Zhuang Luoyan looked at Tingzhu kneeling before her and, sipping the tea granted by the Emperor, said, “I punish you to kneel for the duration of one incense stick. After it burns out, you may rise and do as you please. Do you understand?”
“Thank you, Mistress,” Tingzhu said, bowing three times. She was filled with gratitude. The room had ice basins, so the heat was not unbearable, and her Mistress allowed her to kneel there, showing her concern. If it had been another Mistress, she would have been dismissed immediately. This punishment was already a great kindness.
In truth, Zhuang Luoyan herself did not believe in such things, but since the matter had been exposed by Consort Yan, she could not stay silent. However, the way of punishing was her own decision, and Tingzhu was a clever and sensible girl whom she could not bear to waste.
While the concubines thought the Emperor would not flip the token this summer, he spent two consecutive nights in the Empress’s Jingyang Palace. The Empress was the Emperor’s main wife, so the other concubines had no reason to be jealous.
On the third night, the Emperor went to visit Consort Shu, and the next morning, he granted her many gifts, showing her continued favor.
Consort Shu was followed by Xu Zhaorong, Ning Fei, and Xian Fei, each having one night with the Emperor, leading the concubines to think that the Emperor’s summer habit of not flipping the token had changed.
After these women had each spent one night with the Emperor, he did not flip the token for two more days, leaving the concubines puzzled.
“Your Majesty, the eunuchs from the Imperial Inner Palace have come to pay their respects,” Gao Dezhong reported, and Feng Jin immediately understood this meant they were inquiring whether he wished to flip the token.
“Let him in,” Feng Jin said, pausing his work. Gao Dezhong quickly took the brush from his hand, noticing the paper in front of him had a large space written in a flowing script.
When the eunuch from the Inner Palace kneeled before Feng Jin, his gaze scanned the trays with the various concubine tokens. Suddenly, he said, “The peaches outside Taoyu Pavilion must be ripe by now?”
Gao Dezhong was taken aback, then replied, “They’re probably ready to eat, though they may not be fully ripe yet.”
“Even if they aren’t fully ripe, there are still benefits,” Feng Jin said, picking up a token. “I haven’t seen Zhao Chongyi in a while. I will go to Taoyu Pavilion tonight.”
Hearing that the Emperor would be visiting the Taoyu Pavilion that night, Zhuang Luoyan, while nibbling on peaches picked from outside, squinted at the sunlight outside. After a few bites, she had finished almost half a peach.
After Feng Jin dealt with some memorials, it was still early. When Gao Dezhong hurriedly entered, Feng Jin asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Empress Dowager has punished a maid from Consort Rou’s palace to death,” Gao Dezhong reported.
“Why?” Feng Jin asked, his tone unchanged.
Gao Dezhong, careful not to wipe the sweat from his forehead, continued, “I heard that this maid had offended the Empress Dowager’s carriage.”
“How could a maid from Consort Rou’s palace offend the Empress Dowager?” Feng Jin sneered.
“I heard that the Empress Dowager wanted to visit the peach orchard, but encountered a maid from Consort Rou’s palace rushing out with peaches. She bumped into the Empress Dowager, startling her, and that’s why the maid was punished.”
“At this time, what’s so special about a few unripe peaches?” Feng Jin mocked. “I’ll go accompany the Empress Dowager to visit the peach orchard.”
Upon hearing that the Empress Dowager was coming to the peach orchard, Zhuang Luoyan went outside to wait. She never expected that a maid would rush out and crash into the Empress Dowager, causing trouble and even making Consort Rou receive a scolding.
Seeing Consort Rou, who had always been favored in the harem, kneeling with a pale face, Zhuang Luoyan stepped forward and said, “Please forgive her, Empress Dowager. Consort Rou must not have known her maid would act so boldly.”
“You can’t even manage your people, what else can you do?” The Empress Dowager coldly looked at Zhuang Luoyan. “This is not something for you to interfere in!”
“I have sinned,” Zhuang Luoyan pretended to be frightened and knelt, obediently lying on the ground.
“The Empress Dowager has always been respectful of Buddha. Do not let an unscrupulous servant cause harm to your compassion,” Feng Jin, standing a few steps away, spoke up. “Both of you love consorts are innocent in this matter. Empress Dowager, please allow them to rise.”
The Empress Dowager glanced at the two kneeling women and slowly spoke, “Since His Majesty has spoken, both of you may rise.”
“Thank you, Empress Dowager, thank you, Your Majesty.” Zhuang Luoyan stood up and retreated to the side, lowering her head and gazing at the pearl on her embroidered shoes, her lips curling slightly.
“Your Majesty, it’s not that I’m trying to make things difficult,” the Empress Dowager glanced at the pale Consort Rou, “As the head of a palace, you can’t even manage your people. I’m truly disappointed.”
Feng Jin calmly replied, “Mother, there’s no need to be upset. It’s just a servant. Since she has already been punished, there’s no need to let it affect your health.”
Hearing this, Empress Dowager knew that Feng Jin did not wish to punish Consort Rou further, so she gave her a dissatisfied look before turning to leave in her palanquin.
