Chapter 24 [24]
【24】/First release
On the way back to the Yangxin Palace, Lu Zhiwan was in a daze and absent-minded state.
When she nearly bumped into a pillar again, Xiao Jingting couldn't help himself and grabbed her arm, pulling her in front of him: "Did you set your eyes on the Hall of Supreme Harmony?"
Lu Zhiwan was held back by him, her mind still a little sluggish: "Huh?"
Xiao Jingting looked at her in a daze, his long fingers slightly bent, restraining himself from hitting her head. He said with a sullen face, "Watch the road as you walk."
"Oh, yes." Lu Zhiwan came back to his senses, but was still not in the right state. Even his words of "Thank you, Your Majesty, for the reminder" sounded a bit perfunctory.
Xiao Jingting naturally noticed her strangeness. It seemed that she had turned into this ghostly look since she left the Taihe Palace.
Could it be that he was still thinking about Gu Rongyu, and his three souls and seven spirits followed him?
Thinking of this, Xiao Jingting narrowed his eyes, held his breath, and tried to listen to what she was thinking at the moment.
However, after listening for a while, the inner voice that reached his ears did not mention Gu Rongyu, but kept repeating "It's over, it's over, it's over", "What should I do now? What should I do now?", "I haven't had a few days of good life yet, why is it just because of..."
Why? He listened carefully, but the sound seemed to come from a very long distance, vague and indistinguishable.
After pondering for a few breaths, Xiao Jingting simply raised his hand, grabbed Lu Zhiwan in front of him, and asked directly: "What are you thinking about?"
He asked suddenly. Lu Zhiwan met those sharp black eyes and her heart trembled slightly: "I...I didn't think anything, why do you ask me this, Your Majesty?"
"You haven't been feeling well since you came back from the Hall of Supreme Harmony."
"Uh... maybe I got up too early today, so I feel a little dizzy." Lu Zhiwan raised her hand to support her forehead, feigning fatigue. "I used to know that Your Majesty toiled for state affairs, forgetting to eat and sleep, but I never thought it was this arduous. I've only been up early for a day of attending to government affairs, and I'm already feeling drained and dizzy."
Xiao Jingting looked at her deeply for a moment before saying, "Since you're tired, go back and rest."
"Really?" Lu Zhiwan's face lit up with joy, as if hearing heavenly music. She quickly knelt and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty. I will return to Lifeng Palace first."
Before she could even take a step, a man's voice came from above her head: "Tomorrow..."
Lu Zhiwan's heart skipped a beat. "No way? Coming tomorrow morning? I can't stand getting up so early!"
This wailing sound reached Xiao Jingting's ears very clearly. He glanced at her depressed and tightly furrowed brows, and raised his thin lips slightly. Just as he was about to speak, another voice from her heart reached his ears -
"Alas, although it's sad to get up early, it's a consolation to see Miss Gu again tomorrow."
Xiao Jingting: “..........”
The corners of his mouth curved downwards, and his tone became lighter: "You don't have to go to court tomorrow."
Although Lu Zhiwan likes looking at handsome guys, compared to sleeping until he wakes up naturally, handsome guys have to take a back seat.
"Has the evil-hearted boss suddenly found his conscience? Great, I can lie in bed again."
However, her joy lasted less than two seconds before she saw the black-hearted boss raise his eyebrows and smile at her: "I have thought of the second thing I want you to do."
It was like a bucket of cold water was poured over his head. Lu Zhiwan's smile froze at the corners of his mouth, and an ominous premonition came over him.
Every time he laughs like this, it's never good.
As expected, the man in front of her crossed his arms over his chest, looked her up and down, and said slowly: "In seven days, you will dance for me."
Dancing? Lu Zhiwan's mouth twitched. This man really has a new idea every day, and each one is different.
"With my old arms and legs, I can't dance, but I might be able to do a whole piece of shamanism."
"Why don't you say anything? Are you feeling embarrassed?" Xiao Jingting looked at her miserable face, his narrow eyes showing some interest.
"Your Majesty, I am not good at music, singing and dancing..."
Her best friend in her previous life was a jazz teacher in a dance studio. She had taken her to try out two classes, but her arms and legs were like they had just been assembled. When she danced, she had her own ideas, and her dance was a bit weird and arbitrary.
"Not good at studying."
Xiao Jingting looked at her dimly: "Didn't you say you would do anything for me? Are you trying to deceive me?"
Lu Zhiwan shuddered and quickly shook her head: "No, no, I dare not. Heaven can bear witness to my heart for Your Majesty! Let alone one dance, I will dance for you a hundred times."
