FVN Chapter 64
Chapter 64
the eunuch from the palace eunuch office wanted to say that consort zhen was indisposed due to her menstruation, and according to custom, the emperor should not visit her.
"hmm?"
the emperor uttered just this simple, threatening syllable, and the little eunuch from the palace eunuch office bowed even lower, respectfully saying, "this slave obeys."
he figured, the entire palace belongs to the emperor, and the rules were made for the emperor. if he himself was willing, who was a mere eunuch to question anything?
one's head on one's shoulders was more important than rules.
xi que frowned at the wine bottles strewn across the floor: "my lady, stop drinking. too much wine is harmful. no matter how many prayer lanterns you write, the emperor won't come."
shuang jiang chimed in: "you won't even let us servants write your name on them. at least if one fell and the emperor picked it up, he'd know who was thinking of him! who does things like this?"
jiang xinyue, her cheeks flushed red, hugged a wine bottle as she sat on the railing of the long corridor outside her room. with misty eyes, she said, "i'm not writing these... for the emperor to see. i'm writing them for the gods in heaven to see... isn't it enough if they can see them?"
xi que stomped her foot in frustration: "then who is this sullen drinking for, my lady?"
"for... for..."
jiang xinyue stood up unsteadily and walked to a flowering tree. holding the wine bottle, she began to dance gracefully: "who could it be for? yes, for whom am i so despondent?"
the palace lamps of hexi palace flickered, signaling the arrival of an honored guest.
jiang xinyue threw the wine bottle to the ground and laughed softly, self-mockingly: "the person i long for can never belong to me, so i'll drink for myself!"
the wine bottle was thrown far away, shattering. consort zhen was swaying drunkenly, but still she danced, singing in opera style: "in this land of flowers and brocade, she sings of meeting an old friend in a foreign land, each step and word filled with longing..."
moonlight gently bathed the earth. the peach trees planted in front of hexi palace had begun to bloom, and when the night breeze blew, a shower of petals fell.
under the tree, the beauty was dressed lightly. a white wrap top was so short it couldn't cover her flat stomach, her willow-like waist swaying like branches in the wind.
"your majesty..."
jiang xinyue, already drunk and confused on the bed, reached out and grabbed the xuanwu emperor's sleeve: "ye lang... don't... don't..."
she seemed to be having a nightmare, her tightly closed eyes trembling, but unable to open.
"all of you, withdraw!"
two people lay on one bed—one calculating, one caring—this was truly a case of sleeping together yet dreaming apart.
the xuanwu emperor held the deeply sleeping consort zhen in his arms. fearing her stomach might still hurt, he warmed his palms and placed them on her lower abdomen.
in the past, when concubines had their menstruation, let alone sleeping in the same bed, they weren't even allowed to appear before him. this was a rule passed down from the ancestors, and he had never made an exception for anyone.
at first, he had paid attention to consort zhen only because her beauty was unparalleled in the harem. later, he found her nature to be innocent and lively, sincere and kind.
now, he himself couldn't tell whether he liked consort shu more, or if consort zhen was more to his liking.
the dead of night was the perfect time for contemplation.
consort shu was his first love from his youth, so he treated her differently in every way.
concubine li was the woman who brought him the most joy among the many he had since ascending to the throne. she was the most radiant and vivacious woman he had ever met...
he felt respect and guilt towards the empress, but no love.
and what about consort zhen?
she possessed a beauty that surpassed both consort shu and concubine li. her personality seemed to be a blend of consort shu and concubine li, yet she also had a whimsical and imaginative nature that neither of them possessed.
sometimes, the xuanwu emperor felt that consort zhen was like a younger version of himself.