Chapter 28 [28]
【28】/First release
Lu Zhiwan remembered the plot in the morning and was still immersed in the powerful and shameless gravity of the plot until the evening, exuding a strong sense of dejection.
Xia He was frightened by her master's sorrowful expression. The last time she saw him like this was two months ago when she woke up from drowning.
At that time, they lived in the remote and dilapidated Liuxiaxuan, and their situation was difficult. They were bullied every now and then, so the master's resentment was understandable.
But things are different now. She is now the most favored concubine in the harem and is deeply loved by His Majesty. Even Concubine Gu, who has a prominent family background, does not have this honor.
"So, Master, what's wrong with you?" Xia He frowned and asked cautiously, "Is it because of the rumors outside? Those people are jealous of your favor and slander you. Please don't take it to heart."
Hearing this, Lu Zhiwan looked up at Xia He's caring face.
If I were to be burned to death as a concubine three years later, what would happen to Xia He, my personal maid?
There are also Manager Yu, Aunt Qiu Rong, and Empress Dowager Gu... Although they are insignificant paper-like supporting characters in the original novel, in this world, they are all living people, with joys, sorrows, anger, and happiness, and their own stories, and they have really given her help and kindness.
Can I still treat them as paper people now?
"Xia He, what do you think of His Majesty?"
"Huh?" Xia He was stunned by the sudden question. She looked confused. "Your Majesty...Your Majesty is fine."
Lu Zhiwan: "Be more specific."
Xia He shook her head in fear: "I dare not speak ill of Your Majesty."
Lu Zhiwan looked around and said, "There's no one else here right now, just you and me. Tell me, what do you think of His Majesty?"
Although Xia He didn't understand why her master would ask such questions of a mere servant like her, she saw that she was earnestly awaiting her response. After a moment's reflection, she replied softly, "Before entering the palace, I felt that Your Majesty was incredibly lucky. Although his mother was only a minor talent, the late emperor had only one son, and he ascended the throne at the age of five without any struggle or competition."
"After entering the palace, I learned from chatting with Xiao Shunzi and the others that His Majesty wasn't interested in women. He loved cats, tigers, lions, and leopards. His personality was rather... well..." The little girl paused for a long time before finally uttering a word: "unique."
Lu Zhiwan secretly replaced it with "weird".
"But in the past two months, seeing how much His Majesty loves you, my master, I feel that Your Majesty is actually a very good person."
Lu Zhiwan: "What kind of logic is this?"
"Master, you are so kind. His Majesty likes you, which shows that he has good taste and is a good person." Xia He looked sincere. After thinking for a moment, she tilted her head and added, "Apart from his unique personality and special hobbies, there seems to be nothing to criticize about His Majesty?"
"So you think he is a good emperor?" Lu Zhiwan asked.
Xia He raised her eyes anxiously, "Master, this question is too serious. I'm just a stupid little palace maid, how can I answer such a question? I only know that Your Majesty wouldn't abuse the palace maids like those tyrants in the novels, killing them indiscriminately... This... should be called a good emperor, right?"
Lu Zhiwan pursed his lips slightly, as if thinking about something.
Xia He looked at her expression: "Why do you suddenly ask this..." How strange.
"Because..." Lu Zhiwan leaned towards the beauty bed, supported his chin with one hand, lowered his eyes and said softly: "I also think he is okay."
After this period of contact, she felt that although Xiao Jingting was not a great monarch like the Qin Emperor and Han Wudi, he was not a cruel and tyrant like Zhou Youxia Jie.
At most, he doesn't look like a serious person, but if you think about it carefully, he really hasn't done anything harmful to the world. At most, he built a Jinli Garden, where he would walk tigers and pet leopards when he had nothing to do... His hobbies are a bit unique, but who says that the emperor can't have one or two hobbies?
"Master, are you... falling in love with His Majesty?" Xia He's eyes flashed with anticipation.
Lu Zhiwan's eyebrows jumped: "I didn't say that."
At most, they felt that he would not end up losing the throne, being deposed, imprisoned or killed.
