ebookland Chapter 187 Beauty is a disaster
Chapter 187 Beauty is a disaster
In the past few days, ministers have frequently come to her to complain, subtly reminding her that the emperor has been late for court sessions many times recently, and even when he is in court, he looks listless.
She had initially thought the Emperor might be unwell and planned to ask him when she had time, but after hearing what these women said today, she was convinced of it.
However, for the sake of the emperor's face, she suddenly stopped halfway through the journey. The women following behind her also stopped and looked at her in surprise.
"You may all return to your palaces. I will inquire and then relay the message to you."
Consort Zhen pouted in protest.
"Empress Dowager, let's go together!"
The Empress also joined in the discussion.
"Mother, we haven't seen the Emperor for many days and we'd like to go see him. Please allow us to go!"
"Nonsense."
The Empress Dowager suddenly turned cold.
"Can't you understand what I'm saying? So many people are rushing to the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Even if nothing's wrong, it will be rumored that something is wrong. The Empress will go with me, and the rest of you should go back."
Seeing that the Empress Dowager had granted her permission to accompany her, the Empress breathed a sigh of relief and then waved to Consort Zhen and the others.
"Everyone go back!"
The concubines, filled with dissatisfaction, turned and left in a huff.
The Empress Dowager then looked at the Empress and reminded her:
"You are calm and composed, unlike those other girls who are so aggressive and unruly. It's really inappropriate. No matter what you hear or see later, you must not tell anyone. After all, this is a matter of the inner palace. If it gets out, it will bring shame to the royal family."
Clearly, the Empress Dowager was not entirely at ease with the Emperor either. She seemed to have already anticipated that when they rushed into the Hall of Mental Cultivation early in the morning, they might witness a horrible scene.
The Empress quickly bowed and agreed.
"Don't worry, mother. I know what to do."
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction and continued walking forward.
Inside the Yangxin Hall
The Emperor had been engaged in continuous battles all night, and was now fast asleep, embracing Ling Lanhua.
Linglan nestled in his arms, her eyes darting back and forth.
She let out a soft sigh of relief and moved closer to the Emperor.
In the past few nights, she has been constantly updating her techniques and methods, making the emperor unable to resist her. He often engages in several rounds of passion with her until he is exhausted and falls asleep at dawn.
Even so, she still dared not suggest to the Emperor that he make her a concubine. She was afraid that the Emperor would say that she had ulterior motives for approaching him, and that he would issue an order to expel her from the palace.
She loathed this life of hiding and running. She dreamed that one day the emperor would bestow upon her the title of Imperial Concubine, so that she could go to see her parents and those blind women in the village who always said behind her back that she was not as good as Lan Zhi.
But how could she accidentally let others know of her existence without arousing the emperor's suspicion?
At that moment, Qin Shun's faint voice could be heard from outside.
"Your Majesty, please wait a moment, this old servant will go and report to His Majesty."
"Go away!"
"Queen Mother..."
"Didn't you hear me tell you to get out of my way?"
Has the Empress Dowager arrived?
Ling Lanhua was about to get up and wake the Emperor when she suddenly changed her mind.
This is precisely the time for her to publicly reveal her relationship with the Emperor. Since she would have to face this day sooner or later anyway, why not take advantage of the Emperor's continued affection for her?
Thinking of this, she leaned closer to the emperor again, pressed her face against his, hung herself on him, closed her eyes, and pretended to be fast asleep.
The footsteps grew closer, and her hands began to sweat nervously, but she still didn't open her eyes.
The Empress Dowager and the Empress had just stepped into the inner palace when they saw this appalling scene before them.
The emperor was shirtless, and the woman beside him also had her shoulders exposed; the two were embracing tightly...
Upon seeing this, the Empress Dowager quickly turned her face away and then angrily rebuked,
"Your Majesty, the sun is high in the sky and you're still not up. What kind of behavior is this?"
The Emperor was startled awake by her voice and hurriedly sat up. Ling Lanhua also sat up in surprise and pulled the quilt over herself.
"Mother, why...why have you come?"
The Empress Dowager snorted and waved her hand, saying:
"Get dressed and come to the main hall to see me."
After leaving those words, the Empress Dowager turned and left. The Empress glanced at Ling Lanhua, who was wrapped in a quilt, her eyes filled with hostility, and followed the Empress Dowager.
Ling Lanhua knelt on the bed in terror, tears streaming down her face.
"Your Majesty, will the Empress Dowager order my execution? I'm terrified, Your Majesty, please save me, please save me."
The Emperor quickly reached out and pulled her into his arms to comfort her.
"It's alright, with me here, no one will do anything to you."
"But I'm just a woman from the countryside. Even a palace maid in this deep palace can crush me, let alone the high and mighty Empress Dowager. Oh, right, isn't that the Empress next to the Empress Dowager the Empress herself? Her eyes are so terrifying, like she wants to kill me with her gaze. Your Majesty..."
"Don't worry, I will protect you."
The Emperor gently patted her back, but her body trembled even more violently.
She wrapped her arms around the emperor's neck and whispered timidly.
"Your Majesty, I'm truly afraid the Empress Dowager will banish me from the palace and forbid me from staying. If that happens, I won't be able to stay by your side as often as I used to. I can't bear to part with you..."
At this point, she nestled into the Emperor's arms, a knowing smile playing on her lips, and continued to feign pitifulness.
"Your Majesty, could you please plead with the Empress Dowager to spare me from leaving you? Even being a bedchamber maid would be enough. After spending these past few days together, I've discovered... I've discovered I've fallen in love with you. A day without seeing you feels like an eternity..."
Although the words were somewhat insincere, the emperor found them very pleasing.
He immediately put his arm around her shoulder tightly and nodded in promise:
"Don't worry, I will find a reason to keep you by my side."
Since ascending the throne, he, the emperor, has slept with countless women and tasted the flavors of countless women. However, Ling Lanhua's young and vibrant body, which is completely unpretentious in front of him, makes him unable to resist her. He also does not want her to leave him.
The Empress Dowager sat in the main hall of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, her face filled with anger, her chest heaving with rage.
The Empress searched her memory but couldn't recall which courtyard the woman who shared a bed with the Emperor belonged to.
The only possibility is that this woman came from outside the palace.
She whispered a reminder in the Empress Dowager's ear.
"Mother, that woman is definitely not from the palace. Not only did she move into the Hall of Mental Cultivation without permission, but she also caused the Emperor to neglect his morning court sessions for many days. She is clearly a troublemaker, and you must keep a close eye on her!"
Although the person with the Emperor wasn't the legendary eunuch, she shouldn't have stayed overnight in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, nor should she have caused the Emperor to skip morning court for several days. These were taboos for women in the harem, but unexpectedly, this woman from outside the palace broke them.
Qin Shun knelt before the Empress Dowager and stammered:
"Old slave..."
He didn't know what to say, or whether he should tell the truth.
"Hmph! You spend every day by the Emperor's side, and he either skips the morning court session, delays it, or has no interest in state affairs. Don't you know that?"
"This old servant understands!"
"Since you knew, why did you sit idly by? Who exactly is that woman? Where did she come from?"