Palace maid Shuoning

(Up)

Jiang Shuoning lowered his head, bent his waist even more, and spoke in a calm and unhurried voice:

"Your Majesty, the Empress said that since the Dragon Boat Festival banquet is a family feast, the young masters should also come and join in the festivities. Now that the Empress is pregnant, it is a rare occasion for the palace to have such a joyous event. This is a good opportunity to let all the palaces share in the joy, and it is also to accumulate blessings for the newborn child."

The Emperor gazed at her intently, his fingertips tapping lightly twice on the low table. "Raise your head. Are you afraid of me?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuoning's back stiffened slightly, and his hands, which were clasped in front of his lower abdomen, tightened involuntarily.

Immediately, she slowly raised her eyes, meeting the Emperor's deep gaze, before lowering them again in an instant.

"The Emperor is the heavens, and I am but mud. Separated by nine layers of clouds, I dare not look directly at His face."

After hearing this, the Emperor's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, as if he were weighing the words "heaven" and "mud" in his mind.

He suddenly smiled and slowly said, "Mud? I don't think so."

As he spoke, he tapped his fingertips lightly on the roster, his tone carrying a hint of ambiguous warmth:

"There are so many beautiful flowers in this palace, it doesn't matter if one or two more appear. It's the soil, on the other hand. What you can grow depends on how much care the person who planted it puts in."

After speaking, the Emperor looked up at her, but seemed to leave a blank space at the end of his sentence.

Jiang Shuo lowered his head even further, his heart pounding.

Consort Rong's earlier words, "Although you have no feelings for the Emperor, it doesn't mean the Emperor has no feelings for you," suddenly came to mind, making him feel extremely uncomfortable.

Her palms were damp with a fine layer of sweat. Noticing the Emperor's gaze still fixed on her, her heart tightened, and she said in a flustered voice:

"Your Majesty, this servant will take her leave now, as she must return to serve Her Majesty."

The emperor glanced at the scorching sun outside the window, then picked up the booklet on the low table and began to read it again.

As if he hadn't heard her, his fingertips traced the pages of the paper, unhurriedly.

Jiang Shuoning glanced at the Emperor furtively. Seeing that he remained silent, she felt increasingly uneasy, as if she were suspended in mid-air, unable to go up or down.

The only sound in the hall was the soft rustling of paper turning, one after another, as if measuring how long each moment she stood was.

Just then, Feng Xi and Bao Zhong walked in one after the other.

"Your Majesty, the Empress has sent word that lunch has been prepared and she invites Your Majesty to dine there."

As Feng Xi spoke, he glanced at Jiang Shuoning beside him, then bent down to look at the Emperor, waiting for a response.

The Emperor then put down the book in his hand, not immediately responding to Feng Xi's words, but instead looking up at Jiang Shuoning:

"I have read the booklet; it is very detailed. Consort Rong is currently pregnant and should not overwork herself, so you will be in charge of overseeing the Dragon Boat Festival banquet. I will need to take a closer look at the program later."

Jiang Shuoning lowered his eyes and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty." But his heart sank.

The Emperor's words just now were all aimed at her. He had given all his instructions, but he wouldn't let her leave, leaving her stranded here in a dilemma.

I felt like the string in my heart was stretched to its limit, and even my breathing became very light and shallow.

The Emperor then turned his gaze to Feng Xi, his tone becoming somewhat indifferent: "Tell the Empress that I will not be going today. Tell her not to wait."

After saying that, he looked at Baozhong and said, "Serve the meal."

(under)

As evening fell, Jiang Shuoning finally emerged from the Hall of Mental Cultivation. He had been standing for a whole day, and his back was about to break.

Clutching the booklet tightly in her hand and supporting her back, she walked down the steps one by one.

"Miss Shuoning." Feng Xi called out to her from behind as he came out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Jiang Shuoning paused, turned around, and smiled gently: "Chief Steward Feng, does His Majesty have any further instructions?"

Feng Xi's face wrinkled as he strolled up the steps, stopped two steps away, and smiled.

"We extend our congratulations to Consort Rong. Please convey our regards to her, Miss Shuoning."

