Chapter 13 Lychee
Wang Ruer was stunned by Shen Fu's slap, and Chuxiu Palace was unusually quiet for a few days.
In Changqiu Palace, Shen Qingru had not heard the news that Shen Fu was punished by Chuxiu Palace, and she had been worried.
On this hot day, a rare guest came to Changqiu Palace.
"Your servant salutes Shen Ronghua." Lin An bowed to Shen Qingru, and stood up immediately as his knees touched the ground.
He is the chief eunuch beside His Majesty, and very few people in the harem can offend him. Now that he is willing to bow his head, it can be regarded as giving face to Shen Qingru.
"Why is Eunuch Lin here?" Lin An had just served the emperor in bed a few days ago, and today he came again. This was truly a pleasant surprise.
"Your Majesty has something to reward Miss Shen." Lin An raised his hand and pointed at the eunuch behind him, then smiled at Shen Qingru and said, "This is a good thing."
Shen Qingru followed his gaze and looked down.
There was a basket on the red lacquer tray in the young eunuch's hand. When the red cloth was lifted, a basket full of lychees was revealed.
The lychees are obviously fresh at first glance, each one is crystal clear and some are even misty.
It’s only June and lychees are a fresh commodity. I haven't heard which palace in the harem will start enjoying lychees, but I didn't expect that the Emperor would send such a basket.
Shen Qingru suppressed the shock in her throat and turned to look at Lin An: "Eunuch Lin, this is..."
She knew that every summer the Emperor would send people to purchase some from Lingnan.
Shen Qingru had naturally been allocated this much before, but she had never received such favor.
She was slightly surprised, but Lin An was not surprised at all: "Don't worry, my lady, this is a reward from His Majesty."
"As soon as the boat came up this morning, it was transported to the imperial kitchen." Lin An pointed at the basket of lychees and said with a smile.
"His Majesty has had all the palaces share it, but this one is the only one he has specially reserved for you."
Lychees are indeed a rare commodity at this time, not to mention that Kyoto has a dry climate and cannot grow such fruits. The cost of shipping it here alone is a huge expense.
Food was scarce, so naturally there was never enough to go around every year. Even if there are more this year, there won’t be much for the harem.
Just a few days ago, when he was in bed, His Majesty promoted Shen Ronghua to Ronghua.
Unexpectedly, as soon as the lychees were delivered, His Majesty specifically sent one to Shen Ronghua.
Lin An smiled when he thought of this. It seemed that he would have to visit Changqiu Palace more often in the future.
"This..." When Shen Qingru heard this, her face showed genuine joy.
She stood up and said, "Thank you, Eunuch Lin."
"I don't deserve it." Lin An quickly dodged and said with a smile: "This is a gift from His Majesty, I don't dare to accept it."
"Tonight, His Majesty has specifically asked you to dine at the Palace of Heavenly Purity. You are very happy. Pack up and leave immediately."
Lin An bowed his head and left.
After Shen Qingru and others left, he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the table again.
On the red-painted tray, each lychee is as big as a pearl, and you can tell at a glance that the lychees are crystal clear.
She had been in the palace for five years so she naturally knew how precious this thing was. But in previous years, the portions were smaller, and a small plate was already a blessing.
But I didn't expect that this year the Emperor would directly reward me with a basket.
Shen Qingru looked at it carefully for a long time before looking away: "Send it to Chuxiu Palace."
"My lady... this..." Fengchun swallowed his saliva when he heard this: "This is a reward from His Majesty. It means His Majesty cares about you and has you in his heart."
"Even if you don't want to eat it yourself, you don't have to give it all to Miss Fu."
Fengchun grumbled in dissatisfaction: "Miss Fu didn't even agree to do me such a small favor."
When Shen Qingru heard this, she turned her head and glanced at Fengchun.
His eyes fell on the basket of lychees and he rubbed his eyebrows. She knew in her heart that this thing was not given to her by His Majesty, but to Chen Fu.
His Majesty must have been very satisfied with Shen Fu that night, otherwise he would not have been so considerate.
As for Fengchun's refusal, Chen Fu neither agreed nor refused.
As long as it is like this, as long as there is no rejection, there is a glimmer of hope.
By then, she can rely on Shen Fu’s favor and climb to the supreme position step by step.
Even let Shen Fu give birth to a prince. By that time, I... Shen Qingru looked down at her belly and her palms clenched suddenly.
Without further ado, he said, "Send it!"
Fengchun wanted to persuade her again, but seeing the young lady's expression, he reluctantly took the basket and went out.