"What kind of person is this? If you want to watch dancing, go to the Jiaofangsi instead. Why do you have to come and mess with her?"
"Alas, being a favorite concubine is so hard. I have to worry about my life and learn talents at the same time... Otherwise, I'd better take this opportunity to offend him and be sent back to Liuxiaxuan."
"No, I remember..."
In the book, it took the hero several years to successfully rebel. If she returned to Liuxiaxuan now, she might not be able to bear the life of steamed buns and salted fish and die early from malnutrition before the hero arrived.
After weighing the pros and cons, Lu Zhiwan decided to deal with the difficult person in front of her first: "Since Your Majesty wants to see it, then I will definitely work hard to learn it."
As for whether the dance is good or not, that is another matter.
Seeing that she agreed, Xiao Jingting said nothing more and waved his hand to signal her to leave.
After the petite figure disappeared into the bright palace, Xiao Jingting called Yu Mingjiang over and ordered, "Check if she had any close contact with any man before entering the palace."
Yu Mingjiang raised his eyes and looked at the master he had served since he was a child in surprise, as if he had discovered something extremely rare.
Xiao Jingting frowned: "Why are you looking at me like this, my dear?"
"Nothing." Yu Mingjiang smiled, his eyes wrinkling. "I just feel that since Concubine Lu came to His Majesty's side, His Majesty has become a little different from before."
"What's the difference?"
Yu Mingjiang had wanted to say that he'd become more humane. After all, His Majesty had previously shown apathy, aside from his attention to the cats in Jinli Garden. But now, not only was His Majesty not averse to human contact, he was even proactively investigating Concubine Lu's past... Perhaps with a little more time together, His Majesty and Concubine Lu could finally share a bed and lead a normal life.
Thinking of that day, Yu Mingjiang couldn't help but feel happy. Seeing that his master was still waiting for his answer, he bowed hurriedly and said, "Your Majesty, you smile more often than before."
"It's quite fun to tease her."
The nonchalant tone seemed no different from teasing cats.
"Go down and investigate thoroughly."
Yu Mingjiang lowered his eyes and said yes, thinking to himself, is it really just fun? Not necessarily.
***
On the other side, the first thing Lu Zhiwan did when he returned to Lifeng Palace was to go to bed.
I slept until dusk. The afterglow of the sunset enveloped the roses outside the window. Several colorful butterflies fluttered around the gardenias. The courtyard was dyed a warm orange by the sunset, creating a peaceful and harmonious atmosphere.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhiwan, who was sitting by the window, rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the beautiful scenery in the courtyard with a melancholy expression: "Why is it transmigrating into a book..."
It was only when she finally got close to the emperor and barely managed to become his favorite concubine that she suddenly remembered the plot - this is such a rip-off!
According to the original plot, she and Xiao Jingting are the background villains, waiting for the male protagonist to rise up and kill them, and the only person who can come into contact with the male and female protagonists at the moment is the second male protagonist Gu Rongyu.
I still remember when I was reading the book, Lu Zhiwan secretly thought that Gu Rongyu's greatest misfortune was meeting the heroine. If it weren't for the so-called love, he would still be that handsome and noble young man with a bright future, becoming a famous official and leaving his name in history.
But in the original plot, after meeting the heroine, Gu Rongyu suddenly became a tool man who lost his mind because of love. Not only did he betray the court for the heroine, he opened the city gate to let the heroine's rebels enter the city, bearing the stigma of a traitor, but later he also went blind to seek medicine for the heroine.
What made her blood pressure rise the most was that after the heroine recovered from her illness, she turned around and threw herself into the arms of the hero. Gu Rongyu also generously offered his blessings and finally lived in seclusion in the mountains, fulfilling the love between the hero and heroine.
The affectionate second male lead did not have a happy ending. I don’t know how many tears he had deceived Lu Zhiwan, and he also became one of Lu Zhiwan’s white moonlights in his novels.
"How about thinking of a way to remind Gu Rongyu to focus on his career and stay away from women?"
"Oh no, if I go to him and say this in my current capacity, he'll definitely think I'm crazy."
After holding his face and thinking for a long time, Lu Zhiwan finally lazily fell on the edge of the couch. It was too difficult to change the plot!
The male and female protagonists are surrounded by the protagonist's halo, so how can she, a background villain, fight them? Instead of racking her brains to change the plot, it is better to find another way out, stay away from these protagonists, and go her own way from now on.
Thinking of this, Lu Zhiwan instantly felt less stressed.
