allendalepharm Chapter 4 Greetings
Chapter 4 Greetings
Li Yuanke lay down again, and it was almost dawn. He rested for a while before being woken up.
He didn't want to get up, especially when he saw Shen Shixi burrowing deeper into the bed, burying her head in the blankets, sleeping like a pig, which made him even more indignant.
But there is a grand court assembly today.
Li Yuanke sat up with all his might, shoved her, and said, "Get up and help me get dressed!"
Shen Shixi remained motionless, pretending to be dead.
Ignored, Li Yuanke flew into a rage, shouting, "Shen, how dare you! Do you even know your place?!"
Shen Shixi ignored him and, like a maggot, twisted further into the bed, moving even further away from him, burying herself completely under the covers.
Li Yuanke grabbed the blanket and tried to throw it away, but Shen Shixi held onto it tightly. "Li Yuanke, if you can't sleep, you won't let me sleep either? Is there no one to serve you? Are all the people in the palace dead? I need someone to help me get dressed, how can I help you? Don't bother getting dressed, go to court naked!"
She stopped complaining and shouted out what was on her mind!
Li Yuanke was stunned. Shen Shixi didn't even look at him, but plopped down on the bed, wrapped herself in the blanket, and went back to sleep.
"Don't forget to pay your respects to the Empress!" Li Yuanke said irritably.
Shen Shixi was completely annoyed. "So what if you have an empress? You think you're so great!"
She worked overtime late into the night and then wouldn't let anyone sleep in the morning. Did they want her to die from overwork?
Anyway, living with such a bizarre creature as an emperor, you're going to die sooner or later anyway!
Whatever!
Li Yuanke stood by the bed, staring at her, only his fluffy head showing.
That year, the peach blossoms were in full bloom. Someone sat on a tree, swinging their short legs, and said, "Li Yuanke, being an emperor is painful. Are you ready?"
Somewhat helplessly, Li Yuanke raised his hand and slapped the most rounded part of his body.
The atmosphere inside the hall was tense and apprehensive, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe.
The Emperor had a dark expression the whole time. When Bai Ping combed his hair and put on his crown, her hands were shaking. Lan Ying wished she could disappear on the spot. She was so frightened by the slightest sound that she would fall down.
The master is very generous, but this money is not easy to take. She is afraid that the emperor will kill them all to silence them in a fit of anger.
Fortunately, the Emperor did not issue this decree before leaving. He finally departed, and everyone in the hall, except for Shen Shixi, knelt under the eaves to see him off.
Chao En wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. So this was what his master was like. He could hear the roaring from outside the bedchamber.
The crucial point is that the target of their roars was the Emperor!
The feeling of being on the verge of death this morning was truly awful.
Before yesterday, they hoped their master would be favored and invited to the emperor's bedchamber; after today, they hope their master will be banished to the cold palace.
At least I managed to save my life.
Li Yuanke closed his eyes as soon as he sat on the dragon carriage.
Sleepy!
People were swinging back and forth on it.
Li Fude was worried that he would fall headfirst, so he kept his arms outstretched to protect him the whole time, which aggravated his frozen shoulder.
Last night, he was outside keeping watch and heard a lot of noise inside, which lasted most of the night; he witnessed the farce this morning with his own eyes. The Emperor had never been so grumpy when he woke up before, so you can imagine how badly he slept.
Master Shen is truly a talented individual.
Who else would serve the emperor in bed without being as timid and obedient as a quail, but she, on the contrary, tormented the emperor quite a bit.
Li Yuanke drank a strong cup of tea before his mind cleared up a bit, but he still felt somewhat listless as he sat on the throne.
The officials below felt that the emperor seemed particularly irritable today, as if he might drag someone out and behead them at the slightest provocation.
Li Yuanke listened for a while, glanced at the water clock, and looked at Li Fude. Li Fude leaned over and heard the emperor say, "Send someone to the Empress to ask for leave for her, saying that she is not feeling well and is exempt from paying her respects today."
It wasn't said who "she" was, but there wouldn't be a second "she" in the entire palace.
Li Fude was shocked for a moment and decided to make the trip himself.
The Empress was doing her makeup when Li Fude came to deliver the imperial decree in person. She was so stunned that she couldn't come to her senses for a long time.
Even when Consort Rong was at the height of her favor, the Emperor had never acted like this.
After Li Fude left, the Empress smiled and said, "This Shen family... I originally thought the Emperor was going to bestow a favor upon them, but it turns out they are still someone he cherishes!"
