This scholar is a bit cruel

Chapter 326 The Queen's Bargaining Chip

It was midday.

Outside the window, the cold wind was biting, and frost was forming. Even the evergreen trees at the corner of the wall in the distance were drooping their heads from the cold, like soldiers freezing in the cold.

Inside, there were plush blankets and a fireplace, creating a warm and cozy atmosphere with a subtle fragrance.

Consort Jia had already risen and sat upright in the chair on the right, head bowed, not daring to raise her head or speak. Two faint blushes still lingered on her dignified and beautiful face, making her as lovely as a flower.

Her two fair and slender hands were unconsciously gripping the red skirt on her legs tightly, making her look quite nervous and uneasy.

After she expressed her heartfelt feelings, the Queen was very satisfied and comforted her, telling her to sit aside without telling her what to do next.

But the conversation between the Queen and this young master Luo clearly foreshadowed something.

"Luo Qing, do you think the Imperial Concubine is beautiful? She is the eldest daughter of the Jia family. She was selected from thousands of outstanding women to enter the palace."

The queen asked without any hesitation.

In the past, such a question would have been an offense to Luo Zijun, a crime punishable by death, and he would never have answered it.

But now, the power to execute is in the hands of the person standing before us.

Therefore, he could only lower his head and reply, "Your Highness is indeed extremely beautiful."

Miss Jia is indeed beautiful. Her appearance, temperament, speech and upbringing are absolutely no less than any of the daughters of the four great families. Otherwise, she would not have been able to stand out from thousands of outstanding women, enter the palace, and rise to the rank of Imperial Concubine.

It is well known that Xue Baochai's beauty and temperament are famous, but she failed to be selected as a minor attendant in the palace when she first entered the palace. This shows how strict the selection system in the palace is.

The fact that Miss Jia has reached this point is enough to demonstrate her true abilities.

Upon hearing his reply, Consort Jia, who was already bowing her head, lowered it even further, her cheeks turning even redder.

The Queen wore a half-smile: "Compared to your Second Miss Jia, Third Miss Jia, Fourth Miss Jia in the Grand View Garden, as well as the daughters of the Shi and Xue families, and that Lin Daiyu?"

Luo Zijun lowered her head and said, "Of course, the Imperial Concubine is more beautiful."

At this moment, Consort Jia blushed and couldn't help but whisper, "Young Master Luo... I can't compare to Daiyu..."

Luo Zijun looked at her and said, "Both the Imperial Concubine and Miss Lin are extremely beautiful, but their temperaments and styles are different. One has a dignified and noble beauty, while the other has a refined and gentle beauty."

Consort Jia lowered her head and remained silent.

The Queen suddenly smiled and asked, "Then, Luo Qing, how do you think I compare to those two?"

Consort Jia quickly replied, "Naturally, neither I nor Daiyu can compare to you, sister."

The queen snorted, "I was asking him."

Consort Jia did not dare to speak again.

Luo Zijun respectfully said, "Although the Imperial Concubine and Miss Lin are both beautiful, they are naturally no match for the Queen. The Queen's beauty is the beauty of a ruler who looks down on the world and is the only one who is supreme. No one in this world can match her."

"Pfft..."

The Queen suddenly laughed, her bright eyes captivating and her beauty breathtaking. She said, "Although I know that Lord Luo is flattering me, I quite like this flattery."

Luo Zijun lowered his head and said, "These are just my heartfelt words."

The queen smiled, stared at him for a while, then her smile faded, and she suddenly asked, "Can Luo Qing not go?"

Luo Zijun paused for a moment, then said, "Your subject must go."

The room fell silent.

Consort Jia sat to one side with her head bowed, her heart filled with doubt, shock, and unease.

This was the first time she had ever seen the Queen plead so softly, and the first time she had ever seen someone dare to directly refuse the Queen to her face. Therefore, her suspicions about the relationship between the two became even clearer.

"Luo Qing..."

The Queen did not appear angry, and her tone remained gentle: "Look, I have already brought Consort Jia to you. In a few days, Consort Yang and Consort Ning will also arrive, and in a few days after that, several princesses will come, as well as several wives of princes who are already married, and the female relatives of officials who have been executed or exiled for crimes in the Cold Palace and the Inner Palace... As long as it is something Luo Qing likes, I will not be stingy and will try my best to satisfy it..."

Consort Jia was filled with shock.

Luo Zijun remained bowed and respectfully said, "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I must go. Your Majesty promised me..."

The Queen narrowed her eyes, her tone turning cold: "I did promise you, but I didn't specify which day."

Luo Zijun looked up and said, "Your Majesty said last time that it was today."

The Queen asked, "Where did I say that?"

"bed……"

Luo Zijun uttered a single word, then paused immediately, glanced at the Imperial Concubine beside her, and lowered her head to say, "Right here."

The Queen sneered, "Lord Luo is mistaken. I have never said such a thing here."

Luo Zijun was silent for a moment, then looked at her and said, "Your Majesty's requests have all been fulfilled. I hope Your Majesty will keep your promise..."

"What request of mine has Lord Luo fulfilled?"

The queen suddenly asked.

Luo Zijun remained silent.