What's more, they are now grasshoppers on the same rope. If Xiao Jingting can sit firmly on the throne and maintain the country forever, he can continue to live a life of luxury in the harem without worrying about being burned to death when the palace falls.
After another round of contemplation, Lu Zhiwan sat up straight and clenched his fists: "I've made up my mind!"
This sudden change startled Xia He and she was puzzled. It is said that two different people can sleep in the same bed. Could it be that the master has also been infected by His Majesty and has become strange?
Before she could ask, she saw her master quickly get off the bed and said, "Please help me dress up. I'm going to the Yangxin Palace."
***
It was the hour of You, the afterglow formed a beautiful scene, and the soft red light of the setting sun enveloped the sparkling green eaves of the Hall of Mental Cultivation. From afar, it looked magnificent and golden, with a boundless holy light.
Beside the couch in the warm room, Xiao Jingting had his underwear half-taken off. He bent one hand, holding gauze in the other, and was changing the medicine on his wound.
A burst of quick and steady footsteps came from outside the screen.
He raised his eyes and saw that it was Yu Mingjiang, then he lowered his eyes again and wrapped the gauze: "What's the matter?"
"Your Majesty, Concubine Zhao requests an audience."
Although the incident with Zhang Shaoqing happened in the court, the emperor's decree would not be changed. Lu Zhiwan was still named Zhao Fei, but the auspicious day for the ceremony had not yet been set.
"She came to ask for an audience?"
The fingertips wrapped around the wound paused slightly, and after a moment of silence, they quickly tied a knot: "Let her in."
Yu Mingjiang nodded in agreement, but did not leave immediately. Instead, he stepped forward and collected the medicine and gauze on the table. "Your Majesty's injury should be healed in another seven days."
Xiao Jingting nodded nonchalantly and raised his hand to tie the belt of his undergarment.
After his clothes were tidy, he told Yu Mingjiang to open the window, so that fresh air from outside could flow into the warm room, diluting the pungent smell of the medicine.
When Lu Zhiwan walked into the inner hall obediently, he looked up and saw that the window frame was half open. The young emperor in stone-blue clothes was holding a red pen, concentrating on reviewing memorials.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the window, staining half of his face with a faint blush, like white jade covered with a veil, and he was truly handsome and unparalleled.
"Looking at it this way, he seems like a wise ruler."
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you. May your Majesty be blessed with good health."
The voice of the heart and the voice of greeting rang in his ears. Xiao Jingting put down the red pen and slowly raised his eyelids to look.
It was obvious that she had dressed up carefully today. She wore a hibiscus-colored long gown embroidered with light silver edges, and a moon-white skirt with butterfly patterns. Her black hair was tied up high, and she wore a light orange-pink peony silk flower in her hairpin, which made her delicate face look even more charming and beautiful, more beautiful than a flower.
Xiao Jingting narrowed his eyes slightly.
It has been five days since I last mentioned that I would make her a concubine.
He didn't summon her for five whole days, and she didn't make any movement in Lifeng Palace - according to Qiu Rong's report, she was just in a daze all day, looking anxious and worried.
Why is she anxious?
Could it be that he had made her his concubine, and she wasn't happy about it? If she wasn't happy, why did she come to him now?
The man pursed his lips slightly, his deep gaze falling on the fair face again, his tone devoid of any emotion: "No need to be polite."
Lu Zhiwan straightened up: "Thank you, Your Majesty."
She stood there for a while, and saw that Xiao Jingting didn't ask her to sit next to him as usual, and didn't even show any intention of asking someone to move a chair for her. She couldn't help but think that this was bad.
"This tsundere doesn't seem very happy. Is it too late to coax him after all these days?"
"Well, try being a little spoiled."
After adjusting her expression, Lu Zhiwan took graceful steps and walked to Xiao Jingting's side. She said in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, I haven't seen you for a few days. You seem to have lost some weight. Is it because of the busy state affairs that Your Majesty is overworked?"
Xiao Jingting glanced at her and said nothing.
Lu Zhiwan: “….”
The corners of her mouth curved upwards again, and she smiled even more brilliantly and flatteringly: "You must be tired of reviewing memorials, right? Let me give you a shoulder massage."
