Chapter 378: Heart Like Dead Ash

Chapter 378: Heart Turned to Ashes

Eunuch Zhang thought to himself: One look and it's clear Concubine Li is desperate!

Many women in the palace are like this—when the emperor showers them with favor, they put on airs of purity and disdain.

But when the emperor stops visiting their palace, they come running over in revealing attire to curry favor!

He'd seen this game of hard-to-get played countless times, but he never thought Concubine Li would resort to it.

Eunuch Zhang felt nothing but scorn in his heart, yet a smile remained on his face.

"Concubine Li, you've finally seen reason. Your servant will go in and inform His Majesty for you. Please wait here for a moment."

He knew that Emperor Jingyang had long been trying every possible way to ingratiate himself with Concubine Li, all for the sake of sleeping with her. Yet so much time had passed, and he still hadn't succeeded—it still rankled him.

Deep down, Emperor Jingyang still lusted after Consort Li's beauty.

Now that Concubine Li was throwing herself at him of her own accord, Eunuch Zhang figured the emperor would surely be delighted.

Sure enough, once Eunuch Zhang had delivered the message, Emperor Jingyang summoned Concubine Li without delay.

Upon hearing this, she took the ginseng chicken soup from Jian Lan's hands, forced herself to smile, and slowly stepped inside.

The doors of the Hall of Mental Cultivation closed behind her. When Emperor Jingyang got a clear look at Concubine Li's attire, his eyes nearly popped out!

He immediately waved everyone out of the hall. "All of you, leave. No one is to enter without my permission."

The attendants bowed respectfully and withdrew. Once everyone was gone, Emperor Jingyang rose to his feet, his eyes staring hungrily at Concubine Li.

Feeling a knot in her stomach, she set down the ginseng chicken soup and knelt to pay her respects.

"Your humble consort greets Your Majesty."

Her features were seductive and her figure willowy. The moment she bent over, Emperor Jingyang clearly saw her bosom half-exposed—she wasn't wearing an undergarment beneath.

This realization set his blood on fire.

"My dear consort, what are you doing?"

Before he could finish speaking, a whiff of perfume hit him as Concubine Li approached his side.

His lecherous gaze made her skin crawl, but she fought back the nausea and flashed what she believed to be her most stunning smile at Emperor Jingyang.

"Your Majesty, this concubine previously didn't know what was good for me and offended you, making you furious."

"Now this concubine has come to her senses. Everything this concubine enjoys in the palace—the silks and delicacies—is all thanks to Your Majesty's favor and kindness. From now on, this concubine will devote herself wholeheartedly to serving Your Majesty and will never defy you again!"

With that, she picked up the ginseng chicken soup from the table and offered it to Emperor Jingyang.

"Your Majesty, this is ginseng chicken soup this concubine made with my own hands. Please have a taste and see if it's to your liking."

Spellbound by her beauty, Emperor Jingyang barely hesitated before taking a sip of the soup.

Seeing him savoring it, she seized the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, there's something else this concubine wishes to mention, though I'm not sure if I ought to bring it up."

After finishing the bowl of soup, Emperor Jingyang wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and hauled Concubine Li onto his lap.

"My dear consort, go ahead, say what's on your mind. I'm listening."

The moment she sat down, she completely panicked inside. Her instinct was to push Emperor Jingyang away.

But remembering today's plan, she gritted her teeth and bore it!

She plastered a fake smile on her face. "Your Majesty, here's the thing—Xue'er is to be married next month, wed into the Xue household."

"This concubine went to the temple to pray yesterday and had a master divine their fates. The master said Xue'er and Young Master Xue have incompatible birth charts, and she carries a baleful fate. If she marries into the Xue family, at best the family would be destroyed; at worst, it could bring misfortune to the royal family."

Emperor Jingyang's eyes went icy, his sharp gaze fixed on Concubine Li.

"Is my dear consort asking me to call off the marriage between Xue'er and the Xue family?"

Concubine Li was dying for Emperor Jingyang to annul the marriage between Luo Qianxue and Xue Cheng.

