C99 (1/2)
Xue Liuhua drank a mouthful of fruit juice without batting an eyelid, but when she saw Ru Yan peeking at the emperor's eyes, her hand suddenly froze, and her right hand quickly grabbed onto the emperor's palm.
The Emperor held her fingers and smiled lightly at her. He looked at Ru Yan who was behind her and said, ”You are a palace maid who serves the Consort Hua. What's your name?”
Ru Yan bashfully bit her lips: ”This servant's name is Ru Yan.”
”En,” the emperor mumbled with a groan. ”You look like Zhou Zheng, a pretty and delicate little girl.”
Ru Yan slowly turned her body, and looked up timidly. ”Thank you, your majesty.”
Xue Liuhua clenched her teeth tightly and did not want to make a sound, the Empress Chen smiled with an unknown meaning, and interrupted, ”It is indeed the people that the Consort Hua has brought with him, they are extremely beautiful, far surpassing the average palace maid.”
The emperor's gaze was still on Ru Yan's blushing face, ”The empress seems to see Ru Yan very often, it sounds so familiar.”
Empress Chen was startled for a moment, and then revealed a fitting smile, ”Consort Hua has a rule in her heart, she calls Ru Yan over to attend to me everyday.”
”So that's how it is,” the Emperor said with a smile to the Consort Hua. ”You should give Ru Yan a good reward first, it's not easy to frequently go to the Changchun Palace on such a hot day.”
Ru Yan immediately acted like she was docile, ”This servant doesn't use anything, this is what this servant should do.”
”Although this is your duty, you did well,” the Emperor said as he took a sip of his wine.
Xue Liuhua smiled as she looked at Ru Yan, then slowly turned her head towards the emperor and nodded: ”Yes, thank you your majesty for your praise.”
”I see that you are pregnant, and she is also taking care of you, right?” the Emperor asked. ”How old are you, and where do you live?”
Ru Yan smiled lightly, ”This servant is sixteen years old and lives in Yuanzhou.”
”Yuezhou is a good place, but you are actually from the same place as Yun Niang.” The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, clinking a cup with Empress Chen.
Xue Liuhua was confused, who was the Yun Niang?
Empress Chen pointed out: ”It's Mrs. Heyi.”
Xue Liuhua thoughtfully nodded her head. She seemed to be the mother of the Prince Duan, a concubine who wasn't really favored.
”Have you heard about Liu’sArmy in Yuezhou?” the Emperor asked.
Ru Yan quickly nodded her head, and her lips curled into a proud smile, ”There are three treasures in the State of Yue. The first is the willow tree that covers the entire city, and the second is the Liu’sArmy used by the Emperor to fight for the whole world. The third is …”
The Emperor looked at her with interest. ”Tell me, what is three?”
Ru Yan pursed her lips and smiled, ”Thirdly, the devastatingly beautiful Big Miss Liu Chengyun.”
”Hahaha,” the Emperor laughed heartily. ”I remember the first time we met the Yun Niang, she especially didn't want others to say that she was a beauty that could topple empires. But after looking at her carefully for half a day, I feel that using the words' beauty that could topple empires' on her was just too vulgar.”
The Empress Chen maintained his calm smile, ”Hurry up and beat the Emperor's back. After drinking the alcohol just now, don't choke on it.”
Xue Liuhua, who was completely ignorant while they were chatting, reacted immediately. She quickly extended her hand out, but Ru Yan moved a step faster than her and grabbed onto the emperor's back first. Her hand stopped in mid-air in an awkward gesture, but she slowly pulled it back.
The Empress Chen watched everything without batting an eyelid, and asked: ”How long has Ru Yan been serving the Consort Hua?”
Xue Liuhua regained her senses, ”From the moment her concubine entered the palace, she was by her side.”
”He can still be considered an old servant,” Empress Chen's eyes narrowed as he reached out to touch her stomach, ”Consort Hua is going to be born in a few months.”
”Yes,” The emerald ring on the Empress's finger flashed under the candlelight. Xue Liuhua smiled and said, ”The Empress will be able to hear about the happy news of your concubine in a few months.”
”Indeed,” The Empress Chen smiled slightly, ”Consort Hua is indeed a woman of our Great Qin Empire, and is much more powerful than that Consort Fu. You must take care of her well, I will be waiting for your good news.”
The Emperor caught his breath and asked, ”Consort Fu?”
”Your Majesty, we were just talking about the Consort Fu,” the Empress Chen asked for clean water to be brought over. ”How has the Consort Fu been serving the Emperor recently?”
The emperor suddenly came to his senses. ”Zhen hasn't been to her place yet.”
”Tonight, the moonlight is truly beautiful.” Xue Liuhua leaned on the beauty's bed and extended her finger out the window. The moonlight flowed down her hand, making her skin turn even paler.
”Empress,” Ru Yan brought over a plate of freshly cut fruits, ”The further into the autumn, the more round the moon is. When the moon is full, the Yongle Palace will fill the entire garden with moonlight.”
”Is that so?” Xue Liuhua sighed lightly, ”At that time, my children will also be born.”
Ru Yan's eyes flashed with an undetectable glint, ”The Empress looks very healthy, and in the future, she will definitely give birth to a fat and white little prince.”
Xue Liuhua lowered her head and laughed, ”Recently, my body has been in a bad mood, so how could my complexion be any better?”
Looking at her pale and haggard expression, the smile on Ru Yan's face grew wider. ”Since Dragon's Embryo is bigger, the Empress's appetite has increased, so naturally, I'm not in a good mood.
Xue Liuhua smiled and nodded. Ever since she was pregnant, the sharpness in her body had faded a lot. As expected, it was because of being a mother that the corners of her eyes started to soften.
”Esteemed Empress, why didn't you ask for a quasi wangfei to accompany you?”
”She has plenty of things to do, so I didn't keep her here,” Xue Liuhua said as she casually chewed on the fruit.