Time passed quickly – half a month had gone by since her first night of favor.
In the West Side Hall of Changxin Palace, Shuixian sat by the small table near the window, gazing at the pot of begonia flowers on the windowsill that was gradually withering.
The plant’s leaves were no longer emerald green, their edges slightly curled and yellowing, exuding a sickly appearance.
Shuixian picked up the small silver watering pot beside her and carefully poured some fresh water into the flowerpot.
This begonia had become her substitute.
Every time Consort Yi bestowed that bowl of medicine, she would drink it then spit out most of it, eventually quietly pouring it all into this flowerpot.
At first, the flowers merely seemed listless, but now their decline was visible to the naked eye.
“I’ve wronged you,” Shuixian sighed softly, raising her hand to gently stroke the wilting petals.
Even though she spat it out as much as possible each time, some residual toxicity from the medicine seemed to remain.
Lately, she often felt inexplicably tired.
Thinking of this, Shuixian unconsciously rubbed her slender waist.
Emperor Zhaoheng didn’t frequently visit the rear palace, nor did he often summon the same concubine consecutively.
Despite this custom, she had been summoned twice within this short half month.
Each time, she had to drink that pitch-black medicinal brew in front of Xuemei… Perhaps she should subtly reduce the frequency of her imperial summons?
Just as Shuixian was contemplating how to discreetly decline the emperor’s attention without affecting his favor, a sharp scolding voice pierced through the window from outside.
“Clumsy fool! All thumbs! Can’t even hold a basin of water steady – are you trying to scald me to death?!”
It was Attendant Song’s voice, filled with undisguised rage.
“This slave deserves death!” A muffled female voice followed immediately. Though not loud, it caught Shuixian’s attention.
Shuixian stiffened, then quickly stood up and hurried to the window, peering through the crack.
In the courtyard, Attendant Song stood with arms crossed, glaring with disgust at a palace maid kneeling in the snow.
The maid had a slender frame, dressed in faded old palace robes, her head bowed so her face wasn’t visible. But her slightly trembling shoulders showed she had just been struck.
Beside her feet, a copper basin lay overturned, water spilled across the ground rapidly forming a thin layer of ice in the cold air.
It was Yinzhu!
Shuixian couldn’t help but grip the window frame, her knuckles turning pale from the force.
She recognized that figure – the same Yinzhu who, even during her earliest days in the palace while training in the Imperial Household Department, had always quietly taken on extra chores for her, who had secretly slipped her half a cold, hard steamed bun after she’d been punished!
“Hmph! Walking around all day with that dead face – who are you trying to impress? It’s an eyesore! Do you think I’m easy to bully? Even you lowly slaves dare to step out of line?!”
Attendant Song made indirect accusations: “Don’t you know your place! Get out of my sight! Just looking at you irritates me! You’ll kneel in this snow for a full hour! Clear your head properly!”
Another maid beside Attendant Song immediately stepped forward, giving Yinzhu a hard shove on the back as she snapped: “Did you hear that? Thank your mistress for her mercy!”
Yinzhu staggered from the push, her forehead nearly hitting the frozen ground.
Gritting her teeth, she made no sound of pain: “Thank… thank you for your mercy, mistress.”
The bitter wind whipped fine snowflakes against Yinzhu’s thin clothing, the exposed skin on her body faintly showing bruises from recent beatings.
Peering through the window crack, Shuixian felt her heart clench painfully as she watched Yinzhu, who had been punished repeatedly these past days.
In her previous life, when she had just become pregnant, among the palace maids assigned from the Imperial Household Department to serve her was the quiet Yinzhu.
They had known each other since their time in the Imperial Household Department. Though Yinzhu wasn’t good with words, she always extended a helping hand when Shuixian needed it most.
In the lonely depths of the palace, they relied on each other, gradually becoming each other’s support within the palace walls.
Until that day… when an assassin suddenly attacked from behind the rockery in the Imperial Garden, a cold blade thrust directly toward her swollen belly!
At that critical moment, it was Yinzhu – who always stood silently in the corner – who threw herself forward like a shadow, using her own slender body to firmly shield Shuixian!
Yinzhu collapsed in her arms, breathing weakly.
