People in the Qin Dynasty sought good fortune and avoided misfortune.

Chapter 496, Zhao Ji's Needs (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Zhao Ji's fingers gently stroked Xu Qing's face in the portrait. Her alluring, narrow eyes were slightly narrowed, and her small mouth opened and closed gently as she breathed. Her taut thighs rubbed together slightly, and a look of enjoyment appeared on her mature and charming face.

Recently, Lao Ai has become increasingly useless, and even needs to use incense to help him, which naturally makes Zhao Ji very dissatisfied.

She kept Lao Ai by her side so that he could alleviate her loneliness in the deep palace.

Now that the other party is no longer useful and cannot meet Zhao Ji's needs, she has other ideas in her mind.

Just as Zhao Ji was still immersed in her own world, footsteps suddenly sounded outside the palace, followed by a knock on the palace door.

"Bang bang~"

Zhao Ji snapped out of her daze, a hint of displeasure flashing across her face, and turned to look in the direction of the palace gate.

"Your Majesty, Lord Zhaoming has arrived. Shall we have him examine you now?"

The attendant stood outside the hall and called out respectfully into the hall.

Upon hearing that Xu Qing had arrived, Zhao Ji's displeasure vanished instantly, replaced by anticipation and joy. She spoke in a somewhat lazy tone.
"Let him in."

As she spoke, Zhao Ji closed the scroll in her hand again, propped her cheek up with one hand, and lay down on the small couch to wait for Xu Qing's arrival.

"promise."

After receiving Zhao Ji's permission, the waiter looked at Xu Qing standing to the side and said with a smile.
"Please, Lord Zhaoming."

Xu Qing glanced at the tightly closed door, then looked at the waiter and asked in a low voice.
"Won't you come in with me?"

“Your Majesty, you jest. The Empress Dowager has a habit of not liking to be disturbed by us servants at this time, so please go in by yourself,” the attendant said, shaking his head.

Xu Qing cautiously scanned his surroundings, secretly channeling his inner energy to unleash the Autumn Waters of Ten Thousand Rivers technique, using his internal energy to probe for any ambushes.

When he was in the Han King's Palace, he could freely enter and leave the sleeping quarters of Chao Nu Yao and Hu Meiren without any other people in the room to avoid suspicion. But this was not the Han King's Palace; this was the Xianyang Palace, and the people in the room were not his Chao Nu Yao and Hu Meiren, but Empress Dowager Zhao Ji.

If he goes in alone, and someone jumps out to frame him afterwards, and he's arrested on the spot, wouldn't that be the end of him?
However, as the inner energy dissipated, Xu Qing discovered that not only was there no one else in the hall, but there were also only five or six eunuchs outside the hall. It was as if this was not the Zhilan Palace where the Empress Dowager lived, but the cold palace in Xianyang Palace.

What exactly is Zhao Ji up to?
Xu Qing was filled with confusion, but the good news was that there was indeed no one else in the palace, so he didn't have to worry about hundreds of axemen suddenly appearing and holding him down for the time being.

"Your Majesty, please proceed. Don't keep the Empress Dowager waiting." The attendant whispered a reminder.

The waiter's voice interrupted Xu Qing's thoughts. After glancing at the waiter, she nodded and carried the medicine box into the hall.

After pushing open the palace door, Xu Qing looked around the somewhat dimly lit hall and stepped inside.

As soon as Xu Qing entered the hall, the eunuch outside closed the hall door again and stood silently waiting outside, his old face showing no emotion whatsoever.

Xu Qing glanced back at the palace gate, then looked around for Zhao Ji.

"Has Lord Zhaoming arrived? I am here, come here."

Zhao Ji's words, languid yet subtly provocative, sent a shiver down Xu Qing's spine, and he looked toward where Zhao Ji was.

Behind several pale red curtains, a graceful figure appeared and disappeared. Even though it was just a simple arc of the figure, the dim light and the pale red curtains added a sense of mystery and unique allure to the graceful figure, stirring the heart.

However, Xu Qing dared not move at all. Looking at Zhao Ji behind the curtain, he felt that the scene in front of him was all too familiar.

"If these pale red curtains were replaced with dark purple ones, I would almost think I was in the Hundred Fragrance Palace. What is Zhao Ji up to? Could it be that she wants to..."

Xu Qing's eyes widened slightly, and she quickly dismissed the thought in her mind.

Zhao Ji looked at Xu Qing, who stood motionless at the palace gate, a smile flashing in her alluring eyes. Her fingers lightly traced the luxurious carpet beneath her, and her rosy lips moved slightly as she continued...

"Lord Zhaoming, I am over here."

Xu Qing glanced deeply at Zhao Ji behind the curtain. He knew that he could retire from the army this time. He just needed to hold on until Xia Wuqie informed Ying Zheng of his arrival. After calming himself down, he stepped towards the curtain.

As the curtains, which had been blown by the wind, were lifted, Zhao Ji's figure became clearer and clearer. Xu Qing lowered his head slightly, maintaining the demeanor befitting a subject.

As Xu Qing drew closer, Zhao Ji opened her eyes, which had been slightly narrowed, and began to scrutinize him from head to toe without any attempt to hide her gaze.

Looking at Xu Qing's robust figure, Zhao Ji's smile deepened. Indeed, the real person was far better than the portrait.

