Chapter 88 From then on, the king no longer held court early
When the old women woke up again, they found themselves tied up with iron chains and locked in a shabby tile-roofed house in the deepest part of the cold palace that they were very familiar with. Their mouths were stuffed with smelly cloth balls. It was pitch black all around, without a single light. Only the cold moonlight shone through the tattered roof, windows and doors, and vaguely visible whitish strips of cloth, dusty debris and weeds on the ground. From time to time, the sounds of crows and frogs could be heard outside the house, which was very creepy in the silent night.
Several people whimpered and struggled. Amid their hesitation, a slender figure emerged from the shadows and slowly walked in front of them. The faint moonlight clearly presented her face in front of everyone. The familiar face now had an unfamiliar sneer, and the corners of her eyes and eyebrows were all strangely and comfortably smiling: "Aunts, isn't the dinner delicious? This place was carefully selected by me. Even ghosts don't want to come here, so no one will come to disturb you."
"Wuwuwu..." Several people stared at Xi Helan with wide eyes in anger, struggling and questioning.
Xi Helan looked at them in confusion. After a moment, he slapped his forehead as if he had suddenly realized something and smiled faintly, "Look at my memory. I actually forgot that you can't talk."
As she spoke, she took two steps forward, covered her hands with a handkerchief, took out the cloth balls from the mouths of several people, threw them aside with disdain, and said indifferently: "I'm sorry, I couldn't find a suitable handkerchief, so I picked up some cloth strips and stuffed them into your mouths."
There was no trace of apology in his words, but instead a strong sense of teasing.
As soon as the cloth ball was thrown away, the disgusting taste in the mouths of several people spread to their bodies. They couldn't help but retching one after another. The leading woman was shaking with anger, staring at Xi Helan with resentment in her eyes, gritting her teeth and saying sternly: "Jinghui, you are so cruel! We have no grudges against you in the past or in the present. Even if you are interested in the token to leave the palace, just take it. Why torture us like this!"
Xi Helan sneered, looked at them expressionlessly, slowly raised a sarcastic smile, and said: "No hatred? You aunts are really forgetful. My name is not Jinghui, my name is Noble Lady Lan."
Several people frowned and were stunned for a moment, then their hearts skipped a beat. They recalled the scene in Xilan Palace not long ago in their minds. Finally, they remembered who she was. Their faces twisted with anger, and they shouted angrily: "Let us go! You are just a noble who has neither the emperor's favor nor a family background. How dare you abuse private punishment against us? Do you know what the consequences will be if the imperial concubine knows about this? You will be torn into pieces!"
"Just because you have no favors and no background, should you be bullied?" Xi Helan laughed, "Then you are worse than me. Aren't you being tortured?"
When she said this, there was a cold light in her eyes, and a chill ran from the heels of several people to their hair. They widened their eyes in fear, swallowed hard, and trembled as they asked, "What do you want to do?"
Xi Helan smiled gently, but she could see the fear and terror in the hearts of several people: "Guess what, it's very fun, much more fun than the one you gave me."
The bone-chilling cold spread from the bones of the limbs. The women shuddered, fear welling up in their hearts. They all tried their best to defend themselves: "My lord, please be magnanimous and forgive us. We made a big mistake only because we had no choice—"
Xi Helan interrupted, "No, you are wrong. I am a stingy person. I will not let any of you go. Look, I am ready to start the game."
Several people looked at her in a daze, and saw her wave her hand, and in the blink of an eye a table full of things appeared. They blinked in disbelief and were about to ask for details when they saw familiar honey jars, insect jars, etc. Cold sweat unknowingly climbed up their foreheads.
The next moment, Xi Helan picked up a barbed rope as thick as a baby's arm and whipped it at several people. There were a lot of salt grains on the rope, which pierced into the flesh, causing burning pain. Almost instantly, there were extremely shrill screams echoing in the sky, but they could not be heard from the depths of the desolate and lonely cold palace. Several people struggled to dodge in pain, but they could not escape and could only watch the bloody edge coming towards them.
