The splendor of the Red Chamber, the power that reigns supreme.

Chapter 151 Shishi's Heartfelt Deeds, Empress Zhen
In the garden.

A howling, cold wind swirled and raged through the garden, causing the few withered chrysanthemums to sway precariously, their dry leaves rustling and rolling against the cold stone steps, a truly desolate sight.

Although Li Shishi was wrapped tightly in the official's coat, the warmth only lingered on the upper half of her body.

Below, a pair of small, jade-like feet, without stockings, shod in soft shoes, trod on the cold, damp stone pavement.

As the wind blew by, she couldn't help but sneeze softly, her shoulders hunched up, her delicate and trembling appearance adding a touch of childlike innocence compared to her usual self, making one's heart itch even more.

"Achoo!" She hurriedly covered her mouth and nose with her wide sleeves, her eyes watery and misty, staring intently at the door with the bamboo curtain hanging a few steps away—the very place where she hid her lover.

The night wind grew stronger, like the hand of a libertine, teasing the disheveled black hair at her temples and brushing against her peach-colored cheeks.

She wrapped the man's coat tighter around herself, shrinking further and further in, while her delicate toes curled up on the cold stone ground, unable to bear the chill any longer.

"My lord," her voice was slightly languid and nasal, timid yet with an undeniable air of authority, "this wind outside is so chilling, it's freezing me to the bone... Why don't you... why don't you come inside with me to warm up? That would be good... that would also allow us to explain the painting matter in detail..."

Before she could even utter a word, two fiery blushes appeared on her rosy cheeks, more beautiful than peach blossoms in March, like two alluring lamps under the cool moonlight.

As if afraid of changing her mind, she didn't wait for the man's reply. She lowered her fair neck and wrapped the large men's jacket even tighter, looking like a frightened white butterfly. She moved her slightly reddened jade-like lotus feet, hurriedly stretched out her slender fingers, lifted the bamboo curtain, and twisted her body to slip inside.

The official raised an eyebrow and followed him inside.

The room wasn't large, but it was kept extremely tidy, exuding an air of refined elegance.

The moment you step inside, you're greeted by a warm, fragrant, and sweet aroma.

It was truly a different world from the bleak autumn chill outside.

A rosewood desk stood by the window, with the Four Treasures of the Study neatly arranged. On the desk was a plain celadon vase, inside which lay a few chrysanthemums, nearly withered, yet still crooked, displaying a touch of decadent beauty.

Against the wall was a dressing table inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The mirror was polished to a shine, reflecting one's image. Next to it were several boxes of rouge and face powder with their lids off, as well as a few hairpins and jade hairpins lying haphazardly.

A slightly worn Suzhou embroidery screen separated the inner room. The screen was embroidered with a butterfly and flower pattern. The stitches were fine and the butterflies were lifelike. It must have been the owner's proud work.

A Xiangfei couch covered with a bright red brocade rug was placed against the wall. On a low table beside the couch, there was a small, gilded hand warmer that was quietly emitting warmth.

Every corner of this room exudes the exquisite refinement of a young woman, imbued with the elegance and grace cultivated in the world of romance, yet it also harbors a secret, secluded charm, a feeling of being alone in one's boudoir, where outsiders cannot peek in. It is quiet, with only the faint scent of warm fragrance wafting through the air.

Shishi moved to the warm couch, stood with her back to the door, wrapped in the official's outer coat, which made her waist and hips appear even more defined, her figure so slender that it seemed as if a gust of wind could break her.

She stood there silently, her chest rising and falling slightly, as if she were secretly gathering her strength. Finally, as if she had made up her mind, she gracefully turned around.

The blush of embarrassment that had appeared in the garden had long since faded, leaving a pale and cold face.

She raised her face, and her usually charming and affectionate eyes were now clear and bright, staring directly at the official who had followed her in.

Those eyes were heavy, filled with a seriousness that made one's heart tighten.

