Chapter 42: Scheming against Xiao
Xiao Jingheng said yesterday that he would come to Yaohua Palace for lunch today.
After Song Zhao returned to the palace, he and Concubine Yao started to busy themselves in the small kitchen.
Song Zhao is in favor, and Xiao Jingheng has been coming to Yaohua Palace more often recently.
As the saying goes, there is affection when two people meet. Concubine Yao is the mistress of Yaohua Palace, so she always gets some benefits from it.
Two people were busy in the small kitchen, talking and laughing.
Yunshan entered and bowed to the two of them, saying, "My lord, Xiao Changzai is here to see you again."
The smile on Song Zhao's face froze, and he said helplessly:
"Go and tell her to wait for me in the west hall. I'll be there soon."
"Why bother with her?" Concubine Yao's face looked a little unhappy. "She didn't like to get close to you before, but now that she sees that you are favored by the emperor, she has been coming to see you every day. Is she here to see you, or does she want to try her luck in seeing the emperor here? Can't you tell?"
Song Zhao understood why Concubine Yao suddenly got angry.
Xiao Jingheng will come to have lunch later. Originally, only Concubine Yao and she could serve him. If Concubine Xiao comes along, where will Xiao Jingheng's eyes be directed?
Song Zhao was very good at dealing with people and he didn't want to offend anyone, so he said:
"Now that she is here, I cannot refuse her entry as we are sisters. Let me go and see her, say a few words to her and then send her away, so that we don't have to keep her here when it's time to eat."
As she spoke, she looked at the exquisite dishes prepared on the kitchen counter in front of Concubine Yao and said with a smile, "Your Majesty's cooking is so good that I can't even eat enough by myself, how can I bear to share it with her?"
Yaopin then smiled and said, "If you like to eat it, I will prepare more later."
When Song Zhao returned to the west wing hall, as soon as he entered the door, Xiao Changzai came up to greet him with a flattering smile.
She acted very intimate with Song Zhao, took her hand and pulled her to sit on the warm seat.
"Sister, why are you in such a good mood today? Are you thinking of cooking for yourself?"
Song Zhao said: "I have nothing to do, so I want to make two home-cooked dishes."
"Oh, I'm in for a treat." Xiao Changzai finished speaking before pretending to be embarrassed and asked, "It's me who was so abrupt. I didn't even ask if you welcome me, and I took the initiative to stay at your place for lunch. I wonder if you welcome me?"
Song Zhao smiled, "Sister, you are being polite, aren't you? Concubine Yao is also a person who likes to have fun, so of course we welcome you, sister."
"You and I have similar personalities, so I just like being with you~" Xiao Changzai said with a sigh, "You don't know how much I have been humiliated in Zhaochun Palace. Concubine Hui has a childlike heart and is easy to get along with, but Concubine Liu... I have only slept with her once since I entered the palace, and Concubine Liu relied on her having slept with her three times, and she always gave me a cold shoulder, openly or secretly. I was really unhappy facing her every day."
When she talked about other people's gossip, Song Zhao would not respond.
So he pretended not to hear and changed the subject:
"The Emperor's birthday will be in two days. What gift has Sister prepared for the Emperor?"
Xiao Chang stumbled over it and said, "I plan to perform a dance at the emperor's birthday banquet. It's the water sleeve dance."
Xiao Jingheng's birthday was also the time when all the concubines appeared before the emperor.
Everyone will show off their best skills, especially concubines like Song Zhao and Xiao Changzai who entered the palace this year.
Song Zhao had investigated Xiao Changzai thoroughly early on.
Her specialty is singing, how could she possibly dance in front of the emperor?
But she saw through it but didn't say anything. She smiled and said:
"Sister has a graceful figure, and water sleeve dance can best show the feminine beauty of a woman. I believe that sister will be able to move the capital with her dance and win the emperor's special favor."
Xiao Changzai waved his hand and said, "They are all from small families, not presentable. They are not as good as you. You are so beautiful and brave to protect your master in the imperial garden. It seems that except for the Empress Chen, your sister is the most favored by the emperor. If I am not mistaken, the emperor will definitely turn over your card again tonight, right?"
Song Zhao said shyly, "Sister, please stop making fun of me. The Sixth Master is entering the palace today, and the Emperor will probably accompany him to Shoukang Palace to visit Concubine Jing Gui in the evening. I guess he won't be in the mood to do that."
Xiao Chang nodded silently, and no one knew what he was thinking.
She sat on the warm seat and felt as if something was poking at her thighs.
When she moved her body, she found that it was a libretto book hidden under her body.
Song Zhao had just picked up the libretto and hadn't even opened it when he started to panic.
She changed her usual calm and self-possessed attitude and reached out to grab the libretto.
Xiao Changzai was quick to move and raised his hand to dodge, then joked, "What is this? Look how nervous my sister is."
As he said this, he flipped open the songbook and glanced at the lyrics.
"Is this the libretto of the Kunqu opera The Jade Hairpin? Do you like singing?"
Song Zhao shook his head and sighed, "It's not that I like it, but the emperor mentioned it to me a few days ago. I saw that the emperor liked this piece of "The Jade Hairpin" very much, so I wanted to learn it. But I have no talent. I practiced it several times but couldn't even find the tune..."
After hearing this, Xiao Changzai's eyes sparkled.
Kunqu Opera is her strong point.
Song Zhao can't, but she can!
If Xiao Jingheng really likes listening to Kunqu Opera, perhaps this can become an opportunity for her to rise to the top.
After Xiao Chang pondered for a moment, he quickly returned the libretto to Song Zhao and stood up and said:
"I suddenly remembered that I have some things to do in the palace. I am afraid I can't stay and have lunch with my sister today. I will come to see my sister another day."
"Sister, are you leaving now? Lunch will be ready soon. Why don't you stay and have lunch before leaving?"
Song Zhao followed Xiao Chang and called out,
However, Xiao Changzai was like a happy wild rabbit, and he was out of the main gate of Yaohua Palace in a flash.
Song Zhao stood under the cypress tree in the courtyard, watching Xiao Changzai's hasty departure with a leisurely gaze.
The thin red lips curved up into a beautiful arc, and she lip-read a sentence faintly,
"idiot."
After Xiao Changzai had been gone for about a quarter of an hour, Xiao Jingheng arrived.
When the three of them were having lunch together, Concubine Yao was diligently serving dishes to Xiao Jingheng.
During the entire lunch, Xiao Jingheng only looked at her twice and said one sentence to her.
"Princess Yao's cooking skills have become more and more sophisticated."
Just this one compliment was enough to make Concubine Yao happy for a long time.
After lunch, Xiao Jingheng naturally went to the west side hall of Song Zhao to take a nap.
He kept his word. He was concerned about the bruises on Song Zhao's back and would come to apply medicine to her every day.
"I've noticed that the bruises on your back have healed very well in the past few days. It looks like they will heal completely without leaving any traces soon."
"Isn't that the credit of the emperor?" Song Zhao put on her coat, leaned into Xiao Jingheng's arms, and stroked the beard on his chin with her fingertips. "The emperor comes to apply medicine to me every day. You are so good to me. I don't know how to repay you."
The girl in my arms has a soft voice, cool fingertips, and seductive eyes.
Every seemingly unintentional contact is actually a naked tease.
"Oh?" Xiao Jingheng raised his voice, lifted her chin with his backhand, and smiled wickedly.
"Then let me tell you how to repay me."
As he spoke, his warm palm slowly moved past numerous obstacles and reached for the pistil.
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