The two timid ones among them fainted from fright, and the rest turned pale with pain. They hung there like corpses, numbly allowing her to beat them. Looking at her fierce, bloodthirsty and excited eyes, the fear in their hearts expanded like an abyss. Now they all had the same idea in their minds - this was a lunatic, he should die sooner, they must die sooner.
How could Xi Helan do as they wished? She slowly put away the whip, picked up a jar of honey and poured it on them from the beginning. Looking at the densely packed ants, bugs and other things in the jar under the moonlight, they couldn't help but tremble in fear and said, "No, no, no..."
Then the next moment they watched Xi Helan holding the jar and slamming it at their feet with a "bang". In an instant, countless insects of various kinds crawled to their feet, gnawing at their feet all the way up.
“Ahhh——” Several people screamed in agony. They twisted their bodies to try to shake them off, but it was no use. They could only watch the ugly and disgusting bugs crawl up little by little. At this moment, several mice jumped out from nowhere, chirping and crawling onto the thighs of several people in a blink of an eye. One of the women was so scared that she raised her head and opened her mouth to scream, but another mouse jumped down from the beam and fell straight into her mouth. She subconsciously closed her mouth and the mouse scurried around in her mouth. She gasped through her nose and opened her mouth with a distorted face in pain. In the blink of an eye, she saw a black thing flying out. Blood flowed from the corners of her mouth. Before she could recover, a steady stream of insects and ants crawled up one after another and drilled into her ears, nose, and other places…
When Xi Helan yawned and stepped out of the dilapidated door, the sky was faintly white. Although the night was long, she was not tired at all. Instead, she felt refreshed. She took a few big steps and then turned around to look at the gloomy palace. There were several bloody corpses hanging inside. Their drooping faces were covered with half-dried sorghum paper, and there were countless rats, insects and ants foraging on the ground. She curled her lips and murmured, "Do you love me?"
…
The Mid-Autumn Festival was only about twenty days away. After dinner, the empress dowager asked Jiang Zhen to go to the imperial study to meet Xie Fei to discuss this year's family reunion dinner.
While the three were discussing in the west room, a petite figure in eunuch's clothes suddenly appeared outside the window of the east room. She complained in a low voice: "System, you are too useless. This invisibility spell only lasted less than ten minutes."
[The invisibility technique consumes my spiritual power. I am currently running low on energy and ten minutes is already my limit. ]
Xi Helan carefully opened the window of the east room and looked around. After finding that there was no one there, she nimbly climbed in. She came to the soft couch, took off her eunuch clothes, and took out the Xinjiang dance dress she had prepared in advance from the system space and put it on carefully.
After careful consideration, she decided to take the initiative. She waited for several days and finally got her chance. Tonight, the Queen was called away by the Queen Mother. Xi Helan guessed that the Emperor must be the only one in the imperial study.
In order to perform a stunning dance tonight, she ruthlessly exchanged the "Lotus Feet with Every Step" and "Faint and Enchanting Fragrance", vowing to make the emperor bewildered and astonished. She also specially exchanged for a secret weapon this time - the famous instrument that she will never forget. She believed that as long as the emperor had a night of lovemaking with her, he would never be able to leave her behind. The queen or the imperial concubine would all be defeated by her!
The more she thought about it, the more excited she became. She couldn't wait to be the most favored person in the harem, to receive the emperor's favor, to ascend the throne of queen, and to let those who looked down on her see that it didn't matter if she didn't have a family background. She, Xi Helan, had supreme favor, and no one could dare to hurt a hair on her head!
At the same time, Jiang Zhen in the west room said slowly: "I think we should hold a family banquet for the Mid-Autumn Festival this year. It would be too expensive for all the ministers to celebrate together, which is not conducive to the storage of the national treasury. Besides, the relatives of the ministers may also be looking forward to a family reunion. Your Majesty, what do you think?"
After Jiang Zhen finished speaking, she saw the Queen Mother nodding in agreement, so she turned and looked at Xie Fei with a smile. Unexpectedly, she saw Xie Fei smiling absentmindedly. She felt a little puzzled, wondering what was so funny about what she said.