"No need."
"Then let me grind ink for you?"
“No need.”
"Then let me fan you?"
"No."
"Well, this bastard is using auto-reply on me."
"You have such a bad temper. If it weren't for our life-and-death friendship on Dongshan Mountain, I wouldn't bother to care about your life or death..."
Complaints aside, coaxing is still necessary. Taking a deep breath, Lu Zhiwan mustered up his courage and sat down on Xiao Jingting's thigh: "Your Majesty, what's wrong with you today?"
Feeling the sudden warmth and weight on his legs, Xiao Jingting's back stiffened, and his tone became a little deeper: "Get down from me."
"No, I don't."
Probably because they had seen each other at their most miserable states in Dongshan, Lu Zhiwan felt that Xiao Jingting was not that scary. For example, although he was looking at her with a sullen face now, the roots of his ears were clearly a little red.
So she raised her hands and softly hooked them around the man's neck, her voice becoming even more coquettish and gentle: "If I have displeased Your Majesty in any way, Your Majesty, please tell me not to leave me out like this, or I will be sad."
Sure enough, when she hooked her hand up, the tip of the ear, which was originally slightly red, suddenly turned red.
"Tsk, high attack and low defense... No, low attack and low defense, pure love warrior."
"Your Majesty, good Your Majesty, please talk to me." The person in his arms continued to speak in a coquettish tone.
Xiao Jingting: "........."
His heart skipped a beat. He raised his palm and pressed it against Lu Zhiwan's forehead like a Taoist priest sealing a monster. "Be normal."
Lu Zhiwan: “……?”
"Who's abnormal? If it wasn't to please you, whoever wants to be the clamp can be it."
But since he was willing to communicate, Lu Zhiwan stopped and restrained her coquettish tone: "I came here today, firstly to thank Your Majesty, and secondly to discuss something with you."
Xiao Jingting wanted to ask her to get off his legs first, but when he lowered his head, he met her dark eyes looking up at him.
The water was as clear as a mountain spring, fully reflecting his shadow.
The words in his throat suddenly stopped. He looked into her eyes and suddenly felt that it was not wrong to talk like this.
Lu Zhiwan's heart was pounding at this unexpected eye contact. She quickly turned her gaze away, feeling bewildered and saying, "Otherwise, I'd better sit aside..."
Just as she was about to stand up, a large hand firmly grasped her slender waist and pushed her back down: "Sit still."
There was a hint of suppressed, barely perceptible hoarseness in the deep voice.
Lu Zhiwan looked down at the hand on his waist, his cheeks flushed and he felt annoyed.
"I shouldn't have sat on it if I had known! The show is over."
"Forget it, forget it. We're already sitting here, so why be nervous? As long as I'm not embarrassed, he's the one who's embarrassed."
After taking two deep breaths, Lu Zhiwan calmed down a bit and continued to talk about business: "I know that Your Majesty treats me well, so you promoted me to the rank of concubine. I am very grateful. However, I have only been in the palace for half a year, and I have suddenly been promoted so much. Not to mention the criticism from outsiders, even I feel panic..."
"You don't want to be a concubine?"
"ah?"
Lu Zhiwan was stunned for a moment, then met the man's intense gaze and became nervous: "That's...that's not what I meant. Your Majesty loves me and gives me this honor, so I'm naturally happy. It's just that it's too fast..."
"You can't get fat in one bite, let's take it step by step."
"The imperial decree has been issued and cannot be changed."
Xiao Jingting spoke lazily, feeling bored with the emptiness in his hands. He simply grabbed Lu Zhiwan's hand and played with it in his palm: "If you feel that the favor is too much and you are not worthy of it, then in a few days, I will send you back to Liuxiaxuan."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
"What's wrong with this bastard? He wants the love of his lover to live and the hate of his lover to die. Is he really that extreme?"
"That's not what I meant." Lu Zhiwan let him knead her hand, smiling softly, "Your Majesty has bestowed upon me the title of Consort, and I am delighted. But I have also heard a little bit about the rumors out there... I beg Your Majesty, if you truly wish to treat me well, then please skip the ceremony if possible, and if not, please keep it as low-key as possible..."
