Chapter 19: Accompanying the Emperor

Chapter 19: Accompanying the Emperor

"If Your Majesty trusts me, I am very happy."

The sunlight on the palace path was blinding.

Su Jiaojiao knelt upright at the entrance of the palace road, her head slightly bowed, hiding the coldness in her eyes.

"Miss," Yu Ying said worriedly, looking at Su Jiaojiao who had been kneeling for a long time. "Maybe I should ask Consort Mi for help."

She softly replied, "No need."

"My relationship with Consort Mi isn't a long one, and she doesn't trust me. Not many people would believe her about today's incident with Min Chongyi. If I ask for her help over every little thing, she'll just think I'm useless, and it'll be more trouble than it's worth."

Su Jiaojiao wasn't afraid of getting sick.

In fact, she even hoped to get seriously sick after Min Chongyi's punishment, so she wouldn't be able to serve the Emperor. Right now, she was in the Emperor's favor, and if he couldn't find her, he'd naturally wonder what happened.

To everyone else, she always seemed timid and cautious. Who would believe that Su Jiaojiao would dare to provoke a high-ranking consort like Min Chongyi? Besides, Min Chongyi wasn't known for her virtue. After serving the Emperor for so many years, he knows her better than anyone.

If she could earn a bit of the Emperor's sympathy from this, it would actually help secure her position. Then, it would be much easier for her to repay the humiliation she suffered today.

As a high-ranking consort, Min Chongyi had the authority to punish lower-ranking concubines.

Su Jiaojiao was only a Beauty, and even though she didn't want to, she had no choice but to obey.

But Min Chongyi deliberately made her kneel at the entrance of the palace road, where dozens, if not hundreds, of people passed by, clearly intending to humiliate her and make her a laughingstock among the palace servants and other concubines.

Su Jiaojiao would never forget this humiliation.

The palace road where she was being punished was at its most crowded.

If she knelt for the full two hours, by the time she was allowed to get up, it would be almost dark, and her knees would be injured and need rest.

The pain of kneeling on the cobblestone path was unbearable. In just half an hour, Su Jiaojiao's knees were already burning with pain, a torment for both body and mind.

Yu Ying watched anxiously, but since her lady always had her own plans, she could only stand there and worry.

Su Jiaojiao spoke softly to comfort Yu Ying. "Yu Ying."

"Don't worry."

She had never been someone who would easily give in.

It was the same back in the Minister's residence, and nothing has changed now.

She would climb over those people step by step, making them only worthy of looking up at her.

In the Taiji Hall.

Shen Huai put down his vermilion brush, leaned back, and rubbed his temples.

"What time is it?"

Cai Shan personally took the freshly brewed Snow Peak Silver Needle tea from a palace maid, bowed, and said softly, "Your Majesty, it is just past 3:15 PM."

Shen Huai didn't open his eyes, lazily saying, "Put it down, I won't drink it."

Seeing the Emperor tired and listless, Cai Shan took the opportunity to speak, smiling, "Your Majesty, today is the day Su Jiaojiao moved to her new palace, likely already settled in the Pixiang Hall of the Guanju Palace. Would Your Majesty like to—"

He deliberately drew out the final syllable, wanting to see the Emperor's reaction.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor opened his eyes, looked at him with a faint smile, and said, "You are quite considerate."

Cai Shan had been serving by the Emperor's side since he was the Crown Prince. If anyone in the palace understood the Emperor better, it was him. Even the Emperor's preferences, Cai Shan could guess six or seven tenths.

Although the Emperor had favored many concubines in the past, someone like Su Jiaojiao, who left such a deep impression, was quite rare. It was unusual for the Emperor to be willing to travel such a distance to see Su Jiaojiao the day after her night of service!

Since the Emperor was fond of her now, Cai Shan should also be considerate and give the Emperor some respite after handling state affairs.

Seeing the Emperor looking at him, Cai Shan didn't continue speaking. He just smiled and lowered his head, standing by quietly, waiting for the Emperor's orders.

The evening glow was setting in.

Inside the Taiji Hall, it was so quiet that a pin dropping could be heard.

Shen Huai neither agreed nor refused. He leaned back on the soft pillow, dozed off for a moment, and then said indifferently, "Summon Su Jiaojiao."

On his way to the Guanju Palace with the Emperor's oral decree, Cai Shan turned a corner and saw Su Jiaojiao kneeling right at the entrance of the palace path.

A palace servant was holding an umbrella for her, and all the palace servants passing by had to bow and offer their respects first. But while the servants were standing, Su Jiaojiao, as a mistress, was being punished to kneel, making for a particularly pitiable sight.

Cai Shan watched from afar, paused for a moment, and then walked over as usual, smiling, "This servant greets Lady Su."

Hearing the voice, Su Jiaojiao slowly lifted her head.

Although she was aggrieved, she had been biting her teeth to keep herself from crying, enduring such humiliation while holding onto her dignity.

Only when she saw Cai Shan did her eyes well up with tears.

Her voice, dry and trembling, called out, "Eunuch Cai..."

Seeing Su Jiaojiao in this state, Cai Shan immediately knew that she had offended some high-ranking consort because of her recent prominence. He quickly reached out to help her up, "Please rise quickly, my lady, there's no need to kneel anymore."

Su Jiaojiao said tearfully, "But Min Chongyi has ordered me to kneel for two hours, and there's still nearly an hour left. What if..."

Min Chongyi?

"The Emperor has ordered you to accompany him. No one dares to override the Emperor's command." Cai Shan gave Yu Ying a meaningful look, and Yu Ying immediately beamed with joy, bending down to help Su Jiaojiao up.

When she stood up, her knees, having been knelt on for so long, felt weak and unable to support her, and she almost fell.

