Red Chamber 10
A Yuan felt something was off.
Qianqing Palace was too quiet!
In the vast Water Chamber, there were three maids just handing her towels, not to mention the Matrons scrubbing her, applying scented cream, and perfuming her hair. Altogether, there were eight or nine people, yet not a single footstep could be heard—only the sound of her splashing water.
A Yuan: “…”
She couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off about this Emperor.
Also, the Matrons’ hand strength was a bit lacking; it didn’t feel like they were scrubbing hard enough.
Following the Matrons’ arrangements, A Yuan bathed first, then stood up and let them dry her body. How extravagant… Nearly thirty bath towels were used just for drying, and judging by the way they were discarded after use, they clearly wouldn’t be reused.
After the bath, she was arranged to lie on the couch and let the Matrons apply scented cream. They didn’t miss a single spot, even between her toes, ensuring every corner was fragrant. While applying the cream, two young maids knelt on soft cushions, holding A Yuan’s hair over the Incense Furnace to perfume it.
Finally, they brought out a jar of Hair Oil to apply to her hair.
A Yuan immediately refused: “No need for that!”
Who likes touching their hair only to get greasy hands?
Her hair was already black, long, and thick, with no stray strands, so it could be combed smoothly without Hair Oil. However… A Yuan didn’t understand why the current trend was to comb hair tightly against the scalp. Wasn’t it more pure and alluring to have hair framing the face?
Since hairpins and ornaments couldn’t be worn while attending the bedchamber, A Yuan simply took a long, thin red ribbon and styled her hair to match the Warring States Robe—gentle, intellectual, and framing her face. Her skin was already fair, and with the steam from the bath, her lips looked redder and her teeth whiter. So, she skipped the powder and only applied some lip color. After putting on a sheer, translucent nightgown, everything was ready.
The maids escorted her to the Emperor’s residential palace.
“Young lady, please wait here,” they said, leaving only two young maids before the others exited.
A Yuan rubbed her arms. Although it was getting warmer, it wasn’t even May yet! It was still quite chilly. Was she supposed to wait for hours in this sheer gown?
“Young lady, are you cold?” a maid asked, stepping forward when she noticed A Yuan shivering.
A Yuan nodded.
The maid curtsied and went out, returning shortly with a cloak. “Young lady, please put this on to avoid catching a chill.”
With the not-too-thick cloak on, A Yuan finally felt warm.
The cloak also provided cover. With a flick of her hand, A Yuan retrieved a small porcelain bottle the size of a thumb from her System Warehouse. Inside was a portion of the Warm Passion Liquid from the large vat.
Before Granny Hui disappeared, A Yuan had managed to get nearly a hundred small medicine bottles from her—after all, she had paid several hundred taels of silver.
Carefully, she dabbed a few drops on her wrist, sprinkled some on her collar, and applied the remaining bit behind her ears, mimicking how perfume was applied.
Now, everything was ready. All that was left was to wait for the Emperor.
Tossing the small bottle back into her space, she sat obediently on the edge of the couch.
Comfortable now, her mind began to wander. The communal sleeping platform wasn’t easy to sleep on. To avoid disturbing others, everyone lay still, not daring to move, leaving their bodies stiff by morning. Naturally, her sleep hadn’t been great.
To avoid dozing off in the warmth, A Yuan pondered what kind of performance she should put on.
The young Emperor lost his mother at birth and relied on his wet nurse for survival until the age of seven, when he first met his own father. The very next day after being chosen to ascend the throne, he personally watched as his wet nurse was executed by his father… Just reading this passage was suffocating.
So…
The young Emperor must lack maternal love, right?
Should she adopt a gentle and caring motherly approach?
No, no… What if the young Emperor respects her too much and sees her as a mother?
Gentle and caring is fine, but she absolutely cannot become a mother!
Her maternal love is limited, reserved only for her future children, with not a single extra shred left for the young Emperor.