Her eyes, usually cast downward, looked directly at Shuixian, clearly showing concern for the first time as she struggled to utter a few words: “As long as… you’re alright…”
That was when Shuixian first realized that Yinzhu truly considered her family!
Shuixian closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down.
Unexpectedly, in this life, Yinzhu – who had been assigned to her in her previous life – had been mistakenly assigned to Attendant Song’s service due to their simultaneous relocation.
She couldn’t go out! She couldn’t rush out to intervene now! Even less could she approach Consort Yi or Attendant Song to demand Yinzhu!
Attendant Song already hated her to the bone, and Consort Yi kept serving her bowl after bowl of poisoned medicine.
If they learned about her past connection with Yinzhu… not only would they refuse to give Yinzhu to her, they would instead intensify their torment of Yinzhu!
The only solution was… Emperor Zhaoheng.
However.
Emperor Zhaoheng was occupied with countless state affairs daily – why would he concern himself with trivial matters like the assignment of servants between palaces?
Each palace mistress had the authority to manage their own servants – this was the rule.
Speaking up rashly would make her appear presumptuous, interfering in matters beyond her position.
But she knew.
When men were most amenable to persuasion.
“I must trouble you again.”
Shuixian whispered to the hibiscus plant that had absorbed the poisoned medicine for her.
Tonight, to secure Yinzhu’s transfer, to spare Yinzhu further suffering…
She must serve the Emperor.
Emperor Zhaoheng hadn’t planned to choose any consort tonight.
The endless stream of governmental affairs and the court’s incessant chatter about adopting an heir had left him physically and mentally exhausted. He only wanted to work through the accumulated matters alone, seeking some peace.
“Your Majesty, the late-night snacks sent by the various palace ladies…”
Feng Shunxiang cautiously approached for instructions.
“Remove them all.”
Emperor Zhaoheng didn’t even look up. “I have no appetite.”
“Yes.” Feng Shunxiang promptly responded, waving for the junior eunuchs to remove the exquisite food containers sent from various palaces.
The hall grew quiet again, with only the soft scratching of the brush tip across memorials audible.
Time passed slowly.
Just as Emperor Zhaoheng was fully absorbed in reviewing memorials, Feng Shunxiang’s extremely hushed announcement came from outside the hall doors:
“Your Majesty, Changzai Shuixian requests an audience. She says… she’s brought some tonics for Your Majesty.”
Emperor Zhaoheng’s hand holding the brush paused slightly.
Shuixian? She had never voluntarily come to Qianqing Palace bearing food before.
Had she encountered some difficulty? Or was it…
“Let her in.” He set down his brush, his tone betraying no emotion.
The palace doors opened softly, revealing Shuixian standing at the threshold with a food container in hand.
She wore an elegant moon-white palace gown draped with a silver fox fur cloak. Her cheeks were flushed pink from the chilly wind outside, making her snow-white complexion appear even more luminous.
“Your humble servant pays respects to Your Majesty.”
She curtsied, her voice gentle and soft.
“Rise.” Emperor Zhaoheng’s gaze rested upon her. “What brings you here so late?”
Shuixian lifted her head, her eyes clear and bright. “This humble servant noticed Your Majesty has been tirelessly handling state affairs recently and feared it might harm your imperial health. Remembering there was some nourishing soup warming in the small kitchen—most effective for warming the body and calming the spirit—I took the liberty of bringing it over.”
As she spoke, she carefully placed the food container on a corner of the Imperial Desk, moving cautiously to avoid disturbing his review of memorials.
Emperor Zhaoheng watched as she lowered her lashes and retrieved a white porcelain bowl from the container.
Under the candlelight, her plain garments appeared whiter than snow, accentuating her delicate, jade-like features. When she reached out, her wide sleeves slipped halfway, revealing a slender wrist adorned with a jade bracelet that highlighted the smoothness of her skin, exuding an indescribable purity and allure.
He couldn’t deny it—this graceful figure indeed stirred a faint itch in his heart.
His gaze lingered on her for a moment before he forced himself to look back at the unfolded memorial.
