Chapter 21 Springtime Appearance Pei Muwei, listen carefully, I am not your...
On stage, the shadow puppet show depicted the Yellow Emperor summoning his mount Yinglong to ascend to the heavens and descend into the sea, arranging his troops into battle formation. Suddenly, the drums roared and the dragon howled, drowning out the woman's voice, which suddenly rose in pitch.
Pei Muwei's deep, still eyes, like a deep pool, finally showed a slight ripple.
The young empress dowager, drunk and unreasonable, was simply a rambling, irrational drunkard.
Yet, she revealed a side of herself never before seen, leaving the invincible Pei Muwei helpless.
If the Empress Dowager's wrist hadn't been held, the woman's swaying body would probably have already tumbled off the high hall.
Pei Muwei reached out his other hand to support her swaying waist, which was as delicate as a willow in the wind. As he leaned down, the woman's sweet fragrance mingled with the alluring aroma of wine, like a ripe peach with sweet juice under its thin skin, tempting one to take a bite and taste the honeyed flavor.
The young empress dowager was oblivious to her surroundings, twisting her waist vigorously, causing the branches to sway precariously under the weight of the abundant fruit, with a patch of snow-white trembling as if about to burst forth.
Pei Muwei's eyes were dark and deep, his lowered eyebrows revealing a dangerous aura, and his usually cold voice had taken on a slightly hoarse tone.
"Your Majesty, please behave yourself and stop making a fuss."
Nonsense!
The man who tricked her into joining the pirate ship actually scolded her for being ridiculous!
These two words seemed to stab Chu Yueyuan in the lungs, and the reason in her mind, which was almost burned away by the strong liquor, evaporated in an instant.
Chu Yueyuan forcefully pulled her hand back, lowered her head, and without hesitation bit down hard on the back of the hand that was gripping her wrist.
The shadow puppet show on the stage gradually reached its climax. Chi You and the emperor fought fiercely, going back and forth without a clear winner. The people in the hall watched with rapt attention, their eyes glued to the screen. No one noticed that on the dimly lit golden steps of the Chi Terrace, the emperor and his minister were also locked in a stalemate.
Chu Yueyuan had had enough of being exploited by treacherous officials and villains.
Before dawn, one must get up to wash and rush to the Hall of Diligent Governance to act as a pillar of stability.
Half of the tea and snacks he brought each day had to be shared with his sycophantic ministers.
After lunch, she would immediately begin writing reports.
After working until sunset and moonrise, he would return to the Phoenix Perch Palace and still have to stay up all night to finish his manuscripts and earn his own money.
Day after day, without end.
She was simply the most pathetic empress dowager in history.
Chu Yueyuan bit down hard until a sweet, metallic taste filled her mouth, then she released her stiff jaw.
She tilted her head back, her pupils unfocused yet her gaze unwavering, bright as stars, her blood-stained lips parting and closing:
"Pei Muwei, listen up! I am not your puppet, nor your Mohele doll. What right do you have to point fingers at me? Let go of your...claws!"
She angrily shook off the man's hand, preparing to leave gracefully, but as she leaned on the jade table to get up, she suddenly heard a hissing sound from her chest.
A very slight noise, almost inaudible amidst the resounding gong in the main hall.
However, because the emperor and his minister were too close, the man still managed to catch the subtle sound and looked towards the tear in the brocade.
The sudden appearance of a perfectly round, snow-white object caused his deep, dark eyes, as still as a hundred-foot-deep pool, to surge with turbulent waves.
The sudden appearance of spring colors reminded Pei Muwei of his hunting days in Beiting during the winter.
The snow in Beiting is fluffy, soft, and pure white. Amidst the vast expanse of white snow, two chubby snow rabbits suddenly appear, fluffy and round, like the purest spirits in the world, leaping and tumbling on the snowfield.
Or perhaps it's the magnolia blossoms quietly blooming in the night, their fragrant petals gleaming with a porcelain-like glaze, white tinged with pink, their vibrant forms possessing a breathtaking beauty.
The sudden chill made Chu Yueyuan stop getting up. She looked down at her torn clothes in a daze, and a wave of dizziness suddenly surged into her mind, and her last bit of consciousness disappeared.
She closed her eyes wearily, like an exhausted butterfly that stopped fluttering its beautiful wings and swiftly pounced on the man who was right in front of her.
Pei Muwei raised his arm and embraced the unconscious Empress Dowager, his wide sleeves concealing her dazzling figure. He glanced expressionlessly at the astonished Eunuch Wang beside him and said calmly:
"Bring me my cloak."
"Your servant...is obeying."
The eunuch swiftly brought over an amber-embroidered gold satin cloak and stepped forward to cover the young empress dowager with it. However, the regent refused to do it himself and instead cast a cold, piercing glance down his face.
Wang Gonggong shrank back like a turtle dodging a knife, hurriedly cupping his hands to offer the cloak, his mind racing.
He had been so engrossed in watching the shadow puppet show that he hadn't noticed what was happening between the two monarchs. He only heard the young empress dowager seem to shout something, then bite the regent's hand hard, and then... then the young empress dowager, her heart filled with desire, actually threw herself into the regent's arms in front of everyone.
Fortunately, all the candles in the main hall were extinguished, and the golden steps were pitch black, so even if the ministers below were attentive, they could not see very clearly.
Pei Muwei spread his cloak over the Empress Dowager's slender shoulders, and with his long fingers, he slowly fastened the rhinoceros horn buckles, from her neck to her waist, until all six buckles were neatly fastened in order, binding the astonishing voluptuous figure within.
Throughout the entire ordeal, the young empress dowager leaned on his shoulder and slept soundly.
The woman tilted her head slightly upward, revealing her delicate, fair chin. Her eyes were closed, her nose was small and delicate, and tiny beads of blood still clung to her glistening pink lips.
