Chapter 40 Chapter 40 Palace Maid for Forty Days
Shen Qing looked after the eldest prince, so naturally he was much less aware of the affairs of the harem.
For example, Noble Lady He accidentally fell in the Imperial Garden. Later it was discovered that the gravel road was smeared with oil, and someone specifically led Noble Lady He to that place. The palace servant who poured the oil was found out, and it was pointed out that it was Concubine Zheng who ordered it.
Concubine He almost had a miscarriage and had to stay in bed to recuperate, while Concubine Zheng was demoted to Baolin.
For example, after the ban on Concubine Xian was lifted, the Emperor went to her Changchun Palace to sit for a while, which meant that what she had done was over. Jiang Cairen was the Empress Dowager's person and also belonged to Concubine Xian's camp, but Jiang Cairen and Concubine Lin did not seem to have a good relationship. In Changchun Palace, when Concubine Lin was there, Jiang Cairen would turn around and leave.
Jiang Cairen was ambitious and arrogant. She looked down on the way Concubine Lin suppressed Concubine Yan.
For example, Concubine Yan was not as favored as before after she moved to the palace. On the contrary, Concubine Chu and Concubine Chen, one beautiful and the other delicate, gradually gained favor.
Concubine Chu and Concubine Chen are both Defei's people. Concubine Chen has a closer connection with Defei, so it is more advantageous for Concubine Chen to be favored by her. Moreover, if Concubine Chen becomes pregnant, Concubine De will surely feel more at ease if the child she gives birth to is held in her arms.
Shen Qing only learned about these things a long time after they happened. He just listened to them as gossip and did not feel any real sense in his heart.
She thought that the storybooks were not as good as the ones she had picked up from the young eunuchs in the palace. The ones about overbearing princes and cold-blooded killers were really exciting.
Shen Qing's life was very dull. The only disturbance was probably when the emperor came to visit the eldest prince from time to time and teased her a little.
After a few interactions, she and Qian Ji became familiar with each other.
Qian Ji is an easy person to understand. Probably because he only learned martial arts from his master Qian Quanzhong, he doesn't have any wits and can tell at a glance how the emperor feels today.
As for Ji Chen, after fishing for two months, how could he not feel that Shen Qing's heart was as cold as a stone and she was not moved at all? This made him unbelievable, angry and then funny.
In order to figure out the mind of this kind of girl, Ji Chen searched the harem and found that only Concubine Li had a similar temperament to Shen Qing. After some twists and turns, he discovered that the two were completely different and the experience he learned from Concubine Li was not suitable for Shen Qing at all.
Lady Li knew about love between men and women, but Shen Qing, although she didn't want to admit it, it was true that she hadn't yet figured it out.
I don't know what her mind was on all day, maybe eating. She was such a delicate beauty, but the flesh on her cheeks was very soft.
Shen Qing occasionally intended to move, but when he was angry and had a cold face, the pressure would rise. Every time at this time, Qian Ji would be worried. On the contrary, she looked well-behaved, but in fact, no one knew what was in her mind. Her ears were slightly red and her eyes were very moist.
She seems to like his cold face?
In order to verify this conclusion, Ji Chen deliberately practiced his cold face in front of the mirror. The impact of a cold face of an indifferent person is different from that of a always cold person.
For example, Lan Jieyu always has a cold face, so no one cares whether she is in a good or bad mood, after all, she looks the same whether she is in a good or bad mood.
Ji Chen's face turned cold, and all the palace maids in the Qianqing Palace knelt down silently, asking His Majesty to calm down, wondering if it was something that happened in the court that made His Majesty unhappy.
But since the first year of his ascension to the throne, Your Majesty was often so angry with his ministers that he couldn't eat. Now, he is much better and has excellent self-control all year round.
That day, Ji Chen went to see the eldest prince.
Shen Qing continued to serve by his side as usual, but his main service was still to the eldest prince.
The eldest prince is now more than two months old. The weather is getting colder and it is soon to be December. The eldest prince wears slightly thicker clothes and the house has been heated by the floor heating, making it warm.
The eldest prince was white and plump, with so much hair that it grew close to his head. He had a pair of black eyes and was not noisy. He seemed to have a very quiet personality.
