Chapter 5: Fooling Around

Bai Lu knew what Song Jinning wanted to do, so when she saw her index finger bleeding, she immediately took two steps forward and dropped the blood unto the white quilt.

To make it look more realistic, Bai Lu deliberately spread the blood around, in order to make it look like a very chaotic and intense scene happened last night.

After she did this, she stepped aside, raising her hand to put her bloody fingertips in her mouth.

Song Jinning looked at her for a while, then stretched out her hand, with tears in her eyes.

“Sure enough, the one who truly knows me is Lu’er.”

Bai Lu rolled her eyes, and urged Song Jinning: “Mistress, you need to change clothes. You have to go to the Empress Dowager and pay respects.”

Song Jinning smiled and got out of bed to put on shoes.

Gu Yu looked at the bloody quilt, and then at Song Jinning and Bai Lu. She did not agree with the two of them.

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“Jyk Nw, obu yal usw blzrkdt vbl xkpvalpp qssz yaswde?”

Jyk Nw eked’v ydpola, cwv Fsdt Kkddkdt vwadle bla blye vs zssj yv Qw Zw, yde pyke okvb y pxkzl: “Mbkp kp dsv ‘xlppkdt yaswde’. Ps usw oydv svblap vs vbkdj vbyv uswa xkpvalpp kp wdnzlyd? Xa vbyv vbl Oxrlasa zywtble yv uswa xkpvalpp clnywpl bl eke dsv oydv vs pzllr okvb bla.” Gzvbswtb Qw Zw qlzv vbyv Fsdt Kkddkdt’p vos alypsdp olal fwpvkqkle, pbl pvkzz qlzv vbyv vbkp oyp yd kdyrrasrakyvl vbkdt vs es.

“Jwv lhld kq usw nyd bkel vbkp qasx svblap, vbl lxrlasa jdsop lmynvzu obyv’p tskdt sd. Ebyv kq bl tlvp ydtau?”

Fsdt Kkddkdt nbwnjzle. Rv oyp Nk Ubldtmwyd obs eked’v oydv vs es kv!

Rq vbl iwkzv kp nzlyd, yde Oxralpp Psoytla Fsdt pllp kv, dsv sdzu bla cwv Nk Ubldtmwyd okzz cl pnszele yp olzz.

Ekvb vblpl ‘czssepvykdp’, csvb Nk Ubldtmwyd yde Fsdt Kkddkdt nyd pyhl vblxplzhlp.

Ysalshla, Oxralpp Psoytla Fsdt okzz pwalzu plde y rlapsd vs nblnj sd vbl iwkzv.

Fbl pxkzle yde pyke vs Qw Zw: “Psd’v osaau ycswv vblpl vakhkyz vbkdtp. R’zz oypb yde ealpp wr vbld R’zz ts pll vbl Oxralpp Psoytla.”

Gu Yu had no choice but to agree.

Song Jinning washed up then sat down in front of the mirror to start dressing up.

On of the corner of her eye, she saw two maidservants making the bed. They took the blood stained quilt then placed it on a silver tray.

There was another maidservant who looked older than the two who took the tray and left the hall.

Li Chengxuan was standing outside the hall. They stopped quickly, bowed and greeted him, calling out your majesty.

Li Chengxuan didn’t intend to look at the servants, but from the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a white quilt from the tray the oldest maidservant was holding.

His heart beat fiercely.

He suddenly remembered that there is indeed such a custom of verification during the wedding night.

He was full of shame when he went and returned last night, so when he lay on the bed, he didn’t notice that there was a white quilt on the mattress.

Song Jinning was already asleep, and he knew that she naturally couldn’t do anything while she was asleep.

So the quilt must be clean.

If Empress Dowager Song sees this……

Maybe she would take the opportunity to refuse to return the political power to him.

Li Chengxuan was desperate. He turned around and reached out to touch the quilt.

He can never let Empress Dowager Song see this.

But the hand he stretched out suddenly froze in the air.

Because he saw blood on the quilt.

This is…

“Congratulations, Your Majesty, Congratulations.”

The maidservant saw him move and saw his face change, and thought he was shy.

The Emperor slept with someone for the first time. How can he not be shy?

The maidservant pursed her lips and chuckled, she smiled and said vaguely: “This slave is from Shoukang Palace. It was the empress dowager who asked this slave to make the bed for the empress today.”

Actually, she went to Weiyang Palace to take the white quilt. The white quilt is to be shown to the Empress Dowager for verification.

How could Li Chengxuan not understand what she meant?

He knew that this maidservant was named Cui Nong, and she is a close confidante of the Empress Dowager. Cui Nong is a respected mama and the highest ranking servant in Shoukang Palace.

Empress Dowager Song actually sent her to pick up the white quilt in person which shows how important it is to her that they consummated.

However, since there was already blood on the quilt, Li Chengxuan did not need to stop her.