“Your Majesty…” Consort Rou timidly looked at Feng Jin, her face pale.
“Go back for now,” Feng Jin said flatly. “Take care of the matters in the palace properly.”
“Your servant… takes her leave.” Consort Rou bit her lip and retreated, but after walking some distance, she couldn’t help but look back. Just at that moment, Feng Jin held Zhao Chongyi’s hand. As Zhao Chongyi raised her head with a smile, their eyes met, but both acted as though nothing had happened.
“Your Majesty, I’m drenched in sweat…” Zhuang Luoyan gently pushed away the Emperor who was trying to get close to her, her eyes filled with bashful hesitation.
“I haven’t bathed either. You should take good care of me,” Feng Jin said, kissing Zhuang Luoyan on the lips before instructing the servants outside to prepare a bath.
The servants, understanding his intentions, prepared a large bathtub decorated with dragon motifs. When Zhuang Luoyan was carried into the bath by Feng Jin, she couldn’t help but marvel at how much larger this bath was compared to the ones she normally used.
When two naked and normal adults were in a large bath together, it was only natural that something would happen, so Zhuang Luoyan, embracing the Emperor’s neck and moaning in the tub, couldn’t help but think that the idea of a couple bathing together was indeed stimulating.
After spending more than half an hour finishing their bath, Zhuang Luoyan, feeling limp, let the Emperor tie her gown. She held his arm and smiled, saying, “Your Majesty, you’re tying it so slowly.”
“What? You don’t like how I do it?” Feng Jin pinched her waist gently. “Perhaps you should help me change.”
“Your Majesty, this is not fair,” Zhuang Luoyan blushed slightly and lowered her voice. “My back aches.”
Feng Jin chuckled and adjusted her clothes. Then, he bent down to lift her from the couch into his arms and called, “Someone!”
The palace maids and eunuchs who had been waiting outside came in quickly, their heads lowered in respect. After cleaning the room, they carefully carried out the large bath, knowing well what had just happened.
Running his fingers through Zhuang Luoyan’s still-damp hair, Feng Jin asked, “What do you usually like to do?”
“I read, practice calligraphy, embroider pouches, grow flowers, and play the piano, but I’m not very good at any of them,” Zhuang Luoyan said, gently rubbing her head against his throat, conveying a sense of unease. “But I think if I keep practicing, I’ll improve.”
“Those things are all external pursuits,” Feng Jin patted her back gently. “What matters is pleasing your husband. You don’t need to obsess over it. You are already wonderful.”
“Really?” Her previously gloomy mood seemed to come back to life at his simple words. As she looked up at him with shining eyes, Feng Jin nodded.
The hands that had been wrapped around his neck seemed to tighten a little. When Feng Jin looked down again, she had rested her head against his neck, her feelings of joy mixed with a hint of attachment.
Moved, Feng Jin carried her toward the bed.
In the morning, when the sun had just risen, Gao Dezhong, Tingzhu, and other servants waited outside for the summons. After last night’s stir, it seemed unlikely that the Mistress would rise so early.
Gao Dezhong looked at the two personal maids of Zhao Chongyi. They were very proper and had never tried to gather any information, making them more likable than the self-proclaimed smart maids.
Half an hour later, a noise came from inside. Gao Dezhong and the servants entered, and as expected, Zhao Chongyi was still lying in bed while the Emperor had already risen on his own.
If one were to judge by favor, Zhao Chongyi was not the most favored, but she was the only one who had been allowed to sleep in while the Emperor had gotten up. Even Consort Shu, after a night with the Emperor, would be expected to serve him in the morning. However, seeing the Emperor’s careful movements, Gao Dezhong understood that the lady in bed was probably still dreaming.
The room had the lingering scent of lovemaking. As someone who had served the Emperor for many years, Gao Dezhong knew where to look and where not to. After assisting the Emperor with his clothing, he saw the Emperor go to the bed and kiss Zhao Chongyi’s forehead before lowering his head again.
Consort Rou’s maid had been punished to death for her misconduct, and Consort Rou was also scolded by Empress Dowager. By the next day, everyone in the palace knew. Some felt schadenfreude, while others didn’t think it was a big deal.
“This maid didn’t have a good head on her shoulders. Although the peach orchard is small, a peach can be hidden. Why did she panic and bump into the Empress Dowager? I don’t know whether she’s brainless or blind,” Su Xiu Yi sneered. “Consort Rou deserves to suffer with such a maid.”
“Yes, it’s unlucky. Otherwise, why would she go to Taoyu Pavilion to steal a few peaches and crash into the Empress Dowager?” Consort Shu smiled faintly as she played with a grape, her neatly trimmed nails gliding over its skin to expose the tender flesh.
“Women in the harem are never simple,” Consort Shu discarded the grape into a jade plate beside her. Wiping her hands with a handkerchief, she looked at Su Xiu Yi and said, “You can talk about this here, but outside, you’d better keep quiet. Understood?”
“Yes,” Su Xiu Yi nodded with a shiver, unsure why such a well-known matter couldn’t be spoken about.
sarcastisaurus On CFRFGC Chapter 90