Chapter 84 Attendants Thirty-Five
Shinju got up and grabbed the undergarment hanging at the foot of the bed, hurriedly trying to wipe the King of Poison. However, as soon as he finished wiping, more water dripped down, even onto the back of his hand.
Shinjuku's hand trembled almost imperceptibly, then he swallowed hard and simply wiped it upwards.
As he wiped, the Poison King sensed something was amiss and couldn't help but ask, "Is the hem of your robe getting in?"
The King of Poison's words came to an abrupt halt. Shinju immediately released his hand from blocking and wiping, and looked up somewhat sheepishly. He then met the King of Poison's tense jaw and his eyes, which held a stern, interrogative look.
A blush crept across Shinju's face. He blinked hastily, looked away, and cleared his throat, saying, "Your subject will go and prepare water for Your Majesty's bath."
The King of Zhen did not say whether it was good or bad, which can be considered as tacit approval.
To get water, Shinjuku had to put on some clothes first; he couldn't go out naked. But as he instinctively picked up his clothes, he belatedly realized what he had just done. Looking at the stains on his clothes that had been used as a rag, he was caught in a dilemma, unsure whether to wear them or not.
While it's not to the point of being disgusted—if it's not his, it belongs to the Poison King, or perhaps both—it's still inappropriate to wear it out like that.
Hesitantly, Shinju cast a pleading look at King Juzu.
The King of Zhen gazed into the clear eyes of Shinjuku, which were like both honey and amber, and a smile played on his lips. He thought to himself that this kid was really innocent.
After a night of fierce fighting, he was exhausted. He originally wanted to let Masakuni clean up the mess himself, but seeing that the other party was clumsy and showed no signs of being at ease, it calmed his complicated emotions that were teetering on the edge of agitation.
Shortly after, the King of Zhen snapped his fingers, and Tang Quan, who had been waiting outside the palace, walked to the outer side of the inner room and said, "Your Majesty."
"I want to take a bath in my room. Prepare it for me and bring two sets of clean clothes," the Prince of Zhen said calmly.
"Yes." Tang Quan accepted the order and left.
After he made the arrangements, he thought that Masakatsu would leave after changing his clothes. However, he did not expect that Masakatsu's earlier promise to serve him during his bath was serious.
To avoid getting wet, Shinjuku did not change into new clothes for the time being. Instead, he tied his old clothes around his waist and wore them as a lower garment. He then used a cloth to wash the King of Poison while he was shirtless.
The King of Poison withdrew his gaze, his brow twitching as he recalled the shock he felt when he first saw that thing last night.
Shinjuku has an innocent-looking face, but who would have thought... the contrast could be so stark.
After staring at each other for a while, he was so angry that he had a headache that he couldn't digest it for a long time. The pain wasn't just in his head anymore, and he almost went back on his word and accused Shinju of deceiving the emperor. How could a mere eunuch, who wasn't even castrated, possess such extraordinary talent?
But it was the other side that backed down first. Shinju was reluctant to make a move, and the King of Poison was driven by his competitive spirit. At the same time, he was unwilling to really let the other side leave. He had a strange premonition that if he did that, he might end up on a path that would lead him astray from Shinju, and they would never cross paths again.
Therefore, King Zhen abandoned his imperial dignity, gritted his teeth, and faced the challenge head-on.
Although King Zhen was somewhat angry and awkward, he looked at Masaya, who had been distant from him for so many days, now standing close behind him, with only the wooden plank of the bathtub separating them. The usual inseparable barrier was gone, and even the strands of hair exuded an intimate scent, making them feel really close.
Shinjuku's arm, with its naturally bulging muscle lines, reached out from behind and probed beneath the water's surface, carefully wiping the body of the King of Venom. The deliberate restraint in his strength was incredibly gentle, relieving the King of Venom's soreness and fatigue, so comfortable that the King of Venom almost sighed out loud.
