Chapter 73 Chapter 73 Palace Maid's Seventy-three Days
For several days, Shen Qing hardly went out. At most, he would hold the cat in the pavilion and stroke its fur for a while.
As soon as he felt better, Ji Chen started to undress as soon as he smelled the scent.
Shen Qing didn't know how he arranged his time. There were obviously a lot of memorials submitted every day, and he had to review them, but he still managed to set aside a lot of time to accompany her.
As for her, time slipped away from her fingertips just by sleeping for two hours. The book she started reading in early July was not finished until mid-July.
Shen Qing looked at herself in the bronze mirror. Because Ji Chen was confused, she had someone prepare ginseng soup for replenishing qi and blood at night. When she felt weak, she would hold up her face with her hands and feed it to her.
He also said confidently: "I feel Qingqing didn't enjoy herself enough."
He waited until her fingers were too weak to hold her before letting her go with a gentle kiss.
I don’t know if it’s because she drank too much ginseng soup or something else, but the woman in the bronze mirror didn’t become increasingly tired as the candle burned until midnight. Instead, she became quietly plumper.
For example, the curve of the cheeks has become more obvious.
Shen Qing tilted her face slightly, and the sunlight shining through her made her skin look even more delicate, smooth and creamy.
Ji Chen must like it, otherwise he wouldn't be caressing her face so lovingly.
On this day, Shen Qing looked much more relaxed, and he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.
Bai Tao looked up quietly, her heart beginning to pound uncontrollably.
Shen Qingmei was beautiful before, but just like a painting, you could feel happy just by looking at it quietly. But now, her every frown and smile seem to have little hooks on them, making people feel itchy. When you look into her eyes, you will feel that her heart and eyes are full of you.
It seems like I look at everyone with affection... Oh, no, I look at the emperor with affection, and I look at the cat with sincerity.
Although Bai Tao felt that there seemed to be no difference.
Seeing Shen Qing coming in, Ji Chen raised his eyes and a smile spread across his lips: "It's been a long time since I saw you come to see me."
These days Shen Qing wanted to stay away from him as much as possible, let alone come to see him.
However, thinking of the wetness under Shen Qing's body in the morning, her surprised look after she was stunned, and after being told what it meant for a woman to have her period, Ji Chen understood why she came to him.
Shen Qing smiled and said, "I miss your majesty."
He didn't even mention why he had been avoiding me before, but now he's trying to provoke me again.
The bad intentions are obvious.
Ji Chen happened to be prepared. He wanted to have someone send the blood-replenishing soup directly to Shen Qing. It was enough for him to drink a bowl of it before his period came. Now that he had lost so much blood, how could he not replenish himself and become thinner?
Ji Chen didn't waste any time and directly grabbed Shen Qing's hand, not letting her leave easily.
"Bring up the soup."
Shen Qing suddenly felt something was wrong. She didn't want to drink any soup. No matter how good the taste was, she would get sick of it if she drank it continuously. What's more, there were many good things in the soup, which would make her fat. Her figure was just right now. If she lost a little bit, she would be thin, and if she gained a little bit, she would be fat.
"Your Majesty, I suddenly remembered that I still have some things to do." Shen Qing drooped his eyes, softened his tone, and looked at him with a weak gaze.
The more Ji Chen saw her acting nice, the more he decided not to let her go.
"No hurry, it's not too late to go after drinking."
As they were talking, a bowl of soup was brought up.
Ji Chen personally picked it up and handed it to Shen Qing's lips.
Shen Qing knew she couldn't escape, so she took it and took two sips. She heard Ji Chen reminding her to drink it all, and she felt very upset, but she still finished it obediently.
He asked Ji Chen to take a look at it before putting it down.
She was so aggrieved that she lowered her eyes, and remained silent as if she was wilted.
Ji Chen put his arm around her waist, and seeing this, he wanted to coax her: "I have drafted an imperial decree. Come and see if it suits your taste?"
He signaled Qian Ji to take out the prepared imperial edict.
Shen Qing wondered whether this was to his liking or not, and was immersed in frustration, not expecting anything.
Until the imperial edict was opened, she took a glance and suddenly stopped.
