Chapter 6: He is not tired, but she truly is.

Chapter 6: He wasn’t tired, but she truly was.

Without Peilan by her side, Ruan Hanzhang felt quite at ease.

She had entered the palace through the selection process and was initially granted the title of Junior Sixth-Rank Talented Lady, entitled to three palace maids and one eunuch for her service.

However, since Aunt Peilan had accompanied her into the palace as an exceptional favor, she was left with only two third-class palace maids for personal attendance.

There was also a young eunuch named Qian Xiaoduo, who kept his distance.

Ruan Hanzhang had a chat with Qing Dai and Hongxiu for a while, asking about their families, when Peilan woke up.

As soon as she awoke, the atmosphere in the Pear Blossom Pavilion instantly grew tense.

Within the Pear Blossom Pavilion, the servants weren’t afraid of Ruan Hanzhang but the stern-faced Aunt Peilan.

Peilan strolled into the bedchamber and, seeing Ruan Hanzhang doing needlework with Hongxiu, shot an icy look at Hongxiu. "You’re dismissed."

Hongxiu hurriedly withdrew.

Ruan Hanzhang put her needlework back into the sewing basket and looked up at Peilan. "Are you feeling better, Aunt?"

"Don’t try to distract me," Peilan said coldly. "Before entering the palace, the Madam repeatedly instructed me to properly educate the Talented Lady, so as not to tarnish the Ruan family’s reputation."

As she spoke, a smirk tugged at the corners of her lips, filled with satisfaction and malice.

She had long disliked this little wretch.

"You served His Majesty last night but failed to urge moderation, letting him have his way recklessly. How would it look if word got out?"

Ruan Hanzhang lowered her eyes, pursed her lips, and appeared utterly wronged.

In her heart, however, she cursed this old hag for leveraging the Ruan family’s influence over Mo Jie and others to bully her, always finding new ways to torment her.

Sure enough, Peilan’s next words were: "You’ve had little education and don’t understand decency, righteousness, integrity, and shame. This is truly concerning. You must apply yourself diligently."

"Go, copy the Admonitions for Women ten times. You must memorize these rules and precepts."

As a Talented Lady in the palace, likely to frequently meet His Majesty and attend to him, it would be improper if she bore any visible marks.

So, Peilan had devised this nasty trick.

The day before yesterday, she made her practice kneeling; yesterday, it was fetching tea and water; today, it was copying the Admonitions for Women.

It wasn’t excessively arduous, but it was really annoying.

Ruan Hanzhang raised her eyes, her eyes red at the corners. "Aunt, I—"

"What ‘I’? Get to it at once."

Peilan felt immensely satisfied, watching the seductive little wretch forced to work without a break, her heart swelling with delight.

Ruan Hanzhang had no choice but to rise and say, "Yes."

She sat down at the desk, took up the brush and ink, and began copying slowly.

However, having had little formal education, her handwriting was messy, and it took her quite a while to finish a single page.

Moreover, worn out from the previous night’s labors, she found sitting increasingly difficult, her complexion growing paler by the moment.

Peilan, meanwhile, sat comfortably nearby, sipping hot tea contentedly.

"This Bailu tea is quite good—refreshing with a sweet aftertaste."

Ruan Hanzhang remained silent, focusing intently on each stroke of her brush.

Peilan continued her nagging: "I’m doing this for your own good."

"Look at the ladies in the palace—aren’t they all talented? If not experts in qin, qi, calligraphy, and painting, they at least know their poetry. If you lack all skills, how can you compare to others?"

Ruan Hanzhang listened quietly, her brush moving steadily.

"Take the Imperial Consort, for instance—she is now the highest-ranking person in the palace. His Majesty has only one son and one daughter, and the eldest princess is born of the Imperial Consort. She is a talented lady of Yujing."

Imperial Consort Yao Tingyue, now a cousin of Empress Dowager Renhui’s, was gentle, kind, elegant, and dignified. Holding the position of Imperial Consort, she assisted the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Noble Dowager Consort in managing the Six Palaces, basically acting as the mistress of the rear court.