Granny Qu said, "Your Majesty thinks our Emperor is a thoughtful person? Where did this 'precious darling' come from?"
"Indeed, she was unintentional." The Empress finally breathed a sigh of relief, picked up a hairpin, and handed it to the maid who was combing her hair. "I was overthinking it."
"Even if a low-ranking official who has just entered the palace rises to the upper third rank in the future, he will never surpass Your Majesty. Your Majesty, please rest assured!" said Granny Qu.
Yes, all those below the empress are concubines.
Looking at her slightly haggard reflection in the mirror, the Empress felt less anxious.
At six o'clock in the morning, Shen Shixi still got up. She usually exercises very well, without missing a day for ten years, so she is in good physical condition. Although she was very wild at night, she was not so sore.
After finishing Pilates, run for another half hour, and it'll be time to pay your respects.
Shen Shixi changed her clothes, did some simple makeup, and then went to Fengyi Palace with Chao En and Bai Ping.
She arrived just in time; paying respects at Chenshi (7-9 AM) was not a pleasant thing for her.
She gets up at six o'clock every morning and needs forty-five minutes to exercise. Today, she skipped the shower and kept her grooming simple. She rushed over and almost arrived late.
Only one empty chair remained in the hall, near the very end; it was clearly hers.
Before the Empress arrived, Shen Shixi gave a perfunctory bow to the concubines of higher rank, saying, "Greetings to Your Majesty!"
Before she could even sit down, someone said, "How did this year's imperial concubines learn their manners? They're late, and their bows aren't even proper. I thought they'd sent some kind of circus performers!"
Shen Shixi did not recognize this person, but judging from the seating arrangement, he was a person of the upper third rank.
The imperial harem currently has one empress, four consorts, and only one person among the nine concubines. There are three people in the middle third rank: one Jieyu, one Meiren, and one Cairen.
The above is the old team of the Crown Prince.
The seven women of the lowest rank were all new concubines selected for the palace in this imperial concubine selection.
"What are you looking at? Did I say something wrong? The Shen family can produce such an unruly person? The Emperor asked you to serve him in bed, and you managed to keep him up all night, even dozing off in the imperial carriage in the morning?"
Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes turned to Shen Shixi, filled with disdain and hostility.
It seems everyone knows about the emperor's poor health.
"Is Sister Jieyu so envious and jealous?" Shen Shixi laughed. "No wonder. I heard that the Emperor hasn't entered your palace for half a year. The deep palace is lonely, and it's hard for a lonely woman to endure. It's understandable that you're so resentful. You've been wronged!"
A barren woman?
She actually called her a celibate woman!
Jiang Jieyu was so angry she was shaking uncontrollably. Pointing at Shen Shixi, she yelled, "You, you, you shameless bastard! Slap yourself!"
Shen Shixi slowly sized her up, listened to her stammering speech, smiled, stood up and followed the others in bowing, "Greetings, Your Majesty the Empress!"
Everyone bowed down, except for Consort Jiang, who stood with her back to the Empress.
"Jiang Jieyu, what are you doing? Do you even know any manners?" The Empress's voice was not loud, but it carried an air of authority.
Jiang Jieyu quickly turned around, bowed, and apologized.
The Empress only glared at her fiercely; she was a fool, and she couldn't be bothered to bother with her.
"Get up, all of you!" Her gaze fell on Shen Shixi's face, where the childishness had faded, replaced by a touch of spring, her beauty even more striking, her delicate face lightly made up, her lips lightly painted red, like a begonia.
No wonder the Emperor was dozing off in his imperial carriage, yet he still remembered to ask her for leave.
The Emperor has always been restrained and not fond of desires, and rarely has a moment of vigorous energy. This Lady Shen is truly a vixen in the making.
"Did Madam Shen serve you in bed last night?"
As soon as the Empress spoke, someone brought a cushion, and Shen Shixi had no choice but to perform a grand salute.
The rules are good, and they are meticulous.
The Empress had nothing to say.
"Your Majesty, this Consort Shen is merely a low-ranking consort of the third grade, yet she dares to disrespect her superiors. Today, I only wished to teach her some manners, but she responded with a barrage of sarcastic remarks, causing me to lose my decorum in front of Your Majesty. I beg Your Majesty to uphold justice!" said Consort Jiang.
The people in the Empress's palace briefly recounted what had just happened, presenting a very objective account, and it seemed that Shen Shixi was indeed in the wrong.
She asked, "Shen Baolin, this morning the Emperor sent someone to ask for your leave, saying you were unwell and exempted you from paying your respects. Why did you still come?"