This was an imperial decree to appoint a concubine, and her name was written on it. Her eyes quickly swept back and finally stopped on the word "Zhaoyi".
She covered her mouth in disbelief. She wasn't a noble concubine?
But she is the Zhaoyi, the first person below the rank of concubine!
This is too easy.
Ji Chen joked, "Is Zhaoyi Shen happy and silly?"
Shen Qing curled her lips, tears of joy and surprise in her eyes, and her whole person became lively. She pinched Ji Chen's sleeve and hesitated, "Is it too high or too much?"
She was not afraid of becoming a thorn in other people's eyes. If Ji Chen's favor was always on her, no matter how low her position was, other people would not ignore her. On the contrary, if her position was high, she would be able to intimidate some people.
If the gap in status is too great, people will lose the desire to compete.
Ji Chen reached out and wiped away the moisture from Shen Qing's eyes: "I have thought about it, it's not high."
He would never tolerate the situation in the harem remaining unchanged. If it weren't for Shen Qing, he would have promoted a person who was favored but had no power to become a high-ranking concubine.
This person is Shen Qing, who will definitely suit his taste.
The title of Zhaoyi was the result of Ji Chen's careful consideration. He didn't even give her the title that had been chosen long ago because he was worried that someone would not be able to tolerate her.
This position just happens to be on the line that some people are wary of but are reluctant to put all their eggs in one basket.
Perhaps in the eyes of others, he doted on Shen Qing on purpose, which would make them hesitant.
Ji Chen patted Shen Qing on the back: "Are you scared?"
Shen Qing shook her head and leaned against Ji Chen: "What's there to be afraid of being your concubine? This is obviously the best place in the world for wealth and luxury. I'm so happy."
These words were indeed sincere. She had enjoyed the wealth of her family when she was young, and becoming a concubine would only make her more honorable.
As long as Ji Chen still likes her, she will be safe and sound. Once she gives birth to a prince or princess, she will be stable and have a foothold in the harem.
As a Zhaoyi, there are only a few people who can give her the cold shoulder. As for others, no matter how much they dislike them, don't they still have to speak to her in a nice tone?
She no longer had to rest and find times when she wasn't on duty, nor did she have to avoid running into other concubines outside, nor did she have to worry about her appearance bringing her trouble.
She can read books and play the piano in the morning, stroll around the Imperial Garden and go boating on the lake in the afternoon. She also has her own small kitchen and can just tell her what she wants to eat.
The only thing worth worrying about is having children, which is an extremely dangerous thing for any woman, but with Ji Chen's fertility rate, she didn't want to disparage him, but maybe it was still a long way to go.
When she is strong enough, she will have another child, and the child will be taken care of by a nanny. If she likes the child, she can hold the child, and if she doesn’t like the child, she can do her own thing.
In that case, is being a Zhaoyi such a bad thing?
No matter how many concubines in the harem begged for it, they couldn't get it.
Seeing Shen Qing's mouth curled higher and higher, Ji Chen felt amused and asked, "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Qing looked up at him, the joy in her eyes was obvious, and she said in a sweet voice: "I am grateful to my parents for giving me a good-looking appearance, so that His Majesty could take a fancy to me."
Ji Chen wanted to say that he was not attracted by her beauty, but was just driven by his momentary desire to win, but he fell deeper and deeper into the trap without realizing it.
But there is nothing much to say about the latter, it only exposes his naivety.
Ji Chen looked at her leisurely: "Am I such a shallow person?"
Shen Qing blinked, his eyes were confused, wasn't it?
"Of course not! Your Majesty must have thought that this girl was too good to be chosen."
She just boasted a little, and her cheeks turned rosy.
Ji Chen was very surprised and kissed her cheek immediately, let her sit on his lap, and hugged her for a while.
"I will announce it when the imperial edict returns to the palace. Before I return to the palace, you will be with me."
Shen Qing asked: "Then shall I go with His Majesty on the autumn hunt?"
"Of course, but when I go hunting, you stay in the imperial tent. You should not go deep into the forest without me."
She assured him, "You still don't trust me? I'll only run a little on the flat ground. I haven't even ridden your gallop alone."