But she also knew that was a pipe dream.

The imperial decree of betrothal had already been issued, sixty chests of betrothal gifts had been delivered to the palace, and Luo Qianxue herself was on very good terms with Xue Cheng, perfectly happy with her future husband.

Recently, the Ministry of Rites had been preparing for Luo Qianxue and Xue Cheng's wedding. Their nuptials were less than two weeks away—it was already a done deal!

Bringing up cancellation now would be like rubbing Emperor Jingyang the wrong way and walking straight into his line of fire.

Emperor Jingyang's expression darkened considerably. Concubine Li quickly added, "Your Majesty misunderstands this concubine. Please hear me out first."

"The master said that although Xue'er and Young Master Xue have incompatible birth charts, there's still a way to fix it."

"Xue'er ranks tenth in the family. She has an older sister who hasn't married yet. The master said that as long as the elder sister is married off first, then Xue'er can be wed afterward, and the problem will solve itself!"

At this point, Concubine Li leaned intimately against Emperor Jingyang's chest, her breath as sweet as orchids. "Your Majesty, Princess Jiu has yet to be married. It makes no sense for a younger sister to marry before her elder sister. This concubine found the master's words quite reasonable."

"Just to be on the safe side, this concubine would like to request that Your Majesty arrange a marriage for Princess Jiu as well. She has already turned sixteen and is of marriageable age. Your Majesty might take this opportunity to find her a suitable husband. And while the Ministry of Rites is handling Xue'er's wedding preparations, Princess Jiu's marriage could be taken care of at the same time!"

Stirred by Concubine Li's seduction, Emperor Jingyang felt his whole body like it was on fire, as if all his blood had rushed to one spot, desire raging wildly within him.

His voice went low and rough, his gaze burning as he stared at Concubine Li.

"So who does my dear consort think would be the best match for Princess Jiu?"

Concubine Li didn't catch on to Emperor Jingyang's strange behavior. Her eyes lit up, knowing her words were taking effect!

She quickly said, "This concubine believes Heir Xie would be most suitable. He and Princess Jiu already know each other—they know each other inside and out, and together they would be a match made in heaven."

"Your Majesty also knows that Xue'er has harbored feelings for Heir Xie for years and has never been able to forget him. Now that she has her own husband-to-be, it wouldn't be proper for her to keep another man in her heart. This concubine also wishes to use this to put an end to any lingering thoughts she might have."

Emperor Jingyang was panting heavily as he grabbed hold of Consort Li. "Very well, I'll do as you say."

With that, he waved his hand, ripped off Concubine Li's clothes, and scooped her up in his arms.

"Ah! Your Majesty, what are you doing? Put me down!"

Emperor Jingyang's rough actions startled Concubine Li, her face going white with shock as she screamed repeatedly.

"Didn't you come here to seduce me? Well, I'm just giving you what you asked for!"

Consort Li looked at the raw lust in Emperor Jingyang's eyes and suddenly realized something was wrong.

The drug she had given him was supposed to make him hallucinate and then pass out.

After he woke from his sleep, he would mistakenly believe they had slept together.

But the drug's effect clearly wasn't that.

Emperor Jingyang's body was on fire, his eyes bloodshot—clearly under the influence of an aphrodisiac!

Before Concubine Li could figure out what was happening, she was swept onto the bed by Emperor Jingyang and pinned down roughly.

She screamed and struggled, but how could she possibly overpower a drugged Emperor Jingyang?

The people outside heard the commotion, yet no one dared to push the door open. They just kept their heads down and pretended they hadn't heard a thing.

...

An hour later, Emperor Jingyang got up, looking thoroughly pleased, a smug smile on his lips.

"My dear consort, you served me well; I'll reward you handsomely."

"From today onward, your position as Consort Li is restored. The gifts previously sent to Weiyang Palace—I'll have Zhang Fugui deliver them to you shortly."

Consort Li heard not a single word. She lay on the bed, her eyes vacant, staring at the canopy above, feeling utterly dead inside.

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