Chapter 22: Sleeping with the Queen "Work hard to add more food."
Inside the bedroom of Baoyuyou Pavilion, delicate and exquisite lamp stands were erected on all four sides, like strange and steep old tree trunks, and each of the extended lamp branches held a burning red candle.
Whenever a palace girl goes to sleep with the emperor for the first time, someone from the bedroom department will come and make some arrangements.
When Qingzan came out of the bath, the emperor was already there.
He sat on the edge of the couch, playing with something in his hands.
Qingzan walked barefoot through the heavy gauze curtains on tiptoe. When she got closer, she saw that it was the daylily sachet she had embroidered.
At first, I had no other thoughts, so I entrusted my feelings to the plants and trees. Even though I no longer had to work in the warehouse, I still wore the sachet. I took it off before bathing and placed it by the bed.
Seeing that no one noticed her coming out, Qingzan bowed down on the spot and said, "Your Majesty, I respectfully wish you the best of health."
Xiao Fang then raised his eyes, seemed to tilt his head slightly, and looked at her with a smile, his narrow eyes showing a more romantic and casual look: "Come."
Qingzan was wearing a snow-white cloak made of silky satin, which covered her tightly from head to toe. Only when she sat down next to the emperor could he see her pretty toes peeking out from the soft bottom edge of the cloak.
Xiao Fang's expression darkened, and he grabbed her waist: "No shoes?"
Qingzan lowered her eyebrows and didn't look at him: "It's a bit hot."
The hot water in the wooden tub had boiled her like a whole egg, leaving her completely free from distractions and focused solely on the present moment. When she emerged from the bath, it was as if she had peeled off a shell, her cheeks a moist, pale white. Today, she was no longer cold and stubborn; her fragility and tenderness were written all over her face and body.
Xiao Fang nodded in understanding, then smiled faintly and said, "Wearing a cloak when it's hot?"
Because the light under the cloak, if exposed directly to the flickering candlelight, would be much hotter than wrapped in the cloak, so it had to be covered.
The emperor's eyes gradually darkened and became hot.
He just touched the tie at the collar with his fingers, and the soft silk could no longer hold her. Qingzan looked at him in panic, and even wanted to cover her eyes, but in the end she closed her eyes.
She wasn't even wearing any underwear, only the shadow of the red gauze, which fell on her snow-white skin, was also red, spreading a soft and fragrant color.
"This is the first time I've worn something like this."
“This is my first time watching it too.”
Qingzan suddenly opened her eyes, her eyelashes trembling, and stared at him pitifully and weakly: "Your Majesty treats me as a toy for your enjoyment, so you only let me wear it."
Xiao Fang placed a hand behind her head and said, "Wrong."
He didn't miss the moisture in her eyes, his throat dry and hoarse: "Do you really need me to tell you?"
Qing Zan knew that it was not a serious conversation, so she grabbed the man's collar and said, "Well, don't say it."
Xiao Fang laughed, knowing that she was shy, but he deliberately twisted it. He grasped her waist, which was not even full of palms, and laid her down on the couch with a deep smile: "It seems that today, Qingqing can't wait any longer?"
Qingzan bit her lip, unable to utter a single word. She simply turned away her tear-filled eyes, letting his gaze, like the tips of her fingers, sometimes roam shallowly, sometimes deeply, leaving a shudder wherever it passed.
"Green hairpin."
Amidst the overwhelming heat of desire, the emperor sensed her trembling and stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. "If I were the only one enjoying this, it wouldn't be pleasure, it would only be called release. Since you don't want to be someone else's plaything, you should share in the joy with me."
Just as Qingzan turned her head to look at the man, before she could say anything, Xiao Fang put a finger on her lip.
Then he applied a little more force as if to punish her, knocking on her teeth and taking in her sweet saliva.
Silver threads entwine.
Finally, when the two shadows became increasingly difficult to distinguish, Wen Chuang was blown by the wind, startling the charming and boundless hair and eyes, and Xiao Fang was also drawn into the muddier sea of heat by a soft moan.
*
The next day, Qingzan woke up in someone's arms.
My body felt so sore as if it was falling apart, and I couldn't move because I was being held so tightly.
The brocade quilt beneath him was also wrinkled, as if it had been beaten by rain and wind.
Thinking back to what happened last night, the candlelight was bright and hot, the curtains were dim and warm, and she and the emperor were repeatedly tortured by the dim light and flicker. Later, her hair became tangled, and she seemed not very clear-headed.
But now her mind is clear.