Pei Muwei lowered his gaze to the row of blood-gushing teeth marks on the tiger's mouth, unconcerned, and flicked his fingers, raising a slight brow as he gave a calm order:
"The Empress Dowager is not a good drinker. You should take His Highness back to Phoenix Palace to rest."
"This servant obeys."
Eunuch Wang beckoned Jin Tong over to help the unconscious Empress Dowager up, and then quietly left through the side hall.
Meanwhile, the shadow puppet show on the stage was coming to an end. Even though Chi You was incredibly powerful and had many capable generals under his command, he was ultimately outmaneuvered and defeated by the Yellow Emperor.
Pei Muwei picked up the silver plum blossom wine pot on the table. As the pot slowly tilted, the flowing wine washed away the bloodstains on the back of his hand, leaving a row of tiny teeth marks.
A tingling, numbing pain crept into my heart, like countless ants gnawing at a wound. I wanted to push away this bothersome, tingling sensation, but I didn't know where to begin.
The man's usually calm and decisive deep eyes showed a hint of bewilderment and hesitation.
————
The next day, the sky was clear and the midday sun shone through the carved window lattice, casting its light on the bright yellow gauze curtains hanging from the four corners of the pear blossom couch, vaguely revealing the woman's exquisite figure.
The woman on the couch let out a soft moan, placed her hands on her acupoints, and turned over.
My head hurts so much!
Chu Yueyuan opened her heavy eyelids. The blinding sunlight pierced through the gauze curtains and fell on her face. She subconsciously turned her head away. This slight and simple movement felt like a firecracker exploding in her head, causing a buzzing pain.
It hurts...it hurts...it hurts...
The headache from the hangover felt like a small hammer was constantly pounding inside her brain. With each pound, her nerves would tremble, and it felt like half of her brain was about to split open.
Chu Yueyuan held her head in her hands and curled up on the bed.
Memories are like a broken beaded chain, each bead scattering in all directions. No matter how hard you try to gather them back, you can only find a few fragments; the rest have rolled away and disappeared.
Her conversation with Shen Zizhan on the bridge, the Forget-River Pill, the shadow puppet show at the palace banquet, and the hand tightly bound to her wrist.
As each lost pearl is strung together, fragmented memories of last night flash through the mind.
Ouch... but my head still hurts so much!
Tusu wine is indeed potent; Pei Zei was right.
Chu Yueyuan clutched her head and rolled over again, the last memory that surfaced in her mind being that she had mistakenly drunk the Regent's Tusu wine.
Outside the sandalwood and green gauze curtain, Jin Tong held a bowl of hangover soup, her brows furrowed with deep worry. She glanced furtively at the woman tossing and turning on the pear blossom couch and whispered:
"Granny Xu...do you think Her Highness...might be thinking about what happened last night?"
Xu Mama, who was always mature and prudent in her speech and actions, was now frowning and unable to answer.
The way the young empress dowager looked when she returned last night was truly frightening.
The woman was extremely drunk, her hair slightly disheveled, her steps unsteady, and she was completely unconscious, muttering incoherently repeated shocking words such as "the shameless traitor Pei."
Jin Tong and Granny Xu worked together to help the limp little Empress Dowager onto the bed and helped her remove the amber-embroidered gold satin cloak from her body.
Their eyes fell on the torn floral dress, and the two of them were shocked and their expressions changed drastically.
Jin Tong's voice trembled slightly: "Granny Xu, Eunuch Wang said that the Regent Prince personally put this cloak on the Empress Dowager. Do you think the Prince saw His Highness...?"
Jin Tong found it difficult to say the rest.
The young empress dowager was exceptionally beautiful, and the regent was in the prime of his life. With such a lovely and fragrant woman at hand, it was as if the monk, who had just returned to secular life, was experiencing the aroma of flesh for the first time.
The two men carefully examined the marks on the woman's body, but fortunately found nothing suspicious.
However, if this happened to any woman, she would be so ashamed that she would want to hang herself.
Xu Mama felt extremely guilty, after all, the dress that caused Chu Yueyuan to lose face in front of the Regent was modified by her.
"Keep a close eye on the Empress Dowager's every move these next few days, and do not mention this matter in front of His Highness. As time goes by, His Highness will come to terms with it and forget about it."
Outside the green gauze curtain, Granny Xu and Jin Tong were whispering amongst themselves when they suddenly heard a woman's hoarse voice coming from inside the room.
"water..."
The two quickly shut their mouths and calmly pushed open the carved door.
The woman on the pear blossom couch had already sat up. Her dark black hair was draped over her shoulders, and her pale yellow silk blouse was slightly open, revealing her slender collarbone, which looked like piled-up jade. Her sleepy eyes shimmered with light.
She was as beautiful as a lady in a painting.
"What time is it? Why is there no sign of the Emperor?"
When Chu Yueyuan opened her mouth, she found that her voice was terribly hoarse.
Jin Tong hurriedly served her some tea. Chu Yueyuan cleansed her mouth, then drank a bowl of hangover soup, pressing her fingers against her throbbing temples.
"Your Highness, it is already noon. His Majesty has gone to the study to practice his writing."
Chu Yueyuan turned her head to avoid the glaring sunlight, pulled the smooth, gold-and-silver-threaded brocade quilt over herself, and lay back down heavily, her voice hoarse as she said:
"That's good. I'll sleep a little longer. Xu Mama, send someone to the Hall of Diligent Governance to inform the Regent that I have a headache and will not attend court today."
Seeing that Chu Yueyuan could calmly bring up the Regent, both Xu Mama and Jin Tong breathed a sigh of relief.
Fortunately, it seems the woman was too drunk to remember what happened last night.
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