“I didn’t say anything your Majesty. Emperor, why are you here all of a sudden?” Qing Luo decided to play dumb.
She couldn’t think of any plausible excuse anyway.
Was she supposed to tell the truth, that she thought Emperor Zhangping was too stingy and wouldn’t even reward her with some money to spend?
Hearing this, Emperor Zhangping didn’t press further.
Instead, he gracefully pulled a small wooden box out from under the covers.
Qing Luo immediately looked thunderstruck.
She had moved so quickly, how was she still discovered?
Now, she could only secretly hope that Emperor Zhangping hadn’t really heard what she was muttering.
Upon opening it, the wooden box contained nothing else but some silver, and only a meager thirty to forty taels.
Emperor Zhangping suddenly realized that the Little Attendant had just been counting silver, and secretly counting it under the covers at that.
He hadn’t noticed that the Little Attendant was quite a little money-grubber.
“Do you like silver that much?” Emperor Zhangping chuckled.
“Of course I do! Who doesn’t like silver? You can buy delicious food, good drinks, and fun things with it. It’s very useful!” Qing Luo admitted openly and unreservedly.
Since Emperor Zhangping already thought so, she might as well just admit it.
Was she wrong for liking silver?
Who doesn’t love money?
“Did I ever shortchange you on food or drink? Why do you value silver so highly?” Emperor Zhangping retorted.
Qing Luo shook her head like a rattle-drum and said with a smile, “No, no, Your Majesty is the most benevolent. But as the saying goes, half a penny can stump a hero. Of course, the more money, the better. You can never have too much.”
However, she inwardly grumbled, ‘You might think you haven’t mistreated me, but the people working under you aren’t exactly clean-handed.’ During the time she was recovering from illness after transmigrating, she was secretly bullied quite a bit.
Thinking of that stir-fried pork with green peppers that cost her five taels of silver, Qing Luo was still resentful and heartbroken.
“Oh right, Your Majesty, you haven’t told This humble concubine why you came here. Why didn’t you send someone to inform me beforehand? It has left This humble concubine disheveled and disrespectful in front of you. I beg Your Majesty’s forgiveness.”
It was quite late by now, long past the time for attending to the Emperor.
Qing Luo had not received an oral decree to attend to the Emperor in the Palace of Heavenly Purity, nor an oral decree to prepare for his arrival in her own courtyard.
Naturally, she had long since changed into her underclothes, making herself as comfortable as possible.
When Emperor Zhangping entered the room, her posture was very undignified: she was lying on the quilt counting silver, with both feet kicking up and down, having long since cast all notions of decorum to the wind.
Besides herself, only Zhu Lan usually entered and exited her room.
Even if Zhu Lan saw it, she would at most nag a few words, and Qing Luo would just thick-headedly pretend not to hear her. This story is hosted at g.com.
Who would have thought Emperor Zhangping would suddenly visit?
It was not good at all for Emperor Zhangping to see her in such a slovenly and undignified state.
“So, it’s my fault then? Is my Beloved Consort blaming me?” Emperor Zhangping raised an eyebrow slightly and said leisurely.
“This humble concubine dares not.”
Qing Luo quickly waved her hands and plopped down onto her knees.
Was she crazy?
Daring to blame the Emperor?
She wasn’t an old man hanging himself, tired of living.
Emperor Zhangping gave an indifferent “Hmm.” The Little Attendant’s expression of trepidation and trembling somehow looked displeasing to him.
It was better for her to be lively; he found that more comfortable.
“Get up.”
Only when Emperor Zhangping spoke did Qing Luo dare to rise.
Perhaps she had knelt too earnestly, for as soon as Qing Luo stood up, she felt both her knees begin to ache, and the pain seemed to be intensifying.
She couldn’t help but gasp, trying to alleviate the pain.
Her body, like before she transmigrated, had highly developed pain nerves and was not tolerant to pain.
The pain she felt was much more intense than that of an average person; even slight discomfort would cause noticeable pain.
“Did you hurt yourself?” Seeing the Little Attendant’s tear-filled eyes and repeated gasps, looking like she was enduring pain, Emperor Zhangping quickly took two steps, picked up Qing Luo, placed her on the bed, and lifted her trouser leg.
He saw two incongruous red marks on her originally fair and delicate knees, looking very unsightly.
Emperor Zhangping reached out and touched it, and Qing Luo felt even more pain.
The Little Attendant’s teary-eyed appearance was so endearing that Emperor Zhangping couldn’t help but feel pity.
He loudly called for a palace maid to bring medicine.
Zhu Lan quickly came in with the medicine.
Seeing that her master was injured, she hurried forward.
Before she could do anything, Emperor Zhangping directly took the medicine from her hand and waved her away.
Accidentally seeing Emperor Zhangping applying medicine to her own master, Zhu Lan’s eyes widened in surprise, and a storm raged in her heart.
Personally applying medicine for such a minor injury?
Having grown up in the palace, Zhu Lan’s expression management was impeccable.
She quickly composed herself, immediately retreated, and continued to wait outside for orders.
Meanwhile, as Emperor Zhangping was applying medicine to Qing Luo, Qing Luo kept trying to pull away.
Emperor Zhangping had to free one hand to restrain her.
The Little Attendant was slender, and her ankles even more so; two fingers could easily grasp her delicate ankles, as if a little more force would break them.
“Why are you dodging?”
“It hurts.” Qing Luo sniffled, her peach blossom eyes wet, looking as if she was about to cry at any moment, and her voice sounded aggrieved.
How could she not dodge when it hurt?
Seeking benefit and avoiding harm was human instinct; she couldn’t control it.
“It won’t hurt once the medicine is applied. Be good, bear with it, it’ll be better soon.” Emperor Zhangping unconsciously softened his voice, not even realizing himself that he was practically coaxing the Little Attendant.
He merely thought to himself that the Little Attendant was truly delicate, not only in personality but also physically, very sensitive to pain.
Such a delicate beauty was fit to be a flower of human prosperity, raised with utmost care and preciousness, never to suffer the slightest hardship.
“Mm.” Qing Luo bit her lip and responded in a muffled voice.
Emperor Zhangping’s movements were very gentle, causing Qing Luo almost no additional pain as the medicine was applied.
The medicine had just been applied and needed some time to work, so Qing Luo sat still with her knees bent.
The residence of an unfavored Attendant was naturally not very good or comfortable.
Emperor Zhangping casually glanced at the room’s layout, and his brows furrowed slightly.
Is this the treatment for an Attendant?
Is it really this desolate?
That night, Emperor Zhangping stayed overnight at Qing Luo’s place, but they merely slept under the covers, doing nothing else.
Qing Luo was the first to fall asleep.
The Little Attendant slept soundly, like a little pig, sprawled out in a very unrestrained posture.
Seeing this, Emperor Zhangping, though he had some romantic thoughts and wanted to do something, no longer had the inclination.
He simply embraced the Little Attendant, inhaling her faint fragrance, and Emperor Zhangping, for once, slept peacefully until dawn.