Chapter 13 Inspiration Source: Is the Empress Dowager's hand still sore?
Seeing the ministers shouting their slogans with great enthusiasm, Chu Yueyuan, behind the jade curtain, let out a soft breath.
She opened Hengtingsi's reply again, and her mood had calmed down.
She sent Xiao Yanzi to purchase popular storybooks from outside the palace. She spent three days and four nights reading all the works and compiling a list of the most popular storybooks among the nobles.
The conclusion is that forbidden love is enduring.
For example, a gentle and obedient female protagonist is forced to separate from her childhood sweetheart, the male protagonist, whose family has fallen on hard times. She enters the palace and becomes the emperor's most favored concubine. Years later, the male and female protagonists meet again at a palace banquet. The once down-on-his-luck male protagonist has now become the emperor's most trusted minister...
Or perhaps the female protagonist, born of a concubine, is coerced by her noble elder sister to consummate the marriage with the equally noble male protagonist on their wedding night. One day, the female protagonist inadvertently reveals her secret, but the male protagonist pretends not to know, only changing the time for turning off the lights each night to earlier...
In short, the male protagonist with high position and power and the female protagonist who is as weak as duckweed are always a surprisingly appealing trope.
Chu Yueyuan tried writing on this subject, sending several story beginnings to Hengting Siyi, but they were all rejected without hesitation.
The reason given for each rejection was the same: weak emotional content, superficial content, not engaging enough, and needs improvement.
Since the patron's words carried immense weight, Chu Yueyuan had no choice but to rack her brains to come up with the content for her new story.
After holding it in for a long time, only a few drops of ink remained on the Xuan paper.
As the temperature gradually warms up, the spring grass, which has been dormant all winter, struggles to sprout from the soil, and hundreds of flowers bloom in competition. Chu Yueyuan rests her chin on her hand and gazes at the plum blossoms and peach blossoms outside the window, at the lush and verdant garden scenery, and can't help but drift off into a reverie.
She knew in her heart that the reason why her previous stories were so beloved by the noble ladies of the capital was because she had incorporated her real-life experiences into her writing.
Reality is often more dramatic than fiction.
The indifference and cold treatment that Chu Yueyuan and her mother suffered in the Chu family mansion were incredibly realistic. With vivid descriptions, the readers were able to empathize with her and were willing to spend a fortune to buy her works.
Now, Chu Wanxi, who had been her rival in open and covert struggles, is no longer alive. After breaking ties with the Du family, she is determined to have nothing more to do with the Chu family.
Losing hatred is tantamount to losing her source of inspiration, and she can no longer support the stories she writes.
Amidst a multitude of thoughts, a clear, deep voice slowly drifted into Chu Yueyuan's ears.
She slowly turned her head, her gaze falling on the handsome, otherworldly man with black hair and a jade crown. Her disappointed eyes suddenly brightened.
The wellspring of inspiration is both far away and right before our eyes.
Looking at the man whose appearance was almost demonic, who held supreme power, and who was so cold-blooded that he didn't even recognize his own family, Chu Yueyuan had a flash of inspiration.
The regent before us is just like the chosen male protagonist in a storybook!
As for the choice of the female lead, Chu Yueyuan blinked her bright eyes, and her tightly furrowed brows suddenly relaxed.
Her elder sister, renowned for her elegant beauty, was universally acknowledged as the most beautiful woman in the capital, with countless princes and noblemen falling at her feet.
But Chu Yueyuan knew that Chu Wanxi always had a man she could never have in her heart. Even before her marriage, she secretly put a portrait of the man into the fire-avoidance diagram at the bottom of her trunk.
She discovered this secret while helping her sister organize her dowry, which shocked her so much that she blushed and asked if she was crazy. If the people in the palace found out, wouldn't they suspect that she had an affair with Prince Yi?
At that moment, Chu Wanxi's eyes were full of tenderness as she carefully folded the man's portrait and placed it in a frame. She said in a low voice, "Once you enter the deep palace, there is no turning back. You must leave something behind to remember me by."
Recalling the past, Chu Yueyuan sighed inwardly: Since her sister was unable to fulfill her wish while she was alive, she would use her pen and ink as a dream to help her sister fulfill this long-cherished wish.
Without hesitation, Chu Yueyuan immediately unfolded the Xuan paper.
When one is writing with great enthusiasm, time seems to fly by.
The woman sat at a table by the window, her expression focused. Her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her red lips were slightly pursed. With a slight flick of her wrist, the wide sleeve with gold and white silk patterns slowly fell down, revealing a section of her fair wrist in the sunlight. It was like a precious pearl in a gorgeous brocade box exposed to the sun, shimmering with a brilliance that was hard to look away from.
When Pei Muwei looked up, she saw this tranquil and beautiful scene.
At this moment, Chu Yueyuan had reached a state of selflessness. In the novel she wrote, the heroine, Consort Chu, had three admirers: one was the powerful Grand Secretary, another was the upright and honest newly appointed top scholar, and the last was the young general with a heart full of sincerity.
Among the readers of Moxiangju, there are experienced ladies from prestigious families as well as naive young girls. Everyone has different tastes. Chu Yueyuan is well aware of the principle of "a thousand people, a thousand faces". Therefore, the male protagonists in her works are diverse, which is intended to cater to their preferences and attract a wide audience.
As for the male lead's final choice, it will depend on the opinions of the viewers.
Chu Yueyuan's thoughts flowed like a spring, and her hands moved with lightning speed, drawing elegant characters on the paper, forming neat and beautiful lines of regular script.
Through the long, red-lacquered, carved window, a gentle breeze blew, causing the wisps of hair at the woman's temples to flutter softly.