"Don't you feel wronged?"
"As long as Your Majesty has me in his heart, it is better than any ceremony of enthronement. I don't feel wronged at all." Lu Zhiwan's face was full of understanding.
Xiao Jingting lowered his eyebrows and looked at her for a long time.
After making sure that she was not saying one thing and thinking another, he spoke again: "Have you been worried about this these days?"
Lu Zhiwan was just worrying about how to persuade him to work hard to be a wise ruler. When he heard his question, his eyes rolled and he suddenly had an idea.
"To be honest, Your Majesty, on the night the meteor fell, I had a very strange dream..."
"Hmm?" Xiao Jingting hooked another strand of her hair and played with it.
Lu Zhiwan didn't bother to care about his touching here and there. She brewed up her sadness and told the story about the tyrant emperor and the treacherous concubine that she could remember from the original novel in the tone of a dream.
"...In my dream, His Majesty was incompetent and unjust, and I, your concubine, was arrogant and extravagant, causing the people to suffer and complain. Finally, the country was shattered, the officials forced the people to rebel, and the rebel army, under the slogan of 'Purge the emperor's side and punish the treacherous concubine,' stormed into the palace..."
At this point, she fell into the man's arms and sobbed, "Those people forced your majesty to abdicate. They said they would support you until the end of your life, but in reality, they imprisoned you in a dark room and poisoned you. Of course, I was not much better off. I was burned to death in the Lifeng Palace... Your Majesty, I am truly terrified."
Xiao Jingting frowned and relaxed, and then frowned again as he listened to her bizarre and bold dream.
He tried to listen to her, but he could hear nothing.
Difficult to determine authenticity.
But she leaned in his arms, her eyelashes trembling slightly, as if she was really scared.
"It's just a dream..."
He raised his hand and patted her back: "You are frightened by the natural disaster in Dongshan. I will ask the imperial physician to examine you again tomorrow morning."
Lu Zhiwan also knew that it would be hard for people to believe such a thing.
In other words, Xiao Jingting was abnormal. If it were any other ordinary emperor, after hearing such unlucky words, he would have dragged her out and beaten to death.
“How can I make him trust me?!”
Lu Zhiwan was wailing inwardly when he suddenly heard a deep voice from above him: "After all these days, you still remember your dream so clearly. It must have left a deep impression on you. Do you remember the name of the rebel leader and what he looked like?"
Lu Zhiwan was a little hesitant.
She said too much and in too much detail, and was afraid that Xiao Jingting would really treat her as a monster and arrest her.
But what I said was too little and too brief, and I was afraid he wouldn't take it seriously.
Oh, this is too difficult.
After some hesitation, she decided to compromise and reveal some general information, so that he could at least be on guard: "The rebel army that attacked the capital in the dream came from the direction of (Yuzhang)..."
Xiao Jingting frowned: "What direction?"
Lu Zhiwan: "(Yuzhang)."
Xiao Jingting: “……?”
For a moment, he thought she was playing a trick on him.
Lu Zhiwan also realized something from Xiao Jingting's expression.
Could it be that the ridiculous plot is causing trouble again?
"Your Majesty, did you hear what I just said?"
Xiao Jingting was silent for a moment: "Did you say anything?"
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
Biting her lip, she repeated the word "Yuzhang" several times, and even blurted out names like "Prince of Yuzhang" and "Zhao Wenshao". However, Xiao Jingting seemed to be separated from her by a transparent wall, and could not hear or even see her mouth moving.
In order to prevent Xiao Jingting from thinking that he was crazy, Lu Zhiwan no longer tried - she was basically certain that the plot gravity was protecting the main line of the original work, so she directly silenced her and forbade her to reveal more information to Xiao Jingting.
This is the original plot of this shit.
Lu Zhiwan couldn't help but curse in her heart, but when she saw Xiao Jingting frowning and thinking, she had to try her best to make it sound better: "Maybe God doesn't allow me to reveal too many secrets. I really can't remember who the rebels were. I only remember what Your Majesty and I did in the dream, and our final outcome..."
