At the third quarter of the Chou hour (2:45 AM), Qing Luo was sent back to her residence.
Unless the Emperor explicitly asked them to stay, Imperial Concubines who had served him had to return to their own quarters afterward and would not remain to sleep in the same bed as the Emperor.
Since Emperor Zhangping had not given the order to keep her, Qing Luo was naturally sent back according to the rules.
Before serving the Emperor, Qing Luo had worried that she wouldn’t know what to do; she was very innocent and inexperienced, and might ruin the entire session.
Unexpectedly, even though she was unskilled and a novice, it didn’t matter—Emperor Zhangping was simply too proficient.
Qing Luo completed the service in a daze, finding the entire process surprisingly comfortable, experiencing the joy between a man and a woman.
Still feeling a lingering soreness and weakness, Qing Luo reached out to rub her tired waist, thinking that given Emperor Zhangping’s vigor in bed, he really didn’t seem to have any issues in that regard.
[He’s fine when performing the act, but the sperm quality is poor.]
The good pregnancy system, which had just been released from the little dark room, started jumping around again.
“Could it be asthenospermia?” Qing Luo guessed.
She had read in some book that Emperor Renzong of Northern Song’s difficulty having heirs seemed to be due to him suffering from asthenospermia.
However, Emperor Renzong’s Imperial Concubines still bore him several children, though none were raised successfully and all died young.
He was still stronger than Emperor Zhangping, whose harem had only seen three concubines become pregnant to date; two of them suffered accidental miscarriages, and one consort successfully gave birth to a little princess.
Unfortunately, the little princess was premature and frail, dying before she reached her first month, and her mother, overwhelmed by grief, soon died of illness as well.
The last happy news in the palace was five years ago.
In the past five years, Emperor Zhangping had sown many seeds, but none seemed to sprout.
[Something similar. Oh right, host, you also have a hidden mission! You need to find the root cause of Emperor Zhangping’s difficulty having heirs. A generous gift will be waiting for you when you complete the mission.]
“What kind of generous gift?”
However, no matter how Qing Luo asked, the good pregnancy system remained silent, pretending it had gone offline, which angered Qing Luo enough to throw it back into the little dark room.
Hmph, she absolutely hated it when things were kept mysterious and suspenseful like that.
After learning that the one who served the Emperor last night was Attendant Pei of Xianfu Palace, many Imperial Concubines in the harem were surprised and somewhat confused.
Where did this Attendant Pei pop up from, and how did she catch the Emperor’s attention?
Was there even such a person in the harem?
Upon further inquiry, they realized that this Attendant Pei was the Little Concubine who had fallen into the water recently.
Everyone suddenly understood, their feelings instantly becoming complex: if falling into the water was purely misfortune, being rescued by the Emperor and thus catching his eye was a blessing.
Many Imperial Concubines secretly mused on the proverb “misfortune turns into fortune” before dismissing the matter.
She was just a Little Concubine who had only served the Emperor once; perhaps the Emperor was merely acting on a whim, and it was uncertain whether she would be summoned again.
She wasn’t worth much attention.
Others decided to wait and see how things developed.
Among them, there were quite a few who felt jealous.
In the West Wing of Xianfu Palace, Attendant Chen immediately smashed a cup after hearing the news her trusted maid had gathered, her beautiful face contorted with anger.
“Hmph, she’s just a Little Concubine with no family background, daring to dream of reaching the heavens? A sparrow is a sparrow; she should forget about becoming a phoenix for life.”
Attendant Chen wasn’t stupid; she naturally understood why Qing Luo had been summoned to serve the Emperor this time.
She merely regretted why the person who fell into the water that day wasn’t her.
If it had been her, the
Emperor would surely have shown her more pity, and her favor would have increased further.
Even if it wasn’t her, it could have been any other concubine in the harem—why did it have to be Pei Qing Luo, the one she despised the most?
If Pei Qing Luo really soared to prominence from this point on, she would be sick with rage.
Regardless of what others thought, Qing Luo was still sleeping soundly and comfortably, having an inseparable date with the Duke of Zhou.
