Chapter 25: Taking a Walk
In Zhaohua Palace, the queen put down the teacup with a snap.
"What? Your Majesty and Su Zhaorong are taking a walk in the Imperial Garden?"
"Uh, yes..."
Nanny Li looked nervous: "Su Zhaorong went to Jingming Palace at noon to express gratitude and served His Majesty's meal. Afterwards, she accompanied His Majesty to the Imperial Garden for a walk to digest the food..."
In the end, he didn't dare to tell anyone about the intimate jokes between His Majesty and Su Zhaorong.
"Oh."
The Queen stood up, her face gloomy. "The Queen Mother and His Majesty, in order to suppress me and the Shen family, actually took so much trouble to favor a lowly concubine's daughter. Isn't this a slap in my face?"
"Your Majesty, calm down."
Nanny Li quickly stepped forward to appease her, "Since Your Majesty knows that it was His Majesty's intention, then you should relax and not panic. You must not lose your composure and give the Empress Dowager a handle on you."
The queen took a deep breath, her eyes cold.
"So what if I know? If this gets out, how can I save my face? Send Wei Zhaorong and Liu Xiurong here."
"…yes."
There was peace in Baorong Palace, and the empress dowager was so happy that she wanted to go out and take a look at the corner.
"Really? Did the Emperor really ask Su Zhaorong to accompany him?"
"It's true."
Nanny Xue smiled and nodded. "I went to see them specially. I saw His Majesty and Su Zhaorong talking and laughing, holding hands and pulling sleeves. They were as beautiful as a painting. Many concubines who didn't believe it ran to see them, but no one dared to get close."
"Holding hands and pulling sleeves?"
The Queen Mother was somewhat stunned: "Was it the Emperor holding Su Zhaorong's hand?"
"I didn't see it clearly, but Your Majesty, when has His Majesty ever let the concubines pull his sleeves? I saw it clearly. Su Zhaorong pulled His Majesty's sleeve and shook it, and His Majesty spoke to her patiently. If he didn't like it, he would have shaken her off long ago, right?"
"Yes, yes, yes. The emperor hates people getting close to him, let alone letting someone pull his sleeve. He must be fond of that little girl. Great! I'm relieved now."
The Queen Mother breathed a sigh of relief, her face beaming with joy. "No wonder, I like this lovely girl so much. The Su family has raised a good daughter. Xue Qing, please add a few more palace maids and eunuchs to the Yufu Palace to protect Su Zhaorong well. The rewards can be given to her after she serves the emperor in bed."
"yes."
…
After Su Ci finished seducing the king, she had just returned to Yufu Palace and sat down when visitors came one after another.
Yan Zhaoyi still looked condescending, but her tone was much better.
"Although my rank is higher than yours, I still have to wait for the Empress Dowager and the Empress to bestow upon you before it's my turn. This is the golden hairpin my family sent to the palace. It was crafted by the Mingbao Pavilion in the capital. Consider it my gift to Sister Su."
Su Ci was amazed and looked at the extremely exquisite hairpin.
"As expected of the number one pavilion in the world, the craftsmanship is indeed exquisite. Thank you, Sister Yan."
Song Zhaoyi's smile was much more flattering. She took out a pair of glass cups and said, "Sister, have you heard of Lingyun Mountain in Guanzhou? My father is good friends with Master Lingyun. These are the flowing wine cups made by Master Lingyun himself. I can't drink much and rarely drink on weekdays. They are useless, so I'll give them to you."
Su Ci looked at the glass wine glass, her eyes flashing slightly.
In the original novel, the male and female protagonists reunited in Lingyun Mountain. Later, the male protagonist Chu Yunzhou was ambushed. The female protagonist was quick-witted and rescued him, and discovered the true identity of Master Lingyun as a Beidi spy.
Song Zhaoyi's father was the prime minister of the time. Whether there was any inside story or not, it was a perfect handle.
"It's hard to refuse such a kind offer, so I won't refuse. Thank you very much, sister."