"Ayin, please be more careful. Listen to my advice. Let's start from today and turn over a new leaf. You be a wise ruler and I be a virtuous concubine. Maybe there will be a glimmer of hope."
Xiao Jingting's eyes flashed slightly. This audacious woman's mind was full of chaos every day.
After a moment's silence, he looked at her and said, "I roughly understand what you mean."
Lu Zhiwan was delighted: "Really?"
Xiao Jingting: "Since you want to keep a low profile, the gift book will be as you wish, and everything will be kept simple."
Lu Zhiwan: "Yeah, okay."
Xiao Jingting: "Tomorrow morning I will ask the imperial physician to prescribe some tranquilizers for you. You should take good care of yourself and you won't have these strange dreams anymore."
Lu Zhiwan was stunned: "......?"
What? He still doesn’t believe it!
***
The next day, Lu Zhiwan felt like she was about to die of depression.
After sending the imperial physician away, she still did not give up and tried to write down the original plot with a pen. However, any content involving the male and female protagonists' plot would magically disappear on the rice paper.
But the story about the tyrant emperor and the treacherous concubine, once she wrote it down, it would not disappear.
This particularity didn't comfort her at all. Instead, it made her even more depressed. It was like playing Landlord, and the opponent had the jokers and a bunch of good cards. He entered the game and directly clicked on the open cards, as if arrogantly mocking her: "Look, even if you tell Xiao Jingting everything, the ending of the two of you is already determined and cannot be changed. You'd better wait for death."
Waiting to die, waiting to die, waiting to die...
Is it really true that I can only wait for death?
Lu Zhiwan was depressed and worried. He was tired of thinking and even had some unrealistic thoughts. He thought that he might as well run to the male protagonist of Jinling Dark Shark - of course, it was just his imagination.
Seeing that she was frowning all day long and not as active as usual when eating, Xiao Jingting sent almost all the imperial doctors from the Imperial Hospital to see her.
The imperial physicians responded in unison: "Her Majesty Zhao Fei is in good health, but she is simply overly worried. A heart disease requires a heart medicine."
Xiao Jingting also knew what was bothering her, that strange and unlucky dream.
That night, after Lu Zhiwan turned over like a pancake again, Xiao Jingting propped up his arms and turned over to press on her.
"Don't move."
Feeling the heavy body suddenly pressing down on him, Lu Zhiwan's eyes widened: "Your Majesty... Your Majesty?"
"Why did he suddenly come up to me? Could it be that he..."
"But I'm really not in the mood right now."
"Forget it, forget it. I've already suppressed it, so just cooperate. I'm going to die in a few years anyway, so I can't die without having a meaty meal, right?"
Thinking of this, Lu Zhiwan relaxed her body: "I won't move..."
She was too lazy to move, she just wanted him to move and enjoy it. However, after waiting for a while, the man on her didn't move at all.
"Wouldn't he?"
Lu Zhiwan was about to speak when the man suddenly lowered his head.
The heavy hot breath brushed across the shoulders and neck, hot and wet. After a while, a pain that was neither light nor heavy came.
Lu Zhiwan was stunned. He...bit her?
Without waiting for her to respond, the man straightened up and lay back on his side. "I told you to sleep well and stop tossing and turning."
Lu Zhiwan: “…”
"Then just say it straight. You suddenly pressed on me and made me misunderstand. But is this man born in the Year of the Dog? He actually bites people!"
She raised her hand and touched the bitten part of her neck, leaving a shallow tooth mark.
"Your Majesty, why are you biting me?" she grumbled aggrievedly.
“…”
Xiao Jingting couldn't answer, and in a moment, he suddenly wanted to get closer to her.
But apart from holding hands and hugging, he didn't know how else to express intimacy.
No one taught him this.
According to his observations of the cats in Jinli Garden, they express intimacy by playing, biting, and licking each other's fur.
Inside the dim curtains, the air was warm with ambergris and there was silence.
After a long while, a man's hoarse voice rang out from the darkness: "I have thought of a third thing I want you to do."
Lu Zhiwan was puzzled: "What?"
"Come and kiss me."
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