That night.
As the mistress of Fu Rou Palace, Consort Rou came to invite Ming Yueni to dine with her.
However—
“Milk bird’s nest soup, pigeon stewed with Four-Substance decoction, emerald stuffed shrimp, donkey-hide gelatin walnut cake…”
Consort Rou swallowed hard, her eyes filled with a faint resentment as she said in a thin voice, “Sister, you are eating so well.”
Ming Yueni was no fool.
She gave a sweet, compliant smile and took the opportunity to invite her. “Sister Rou, would you like to eat together?”
“Yes, yes!”
Shen Rou lifted her skirt and sat down, waving her hand directly. “Everyone, withdraw! There is no need to serve us.”
Ming Yueni said nothing, as this move suited her intentions perfectly.
They finished their meal in quiet concentration.
Ming Yueni took the initiative to pour a cup of palate-cleansing tea and handed it over, asking, “Sister Rou, how many years has it been since you entered the palace?”
Shen Rou rinsed her mouth, thought for a moment, and replied, “About seven or eight years.”
“Sister has been in the palace for so long!”
Ming Yueni’s eyes were full of surprise. She feigned curiosity and asked, “Sister, do you know why His Majesty appointed the Crown Prince as the heir?”
“The court officials made a fuss about it. Why do you ask?”
Faced with Shen Rou’s vigilant gaze, Ming Yueni lightly bit her lower lip. Her beautiful eyes were watery and timid, and the corners of her eyes turned red.
She said aggrievedly, “Sister does not know. The Crown Prince originally intended to insult me, and it was His Majesty who saved me. Because of this, the Crown Princess and the Side Consort hate me to the bone and wish to kill me.”
“Although I belong to His Majesty now, the Crown Prince is the heir. I am still afraid.”
A beauty in tears is a sight that would move anyone to pity.
With the injury still on her face, she looked even more pathetic.
As a fellow woman, Shen Rou felt her heart tremble, and a surge of maternal protective instinct flooded her.
She immediately took Ming Yueni’s hand and comforted her in a soft voice, “Sister, do not be afraid! What does the Crown Prince matter?”
“You are His Majesty’s Lady!”
“In terms of status, you are now the Crown Prince’s Consort Aunt. He would not dare to disregard the laws of human relations.”
“If the Crown Princess and the Side Consort dare to bully you again, do just as you did today and slap their faces! With His Majesty backing you, there is no need to fear!”
“Mm-hmm.” Ming Yueni nodded obediently, breaking into a smile through her tears.
Secretly, the corners of Ming Yueni’s mouth curled up.
With this test, she was certain—Consort Rou belonged one hundred percent to His Majesty!
Consort Rou could not be trusted with secrets.
However, Ming Yueni could draw closer to her to make her easier to use.
“Yin Guo, why are you here again?” Shen Rou was extremely surprised to see Yin Guo standing at the door.
“Greetings to Consort Rou and Beauty Ming.”
Yin Guo curtsied. “I am here to pass on His Majesty’s imperial decree—summoning Beauty Ming to attend the bed tonight! These are the clothes prepared for Beauty Ming.”
Behind her, a maid brought in a tray with a folded dress.
Ming Yueni was stunned.
Shen Rou’s mouth also hung open in disbelief. “But Sister Nie’er still has injuries on her face. Attending the bed… tonight? Truly?”
“How could His Majesty’s decree be false?”
Yin Guo sighed inwardly, looking at Ming Yueni with a complex gaze. “Beauty Ming, hurry and express your gratitude.”
“This concubine thanks His Majesty for his grace.”
Ming Yueni stepped forward and took the dress. At a glance, she saw it was a Suzhou-embroidered dress with a hundred butterflies. The embroidery was exquisite and lifelike.
It would surely look stunning when worn.
But Ming Yueni’s heart was suspended in mid-air.
Attending the bed… how could it have come so quickly?
Wasn’t it said that His Majesty stayed away from women?
In her daze, Ming Yueni didn’t even realize when Yin Guo had left.
When she regained her senses, she saw Shen Rou instructing the palace servants one by one to pick flowers for a petal bath, as well as preparing incense, rouge, and so on.
Stepping into the bathtub filled with flower petals, two young maids served her diligently, scrubbing every inch of her skin clean.
Her long black hair was wiped dry of water droplets and then dried with fragrant incense.
After she put on the hundred butterfly dress and came to the dressing table, Shen Rou had already been waiting for her for a long time.