Wei Zhaorong also took out a pair of jade bracelets with a bright smile, as if she had completely forgotten what happened in the morning.
The concubines of lower rank all gave gifts and tried their best to please the emperor.
Su Ci accepted them all.
Nonsense, there are not many such good opportunities to make money, and the key is that you don’t have to return the gift. Only a fool would not accept it.
"Thank you all for the greeting gifts."
Su Ci stood up and nodded with a smile: "Originally, I should have asked my sisters to stay for a while, but His Majesty promised to have dinner at Yufu Palace, so I have to prepare..."
“…”
Concubine Yan and Concubine Song's expressions tightened, Concubine Wei pursed her lips and lowered her eyes, but many of the other concubines showed envy and jealousy in their eyes, and the smiles on their faces became more attentive.
There's no way around it. Who told them that they haven't had the chance to sleep with the emperor in the palace for several years? Who told them that they have the empress dowager's support? Who told them that they can chat and laugh with His Majesty in the imperial garden at noon and then sleep with him at night?
It brings tears to my eyes...
**
After sending away all the ghosts and gods, Shaoyao packed up the tea sets, Lianxin and Fushou moved the gifts into the warehouse, and Su Ci led Yanyu Guyu into the dormitory.
"Have you arranged for the palace maids and eunuchs sent by the Queen Mother?"
"Everything has been arranged. Nanny Xue also said that those people are doing laundry and sweeping work outside the palace and won't come into the house casually. From what I heard, I think they are helping the master keep an eye on the person in the side hall."
"Um."
Su Ci walked to the dressing table and sat down, looking at the lazy beauty in the bronze mirror: "Is Fulu back?"
Yanyu raised her hand to help her remove the hairpins and rings: "Not yet, Master, do you need to make a pair of the same jade bracelets that Wei Zhaorong gave me?"
"No, the Queen's set is powerful enough. For the sake of caution, I will not risk sending another pair."
After taking off the hairpins and rings, Su Ci stood up, opened her hands to take off her outer garment, breathed a sigh of relief, and leaned back onto the soft pillow on the chaise longue.
"But seeing that Wei Zhaorong seems to have calmed down a bit, I guess she has some tricks up her sleeve."
Guyu's expression tightened. "Tonight is an important day for the Master. She wouldn't try to cause trouble and ruin it, would she?"
"Oh, I was afraid she wouldn't make a fuss."
Su Ci covered her mouth with a smile, her eyes moving, "Yanyu, go take a walk in the small garden next to the side hall later. If someone talks to you, just pretend to accidentally reveal that His Majesty loves the sound of the pipa, but unfortunately your master doesn't know how to play it."
Yanyu thought about her words, then smiled and knelt down to salute: "I will go pick some flower petals for Zhaorong to bathe in."
Guyu poured a cup of tea and walked forward, looking thoughtful.
"Master, does His Majesty hate the sound of the pipa?"
Su Ci smiled: "You two are becoming more and more clever. It turns out that growth requires an environment to cultivate it."
"But my Lord, if Wei Zhaorong disturbs His Majesty, she will be punished, but she will also ruin your good time with His Majesty."
"Even you think His Majesty will favor me tonight?"
Gu Yu blinked in surprise: "Well, since His Majesty has agreed to let the Master come for dinner, then, doesn't that mean he wants the Master to sleep with him?"
"Oh, you're still young."
Su Ci raised her red lips slightly: "At the beginning, I was sure that I could enter the palace as a concubine, not only because I saw that His Majesty was interested in me, but also because the Queen Mother and His Majesty needed me and my father as two chess pieces to warn the Queen and the Shen family."
"It's undeniable that Your Majesty is indeed interested in me now, but at this stage it's more of curiosity and exploration. It's far from being in love. At most, it's just not disgusting. After all, I'm so beautiful that everyone loves me."
Guyu: ...
Su Ci nimbly turned sideways, raised her hands to support her temples in an enchanting manner, and narrowed her watery eyes seductively.
"But I will definitely sleep with you tonight."
"He didn't want me to sleep with him, but I wanted him to."
…
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