Chapter 90: Shameless

Chapter 90: Shameless

"Who do you think is more beautiful, Ayan or Lady Su?" the Emperor asked Xing En as he left the Xuancao Hall, glancing at him following closely.

Xing En nearly stumbled upon hearing this.

Sensing the Emperor's displeased tone, this question seemed like a surefire way to doom.

If he chose Empress Yuan, the Emperor would likely accuse him of flattery. If he chose Lady Su, the Emperor would surely be unhappy. Either way, the Emperor would be displeased. After a moment's thought, he carefully avoided the given options, reminding, "Your Majesty, Empress Yuan does not favor comparing appearances with others."

"You are right."

The Emperor nodded, his irritation dissipating with the cold wind. He regretted not finding out why Ayan disliked Lady Su and couldn't see anything in Lady Su that would make Ayan wary.

Well, if it can't be figured out, so be it.

If Ayan dislikes her, then he will simply avoid seeing her in the future.

"Let's go. I'll go to Renshou Hall to change into casual attire and then return to Fuhua Palace," the Emperor said, striding away from Xuancao Hall.

Xing En was about to follow but was stopped by Qin Shangning calling from behind. She approached, pointing at Xuancao Hall, "Eunuch Xing, what about her?" She was encountering this situation for the first time since being appointed in the Bureau of Imperial Bedchambers, where the Emperor did not bestow his favor despite summoning someone.

"Just send her back the way she was brought here."

"What about the court records..."

"Write it as it happened," Xing En said urgently, finding Qin Shangning too indecisive. He had just reminded her to remake the incense blends, and now she was asking him about such trivial matters, "Alright, I have to attend to His Majesty. You're in charge of the Bureau of Imperial Bedchambers, decide and arrange it yourself."

After saying this, he left Qin Shangning behind and hurried to catch up with the Emperor.

Qin Shangning was not indecisive; she was simply encountering this situation for the first time and feared misjudging the matter. She asked Xing En to gauge his attitude to decide her own towards Lady Su.

Since Xing En had spoken, she would follow the rules. She felt a bit sorry for Lady Su's beauty being wasted; so outstanding, yet failing to catch the Emperor's eye. If tonight's incident got out, Qin Shangning foresaw that Lady Su would likely be too embarrassed to show her face for months.

Qin Shangning re-entered the Xuancao Hall.

She immediately saw Lady Su sitting on the imperial bed, tears rolling down her slightly reddened eyes, falling down her pale, jade-like cheeks, dampening her rouge. Her expression was sorrowful, and she looked startled when she saw Qin Shangning enter, her long eyelashes fluttering like butterfly wings, making her look even more pitiable.

A beauty shedding silent tears.

It always evoked more compassion and tolerance in others.

Especially since Lady Su had the Eighth Prince by her side.

Qin Shangning thought of Qu Gu, who lacked clever schemes but devoted herself to serving the still-beautiful Empress Zhu Yuan. Now, her status had risen, and she had more favor in front of the Emperor than others. In contrast, Qin Shangning, despite being clever and a head of one of the six bureaus of the inner palace, seemed glorious but lacked a solid foundation.

Not to mention, she couldn't compare to Qu Gu in terms of dignity in front of the Emperor.

With this thought, Qin Shangning decided quickly upon seeing Lady Su; it's easier to add flowers to brocade than to send coal in snow.

"Your Majesty..."

Approaching, Qin Shangning heard Lady Su utter these two words, too heartbroken to say more and trying not to cry aloud. She informed her, "His Majesty had to leave for an urgent matter. You can stay a bit longer and then I'll arrange a carriage to take you back to Minghua Palace later."

Hearing this, Su Wanqing's tears became unstoppable, pouring down like a downpour. Fearing to cry aloud, she covered her mouth, allowing herself to weep.

Seeing this, Qin Shangning secretly admired Lady Su's intelligence, consoling her as if reminding, "The court records, except for the Empress, cannot be casually perused by anyone in the harem, so you needn't worry excessively."

After saying this, she left the room, deliberately closing the door and dismissing the palace maids.

Hearing the intermittent crying inside until it ceased about a quarter of an hour later, footsteps approached the door, "Thank you, Qin Shangning. Now, besides gratitude, I have nothing else to say."

