As soon as the words were spoken, Lady Yang quickly lowered her head.
The room fell into silence as everyone digested this shocking news.
Attending the bedchamber? And to so presumptuously designate the current Emperor—the supreme ruler of the empire—to attend the bedchamber.
The Empress was first struck with disbelief and astonishment. She slowly turned to look at her husband, only to see his eyes wide open, his lips slightly parted, looking utterly shocked.
Indeed, it had always been the Emperor who favored his consorts. When had a woman ever demanded that the Emperor attend her bedchamber?
A sense of schadenfreude unexpectedly welled up in her heart. So, you’ve finally met your match today?
Li Yue muttered a few words that no one could clearly hear, his expression shifting like clouds and wind. In the end, he still agreed.
Although he knew that this “attending the bedchamber” didn’t carry the usual meaning from his life, Li Yue couldn’t help but feel deeply uncomfortable.
This was evident in how, even as the moon rose high in the sky, he lingered in the Empress’s palace, dawdling over a game of chess.
“Your Majesty, it’s getting late,” the Empress urged with a smile.
“My dear…” His voice dragged out, filled with reluctance.
Holding his wife’s hand, the Emperor set aside his dignity and acted like a child, clinging to the Empress and refusing to set out.
Contrary to her usual bitterness upon hearing that the Emperor was going to another palace, Wen Shi was unusually proactive. “Alright, don’t keep Aunt waiting too long.”
She then pulled her husband to the bathing pool, where a fragrant bath had been prepared with fresh flower petals. She insisted on washing him thoroughly before sending him, clean and fragrant, to Fengyang Palace.
“Your Majesty, should this servant prepare red bean rice?” the head palace maid asked, covering her mouth as she playfully teased.
“You mischievous girl,” Empress Wen laughed heartily, a rare occurrence, as she pointed at the head palace maid in mock reproach.
The head palace maid put on an aggrieved expression, lifting her sleeve as if to wipe away tears. “How am I mischievous? After all, this is His Majesty’s first time attending the bedchamber. Instead of praising this servant for being thoughtful, Your Majesty scolds me like this.”
In the customs of Great Jin, newlywed brides ate red bean rice on the day after their wedding night to symbolize a new beginning.
To retain their patrons’ favor, brothels and pleasure houses also had their courtesans eat it the next day. Over time, this evolved into a tradition where women ate red bean rice after their first time.
Applying this to the Emperor was simply too amusing, and the Empress couldn’t hold back her laughter any longer.
While laughter filled the Empress’s palace, Li Yue, seated in the imperial palanquin, finally came around to the idea. It was just about coaxing a child to sleep, after all.
At most, this child was a bit more formidable, a bit older, and a bit more inscrutable in their thoughts…
As soon as he entered the room, Ling Xiao sat on the bed, smirking as she drawled, “Why is my dear nephew so late? Come quickly and warm the bed for your aunt.”
She sounded like a little rogue.
Li Yue nodded calmly. After dismissing the others, he placed his hand on the first jade button…
“Wow, is this something I can watch without paying?” the System stared intently, though its words feigned restraint.
Next, “Hmm, the inner robe made of soft gauze silk looks quite nice.”
“Actually, six-pack abs aren’t bad either.”
“…………”
Listening to the System’s incessant chatter in her mind, Ling Xiao threw herself onto the thick quilt, unable to hold back her laughter, which came out muffled and strange under the covers.
When it was finally time to sleep, Li Yue’s ordeal began.
First, he was kicked awake to fetch water, and it had to be brought by him personally.
Fine. Li Yue suppressed his anger, got out of bed, and fetched the water. Yan Pei, who was attending by the bedside, respectfully handed him the cup, not daring to look at his master’s expression.
Surely, after drinking the water, everything would be fine, right? Hah, the candle was too bright, and it needed to be moved…
“Aunt, what have I done wrong? Please enlighten me,” Li Yue finally couldn’t hold back after all the torment.
Ling Xiao immediately feigned innocence, “There’s no problem, really. It’s just that I’m a bit particular about beds, so I couldn’t sleep.”
“What kind of bed did you sleep on before? I’ll have craftsmen make an identical one tomorrow—no, right now.”
“Alright.”
Just as Li Yue began to look pleased, the little girl mocked, “But Auntie is afraid you won’t be able to make it.”
The Ghost-God said, “The bed I once slept on was crafted from ten-thousand-year warm jade, personally carved and forged by the Fire God. It could gather yang energy without harming spirits. The canopy was woven by the Weaving Maiden from the divine light of 1,700 kinds of celestial clouds.”