**********
When Fengchun arrived at Chuxiu Palace, Chen Fu was lying on the beauty couch. It was just past noon and the sunlight outside the window was just right, neither too hot nor too cold.
She slapped Wang Ruer so hard that she became quiet several times. Now she would hide and run away when she saw her. The room was unusually quiet. Zhou Shuyun was reading a book nearby when she saw someone from Changqiu Palace take her personal maid out with great tact.
Shen Fu's eyes moved away from Zhou Shuyun's back.
I have to say that Zhou Shuyun is indeed different. She has an extraordinary demeanor and a cool aura.
Although she is not very pretty, her temperament makes people feel comfortable when looking at her.
Shen Fu remembered that she was favored for a period of time after she was successfully selected, and Zhou Shuyun even threatened Shen Qingru's position at one point in the future.
Thinking about the things in her previous life, Shen Fu tapped the table lightly with her fingertips, thinking carefully. Although she lived a second life, she knew very little about her past life.
All I know is that in the harem, things change over time. There is no concubine who is always in favor, and naturally there is no concubine who is always out of favor.
She tried desperately to remember every detail of the harem. But I only remember a few outstanding beauties in this year's show.
Since she had planned to stay in the harem, she naturally had to win the emperor's heart first.
But how to grasp it, how to approach it, this is a problem.
"Here." Fengxi swallowed his saliva, moved his eyes away from the exquisite figure, secretly cursed the goblin in his heart, and then held the basket in front of Chen Fu:
"The young master gave it to you."
Chen Fu was covered with a sky-blue blanket, her eyes squinted and she looked drowsy. After hearing the sound, he opened the grinder and took a look. His eyes fell on Fengchun's angry face, and then he looked at the basket in her hand.
"Lychee." Shen Fu said lightly.
This thing is not a rare thing for her. Kyoto has a dry climate and naturally cannot grow such precious fruits. But it’s different in Suzhou. Chen Fu grew up in Suzhou and has eaten countless of these fruits every year.
Even if lychees are rare, the elders in the family will try their best to have people find them for her. Every year when the season comes, she would find a few large boats for her. For Chen Fu, lychees are not a rare sight.
There was no surprise in Shen Fu's tone as Feng Chun had expected. She secretly cursed Shen Fu for not knowing what was going on, and introduced it to him in a show-off manner: “What do you know, this lychee is a rare thing.”
"It was specially transported from Lingnan by water at full speed." Fengchun looked like he didn't know what Chen Fu was talking about, and said sourly, "The Emperor has only rewarded this much, young lady. I'll give it all to you."
"Is that so?" Shen Fu had just woken up and raised her hand to yawn lazily. His eyes fell on the basket of lychees, but he couldn't see any joy on her face at all.
"Thank you very much, elder sister."
Fengchun was playing the lute to a cow, and put the basket on the table in anger: "The young lady is so good to you, you have to find a way to repay the young lady."
She cast a fierce look at Shen Fu's face and secretly cursed her for being a vixen and restless.
So what if the baby is born good? Won't you be their young master's substitute by then?
"Your Majesty has summoned the young lady to sleep with him tonight." Feng Chun raised his chin proudly when he said this.
"Miss Fu, please enjoy it. I will not serve you anymore." Fengchun bowed perfunctorily and without waiting for Chen Fu to call her, she pushed the door open and walked out with a clang.
The vermilion door slammed shut with a bang, then bounced open again suddenly by the wind.
Chen Fu's face gradually turned cold as she listened to the loud noise.
Zi Su looked at the young lady, then looked at the lychees on the table. He said carefully: "Girl, this..."
She walked forward cautiously and wanted to take the basket of lychees away. But before their hands touched, Shen Fu's eyes dropped: "Put it down."
Shiso felt as if his hand was scalded and he dared not pick it up again. He turned his head carefully: "Girl, are you angry?"
The girl was pampered in Suzhou, but now that she has come to Kyoto, even a servant dares to give her the cold shoulder.
Shen Fu withdrew her cold gaze from the door. Shen Qingru had dirty thoughts about her, and now even Fengchun dared to turn his face away from her.
The servant learned all his behaviors from his master. Shen Qingru must have thought she was a fool, so Fengchun followed suit.
"The Emperor has summoned me to sleep with him?" Chen Fu glanced at the basket, reached out to take a lychee and peeled it. The white flesh and bones were crystal clear. Shen Fu lowered her head and took a sip, and her mouth was instantly filled with saliva.
"Yes." Zi Su nodded. The girl asked her to pay close attention to every move in the front yard these days. She knew about it as soon as Lin An left, but she just didn't remember to report it.
