Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

Grain Rain. This morning at the imperial court, news arrived that Li Shiying had captured Jiangling City.

That was a place the emperor had always wanted to take over. After three years of fighting, it was finally captured by Li Shiying.

The entire court was in an uproar, and the emperor was overjoyed. He immediately issued an edict, promoting Li Shiying to the title of Marquis of Jingjiang, granting him the title of General Who Conquers the South, and bestowing upon him a thousand taels of gold.

Yihua Palace.

Jiang Shuoning placed a cup of plum juice gently on the low table next to the chaise lounge: "Your Majesty, this was just made in the kitchen."

After the Qingming Festival, although the Emperor did not explicitly say that the ban would be lifted, he casually remarked, "Why has Consort Rong become so thin?" Everyone with discerning eyes understood what he meant.

The small kitchen was lit again, just like before, and the guards at the door were gone.

Consort Rong leaned back in her chaise longue, took the cup of plum juice, but didn't drink it. She simply held it in her hand and turned it around, watching the pale red liquid sway gently in the cup.

"This Yihua Palace finally feels like a place where people live again."

She took a sip, the sweet and sour taste melting on her tongue, as if she were swallowing the long rain of Qingming Festival along with it.

Are you feeling better?

Just as Jiang Shuoning was about to speak, a burst of laughter came from the palace gate. Immediately, the palace maids and eunuchs knelt down and said in unison, "Greetings, Your Majesty."

The Emperor was delighted and raised his hand, saying, "Rise, all of you."

The palace maids and eunuchs expressed their gratitude in unison.

Consort Rong came out of the palace, walked down the steps, and curtsied to the Emperor: "Your Majesty, this concubine greets you."

The Emperor strode forward, reached out and took her hand, and laughed loudly:

"Rong'er, your father has lived up to my expectations. Today he has captured Jiangling for me, a place I have longed for for many years."

Consort Rong was slightly taken aback, then her red lips curved into a smile: "It is my blessing that Father can share the Emperor's burdens, and it is also my blessing."

The Emperor held her hand tightly: "Come, let's go inside and talk."

After saying that, he pulled Consort Rong towards the palace. When he passed by Jiang Shuoning, his gaze lingered on her face for a moment, like a breeze across water, before quickly moving away.

Bao Zhong walked behind, and as he passed Jiang Shuoning, he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you feeling much better?"

Jiang Shuoning lowered her head slightly: "Thank you for your concern, Eunuch. I am fine."

Xia He approached Bao Zhong at some point, coming to his side, her voice tinged with shyness:

"Eunuch Baozhong's purple attire today really suits you."

Jiang Shuoning looked up at Xia He, whose cheeks were slightly flushed and whose gaze was fixed on Bao Zhong.

It was permissible for palace maids and eunuchs to have meals together in the palace. Bao Zhong was handsome and served the emperor, so Xia He was not the only palace maid who had designs on him.

Upon hearing this, Bao Zhong wore a polite smile.

"Miss Xiahe looks beautiful in her emerald green dress; she's even more vibrant than the willow branches in spring."

After speaking, she turned and went into the hall. Her sleeve lightly brushed against the back of Jiang Shuoning's hands, which were folded over his lower abdomen. The scent of agarwood was like an invisible trace, brushing past and then dissipating.

Jiang Shuoning kept his eyes down, neither moving nor turning around.

Xia He's face flushed red instantly, and she tugged at Jiang Shuoning's sleeve: "Sister Shuoning, did you hear that? Eunuch Baozhong praised me!"

Jiang Shuo smiled faintly, did not reply, and turned to walk into the hall.

Xia He was still standing there, overjoyed and at a loss for words. Feng Chun passed by and glanced at her:

"Since you like him so much, why don't you ask the Empress for a favor and betroth yourself to Eunuch Baozhong?"

Xia He glared at him: "Mind your own business!" After saying that, she covered her burning cheeks with her hands, turned around and ran towards the backyard, her steps light and quick.

Feng Chun watched her retreating figure and couldn't help but chuckle softly, "To actually like a eunuch, how pathetic."

He shook his head and turned to leave. The sunlight shone brightly on the courtyard, the wind rustled through the crabapple leaves, then fell silent again.

(under)

Inside the hall, Jiang Shuoning gently placed the teacup on the low table beside the emperor.

