Chapter 1 Alternatives
It was the plum rain season, and as soon as the weather cleared up it began to rain continuously.
Looking down from the towering red wall, one could see from afar a group of palace servants and guards standing in the corridor at the gate of Changqiu Palace.
The rain was heavy, and raindrops fell along the dark tiles. The palace servants were soon soaked, but no one dared to move.
After the deafening thunder, in addition to the sound of dripping rain, bursts of secret sounds could be heard faintly from the tightly closed palace door behind.
In the wind and rain, the voice was delicate and charming, like a cat acting coquettishly, and it made people feel half numb as soon as it opened its mouth.
The palace maids stood far away, but the sound could not be covered up. Occasionally, there were broken sounds, mixed with a few men's low growls.
Everyone present was silent until the rain subsided and the noise inside gradually stopped.
When a distant bell rang, the leading eunuch Lin An heaved a sigh of relief, raised his eyelids, turned around and pushed the door open.
It was raining outside and the house was damp.
As soon as the door was opened, the first thing that came into view was a rosewood chair carved with a pattern of blue phoenix and peony, and next to it was a piano table made of azure stone.
Fragrant mist was rising from the Boshan stove right in front of us.
Changqiu Palace is far away and it is not the best palace in the harem.
But the person who lived there, Shen Wanyi, was quite extraordinary.
Shen Wanyi had only been in the palace for five years when she climbed all the way up from a sixth-rank talent to the position of Wanyi.
Wanyi is of the fourth rank, and His Majesty is extremely stingy when it comes to official positions. Many concubines entered the palace for many years before being promoted once, but Shen Wanyi jumped three levels in five years.
She is considered to have some favor in this palace.
It's just that His Majesty has clearly become a little cold towards Shen Wanyi in the past six months, and he got drunk at the banquet tonight.
Look at this in broad daylight, and they are doing that before the banquet is over...
Thinking of the noise he just heard outside, Lin An clicked his tongue twice, lowered his head and walked in.
It was a hot summer day. There was an ice jar behind the screen, with melted ice dripping down. The coral carpet woven with gold brocade had already become wet.
The ground was damp and there was a slight smell of alcohol.
A few small clothes were thrown on the lotus-patterned floor tiles, and a bellyband with a picture of mandarin ducks playing in the water was hanging on the rosewood couch, swaying slightly.
Lin An didn't even dare to glance around, and said respectfully, "Your Highness."
"The fragrant bath is ready. Your Majesty, do you want to take a bath?"
A cold response came from inside through the sky-blue curtains. The emperor's voice was hoarse and there was no emotion in it.
The curtain was drawn aside, and the person inside stood up from the bed. As soon as he put on the bright yellow dragon robe, a soft and boneless hand reached out from behind and grabbed him forcefully.
The hand was slender and long, with well-proportioned flesh and bones, and it fell lightly on the bright yellow dragon robe, so white that it was almost blinding.
Lin An took a deep breath when he saw Shen Wanyi’s bold move.
He had served His Majesty for many years, and had never seen a concubine so bold.
The Emperor has been in power for many years and his temperament is unpredictable. Even though Lin An has been serving him since he was a child, he sometimes cannot figure out his intentions.
Not to mention the concubines in the harem.
His Majesty is in a good mood and will pamper you for two days. His Majesty is in a bad mood and will forget you in a blink of an eye.
Therefore, in the entire harem, except for a few concubines who were favored and always popular, everyone else was trembling with fear when facing the Emperor.
Now, this Shen Wanyi is a little too bold.
Lin An looked at Shen Wanyi's hand that fell on the dragon robe, and his eyebrows twitched rapidly. He was afraid that the Emperor would be displeased, so he was about to lower his head and move forward.
But the emperor turned around.
Today, the ministers held a banquet, and he drank a few more cups, thus indulging himself in the daytime without thinking.
As for the person in the bed, he frowned and pondered for a long time before he remembered that the person inside was probably Shen Wanyi.
There were many concubines in the harem, but only a few of them could be remembered by him. The only thing he remembered about Shen Wanyi was her stunningly beautiful face.
But there are indeed many beautiful concubines in the harem. No matter how beautiful Shen Wanyi is, she will lose her novelty after looking at her for a long time.
Before this, Xiao Yu had not invited Chen Wanyi to sleep with him for a long time. Thinking of the good taste just implied, it was a little different from the past...
Xiao Yu paused with his hand pressing on his brow, and his narrow gaze fell on his fingertips that were placed on the dragon robe, but he did not pull away.
The woman's wrist was soft and boneless, slender and white, almost translucent. But at this moment, these hands were tightly grasping his robe and refused to let go.