"It is said that Chen Ronghua has been invited to have dinner at the Qianqing Palace tonight." On the surface, it means having dinner, but secretly it means sleeping with the emperor.
Otherwise, why would we have dinner out of the blue?
"Have dinner..." Shen Fu shook her head and chuckled.
No wonder Shen Qingru sent this basket of lychees. I'm afraid she was referring to me.
The Emperor summoned her to sleep with him and asked her to consider her own status.
Shen Fu raised her eyes, and a bright color appeared in her peach blossom eyes.
He looked down at the basket of lychees and smiled softly. Then...then let Shen Qingru understand completely.
What does it mean to fall from surprise to hell in an instant.
*******
His Majesty summoned Shen Qingru to have dinner at the Qianqing Palace.
Before the sun set, everyone in Changqiu Palace was busy preparing.
The servants from the Imperial Household Department came two or three times, bringing clothes and jewelry. The side hall was bustling with activity, making the main hall seem a little deserted.
Bihe, who was beside Concubine Xiang, had just come from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. When she saw this scene, she turned her head and said "Pah".
"A dog's eyes look down on people."
Bihe walked back angrily, and just as she passed the Moon Gate, she saw a strange little palace maid walking past her with a basket of lychees.
"You!" Bihe's eyes were full of disbelief. She looked down at the plate on her tray, then at the other person's basket of lychees, her eyes widened.
"Stop."
When Zi Su was called, her heart subconsciously skipped a beat. She clenched the basket in her hands, thinking that the girl was a master of calculation.
Then he quickly turned his head timidly: "Sister, sister, call me."
Who is your sister! Bihe rolled her eyes.
He looked at her basket carefully for a few times, and after making sure that it was full of lychees, he looked at the person in front of him with suspicion.
"Which palace are you from? Why have I never seen you before?"
"I am from Changqiu Palace."
"Why have I never seen you before!" Bitao frowned. She was the senior maid in Changqiu Palace, and there was no one in the entire Changqiu Palace that she had not seen.
The person in front of her was clearly someone she had never seen before.
"Which palace are you from?" Bihe looked at her hands again, her eyes still cold.
"Where did you steal these lychees? I'll arrest you and take you to the Ministry of Punishment when the time comes!"
Zi Su recalled what the young bishop had said to her before, and said respectfully: "I am from Changqiu Palace, and our girl is Shen Ronghua's sister."
She snorted lightly, holding the tray and said proudly: "As for these lychees, they are naturally a reward from His Majesty."
After saying this, Zi Su raised her chin and walked back proudly.
Leaving Bihe staring at her back with jealousy.
After returning, Bi He complained angrily: “Master, Shen Ronghua doesn’t take you seriously.”
Concubine Xiang is only in her early twenties this year. Although she is not outstanding in appearance, she has a good voice.
She was singing delicately, and after hearing Bi He's words, she frowned slightly and looked back in dissatisfaction: "What's the matter that makes you so flustered?"
Xiang Guipin relied on her good voice to win the favor of His Majesty, and it became common for her to sing every day.
Being disturbed like this will naturally make one feel dissatisfied.
Bihe was so frightened by this look that her face turned pale. He panicked and told Concubine Xiang Guipin what had just happened, exaggerating it.
"Are you serious?" Concubine Xiang looked at the basket of lychees sent by the Ministry of Internal Affairs at noon.
His expression changed quietly.
She didn't care much about Shen Ronghua's sister, but this matter involved the favor of His Majesty, so she couldn't bear it: "Did you really see that Shen Ronghua also had a basket?"
"I saw it with my own eyes, it is absolutely true." Bihe nodded repeatedly.
Afraid of being blamed by his master, he hurriedly added fuel to the fire.
"It's a full basket, no less than what we have here." Bi He said, "Just like that, Shen Ronghua gave it to others without blinking an eye, and he didn't even know how much he had."
Concubine Xiang's face had already darkened.
She was the head of a palace, had a noble family background and was raising the third prince, so the Ministry of Internal Affairs allocated so much to her.
When will a little Rong Hua be able to compete with her in beauty?
"Asshole!" Xiang Guipin raised her hand and said, "Who dares to argue with me?"
For so many years, Shen Ronghua has always been humble and obedient. I didn't expect that he was a sheep in wolf's clothing, and he secretly hooked up with His Majesty at some point.
He actually surpassed her in such a matter.
There were people kneeling on the floor in the room, and Bihe looked down at the lychees that had rolled down at her feet.
I secretly groaned in my heart.
It looks like Shen Ronghua is going to have a hard time tonight.
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