Chapter 14 Chapter 14 Please Me
Concubine Xue listened to the sound of the piano. Every string sound was extremely powerful, bleak and solemn, yet also had the elegant and noble sentiment of snow and spring.
She knew exactly who did this.
But there were clearly more important things to do right now; this was no time for lamentations. Apparently aware of her mistake, Concubine Xue said with a lack of confidence, "I was worried something might happen to Your Majesty, so I wanted to wait for you here."
Right under the emperor's nose, her waiting today would ruin all the appearances of having no connection between the two of them that they had pretended to others over the years.
But His Majesty ruined the Empress's plan for tonight and called her away alone after the banquet. How could Concubine Xue turn a blind eye?
If His Majesty really wants to punish her, she will definitely get Sister Zhaoyi out of the picture.
"When did you become so impatient?" Ming Zhaoyi glanced at her. "Forget it, these things are meaningless."
It's meaningless? What does it mean to be meaningless? Concubine Xue couldn't extract more from such a general statement.
She only knew that they had been quietly lying in wait and preparing for such a long time in order to clear possible obstacles for the eldest prince. Even if His Majesty was displeased with their actions today, the fact that the Queen was carrying a secret that was enough to bring shame to the royal family was about to be verified. How could it be meaningless?
What's more, some people are still taking risks for this.
Worried about Xu Delu and Qingzan being here, Concubine Xue tried to gently remind Concubine Ming that they had a backup plan in Fengzao Palace tonight: "Then..."
Ming Zhaoyi: "Let's talk about it when we get back."
Before leaving, Ming Zhaoyi looked at Qingzan again.
Before boarding the boat, the timid woman was still not catching up. When Ming Zhaoyi turned around, she saw that Concubine Xue was listening intently, with a sad expression.
She shook her hand, a rare occasion. "Don't overthink it. There's no need to investigate this matter any further. Let's all take a break. If you have time, come and help me take care of Huaixuan. This child is already very troublesome. When he grows up, I think he'll be able to tear off the tiles on the roof."
"Huaixuan is so lively and lovely, Your Majesty is blessed." Concubine Xue raised the corner of her lips softly, "You don't have to worry about me, I've moved on a long time ago. However, although I love the ancient tunes, not many people play them nowadays. Sometimes when I think of the days in the Eastern Palace, those days of sweeping snow and making tea, I feel like it was all a dream, a dream that can never be regained."
At that time, the number of women in the Eastern Palace was relatively small compared to other members of the imperial family, with only five or six in total. Two of them were concubines, the current Ming Zhaoyi and Zheng Xiuyi, one was a Liangdi, the current Zhen Jieyu, and the other two were her and Concubine Wu.
Not like today.
"But I don't know for whom Your Majesty is playing the piano tonight."
*
On Yingzhou Island, Xu Delu sent people to the door and refused to go upstairs with Qingzan. He gestured to her to go up quickly.
Under his feet was a winding upward camphorwood staircase, the surface of which was waxed. Although it was near the water, it was still well maintained. However, Qingzan walked forward carefully and slowly, as if walking on spring ice.
She didn't really understand qin music, and couldn't even distinguish the five notes. She just felt that any phoenix-stringed or yaozhu-shaped instrument, when plucked, would produce a beautiful sound.
But at this moment, she knew that the person playing the piano upstairs must be the current emperor.
Some things can never be thought about too clearly. Once you understand them, you will be afraid of your own weakness and insignificance and your inability to fight.
For example, at this moment, she had every reason to suspect that his reward was not a good thing.
Qingzan went up to the second floor and saw the emperor sitting cross-legged on the ground in the pavilion, the hem of his wide robe flowing out like water. He was playing the zither with ease, the veil of the carved wooden archway in front of him gathered on both sides, and beyond the curtains he could see the mountains and rivers at dusk from his height.
He has such a good time, why should he ask her to spoil the fun?
Qingzan did not take the initiative to interrupt the music of the piano. She felt that she was being very "tactful" by standing behind the emperor.
Xiao Fang suddenly stopped playing the strings and reached out to calm the restless and trembling aftertaste.
He seemed to turn his head slightly, just enough to vaguely see the skirt of the person behind him. He asked casually, "Can you dance Gagaku?"
Qing Zan stepped forward, bowed, and said frankly: "This servant does not know how to do it."
The seven-stringed zither had completely fallen silent, lying on the ground like a discarded treasure. Xiao Fang stood up and walked to the table in the pavilion and sat down. "Where's the Xiao?"
Qing Zan still said: "No."