The Emperor noticed the cup of plum drink, sat cross-legged, pointed at it, and said, "Give me one too."

Jiang Shuoning lowered his head, replied "Yes," and withdrew.

The Emperor smiled and looked at Consort Rong: "I still miss the small kitchen in your palace the most."

Consort Rong smiled slightly: "If Your Majesty misses me, please come and visit often. Just don't get angry again and remove my small kitchen."

The Emperor reached over the low table, grasped Consort Rong's hand, and gazed at her face:

"Let bygones be bygones. I promise you, I will no longer confine you to your quarters. You will always be in my heart."

Consort Rong lowered her eyes to look at his hand, then gently placed her other hand over it, her voice calm and unhurried:

"Your Majesty is always saying such things to coax me. If you truly care for me, why did you appoint a palace maid as a concubine when I was under house arrest? You should have chosen one from my own palace; I would have been happy to do so."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Shuoning walked in carrying a bottle of Su Mei drink and gently placed it on the low table.

The Emperor's smile remained undiminished. Looking at Consort Rong's seemingly reproachful expression, he didn't even glance at Jiang Shuoning, but immediately pointed at her: "Then let it be her. I will take her. Are you willing?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuoning knelt on the ground, his voice steady:

"Your Majesty, please don't make fun of me."

Bao Zhong stood to one side, his hand suddenly clenching tightly in his sleeve, without showing any sign of it on his face.

Consort Rong smiled and glanced at Jiang Shuoning: "Shuoning, it's your good fortune that the Emperor has taken a liking to you, and it's also my good fortune. Aren't you going to thank him?"

Jiang Shuoning lay prostrate on the ground, his heart pounding. This was the moment to thwart the Emperor's plans and to completely lower Consort Rong's guard.

After a moment of silence, she slowly raised her eyes to look at the Emperor, her gaze unwavering, her voice neither humble nor arrogant:

"Your Majesty, this servant is unwilling. This servant has sworn to Heaven that in this life I will only serve Your Highness and will never marry. If I break this oath, may my intestines be torn apart and I die a terrible death, falling into the Avici Hell after death, never to be reborn, my soul scattered and never to be reincarnated."

The hall fell silent. The steam from the cup of plum wine still lingered in the air, like a sentence cut off mid-air.

Upon hearing this, Bao Zhong felt as if something had gripped his heart tightly. He closed his eyes, his Adam's apple bobbing as he forcefully suppressed the bitter taste in his mouth.

Consort Rong paused slightly in her teacup and looked up at her.

That glance contained surprise, scrutiny, and a hint of complexity she hadn't anticipated.

It was as if no one expected Jiang Shuoning to make such a vicious oath in public.

The Emperor's smile froze on his lips as his gaze fell on Jiang Shuoning's resolute face, his voice lower than before:

"Jiang Shuoning, I was merely joking with Consort Rong, why are you making such a solemn oath?"

Jiang Shuoning kowtowed three times, then looked up at the Emperor, his gaze unwavering.

"Your Majesty, I know I am not a blessed person, and I have never dared to have any improper thoughts. I only wish to serve Your Highness peacefully. Please, Your Majesty, do not play such a joke on me."

She spoke earnestly, but her eyes were too clear, as clear as a bottomless pool of water.

The Emperor looked at her, the faint smile in his eyes not fading, but lingering for a moment at the corner of his mouth, like the wind blowing across a lake, the ripples just beginning to spread, but the undercurrent at the bottom of the lake had already stirred.

He didn't respond, but simply picked up the now-cold plum drink, took a sip, put it down, and then slowly turned to Consort Rong, his tone as usual:

"Rong'er, you should move around more in the Empress's palace and interact more with the other palace ladies. You've been confined for so long, and everyone in the palace has been thinking of you. Now that you're out, you should go to the places you should go."

Consort Rong glanced at Jiang Shuoning, who was still kneeling on the ground, then smiled faintly at the Emperor, her voice unhurried:

"That's what I think too."

Jiang Shuoning remained lying on the ground, his forehead pressed against the blue brick, without raising his head.

But she knew in her heart that what she had just said might not have been entirely loyal in the eyes of the Emperor; perhaps it also had a hint of playing hard to get.

But she didn't care. She was telling the truth, and the vows she made were true.