"Your Majesty, I, Xu Qing, greet you. May I ask what is troubling you?" Xu Qing asked, bowing respectfully. Seeing Xu Qing's somewhat restrained demeanor, Zhao Ji, in a playful mood, chuckled and said...
"I have been unable to sleep for the past two nights, and I also have a slight pain in my chest. I have also had little appetite during the day. I wonder if Lord Zhaoming has any suggestions for what to do?"

Her voice was soft yet had a captivating, tingling quality that made Xu Qing nervous. He now knew exactly what Zhao Ji was up to, but he couldn't understand why she had suddenly set her sights on him.
Was Lao Ai, the great virgin, no longer able to satisfy her? Or had Zhao Ji grown tired of Lao Ai and decided to try something different with him?
Whatever the reason, Xu Qing knew she had to stay calm and absolutely couldn't fall for it.

"Judging from the Empress Dowager's account, it should be due to the changing seasons and your lack of outdoor activities, which has led to an imbalance in your spleen and stomach, and consequently, your restlessness. You only need to take some herbal soup to regulate your spleen and stomach," Xu Qing said in a deep voice.

Zhao Ji naturally understood the distance and escapism in Xu Qing's words, but how could she allow him to leave so easily? Lately, Lao Ai had become increasingly useless, and...

"Is that so? I have seen other physicians in the Imperial Hospital and taken some medicine, but I haven't gotten any better. Your Highness, why don't you take my pulse and see what's wrong with my body?"

Zhao Ji looked at Xu Qing with a playful smile on her face and spoke in a soft and charming voice.

Upon hearing this, Xu Qing decided not to remain submissive any longer. The more he acted this way, the more Zhao Ji would take advantage of him. So he looked up at Zhao Ji, cupped his hands, and said...

"Then I will trouble Your Majesty to set off. Since you are lying on the couch, it is not convenient for me to take your pulse."

"Then it's up to you."

Seeing Xu Qing become firm, Zhao Ji covered her mouth and chuckled. She moved her beautiful legs that were draped over the foot of the bed and sat up lazily. Even though it was just a simple act of getting up, Zhao Ji's every move exuded the charm of a mature young woman, and her eyes revealed a seductive allure.

Especially the exaggerated curves outlined by the red phoenix robe swayed slightly, causing a little ripple.

Her beautiful figure is enough to make any man's blood boil, especially the contrast between her elegant and noble temperament and her naturally charming and seductive demeanor. Who the hell could resist that?

Xu Qing sighed inwardly, suppressed his distracting thoughts, opened the medicine box in his hand, and took out a pulse-taking pad and a handkerchief.

"Your Majesty, please extend your right hand so that I may take your pulse."

Xu Qing took two steps forward, standing only a step away from Zhao Ji, placed the pulse-taking pad on the table, and calmly said.

As Xu Qing approached, Zhao Ji clearly felt a strong masculine aura. Her breathing became rapid, her hands on her lower abdomen clenched slightly, and her legs tensed up slightly.

Lao Ai's recent incompetence has left her unsatisfied, and now, facing Xu Qing, who is in the prime of his life, she is finding it hard to control herself.

Zhao Ji pursed her red lips slightly, extended her right hand, and said with some displeasure.

"Does Lady Zhaoming need a handkerchief? I don't have such formalities."

"Your Majesty, please rest assured, my medical skills are impeccable even through a handkerchief. You can put your mind at ease."

Xu Qing pretended not to understand what Zhao Ji meant and placed the handkerchief directly on Zhao Ji's wrist.

Although Xu Qing wasn't particularly picky about beautiful women, he wasn't without boundaries. While Zhao Ji was undeniably beautiful and alluring, possessing a mature charm he had never experienced before, her status made Xu Qing utterly unwilling to cross any lines.

If Lao Ai had done this with Zhao Ji before entering the palace, Xu Qing certainly wouldn't have refused Zhao Ji.

Now that the affair between Lao Ai and Zhao Ji is common knowledge, and Lao Ai is determined to cause trouble for Ying Zheng, even harboring rebellious thoughts, no matter how much Ying Zheng values ​​his mother-son relationship with Zhao Ji, he will no longer tolerate Lao Ai's existence and his continued illicit affair with Zhao Ji.

At this point, whoever succeeded Lao Ai would be unacceptable to Ying Zheng, a fact Xu Qing was well aware of.

Moreover, Xu was not used to eating food that others had already eaten, especially food that had been completely consumed.

"is it?"

Zhao Ji naturally saw through Xu Qing's attitude, and a hint of displeasure appeared in her eyes.

Even though she, as the Queen Dowager of Qin, had taken the initiative to show goodwill to Xu Qing, he actually declined her offer.

Such a lack of respect, even though Zhao Ji had a good impression of Xu Qing, still made her angry at being rejected without a second thought.

Xu Qing reached out and touched Zhao Ji's wrist. Even through the handkerchief, he could clearly feel the smoothness and softness of Zhao Ji's skin, as well as its warmth. Such a touch was not at all like that of a woman in her forties.

However, Xu Qing quickly banished his distracting thoughts and began to seriously examine Zhao Ji's pulse.

It is said that a man who is serious is the most handsome. Zhao Ji looked at Xu Qing's handsome face and was momentarily lost in thought. Her displeasure at Xu Qing's refusal to invite her had completely disappeared.

As Xu Qing felt Zhao Ji's pulse, his brow furrowed slightly; something was wrong with her pulse.

(End of this chapter)