Shen Qing thought that this character was probably inherited from the emperor and the empress. After all, both of them were very calm.
Ji Chen glanced at Ji Can and lifted the baby's chin like teasing a dog. Ji Can looked at this strange yet familiar man and was not moved by the golden dragon pattern embroidered on his clothes. He turned his face away to refuse and did not cry or make a fuss.
Ji Chen thought, as expected, if a baby stays with someone for a long time, he will pick up some of that person's habits. He immediately became interested and held the prince in his arms.
The baby's soft body made Ji Chen feel uncomfortable no matter how he held him. He didn't dare to use force, so he could only hold his arms stiff.
It was difficult to put her down, because Shen Qing was watching beside him. If he put her down as soon as he picked her up, wouldn't he seem useless?
Shen Qing looked at the eldest prince and found that he did not seem to be feeling uncomfortable, so he did not move. He waited until the emperor stopped holding him and then took the eldest prince over.
Watching the wet nurse coaxing the eldest prince every day, Shen Qing also learned a few tricks and could simply hold a baby.
After a while, Ji Chen looked up at Shen Qing. Shen Qing caught his gaze, understood, and said, "Your Majesty, hand the eldest prince over to me."
Then he stretched out his hand.
Ji Chen felt relieved and was just about to hand over the little guy Ji Can, but he heard Ji Can grinning, revealing his toothless mouth. Shen Qing felt something was wrong and looked carefully. Sure enough, the eldest prince had urinated and was held in mid-air by Ji Chen's quick eyes and hands.
Ji Chen's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot in an instant.
Ji Can didn't know what was going on, and he clapped his hands and wanted to go find Shen Qing.
Shen Qing was happy in his heart, but he tried not to show it on his face.
As expected, the baby had no clear sense of class distinction, so how could he know who he should offend and who he should not offend? Nor could he know that the person in front of him was his father, whom he should please the most.
It sent a wave of warmth to them.
Taking advantage of the situation, Shen Qing withdrew his hand and looked at the wet nurse. She would only hug the little guy when he was still smelling of milk, and at this time, she still showed a little bit of disgust.
After receiving the signal, the wet nurse stepped forward, took the eldest prince in her hands, put him on the couch, and began to change his clothes.
"Shen Qing, follow me." Ji Chen walked out of the inner room with a dark face, and ordered Qian Ji to find one of his clothes and let the only palace maid here, Shen Qing, change it for him personally.
Shen Qing glanced at the eldest prince, and seeing that he was somewhat dissatisfied with the wet nurse coming to hold him, he followed Ji Chen out.
Behind the screen, Shen Qing finally understood why the emperor called her here, and her body stiffened.
Well, the emperor needs someone to serve him when he gets dressed and eats, and maybe he has beautiful maids serving him in the Palace of Heavenly Purity. It is reasonable for him to command a little maid here.
As for Ji Chen liking her and specifically ordering her to do this, it is even more impossible that it is out of pity. Any emperor who likes a palace maid would most likely take her into the harem, rather than targeting her secretly, deliberately training her, and then giving her a small sweet treat.
You're not a primary school student.
Shen Qing sighed silently and began to help the delicate emperor change his clothes.
Shen Qing raised his arms, took off Ji Chen's old clothes, pinched a corner with his fingertips and placed it on the tray, then took out new clothes and turned around to put them on Ji Chen.
He had to turn around. Ji Chen was used to being served and could only raise his arms. His cooperation was not as good as that of the eldest prince.
Walking around to Ji Chen, Shen Qing lowered his head and tied the laces on the front of his clothes.
From Ji Chen's perspective, he could take the person into his sight by slightly lowering his head, and could hold the person in his arms by putting his arms around her. But he did nothing. He fixed his eyes and saw the jade hairpin on Shen Qing's bun.
So he raised his hand slightly, trying to push the jade hairpin off. Jade things are always delicate and will break if they are slightly bumped. If there is even the slightest imperfection, the whole hairpin will look bad.
But I didn't expect the jade hairpin to be inserted so tightly and firmly in the bun.