Xiao Fang glanced over and asked: "Didn't the Marquis' Mansion teach you?"
Qingzan was confused by his question. Did he summon her today to play the zither and the qin with her?
If that's the case, she's not really a suitable candidate.
In the harem, who is not more suitable than her?
Or was it just because of her casual retort when they first met in Lian Bi, that the emperor mistakenly believed that she was some kind of elegant and hidden master?
Qing Zan said directly and clearly: "Those who are slaves and maids naturally only need to learn how to be slaves and maids."
She doesn't know how to do any of these elegant things.
Most of what she learned from the old lady were skills of serving others. She could sew clothes, make tea, and massage shoulders. Sometimes she thought that although serving the old lady was her duty, pleasing an elder who protected her could also bring some warmth beyond the relationship between master and servant.
I am very serious when I study.
Xiao Fang picked up a green-glazed cup and twirled it around in his hands twice, as if toying with it. He remembered the booklet about the woman's life that the secret guard had presented to him.
People of low status are merely appendages of the master's family and do not have such a thing as "hand-in-hand".
According to official registration, she was bought into the Duan Mansion at the age of three.
Public records were limited to this, and the rest came mostly from the investigations of the secret guards. They found that her time in the Duan Mansion was not very good.
The only odd thing was that, regardless of whether they were from a good or poor family, every newborn was registered with the government, but there was no record of her experiences before the age of three. She had no idea of her place of origin, her parents, her birth year or month, as if she had appeared out of thin air.
But if we really want to find out, it is only a matter of time.
The year she entered the mansion was the same year that Duan Ruoxu was conferred the title of Marquis of Yongning. A group of servants in the mansion were replaced from inside to outside, which only slightly increased the difficulty.
But sometimes, deliberately replacing servants may also indicate the problem.
Qingzan's breathing became a little stagnant when he looked at her.
Until the emperor put down the small cup and stood up again, standing in front of her like a towering solitary mountain, so that no matter whether she looked up or down, she could see nothing else but his collar and crown at most.
She heard the unsteady cup rolling to the ground, and it seemed to hit the four legs of the table several times, making a sudden grinding sound on the camphor wood floor.
Qingzan's breathing became disordered and rapid. She lowered her head and dared not look at him. She stepped back a little without making a sound.
But the more she retreated, the closer the emperor came.
Qingzan almost bumped into the long zither that was abandoned by its owner, but fortunately she stepped over it. Although she desecrated the treasure, at least she did not bear the debt of crime that a servant could not pay even with her head.
Xiao Fang also stepped forward.
This time, Qingzan had retreated to under the gauze curtain where the beams were hanging, and was about to retreat to the observation deck on the second floor.
The eunuchs downstairs were still holding lanterns on the forest path. After a certain hour, the sky darkened at an irreversible speed, and the flickering orange lights became majestic, brightly reminding the people upstairs of their existence.
She didn't dare to retreat any further and raised her fragile neck.
There was fear and confusion in his eyes, as well as a hint of subtle annoyance: "Your Majesty..."
The emperor liked her eyes, just as he admired the misty waves of Taiye Lake that were filled with shimmering water all year round.
But these eyes were not suitable for imitating a frightened deer. Although her expression became more vivid because of this, once it did so, it would always make him suspect that he had done something unforgivable.
It's obvious that he hasn't done anything yet.
The emperor shifted his eyes slightly and noticed that the hairpin sticking out from the back of her head was a bit interesting.
It is neither gold nor silver, neither red nor emerald, and is as dull and boring as a lacquered bamboo stick. However, it is not decorated with pearls or jade, and has no carved butterflies. The only pattern on it is a line of engraved words, which is quite novel.
He raised his hand to pull out the hairpin: "How come you are the only one who can recognize words?"
If she couldn't read, she wouldn't have been assigned to work in the warehouse.
There were not many literate maids in the palace. Otherwise, based on her previous experiences, the queen might have asked her to do even more unbearable and tiring tasks.
Qingzan was struck directly by this question, and a fragmented scene of mother and daughter suddenly came to her mind.
"You must learn to read and write so that you can understand the truth and avoid being trapped by this world."
She vaguely remembered her mother saying a lot. She would hold her in her arms, sit in a not-too-bright room, and read to her words from the classics. But for a three-year-old baby, those words were too obscure. Even if she was precocious, she couldn't reproduce those kind words of love one by one.
So although she knew nothing else, she could recognize some poetry, literature and writing. The old lady's tolerance and approval of her reading was one of the reasons why she was grateful to her to this day.