However, the water got a bit deeper as they went down, so Shinjuku had to move to the side and lean forward slightly, dipping his towel into the water.
From this perspective, one can see that King Zhen actually has a lot to be proud of. Shinjuku's cheeks flushed, and he could only turn his head to look at King Zhen.
The King of Poison's eyes were as black as an abyss, like a dragon lurking within, unfathomable and inspiring awe in all who beheld them. True Monk, however, was not afraid, but suddenly snapped out of his daze.
The lines of the King of Venom were not exaggerated, but extremely smooth. At this moment, he was in a relaxed posture, which made him look even more gentle. Shinjuku didn't look at him any longer. He quickly washed the King of Venom and changed the water again before letting him soak in it.
The King of Zhen noticed that Shinju was distracted and assumed he was tired, so he generously let him go back to rest.
Even after leaving the Shōninden, Shinjuku still felt somewhat unreal, as if last night and even just now were nothing but a dream.
Such a magical thing actually happened.
Having committed such an overstepping act, or rather, "humiliated" King Zhen, and yet managing to emerge unscathed from his bedchamber, King Zhen must still be reeling from what he just witnessed.
Once the King of Zhen calms down, he should be punished.
In truth, both parties found pleasure in the end, but even if the matter of serving the emperor in bed could be forgiven, the crime of deceiving the emperor would certainly not be escaped. Emperors are inherently suspicious, and how could they allow a treacherous person to sleep soundly beside their bed?
He has yet to have the penis-shrinking technique reversed.
There's no need for that anymore.
Thinking of this, Shinju felt a sense of relief, but more than that, he was entangled in complex emotions that were difficult to define. In short, he didn't feel much lighter, but Shinju decided to stop thinking about it. He went straight back to the side room of Sasori's Palace to fetch water and wash himself.
.
The morning court session was cancelled again. The officials waited in front of the Golden Palace for a while before heading back.
The ministers originally thought that the Prince of Zhen had finally come to his senses and was spending his night in the palace of some concubine, enjoying the warmth and beauty in his arms. With so many imperial heirs dying out over the years, there was finally hope of adding an heir.
However, those with good connections already knew that the person the Prince of Zhen summoned to his bedchamber last night was not any of his concubines, but the renowned favorite of the Emperor—Qing Suishi.
Such rumors quickly spread, and the Prince of Zhen seemed to have no intention of concealing them. Before long, even the "Daily Records" written by the head palace maid corroborated the story, clearly stating that Qing had served him in bed, thus confirming the rumor.
Many court officials sighed, "How foolish! How foolish!" In the end, they still targeted that one person. They ignored all the beautiful flowers and insisted on picking a blade of grass that had been pinched off.
But many others reacted calmly, even somewhat confused. They wondered, "Weren't these two together a long time ago? What's the big deal?"
It's just that now the truth is out, and besides, it was no different before. Those two figures who are always inseparable have a relationship without any boundaries between ruler and subject, master and servant. Anyone who isn't blind can easily guess that there's something fishy going on between them.
Although some of the concubines in the harem were unwilling to accept their fate, they were a tiny minority. Most had long since become accustomed to the Prince's ways. The inner palace and its six courtyards were practically no different from the cold palace.
When Consort Shao heard that Zhen Su had been summoned to serve the emperor, she was stunned for a moment and looked towards the direction of Scorpion Shadow Palace with some worry.
Unfortunately, her gaze could never leave the roof tiles and the red walls above her head.
At this moment, Luli placed some melons and fruits on the table, so that Shaopin could moisten her mouth while listening to her chatter, and she could also get a few snacks. But to her surprise, Shaopin smiled and did not continue to gossip about Shinshu and the King of Zhen, but instead took out her zither and began to play.
Before long, Consort Zhen from the nearby courtyard also came running over, carrying her pipa and lifting her skirt, calling out, "Consort Shao! Why didn't you call Bao'er to play the zither? Quickly, count me in!"