Qin Shangning looked at Lady Su, who bowed in gratitude, returning the gesture. Their eyes met, and even though Lady Su’s eyes were still red, her gaze was clear and resolute. She had composed herself, showing no sign of disarray.

Qin Shangning was pleased; despite her heartache, Lady Su managed to control her emotions and did not succumb to despair from this blow.

Otherwise, Qin Shangning would have had to reconsider whether Lady Su was worth her support.

In that brief eye contact, the two shared an unspoken initial understanding.

Inside the carriage, Su Wanqing’s gentle face suddenly turned ashen.

Tonight was a tremendous humiliation for her, and she didn’t even know what she had done wrong.

She had always known the Emperor to be heartless.

But only when she personally experienced this indifference did she realize how hard it was to accept, a pain so acute. Despite this, she had to muster her spirit to face the disgrace, not wanting to become the laughing stock of the harem. The only way was to prevent tonight’s incident from spreading.

Empress Liu was never one to meddle.

And her current status was not significant enough to catch Xing En’s attention.

That left only the people of the Bureau of Imperial Bedchambers, now managed by Qin Shangning. Su Wanqing knew her well; in her past life, they were close partners, working together intimately. Therefore, the weeping earlier was an impromptu act by her.

Firstly, she hoped to use it to urge Qin Shangning to restrain the maids from spreading the news of tonight.

Secondly, it was to gain Qin Shangning’s support.

In her past life, Qin Shangning was just a sixth-rank official in the Bureau of Equipment under the Bureau of Imperial Bedchambers. She only reached the position of a fifth-rank official in charge of the Bureau after allying with Su Wanqing. It was then that Su Wanqing learned Qin had always envied the favored court lady Qu Gu and harbored ambitions.

In her previous life, Qu Gu always served at the Emperor’s side.

But in this life, Qu Gu had been reassigned early to serve Empress Zhu Yuan.

This time, due to laxity in the servicing system of the Bureau of Imperial Bedchambers, two officials were implicated and dismissed by the Emperor. Qin Shangning, seizing the opportunity from being a mere official in the Bureau of Equipment, leaped to the position of head of the Bureau.

At that time, Su Wanqing wanted to form an alliance with Qin Shangning, but lacked the opportunity.

In the Bureau of Imperial Bedchambers, Qin Shangning, accustomed to seeing beauties rise and fall, was more indulgent towards them. Also, due to her envy of Qu Gu, she would, like in the past life, seek to align with certain concubines in the harem for comparison.

Su Wanqing was confident that, just like in her previous life, her beauty and intelligence would surely catch Qin Shangning’s eye.

Managing to connect with Qin Shangning this time was an unexpected boon for Su Wanqing.

A loss in one area leads to gain in another.

——

Inside Fuhua Palace.

Empress Zhu Yan, preparing for bed, heard a servant report the Emperor’s arrival. Recalling how last night he had complained about her chamber being too hot and slept with their son Ajit, she decisively said, “Let him go directly to Ruyi Pavilion. Don’t come here.”

After speaking, she firmly ordered Qu Gu to add two more braziers of coal to the chamber.

Qu Gu hesitated, feeling obliged to remind, “Your Highness, the room is already quite hot.”

“I feel cold. If you feel hot, add the coal and leave,” Zhu Yan thought, opting for fewer blankets at night was better than sharing a bed. The Emperor was extremely domineering, preferring to hold her tightly even in sleep.

Qu Gu reluctantly went to have the coal added.

However, before the braziers were brought in, the Emperor, who had just arrived, stopped them, “No more. Take a few out.”

The Emperor strode in, looking at Zhu Yan on the bed, “This afternoon, I reviewed your medical records. The physicians say you’ve been overheated from the fire. They suggest removing some braziers, leaving just two or three.”

“If you really feel cold, I'll warm the bed for you.”

“Shameless,” Zhu Yan blurted out, stunned by the Emperor’s brazen words in front of the attending servants. The word slipped out as she stared at his face.

The working servants, including Qu Gu and Qiu Ye, orchestrating the scene, were momentarily shocked, showing varying degrees of discomfort. Wishing they hadn’t heard, they quickly exited, heads down, hastily removing the braziers.

Watching the Emperor’s unconcerned smiling face.

Scolded and yet he could still smile.

