A/NÂ Chapter was almost 4k so *ahem* i chopped it~
"Empress Dowager!" Xiu Ying bowed lowly, elegantly taking a seat in the chair to the Dowager's right.
"A-ying, what's the matter?" The Empress Dowager picked up the teacup by her wrist and calmly took a sip. Although she called Xiu Ying so intimately, it was, after all, a sort of formality. Having been the head of the harem for two eras, she was naturally practiced in keeping a balance between the various noble families involved in the inner court. As long as they didn't try to cause big trouble or undermine her authority, she was quite lenient. Just that the king refused to do more than cordially greet them every so often.
"Your majesty is so intelligent, I'm sure you've heard some things," Xiu Ying said vaguely. Which woman didn't gossip in the palace? Knowledge was power and gossip and rumours meant staying on top of things. However all these things were acknowledged in private; saying it outright was simply uncouth!
"Hmp! Are you referring to the king's disinterest in you?" Xiu Ying's delicate actions paused and she flushed in shame, a mixture of indignation and anger rising on her face. "These things can only be handled by one's capabilities," The Dowager continued. Xiu Ying's fingers clenched, fighting to keep the sneer off her face from the indirect jab. This lousy old woman! She coughed meekly instead.
"It's not this..." She paused slyly. "I've just heard some unpleasant rumours that the king...seems to be close to his guard." She let the words hang in the air. The Dowager paused, but still did not comment. Xiu Ying continued uncertainly, "Isn't it improper?"
"What's there to worry about?" The Dowager cast a discerning eye in her direction. "His guard is not a young maiden." Xiu Ying grit her teeth.
"Your majesty...I'm sure you understand..."
The Dowager finally put down her teacup. Of course she understood. She'd heard the rumours after all. But which ruler didn't have special...hobbies? "Hmph, talking about the king's affairs? Aren't you the improper one here?" Xiu Ying could clearly see her contemptuous gaze. This hypocrite! She was clearly making it hard for her. But the Dowager was far above her station so she could only grit her teeth and put on a false smile.
"Xiu Ying sees the error of her ways. Thank you, Empress Dowager, for these this humble consort." The Dowager turned her gaze away, picking up the teacup once again.
"Aiya...maybe I should go to the temple to pray more often. Maybe the king will be blessed with an heir soon." Her meaning: 'Instead of fussing about this, shouldn't you be trying to get pregnant?!' Xiu Ying's teeth were about to be ground into dust. She'd come to the Dowager hoping that she could get help in getting that guard kicked out or removed, but instead, this old woman turned a blind eye and even highlighted her own failures in return! This was like picking up a stone only to drop it on your own foot!
"Your majesty-"
"Li Hong, I'm tired now, take me to rest." The old maid beside the Dowager helped her up. Another scurried to Xiu Ying's side.
"This way, Noble Consort." The old woman was kicking her out! Just you wait! Sparing another evil glance at the Dowager's receding back, she left the exquisite palace in a huff.
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"Who does he think he is? That sly beggar, ugh!" Xiu Ying kicked a stone in a very unlady-like fashion. Her maid beside her was frantically scanning the garden's surroundings, hurriedly trying to get her mistress to lower her voice.
"My lady, please lower your volume."
"What? Are you trying to order me around too?!" Xiu Ying raised her hand, slapping the maid's fair little cheek.
"Ah!" The maid fell to the ground, clutching Xiu Ying's skirt. "Nubi was wrong, please punish nubi! But, my lady, it's not good to talk so loud. T-the palace has ears...ears everywhere," She sobbed.
"Ugh! He's a mere guard, so what?"
"My lady..." She hurriedly tugged at her skirt.
"Climbing into the king's bed...disgusting!" Vulgar words kept pouring out of her mouth and her maid almost started crying tears of blood.
"M-my lady..."
"What is it?"
"Your highness," The maid prostrated on the ground in terror.
Xiu Ying turned with contempt, freezing as her eyes landed on the figure approaching her entourage.
"Noble Consort Xiu," Jiang Baiyi smirked. His features contained much similarity to Jiang Zhilan, except that they were not as soft and leaned more towards their father's features. Jiang Zhilan's face took after his mother's exquisite beauty after all. Xiu Ying gave a start.
"Y-your highness." She inclined her head, immediately starting to sweat. Did he hear everything?? His testimony could land her in the cold palace!
"You look beautiful today. The noble consort certainly lives up to her reputation." Xiu Ying couldn't tell if he was mocking her or not. "I recently received a package of tea from the northern regions. Would the noble consort like a taste?" A strange smile crossed his face, holding a trace of cunning in it's curvature. As someone of the same mind, how could Xiu Ying not understand?
"Ah yes...noble consort thanks your highness."
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Liu Qingyuan woke up a little groggily. His senses were distorted, igniting an immediate feeling of danger. Something was wrong. Liu Qingyuan forced his eyes open, staring dazedly at the underside of the bed's canopy. His limbs were uncannily soft and there was a strange weight on his chest. He gritted his teeth, feeling faintly that there was a strange fragrance in the dimly-lit room.