"My lord," she began, her voice low but each word striking a chord deep within, carrying an unprecedented solemnity:
“I know that I, Li Shishi, have invited you to stay the night, and I have also been showing my bare shoulders and feet in front of you. Now, I have said these things three times in a row. In your eyes, I am afraid that I am just putting on airs, pretending to clear my name, or even... the kind of tricks that the girls in our brothel are used to ‘casting a line to catch a golden turtle’.”

A bitter smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but instead of melting the frost, it only added to her pitiful and sorrowful appearance.

"But that's precisely why!" Her voice trembled slightly, but she forced herself to remain calm. "It's precisely because in this capital city, from high-ranking officials to commoners, although everyone calls me a courtesan, who doesn't know that I, Li Shishi, was born into a lowly family, that I sold my voice in the mud, that I leaned against the door frame and sold my smiles, that I was a cheap woman who welcomed and saw off guests!"
"I...I insist on speaking frankly and sincerely with you, my lord!"

She took a deep breath, a breath that seemed to drain all her strength, but her eyes were fixed on the official's face:
"You! You're the first man to see my feet!"

She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over the exquisitely furnished and fragrant bedroom. The curtains hung low, the bedding was soft, and the air was filled with her innate fragrance.
"He is... the first man to step into my house!"

"But I, Li Shishi!" Her voice suddenly rose, tinged with a barely perceptible sob, "I am not the lowly wretch others think me to be! I am not... not someone any man can enter my room!"

The word "despicable" burst from her cherry lips, carrying a self-destructive pain, but also a stubborn, unyielding spirit.

"Today I invite you in, sir. Please... look at my feet and come into my room," she said. Her previous toughness suddenly vanished, and the arrogance in her eyes was replaced by a pleading that was almost like begging for mercy.

She leaned forward slightly, her voice as low as a mosquito's hum, trembling uncontrollably.

"It's all because of... all because of that painting you painted, my lord! That painting... it captured the soul that even I couldn't see clearly... It... it's too heavy... it's making me... flustered and disoriented..."

A layer of mist quickly clouded her eyes, but she bit her lip hard to keep the tears from rolling down. She just stared fixedly at the man, her lips trembling. The last heartfelt words were squeezed out with her last breath, carrying a desperate plea:
"I don't ask for your high regard, I only ask... I only ask that you... please... please don't... look down on me, or mistreat me..."

The words "looked down on, treated badly" were tinged with a sob at the end, swirling softly in the warm, fragrant, and quiet boudoir where you could hear your own heartbeat, penetrating deep into people's hearts.

At this moment, she had shed all the allure of being the most famous courtesan in the capital, leaving her as a solitary woman. Holding her face, which was more precious than her life, she made her most vulnerable and desperate struggle before the man who had entered her most secret place.

The oversized men's coat wrapped tightly around her, becoming the only lifeline and fig leaf she could grasp at that moment.

The official sighed inwardly.

This feeling is understandable because, in everyone's eyes, reputation was something that Li Shishi valued even more, or rather, something that no longer existed.

Since he arrived here, he has never had the slightest thought of looking down on anyone! Not to mention the stunningly beautiful and charming Li, even the beggars on the street and those rolling in the mud, in his eyes, are nothing more than a handful of seeds randomly scattered by God, falling on fertile fields and barren lands, each struggling on its own.

He coldly observed the beautiful woman opposite him, his heart a jumble of emotions, like a general store in a jumbled mess. Thinking of the future, tsk tsk, it would probably be completely reversed!
If this Li Shishi were to be moved to that era, wouldn't she have become a superstar?

Countless fans would probably fight tooth and nail for a single scalped ticket!
It's a pity that he was born in the wrong era!

Thinking of this, the official sighed again, straightened his back, and said resolutely, his gaze burning brightly, "Absolutely not! It's just that this world is so corrupt and people's hearts are so unpredictable, that it has tarnished my innocence! If I had even the slightest intention to belittle Master Li..."