The ink in the inkstone was quickly used up. Chu Yueyuan picked up her brush, dipped it in the last drop of ink, and urged him urgently without even looking up:
"Little Yanzi, come here quickly and grind the ink for me."
Xiao Yanzi, who was dozing off against the antique shelf, was suddenly awakened. He mumbled "This servant obeys" and prepared to step forward to grind ink for the Empress Dowager when he saw a figure in black walk past him.
He was so startled that he was wide awake. Just as he was about to bow, the man raised his hand to interrupt him.
Chu Yueyuan buried herself in her writing, undisturbed by the outside world. When she described the climax of the reunion between the Imperial Noble Consort and Prime Minister Pei in the Imperial Garden, her cheeks flushed slightly with excitement, and she unconsciously bit her bright red lips.
Beside her stood a tall, upright man with his eyes lowered. He held a block of rosin ink between his long fingers and slowly ground it. The dark ink rippled in the clear water, spreading out in circles and exuding a faint fragrance.
With the final word of the climax chapter written, Chu Yueyuan's brows relaxed, and she put down the wolf-hair brush with satisfaction, shaking her aching wrist.
While the iron was hot, she began to examine what she had just written, her lowered eyelids remaining completely still. She naturally extended her right arm and lazily said:
"Little Yanzi, my hands are sore, come and massage them for me."
Xiao Yanzi, who is usually quick-witted and clever, was rather lazy today.
Her fair wrist, suspended in mid-air, received no response for a long time. Impatiently, she beckoned with her slender white fingers, and in the next instant, the man's large hand suddenly covered the back of her hand.
Xiao Yanzi's hands were not only large, but also very warm...
Chu Yueyuan was completely absorbed in her storybook and didn't suspect anything. She only noticed that "Little Yanzi" had hit her a little too hard. She frowned slightly, clicked her tongue, and without hesitation, slapped the back of his hand, her tone coquettish:
"Be gentle, are you trying to break my fingers?"
The woman's hands were as white and smooth as mutton fat. When she raised her slender wrist, the sky-blue jade bracelet on her wrist fell down to her elbow, pressing down the wide sleeves with gold thread and white hibiscus patterns, revealing her lotus-root-like white forearms. The virginity mark on her arm was bright and dazzling in the sunlight.
Seeing this, Xiao Yanzi's eyelids twitched wildly, and he looked at Eunuch Wang with a panicked expression.
When Eunuch Wang received Xiao Yanzi's pleading look, he slowly shook his head, then lowered his head and stared at the blue bricks under his feet, remaining motionless as if he were an old monk in deep meditation.
Xiao Yanzi had no choice but to follow suit, lowering his head and silently praying to God to save his life.
In the quiet study, only the dripping sound of water from the water clock could be heard.
Chu Yueyuan still devoted all her attention to her work. After some gentle encouragement, "Xiao Yanzi" beside her was indeed much more sensible. His slightly calloused hand gently pressed on her knuckles, easing the stiffness from holding the pen for so long.
Later, without Chu Yueyuan needing to remind him, "Xiao Yanzi" released her fingers and gently pinched her wrist.
The man's palm was large and warm, easily enveloping her wrist. His fingertips pressed along the acupoints on her arm, applying just the right amount of pressure to each point, unknowingly relieving her fatigue.
Chu Yueyuan comfortably narrowed her eyes, shifted back against the soft, embroidered Suzhou-style pillow, and casually asked, "Who taught you your massage techniques? They're quite skillful..."
A man's cool, aloof voice rang out above her head.
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty. I am not very talented, but I have achieved this level of skill thanks to Your Highness's guidance."
Chu Yueyuan felt as if she had been struck on the head, and she suddenly opened her eyes, looking up to meet the Regent's calm and unwavering phoenix eyes.
The woman's dark pupils suddenly contracted, her five fingers instinctively curled up, and her long, sharp nails scratched across the man's palm, like a cat that had turned its back on him and suddenly scratched him when it was startled.
Pei Muwei lowered his gaze, watching the Empress Dowager's delicate, porcelain-like face gradually flush red. His eyes were deep as he asked in a low voice, "Is the Empress Dowager's hand still sore?"
"No...it's not sour anymore."
Chu Yueyuan's mind went blank, only feeling her ears burning and the hand held in the man's palm burning even hotter. She slowly withdrew her hand from the Regent's palm, clearing her throat to dispel the awkward atmosphere between them:
"When did you, Minister Pei, stand beside me? Why haven't you said a word..."
As Chu Yueyuan asked the question, she pretended to be calm and put away the Xuan paper on the table, pressing it tightly under the sandalwood and jade paperweight. Then she picked up a cup of cool tea and sipped it to calm her pounding heart.
Pei Muwei put his hands behind his back, his brows furrowed as if he were seriously considering the Empress Dowager's question. After a moment, he slowly spoke, "This humble subject saw that the Empress Dowager was writing with great enthusiasm and did not wish to disturb her. As for the specific time..."
The man narrowed his long, phoenix-shaped eyes slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips, and said, "It must be that the Empress Dowager wrote about the Imperial Noble Consort weeping uncontrollably, questioning Prime Minister Pei about why he forced her..."
Chu Yueyuan choked on her tea abruptly. Suppressing the itch in her throat, she interrupted the other person with teary eyes:
"Ahem... I understand, but you needn't go into such detail, Minister Pei."
It turns out that it was such a shameful thing to have one's own romantic verses read aloud by a man in a clear, serious voice.
The Regent had stood silently behind her for so long, so what would it be like if she later wrote about the Imperial Noble Consort being pinned under the dragon locust tree by Chief Minister Pei, from her clothes gradually slipping away to her weak fists pounding his chest—all those indescribable scenes...
Didn't the Regent read it all without missing a single word?
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