But she can escape the pressure of the plot, but she cannot escape the dancing task assigned by a certain dog emperor.
For the next seven days, Lu Zhiwan, eager to learn, would go to the Jiaofangsi after breakfast every day to receive instruction in dance and music.
Such a loud noise naturally reached the ears of Concubine Gu.
Thinking of the last time in the Yangxin Palace, when she had invited His Majesty to watch a dance but was ruthlessly rejected, Concubine Gu almost crushed the cup in her hand: "Last time, she said she was not good at music and had no knowledge of singing and dancing. Now, she has disregarded her status and dignity and rushed to the Jiaofang Bureau to learn singing and dancing with those lowly dancers... This Lu is really a hypocritical and lying person!"
The senior palace maid Su Yi hurriedly rubbed her back and said, "Master, calm down. There's no need to ruin your health over such a thing."
Concubine Gu's expression remained unhappy. "Now, in the entire harem, she is the only one who is favored. I and the other concubines have become mere decorations. This is really hard for me to swallow."
The resentment in these words was too strong. Su Yi slowed down her patting of her back and whispered a reminder: "Last time, I just put some poison powder in the rouge, and His Majesty ordered General Manager Yu to investigate thoroughly. Not only did Concubine Zhao lose her life, but her house was also raided. This shows how much His Majesty values Concubine Lu... Master, you'd better be patient. Now that little bitch is in favor, it's not a good time to make a move. Men are always greedy for novelty. Wait until His Majesty loses interest in her after a while, and then you can find a way to deal with her..."
Imperial Concubine Gu knew that her attack now was too conspicuous. She took a few deep breaths, clutched the handkerchief, and said sternly, "Next time I attack, it will definitely not be as simple as disfigurement."
Anyone who stands in the way will be at peace if he dies.
***
"Ahhh—"
Lu Zhiwan rubbed his nose and could no longer remember how many times he had sneezed that day.
Lu Fu, the most skilled dancer in the Jiaofang Division, came forward and said in a soft and caring voice, "Is your Highness all right? Why don't you take a break?"
"It's okay." Lu Zhiwan straightened the colorful ribbon wrapped around his arm and smiled faintly at the slender beauty in front of him: "Let's hurry up and continue practicing."
After all, there are still two days left before the deadline given by Xiao Jingting.
But no matter how hard she practiced, Lu Fu's dance was always like a lotus emerging from the water, graceful and ethereal. And every time she waved her hands and twisted her waist, she felt like a primitive ape courting.
This made Lu Zhiwan worry that Xiao Jingting might think she was just being perfunctory and turn his face against her and send her to the cold palace.
It turns out that she could never figure out the man's train of thought.
Three days later, at night, when she was wearing a light and charming gauze dance dress and dancing to the music, the person sitting in the upper seat laughed softly.
At first, the laughter was restrained, but later he simply stopped trying to hide it. The man leaned lazily on the throne, laughing non-stop as if he had been stimulated by a stimulus called the "laughing point".
The emperor laughed, and the palace servants who served him couldn't help laughing. It was their years of professional ethics that prevented them from laughing out loud.
Lu Zhiwan was speechless down there.
"What the hell is this? Is it that funny?! I've been studying diligently for seven days, I need to show some respect for my work!"
"Still laughing, be careful not to lose your teeth!"
She complained in her mind while thinking about her next move, but the more nervous a person is, the more likely they are to make mistakes.
After she finished spinning around with a silk ribbon, she accidentally stepped on it and fell to the ground with a "bang".
In an instant, the music in the hall fell silent, and the laughter of the people in the upper seats also stopped abruptly.
Lu Zhiwan lay on the ground, feeling a burning pain in his ankle. He felt embarrassed and a little panicked.
"It's over, it's over. I jumped so badly. I hope the Dog Emperor won't give me any trouble."
Thinking of this, she quickly propped herself up.
When she looked up, she saw the man in the black robe and jade crown had left his seat and was striding towards her with a frown on his face, looking displeased.
Lu Zhiwan's heart tightened, and she explained dryly: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was just a momentary mistake..."
The man's tall figure stood in front of her with his back to the light, like a thick shadow covering her head. She raised her head, unable to see his expression clearly.
Until he squatted down, staring at her with narrow eyes: "Where did you hurt?"
Lu Zhiwan blinked her eyelashes, regaining consciousness in a daze. She subconsciously wanted to say "It's okay," but when the words reached her lips, she was entangled by a strange emotion and blurted out a soft cry: "My feet hurt, my hands hurt, and my butt hurts..."
This coquettish sound does not seem fake.
