She struggled a couple of tis, causing the quilt to slip down slightly. The emperor, flustered, wrapped her back up tightly. "Be good, don't move," he said.
Fine!
Jiang Xinyue obediently stayed still, her shoulders slumped, peeking out from under the quilt with her big, round eyes, blinking at him. She looked utterly adorable.
The emperor sighed, pulling her and the quilt into his arms. "If you behave, I won’t let anyone hurt you," he assured her.
Everyone in the room pretended not to see or hear anything. Several children ran to the bedside, surrounding the emperor and Jiang Xinyue, giggling mischievously.
"Sha, sha! The nanny said we can’t just hug any girl," one of them teased.
"But Mother is a girl too," another chid in.
The emperor picked up the little crown prince with one arm. "The nanny is right, but your mother is my wife, so I can hug her. And when you grow up, you can hug your wife too," he explained.
The crown prince was still too young to understand what a wife was, but he knew that his mother would hug and kiss him. However, since she had just given birth to a new baby and was still very weak, she couldn’t hold him now. Struggling out of the emperor’s arms, he hugged Jiang Xinyue over the quilt. "Mother is Tuan Tuan’s wife, so Tuan Tuan can hug her," he declared.
The emperor was about to argue with him when the little one pointed around the room. "Nanny Xiang, Nanny Lü, Magpie, and Frostfall are all Tuan Tuan’s wives. Tuan Tuan can hug them all!"
The emperor was at a loss for words.
Never mind, it’s pointless to explain to him.
The fourth prince covered his mouth, laughing. "Then Tuan Tuan hugged too. What does that make ?"
The two-year-old crown prince scratched his head, confused, and looked at the emperor. "Father, Fourth Brother seems a bit silly. I already call him Fourth Brother, but he wants to be Tuan Tuan’s wife? He’s not a girl!"
Only girls can be boys’ wives!
He rembered that clearly.
"Now you’re being picky about this?"
The fourth prince’s face turned bright red, and he stomped his foot in embarrassnt, burying his face in his hands.
The two little mischief-makers brought endless laughter to Kunning Palace.
The next day was unusually beautiful, with clear skies and bright sunshine. The vast blue sky, washed clean by the rain, looked especially pure and serene.
The grand palace basked in the morning light, a faint mist shrouding the entire imperial grounds. Lush trees dotted the landscape, and here and there, the figures of palace maids and eunuchs could be seen moving about.
"Ouch—"
Mu Qianqian heard the rustling sound of soone dressing beside her. She tried to get up but was so sore that she couldn’t help but let out a groan.
"Since you’re awake, get up," the emperor said coldly, already fully dressed in his dragon robe. He glanced at the half-asleep woman on the bed. "Climbing into my bed in the empress’s palace—aren’t you afraid of being skinned alive?"
At the ntion of "climbing into bed," Mu Qianqian jolted awake and quickly sat up. "Your Majesty?"
Last night…
Last night, she had been drinking with the emperor, and then… then…
Mu Qianqian rubbed her head, but she couldn’t rember what had happened after they finished drinking.
The only evidence that she had been favored by the emperor was her sore body and the bright red stain on the bed.
She hastily threw on her clothes and knelt at the foot of the bed. "Your Majesty, this servant…"
The emperor chuckled. "What happened last night won’t escape the empress’s notice. I’ve already greatly humiliated her by favoring you in her palace, so I can’t give you a title. You’ll stay by my side as my personal maid."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
If she had wanted to hide it from the empress, she wouldn’t have chosen to give herself to him in a side chamber of Kunning Palace.
Jiang Xinyue had just given birth, and both her body and spirit were at their most fragile. At such a ti, the emperor had eagerly taken a palace maid in her own palace. If word got out, the entire palace would mock the empress.
But since the emperor had spoken, she couldn’t afford to be too conspicuous.
So, on the first day after being favored, despite her sore body, she had to stand at the door, fulfilling her duties as a maid.
Especially since Fu, the maid who had been on night duty at the door, was Tang Shiliang’s person.
Seeing Mu Qianqian co out disheveled, Fu sneered, "Oh my! So people strip naked and climb into the dragon bed, yet they still have to sneak around like it’s sothing shaful."
"And to do it in the empress’s palace—she must have a death wish."
Mu Qianqian ignored their words, enduring the pain in her body as she stood guard at the door.
Hah!
Let these fools laugh!
Laugh all they want!
She had managed to get the emperor to risk the empress’s wrath and sleep with her in Kunning Palace. She was already the most accomplished woman in the harem. Who else could match her skills?
The emperor had now tasted the thrill of forbidden fruit. Where there was a first ti, there would be a second, a third, a fourth…
Once it happened enough tis, the empress would surely grow disillusioned with the emperor.
When she rose to power, she wouldn’t even need to teach these ignorant maids a lesson. They would naturally bow and scrape before her, addressing her as "Your Ladyship."
Her success would be the best revenge and humiliation for those who looked down on her.
"Crash!"
The maids at the door were startled. The emperor had only just entered the empress’s chambers when he was pushed back out.
A vase shattered at his feet, and the emperor jumped to avoid the shards. He rushed to the door, trying to force his way back in, but it slamd shut in his face.
"Xinyue, I know I was wrong, truly. Don’t be angry with , alright?"
"Xinyue, open the door. So many people are watching. Do you really want to humiliate like this?"
"Xinyue…"
The maids standing at the door of the side chamber glared daggers at Mu Qianqian, clearly displeased with her.
Mu Qianqian hadn’t realized that the empress’s influence had already perated Chengqian Palace. Were all the maids who served the emperor closely now the empress’s people?
Little did she know, these maids had been traumatized by the emperor’s past tantrums when the empress had ignored him twice. They had been tornted in Chengqian Palace, and it had left them with psychological scars.
It was all Mu Qianqian’s fault. If she hadn’t shalessly imitated the empress and climbed into the emperor’s bed while he was drunk, the emperor and empress wouldn’t be fighting now.
When the masters above were in a good mood, life was easier for the servants.
Otherwise…
"Crash!"
This was already the third teacup the emperor had "accidentally" smashed today.
The maids serving tea were terrified, holding their breath, wishing they could be like the dead leaves in the courtyard of Chengqian Palace’s side chambers—lifeless, motionless, and completely unnoticed.
That way, the emperor wouldn’t pay them any attention.
"You go!"
"No, you go!"
Several maids stood at the door of Chengqian Palace, pushing and shoving each other. Mu Qianqian, now dressed and stepping out of her room, asked, "What are you all doing?"
Since being "favored" by the emperor, she had begun to carry herself with the air of Chengqian Palace’s mistress.
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