Before the official could finish speaking, his lips suddenly went soft, as if something soft had blocked his mouth.

Upon closer inspection, it turned out that in her haste, Li Shishi had pressed the warm, damp silk handkerchief she had been wringing in her hand against his lips without saying a word.

Li Shishi looked up at him. Her eyes, which were usually filled with autumn water and sparkling with light, were now shimmering with tears, the corners of her eyes slightly red, and a thin layer of mist swirled around them, showing that her heart was filled with turmoil.

However, in stark contrast to her tearful eyes were two delicate blushes that suddenly rose on her cheeks, like peach blossoms just beginning to bloom on branches in March, revealing a girl's shyness in her anxiety.

As if burned by her own bold action, she abruptly withdrew her slender fingers, quickly snatching the handkerchief back and clutching it tightly in her palm, her fingertips turning slightly white.

She lowered her eyes, unable to meet his burning gaze any longer. Her voice was low, trembling slightly, and she said softly, as if both reproachful and resentful, "I believe you, I believe you... Who... who wants to hear your vows..."

The last note fell lightly, as if carrying endless unspoken thoughts, or like a feather gently brushing against the heart.

The official was taken aback, thinking to himself, "Who's swearing an oath? I only meant to say, 'If I harbor even the slightest contempt for Master Li, that's simply the way things are.'"

Li Shishi looked at the official and was taken aback, thinking he was shy. She covered her mouth and chuckled softly, her voice like pearls falling on a jade plate, with a touch of languid charm.

She then pulled her coat tighter, pushed the lamp closer slightly, and, glancing sideways at the high-ranking official standing before her, said:
"My lord, your skill is truly remarkable! Such exquisite painting technique! These eyebrows, these expressions, it's as if they were copied directly from my face! I just looked in the mirror, and I'm not even as lifelike as you. You've truly brought it to life! No wonder people often say 'the finishing touch is the finishing touch,' my lord, your brushstrokes have truly brought my soul to life."

As she spoke, her slender fingertips, like scallion stalks, gently touched the eyebrows and eyes in the painting, while her almond-shaped eyes followed the flowing ink lines downwards, gliding over the empty lower half of the canvas, before suddenly pausing.

The smile on her face froze slightly. Her lips parted slightly, her pearly teeth biting together. After a long pause, she drew out a long, drawn-out sigh, "Alas... it's such a pity..."

Li Shishi held the drawing paper between her nail-painted fingers, revealing only her blank body, and waved it at the official, her eyes carrying a hint of reproach, resentment, and mischief:
"It's a pity... this body is just hanging here empty!"

The official laughed and said, "Now, will Chief Li believe it?"

“Everyone says to just call me Shishi,” Li Shishi interrupted with a reproachful look in her eyes.

She gently put down the drawing paper: "My lord, please don't blame me for being suspicious. Although my skill in painting is far inferior to my singing and dancing, I can still appreciate it to some extent!"

"Now, my lord, you can capture the charm and elegance in my eyes and brows with just a face and a pair of feet... Tsk tsk, your skill is truly extraordinary."

She paused, leaned forward slightly, and a sweet, warm fragrance wafted towards the man. Her voice was even lower, carrying a knowing understanding of the world: "Now I believe it... There must be quite a few 'soulmates' like me around you, my lord."

The official wanted to open the gold-flecked fan he had casually picked up, but found he hadn't brought it with him. He laughed and asked, "What makes you say that?"

Li Shishi covered her mouth and chuckled softly, continuing to speak with a hint of self-mockery and seemingly endless emotion: "I saw that the Master showed no panic or hesitation upon seeing me, even..."

She paused, blushing slightly, then changed the subject: "If one hadn't seen all the beauties of the world and possessed a profound understanding of nature, how could your brushstrokes have flowed so smoothly in the face of someone as beautiful as me?"