At this time, Xie Fei was wondering what tricks Xi Helan was trying to play. In fact, he had sensed it before Xi Helan appeared in the East Room, because the spiritual power he input had already been integrated into the system without anyone noticing, so as long as he was within a radius of ten miles from him, he could sense the existence of the system.
Hearing Jiang Zhen's question suddenly, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to speak, he heard the crisp sound of a bell, followed by a woman's clear and pleasant voice: "Who sent you to me/It was the bright moon in the distance/Bright moon..."
The Queen Mother was stunned when she heard the voice. She slowly placed the tea in her hand on the table. She looked at Xie Fei and then at Jiang Zhen, frowned and asked in doubt: "Where is this singing coming from? Why does it sound like it's coming from the hall in front?"
Nanny Song nodded and said, "Empress Dowager, I heard it also sounded like it came from the front."
"Who is so bold as to sing in the imperial study?" The Queen Mother's expression suddenly became extremely solemn, and she asked sternly, "Your Majesty, Queen, do you know who it is?"
Xie Fei and Jiang Zhen looked at each other calmly and shook their heads in unison, "I don't know."
"Then come with me to see who is so ignorant of the rules that he sings in the emperor's study!" The empress dowager looked a little displeased, and her tone was a little more serious.
After saying that, she looked at Xie Fei with knowing eyes. Having stayed in the palace for so many years, there was nothing she didn't understand about the current situation. It must be that someone among the concubines wanted to gain favor through this. If it happened in other places, it would be fine, but she was so bold as to run to the imperial study where the emperor handled government affairs. If she didn't make an example of her to scare the monkeys, wouldn't this undermine the order of the court?
Thinking of this, the Queen Mother, with the help of Jiang Zhen, slowly opened the curtain of the west room. A strong and tempting fragrance hit her face. Then she opened her eyes wide and was stunned, staring at the woman who was twisting her waist and hips with her back to the crowd in the center of the hall without blinking.
The woman was wearing a very strange crabapple red dress. The top was extremely short, revealing her slender waist. The skirt was just a layer of gauze, and her long, straight legs were faintly visible when she danced. Her delicate little feet were spinning barefoot on the ground, and her nails were pink and soft. Around her ankles were a string of very delicate light yellow bells, which made light sounds when she moved. Together with her pleasant singing, it was simply wonderful. The sequins hanging all over her body were even more amazing. They sparkled in the candlelight, and she looked breathtaking as she danced.
However, no one in the room was in the mood to appreciate this beautiful scene. The Queen Mother looked at it in disbelief. She couldn't help but hold her chest and gasp for breath. Jiang Zhen quickly supported her with one hand and gently patted her back with the other.
Xi Helan heard the heavy breathing coming from behind her, and thought that the emperor was attracted by her voice and saw her and couldn't help but have desires. The corners of her mouth curled up proudly under the veil, and her voice became more charming and moving: "I am like a petal with dewdrops, sweetly clinging to you~"
At the end of the song, she lightly tapped her toes and turned around, but what she saw was the Queen Mother's face as black as the bottom of a pot. The smile on Xi Helan's lips froze, and she abruptly retracted her half-expressed glance. She stood there in a daze as if someone had poked her xue. Her mind was blank and she didn't know how to react.
After Jiang Zhen helped the empress dowager sit on the couch, she saw Xi Helan still standing there in a daze, so she coughed lightly and called out "Noble Lady Lan" in a low voice as a reminder.
Xi Helan suddenly came to her senses. She knelt on the ground in panic and said in a panic: "Lan'er greets the Queen Mother. I didn't know that the Queen Mother was coming. I didn't come to greet you. I hope the Queen Mother will forgive me for my impoliteness."
As soon as she finished speaking, she heard the Queen Mother snort coldly and said unhappily: "I don't deserve it. Lady Lan came to greet me wearing this. If you are not ashamed, I will be ashamed too!"
Xi Helan lowered her head with a red face. As a modern person, she didn't think there was anything wrong with showing off. What embarrassed her was that so many people saw her seducing a man, especially Nanny Song, who had a grudge against her. Being seen like this by her enemies, she believed that before tonight was over, the entire harem would know about her embarrassment.
She glanced at Xie Fei somewhat helplessly, but saw that he didn't even look at her. He just stood obediently in front of the empress dowager, like a child who had made a mistake, with his eyes on the nose and his nose on the heart, without saying a word.
Coward! He is so afraid of his mother and doesn't know how to protect his wife. He is so useless!
Xi Helan pursed her lips in annoyance, her mind racing as she thought of a countermeasure. At this moment, Jiang Zhen poured a cup of tea and handed it to the Queen Mother, saying softly, "Don't get yourself hurt by being angry, Queen Mother. I don't think Lady Lan did it on purpose. She has been living in a foreign country and has only been in Da Qi for a few months. She may not have changed some of her habits yet..."
"I know that you, the Queen, are virtuous, kind and generous. You don't need to speak for her. I have sent two excellent maids to teach her." The Queen Mother waved her hand to interrupt Jiang Zhen's words, glanced at Xi Helan and said with dignity, "I think she didn't study hard, or she has a bad character, so she did such a shameless thing!"
Xi Helan was so angry that she trembled all over. When she was about to refute unwillingly, the Queen Mother continued, "She is indeed an uneducated foreign woman, who has no sense of self-discipline. She wears inappropriate clothes and flaunts herself everywhere. She even sneaked into the imperial study to sing and dance. It is obvious that she wants to lead the emperor to ignore state affairs and indulge in debauchery!"
Xi Helan was furious when she heard that. She straightened up and asked with a sullen face, "Who are you saying is uneducated and has no manners? My parents never said that to me, so what right do you have to say that to me?!"
The Queen Mother could not help but sneer and said sternly, "Why? Because I am the Queen Mother of the Great Qi!"
"So what if she's the empress dowager? Can she insult and slander others at will?" Xihelan retorted unconvinced.
"I insulted and slandered you? What a joke!"
The Queen Mother was so angry that she even covered her mouth and started coughing. Seeing that she was in a bad state, Jiang Zhen hurried forward to rub her back and comforted her, "Queen Mother, you need to take care of yourself. Don't get angry with yourself."
After the Queen Mother calmed down, she turned to look at Xie Fei and said, "Your Majesty, look at your good concubine. She actually dared to talk back. Good, really good!"
Xie Fei lifted his robe and knelt on one knee, saying respectfully: "Don't be angry, mother. It's all my fault."
Xi Helan was stunned for a moment when she heard this. It seemed that this man still had some good points. He knew how to take all the blame on himself.
However, she did not know that this was just a common saying. As an emperor, he should shoulder the responsibility no matter what happened. Just like a disaster from the sky, which was obviously not caused by the emperor, everyone would think it was the emperor's fault. Moreover, he must admit it and take the responsibility and cannot evade it, otherwise he would not be worthy of being the king of a country.
Therefore, Xie Fei only said this subconsciously, and what he really meant was - it's all my fault for not choosing the right concubine.
After waiting for a full cup of tea, the Queen Mother raised her hand to signal Xie Fei to stand up, and said calmly: "Madame Song, pass on my imperial decree. Concubine Lan has behaved improperly and trespassed into the imperial study without reporting to the emperor. She is suspected of confusing the emperor. She will be demoted to a concubine and confined to her house for a month. Starting tomorrow, two nurses will be sent to teach her about propriety, righteousness, integrity, and respect for hierarchy!"
Nanny Song smiled sarcastically, glanced at Xi Helan's pale face, and responded in a very good mood.
Xi Helan couldn't believe what she heard. She was about to open her mouth unwillingly, but Nanny Song had already had her dragged out of the imperial study. The eunuch clothes were left in the east room, and she was only wearing a thin gauze dress. No matter how shameless she was, she could not stand so many people looking at her like a monkey, so she had to swallow her anger and ran back to the palace in the night.
The Queen Mother rubbed her temples with a headache, then stood up with Nanny Song's hand and said, "I am tired today, so I will go back first. The Mid-Autumn Festival family banquet has been discussed, and the Queen and the Emperor will discuss some details."