Ji Chen: “…”
Shen Qing felt her hair being moved, and was still wondering if it was an illusion when Ji Chen's hand lifted her chin, then he bent down and moved closer, with his nose touching the skin of her neck just a few centimeters away.
Shen Qing was still holding Ji Chen's clothes, not knowing what he was doing again.
She was completely immersed in the unique fragrance coming from Ji Chen, a fragrance she had never smelled on anyone except Ji Chen.
It was probably some rare incense that was specially offered as tribute to the royal family and was used by Ji Chen to fumigate his clothes, or it was burned in the incense burner in the Qianqing Palace all year round, so that his whole body was covered with this smell.
The senses at this moment are infinitely magnified.
Ji Chen put his hand to her neck and sniffed, as if to smell some fragrance, but Shen Qing never used incense. She was afraid that someone would tamper with the things she used and thus harm the eldest prince, so she did not allow the wet nurses to use incense, and only asked them to dress cleanly.
What is Ji Chen sniffing?
Shen Qing felt a little uncomfortable and didn't dare to smell Ji Chen's fragrance anymore.
So she shifted her attention and looked at one side of Ji Chen's hair, staring at that spot in a daze.
If the identities were reversed at this moment, Shen Qing was the emperor and Ji Chen was the little palace maid, and Ji Chen, the little palace maid, took the initiative to lean towards Shen Qing, the emperor, it probably fits the word seduction.
Now that Ji Chen, who is the emperor, takes the initiative to get closer, it makes people unable to figure out what he is thinking.
Shen Qing's eyes were blurred by the fragrance and he felt a little sleepy.
Just at this moment, Ji Chen stood up straight, and Shen Qing tried to open her eyes wide. This way, her look seemed to be filled with emotion, and her hands were still tightly clutching his clothes.
Ji Chen felt comfortable, and even the jade hairpin didn't seem so annoying to him.
At this time, he should continue his efforts to avoid this heartless person forgetting about him next time.
But what could he use to tease her? Ji Chen secretly hated that he didn't bring a hairpin today. His fingers touched the beads wrapped around his wrist twice. This was his favorite string of beads...
After walking out from behind the screen, Shen Qing touched the beads hidden under her collar that were close to her skin, and couldn't help but recall what the emperor had just said.
"This string of beads needs to be scented by a woman's clean body for three months. After three months, you must return it to me in person. Don't let others know about it, as it will only cause trouble."
This is a secret between the two of them. Ji Chen's intention is ambiguous, and anyone would be immersed in this warmth.
The incense on Ji Chen's body makes people dull. After he said this, Shen Qing just thought, "So that's why." No wonder he smelled her. It was the habit of the powerful and wealthy. She understood it.
For some reason, she asked, "Do you wear it next to your skin when you sleep?"
Ji Chen's gaze froze, and he said dryly, "Of course." Damn it, he almost got teased in return.
It was not until he came out from behind the screen and away from Ji Chen and the alluring fragrance faded that Shen Qing realized something was wrong.
The string of beads that she now wears around her neck and underneath her clothes has an impression on everyone in the palace who has seen the emperor, because this is the string that the emperor always plays with in his hands and would never let anyone else do it.
In other words, as long as she revealed a little, it would cause a huge wave in the harem, not to mention if she took the initiative to let others know. With her personality, she would like to hide deeper so that the beads would not be revealed and others would not notice it at all.
It was even more impossible for her not to wear it. What if the emperor came to check whether she had properly dyed the body fragrance onto the beads? She couldn't take it out from somewhere else for him to check.
The emperor's order cannot be disobeyed, but it feels so strange to wear it on your body.
The beads are not uncomfortable, but they have a strong presence and cannot be ignored, constantly reminding her what she is wearing.
When the emperor left, Shen Qing was still distracted. She really wanted to tell the emperor to change someone, but she didn't have the courage to stop the emperor and tell him about it.
She had missed the best time to refuse.
In the evil feudal era, women were treated as precious spices.
Shen Qing raised his arm and sniffed, wondering where the body fragrance came from.
Could it be that only certain people can smell it?
Or did Ji Chen sniff deeply enough?
Wearing the beads with doubt, Shen Qing lost her appetite today and had no heart to cherish her gold anymore.
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