Her beautiful eyes darted around as she glanced at the blank canvas, then added leisurely, "As the saying goes, 'No needle, no thread; no root, no lotus.' The 'foundation' in your calligraphy and painting, sir, must be quite profound!"

After she finished speaking, she gracefully rose and gave the official a gentle curtsy, her waist as supple as a willow branch in March:
"Shishi was rude and offensive earlier. I hope that you will forgive me and not hold my limited knowledge against me."

Li Shishi lowered her head slightly, her fingertips unconsciously twisting the words she had just uttered, and said softly, "Today... it's getting late. If you don't mind, sir, could you stay a few more days? It would be best to... complete this painting." As soon as she spoke, the image of her body being painted involuntarily appeared in her mind: she was only wearing a crimson bodice embroidered with twin lotus blossoms, and a gossamer-thin veil was casually draped over her shoulders and arms, outlining her graceful curves.

Just now, in order to paint, she leaned against the soft couch, striking such a languid and helpless pose... As soon as this thought came to mind, it felt as if a feather had scratched her heart hard, and another wave of shyness surged up. The blush that had just faded from her cheeks suddenly burned up again, and even her ears felt hot.

Upon hearing this, Master Ximen shook his head: "I appreciate Miss Shishi's kindness. However... there are still mountains of affairs at home in Qinghe that urgently need to be dealt with. The business and the estate, every single one of them requires my attention. This delay is already too much, and I must set off first thing tomorrow morning."

"Leaving tomorrow?!" Li Shishi's heart sank suddenly, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, instantly extinguishing most of her romantic thoughts. The painting wasn't finished, but she was leaving... wouldn't all her efforts be wasted?
Just at this delicate stalemate—"Clang! Clang! Clang—!"

A sudden, sharp, chilling, and extremely penetrating gong sound ripped through the tranquil night sky outside the courtyard!

Immediately following was the sound of heavy, orderly footsteps approaching from afar, accompanied by the cold clang of clashing armor, and an authoritative shout: "Martial law in the capital! Streets cleared and roads closed! Everyone, return home immediately and do not go out! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

This sudden turn of events was like a thunderclap! Li Shishi and the official were both stunned. The previous romance and quarrel were instantly swept away by the murderous aura. The two looked at each other with surprise and doubt, and saw astonishment in each other's eyes.

"Thump, thump, thump..." hurried footsteps came from under the corridor. Xiao Tao, the personal maid, rushed in, panting, her face filled with panic.

"Miss! Something terrible has happened outside! A large number of soldiers have taken to the streets, saying they have been ordered to declare martial law and immediately close all the city gates, prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving! The streets are in chaos, everyone is terrified!"

Martial law? City lockdown? No entry or exit?

Li Shishi and the official stared at each other again, the air seeming to freeze for a moment. The official's face was full of astonishment and a hint of solemnity; clearly, this turn of events had completely disrupted his plans.

After the initial shock, Li Shishi looked at the official's helpless expression as his plans were interrupted, and a thought flashed through her mind like lightning.

"Pfft..." She couldn't hold back any longer. She covered her cherry lips with her slender hand, and a very soft laugh, filled with relief as if she had survived a disaster and mixed with a little slyness, escaped her lips like a jade bead falling onto a plate.

Her eyes, though brimming with emotion, held no trace of disappointment. Instead, they were shimmering with a gentle smile, a smile that seemed to understand the cruel twist of fate.

She looked up, her eyelashes fluttering, with a hint of coquettishness and mischief, at the still-stunned official, her voice filled with barely concealed ease and a touch of smugness: "It seems... the official may not be able to leave tomorrow."

An ambiguous atmosphere was brewing within the palace, creating a tense and oppressive atmosphere.

The atmosphere in the bedroom was so heavy that it seemed like you could wring water out of it, filled with the scent of ambergris mixed with the bitter smell of medicine.