Forcing feeling back into his limbs, Liu Qingyuan propped himself up, wincing at the sudden pain in his head. That weight on his chest slid down, landing softly in his lap. He looked down, pupils constricting. It was a slender, jade-like arm snaking out of the silk sheets beside him and gently curling around his waist. For a moment, Liu Qingyuan's heart thudded painfully in his chest, a strange feeling bubbling up. Except, that the colour and shape were all wrong. He pushed away the arm roughly. If it wasn't him, then who was it??
The other person began to rouse from his actions, that slender arm reaching out once more and tugging on the thin layer of clothes. "So noisy...it's still early." Liu Qingyuan grabbed that offending arm, twisting viciously. But the other person seemed accustomed to rough customers and they quickly withdrew their arm fast enough to avoid injury.
"Who are you?!"
"Qingyuan ge~" The other person called intimately, their voice like the charming ringing of bronze bells. But Liu Qingyuan just felt like those syllables grated on his ears. "If you're not tired, we can play some more..." Liu Qingyuan stood from the bed, fixing his collar coldly.
"I asked who you are." He winced a little, holding his throbbing forehead but his voice was still cold and clear with disdain.
"Ge~"
"Don't touch me!"
"Tch...how annoying..." Those words were quiet but Liu Qingyuan caught them anyway. He narrowed his eyes.
"What did you say?" The young man moved forward out of the shadows of the bed, revealing his round and delicate face. Surprisingly, he smiled, arranging his robes so that they fell coquettishly off his shoulders.
"Gongzi, I was just teasing..."
Liu Qingyuan turned away, feeling unwell. Had he...with him...? He quickly poured a cup of cold tea and drank it. His eyes shifted to the incense burner on the table, eyes narrowing. In a quick motion, he picked up the teapot and poured its contents on it. It let out a dying hiss, releasing a cloud of that choking, cloying scent that was currently permeating the room. His jaw clenched as a sharp pain pierced his head. As expected.
The round faced boy had seen much and he didn't believe a man wouldn't succumb to worldly desires. Having gotten off the bed at some point, he reached out, hugging Liu Qingyuan from behind and stroking his abdomen. "Come on gongz-!" His wrist was caught, arm nearly wrenched from its socket. "Ah!" A large thud, shattering, chaos. Burning pain crawled up the boy's back as it collided with the table, his arms immobilized and a gleaming shard of porcelain kissing his neck. Liu Qingyuan's eye twitched from his headache, twisting his expression into something much more ferocious.
"If you don't want those hands anymore, I can gladly remove them for you."
"Haha...I was joking, gongzi..." Liu Qingyuan was at his patience's end. His eyes were cold and devoid of emotion. The edges of the porcelain cut his fingers but he didn't care, pressing it harder against the mysterious boy's neck. The young man felt a chill go down his spine and he finally started to feel like this customer wasn't joking. "Ease up..."
"What happened?"
"Gongzi, if you could just remove this...my back hurts..."
"If you keep talking nonsense I can cut out your tongue." Liu Qingyuan leaned onto the table, using his knee to pin the boy's arms to his chest and instead, reached out to pry open his jaw. The boy's eyes widened, true panic entering his eyes.
"W-wait!" He struggled fiercely but couldn't free himself from the weight of Liu Qingyuan's restraint. His head knocked against the incense burden and the lid tumbled off, releasing another dying burst of fragrance. The smell seemed to stimulate something and Liu Qingyuan winced. The boy was sharp. "You-you don't remember?" He asked coyly.
"Ugh..." Liu Qingyuan's brow creased and he raised a hand to rub his temples. "Speak!"
"I-I can't breathe..." After a moment of contemplation, Liu Qingyuan reluctantly got off him. He narrowed his eyes. The boy shivered, slowly adjusting his robes and still avoiding addressing the subject directly. "You really don't remember?"
A stabbing pain came and went. Liu Qingyuan closed his eyes, trying to dredge up the memories from his brain. But everything was blurry and indistinct and the invisible vice around his head prevented him from thinking clearly. The boy, seeing that he was distracted, slowly shuffled backwards, glancing between him and the door. In a second, he shot to his feet, rushing for the door.
Peng!
The boy froze, seeing the porcelain piece embedded in the wall a couple centimetres in front of his eyes. In a delayed reaction, blood oozed from the thin cut on his cheek. His legs softened, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He could have-...his eyes-! The boy shivered, covering his eyes and staring in horror at Liu Qingyuan through his fingers. "Gon-gongzi." Liu Qingyuan didn't have his shoes on and his bare footsteps weren't particularly loud across the floor, yet every step caused the boy to tremble, feeling in his subconscious that if he moved a hair wrong, he could say goodbye to his life. Those fine-boned and pale feet stopped in front of him. The boy didn't dare look up.
"Speak."
"I-I-I-" There was the subtle rustling of cloth, that figure crouching and a cold finger that lifted his chin. The boy stared blankly into that frosty gaze, watching impatience rapidly rise in those beast's eyes.
"I'll say it again. Speak properly."
The boy's lips trembled and he began to talk...