31 3.2 (1/2)

It was late evening by the time Chen Yu finally felt like leaving his bed. Although the shifts for the two main meals had already passed, the maids diligently brought in a spread of snacks without a hint of complaint for the consort who hadn't moved all day. Watching the line of servants bustling to fetch and carry, Chen Yu idled on the lounge, admiring their insincere politeness.

This Lu Guanting was quite good.

By deliberately showing equal amounts of attention to every concubine, he ensured that there was no benefit to currying favor with any of them, instead the emperor remained the sole master of the palace. On the other hand, he'd managed to implement strict control so that the façade of propriety was perfectly maintained.

Look, every bow was not a bit higher or lower than it should be, and there wasn't a single mark of flattering or bullying in both the quality and quantity of the dishes.

It seemed this imperial life would be more fun than Chen Yu had expected.

Having filled his stomach with the delicacies, however, he found that he had nothing to do. As a member of the emperor's harem, he couldn't go out to make some of his favorite money, nor was there any digital entertainment. Ancient worlds boasted outstanding talents in the arts, but having claimed a fever, he couldn't openly bring in any performers.

With a sigh, Chen Yu loosely arranged his floor-length silvery-white robe and decided to settle for touring the palace surroundings. According to the description in the plot, there was a hidden lake that would nicely cool him off from the stifling summer heat. So, savoring the sweet taste of a flawlessly fermented jujube wine, he strolled out a short distance past the neatly manicured gardens and into the forest.

Along the way, he didn't pay much mind to the eunuchs saluting him or the two maids following behind him. Responding to these servants would be going out of character, since the original owner hadn't been an egalitarian, kind-hearted aristocrat type. Zhang Hua hadn't been cruel, he had just hardly ever noticed the existence of commoners because his focus had been entirely on surviving the treacherous waters of the noble circles.

Well, perhaps, a bigger factor was that these damn clothes were too long and clingy, he had to concentrate to remain graceful.

Once Chen Yu finally reached the lake, he sat on a large rock outcropping, shaking off his shoes and socks then drawing his gown aside to dip his bare feet into the refreshing water. Basking in the chill, he sighed with pleasure and leaned back onto his elbows. The moonlight that shone through the clouds made his white robe glow like a beacon and outlined his alluring features, which were flushed from the wine.

Seeing the uninhibited view, the two servants who'd accompanied him stepped back with red faces.

In his study, Emperor Taihe was finishing up his work and preparing to retire to his palace when a guard reported Consort Jing's activities. Lu Guanting narrowed his eyes upon hearing that an ill consort had walked out that far in this heat. What was he up to?

Stopping by the lake would only require a slight detour, so he decided to appreciate for himself how General Zhang had raised his son to deceive the monarch.

But when he arrived at the edge of the forest, he was greeted with the scene of a drunk beauty lying disheveled in the dark, carelessly splashing water with his arched, naked feet. While the sight was intoxicating, Lu Guanting merely glanced at it for a moment before returning to his palace.

No matter how attractive it was, he wouldn't touch anything that smelled treacherous. For a consort to deliberately inform the emperor that he was unwell then show up outside as if he didn't seek imperial favor, was he hoping to disturb the water and catch a fish? Or did he anticipate gaining his interest by irritating him?

Regardless of what Zhang Jia's son intended, this emperor refused to play along.

Actually, Lu Guanting was truly giving himself too much credit. Chen Yu had indeed sensed his gaze, but he simply didn't care, he didn't plan to hold on to that golden thigh. Such a deep mind, he didn't want to trouble himself to fathom.

With this beautiful misunderstanding, Chen Yu didn't meet Emperor Taihe in person until two weeks later.

Meanwhile, he roughly figured out what must have happened in the plot.

Piecing together Emperor Taihe's past, Chen Yu raised his eyebrows. This Lu Guanting, his hands were just dripping with blood ah. But the point that mattered to Chen Yu was that the original owner had grasped the emperor's ruthless and paranoid behavior, affecting the actions that he took.

Upon ascension to the throne, Emperor Taihe had inevitably relied greatly on the military in order to establish his country's supremacy. During this period, Zhang Jia's outstanding performance on the battlefield won widespread admiration from the common people, so much so that Lu Guanting became suspicious that General Zhang had acquired too much influence. Therefore, Zhang Hua had been made a consort to harness the powerful reputation of the general's household behind him.

In fact, Emperor Taihe's concerns weren't groundless, Zhang Jia really aspired either to have its son bear the next emperor or to replace the current one.

Thus, when the original owner perceptively realized that he'd been fed infertility medicine on his first night at the palace and sent a secret report home, the elders gave up on peaceful succession and made preparations to seize the kingdom. A few months later, Zhang Hua received an order to eliminate the existing crown prince, sacrificing himself if necessary, which would then pave the way for the family to revolt.

Of course, such details weren't provided in the task description.