Yu Ying, seeing this, said with concern, "Go slowly, my lady, let me support you."

Su Jiaojiao, bearing the discomfort all over, slowly walked forward. Her voice, though still trembling, was very gentle, "Don't worry, I can walk."

The palace hierarchy was strict, with clear distinctions between superiors and inferiors.

No matter how low-ranking a concubine was, she was still a mistress. Even if they were not harsh, they rarely referred to themselves as "I" when speaking to palace servants, let alone comforting their own maids.

Cai Shan subtly observed the mistress and servant, and couldn't help but hold Su Jiaojiao in higher regard.

Inside the Taiji Hall.

Yu Ying stayed outside, and Su Jiaojiao walked in alone.

She tried to maintain her usual demeanor as she walked towards the Emperor, but due to the discomfort in her knees, her pace was much slower.

Shen Huai watched her step by step, not urging her.

Only after she bowed to him once more did he speak, his voice faint and deep, "Come."

"Your Majesty..."

Su Jiaojiao rose to her feet and slowly moved toward the Emperor. The closer she got, the more her carefully maintained composure faltered.

Her eyes reddened, her lower lip tightly bitten, her voice trembling slightly, moving him with pity.

Shen Huai encircled her slender waist with his arm and reached out to touch her slightly bleeding lower lip. His gaze deepened. "Why are you biting yourself?"

He turned Su Jiaojiao around on his lap, turning her stunning face toward him. Only then did he notice the tears she was holding back in her eyes.

"Why are you crying?" Shen Huai asked with a chuckle. "Did I bully you?"

His hand caressed the corner of her eye, and her moist, beautiful eyes slightly closed, large tears rolling down.

In previous encounters with the Emperor, he had always been the active one, while Su Jiaojiao was the passive one. This time, however, she actively wrapped her arms around the Emperor's neck, without mentioning her grievances, just silently shedding tears.

Through her tearful gaze, Su Jiaojiao looked past him, seeing the one who had humiliated her.

From the moment she saw Cai Shan, Su Jiaojiao knew her opportunity had arrived sooner than expected.

Every word she spoke, every expression she made, even the detail of her tears, was deliberate.

All for the sake of making the Emperor pity her. She wanted to make her place in his heart more important and his affection to last longer.

So that Min Chongyi would be further disliked by the Emperor.

Su Jiaojiao's figure was soft and slender, yet well-proportioned, a small, trembling bundle in Shen Huai's arms, evoking an inexplicable sense of pity.

Aside from physical intimacy, Shen Huai had little patience for his concubines. He was uninterested in handling the trivial, jealous matters of the harem, leaving them all to the Empress. He had no interest in listening to anyone's troubles that might spoil his mood.

Su Jiaojiao had a face he favored, gentle and obedient, knowing when to advance and retreat, and had won his favor since their first meeting.

Despite her natural timidity, she had a certain talent for serving him.

Few could make him listen to the affairs between women without losing interest, and even found her pitiful appearance somewhat endearing, wanting to bully her even more.

Shen Huai pushed this thought aside, gently patting her back twice, showing a bit more patience to coax her. "What grievances have you suffered?"

Since the Emperor had asked, she no longer needed to pretend to be gentle and virtuous.

Su Jiaojiao rested her head on Shen Huai's shoulder, softly sobbing, her sweet, trembling voice warmly blowing into his ear. "Your Majesty, it hurts..."

Their position was intimate, Shen Huai's dark eyes unconsciously darkening. One hand controlled her slender waist. "Where?"

Su Jiaojiao's legs gently moved forward, unintentionally bringing her body closer. She softly sobbed, "My knees hurt."

"I was just looking at the flowers and didn't notice someone approaching from the side. Sister Min Chongyi made me kneel on the palace path for two hours, saying..." As she mentioned this again, the sobbing in Su Jiaojiao's voice grew heavier. "...saying I was disrespectful, overstepping my bounds."

Su Jiaojiao sat up straight, meeting Shen Huai's eyes, softly hoping, "But I really didn't mean to, does Your Majesty believe me?"

Min Chongyi was an old acquaintance from the Crown Prince's residence, her temperament always straightforward. Even in front of Shen Huai, she wouldn't say anything to stir emotions. Even if she pretended to be gentle, it was only skin-deep, not truly liked by him.

Her nature had always been like this, and Su Jiaojiao was favored, so it wasn't impossible for her to vent her dissatisfaction under some pretext.

Shen Huai, rarely wanting to discern the affairs of the harem, hummed deeply, saying, "I believe you."

With the Emperor's belief, Su Jiaojiao's eyes curved into a smile, as if all her grievances had vanished with his trust, no longer worth mentioning.

"Not crying anymore?"

Su Jiaojiao was momentarily stunned before realizing he found her easy to comfort. Her slender hands unconsciously gripped the Emperor's collar, her tear-filled eyes glistening: "Your Majesty believes in me, and I am very happy."

Shen Huai looked down at the woman in his arms. She had just been crying like a delicate flower in the rain, as if she had suffered great grievances, but now, with just one word of belief from him, she could turn from cloudy to sunny, smiling contentedly.

As the Emperor, he protected the country and its people. All of this required years of painstaking effort to see any results, which brought him a sense of comfort.

But this was the first time he felt a sense of protectiveness toward Su Jiaojiao.

Unfamiliar.

But it felt good.

He lifted Su Jiaojiao directly from the desk and placed her on the imperial bed in the rear chamber, leaning over to kiss her.

As the moon rose, Su Jiaojiao accompanied the Emperor for dinner, and they spent another night together before she returned to the Pixiang Palace the next day.

Shortly after, the news of Su Jiaojiao being granted a title was announced throughout the palace.