Xie Fei and Jiang Zhen both responded obediently, and after the Queen Mother left, they stood up one after another.
Xie Fei stretched out his long arm and wanted to hold Jiang Zhen's waist, but Jiang Zhen turned away without paying attention, bowed, and said with a smile: "I will also take my leave first, so as not to disturb the emperor's good things."
Xie Fei took a step forward, grabbed Jiang Zhen's wrist and gently pushed her to the table. He pressed his hands on the edge of the table to trap her between himself and the table. He leaned over her flushed face, looked straight into her beautiful peach blossom eyes, and brushed her nose with his warm lips. He said in a low, pretentious voice, "You also know that you have ruined my good thing."
He was too close, and the faint scent of ambergris on his body enveloped her little by little. His breath was all sprinkled on her hot cheeks. Jiang Zhen's breathing stagnated, and her curled eyelashes trembled twice like a butterfly's wings. She tilted her head and raised her eyebrows and said, "I know, that's why I wanted to leave, so as to create opportunities for the emperor's confidantes. You didn't thank me properly, but you were mean to me."
Her pink little face is adorable, and her tender tone is even more touching.
Xie Fei knew she was being naughty again, so he turned his eyes, squinted them slightly and smiled playfully, then lowered his head and whispered in her ear: "I don't believe you are so kind, you girl, don't think you can get away with ruining my good thing."
As he spoke, his warm breath hit Jiang Zhen's sensitive ears. She shrank her neck unconsciously, and the tips of her ears and the base of her neck turned red. She said angrily, "It's not my own idea to come here. It was the Queen Mother who asked me to come here to discuss the Mid-Autumn Festival family dinner. You can only blame the Emperor for having bad luck!"
"I don't care." Xie Fei raised the corner of his mouth slightly, and said, "Anyway, I think it was you who ruined my good thing. In this case, you must give me a good thing as compensation."
As he spoke, Xie Fei lifted Jiang Zhen's chin with his right index finger, lowered his head and kissed her pink lips, curved his eyebrows, and smiled softly, "Just give yourself to me as compensation."
"Then I am really at a loss." Jiang Zhen raised her eyes slightly and looked at Xie Fei's affectionate gaze at her. She couldn't help but smile. The jealousy in her heart because of seeing the charming and graceful Xi Helan finally disappeared.
Xie Fei's peach blossom eyes were blazing. He picked her up by the waist and strode towards the inner room. He lowered his head and kissed her twice on the top of her head. He smiled deeply and said, "I must work hard tonight and never let Zhen'er feel that she has suffered a great loss."
Jiang Zhen glared at him awkwardly, reached out and hit his shoulder hard, and said angrily, "That's not what I meant."
Xie Fei nodded seriously: "Oh, I understand."
"Huh?" Jiang Zhen looked up at her in confusion.
Xie Fei put her into the quilt, and then he pressed on her, looking at her blushing face, and said slowly and solemnly word by word: "I will work hard every night in the future."
Jiang Zhen blinked blankly, and after a while she understood what this meant. She opened her mouth to speak, but someone sealed her mouth with a kiss, so she could only make a light hum.
After a while, the silent room was filled with discordant and harmonious sounds that made people blush and ears burn, which gradually intertwined into a melody.
The cool evening breeze blew in through the half-open window, causing the gauze curtains hanging on the bed to float slightly in the air, like elves dancing in the wind.
The eunuch guarding outside the door carefully closed the window and waved his whisk, causing the blushing palace maids to retreat.
The author has something to say: ??The chapter I took a leave of absence for the day before yesterday has been completed. This world will probably end tomorrow~~I actually like it very much. After reading everyone’s comments, some cuties said it was not very good. I also thought about it seriously. There may indeed be some places that are not handled very well, but at present I think it is the best development. If I have enough ability in the future, maybe I will make appropriate modifications. Thank you all for your encouragement, support and suggestions. I still have many shortcomings, but I will work hard!
Dragon couch: Shake and shake, and there is a quack~
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