“What are you thinking about?” Just as A Yuan was considering seventeen or eighteen different personas, a man’s voice suddenly sounded beside her, filled with curiosity.
A Yuan stiffened for a moment, then turned her head.
She saw a man dressed in duck-egg green casual robes standing not far away. His face could be considered handsome, though not particularly fair—his complexion was healthy. Perhaps due to a growth spurt, he couldn’t retain much flesh on his frame, making him appear tall and slender, somewhat resembling a future athletic-type high school boy.
Considering his age… he was indeed at the age of a high school boy.
She immediately rose and knelt down. “This commoner pays respects to His Majesty.”
“I asked you a question.”
Shui Cong took a step forward, leaning slightly down. His gaze happened to fall on the Candidate Maiden’s nape. The long cloak concealed her body but failed to hide her fair and delicate neck. For some reason, his mind momentarily wandered, and he felt an impulse to reach out and touch it.
However, feeling somewhat awkward, he immediately straightened up and took a step back. “Rise.” Then, bypassing the kneeling Candidate Maiden, he walked directly to the couch at the back and sat down.
A Yuan stood up but kept her head lowered, pretending to be innocent and obedient.
“Come closer.” Shui Cong waited for a while, but the Candidate Maiden did not approach. He still remembered the Personnel Palace Maid from a few days ago, who by now would already be kneeling by his legs, with her hands improperly resting on his knees.
Yet, it was precisely this Candidate Maiden’s propriety that improved Shui Cong’s mood.
A Yuan moved two steps closer to the Emperor, seemingly unintentionally extending her hand from under the cloak, holding a handkerchief folded over her abdomen. She stood while the Emperor sat, so her hands were positioned right at the level of the Emperor’s chest.
Shui Cong pointed to the footrest beside him. “Sit down and lift your head.”
As an Emperor, he absolutely could not look up at someone!
A Yuan obediently sat down and very meekly lifted her head, though her ears and cheeks were flushed crimson. Her eyes held a shy and timid expression, and her entire demeanor was so bashful it seemed as if she were about to steam.
Shui Cong found the Candidate Maiden’s reaction quite amusing. He reached out and pinched her chin, lifting it rather forcefully. Their eyes met—one pair filled with innocence tinged with shyness, the other gazing directly into the Candidate Maiden’s eyes with probing curiosity, searching for any unusual emotions, such as… the fear in the eyes of the two Personnel Palace Maids from a few days ago.
Unfortunately, there was none… How utterly boring.
He stood up abruptly, ignoring A Yuan sitting on the footrest, and strode quickly toward the direction of the Water Chamber—not the one where A Yuan had bathed earlier, but the bathhouse exclusive to the Emperor.
A Yuan was not yet qualified to enter there.
“Miss, please follow this servant.”
The palace maid who had been acting as an invisible presence reappeared, leading A Yuan into the inner chamber. The space was small, containing only a long table on which sat a mantel clock and two delicate ornaments. On either side of the table stood two large vases half a person’s height. Beyond the vases were carved cabinet panels, above which hung a plaque. The bed entrance in the center was draped with reddish-brown bed curtains made of sheer gauze, slightly transparent, revealing a bed about one and a half meters wide inside.
The young palace maid lifted the bed curtain, allowing A Yuan to enter, then helped her remove her cloak.
A sudden chill swept over A Yuan, making her shiver and rub her elbows. Strangely, the young palace maid suddenly felt an inexplicable restlessness in her heart, finding the space inside the bed curtain somewhat stifling and warm. She wondered whether she should seek instructions from the Chang’an Chief Steward to prepare the Fan Shaker in advance, so that if His Majesty felt hot, they could fan him at any time.
After settling A Yuan, the young palace maid retreated with the cloak in her arms, though her steps as she left seemed slightly hurried.
A Yuan sat for a few more moments before the Emperor entered the curtain in his sleeping attire.