Peilan went on: "Then there’s the Virtuous Consort. Though born into a distinguished military family, she was well-educated from childhood—skilled not only in horseback riding and archery but also in composing poetry and couplets. Who wouldn’t adore such a charming conversationalist?"

Clearly, Peilan was very familiar with the ladies of the palace, talking about them like she knew everything.

Though Ruan Hanzhang had gathered some information before entering the palace, her resources were limited, far less detailed than those of an official’s household like Peilan’s.

Thus, she listened with great attentiveness, without the slightest annoyance.

Peilan took a sip of tea, glanced at her, and seeing her diligently writing, felt even more satisfied and grew increasingly talkative.

"Though Consort Yi isn’t from a prominent family, her household is one of scholars. Having recently given birth to the eldest prince, she holds considerable prestige in the palace."

At this, Peilan unconsciously glanced at Ruan Hanzhang’s abdomen and said, "It would be good if you could have the chance to bear a son or daughter."

She said this, yet before lunch, a bowl of contraceptive soup was brought to Ruan Hanzhang’s lips.

Ruan Hanzhang offered no resistance, obediently drinking the contraceptive soup, as Peilan said, "It’s still uncertain when the second young lady will enter the palace. We fear complications on your end—if you were to conceive but unable to keep the child, it would harm your health. This is for your own good."

Peilan always thought her weak and incompetent, merely an ignorant Yangzhou shouma, and thus often dealt with her perfunctorily.

Just listen to her words—full of contradictions. Who would believe them?

After lunch, Ruan Hanzhang went for her afternoon nap.

Whether from drinking too much tea or coming down with a chill, Peilan suffered from severe abdominal pain all afternoon and lacked the energy to supervise Ruan Hanzhang’s copying of the Admonitions for Women.

Once she left, Ruan Hanzhang flicked her wrist, tossed the brush on the table, and leisurely ate crystal grapes.

When Zhao Tingfang visited that morning, she had secretly brought her plenty of medicine, which ended up being useful today.

Peilan, unwell, did not return all afternoon. Before dinner, the young Eunuch Little Liu who had brought her back earlier appeared at the Pear Blossom Pavilion.

"Congratulations, my lady! His Majesty has summoned you. You are invited to the Qianyuan Palace for dinner."

This time, she was directly invited for dinner.

Ruan Hanzhang’s face lit up with joy, her eyes smiling. "Thank you for His Majesty’s kindness."

Hongxiu stepped forward and offered a red envelope. Eunuch Little Liu said, "My lady, it’s getting late. Shall we go?"

Ruan Hanzhang was dressed in casual attire—a goose-yellow butterfly-sleeved gown with a pair of wintersweet hairpins, appearing elegant and unique.

With Eunuch Little Liu waiting, Ruan Hanzhang had no time to change. She instructed Qing Dai and left the Pear Blossom Pavilion with Hongxiu.

By the time Peilan woke up, it was already dark, and she could only clutch her handkerchief in helpless anxiety.

Meanwhile, the bridal sedan entered the Qian Yuan Palace, directly taking Ruan Hanzhang to the Spring Breeze Pavilion.

As Ruan Hanzhang stepped down from the sedan, she looked up and saw Jing Huayan’s tall, imposing figure.

Broad-shouldered and slim-waisted, his posture was upright, and even just his back view was enough to stir one’s heart.

His dark hair was tied high in a White Jade Crown, revealing a firm and smooth neck to Ruan Hanzhang.

Truly, he possessed an otherworldly elegance—with the grace of a crane and stature of a pine, radiant as the moon, refreshing as a breeze. Anyone who saw him would surely praise his celestial appearance.

Green bamboo swayed, rustling softly in the spring breeze, while the lotus leaves on the water jar beside the pavilion were lush and vibrant, full of life.

Ruan Hanzhang bowed outside the pavilion: "Greetings to Your Majesty. I wish Your Majesty good health."

