Chapter 20 - 4#
“The emperor hasn’t gone to court yet?”
In the Palace of Longevity and Health, the Empress Dowager frowned, pondering what this news meant.
Emperor Jingyuan had not seen his ministers for two consecutive days, and today was the day of the grand court session. It was said that Ning Hongru had already gone to the front court to announce that the emperor was unwell today and the court session was cancelled.
The people sent by the Empress Dowager could not get any news from the Qianming Palace.
Although Emperor Jingyuan didn’t care much about the affairs of the harem, if he wanted to hide a secret, no matter how hard the Empress Dowager tried, she couldn’t find out his whereabouts.
At the thought of this, the Empress Dowager was extremely annoyed.
Before Emperor Jingyuan ascended the throne, everyone thought that Helian Duan was more likely to ascend the throne. And after Emperor Jingyuan ascended the throne, at the beginning, the Empress Dowager didn’t take Helian Rong seriously at all.
In her opinion, even if Helian Rong was lucky enough to get the throne, he had no one in his hands and no power of his own. How could he control the officials of the court, and how could he suppress the criticism of the civil and military officials?
But she never expected that Helian Rong would actually be able to kill court officials in public, and even display their heads one by one in front of the hall. How presumptuous and arrogant was this?
The Empress Dowager was about to flare up at that time, but she didn’t expect that the new emperor actually had a force by his side that was not afraid of the Empress Dowager’s assassination at all.
The people sent to assassinate the emperor had their heads cut off the next day and placed by the Empress Dowager’s bed.
The Empress Dowager woke up to the smell of blood and saw the heads by her bed. She immediately screamed and fainted again.
As if entering an uninhabited land.
No one found out how these heads appeared in the Empress Dowager’s bedroom.
Emperor Jingyuan had such strange talents in his hands.
This was the real reason why the Empress Dowager finally gave in and moved into the Palace of Longevity and Health.
Now, she has fortified the Palace of Longevity and Health to be watertight. Even if the emperor’s people want to come in again, it is impossible.
But thinking of the horror at that time, the Empress Dowager was still very angry.
She thought about it, and the person who could help Emperor Jingyuan build such a force was either the late emperor, or…
The Shen family.
Shen Tingxuan, the old headmaster of the Shen family.
As long as the Empress Dowager thought of this name, she wished she could grind her teeth to pieces.
And the news that King Rui found out undoubtedly confirmed the Empress Dowager’s guess. If the Shen family hadn’t given him shelter back then, how could Emperor Jingyuan, with his cruel and cold personality, send people to protect Shen Tingxuan now?
This old man opened the Qianyuan Academy, pretending to be a hermit, but secretly did such a thing. The Empress Dowager naturally wanted to get rid of him. But Shen Tingxuan’s matter was not urgent. The most urgent thing now was, what happened to that fellow Helian Rong?
Could it be that he was really seriously ill?
Otherwise, according to his habit, although he did not get along with the civil and military officials, as the emperor’s duty, Helian Rong did not fall behind much.
In this matter, he had a sense of responsibility that went against his temper.
The Empress Dowager frowned and thought for a long time, then summoned someone.
“Go and invite the noble consort for me.”
The female official bowed and withdrew. She soon went to the Zhongcui Palace and invited the noble consort Huang Yijie over.
When Huang Yijie entered the Palace of Longevity and Health and was about to bow to the Empress Dowager, she was helped up by her. “Sit down quickly.”
Huang Yijie smiled, “This is the proper etiquette.”
The Empress Dowager patted her hand, “Are you used to it yet?”
“Everything in this palace is good, there is nothing bad.” She shook her head, looking a little shy.
The Empress Dowager smiled, “That’s good.”
She asked Huang Yijie to come, as if it was just to talk. They chatted about this and that, and then the topic fell on Emperor Jingyuan.
“Noble consort, what do you think of the emperor…?”
When Huang Yijie heard this, her eyes lit up and she said softly, “His Majesty is very good.”
The Empress Dowager looked at Huang Yijie’s shy appearance and smiled again, “Why are you so shy? Since you have entered the palace, you are my daughter-in-law, and the emperor is your husband. You have the highest rank now, and in this harem, many things still depend on you.”
She was hinting at something.
Huang Yijie tilted her head slightly and looked at the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager said leisurely, “These few days, the emperor’s body has been a little unwell. He didn’t even go to the grand court session today.”
Huang Yijie was a little anxious, “Then, is it serious? I, this servant…”
The Empress Dowager smiled, “He is your husband. It is natural for you to want to see him. Who can stop you?”
Huang Yijie blushed and lowered her head.
After a while, she came out of the palace and got on the carriage.
A plain-looking palace maid followed her. She was the one Huang Yijie trusted the most among the many palace maids.
Because she was the maid that Huang Yijie brought from home.
She followed her all the way to the capital, and now, she followed her into the palace.
A high-ranking palace consort could bring one person into the palace.
It was a kind of preferential treatment for them.
After returning to the Zhongcui Palace, the palace maid learned of the Empress Dowager’s intentions and frowned slightly, “The Empress Dowager wants to send the noble consort to scout the way, noble consort… this…”
Huang Yijie no longer had the shy appearance she had in the Palace of Longevity and Health. Her face was slightly cold, “The Empress Dowager let me into the palace with ulterior motives. If I can’t do things according to her purpose, my family will not be at peace.”
She looked at the palace maid.
“Yushi, help me with my makeup.”
Huang Yijie showed a gentle smile, just like her disguise outside.
