Chapter 42 A Chance Encounter, Protecting You (Part 4) His nose brushed against hers...
Ji Xianqing staggered two steps, exhausted, and coughed violently while clutching his neck. Liu Yiyi hurriedly stepped forward to help him, but he pushed her away.
"My men are none of your business." Chu Huaili's gaze swept over the two of them like an icy blade. Without saying another word, he turned and left, carrying Ye Yixiang.
Back in the tent, he gently laid her on the couch covered with soft bedding.
The candles inside the tent were not lit; only the cool moonlight filtered through the gauze curtains, casting a silvery glow on his sharply defined profile. He bent down and carefully placed her injured foot on his side, soothing her slightly cool skin with his body heat.
His cool, refreshing scent completely enveloped her. Ye Yixiang clearly felt a burning heat emanating from a certain part of his body, pressed against her leg, brimming with a power ready to be unleashed. The memory of his almost predatory dominance in the carriage that night instantly flooded back, and her heart tightened; she instinctively wanted to shrink back to the side.
However, her waist suddenly tightened, and his arms wrapped around her without giving her a chance to refuse, pulling her back to him. His warm palms were firmly placed on her lower back, blocking all escape routes.
"What are you afraid of?" His low, husky voice was exceptionally clear in the silence, carrying a hint of helpless indulgence. "You're injured, how could I not care about your health?" His hot breath brushed against her ear, stirring a slight shiver. "I told you, I won't be so impulsive again until you're fully recovered."
His lips brushed against the corner of her lips, then gently captured her lower lip, giving it a light, gentle suck. Moonlight streamed into his deep eyes, reflecting a surging restraint and an even deeper desire.
“From now on…” His nose brushed against her sensitive neck, leaving a burning sensation, “I will always be very gentle.”
Ye Yixiang was flustered by the implied "later" in his words. Just as she was about to turn her head away from this overly intimate warning, he seemed to have expected it. He gently held her chin with his fingertips, tenderly but firmly making her look at him.
“Arao,” he whispered against her lips, each word burning with his breath, “be good and don’t move… unless you want to test my patience.”
His deliberately slowed tone was filled with a dangerous allure, as if inviting her, yet also issuing an ultimatum. She froze in his arms, clearly feeling the arms around her waist slowly tighten, the last sliver of space between them being taken away.
His burning body temperature seeped through the thin fabric of his clothes, silently proclaiming his absolute control.
In this coercion that combined extreme intimacy with tenderness, she finally closed her eyes and stopped trying to struggle.
The next morning, Ye Yixiang woke up on the empty bed, with only a slightly cool fold beside her.
The maids quietly set out breakfast, and soon the enticing aroma of food filled the tent.
The head maid, Chun Tan, placed a plate of crystal-clear shrimp dumplings in front of her and respectfully reported, "Madam, these dishes are all made from the game that the General hunted yesterday. The General instructed the kitchen to prepare them carefully before dawn. One portion has already been presented to the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, and this portion was specially instructed by the General to be for you to nourish your body."
The shrimp dumpling skin was as thin as paper, revealing the tender pink shrimp inside, and garnished with finely chopped golden chives.
There was also a bowl of partridge soup, simmered until milky white, with a few bright red goji berries floating on the surface. After skimming off the oil, it was rich and not greasy, and the warm feeling slid down the throat, soothing the slight chill of an empty stomach.
She was quietly eating her breakfast when a younger maidservant served her food and said with a smile, "The general is in excellent spirits this morning. He specifically told us that he slept very soundly last night and, for the first time in many years, slept through the night without any dreams. He also instructed us not to wake the lady."
Ye Yixiang's hand holding the chopsticks paused almost imperceptibly, and a warmth crept up her ears. She could only lower her eyes and pretend to focus on the porridge in her bowl.
Breakfast had just finished and had not yet been cleared away when a slightly authoritative female voice came from outside the tent. It was neither too loud nor too soft, but it entered the tent clearly: "Miss Ye, Her Majesty the Empress Dowager invites you to Fengque Chunju for a chat."
Ye Yixiang felt a slight chill run down her spine, then stood up, bowed, and replied, "Yes."
After the messenger turned and left, there was a moment of silence in the room.
Chun Tan stepped forward and whispered, "The Empress Dowager has summoned you... Madam, you should dress more formally." She deftly began to select clothes for Ye Yixiang.
Qiu Sheng looked worried and asked quietly, "I wonder why the Empress Dowager suddenly summoned you, Madam? Should I... try to inform the General?" She was quick-witted and vaguely sensed that this sudden summons was unusual.
“Let me accompany you, Madam,” Chun Tan said calmly, having already taken out a lotus-colored, embroidered magnolia-patterned, wide-sleeved, cross-collared ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). “In case anything happens, it will be good to have someone to look after you or to send a message in time.”
Looking at her still pale face in the bronze mirror, Ye Yixiang gently shook her head: "There's no need to disturb the general. The Empress Dowager is always gentle, so she should be fine." She suppressed the inexplicable unease in her heart, changed into a more dignified dress, and had Chun Tan style her hair into a simple yet proper updo, with a begonia hairpin inserted as she followed the waiting matron towards Fengque Chunju.
Phoenix Palace Spring Residence is an exquisite palace built by the water in the hunting ground palace.
