In the Palace of Wuyang, Consort Zhao, Jiang Yuan, sat upright before a mirror while palace maids attended to her makeup.
The young maids who styled her hair glanced at her reflected exquisite beauty and chuckled, "They say the dancer who performed last night was stunning, but in my humble opinion, Your Majesty, you outshine them all. His Majesty couldn't take his eyes off you!"
Jiang Yuan couldn't help but smile, though she chided, "It's early morning, stop talking nonsense."
"Where's the nonsense in that? Last night, with the danger of the landslide, His Majesty kept you safe in his embrace the whole time. Other consorts wouldn't dare to dream of such favor." The maid smiled mischievously, "Besides, isn't His Majesty on his way to accompany you again?"
"You're quite sharp," Jiang Yuan glanced at her, amusement deepening, "Go fetch the hairpin His Majesty bestowed upon me on my birthday."
"Yes." The maid set down the comb and went to fetch the box.
Another maid, who had been silently attending to the cosmetics, suddenly paused, took a step forward, and discreetly handed Jiang Yuan a note from her sleeve.
Jiang Yuan's expression froze slightly as she unfolded the note. Her smile instantly stiffened, her gaze darting around, her fingers tightly crumpling the narrow piece of paper. On it was a simple and unmistakable message, now creased tightly in her palm.
At that moment, the other maid returned with the box, opening it with a smile, "Your Majesty, shall I adorn you with it?"
"No," Jiang Yuan seemed to snap out of it, hastily speaking up, "Go tell His Majesty not to come... Yes, tell him not to come, say I'm ill and resting, not receiving visitors!"
The young maid looked at her in surprise, but dared not inquire further, quickly acknowledging and preparing to leave.
"Wait, stop!" Jiang Yuan suddenly raised her voice, halting the maid in her tracks. The maid turned back to her, confusion evident in her gaze, as Consort Zhao's figure trembled slightly. Then, after taking a deep breath, she composed herself and spoke in a calm tone, "Don't go, come back here."
The maid returned to her side, perplexed.
Jiang Yuan looked at her reflection in the mirror, slowly smiling. A fleeting hint of sadness passed through her eyes as she instructed, "Adorn me with the hairpin, change my attire, and prepare food and wine. Await His Majesty."
Before long, Li Yanzheng arrived. Upon entering the hall and seeing Jiang Yuan, his eyes lit up, "Consort, you're dressed so splendidly. Is there something special happening?"
Jiang Yuan gestured for the palace maids to withdraw and smiled at Li Yanzheng, "Isn't His Majesty's visit the best thing?"
"Indeed." Li Yanzheng chuckled, dismissing the attendants with a nod. Alone in the hall, he took Jiang Yuan's hand, guiding her to sit down. Glancing at the lavish spread on the table, he couldn't help but look back at her, "Is there truly nothing you wish to discuss?"
Jiang Yuan fell silent for a moment, then spoke, "If Your Majesty asks so, there are indeed some matters I wish to address." She turned to Li Yanzheng, "Last night, during the perilous situation, when Your Majesty held me close, I couldn't help but wonder, what was on Your Majesty's mind at that moment?"
Li Yanzhen couldn't help but chuckle, "Why suddenly curious about this?"
"...Just became curious all of a sudden," came the reply.
Li Yanzhen shook his head, "At that moment, I didn't think about anything. As the consort said, the situation was perilous, and there was no room for much thought. You were by my side, how could I let you be in danger?"
YOU ARE READING
Jun You Ji Fou
Romance"Shiyu, my heart does not lie." With these words of deep passion, Chu Mingyun inserts his hand back into his sleeve and pinches himself. Su Shiyu's smile deepens all of a sudden. He squints his eyes and gently parts his mouth to say, "Are you sick?"...