Even though Ji Chen's gallop was very docile, this big horse was still very dangerous to Shen Qing, and she would not touch it unless necessary.
Ji Chen hugged her, holding her slender and soft arms and sighed: "You are a cautious person."
Shen Qing silently complained in her heart, she was not being cautious, she was just afraid of trouble.
Until the beginning of August, during his stay at the Mountain Resort, Ji Chen never turned over the card except to visit the Queen according to the rules.
It's hard to complain about this, after all, the emperor has followed the rules.
Asking the Empress Dowager to step in was even more impossible. Not to mention what happened at the end of June, there was no concubine in the Mountain Resort worthy of her intervention, and Concubine Xian was in the palace.
As for the Queen, doesn't the Emperor's actions further highlight his courtesy towards her?
Moreover, Shen Qing is the Queen's person, and Shen Qing is in the limelight, so the Queen has no reason to lose her face.
As the day of leaving the Mountain Resort for the autumn hunt approached, since Shen Qing was still a palace maid and stayed in the emperor's territory, the concubines had no access to her at all, so they were eager to test her skills when they returned to the palace.
When I return to the palace, the emperor will not withhold my title, right? Since I am a concubine, I have to pay my respects to the high-ranking official according to the rules.
The area for the autumn hunt had been marked out in advance and was only half a day's journey from the Summer Resort.
The Queen came to discuss the relevant matters with the Emperor the night before. After the discussion, the Queen met Shen Qing when she was leaving.
Shen Qing was stunned, and before he could salute, the Queen held his hand.
"No need to be so polite."
[Shen Qing is different now, I have to win her over. And the emperor looked out the window before I left, so he probably knows everything that is going on here.]
【I cannot lose my virtue. 】
Before Shen Qing was truly moved, he heard the Queen's calm analysis, and his emotions became complicated.
But she still raised her head, looked at the queen with a pair of tearful eyes, and said with great emotion: "Your Majesty, how can you treat me like this?"
The queen listened to Shen Qing's words and felt that they were much more pleasing to her ears: "The fact that you are favored by the emperor proves that you are very good. You must not belittle yourself."
Only then did she take a closer look at Shen Qing's appearance.
But within forty or fifty days, not only did his appearance become more magnificent, but his aura also changed dramatically, with a hint of intimidation mixed in with his dignity.
Perhaps she herself didn't realize that this change was obviously caused by staying with the emperor for a long time.
Momentum is something that cannot be acquired in a short period of time. One must eat, live and work with the emperor every day to acquire it.
The queen didn't want to think about it any further.
Shen Qing ignored the Queen's inner thoughts at the moment. There were so many people here that it was difficult to bring up the matter of the perfume, so she expressed her loyalty by saying, "I have been thinking about you all the time."
It means that she will be used by the queen.
She was originally pushed forward by the Queen. If she really turned against the Queen, it would give others a reason to criticize her.
The queen smiled with satisfaction and patted her hands: "I understand your intentions."
This was what she had originally asked for, but the process shocked even her, which made her feel a little unhappy.
But she couldn't bear to push Shen Qing away.
Shen Qing lowered her head shyly, agreeing with the queen's words.
Ji Chen walked to the window in the hall and withdrew his gaze expressionlessly. Shen Qing valued the queen too much, even more than him.
This is not good.
That night, as Shen Qing had just laid down because he thought he would not be tired as he set off the next day, a hand reached out to his waist.
Shen Qing looked at Ji Chen with tears in her eyes: "Your Majesty, there are many things that need your judgment tomorrow. Why don't you take a good rest tonight and get enough rest?"
"I'm in great spirits now. I need to expend some energy before I can rest." As he said this, he pressed against Shen Qing's lower back and asked her to stay close to him.
That night, the candle remained burning for a long time until Shen Qing was asked by Ji Chen to say something shameful like "Your Majesty is the most courageous" and was let go.
Shen Qing leaned on Ji Chen's arm and fell asleep close to him until she was tired.
I didn't realize at all that this person was being rude.
Ji Chen lowered his eyes and looked at Shen Qing, and kissed her forehead as he did every time at the end.
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