Xiao Jingting looked at her furrowed brows and watery black eyes, his eyes darkened, and he quickly looked away.
He bent down, reached out and picked her up from the ground.
Lu Zhiwan exclaimed in surprise, and his voice was light: "Hug my neck."
“Okay, okay…”
Lu Zhiwan slowly put her arms around the man's neck. She was still a little confused. She thought that she had fallen on her butt and the man would gloat and laugh at her. Unexpectedly, his first question was to ask her where she was hurt.
Well, considering that he rarely behaved like a human being, she took back her previous passionate insults to him.
"Call the imperial physician."
After giving this order, Xiao Jingting carried Lu Zhiwan into the bedroom.
This sudden situation made the palace servants in the hall stunned for a moment. After they reacted, some called for the imperial physician, some cleaned up the scene, and everyone got busy.
In the quiet bedroom, the lights are dim and the incense is curling.
Lu Zhiwan leaned against the edge of the couch, with Xiao Jingting holding one of her slender white calves. There was a high red and swollen spot on her small ankle.
Two long fingers pressed gently, and Xiao Jingting looked at her reaction: "Does it hurt?"
"Nonsense, try twisting it."
Lu Zhiwan sniffed and his voice softened: "It hurts, it hurts so much."
Xiao Jingting glanced at her sideways and said nothing.
Lu Zhiwan pursed her red lips and asked softly, "Your Majesty, do you think I'm useless? I can't even learn to dance..."
Xiao Jingting: "Yeah."
Lu Zhiwan: “……?”
"But you don't have to belittle yourself."
Xiao Jingting took the medicinal wine, poured it into his palm to warm it, and gently rubbed her ankles: "Although your dancing is a little funny, if you develop into comedy in the future, you may become a leader in the industry."
The corners of Lu Zhiwan's mouth twitched.
"Is this comforting or insulting? Unnecessary tongues can be donated. And why would a concubine like me be tempted to resort to farce?!"
"But this man's massage technique is quite good. He looks quite experienced. Could it be that he's sprained his ankle often before? He can't have applied medicine like this to other people before."
Before she could ask, the person in front of her spoke first, "When we rescued Dahua from the wild five years ago, its left hind leg was nearly bitten off. The vet used the most expensive medicine and massaged it every day to finally get it back on track. It's still a little lame, but you can't tell unless you look closely."
Lu Zhiwan was slightly surprised: "Did Dahua rescue her from the wild?"
Xiao Jingting raised his eyes slightly: "Strange?"
Lu Zhiwan smiled bitterly: "I originally thought that the cats in Jinli Garden were collected by the ministers from all over the place and presented to you."
"I didn't expect this guy to be a wildlife rescuer?"
"Some were presented as tribute by foreign nations, and some were rescued by chance." Xiao Jingting said calmly, "There's no room for two tigers on one mountain. Dahua and Erhua were both driven out by the beast kings of their respective mountains."
"So that's how it is..." Lu Zhiwan suddenly realized.
Thinking back to the first time I saw Dahua and Erhua at Jinli Garden, I was so frightened by them that I couldn't help but mutter, "Even after being kicked out, they're still so fierce. Next time I go to Jinli Garden, I'll make fun of them."
Hearing this, Xiao Jingting paused in rubbing his ankle and said, "A tiger in trouble is bullied by a dog."
Lu Zhiwan's first reaction was, is he hinting? Then she thought again, how could he know what she was thinking... But why did this person say this for no reason?
While he was puzzled, he heard Xiao Jingting continue, "Before Erhua was found, she was fighting with wild dogs for food. This proves that the saying is not made up out of thin air."
Lu Zhiwan tutted his words, "It's quite miserable for a mountain king to end up competing with wild dogs for food."
The casual sigh reminded Xiao Jingting of something. His jaw tightened slightly without any expression, and he continued to knead his ankle in silence.
Not long after, the imperial physician arrived and examined Lu Zhiwan.
Fortunately, it was just a sprained ankle, which is not serious and I just need to rest for a while.
After the imperial physician left, Lu Zhiwan raised her pitiful face and asked Xiao Jingting softly, "Your Majesty, have I completed the second task?"
Xiao Jingting looked at her pretending to be weak, and raised his eyebrows slightly: "What do you think?"
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
"I think you're just a tyrant with nothing better to do!"
"If Your Majesty is not satisfied, then once my ankle has healed, I will go to the Music Bureau to learn and dance again for Your Majesty." Lu Zhiwan looked at him affectionately, "As long as it's for Your Majesty, I'm willing to do anything."