On the dragon bed, Emperor Huizong lay on his back, his once dashing and debonair appearance completely gone.

His forehead and the top of his head were completely wrapped in layers of white silk, leaving only his tightly closed eyes and bloodless thin lips exposed. From a distance, he looked like a giant rice dumpling that had just been wrapped up.

Several elderly imperial physicians, their hair and beards white, knelt on the ground, their foreheads pressed against the cold gold bricks, barely daring to breathe. The only sounds in the hall were the Emperor's heavy, painful breathing and the occasional crackling of candlelight.

The palace doors swung open with a roar, and a strong, rich fragrance rushed in, like an invisible tide, instantly overwhelming all other scents within the palace.

Immediately afterwards, a blinding burst of bright yellow and golden red caught my eye—

Empress Zheng of the Great Song Dynasty arrived, and surrounded by a group of palace maids, she strode confidently into this desolate place.

Her appearance was like a bright moon suddenly rising, instantly illuminating the gloomy and desolate palace.

This Empress Zheng was the Emperor's third empress. She was plump and beautiful, and although she wore a bright red palace dress with gold embroidery on the phoenix, it could not conceal her voluptuous figure.

Although her waist was bound by a wide sash, it could not conceal her plump and rounded figure. As she walked, her large hips and buttocks swayed gracefully beneath the layers of her palace skirt.

She rushed to the emperor's bedside, her voice trembling with sobs, soft and sweet, enough to melt anyone's bones: "Your Majesty...Your Majesty! What's wrong? You're in so much pain!"

The urgency and heartache in that voice didn't seem fake!
But she called out twice and saw that the person hadn't woken up.

She turned around abruptly!
Her skin was as white as snow, with a thin, captivating blush. Her exquisitely painted phoenix eyes, slanted upwards towards her temples, were shimmering with water, their alluring charm captivating and mesmerizing, yet also carrying an air of regal authority.

He looked down at the kneeling imperial physicians with a cold gaze.

The Emperor had three Empresses:

The first Empress Xian Gong, née Wang, was the Emperor's first wife, a true childhood sweetheart. She was dignified and virtuous, and although she passed away at the young age of twenty-five, she gave birth to the current Crown Prince Zhao Huan.

The Crown Prince was Empress Wang's most important and unshakeable legacy in this deep palace.

The second Empress Mingda, née Liu, was only a Noble Consort during her lifetime, but she was the apple of the Emperor's eye.

Consort Liu was born a palace maid, but she was so beautiful that she was the most beautiful woman in the palace and was the most favored concubine. She gave birth to three sons and two daughters for the emperor. Among them, the most favored were Prince Yun, Zhao Kai, who was talented and romantic and resembled his father, and Princess Maode, Zhao Fujin, who was famous for her beauty.

However, this peerless beauty inexplicably hanged herself in the deep palace shortly after giving birth to her sixth daughter.

To the outside world, it was only said that he "hanged himself," but within the Forbidden City, who didn't know that behind that three-foot-long white silk ribbon, there must have been a bloody and life-or-death struggle in the palace?

Her death was an unhealable scar in the Emperor's heart, and became the most taboo subject in the deep palace.

This Lady Zheng is now the third empress.

She was originally a maidservant of Empress Dowager Xiang. The Empress Dowager bestowed her and another maidservant, Lady Wei, who is now Consort Wei, upon the Emperor.

She had once enjoyed great favor, rising step by step from a palace maid to the position of empress, her methods and scheming needless to say. However, her greatest worry was the emptiness of her fertility, as she had never borne the emperor a child.

In the deep palace where a mother's status depends on her son, without a prince by her side, even if she wears a phoenix crown, her position as empress is like being built on quicksand, and could collapse at any moment.

The former crown prince Zhao Huan was the son of Empress Wang, and behind Prince Yun Zhao Kai stood Consort Liu, who was still alive even after her death.