The long corridor leading to the main hall spans the azure water, with unidentified pale yellow flowers planted along the railings on both sides. Clusters of these flowers bloom freely and beautifully under the warm spring sun. A gentle breeze stirs the blossoms, their fragrance wafting through the air, creating a truly enchanting scene.
However, Ye Yixiang had no heart to appreciate it. Her right ankle was immobilized with cedar bark, and although the imperial physician had treated it, every step she took was still excruciatingly painful. She endured it, fine beads of cold sweat seeping from her forehead, and walked with unusually slow and difficult steps.
After finally reaching the bottom of the white marble steps in front of the majestic palace, the nanny who had led the way stopped and said in a flat tone, "Please wait here for a moment, Miss Ye. Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is changing her clothes."
Ye Yixiang's heart sank, knowing this was a show of force, but she could only obey, gathering her robes and kneeling on the cold, hard stone steps. Chun Tan knelt down a step behind her, his face showing reluctance, but he dared not say a word.
Time flowed slowly in the silence. The pain in my ankle became even more acute due to my kneeling posture, as if countless fine needles were piercing me repeatedly.
Her knees, which initially ached, gradually became numb and lost all feeling. She could only try her best to straighten her slender back and maintain the most standard kneeling posture, not daring to relax even for a moment.
Palace servants or noblewomen who came to attend to matters passed by from time to time.
Curious, inquisitive, and even disdainful gazes lingered over her, almost tangible. Even though she didn't want to hear them, the murmurs of conversation drifted intermittently into her ears.
"Look, it's her... I don't know what tricks she used to seduce General Chu..."
"Shh! Keep your voice down! I heard she's incredibly seductive, and she'd even use vile drugs to climb the social ladder..."
"A remnant of the previous dynasty? Hmph, he doesn't even deserve it!"
Those words were like poisonous thorns, piercing her heart. She closed her eyes, desperately suppressing her surging emotions.
She knelt for an unknown amount of time, so long that she almost thought time had stopped, before the messenger reappeared slowly: "The Empress Dowager summons Miss Ye to an audience."
Ye Yixiang tried to get up, but her legs, sluggish from kneeling, felt numb and her body swayed uncontrollably. Just then, a figure quickly stepped forward and steadily supported her arm.
"Miss Ye?"
She looked up and met Xiao Mo's concerned gaze. Today, he was wearing a sky-blue robe that accentuated his handsome features and gentle demeanor.
"Young Master Xiao." Ye Yixiang used his strength to steady herself, thanked him in a low voice, and quickly and subtly withdrew her arm.
However, this brief scene had already fallen into the eyes of those who were interested, and immediately drew another round of suppressed criticism.
"Look at her, getting all tangled up with Young Master Xiao in broad daylight..."
"Truly, they have no shame whatsoever."
Xiao Mo naturally heard the gossip as well. He frowned slightly, looked at Ye Yixiang, and said in a gentle but reassuring voice, "It's just a few rumors, like a spring breeze passing by. Miss Ye, you don't need to pay any attention to them."
Ye Yixiang nodded slightly, saying nothing. The two of them, one after the other, stepped onto the high steps. With each step, a tearing pain shot through her ankles, and she could only rely on her left hand to secretly hold onto the cold white marble railing, using it for support as she slowly made her way up.
Upon entering the hall, a delicate fragrance of sandalwood mixed with the scent of agarwood wafts towards you.
The palace was spacious and elegantly furnished. The Empress Dowager was not seated in the main seat, but rather by the window on a rosewood armchair inlaid with mother-of-pearl. Beside her stood a beautiful woman in palace attire, none other than Consort Lan. The two seemed to be admiring an unfolded landscape scroll.
Upon seeing the two enter, Consort Lan gently put down the scroll and looked up at them together with the Empress Dowager.
Xiao Mo and Ye Yixiang together straightened their robes and bowed, their voices echoing in the empty hall:
"Your subject Xiao Mo pays respects to the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Concubine."
"This humble woman, Ye Yixiang, pays her respects to Your Majesty the Empress Dowager and Your Highness the Imperial Concubine."
Consort Lan smiled and looked Xiao Mo up and down a few times, then turned to the Empress Dowager and said in a friendly tone, "Mother, look, Shao Heng has made great progress. He is becoming more and more handsome and composed."
The Empress Dowager's gaze lingered on Xiao Mo for a moment, then she nodded with apparent satisfaction, her tone gentle: "Minister Xiao is indeed a pillar of the court, and in his youth he was exceptionally handsome. Now, his good looks and talent have been passed down to his second son without any flaws." Her gaze then slowly shifted to Ye Yixiang beside Xiao Mo, her face still bearing a kind smile, yet deep within her weathered phoenix eyes lay a cold, insightful detachment, devoid of any warmth.
"I had overheard the gossip among my servants and thought it was just nonsense," the Empress Dowager beckoned to Ye Yixiang, her tone becoming increasingly affectionate. "I never imagined it would actually be Yun Rao. Come here quickly, come to my side, let me take a good look at you."
The Empress Dowager actually called her by her childhood name. She clearly remembered that when she was a child, she would often see this lady, who was considered her grandmother's "close friend," when she accompanied her to pay her respects. At that time, she was always kind and gentle and would give her delicious snacks.
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