“The first time I go to see His Majesty, I naturally have to look better.”
…
When Jingzhe woke up again and found himself nestled in Rong Jiu’s arms, sleeping very freely, Jingzhe was no longer surprised.
Just kidding!
How could he not be surprised!
How could he be sleeping in Rong Jiu’s arms! Ah! Why did Rong Jiu get up so late today! Why is the sky outside so bright! He actually slept so soundly today, did he completely miss the time!
Jingzhe roared in his heart.
While roaring, he tried to climb out of Rong Jiu’s arms.
…What was that on his waist?
It was hard and a little strange.
“Sleep a little longer.”
“Don’t sleep anymore. Can you move the thing you brought to bed? It’s so uncomfortable.” Jingzhe muttered, “How can you put these things on the bed?”
“What things?”
Rong Jiu’s voice was as if he hadn’t slept at all.
Every time he spoke, he was very awake.
Jingzhe reached back, wanting to show him, but the thing he touched was hot, and it… couldn’t be pulled out?
He was stunned for a moment. In a flash, he suddenly realized what it was, and suddenly withdrew his hand and sat up.
His hand hung nervously by his side. He wanted to clench it, but it seemed that he could feel the hot and hard object throbbing in his hand.
How, how could it be so big…
No, how could he not have reacted!
He had entered the palace. If someone found out that there was something wrong with his body, it would cause trouble. So Chen An had given him medicine back then and let him take it for a period of time.
Those pills would suppress the body’s impulses, and naturally, they also affected Jingzhe’s body.
His desire was very weak.
He had almost never had the embarrassment of waking up in the morning.
So he was completely blank in this aspect. It could be said that that grab almost shattered Jingzhe’s consciousness.
Rong Jiu got up slowly, got out of bed, and went to change his clothes.
He didn’t mention this matter. Jingzhe should have understood it as his rare tolerance. After Rong Jiu left, Jingzhe immediately wrapped himself up.
He wanted to wash his hands.
But he didn’t dare to go out.
So miserable.
How did he let himself fall into this situation?
So miserable.
Jingzhe wiped his tears.
Then he found that it was the hand from just now, and he wanted to scream again.
By the time he dawdled and got up, Rong Jiu had already changed his clothes, then carried him to wash up, and then carried Jingzhe back to sit down.
Jingzhe had been forced to get used to it in the past two days, and sat down to eat listlessly.
This late breakfast was tasteless. Jingzhe didn’t dare to look up at Rong Jiu at all.
But after eating, Rong Jiu walked towards him, carried Jingzhe back to the bed, and then squatted down in front of him. Jingzhe’s scalp went numb. Again?
No, there was no water basin now.
Then this is…
Jingzhe watched as Rong Jiu took out the key from his bosom.
Is it time?
Is Rong Jiu sober?
Jingzhe almost cried with joy and was about to take the key, but he saw that the big hand retracted.
He was stunned and looked at Rong Jiu.
He saw the man as if he was talking to himself.
“Although I have been too impulsive these past few days, but…”
Rong Jiu’s gaze fell on Jingzhe’s ankle. After the tyrannical flame was ignited, it was not purely polluted by external objects, but a seed that already existed, and a pure desire was induced.
He felt that this was also quite good.
Firmly bound here, unable to go anywhere.
Jingzhe was not good.
Very, not good.
He grabbed Rong Jiu’s arm, not in a snatching posture, but very nervous, “Rong Jiu, I have my own things to do, I… if I continue to stay here, you will be in great danger.”
“Danger?”
Rong Jiu seemed to find it a little funny and looked up at him.
Jingzhe nodded seriously, “Danger. I know you can cover up my whereabouts, but I…” He pursed his lips, seeming to hesitate.
Every sentence, when spoken, carried a taste of hesitation.
“Concubine Xu is targeting me, it seems to be related to Talented Lady Yao, and Talented Lady Yao’s death may be related to the Empress Dowager.”
Jingzhe’s voice became softer.
“I don’t want to implicate you and get you into trouble.”
After a moment of silence, there was a click.
Rong Jiu unlocked Jingzhe’s chains and stood up.
The heavy chain fell to the ground. Jingzhe hugged his hard-won freedom and couldn’t help but touch his slightly broken ankle.
“Jingzhe, I have desires for you.”
A light sentence, as if he didn’t feel embarrassed at all.
But it almost split Jingzhe open.
It was as if what he was saying was not lewd words, but a confession of love and joy.
He maintained the posture of hugging his legs and suddenly looked up.
On the man’s beautiful face, pure and natural wildness and charm coexisted. With the smile that appeared at the corner of his mouth, that cold and pale face instantly burst into a violent beauty.
Jingzhe gasped.
Not only for that somewhat obscene sentence, but also for this wild and wanton beauty.
Rong Jiu’s thumb wiped Jingzhe’s lips.
The remaining wound was not healing as fast as the one on his neck, and there were still traces of broken skin.
“What evening is this evening, to see this good person. You, you, how can such a good person be…①” Rong Jiu leaned over, so close to Jingzhe’s face that he could hear his breathing, “Jingzhe, how about being my good person?”
Desire overflowed, turning the already rampant beauty into a devastating blade. The gentle words were the poison quenched on the blade.
Together, they pierced Jingzhe’s heart.
Author’s note:
① From the Book of Songs, “Guofeng, Tangfeng, Chou Mou”. The author’s literary accomplishment is not good, everyone please bear with it, mua~~