Zhu Yan was certain that the Emperor had truly become shameless. Usually, their quarrels were private, but this time, in front of the servants, he was behaving recklessly without any sense of propriety.

Zhu Yan leaned weakly against the headboard, watching the servants move the coal braziers, no longer paying him any attention.

Once the servants had left, Zhu Yan looked at the Emperor, "What are you doing here? I told you to go to Ruyi Pavilion."

“I came here to sleep with you, not with my son,” the Emperor said righteously. He had just given up a great beauty for Ayan, who should compensate him, but he didn't say this out loud, knowing Ayan’s jealous nature.

Watching Ayan's slightly peeling lips due to heat, he caressed them gently, then, as she impatiently slapped his hand away, he caught it and leaned in for a kiss.

An overwhelming presence invaded, all-encompassing.

The Jiuhua curtains hung low, the dim yellow light flickering.

In a daze, Zhu Yan, feeling the Emperor's disregard for his image, bit down instinctively, her fine teeth slightly sharp. As the taste of iron spread in her mouth, she let go, and the Emperor raised his head, breathing slightly heavily.

Unconcerned about the cut on his lip, he smeared the blood on Zhu Yan's lips, "Ayan, your lips should be this bright and beautiful."

The fresh blood painted on her lips.

This madman, turning her into a vampire.

Zhu Yan closed her eyes and reopened them with a hint of a smile. She reached to unbutton the Emperor's clothing. Since she couldn't escape, she might as well indulge. As expected, she saw surprise on his face, "Ayan, I can do it myself."

His voice trembled slightly, his hands and feet awkwardly unsure where to place them.

Zhu Yan’s slender fingers slid down from his Adam's apple, like a trigger, a fuse, completely disrupting the usual order. For the first time, she felt a sense of achievement in controlling someone's emotions.

Indeed, what she should have learned was how to serve with allure.

And she had a talent for it, at least with the man before her.

The result of their indulgence was that the next morning, neither could get out of bed, especially on the fifteenth of the first month, not only a major festival but also a day for a grand court assembly. The Emperor, with dark circles under his eyes, felt the bite marks on his lips, glaring resentfully at Zhu Yan lying in the silk quilt, “You did that on purpose.”

How was he supposed to face people today, yet he couldn't avoid going out.

"His Majesty seems to forget that last night it was he who came to me first, provoking me, not I who eagerly went to Qianyuan Hall to seek him out."

Eagerly going to Qianyuan Hall?

"The Emperor suddenly remembered that he had planned to summon Consort Su last night. Suspecting that Ah Yan might have known about it, which explained her words, he felt a bit guilty and didn't pursue the matter, quickly changing the subject. 'Are you going to the Chentian Gate tonight to enjoy the lanterns?' he asked."

"No," Zhu Yan replied, disliking all collective activities in the palace and rarely participating.

"Then I'll delay the fireworks over the Lotus Pond by an hour tonight. I'll try to come back early and accompany you to the attic to watch them."

"No need."

Worried that he might not understand, Zhu Yan propped herself up with the brocade quilt, leaning against the bed's headboard, and tried to open her eyes wide to look at the Emperor. "I don't want to watch. It's the same every year, boring. You should take all the fireworks prepared by the Ministry of Works to Chentian Gate. It would be more enjoyable shared with the people."

The Emperor gazed at Zhu Yan's languid appearance, her almond-shaped eyes, and delicate nose, her excessively pale oval face and the perfect jawline seemed as if they had been meticulously sculpted, with every proportion just right.

Her slender figure made her seem almost overwhelmed by her clothing, occasionally giving him a startling sense of apprehension.

He always felt that the things Ah Yan liked seemed to be diminishing.

Suddenly, the Emperor walked to the bed, took Ah Yan in his arms, and after a long while asked, "Shall I summon your mother and Princess Xiangyang to keep you company?"

"It's a festive time for family reunions. Why summon them to the palace? It's pointless," Zhu Yan said, looking up at him briefly before urging, "Aren't you leaving yet? I'm tired and just want to sleep."

"You're heartless. Rest well, I'll take Tian Tian with me," said the Emperor as he lay down with her, covering her with the quilt. Before leaving, he instructed Lady Qu to add more charcoal to the fire and to pay attention to what Ah Yan likes and cater to her preferences.

Author's Note: