. She was feeling depressed and no longer wanted to flatter the other girls. She ordered the maid to drive them all out.
The beauties were driven out, but they did not look angry. They all looked at each other and smiled softly.
Judging from the current situation, it is not as simple as Tang Xiunü being ignored by Chu Boyu. She must have suffered humiliation that they are unaware of.
Tang Xiu Nu was filled with rage and immediately ordered her maid to call over the people she knew in the palace.
She is a nanny who is nearly forty years old.
When the nanny heard what Tang Xiunü said about framing Baoshan, she couldn't help but look hesitant.
Going through so much trouble just to deal with a dancer is...
Tang Xiunu's face flushed red as she raised her voice, "That bitch seduced Your Majesty, so she deserves to be punished!"
The nanny said quickly, "I will definitely remember this. This time I will make that precious fan suffer."
Sun Ruxuan, who was delivering a handkerchief left in the palace to Tang Xiunü, was startled when she heard these words. She clutched the handkerchief tightly and hurriedly turned and left.
Mo Yu was lying on the window frame, lazily basking in the sun.
Golden sunlight poured down on Mo Yu, illuminating every strand of his hair. Each strand was as black as ink, without even a trace of other colors. Hearing Chu Boyu's return, Mo Yu gently opened her eyelids.
Chu Boyu handed the cloth ball to Mo Yu and touched Mo Yu's head: "This is a treasure fan made especially for you, you must cherish it."
Mo Yu, who was playing with the cloth ball with his claws, suddenly froze.
In a flash, Mo Yu started playing with the cloth ball as if nothing had happened.
If he looked at the cloth ball, Mo Yu could find hundreds of flaws—
There was no drooping tassel, only a bare ball of cloth. The stitches were untidy, and there were still loose threads when the stitches were closed...
But when Mo Yu thought of what Chu Boyu said, that the cloth ball was made by that two-faced woman, he silently endured these flaws.
After all, last time, it just scratched Baoshan's dress, and Chu Boyu, who had always doted on it, forced it to take a prescription of medicine.
Now, if it dislikes this cloth ball, Chu Boyu will probably be angry with it again.
Mo Yu slapped the cloth ball hard and pressed it under his fleshy claws, making it unable to move.
That vicious look made it seem as if Mo Yu really wanted to hit not the ball, but a person...
Looking at Mo Yu, who was usually aloof, having fun playing with the cloth ball, Chu Boyu withdrew his gaze indifferently.
Chu Boyu understood that Baoshan gave the black jade cloth ball for him.
It was Mo Yu, who bullied Bao Shan, who got the toys, but he, who comforted Bao Shan, had nothing.
It's really outrageous.
After hearing what Yinhua said, Tang Xiunü encountered His Majesty by chance but returned empty-handed, and became very angry.
Baoshan asked a few questions casually and found out the time and place when Tang Xiunu met Chu Boyu.
That corridor was not far from where Bao Shan and Chu Boyu met.
Baoshan frowned and thought to himself, as expected, no wonder the leaves were rustling even though there was no wind at that time, it turned out that someone was eavesdropping.
Baoshan asked for a long time and was sure that only one of the concubines had the surname Tang.
This person has a flamboyant personality. He is the one who wrongly accused Bao Shan in the dream, stole her things, and beat her to death regardless of the truth.
At this time, Baoshan had not yet had sexual intercourse with Chu Boyu.
But the closeness they had experienced that day was enough to make Tang Xiunu furious. The events of the dream were likely to happen again.
But Baoshan was not worried. Even if Tang Xiu Nu wanted to frame others, she needed to know that the palace belonged to His Majesty, not to her as a single concubine.
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