Chapter 73

After the enchanting night in the bathhouse, Su Mi was wrapped in Qin Yan’s towel and carried back to the courtyard, securely concealed by a flowing robe.

Concerned about the possibility of being pregnant and exposing the Lord’s identity, Su Mi had hesitations about engaging in intimate activities. This seemed to startle Qin Yan, as if it was the first time she had shown such reluctance.

Coincidentally, Qin Yan had been occupied with the affairs of the Eastern Bureau for over a month, so he chose to spend the nights directly in the main hall of the Eastern Bureau. This arrangement spared Su Mi from huddling in the bed corner each night, unable to find rest.

In the chief’s residence, Su Mi sat at the table, adorned in a plain embroidered coat, her gaze fixed upon the neatly folded bedding on the bed. Leaning on her hand, she let out a soft sigh.

Every night, she huddled in the bed corner, fearing she would be unable to resist nestling into the Lord’s embrace. She was unsure if the Lord was upset, which prompted him to have Feng Bao bring an extra blanket from the front courtyard.

Now they each slept under their own blanket, with two layers separating them. Qin Yan slept late and rose early, and Su Mi had not caught a glimpse of him for several days.

Perhaps she should speak directly with the Lord tonight, Su Mi pondered. But how could she naturally broach the subject?

Lost in her thoughts, a corner of the thick curtain was lifted from outside, and Feng Bao cautiously entered, making sure not to let in the cold wind.

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“Yyeyx, vbl xypvla pyke vbyv ewl vs vbl nsze olyvbla yde vbl cwpu yqqykap yv vbl Oypvlad Jwalyw, bl okzz cl pvyukdt vblal kdpvlye sq alvwadkdt vs pzllr blal.”

“Gb?” Fw Yk czwavle swv kd pwarakpl, bla lmralppksd vbld vwadkdt olyau. “Txx, R wdelapvyde.”

Wldt Jys oyp wdnlavykd bso vs nsdpszl bla. Rv eked’v yrrlya yp vbswtb vbl xypvla oyp pwzjkdt.

“Ju vbl oyu, Yyeyx, vblal’p psxlvbkdt lzpl vbl xypvla oydvle xl vs vlzz usw.”

“Ebyv kp kv?”

“Yypvla pyke usw esd’v byhl vs yvvlde vbkp ulya’p ryzynl cydiwlv. Rv’p ckvvlazu nsze, yde bl’p nsdnladle ycswv vbl vszz kv xktbv vyjl sd uswa blyzvb.”

Fw Yk bye ralhkswpzu nywtbv y nsze, yde wrsd Ckd Zyd’p alvwad, bl dsvknle pbl bye tasod hkpkczu vbkddla.

Gzvbswtb vbl ryzynl cydiwlv zypvle sdzu byzq y eyu, kv kdhszhle y zyvl alvwad, yde pbl dllele vs xykdvykd y alzymle elxlydsa kd vbl ryzynl. Mbkp vkxl, Ckd Zyd elnkele kv oswze cl clvvla qsa bla dsv vs xyjl vbl vakr.

“Well, alright.”

“Then I’ll go and deliver the message.”

…

Su Mi’s current interest was lacking in everything else; her thoughts were consumed by Qin Yan’s absence.

It was all her fault for hesitating at that time and failing to clarify things. Now that she wanted to express herself, Qin Yan had taken up residence at the Eastern Bureau, and she had not seen him lately.

If several more days were to pass, she feared that she and the Lord would become even more distant. What should she do?

The palace banquet during the New Year’s festivities required the attendance of certain individuals chosen by the Emperor. Decrees were issued by the emperor, and the eunuchs delivered them at the same time to summon the individuals.

Shuang Fu stood at the entrance of their western courtyard, watching as the eunuch who would deliver the summons entered the Chuxiu Palace but didn’t head towards their courtyard. He couldn’t help but feel a sense of disappointment.