She was very content. At least when she found her mother in the future, she could proudly tell her that she had done everything she taught her.
Even in that moment of distraction, by the time he realized the emperor's intention, it was already too late.
In order to be able to go to bed early every day, Qingzan specially learned a special hairstyle. Only one hairpin was needed to fix the entire hairstyle. It was firm and convenient. The hairstyle looked almost the same as other people's hairstyles. It was most suitable for a palace maid like her who had to work from dawn to dusk.
The premise is that no one pulls out the hairpin that serves as the main beam.
"His Majesty!"
Seeing that his black hair was about to lose its security, Qingzan raised his hand in a hurry and groped for another thin and strong palm.
She grabbed the hand in a rebellious manner, controlled it, and sent the hairpin back into the distance.
Although her messy hair was still loose, at least it retained a rough bun shape.
It was just a moment.
Xiao Fang felt her fingers, as thin as jade, wrapping around his hand softly and coolly, and then quickly retreating as if burned.
It was not until the hairpin returned intact to the depths of the tangle of black hair that he reacted.
She even dared to go against him. Should we say she is timid or brave?
Qing Zan also realized the inappropriateness of her behavior and quickly covered it up by saying, "I learned to read by myself."
The emperor was kind and generous, and did not bother with her. However, the hand that had slipped from the hairpin casually rested on the slender arm of the woman in front of him. He did not need to use any force, but the intention of clamping was obvious.
"Did you also teach yourself poetry and calligraphy?" asked the emperor.
Qing Zan dodged and said, "I don't know much. I am just showing off my skills in front of an expert. I can't be your Majesty's soulmate."
Because the hairpin was pulled out half an inch or so, her black hair became loose and untidy at this moment, with some strands of hair hanging down at her temples, decorating her small, shiny, and slightly reddish ear tips.
The emperor had an idea.
He didn't argue much about Qingzan's bun.
He then used that very obscene hand to lift a strand of her hair and tuck it behind her ear.
"I'm not looking for a soulmate." He smiled casually, "But, as the saying goes, three times is the limit. Next time, I won't be the one asking you."
Qingzan didn't dare to act rashly and let him do what he wanted. But before she could think about the deeper meaning of his words, the hand suddenly moved down even more forcefully, pressing on her slender waist without a trace of excess.
She finally couldn't help it, and she dodged and retreated against the railing.
At this moment, the emperor took advantage of the desperate enemy and without saying a word, he took advantage of the situation and carried her onto the railing.
Qing Zan exclaimed. She sat trembling on the dangerous railing, every breath she took becoming terrifying.
Two floors are not very high, but if you fall down, you will definitely suffer fractures and disability.
In order to avoid falling, she had to cling to his shoulders with her arms.
He was her only support at this moment.
Xiao Fang: "When was your birthday?"
Qing Zan was stunned for a moment and said, "I don't know... I have forgotten it for a long time."
"Hold on tight." Just as she was wondering, Xiao Fang suddenly released his hands that were supporting her from behind, but then put his body in front of her, not allowing her to escape.
Behind him was a pitch-black abyss with nothing to lean on. Qingzan began to feel weak from the soles of her feet and had to lean forward and support herself on his chest.
Suddenly, there was something on my wrist.
"Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. I saw them weaving five-colored silk threads, which are called longevity threads. When babies wear them, they can ward off evil and usher in good fortune." Xiao Fang smiled. "Consider this my reward to you."
Qingzan lowered her eyes and looked in surprise at the colorful tassel tied around her wrist. It was as light as a feather, yet it clearly had a weight that could not be ignored.
She gazed deeply for a long time and said, "...I thank Your Majesty for the generous reward."
Perhaps she spoke too sincerely, which made people feel that the word "thick" did not live up to its name.
Xiao Fang put his arm around the man's waist again and hinted, "I can give you a thicker one."
Qingzan's waist suddenly felt weak, and she felt weak and limp, unable to support herself. However, her mind regained its clarity and alertness: "No, this is enough..."
She actually remembered her birthday, but there was no one around to celebrate with her.
It has been a long time since anyone wished her a long and healthy life.
It's not that there are no moments of touching moments.
But do they have to talk like this?
"Your Majesty, could you please let this servant go first?"
"Then, please beg me?" Xiao Fang lowered his head and tilted it slightly, his breathing becoming deep and hoarse. His thin lips almost bit the delicate ear flesh, and he whispered to the other person: "Or -"
"Why not take advantage of this opportunity to climb up and see the scenery below?"
The author has something to say:
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Gouzi: Who wants a soulmate? I want a wife.
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