Xiao Jingting: "It's better not to learn it."
The surprise came too suddenly. Lu Zhiwan's eyes lit up: "Your Majesty?"
Xiao Jingting said seriously: "This time it was a twisted ankle, what if next time it's a twisted neck and he dies?"
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
Thank you.
No matter what, the dancing issue is over.
At night, Lu Zhiwan rested in Xiao Jingting's arms. Without the pressure of the dancing task, she thought about the main storyline again.
"Gu Rongyu must be on his way south of the Yangtze River by now, right? I wonder how long it takes to get from the capital to Jinling."
Xiao Jingting hadn't called her to sleep with him for several nights. She never expected that tonight, while he was in her arms, she was thinking of another man.
Did she like Gu Rongyu so much that she fell in love with him at first sight?
The palm on that slender waist unconsciously tightened, until the person in his arms uttered a soft, coquettish cry: "Your Majesty, you're pinching me."
It was dark and quiet inside the tent. Xiao Jingting half-closed his eyes and loosened his long fingers slightly. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I was almost asleep when you woke me up."
"Are you blaming me?"
"...I dare not."
Lu Zhiwan said embarrassedly, and took the man's hand under the quilt very servilely, and put it on her waist: "If you like, feel free to pinch it."
The summer pajamas were thin and silky, and through the thin layer of satin, the man's palm could feel the tight lines of the slender waist.
Xiao Jingting suddenly became curious. Was the touch of her waist as soft and warm as her hands?
The long fingers lifted the thin silk, and the moment they touched the delicate skin, the person in his arms trembled.
"Where the hell is this man touching?"
"Your waist..."
The touching fingers paused for a moment, Xiao Jingting lowered his head, his voice hoarse: "Very sensitive?"
The man's hot breath brushed against Lu Zhiwan's forehead. Half of his cheek became inexplicably hot, and his heartbeat became faster and faster. He stammered, "A little bit..."
Although I had always slept in his arms before, this was the first time that our contact was not through the clothes.
The man's fingertips were rough and calloused, and when they touched her waist, it felt like an electric current, causing her back to tense and her breathing to become increasingly rapid.
"Isn't that going to happen tonight..."
"This is too sudden. My foot is still injured. Won't it be very inconvenient later?"
"Ahhh why are you so nervous all of a sudden? We're all newbies, why should I be nervous? He should be nervous, right? I heard that guys are always pretty nervous the first time..."
Just as Lu Zhiwan was daydreaming, the man's hand had completely grasped her waist.
The scorching heat in his palm seemed to melt her skin, making her whole body feel hot for no reason.
The ambiguous atmosphere grew thicker between the curtains. Thinking that this day would come sooner or later, Lu Zhiwan closed her eyes and waited for the man's next move.
But apart from the hand pressed tightly against her waist, the man beside her did not make any other movements.
"No way? That's it..."
"Your Majesty..." Lu Zhiwan bravely called out softly.
"Um?"
“You…” Is that not okay?
She certainly didn't dare to ask directly, so she swallowed her saliva and asked euphemistically, "Don't you like me?"
"Why do you ask that?"
"If you like me, why don't you..." It's really embarrassing to ask such a question!
Lu Zhiwan secretly hated him for being such a blockhead. Fortunately, the pitch-black night could hide her embarrassment a little. After struggling for a while, she still couldn't bring herself to ask, so she simply said vaguely: "I just want Your Majesty to know that I love Your Majesty deeply and wholeheartedly."
Wholeheartedly?
Xiao Jingting sneered, pinched the soft flesh on her waist with his long fingers, his eyes dark.
A woman who tells lies all the time deserves to be fed to cats.
Pressing her waist and pulling her closer to him, Xiao Jingting closed his eyes and said, "Let's sleep."
After being disturbed by his actions just now, Lu Zhiwan didn't have the mind to think about anything else. She rubbed her head twice in his arms, found a comfortable angle and fell asleep steadily.
In the dead of night, between the bed curtains, Xiao Jingting lowered his eyes to look at the person sleeping beside him, a trace of melancholy appearing on his brows.
Heartless people tend to fall asleep quickly.
But how could she want him to favor her while still obsessed with Gu Rongyu?
This woman is really ridiculous.
Give her some more time, and when I have completely lost interest in her, I will send her to Jinliyuan to raise cats.
As for Gu Rongyu, I'll talk to Prime Minister Gu about it after the court tomorrow. It's time to arrange a marriage for him, so that he won't be attracting bees and butterflies all day long, making the young girls and young women in Beijing restless and restless.
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