Jiang Shuoning nodded slightly, about to speak, when Feng Xi added:

"His Majesty said that Miss Shuoning will come again tomorrow to report on Consort Rong's health three times a day, morning, noon and night."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Shuoning's heart skipped a beat, his fingertips twitched slightly inside his sleeve, but the smile on his face remained, and his voice was as steady as ever:

"I understand, Steward Feng, please convey my message."

After saying that, she turned around, her knuckles, which were gripping the booklet, turning slightly white.

The steps stretched out beneath her feet, and the twilight pressed down heavily. She walked more slowly than before, as if each step carried some weight.

Only when Feng Xi's footsteps faded into the distance did she let out a soft breath, her brows furrowing repeatedly.

Tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, every day will be like this.

The Emperor is clearly deliberately tormenting her.

She pursed her lips, tucked the booklet tighter into her bosom, and walked forward without looking back.

The Imperial Garden was filled with the chirping of cicadas and the fragrance of flowers. The setting sun hung low, its rays filtering through the leaves of the locust trees and dappling the ground like scattered gold.

As they passed the artificial hill, Bao Zhong called her name softly, and Jiang Shuoning turned to look.

Deep within the artificial hill, Bao Zhong leaned against the stone wall, watching Jiang Shuoning tilt his head back and pour water.

Her neck was fair and long, the upward curve of which was both beautiful and graceful. Glistening water slid down her chin, leaving a thin mark on her still-wet skin before slipping into her collar.

A few strands of wet hair clung to the side of her neck, swaying gently in the breeze.

Bao Zhong lowered his eyes and looked away, but his Adam's apple still bobbed as he cleared his throat: "Standing all day?"

Jiang Shuoning put down the kettle, nodded, then casually wiped his mouth with his sleeve before bending down to open the food box at his feet.

Inside, two small dishes were neatly arranged: one of stir-fried asparagus, bright green and glistening with oil; and the other of braised chicken with scallion oil, tender and fragrant with scallions. Next to it was a bowl of white rice, still steaming hot.

She paused for a moment, glanced at him, said nothing, only lowered her eyes, picked up her rice bowl, took a mouthful of rice, chewed twice, and then muttered:

"His Majesty instructs me to report to him on the Empress's condition every morning, noon, and evening, starting tomorrow."

Bao Zhong leaned against the stone wall, his gaze sliding over her drooping eyelashes, a slight smile playing on his lips: "Do you know why?"

Jiang Shuoning paused, picking up food with his chopsticks, and looked up at him.

Bao Zhong didn't reply, but only glanced at the deepening twilight outside the artificial hill, then changed the subject:

"Shuoning, you specifically listed the princes and princesses on the roster. Was it so that Consort Chong's daughter could make an appearance?"

Jiang Shuoning slowly swallowed the food in his mouth and put down his chopsticks:

"Hmm. Song Zhang's records were burned, but what we pushed last night might not be wrong. If he was really castrated later, then the person who did it back then must be related to Consort Chong."

As she spoke, she looked up at Baozhong, her voice low and steady:

"Although Consort Chong has lost power, her daughter has not been affected. Consort Chong knows we are investigating her, but she doesn't know how far we've gotten. Since she's good at underhanded tactics, this time we'll be open about it."

Let her daughter make an appearance at the Dragon Boat Festival banquet, forcing her from the shadows into the light. The more confused she is about our intentions, the more flustered she'll become; and the more flustered she is, the more likely she is to make a mistake.

Upon hearing this, Bao Zhong's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before he whispered, "You're forcing her to lose her composure."

Jiang Shuoning lowered his eyes, picked up his rice bowl again, and said in a flat tone, "It's not about forcing her, it's about giving her a chance to make a mistake."

Bao Zhong paused for a moment, then stepped forward to her, slowly squatted down, took out a blue handkerchief from his sleeve, and wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth.

A faint scent of agarwood wafted over; his movements were gentle, and his voice was soft.

"Shuoning, from now on, try to be as clumsy as possible in front of the Emperor. Those who are too clever don't last long in the Emperor's presence. Do you understand?"