The feeling of sobriety after the extreme joy is not pleasant... This is a road with no turning back.
The green hairpin arched in front of the person's collar, like a fragile and docile little bird.
The emperor then realized something and asked, "Why are you sleeping so lightly?"
It was still dark, and it was difficult to distinguish between day and night. However, the red candle beside the couch had already shed its lingering wax tears, filling the lamp.
Qing Zan raised her head from her collar and looked at him: "You have woken up much later than usual. Did I wake Your Majesty?"
A light kiss was enough to end all the gentle and polite greetings, and Qingzan's consciousness became soft and chaotic again.
The emperor asked, "We are going to Hanliang Palace. Are you afraid?"
Qing Zan whispered, "The Empress Dowager is not a mountain spirit or a wood demon, so how could I be frightened by hearing such a thing?"
"If you can't hold on any longer, call me to save you."
"When you say that, I feel a little scared."
The emperor chuckled.
Although she had called for water last night, Qingzan's body still felt a little sticky due to the hot summer weather.
She wanted to wait until the emperor left before bathing and washing up, but Xiao Fang was in no hurry to get up. He played with the ends of her hair and then fiddled with her fingers.
Qingzan was about to speak to urge someone, but Xiao Fang called her first.
"Green hairpin,"
She looked at him slightly bewildered.
"I enjoyed it very much last night." The emperor whispered hoarsely in her ear.
The swift that escaped from Lianbi Palace that day finally flew into his palm.
Although there were twists and turns, I finally got what I wanted.
*
After a simple wash last night, Qingzan changed into clean clothes. The thin red gauze was half hanging at the foot of the bed and half lying on the ground.
The Emperor had already returned to review the memorials, and when Nanny Lian, the Empress Dowager's attendant, arrived, Qingzan finally put away the ambiguous item. Perhaps she should just throw it away; it was no longer worth looking at.
She didn't let Nanny Lian wait for a moment and left immediately, leaving Pingting to take care of the palace affairs for her, while Doukou took a small bag and accompanied her to Hanliang Palace.
Nanny Lian, fearing she would be nervous, deliberately said something to her along the way: "It seems that a beautiful woman doesn't have many things."
Qingzan wasn't really nervous, as she didn't really care about many things these days. She simply replied gently and calmly, "Yes, I only brought two sets of clothes."
Nanny Lian looked at the person's well-behaved and thin appearance and said: "The Queen Mother is a kind person to get along with. There is no need for the beauty to be overly afraid."
Qing Zan replied in a gentle voice, "When I met you, I knew that the Queen must also be kind and compassionate."
Hanliang Palace is located on the edge of Taiye Lake. It is a palace built on water. There are five rooms connected in front and back, three in front and two in the back. It is cool and elegant.
It is supported by about a hundred stone pillars, so the main body of the hall is slightly above the ground. One has to walk up a long flight of steps to reach the pond hall from the shore.
Below, the water shimmered, and above, the eaves curled up. Qingzan was taken alone to the main hall in the center of the front row, while Doukou went to the side hall to put her clothes away.
Lian Mama said she was going to report to the Queen Mother: "My beauty, please wait a moment. I think Huan'er is painting a small portrait of the Queen right now. I'll go and take a look."
It was another palace maid who returned. With a cold and expressionless face, she said, "The Empress Dowager has ordered this beauty to kneel here and reflect on her mistakes."
Qingzan was slightly surprised, but did not ask any more questions. The palace servants' cold attitude obviously did not allow her to ask any more questions.
However, the palace maids also prepared a cushion and knee pads for her, which was obviously the Queen Mother's order.
Perhaps this is the Queen Mother's "kindness and compassion".
Kneeling in the middle of the empty hall, one could only hear the clear sound of ripples on the water, the occasional faint sounds of laughter in the distance, and the low cries of wild egrets on the Taiye Lake.
Xun Huan finished painting the empress dowager's portrait. The empress dowager picked up the still-dry painting and looked at it. "It seems too young. Why does it look the same as the one you painted when the late emperor was still alive?"
Xun Huan was wearing flower ornaments and a very alluring red makeup today: "Time can never defeat beauty. Do you think Xun Huan's brush and ink are the only ones who want to deliberately age you?"
The Queen Mother smiled upon hearing this, but a trace of wistfulness crossed her eyes: "You're so good at teasing me. I heard there's been unrest in the southwest lately, and it reminds me of the time when I first met the late Emperor."