At the sound of the woman’s clear, gentle voice, Jing Huayan turned around, his deep, starry eyes resting intently on Ruan Hanzhang’s face.

The butterfly-sleeved short jacket she wore was loose-fitting, perfectly concealing her slender waist. Only by holding her in his arms would one realize how slender it truly was.

"My beloved, please sit in the pavilion."

Jing Huayan’s voice was gentle as he reached out to her, his well-defined, slender fingers taking hold of hers.

Ruan Hanzhang’s hands, in fact, had faint calluses.

The pen calluses from years of writing were positioned just right, neither too prominent nor too faint.

Jing Huayan felt her fingers and said, "My beloved must have studied diligently."

A soft blush spread across Ruan Hanzhang’s face, revealing a rare, shy demeanor reminiscent of a young girl.

"Your servant was taught by her parents from a young age. I began learning at three, and if not for my chronic poor health, I would have been able to study at the White Deer Academy by the age of ten."

Step by step, Ruan Hanzhang approached Jing Huayan and looked up at him.

Her phoenix eyes were clear and pure, much like her heart.

Jing Huayan looked down at her, then suddenly reached out and wrapped an arm around her slender waist.

Her waist was too thin—far more so than what would be typical for a well-bred young lady. Even if some families paid attention to their daughters’ appearances, they would never intentionally starve a child to such an extent.

Wouldn’t that ruin the family’s reputation if it got out?

Moreover, Ruan Hanzhang’s every movement—walking, sitting, standing—was executed with perfect grace, not a hint more or less. It was as though she were born to be an imperial concubine, not at all like someone meeting the emperor for the first time.

She wore an expression of shyness, but Jing Huayan could see through it at a glance—she wasn’t the least bit flustered.

Regarding her identity and her person, Jing Huayan had indeed become suspicious.

Yet, seeing her put on such a shy and timid act now, he found it quite entertaining.

In this palace, everyone adhered to rules, everyone was obsessed with status, and everyone fought and schemed solely for power and position.

It was deadly dull.

Jing Huayan lowered his head and suddenly reached out to tweak Ruan Hanzhang’s cheek.

Having found a new toy, he naturally couldn’t let it go easily.

He wondered how long she could keep this up.

"Ah!" Ruan Hanzhang covered her cheek, her face flushing. "Your Majesty!"

Her act of coyness was remarkably convincing.

Jing Huayan smiled faintly, bent down, and whispered by her ear, "I heard you called for the imperial physician. Are you feeling well?"

Ruan Hanzhang glanced up at him, then shyly turned away, offering only her fine profile.

"Your Majesty already knows, yet you still…"

She couldn’t bring herself to finish, instead turning to sit on the stone stool.

The stone stool was padded with a cushion, making it comfortable to sit on so it wasn’t hard.

Jing Huayan sat down beside her, adopting the manner of a doting husband: "It was my fault. I won’t do it again today."

Ruan Hanzhang: "…"

Was she still expected to serve him tonight?

She had thought Jing Huayan was suspicious and had summoned her for dinner to test her. Why would he still expect her to perform tonight?

Did this man have such endurance?

If he wasn’t tired, she certainly was.

For a moment, Ruan Hanzhang nearly lost her composure, almost blurting out a refusal.

Jing Huayan’s deep eyes remained fixed on her, and seeing her finally slip up, he felt a sneaking satisfaction for some reason.

How delightful.

He couldn’t resist teasing her again: "Does Lady Ruan not wish to?"

Ruan Hanzhang: "…"

Ruan Hanzhang lowered her head, clenching her hands tightly. "How could that be?"

She said in a coy tone, "In the light of day, how can Your Majesty speak of such matters?"

The emperor of a nation truly had no sense of decency.

Jing Huayan couldn’t help but give a low laugh.

"It was my mistake," he said. "We’ll talk about it tonight at Pomegranate Hall."

"I won’t put Lady Ruan on the spot."