Consort Shao asked Luli to set out a chair, her smile genuine and gentle, and said to her, "Alright, Bao'er, please sit down."
Before long, the news spread throughout the palace. If anyone was most shocked by this, it would probably be Uncle Wu and Xiao Dunzi.
Xiao Dunzi, who had just delivered breakfast to the Poison King, hurriedly walked to Uncle Wu's side and said, "Uncle Wu, they're all saying that Qingqing was summoned to serve the emperor last night!"
Uncle Wu had received the news even earlier than him. When he heard Xiao Dunzi's blunt words, his old face flushed red. He quickly pressed Xiao Dunzi down to sit at the small table in the corner and whispered, "Shh, you can't gossip about this!" How could he not check who the other protagonist of this rumor was? Gossiping about the Emperor's private affairs was a capital offense! Uncle Wu rebuked him with his eyes.
Xiao Dunzi immediately shut up, his face turning red, but he clearly had a lot of questions he wanted to ask.
Uncle Wu assumed he was just as worried about Masakuni as he was, so he patted him on the shoulder reassuringly and said, "Maybe it's not true, don't worry. Let's go ask Xiao Qingzi when we have time, okay?"
Then Xiaodunzi finally couldn't help but ask, "Uncle Wu, do you also not know what 'serving the emperor in bed' means?"
Uncle Wu was stunned when he heard this. He and Xiao Dunzi stared at each other for a long time before they came to their senses.
"...Little Dunzi, you...don't know?" Uncle Wu asked hesitantly.
Xiao Dunzi shook his head. "I don't know, that's why I came to ask you, Uncle, but you said you would ask Qingqing." He didn't even know if "serving the emperor" was a good thing or a bad thing, but since it concerned the emperor, he was determined to find out.
Uncle Wu was speechless, unsure how to explain. After thinking for a moment, he finally mumbled, "It's just that we slept together."
"Is that all?" Xiao Dunzi had a feeling it wasn't that simple, otherwise what would people outside be arguing about? But he always trusted Uncle Wu, so he didn't ask any further questions, and just said happily, "Then Qingqing and I have slept together." Even though we were far apart on the same bed.
Uncle Wu's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, but he quickly realized that Xiao Dunzi and Zhen Su had previously shared the same servant quarters, and Xiao Dunzi had probably been misled by his overly simplistic explanation. He covered his face in embarrassment. But Uncle Wu was too embarrassed to add anything further, so he changed the subject.
"When you went to serve the meal, did you see anything?" Uncle Wu still didn't quite believe the wildly exaggerated rumors circulating outside, even though each story was told with great detail and sounded more believable than most of the rumors. This made him quite uneasy, because if the Emperor really took action, no one could escape, not even the cleverest Shinju. So he tried asking Xiaodunzi to see if he could get any clues.
Xiao Dunzi described it directly: When he finished tasting the dishes and was about to leave, he caught a glimpse of the King of Zhen coming out from the inner room. Apart from his steps being slower than usual, there was nothing unusual about him. The King of Zhen's face was also normal, still looking majestic and imposing. However, he did not see Shinju's figure.
Uncle Wu was puzzled, sensing something was off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Xiao Dunzi's words didn't alleviate Uncle Wu's anxiety, so he suggested to Xiao Dunzi, "How about this, you go later..."
.
When they encountered Majutsu fetching water, seeing Majutsu's swift and effortless movements as he lifted the bucket, they immediately swallowed back their question about whether they needed help.
You'er and Zuo'er exchanged a glance, and simultaneously recalled how, when they pretended to report something but actually went to watch the excitement, they saw the Prince of Zhen walking slowly and couldn't help but think to themselves, "His Majesty is not young after all."
The two women felt it wouldn't be right to linger there any longer, so they said goodbye and left.
Shinjuku didn't notice their secret glances, thinking that the news had probably already spread outside.
Sure enough, when Xiaodunzi came to his door, Shinju knew he hadn't guessed wrong.
"Qingqing!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