Xun Huan smiled at the sight of them. While having the palace servants take the new painting out to air, he said, "Your Majesty and the late Emperor were deeply in love. Perhaps the Emperor is also a man of sentimental character, just like the late Emperor. Huan'er thinks that Lady Ying is quite good. I'd like to ask for your mercy. Would you please not punish her by making her kneel again?"
"A person of temperament?" The Queen Mother sighed. "Concubine Ying is indeed much more stable than you. Look at you day in and day out. You're eighteen or nineteen years old, and you still don't have a stable mind. You can be said to have grown up under my and the late emperor's care. Well, I have my own ideas about Concubine Ying's affairs. You don't have to plead for her. From now on, wherever she goes, she can say that the rules were taught by me. Now, she's just kneeling for a few days. Is that really an injustice to her?"
*
Tai Chi Hall.
The empress sent someone to invite her again. The emperor had been busy dealing with the drought in the southwest recently and was discussing with several ministers how to prevent the situation from worsening and causing large-scale drought and heat disasters. He did not want anyone to come in and disturb her, so Xu Delu had no choice but to let the palace maid go back first.
In the evening, Xu Delu brought up the matter and asked again, "Where will Your Majesty rest tonight?"
Xiao Fang said indifferently, "Go to Fengzao Palace."
The queen had already been waiting outside the palace, her clothes much plainer than before.
Seeing the emperor, she was overjoyed, as if grasping at a glimmer of hope, and hurried forward: "Your Majesty, I know I was wrong..."
Since returning from the altar that day, the queen has thrown a lot of things, but she calmed down after that. When she heard that Concubine Zhao was guarding the incense at the altar, she was even more inspired.
The Empress walked in alongside the Emperor. "As the Queen Mother, I am the person in the world most responsible for sharing Your Majesty's worries. I really shouldn't be so jealous and pick on a mere palace maid."
"I truly know I was wrong. Your Majesty, you can ask them if you don't believe me. A few days ago, I met Lady Ying while offering sacrifices and praying in the palace. She still had some resentment towards me and spoke disrespectfully to me, but I didn't punish her. Lady Ying treated it as a day of prayer, and I couldn't do anything to her. But if I really wanted to punish her, I could have made her kneel all night like Concubine Zhao guarded the incense at the altar..."
Seeing the emperor sitting on the nearest couch in the hall, the queen wanted to sit over there as well, but his cold look froze her in place.
The emperor scoffed, "I gave you a chance. Did I ever tell you to be careful with harsh punishments?"
"Your Majesty..." The Queen simply knelt before him and said, "Your Majesty, please punish me. If the palace power alone is not enough to vent your anger, then have someone beat me too. I only beg you to calm down."
The decorations in the hall had not been replaced since the day the empress smashed them. At this moment, the emperor looked around, twirled the animal bone ring on his thumb, suddenly sighed lightly, stood up and helped the man up.
The queen was flattered.
But then the emperor said, "The drought in the southwest is getting worse. I plan to send your grandfather as an envoy to provide disaster relief."
The Queen leaned into the man's arms, surprised and nervous. "I am grateful to your majesty for your high position. I thank you on behalf of my grandfather."
She always knew that the most powerful person in the family was actually her maternal grandfather. Her father was once a commoner. If it weren't for the title of Marquis of Yongning that he saved the late emperor's life, her mother would have always had the final say in the family. On the contrary, although her maternal grandfather's official position was not high, he had prestige and connections accumulated over decades.
Yet, the Empress was somewhat perplexed by the Emperor's intentions. Though she knew little about court affairs, she knew that disaster relief was a lucrative position, often filled with people who could enrich themselves. Was His Majesty giving this job to my grandfather to appease the grievances she had endured recently?
Perhaps, by disguising herself, she had done the right thing this time.
The emperor did not stay overnight in Fengzao Palace. The empress had learned her lesson and did not ask any more questions. She just sent him away with kind words and sex. Even when the emperor mentioned the issue of palace power, she patiently replied, "Hui Fei has more experience than me. Please allow me to stay away for a few days and learn how Hui Fei manages things."
Before leaving, the emperor ordered that the imperial harem's practice of paying respects every three days be resumed.
But he said coldly: "Don't be too happy, I want the six palaces to supervise you together."
The Queen smiled the whole time: "I know."
After they left, the Queen glanced at Fu Cui and called Jin Yu in. "You're right. Submission and concession are indeed effective. I will reward you handsomely."
*
Qingzan knelt in Hanliang Palace for three days, one hour each day. With a cushion under his knees, he didn't feel it was too painful.