When he turned around, his expression returned to normal.

Zhang Yue’er held a chubby orange lynx in her hands and, upon seeing Shuang Fu’s hesitant expression, glanced behind him and guessed the situation. The Emperor hadn’t summoned her to the palace banquet.

Only the favored concubines were allowed to attend, and consort Shen had gone last year.

Previously, Zhang Yue’er hadn’t felt any discomfort, but this year, she unexpectedly felt a strong sense of disappointment.

The Emperor hadn’t come to see the Eggheart for a long time. He was probably tired of it and tired of her as well.

“Master, perhaps the eunuchs were delayed…” Shuang Fu knew that Zhang Yue’er had figured it out, so he no longer concealed the truth and softly comforted her.

“That’s not it. The Emperor forgot about the Eggheart.” He forgot about her.

Indeed, there were so many beautiful women in the harem. How could he remember her?

Zhang Yue’er tugged at the corners of her mouth, revealing a smile. “Shuang Fu, I want to take the Eggheart and go for a walk alone.”

Shuang Fu knew she was unhappy, and he frowned as he nodded. “But please, Master, don’t wander around randomly. It wouldn’t be good to run into other consorts.”

Zhang Yue’er’s status was only slightly higher than that of a palace maid, which Shuang Fu found strange. Even during the days when the Emperor visited daily, he didn’t elevate her status but instead promoted a neighboring palace maid. However, the Emperor had never actually been there.

Zhang Yue’er smiled. “I’ll just go to the back garden and take a look. The weather isn’t good, so I won’t encounter anyone.”

…

The sky had been overcast since the afternoon, a gloomy gray that hinted at rain.

In the midst of winter, there were no flowers to admire. As expected, no noble consorts or concubines came out in the garden, and there were rarely even palace maids passing by.

Zhang Yue’er casually walked while holding the Eggheart, circling the small lake in the center again and again, but her thoughts were consumed by Zhu Jingyu.

He used to come every day. Why did he suddenly stop coming? She longed for him in her heart, as if being pulled by a thread that made her feel both sour and painful.

She remembered that Sister Mi had said she willingly married the chief, indicating that she was in love. Now, Zhang Yue’er has also experienced that willing feeling. Could it be that she also loved the Emperor?

Zhang Yue’er’s usually bright eyes lacked their luster, preoccupied with her thoughts. Eggheart took a quick glance and took the opportunity to slip away.

She snapped out of her reverie and panicked. Following the direction the Eggheart went, she ran into the cave of the artificial mountain.

Fortunately, the Eggheart wasn’t very active and only ran for a short while before nestling in the dry hay inside the mountain. Zhang Yue’er followed and caught hold of it.

“I’m already unhappy, and you’re running around.” Zhang Yue’er gently rubbed its lynx ears.

“Miao.”

The fat lynx opened its chubby belly and rubbed against Zhang Yuer’s hand, inviting her to touch it. Its comical appearance instantly improved Zhang Yuer’s mood.

She decided to sit on the hay since she didn’t really want to stroll in the garden anyway. She preferred to find a quiet place to stay, and the spot found by Eggheart was quite suitable for her.

The sky gradually drizzled, and there they were—one person and one lynx. Eggheart peacefully slept in Zhang Yu’er’s arms while she peered through the gap in the rockery, watching the gentle rain outside.

The place here was relatively spacious and dry where it was sheltered. Zhang Yu’er started to feel drowsy. However, she suddenly woke up when she heard the conversation between two palace maids nearby. She couldn’t leave at this moment, so she could only passively eavesdrop from behind the “wall.”

It was the shift change, and the two palace maids took advantage of the rainy day to sneak out and rest against the rockery while chatting.

On a rainy winter day, it was unlikely for the master to come out to the garden, let alone hide behind this rockery. Consequently, they didn’t intentionally lower their voices.

“Ah, Lady Shen must be due soon. You’re also fortunate. You’ll be serving the future Empress.”

