Ji Yujin, who was pushed away, was not annoyed. He looked up at him with a smile and responded slowly, “En? What’s wrong? Didn’t you say you liked me?”
Huh? When did he say that?!
Their eyes met, and Ji Yujin looked at him fiercely with clear eyes, revealing a sense of cruelty. Chu Fengqing was slightly startled and slowly put away his previous emotions, lowered his eyes, and followed his words: “I’m shy.”
He really didn’t expect that an eunuch liked to be so fresh with women…
Chu Fengqing whispered, “It’s still daytime, and it’s even outside.”
Ji Yujin let out an “Oh” and said, “What’s there to be shy about? Too thin-skinned. So that means we can do it in the bedroom at night?”
Chu Fengqing: “……”
Seeing that he was choking on words, Ji Yujin ‘haha’ twice. Why didn’t he know before that teasing people could be so much fun, especially teasing those who had ulterior motives?
Chu Fengqing pursed his lips and ignored him, looking out, secretly scolding in his heart, “Dog Ji.”
The wheels of the carriage made noises as they pressed against the road, and the temperature in the carriage made people feel drowsy. Chu Fengqing caught a cold last night, and it wasn’t serious at first. Just now, he had been involved in the assassination and dodging the carriage, and his clothes were soaked by the snow, he didn’t even change a single piece of them as well and just endured it. Now his cold was obviously worse.
He felt dizzy, sore, and weak, and his originally pale lips now had a burning red color, which matched the red dress very well.
Chu Fengqing himself is a physician, and he understands his current situation very well. Given his physical condition, if he doesn’t take medicine, this minor illness will turn into a serious one. If his coughing triggers his asthma, he will have a hard time getting through the winter.
But… he glanced at Ji Yujin.
Let’s talk about it when they get back.
The road to the palace was not very long, but it was difficult to ride a horse in the snow, which caused it to take a little longer.
The eunuch waiting at the west gate was obviously stunned when he saw their clothes. He looked at Chu Fengqing quietly and saluted them, “Governor, Madam.”
Chu Fengqing stood straight with an extraordinary temperament and nodded slightly.
That eunuch was startled again, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, and he lowered his head even lower.
Ji Yujin made a “tsk” sound. “Do you still want your eyeballs? Lead the way.”
“Yes, yes, yes.” The eunuch was so frightened that he huddled up in a ball and hurried forward. “Please follow the servant.”
The two followed the eunuch to a palace. Ji Yujin was obviously familiar with the royal palace and knew every place inside. Along the way, whether it was the palace maids or eunuchs, they all bowed to him respectfully when they saw him, and they were all very scared as well.
Chu Fengqing lowered his eyes. There were still a few drops of human blood on Ji Yujin’s black boots, but he didn’t care at all.
As soon as they entered the palace, it was like a completely different world. A sweet smell hit his nose. He didn’t know if it was because of his asthma, but Chu Fengqing had been particularly sensitive to smells since he was a child, so he stayed away from things with strong smells. Fortunately, Ji Yujin didn’t use small items like sachets.
“Why did you two come so late? You made His Majesty wait for you for so long.” The woman’s voice and smell were both as sweet as honey.
Chu Fengqing raised his eyes and saw that the person in the middle, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, was the emperor. He grew up in Jiangnan, so he had never seen the emperor. The emperor’s hair and beard were all white, and his slightly cloudy eyes looked at people with a certain degree of oppression. He was not a kind old man.
The woman who was speaking was graceful and elegant, and she was truly a stunning beauty.
In addition to the woman who was talking, there were some seats in the lobby where many women sat. Some were simple and elegant, and some were gorgeous. At first glance, he could tell that they were all beauties. Chu Fengqing took a quick glance and then looked away. He thought these should all be concubines in the harem.
Ji Yujin: “Answer Guifei1The second highest-ranking imperial concubine., we ran into some trouble on the way, and it took some time to resolve it.”
He didn’t seem to be very respectful in front of the emperor, but fortunately, the emperor didn’t blame him. He said in a loud voice, “It’s fine. It’s normal to get up late after the wedding night. Hahaha.”
“Your Majesty, what are you talking about?” Li Guifei spoke to the emperor in a stern tone and soon turned her attention to Chu Fengqing. “Everyone knows that the new wife of Eunuch Ji is the capital’s first beauty. Bengong2Bengong is a first-person pronoun meaning I, used by the empress, princess with a formal title, or a high-ranking consort when speaking to a person or an audience of lower rank or status.has never seen this sister and is very curious. That’s why Bengong asked Your Majesty to come and see what kind of beauty she is. Later, Bengong thought that it was better to share happiness with others than to enjoy it alone, so Bengong also asked the sisters in the palace to come and have a look as well.”