This same Consort Wei, who had once been a palace maid alongside the Empress Dowager, also gave birth to a son, Prince Kang, Zhao Gou.

Empress Zheng's exquisitely painted phoenix eyes were fixed on the man wrapped in white cloth, barely breathing, on the dragon bed. The candlelight in the palace flickered in her eyes, reflecting a bottomless pool.

hatred!
Overwhelming hatred, like a venomous snake, gnawed and writhed within her voluptuous body.

Why is she still childless? This official, lying in bed, knows the answer perfectly well.

I hate him for being so heartless and ungrateful! He was so deeply in love with that vile Liu, even posthumously bestowing upon her the title of Empress after her death, so that Zheng would forever live in the shadow of a dead woman!
But ironically, the one in this world who least wanted him to die was also Zheng Shi!

If anything were to happen to the Emperor... how would she, the childless Empress, cope?

"Imperial Physician!" Empress Zheng's phoenix eyes flashed with authority as she swept over the prostrate crowd. Her voluptuous body, clad in magnificent robes, appeared even more voluptuous with emotion. Her voice was deep, magnetic, yet terrifying, a stark contrast to her earlier coquettish tone towards the Emperor.
"How is His Majesty's health? When will he wake up? If there is even the slightest mishap, you will all be punished."

Before the threatening words could be uttered, the frost instantly covering her beautiful, peach-blossom-like face and the sharp killing intent in her eyes caused the temperature in the hall to plummet.

The Imperial Physician, an elderly man with white hair and beard, trembled like an autumn leaf in the wind. His forehead pressed tightly against the gold brick, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with the fear of impending death, as he reported:
"Your Majesty the Empress... His Majesty's body was... struck hard on the forehead by a sharp, heavy object..."

He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing: "This is a crucial point for the sun. Although the skull... although it is not shattered, there may be blood stasis inside the skull that is obstructing the clear yang energy!"

"His Majesty is currently delirious... his breath is hanging by a thread... if he can wake up tomorrow, he will be fine... otherwise..."

He abruptly closed his eyes and, with all his might, squeezed out that despairing word: "As precarious as a pile of eggs!"

"As precarious as... a pile of... eggs?" Empress Zheng repeated, each word deliberate, her voice as soft as a feather's whisper, yet carrying the chilling force of a steel knife scraping the bone.
"No matter what method you use! As long as the Emperor remains unconscious, you—will kneel here and keep him alive with your lives! Do you understand?!"

The imperial physicians all agreed, trembling with fear.

"Issue my imperial decree to the Secretariat and Chancellery!" Empress Zheng's voice was as cold as ice.
"Immediately, martial law will be imposed on the entire city of Bianliang, the capital of Tokyo!"

"The nine gates are locked, and the heavy gates are lowered! Without my imperial decree, not even princes, dukes, ministers, or high-ranking officials can step out of the city! Anyone who trespasses will be killed without mercy!"

"All wards, markets, and streets will be taken over by the Palace Guard and Imperial City Guard troops! The curfew will be brought forward. Anyone who dares to step out of their home after sunset will be considered a traitor and executed on the spot!"

A cruel smile curved her full lips, and her phoenix eyes flashed with icy light. "Kill them all! Exterminate their entire family!"

"The Privy Council is hereby ordered to immediately issue a decree to all garrisons in the capital region, forbidding them from moving a single soldier without imperial authorization! Anyone who disobeys will be punished for treason!"

"Martial law will be temporarily suspended for one day and one night! We will wait until the Emperor awakens!"

She finished speaking in one breath, and the hall fell into a deathly silence, with only her majestic and cold voice echoing.

In recent years, the Emperor has indulged in pleasure, and many important documents and memorials have been reviewed and issued by this Empress!
She has acted on behalf of the government, using official seals and conveying oral edicts countless times!

The commander of the Palace Guard and the chief of the Inner Palace exchanged a glance and then left to relay the order!

(End of this chapter)