Thinking of the physical contact just now, Xiao Yu rubbed his brows and reminded again: "Chen Wanyi."
The emperor's voice was cold, and his expression behind the curtains was full of majesty.
Shen Wanyi?
The moon was cast through the gauze curtains, and there were shadows all over. Chen Fu was lying on the bed, sweating all over. She seemed to have just woken up from a nightmare, and her whole body was trembling slightly.
But when he heard the three words Shen Wanyi, he still subconsciously sneered in his heart.
There is only one Shen Wanyi in the harem, and that is her eldest sister Shen Qingru.
Although she is called the eldest sister, Shen Qingru is actually just the adopted daughter of the Shen family. It’s just that Shen Fu didn’t grow up in Kyoto since she was a child, and Shen Qingru has always been serving by her side.
Considering that she had served for many years, she was given the title of elder.
But as far as I can remember, Shen Qingru didn't stay in the position of Wanyi for long, and was soon promoted to Ronghua. After that, in just over two years, she climbed up to the positions of Jieyushi, Guipin, and Zhaoyi.
Even before she died, she seemed to have heard the news that Shen Qingru was promoted to concubine.
Wanyi? How many years has this been going on?
How come she is still acting as Shen Qingru's stand-in even after her death?
Chen Fu endured the splitting headache and opened her eyes with difficulty, vaguely remembering that she should be dead.
She died in the bitter cold of winter.
In the seventeenth year of Yongfeng, it snowed for a whole month. The heavy snow soon buried the person. She had just given birth to a prince for Shen Qingru, but was left in the snowy night and died silently.
However, when Chen Fu opened her eyes, what she saw was not the white snow, but a messy and ambiguous bed.
Feeling sore all over, Shen Fu moved her body and felt a vague discomfort between her legs.
She was not a naive girl who didn't understand love affairs. On the contrary, Shen Fu knew very well what she was experiencing just now.
Her eyes fell blankly on the quilt embroidered with autumn begonias, and Shen Fu felt panic in her heart. What was going on?
The hand that was grasping the robe clenched tightly, and the slender jade fingers fell on the bright yellow dragon robe, making it look even whiter like snow.
The soaring golden dragon on the bright yellow dragon robe had been deformed. Lin An, standing to one side, saw that the Emperor's expression had changed.
If this continues, His Majesty will probably be angry. Lin An did not dare to delay any longer and walked forward cautiously: "Miss Wanyi."
"The ministers of the previous dynasty are still waiting for His Majesty. No matter how reluctant you are, you can't stop His Majesty from leaving."
Lin An spoke respectfully, but in his heart he secretly cursed Shen Wanyi.
This Shen Wanyi is too tactless. She was about to fall out of favor.
I don't know what means she used to make the Emperor interested in her again.
You've just been favored and you're already acting like this? If they continue like this and anger His Majesty, they will all be in trouble.
"Young Master." Lin An called her "Young Master" repeatedly, but he was cursing in his heart.
Chen Fu turned around when she heard the voice. The sky-blue curtain swayed slightly, and through a ray of sunlight, Chen Fu looked at the person standing in front of her.
The emperor was extremely tall, more than eight feet tall. At this moment, standing behind the screen with the mountain and bird painting, on the bright yellow dragon robe was an extremely handsome face.
Thin lips, straight nose, and delicate facial features. At first glance, he seems to be a gentle gentleman.
But the emperor's domineering aura made people feel breathless.
Chen Fu looked at the familiar features and her heart was beating like a drum.
She has served His Majesty for more than two years. Although she has always been disguised as someone else, she has been serving him closely for a long time.
Even through the curtains, one could tell that His Majesty was unhappy at the moment.
The natural feeling of oppression was approaching, and if it lasted any longer, the Emperor would probably lift up her curtain.
If they knew that she was not Shen Qingru, I'm afraid she would be accused of climbing onto the dragon bed.
Feeling a little nervous, Shen Fu suddenly relaxed her grip on His Majesty's robe.
As soon as his robes fell apart, the emperor turned around and put on his outer coat.
But before leaving, Xiao Yu couldn't help but turn his head and look behind him. The sky-blue curtain was embroidered with lotus leaves, and now it was torn open by the wind.
The dim candlelight shone into the room, and the woman's arm looked as delicate as jade.
Her slender fingers rested on Begonia's blanket, which was as beautiful as fine porcelain and so white that it was almost blinding.
He frowned, feeling something was wrong, and suddenly had an urge to lift the curtain.
Before he could make a move, Lin An in front of him whispered, "Your Majesty, Grand Tutor Zhou is already waiting."
Xiao Yu's heart sank. He stopped thinking and immediately turned around and left.
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