She glanced at Ji Yujin and said with a smile, “Does the Governor mind?”
Ji Yujin raised his eyes and glanced at the imperial concubine. He did not speak for a long time. When the imperial concubine was about to lose her smile, he slowly said, “Of course, mind.”
After entering the palace, Ji Yujin blocked him behind him, intentionally or unintentionally. He curled his lips and said, “This servant’s wife is not a monkey. Can she still be used for viewing? Or does Niangniang3Niangniang could be translated as Your Majesty or Your Highness based on the status, it was used to address the empress or imperial concubine.think that I am also a monkey?”
Li Guifei’s complexions changed, and the hall fell silent in an instant.
“Bengong didn’t mean that.”
Ji Yujin: “Then what does Guifei mean?”
Everyone looked at Li Guifei. She could no longer hold back her pride. Her face turned red as she shouted, “Ji Yujin, you are presumption! How dare you act so rudely in front of Bengong!”
Ji Yujin did not speak this time, but instead bowed to the emperor.
The emperor frowned, and when both sides were quiet, he spoke: “Enough, stop making trouble. Ji Qing4Qing here refers to the minister. It’s how the emperor addresses his minister., Zhen5I, used by the emperor.did promise Li’er about this matter today, so don’t be so aggressive.”
Ji Yujin: “Yes, Your Majesty.”
Chu Fengqing glanced at Ji Yujin’s back. Although he called himself “servant” all the time, but he didn’t act like a servant at all in this hall. Instead… he looked more like a master than Li Guifei.
He openly refused to give Li Guifei a way out, but when it came to the person beside him, the emperor clearly sided with Ji Yujin… Chu Fengqing pursed his lips. Everyone said that Ji Yujin was all-powerful and had special powers granted by the emperor, but this was a bit too much. It always felt a bit weird, but it was hard to tell what was weird about it.
The emperor’s words warmed up the atmosphere in the hall. He smiled and said, “What? Why haven’t you moved aside? Is your wife so precious? You can’t even let Zhen look at her?”
“The servant dares not.” Ji Yujin then stepped aside.
Chu Fengqing raised his head and looked at the two people above the hall. They were dressed in red and had an indescribable charm. He bowed to everyone in the hall.
The old emperor’s cloudy eyes lit up, and he nodded. “Beautiful! She is indeed beautiful. Zhen has three thousand beauties in his harem, but Zhen can’t find one that can compare to her.”
If the imperial concubines are beauties picked out of a million, then Chu Fengqing is one in a million.
The old emperor stroked his gray beard and said, “It is hard to imagine that there is such beauty in the world. Even a painter cannot paint half of this beauty.”
Guifei’s face immediately darkened several shades, and she sat up straighter, staring at Chu Fengqing. Before Chu Fengqing came, she thought, How beautiful can she be? Perhaps it was just an exaggeration by the outside world. After seeing her, she realized that with some people, even if they do nothing, they will make you lose completely just by standing in front of you.
Ji Yujin’s face darkened slightly, and he subconsciously took another step forward to block Chu Fengqing.
Chu Fengqing frowned and replied, “Your Majesty is too kind.”
Guifei suddenly smiled again, and her face softened instantly. She looked at the marks on Chu Fengqing’s neck and chin and smiled. “Look, it seems that the Governor is very satisfied with this wife. Don’t blame me for specially asking His Majesty to grant you a marriage. Does Young Lady Chu like this marriage?”
No matter how beautiful she is, she still becomes a eunuch’s concubine.
Chu Fengqing looked up suddenly. Was it she who asked the emperor to grant the marriage?
He glanced at her and quickly retracted his gaze, saying, “Of course I like it. The Governor is handsome and talented, and it would be a blessing for me to marry him.”
He can’t let him lose face in public. People will say that he is petty, and he will definitely feel bad if that happens.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yujin glanced at Chu Fengqing and thought to himself, This person has no shame at all, she openly expressing her love in public. She is so shameless.
Li Guifei did not take his words seriously. Who would be glad to marry an eunuch? It was probably just a polite remark. Everyone in the hall thought similarly. Only Ji Yujin took it seriously.
What followed was a barrage of compliments, with some praising Ji Yujin for being so lucky and others praising Chu Fengqing for being beautiful. The emperor even gave him a bunch of things.
The emperor and Ji Yujin seemed to have important matters to discuss, so they only stayed for a while before going to the study to discuss other things.
When Ji Yujin left, he glanced at Chu Fengqing and said, “I’ll be back soon.”