“Sister Nie’er, sit down quickly.”
Shen Rou pulled Ming Yueni down and personally took a jade-toothed comb to smooth out every strand of her hair.
“Sister Nie’er is naturally beautiful; there is no need for heavy makeup. Besides, powder cannot be applied to your face.”
As Shen Rou combed her hair, she chattered on, “In my opinion, you are like a lotus rising from clear water. Just a touch of lip rouge will do.”
“I will listen to Sister Rou’s arrangements.”
Ming Yueni was incredibly well-behaved.
Her eyes were cast down, half of her face like a delicate hibiscus with skin like congealed fat or frost-covered snow, seemingly breakable by a mere breath.
The other half of her face, however, was flushed red. Although the swelling had subsided, five faint finger-marks still remained.
She looked pitiful, evoking a sense of tenderness and love.
“Sister Rou…” Ming Yueni lightly bit her lower lip, her expression conflicted and troubled. She looked up at her with weak reliance.
Shen Rou touched the uninjured side of her face. “Be good. You’ve already called me sister, so just say what is on your mind.”
Ming Yueni’s expression brightened, and she asked expectantly, “Sister Rou, how did you attend the bed? Can you teach me?”
Shen Rou froze.
She looked embarrassed, her eyes flickering with guilt as she stammered, unable to speak.
Seeing this, Ming Yueni pursed her lips in disappointment. “If it is inconvenient for Sister to say, then I have been presumptuous.”
“No! It’s not your fault!”
Shen Rou hesitated for a moment. “Mine… and yours… might be different.”
???
Ming Yueni looked dazed and innocent.
Shen Rou took a breath and whispered into her ear, “Kneel straight, keep your mouth shut, and you can return when it is light.”
“Huh?” Ming Yueni became even more bewildered.
That clearly sounded like a punishment of kneeling!
Had Consort Rou never actually served in bed?
Ming Yueni’s heart began to drum—was the Emperor truly incapable? Was that mule-like, magnificent thing just for show?
Unable to use it, and thus having no heirs… it all made sense now.
Ming Yueni secretly breathed a sigh of relief, unsure for a moment whether she felt lucky or disappointed.
“The hour has arrived. Beauty Ming, please.”
Under the service of the palace attendants, Ming Yueni sat on the sedan chair and left Fu Rou Palace.
She was carried all the way to the entrance of the Imperial Study.
Fu Lai waited at the door with a beaming smile. “Greetings to Beauty Ming. His Majesty is waiting for you inside. Please enter quickly.”
“Alright.”
Ming Yueni took a deep breath, lowered her eyes, and walked in.
“This concubine pays respects to Your Majesty.”
Bei Chenyuan was sitting behind the desk reading. Upon hearing her voice, he looked up, and his gaze fell upon Ming Yueni. His eyes grew deep and dark.
The purple-pink long dress was adorned with vivid, moving butterflies.
Her skin was like snow, and her figure was soft.
She was glamorous yet pure, possessing a pair of lingering, seductive peach-blossom eyes—enchanting without her even realizing it.
The faint scars on the side of her face were heartbreaking, but they also stirred a desire to destroy and ravage.
“Come here.” Bei Chenyuan’s voice was a bit hoarse.
Ming Yueni kept her head lowered and walked over obediently.
Arriving before the person was the fresh and elegant scent of peach blossoms after a bath, faint and sweet.
Like a honey peach, making one want to take a bite!
“Your Majesty,” Ming Yueni called to him in a soft voice. Her ears turned red, and she was too shy to look up.
Bei Chenyuan commanded, “Serve the tea.”
“Yes.”
Ming Yueni served the tea with practiced ease, handing the cup over with both hands.
Bei Chenyuan took a sip of tea and continued reading. He didn’t tell Ming Yueni what to do, leaving her standing there like that.
After standing for a long time, Ming Yueni’s feet grew sore.
She was both confused and stunned.
Was this some kind of torturous method? Consort Rou was punished with kneeling, and she was punished with standing?
After a day of ups and downs, her mind and body were exhausted, and Ming Yueni was incredibly sleepy.
She stole a glance at Bei Chenyuan’s profile. He was heroic and handsome, possessing a mature and steady nobility.
His deep eyes were immersed in the book, completely ignoring the delicate beauty beside him.
Ming Yueni’s eyelids grew heavy and started to tremble.
She really wanted to lie down!
Bei Chenyuan glanced at her, changed his sitting posture to continue reading, and clearly extended one leg as a hint to the beauty…