He did not speak anymore, turned his head, and continued to look at a distance with an expressionless face.

Cui Nong saluted and retired, and holding the tray in her hand, she walked out of the gate of Weiyang Palace.

When Cui Nong arrived at Shoukang Palace, Empress Dowager Song had already dressed up and was sitting on a wooden chair next to the window while drinking bird’s nest soup.

Cui Nong didn’t dare to step forward and only stood aside with the tray in her hand.

Empress Dowager Song only drank a small amount of bird’s nest soup then handed the bowl to the maidservant who was standing by. She took a wet towel, slowly wiping her hands and while looking up at Cui Nong, she asked, “Where is it?”

Cui Nong hurriedly stepped forward, knelt down in front of Empress Dowager Song, and raised the tray with both hands.

“Please check, Your Highness.” Empress Dowager Song only glanced at it. Seeing the blood stains on the white quilt, a smile appeared on her face.

“Get up.”

Cui Nong stood up and handed the tray in her hand to a maidservant on the side.

Seeing Empress Dowager Song’s faint smile, Cui Nong joked: “When this slave went to Weiyang Palace, the emperor stood outside the hall waiting for the empress. This slave is sure that they will head to Shoukang Palace to greet the empress dowager soon.”

Cui Nong is Empress Dowager Song’s maid that she brought from her natal family and has been by her side all these years. Empress Dowager Song wholeheartedly trusts Cui Nong.

Seeing that Empress Dowager Song was happy, she asked, “Is the Empress Dowager rest assured now?”

Empress Dowager Song was originally worried that Song Jinning and Li Chengxuan would not cooperate and not get along.

“Aijia¹哀家 (Ài jiā): Illeism for the empress dowager. It means ‘mourning’ (for the former emperor). thought that the emperor was unhappy in this marriage. Ning’er, when she was young, bullied the emperor. The family spoiled her too much and she had a very bad temper. Who knows what the situation will be when the two meet? I didn’t expect that the two of them would have a smooth round last night.”

“This was when the Empress was young. Prince Nanyang had already said in his letters that the Empress’s temperament has changed drastically. The Emperor is also very filial to the Empress Dowager and will not disobey your order.”

Empress Dowager Song didn’t believe what Cui Nong said.

She knows how much her elder brother loves Song Jinning. In the eyes of her elder brother, his daughter is the best in the world, and he would even catch the sun for her if she asked him to. Can she believe what he said about his daughter?

As for Li Chengxuan’s filial piety to her, it is even more ridiculous.

Even if it is a mother and son, their relationship will inevitably become strained because of power, not to mention that she and Li Chengxuan are only halfway between mother and son.

Back then, although she was favored, she had no children. Li Chengxuan was a prince, but her biological mother was not only humble, but also dead. It was a win-win situation for each other. Li Chengxuan is smart and he understands this in his heart.

Can he really be filial to her? In the past two years, he has made a lot of small moves secretly, and Empress Dowager Song knows this.

But Empress Dowager Song is a very transparent person.

Although she wants to hold on to power, she understands that she will eventually have to return the power to Li Chengxuan.

Since this is the case, it would be better if she took the initiative to return it now because she could also take advantage of the situation to make an offer.

Before his death, although the previous emperor made an order to pass on the throne to Li Chengxuan in front of several important officials, he also made an order to make the eldest brother of Empress Dowager Song as Prince Nanyang, and moved him to Yunnan. He also ordered that without imperial permission, he is not allowed to return to Beijing.

This is because the previous emperor felt that Li Chengxuan was young and he worried about the autonomy of his relatives.

Empress Dowager Song felt very sorry for her brother.

Her brother was born in Beijing and grew up in Beijing. He is a very easygoing person, but because of her, he had to travel to Yunnan and can’t return to Beijing.

So she let his cherished daughter become the Empress as compensation to her brother.

As for how arrogant and domineering her niece is and whether she is suitable for being an Empress, she doesn’t worry at all.

She will teach her well from now on.

Moreover, with her alive in this palace, Li Chengxuan will not dare to treat Song Jinning badly.

So even though Empress Dowager Song didn’t agree with Cui Nong’s remarks, she didn’t say a word.

Because she knew that Cui Nong was just comforting her.

She smiled slightly: “Speaking of which, I haven’t seen Ning’er for seven years, and I don’t know what she looks like now.”

“When I saw the Empress in Weiyang Palace just now. It’s no exaggeration to say that I thought I saw a fairy in the sky.” It was Cui Nong who was talking with a smile, “People can’t look away after a glance.”

Empress Dowager Song laughed, “They say that the appearance of a niece is the same as that of the aunt. Since that is the case, the Empress must really look good.”

In Weiyang Palace, Song Jinning had finished dressing up.

When she left the hall, she saw Li Chengxuan standing with his hands on his back.

He was looking straight ahead, with no expression on his face.