Chu Fengqing felt a little puzzled. Why would this person give him instructions again? But he still nodded.
After Ji Yujin left, he realized how bad his choice was. The women in the room were staring at him as if they were staring at something, and only a few of them looked kind. Although he was dressed as a woman now, he was still a man after all, and it was not polite for him to stay here.
He could only find an excuse to leave the hall.
The air outside was much fresher than inside. He exhaled a breath of foul air and finally didn’t feel suffocated anymore. However, it was much colder outside than inside, so he wrapped his cloak tighter before going out. He had never been to the palace and was not familiar with it at all. He didn’t even know where to wait for Ji Yujin. Anyway, he would never go back to that palace.
He was standing in the wind now, and soon he couldn’t stand it anymore. He walked along the path. His mind was full of what happened just now. It was Li Guifei who asked the emperor for his sister’s marriage. What was she trying to do? Was it intentional or unintentional? Or was there someone behind directing her?
Now everything seemed like a tangled mess—a tightly tangled mess that he couldn’t make any sense of.
After a while, his brain became even duller. The alternation of hot and cold, and the stimulation of the sweet taste, made his head feel groggy. He knew without taking his pulse that his cold had worsened. He found a corner sheltered from the wind and leaned against the wall.
“Who is that? Is she a palace maid from some palace?”
“How could a palace maid dress like that?”
“Let’s go and take a look.”
When Chu Fengqing heard the sound, two pairs of black official boots have already appeared in front of him.
The Seventh Prince stroked his chin and looked at him intently, his eyes twinkling. “Which palace are you from? Or is it Niangniang of some palace?”
Chu Fengqing looked at people with extremely cold eyes. The Seventh Prince was slightly stunned and smiled: “You look at me like this, do you know who I am?”
The Crown Prince stood there, looking down at him. Although half of Chu Fengqing’s face was blocked by the Seventh Prince, he could still see the fingerprints on his chin at a glance. Then he looked down at the bright red skirt and turned his head away in disgust. “Shunzi, go check which palace this person belongs to. She is desecrating the harem in broad daylight.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Chu Fengqing: “……”
He just wanted to take a break, how could he be charged with such a serious crime?
“Wait.” The Seventh Prince laughed awkwardly. “Brother, why don’t you go first? Imperial Father wants to discuss something important with you, right? I’ll take care of this.”
The Crown Prince frowned and laughed sarcastically. “You want even the most withered and fallen willows. You are really not picky, Seventh Brother.”
At this point, Chu Fengqing probably understood their identities. Only the princes could be called His Highness.
He opened his mouth and was about to explain his identity when a slightly gentle voice came. “Seventh Brother, stop making trouble. Don’t be late for Imperial Father’s summons.”
The Seventh Prince had red lips and white teeth and looked like a girl. He curled his lips regretfully after hearing what that person said and stood up, obediently said, “Yes, Second Imperial Brother.”
Second Imperial Brother… Second Prince? Zhao Yiyu?
The Seventh Prince revealed his face after he stood up. Chu Fengqing looked at Zhao Yiyu, who was also looking at him. When he saw him, Zhao Yiyu’s eyes deepened a little but soon recovered. He chuckled and nodded at Chu Fengqing very kindly.
Chu Fengqing, however, couldn’t smile at all. His sister was actually engaged to the second prince, Zhao Yiyu. If nothing unexpected happens, they should be married this year.
But after the Chu family encountered trouble, this marriage was in name only. Later, Chu Yinyin was married to Ji Yujin, and their engagement was cancelled.
Now that he suddenly sees him, it is impossible not to be angry. Seeing someone who betrayed his sister, he really wanted to go over and beat him up.
The Seventh Prince Zhao Lin narrowed his eyes and said, “Beauty, why are you staring at my Second Brother? Do you know him?”
Chu Feng had a cold face and said, “I don’t know.”
The Crown Prince was impatient. “What are you all still wasting time on? Isn’t it filthy for you all to stand here and blow in the cold wind over a withered flower? Let’s go.”
Zhao Lin bit his lip, feeling a little reluctant. It was rare for him to find a beauty whose looks were so to his liking. He would regret it so much if he missed her.
He thought for a moment, then instructed his eunuch, “Find out her background. As long as she is not my father’s concubine, send her to my palace.”
As he spoke, he extended his hand toward Chu Fengqing. Chu Fengqing frowned and put his fingers on the silver needle on his cuff. As long as he stretched his hand a little closer…
As soon as Zhao Lin finished speaking, a voice came from the side: “Where is your Highness the Seventh Prince going to send the servant’s wife?”