Outside the gauze curtain, candlelight flickered, casting a hazy glow within.
A Yuan was already exceptionally beautiful, but now, veiled by the gauze and bathed in the soft candlelight, her eyes sparkled even more brilliantly, and her appearance grew even more striking. Even Shui Cong, who had intended to find fault, could not point out any flaws at this moment.
He took a step forward, bringing himself extremely close to the Candidate Maiden before him.
The Candidate Maiden carried a fragrant scent, clearly from the expensive perfumed ointment applied by the Matrons of the Water Chamber. He raised his hand to touch her hair—it was smooth and soft, as if sinking into a cloud. Breathing in her fragrance, he felt his mouth grow dry and his throat parched.
“Undress me.”
A Yuan glanced at the Emperor with a shy and timid expression, raising her hand. The sleeve of her gauzy garment slipped down from her wrist, revealing her smooth, fair skin. She reached out to undo the Emperor’s buttons, the Warm Passion Liquid on her wrist quietly taking effect.
One might say the system was somewhat useful after all? At least Granny Hui’s skills were genuine!
As A Yuan’s fingers moved, the Emperor’s eyes grew increasingly red.
Shui Cong felt his heart pounding like a drum, his mouth dry and his body feverish… His gaze toward the woman before him shifted from initial indifference and scrutiny to a fervent, determined obsession.
He embraced A Yuan tightly, pressing his face against her neck.
Good heavens!
A Yuan thought this Emperor was truly too cooperative—every move perfectly aligned with the locations where the Warm Passion Liquid was applied.
This was a sure success!
A Yuan felt immensely pleased with herself, only to be abruptly pinned down into the bed curtains by the Emperor’s hungry, tiger-like pounce.
Outside the gauze curtain, candlelight flickered; inside, the night was filled with “rising and falling” activity.
After all, he was a youthful younger brother, an energetic high school boy… Seemingly tall and slender, yet explosively strong and particularly eager to learn. Two novices on their journey managed to explore and master many key points of learning throughout the night.
As a result, when A Yuan woke the next day, it was already broad daylight, and the Emperor was nearly back from the morning court session.
“Congratulations, Noble Lady Lin! Our felicitations to Noble Lady Lin!”
Two young palace maids who had been waiting outside the curtain immediately knelt and offered their congratulations upon hearing movement inside.
“Noble Lady?” A Yuan asked hoarsely, puzzled.
“Yes, early this morning His Majesty left an oral decree, conferring upon you the title of Noble Lady and granting you residence in Yongshou Palace.” The young palace maid on the left answered crisply, cleverly adding a few more words: “Currently, the Eastern and Western Six Palaces are vacant, so you, Noble Lady, are the first to reside in the Imperial harem.”
Of course, your rank and title are also the highest.
Even if other Candidate Maidens attend the bedchamber in the future, it is unlikely they will be appointed as Noble Ladies.
The first one… is always special.
“Early this morning, the Chief Steward sent people to renovate Yongshou Palace, just waiting for you, Noble Lady, to rise and move there.” Another young palace maid, not wanting to be outdone, quickly followed up.
“Then assist me with washing up.”
“Yes.”
The two young palace maids stood up and beckoned toward the door. Soon, seven or eight young palace maids filed in, each holding trays. The clothes, shoes, headpieces, and jewelry inside were all brand new—evidently, these were the Stipend Allocation for the Noble Lady rank delivered early this morning.
As the hairdressing maid styled her hair, A Yuan thought back to last night’s events.
The Emperor… had the advantage of youth and stamina, though he was a bit rough.
While she had enjoyed it, she couldn’t help but have other thoughts.
Having long been unaccustomed to being subordinate, she was ultimately unwilling.
One day, she too would taste the thrill of ‘galloping on horseback’… no, ‘galloping on a dragon’—after all, he was the Emperor!
She couldn’t lower the status of her younger brother.