Luo Shuran’s eyes were red at the corners, looking pitiful and delicate. She slowly rose to her feet, but as she stepped onto the stairs, she lost her balance, stumbled backward a few steps, missed her footing, and fell directly into the water.
Ming Xia was stunned by the sudden turn of events, then quickly began shouting for help.
“Help! Someone, help! My mistress has fallen into the water!” But the place was remote, and no one was in sight. Ming Xia couldn’t swim, sweating anxiously as she frantically picked up a tree branch from the ground, intending to wade into the water to rescue her.
The more Luo Shuran waved her arms upward, the deeper she sank. At the same time, water kept choking her nose and mouth, making it difficult for her to breathe, suffocating.
She suppressed her instinctive urge to survive, reminding herself not to let her efforts go to waste.
Luo Shuran knew how to swim—she had learned after nearly drowning in her previous life. Now, she was gambling everything, betting on whether that person would come down. As long as he appeared, she wouldn’t lose.
In an instant, a large hand lifted her waist. Through the haze, she caught a glimpse of a dragon robe. Luo Shuran knew she had won.
In her previous life, the Emperor had encountered Beauty Yu here and favored her for several days in a row.
This had ruined Luo Wanling’s plans to arrange for her to serve the Emperor, and Luo Wanling had vented all her resentment on her. For a long time afterward, Luo Wanling deliberately neglected her, never arranging for her to serve the Emperor again. Too afraid to seek favor on her own, Luo Shuran could only wait obediently for Luo Wanling’s arrangements, enduring scorn and mistreatment.
Now, knowing what would happen, she decided to take a gamble. After all, she had nothing to lose. The reason she had pinpointed this pavilion was because she later learned it was a birthday gift from the late Emperor to the current Emperor. No one paid attention to this place, but if the Emperor was here, she might have a chance to succeed.
When she was brought back to shore, Luo Shuran tilted her head to the side, coughing up the water she had choked on, and slumped weakly against the firm chest.
Her light makeup had been washed away, revealing her naturally flawless face. Her skin was smooth and flawless, and her long, butterfly-wing-like eyelashes fluttered, tiny droplets of water falling like pearls.
Soaked to the bone, her slender and alluring figure was fully displayed, so beautiful it was impossible to look away.
“Your Majesty?” Luo Shuran nestled in his embrace, calling out softly with a hint of doubt, as if she couldn’t quite believe it.
She tentatively poked his palm, feeling the warmth of his skin, then struggled to get down, panicking, “Your humble servant greets Your Majesty. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless fortune and peace. Your humble servant is guilty of losing her composure.”
But no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free from his embrace. The Emperor simply lifted her in his arms and placed her on a large rock, looking down at her from above.
In Qi Jingheng’s eyes, she was small and delicate, like a frightened white rabbit, radiating unease.
Under his gaze, the woman slowly looked up at him. Her willow-leaf-shaped eyes held uncertainty and a trace of fear.
The current Emperor was twenty-two years old. Standing before her, he exuded an air of nobility, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes. His gaze held a hint of scrutiny. His tall and imposing figure seemed almost twice her size, and the invisible pressure he emitted was enough to make one breathless.
“Which palace are you from?” Qi Jingheng asked in a deep voice.
“Your humble servant is from the Cloudless Pavilion,” Luo Shuran lowered her eyes, perhaps shivering slightly as a gust of wind blew past.
At this moment, the chief eunuch Chen An, who was standing behind, stepped forward with a bow and added, “Your Majesty, this is the second daughter of Duke Luo’s household, Precious Grove Luo.” After speaking, he retreated.
Today, the Emperor was in a good mood and had come here for a stroll, originally keeping a low profile in the pavilion to avoid drawing attention.
But no one had anticipated this sudden incident, and what’s more, it involved such a beauty.
Qi Jingheng examined her. He naturally knew the Luo household had sent someone, but she truly was a stunning beauty.
He reached out and picked her up. Luo Shuran instinctively wrapped her arms around his shoulders but then felt it was highly improper. “Your Majesty, this humble concubine is fine. I can walk on my own.”
“My robes are already soaked, what difference does a little more make? Chen An, prepare the carriage,” Qi Jingheng said, striding forward. As he held her, he felt how light she was in his arms, as if she weighed next to nothing.
Qi Jingheng looked down and caught sight of her full, voluptuous curves, ample and striking.
Well, at least her flesh knew where it ought to grow.
On the way, they encountered Beauty Yu, who was out for a stroll.
Beauty Yu never expected to run into the Emperor in this place and forced a smile as she approached to greet him.
But as she drew closer to bow and pay her respects, she noticed the Emperor was holding a drenched beauty in his arms. She naturally recognized Luo Shuran—during the selection of consorts, Luo Shuran had stood out prominently among the crowd of candidates.
“Rise,” Qi Jingheng said without paying her much attention, continuing forward with Luo Shuran in his arms. Soon, he carried her onto the imperial carriage.
Beauty Yu’s features were delicate and gentle. Today, her pink-purple gauze dress added a touch of youthful playfulness, making her a petite beauty.
But when compared to the breathtakingly beautiful Luo Shuran, she appeared rather ordinary.
Initially, no one had high expectations for Beauty Yu because the favored consorts in the palace before had all been striking beauties with radiant features. Even when Consort Shu acted out aggressively, the Emperor would reward her instead of punishing her. So, who could have guessed the Emperor’s taste would suddenly change? It was as unpredictable as the Emperor’s thoughts.
Today, Luo Shuran had come to seize favor. In her previous life, Beauty Yu had later aligned herself with Luo Wanling. Though Luo Shuran didn’t know why, this seemingly delicate beauty had carried out treacherous acts without batting an eye.
Her choice to fall into the water was precisely to achieve the current effect—to attract the Emperor’s attention while avoiding Beauty Yu. With a bit of luck, she might even be summoned to serve the Emperor.
Sitting beside the Emperor, Luo Shuran remained silent, enduring her discomfort. She didn’t want to lose her composure after finally seizing this opportunity.
Qi Jingheng took a handkerchief from his sleeve and handed it to her without saying a word.
Luo Shuran hesitated before accepting it, then glanced at the Emperor gratefully and used the handkerchief to wipe the water from her face.
Qi Jingheng’s gaze never left her. He was suspicious, after all—the coincidence of running into her seemed as if the timing had been calculated.
But he also knew that even her elder sister, Consort Xian, couldn’t possibly know his exact whereabouts, let alone a concubine-born daughter. How would she have any means to find out?
Perhaps, as she had said, she was afraid and had been struggling in the palace, which explained why her body was so frail.
The imperial carriage drew countless gazes. The consorts who usually watched the Emperor now fixed their eyes on the woman beside him.
Wrapped in the Emperor’s dragon robe, her face was revealed—fresh as a lotus emerging from water, radiant and breathtakingly beautiful.
News of the Emperor acquiring a beauty spread like wildfire.
The imperial carriage arrived at the Cheng’en Hall. Nestled in the dragon robe, Luo Shuran opened her eyes and looked at the person beside her.
The Emperor hadn’t sent her back but had brought her here instead. Was he going to summon her to serve him?
Things did not go as smoothly as she had hoped. The Emperor merely instructed his attendants to assist her with bathing, while he himself departed for the Imperial Study.
The people of the Cheng’en Hall were actually encountering such a situation for the first time—the Emperor had brought a beauty back, yet he did not summon her for the night, only for a bath?
Once Luo Shuran had recovered her strength, she returned. After all, she couldn’t shamelessly wait there for the Emperor.
At the very least, the Emperor now knew of her existence, and that was enough.
She would simply focus on recuperating and await the right opportunity.