I also heard from the palace maids that the emperor seemed to have promoted Concubine Zhao's position in the past two days, and now she is Concubine Zhao. He also rewarded Concubine Ying, who performed at the banquet, with a lot of gold, silver and jewelry.
On the third day, the Queen Mother finally showed up.
She was dressed in a dusk mountain purple brocade. Her features showed a sense of age and maturity, as well as the dignity of an elder. She walked into the main hall, circled around Qing Zan, and suddenly asked, "Do you think that since I left at the Qianqiu Banquet that day, you don't know what happened afterwards? Or do you think that since no one was present at the altar, no one would be able to detect your little tricks?"
Qing Zan felt a chill all over her body: "I dare not."
"It would be better if you really don't dare. If you pretend to obey but secretly disobey, that would be the worst. Okay, you've kneeled enough, now stand up." said the Queen Mother.
Qing Zan did not stand up: "I know that I am able to be a concubine in the palace with my humble status. I rely on your grace and kindness. If you are willing to teach me, I will kneel and listen to your instructions."
The Queen Mother, supported by two palace maids, lazily sat down in the hall. Then, the maids opened several side windows of the hall, letting in a lot of cool air. The Queen Mother felt a little relieved and said with a faint smile, "You are right. I have inquired about it. The Queen has been very harsh on you in the past. You have resentment in your heart. Now that you are favored, you want to be proud of it. It is also human nature. To be honest, the Queen may be even more extreme than you. But do you know why I never teach the Queen in person, but only you?"
Before Qingzan could answer, the Queen Mother said, "It's not because I treated her badly, but because the Queen has plenty of opportunities to make mistakes. After enough lessons, she will naturally change. But you——"
A person without family background or achievements, and with no one to rely on, will make enemies every day of his glory. If he falls, countless feet will step on him.
If it succeeds, the couple will have a deep love and be promoted to the position of Empress Dowager Yuanfei. If it fails, the couple will be shattered into pieces, gaining nothing and never being able to recover.
The Queen Mother's tone grew colder: "But you. Do you have a chance of failure?"
"So the first thing I want to teach you is patience. Queen, you must be patient. You must be patient when the Emperor favors others. You must be patient when I ask you to kneel."
Tolerate.
Qingzan lowered her eyes, but she had endured for fifteen years, until she was completely disfigured and became a slave to an enemy with whom she had a blood feud.
If I can get revenge, even if it means destroying myself and myself, even sacrificing my own life, why should I endure it?
Qingzan did not respond, and the empress dowager did not say anything else. The palace maids in Hanliang Palace did not dare to look directly at the two masters in the palace. At this moment, the palace maids came to report that the imperial eunuch Xu Delu had arrived.
The Queen Mother raised her eyelids: "What's the matter?"
As soon as Xu Delu entered, he leaned forward and said, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty has been feeling down these past two days because of the events in the southwest. So, remembering the tea Lady Ying made last time in Taiji Hall, he sent me on this journey."
The Empress Dowager knew that the Emperor had come to rescue them. Xun Huan had been out and about these past two days, so she knew the Emperor had gotten the news early in the morning.
"Go ahead." The Queen Mother looked at Qing Zan and said with a half-smile, "I wonder what kind of tea could have such great power?"
Qingzan remained kneeling, asking for paper and pen. He wrote something and folded the paper again: "This is the recipe for the tea. Please give it to His Majesty, eunuch."
The Empress Dowager was right in saying that the Emperor would favor many people, but he was her only reliance.
Therefore, even though there are countless beauties in the harem and even though the emperor's heart is extremely fickle, she must be a little special.
*
In the Taiji Hall, the emperor did not wait for anyone, but only a small note.
He snorted coldly, and when he unfolded it, he saw a line of beautiful small characters written on it: Work hard and eat more.
The corners of his lips twitched unconsciously.
She knew that what he was thinking about was not tea, and what he wrote was not a tea recipe, but a recipe for his heart.
Is it "We don't know when we will meet, so we should try our best to have more food", or "The above says to have more food, while the below says to miss you more"?
Is she thinking about him too?
Xu Delu glanced at the emperor's face and then explained for Qingzan and himself, who hadn't brought anyone back, "When I went in, I heard the Empress Dowager telling Master Ying to learn to be patient. Your Majesty, is this tea...about the right flavor?"
Xiao Fang crumpled the paper and held it in his palm. He felt his throat tighten slightly and his heart itch.
Suddenly I began to have some doubts about who is being endured.
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