Early in the morning, before attending court, Emperor Zhangping suddenly remembered something and instructed Zheng Fu, “Send some food to Xianfu Palace. Also, select a pair of jadeite bracelets and send them over as well.”
Zheng Fu accepted the order and went to handle the matter, secretly recognizing the importance of Attendant Pei.
It seemed the Emperor had taken a liking to Attendant Pei, otherwise, he wouldn’t personally arrange the specific rewards.
After a concubine served the Emperor, rewards were customarily bestowed.
Whether or not she had won the Emperor’s heart, and to what extent, could be seen clearly at this moment.
For those who hadn’t won the Emperor’s heart, subordinates would simply send some items according to protocol as a formality.
But for those who had gained the Emperor’s favor, even if they only received a few taels of silver, it was still an oral decree from the Emperor’s golden mouth, a sign of being favored.
Leaving aside the reactions of the Imperial Concubines upon hearing about the rewards, here in Xianfu Palace, Qing Luo smilingly saw off the eunuch who delivered the gifts.
In high spirits, she eagerly picked up her chopsticks and began eating like a Little Monkey.
Since Emperor Zhangping had personally given the order, the Imperial Kitchen dared not be careless, preparing only the most exquisite dishes, each tasting better than the last.
There were fragrant and crispy Golden Thread Rolls, bright red and refreshingly sweet and sour Cherry Meat, tender and savory Pouch Tenderloin, as well as a bowl of Rock Sugar Stewed Bird’s Nest for nourishment, and the Buddha’s Hand Vegetarian Soup, which was also sweet and had a long, pleasant aftertaste.
Compared to the meals Qing Luo usually ate, it was like heaven and earth.
She hadn’t expected serving the Emperor to have this benefit; the food was truly excellent.
As Qing Luo wolfed down the delicacies, inhaling the food like a storm, she thought that if she received this treatment every time she served the Emperor, she would be happy to do it daily.
At least she could eat meat and enjoy delicious food every day.
Zhu Lan was also happy for her Little Master.
It had been a long time since she had seen her Little Master eat so much; she even ate an extra bowl of white rice than usual.
The jadeite bracelets were warm and smooth, and the color was beautiful, a shimmering green.
Qing Luo loved them instantly and put them on her wrist, admiring them for a while with great delight.
All the jewelry in her box combined couldn’t compare to the value or beauty of this pair of jadeite bracelets.
It turned out that serving the Emperor was the most suitable way to acquire wealth—a shortcut, where jewelry and accessories came instantly.
“I wish I could serve the Emperor again tonight.” After eating her fill, Qing Luo, lying on a chair listening to a book, suddenly uttered this spontaneous thought.
Hearing this, Zhu Lan immediately closed the book, stopped reading, and shut the door.
Qing Luo was confused and asked doubtfully, “What are you doing, Zhu Lan?”
Acting all mysterious, as if she were meeting a secret contact.
Zhu Lan was beaming with excitement, wearing an expression that suggested her Little Master had finally caught on.
She said with relief, “Has Little Master finally decided to vie for favor?”
Her Little Master was only twenty years old and very young.
She was also extremely beautiful, with few in the entire harem who could match her looks.
If she decided to vie for favor, she would have a huge advantage.
Vie for favor?
Qing Luo blinked blankly, then began to ponder seriously.
If she wanted to give Emperor Zhangping a Little Monkey, she had to serve him.
Serving him meant she could eat delicious food and receive beautiful jewelry.
Therefore, if she wanted more delicious food and more beautiful jewelry, she had to vie for favor.
The greater the favor, the more times she served the Emperor, and the more Little Monkeys she could bear.
Round and round it went; it was an unbreakable cycle.
So Qing Luo nodded, “That’s right, I’m going to vie for favor.”
For delicious food.
For beautiful jewelry.
For a good life.
Charge! good pregnancy system: [Don’t forget, there’s also bearing a child.]
Right, and bearing beautiful Little Monkeys!
Charge, charge, charge!
Starting today, she was going to change her name to Niu Gulu Qing Luo!