The speaker was Xiaotao, a palace maid from Qianqing Palace. She had a delicate appearance and stood out among the other maids, even surpassing some ordinary beauties.

Xiaoxiang’s smiling face couldn’t hide her delight. “It’s still about two months away. My lady is truly fortunate. The Emperor loves her and sends tonics every day. She can’t finish them, so she rewards me.”

“Here, I brought some for you too.”

After saying that, Xiaoxiang handed a greased-paper package to Xiaotao.

They exchanged the package back and forth, their laughter ringing like a clear bell. But for Zhang Yu’er, hearing all this brought about an indescribable feeling.

Previously, she thought the Emperor’s having three consorts and six concubines was just an ordinary matter. As long as she lived happily, it would be fine. If she could leave the palace and return to her hometown to see her mother, it would be even better.

However, hearing about Lady Shen and the child, Zhang Yu’er felt a heaviness in her chest. She even felt like crying.

She held Eggheart tighter in her arms, regretting listening to all this behind the rockery. But the palace maids outside were unaware of her presence and continued their conversation.

“You, for our group, were the most beautiful. You even got assigned to Qianqing Palace. How could you not seize the opportunity?”

Only the two of them were present, so Xiaoxiang spoke frankly. Although palace maids couldn’t compare to beauties, if the Emperor took a liking to them, it was not uncommon for them to receive a rank.

“Sigh,” Xiaotao sighed softly and said, “I’ll tell you, but you mustn’t repeat it. The Emperor… is sick.”

“Wasn’t the Emperor always in poor health?” Everyone in the palace knew that the Emperor had been frail since birth. It’s just that no one dared to discuss it openly.

“Not that kind of sickness. It’s this,” Xiaotao pointed to her head. “One night, I was standing behind the screen to keep watch, and the Emperor was still asleep. I heard him mumbling in his sleep.”

“What did he say?”

“He said something dirty. Can you believe it? What dirty things could the Emperor have? He even called out the name ‘Empress Lian,’ as if… as if concubine Lian found him dirty.”

“concubine Lian… Wasn’t she the one who was brought into the palace by the late Emperor from outside? I heard that after she gave birth to the Emperor, to prevent the late Emperor from touching her, she even scratched her face until it was all torn up.”

“Oh, dear sister, look at the time. We can’t continue this conversation anymore.” Xiaotao glanced around, confirming no one was there, then pulled Xiaoxiang. “Let’s go back. We’ve been out long enough.”

The words spoken by the palace maids frightened Zhang Yu’er. After confirming that they had gone far away, she emerged from behind the rockery.

The rain hadn’t stopped, and she hurriedly ran back to the small courtyard, holding Eggheart in her arms.

Shuangfu had been searching for Zhang Yu’er with an umbrella for quite some time. When he saw her entering the house, he finally felt relieved but couldn’t help complaining, “Master, you finally came back. I’ve been looking for you for ages.”

However, Zhang Yu’er didn’t respond to his words. She directly handed Eggheart to Shuangfu and swiftly rushed into the house.

Shuangfu, holding Eggheart, followed her with a puzzled expression. He saw her rummaging through boxes and drawers, uncovering a few small red cloth bags from under a wooden cabinet.

“Master, what are these for?”

Shuangfu knew what these were. Zhang Yu’er’s father was a low-ranking county official, and she didn’t have much money. However, there was a fixed allowance in the harem, and she had saved it all up.

Last time when the yards were allocated, Shuangfu wanted to use them to negotiate with someone, but Zhang Yu’er was reluctant. So why is she bringing them out now?

Zhang Yu’er wiped the rainwater from her forehead and held all the red cloth bags in her hands. She looked up at Shuangfu.

“Shuangfu, can you take this money and find Uncle Lu? Ask him to help me plead with the Emperor and mention me in front of him.”

“I want… I want to see him.”