"See, Luo Qing can't say it at all, can she? That means she hasn't satisfied me."

The Queen's lips curled slightly, a hint of smugness in her eyes. Luo Zijun suddenly looked at her and said, "The night before last, on Your Majesty's bed, when Your Majesty called me 'good brother' and begged me to spare your life, that's what you said!"

If you're not afraid of losing face, why should I be?
Upon hearing this, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Consort Jia sat in the chair, her jade hands tightly gripping the skirt on her legs. Her mind was buzzing, and she kept her head down, her face flushed with shock. Although she had expected it, hearing it with her own ears was still a shock.

"Really? How could I forget?"

The queen appeared calm, but the faint blush rising on her cheeks betrayed her, and her hazy, dreamy eyes were even more captivating.

Luo Zijun didn't say anything more.

Some things are best left unsaid; saying more might provoke the other person's anger.

"Hmph, let's just pretend it exists."

After a long silence, the Queen stopped arguing with him and said calmly, "But things can change. Right now, I need Luo Qing very much. If Luo Qing leaves, what will happen to me? What will happen to my Great Liang? What about Consort Gui, Consort Yang, Consort Ning, and all the young ladies in the Grand View Garden? What will happen to the people of the world?"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Luo Qing, you don't want all the people I've mentioned to become other men's after you leave, do you?"

The Queen suddenly began to threaten.

Luo Zijun could only reply, "Your subject will be back soon."

The Queen said, "How quickly is 'quickly'? Three days, thirty days, or even a year or two? What woman would wait for you that long? Do you think you have that much charm?"

He then added, "No matter how delicious something is, if people can't eat it for a long time, they'll find something else to eat. They can't go hungry forever, can they?"

Luo Zijun was speechless: "How can food be compared to people?"

The Queen said, "Why not? I used to get very hungry if I didn't eat you for a month, and now I get so hungry that my mouth waters and my clothes get wet with tears if I don't eat you for a few days. Do you think we women can really endure long periods of loneliness and hunger?"

Luo Zijun: "..."

"Unless, Luo Qing doesn't care about us at all, or who we look for. Fine, after Luo Qing leaves, I'll give away your sister-in-law, the Imperial Concubine, and all the women in your Grand View Garden, including your beautiful and charming Lin Daiyu. Yes, I'll give them away to Pig Er, the butcher at the market!"

"..."

Luo Zijun sighed and assured him again, "I swear I will return as quickly as possible."

The Queen snorted coldly, her face full of sarcasm: "Luo Qing is going to the Kingdom of Women. There are at least tens of millions of women in the Kingdom of Women. Based on my understanding of Luo Qing, if you really go there, I'm afraid you won't even be able to walk. Also, I've heard that the women in the Kingdom of Women rarely wear shoes."

Luo Zijun: "..."

The key point is that he didn't actually go to the Land of Women.

But by this point, the lie could not be taken back, and could only be covered up with countless more lies.

"I was actually just going to the border of the Kingdom of Women."

"Yes, every time Luo Qing goes to a brothel, he just wanders around outside and looks around, but doesn't go in, right? Every time he plays with the girls, he just wanders around outside and doesn't go in, right?"

The queen mocked.

Luo Zijun: "..."

Consort Jia, who sat with her head bowed to the side, was secretly surprised and curious to see the usually dignified and aloof Queen suddenly speaking in a sarcastic tone like a jealous young woman. She wondered how this young man had managed to do it.

The room fell silent again.

Luo Zijun knew that no amount of explanation would help, so she simply stopped talking.

The queen also looked at him coldly, without saying a word.

Consort Jia felt uneasy and wanted to leave, but dared not speak, so she could only continue to sit with her head down.

A full half-incense stick's time passed before the Queen suddenly spoke: "It's getting late, I need to take a nap."

Consort Jia was immediately relieved and stood up respectfully, saying, "Sister, then I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave now."

As he spoke, he bowed his head and stepped back.

The Queen looked at her and said, "Don't you want to take a nap, sister? Why don't you come in with me? The bed in the inner room is large enough for you and me to sleep together."

Consort Jia was startled and looked up at her.

The Queen smiled gently and said, "My sister may not know, but Luo Qing is not only a talented and resourceful scholar, but also a doctor. His massage techniques are well-known among the women of Lin'an. Don't you always have stomach pains when you have your period? Let Luo Qing massage you today, and it should make you feel better."

Consort Jia's heart trembled, and two blushes immediately crept onto her beautiful cheeks, burning hot.

The Queen's gaze then drifted to the small feet of the girl, clad in silk brocade shoes beneath her red dress, and she chuckled, "By the way, Luo Qing's greatest skill is massaging feet. Sister, sit down and enjoy yourself for a while."

"By the way, you don't need to take off your shoes and socks yourself, Luo Qing will take them off for you... Luo Qing likes to do this."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon someone.

Consort Jia stood there with her head down, her heart pounding, her face flushed, biting her lip tightly. She was flustered and wanted to escape immediately, but dared not move.

"Luo Qing, would you be willing to help the Imperial Concubine remove her shoes and socks, massage her fragrant feet, undress her, and massage her jade-like body?"

The Queen asked.

(End of this chapter)