State affairs were paramount; he must not indulge…
Just as he averted his eyes, Emperor Zhaoheng inadvertently caught sight of something tied at Shuixian’s waist.
A sachet, neither in color nor style, suited to Shuixian.
Emperor Zhaoheng’s gaze abruptly fixed on it!
That sachet… he knew it all too well.
It was the very one he had worn at his waist that day in Changxin Palace, when Shuixian was helping him change clothes. It had fallen when she brushed against it, and in his agitated state, he had told her to discard it.
To think she hadn’t thrown it away… had she been wearing it all this time?
He set down the memorial and looked up, his deep eyes locking directly onto Shuixian, his voice low:
“That sachet at your waist…”
Shuixian seemed unprepared for his sudden question. Instinctively, she raised a hand to gently shield the sachet at her waist, as if protecting a treasure.
Her eyes fluttered nervously, tinged with bashfulness as she replied, “Your Majesty… it is an old item of yours. Though it is no longer new, this humble servant thought… since it belonged to Your Majesty, I could not bear to discard it and took the liberty of keeping it…”
Her cherishing of it seemed entirely genuine.
Emperor Zhaoheng’s heart softened completely.
That she treasured so deeply a mere discarded item of his, simply because it was his…
Looking at her flushed cheeks, he felt as though the nourishing soup she had brought had already warmed him throughout, even before he took a sip.
State affairs! Restraint!
In that moment, the man cast them all to the winds.
“Xian’er…” Emperor Zhaoheng’s voice grew husky, thick with unconcealed desire.
He stood up, disregarding the tonic she had brought, and grasped her wrist, pulling her swiftly toward the bedchamber.
“Feng Shunxiang!” Emperor Zhaoheng called out clearly, “Take care of these! No disturbances from anyone!”
“At your command, Your Majesty!”
Outside the hall, Feng Shunxiang immediately bowed in response.
Inside the bedchamber, feeling the heat of the man’s kisses upon her, Shuixian closed her eyes and wrapped her slender arms around his broad shoulders.
Beauty alone may beguile, but it was not enough to sway Emperor Zhaoheng.
But what if it was coupled with sincerity?
Even the lofty Emperor could not withstand such relentless advances.
……
Seeking a favor, Shuixian had expended considerable effort.
The gauze curtains hung low, the air within the tent thick with the lingering scent of Dragon Saliva Incense and unresolved intimacy.
Shuixian lay sprawled across Emperor Zhaoheng’s sweat-dampened chest, her fingers unconsciously tracing the well-defined contours of his torso.
She tilted her face upward slightly, her eyes still misty, her voice as soft as a feather: “Your Majesty…”
“Hmm?” Emperor Zhaoheng kept his eyes closed, resting, his large hand lazily stroking her smooth back.
“This humble consort… encountered an old acquaintance today.”
She buried her face back into the crook of his neck, her tone carrying a barely perceptible note of grievance. “It was Yinzhu from the Imperial Household Department. During our training days, she always looked out for me. Just now in the courtyard of Changxin Palace, I saw her being punished by Attendant Song, kneeling in the snow…”
She stopped there, saying no more, only pressing her body closer to his embrace, conveying a soft dependency.
Emperor Zhaoheng opened his eyes, a flash of understanding passing through their depths.
He usually paid little attention to the punishments concubines meted out to palace maids.
But now, with a fragrant beauty in his arms, her delicate features tinged with sorrow and timidity, asking for nothing more than an insignificant low-ranking maid.
He pinched her delicate chin and said nonchalantly, “Since she’s an old acquaintance of yours and has been wronged, we can transfer her to serve by your side.”
Shuixian looked up, her eyes shimmering with grateful light: “Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty. Shuixian… has no way to repay you.”
Emperor Zhaoheng’s gaze suddenly deepened. He turned over, pressing her back into the depths of the brocade quilts.
“Is a mere thank you enough? Xian’er… my grace is not so easily received.”
Understanding his meaning, Shuixian wrapped her pale arms around his neck and whispered coquettishly, “Then… this humble consort will thank Your Majesty properly once more…”
Her unfinished words were sealed by a fervent kiss as candle shadows once again danced and intertwined upon the bright yellow bed curtains.
The night was still long…
…