“So, how about it, dear nephew…”
Li Yue, Li Yue fell silent.
The next day.
During the morning court session, the ministers reported on recent state affairs one by one, only to notice that His Majesty seemed listless, frequently closing his eyes to doze off before suddenly startling awake.
Wang Yi frowned deeply, assuming it was the palace concubines vying for favor with their seductive charms that had distracted the Emperor from state affairs.
The other ministers weren’t blind either, but it wasn’t appropriate to voice their admonishments immediately.
Xu Yan, straightforward by nature—or, to put it bluntly, a textbook example of a chauvinist—couldn’t stand such behavior. He stepped forward and launched into a lengthy tirade, berating the Emperor and the implied “seductive concubine” from head to toe.
Already sleep-deprived, Li Yue was now suddenly being scolded.
His anger burned hotter and hotter until he abruptly stood up, flicked his sleeves, and stormed away.
He left behind a hall full of astonished ministers. After all, since the Emperor had ascended the throne, no minister had ever been ignored after offering admonishment.
Yan Pei quietly approached Wang Yi, whispered something in his ear, and then left.
“Ahem, Minister Xu, His Majesty is still diligent in governance. Let’s not be too harsh.”
Xu Yan’s gaze toward Wang Yi gradually shifted, eventually turning into a look of disdain reserved for treacherous officials.
The head of all officials, the esteemed Prime Minister!
He had actually become the Emperor’s mouthpiece. Not only did he fail to fulfill his duty to admonish the Emperor for his mistakes, but he even prevented loyal and upright ministers from offering their counsel.
A treacherous official! A truly treacherous official.
Seeing Xu Yan’s scornful expression, Wang Yi felt helpless. He didn’t want to get involved in this mess either.
But how could that reason be spoken aloud in public?
To say that the Ghost-God had made another unreasonable demand, asking the Emperor of Great Jin to serve her in bed?
If such a thing spread among the people and was exploited by those with ulterior motives, the imperial family’s dignity would be utterly destroyed.
In short, it could be done, but it couldn’t be spoken.
Wang Yi had a headache. With no other choice, he pursed his lips, grabbed Xu Yan, and quickly explained the situation.
Well, Minister Xu also fell silent. Seeing this, the other ministers exchanged glances, realizing there was more to the story, and quietly shelved their plans to submit memorials after court.
Ling Xiao was unaware of this commotion. When she woke up, she was in quite a good mood.
“Mission: First Night Service completed.”
“Mission: Extraordinary Favor, Known Far and Wide completed.”
“Mission:…”
Below was a string of System Points and several items, such as Child-Bearing Pills, shining brilliantly and glowing with golden light in the System’s eyes.
After the System finished its announcement, it happily rolled on the spot. Who knew palace intrigue missions could be completed this way?
The Host was truly amazing. Being carried to victory felt so satisfying.
“Host, aren’t you happy to have gained so many System Points and rewards?”
Ling Xiao’s expression remained indifferent, showing no emotion.
18888 didn’t quite understand. Although the items in this setting were somewhat limited, their value was undeniable—even the God-Lord would reclaim them.
Moreover, if entrusted to its great System, 18888, to open channels, they could be sold for a high price.
Ling Xiao looked nonchalant and interrupted the System:
“Decided, I’ll use this pill as a family heirloom.”
“Wh-what, family heirloom?”
The System’s circuits were short-circuiting. How could a Child-Bearing Pill be a family heirloom? Was this some next-level marriage and childbirth pressure?
Ling Xiao’s eyes sparkled as she began to explain:
“Look, we’re trying to win over the Emperor, using the Ghost-God persona, and with the identity of the Li family princess, we should at least leave something for the Li family, right?”
“That seems reasonable…”
“This Child-Bearing Pill is perfect, isn’t it? How many dynasties have fallen because they couldn’t produce heirs?”
The System nodded dazedly.
“So, using this Child-Bearing Pill as a royal family heirloom might seem absurd, but it’s actually the most fitting choice.”
After a round of convincing, Ling Xiao finally persuaded the System.
Twirling the shimmering Child-Bearing Pill between her fingers, her eyes gleamed as she thought of how to give her dear nephew a hard time.
After all, Auntie was reluctantly parting with her treasure—she had to charge extra!
Under the System’s tantrums, a portion of the System Points was deducted to repay debts, while the rest were used to upgrade her Illusion Skills.