Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
In recent days, the Emperor had been increasingly amiable towards her.
Noticing her frequent complaints about being hungry at night, he granted her a pass, allowing her to sneak out for food while she went to tend to the incense.
On the first night she went to tend to the incense, not knowing the rules, she finished and directly carried the bucket back to the Emperor's chamber.
As soon as she entered, the Emperor, a man of great authority, wrinkled his brow. "What is that smell? Go wash up!"
He waved her towards the bathing pool, where she found that warm water had already been prepared. The surface was covered with jasmine petals, and a fragrant lantern was placed beside the pool, releasing a gentle mist of jasmine scent.
Curious, Jiang Youlan couldn't help but ask, "Aren't others forbidden from using jasmine?"
The Emperor held his nose and stood at a distance, irritated. "Are you others? Quickly take off your outer garments; you smell terrible!"
"Oh," Jiang Youlan replied, loosening her outer coat. Just as she was about to take it off, she glanced back at the Emperor standing there. "Aren't you going outside?"
"Why should I go outside..." The Emperor seemed to want to emphasize her status as his consort, but his face flushed suddenly, and he swallowed the rest of his words, leaving in a huff.
However, just a few minutes after Jiang Youlan settled into the water—
"Is there any soap left?" The Emperor peeked in from outside. Jiang Youlan took a deep breath and quickly submerged herself.
"Did you bring clean clothes?" The Emperor's head popped in again. Jiang Youlan screamed and dove back under.
"Do you want some tea..." Once more, the Emperor leaned in. Jiang Youlan splashed water angrily and stood up in the pool, shouting, "I want Sanlu Milk!"
The Emperor paused for a moment, holding his teacup as he slowly retreated, casting a furtive glance up and down.
"Such a tease," Jiang Youlan thought to herself as she submerged again.
It was amusing how he acted—her own husband who wanted to eat but was too shy to do so, watching her with reluctance while overthinking everything.
The Emperor seemed determined to envelop her in the scent of jasmine, and after her bath, he proudly placed a plate of pastries on the table.
The pastries varied in size; some were exquisitely shaped and adorned with delicate patterns, while others were misshapen and appeared as if they had been squashed.
Jiang Youlan couldn't help but feel puzzled, thinking to herself, has the palace resorted to using discarded pastries for decoration?
“Jasmine Cake, give it a try,” the Emperor said insincerely, sitting at the table with bright eyes, his fingers rhythmically tapping on the surface as if waiting for something.
Jiang Youlan began to pick through the plate, selecting only the beautifully shaped pastries to eat.
After watching her for a while, the Emperor suddenly pursed his lips, a displeased expression crossing his face. “Why are you only eating those?”
Not thinking much of it, Jiang Youlan licked her fingers and replied, “These are so ugly; who would eat them?”
“…” The Emperor's previously tense expression fell instantly.
It was only then that Jiang Youlan realized what she had said, still somewhat incredulous. “You… made these…”
The Emperor abruptly snatched the plate away and stormed out. “I did not! Don’t think too much about it! If you won’t eat them, I will!”
Jiang Youlan stared wide-eyed at the Emperor's retreating figure.
As she walked along the dimly lit path at night, thoughts of the Emperor's demeanor—one that only she seemed to witness—brought an inexplicable sweetness to her heart.
Outside, the Emperor was usually stern and unsmiling, but whenever he spoke of her, there was always a hint of a smile. “Having such an oddity in the palace is quite amusing.”
When this reached Consort Qiao's ears, it was said that she threw another cup in anger.
But one couldn't blame Consort Qiao for being upset.
For a long time, Consort Qiao had enjoyed exclusive favor from the Emperor. Now that Jiang Youlan had suddenly emerged and gained even more of his attention—his thoughts seemingly consumed by her— Consort Qiao must have gone several days without seeing him, naturally feeling distressed.
As she arrived at the place of the night fragrance, a foul stench assaulted her senses.
Jiang Youlan wrinkled her nose, turned her face to the side, pushed the door open, and walked in. She poured the night fragrance into the ditch and turned around with the bucket, only to unexpectedly bump into someone.
"How dare you confront Consort Qiao? Do you want to die?" An old maid instantly seized her arm.
Consort Qiao's gaze fell upon Jiang Youlan's clothes, her face filled with jealousy and resentment. The handkerchief in her hand was clenched into a tight ball. "I really don't know where this little enchantress came from to charm His Majesty. Even the Empress Dowager's favorite attire has been made for you. Look at these deer skin boots—didn't they come as tribute from the Western Regions? His Majesty hasn't even glanced at me; it's truly infuriating..."
Jiang Youlan observed Consort Qiao's livid expression and thought to herself, " Consort Qiao is out at this hour; she must be up to no good."
Sure enough, Consort Qiao subtly signaled to the old maid, who immediately glared fiercely. "You little vixen! You've angered the Consort like this; you deserve to die!"
Jiang Youlan felt a heavy blow to her abdomen, and a strong force pressed down on her shoulder.
She staggered back a few steps from the impact and stepped into empty space.
"Plop!"
"How disgusting! How disgusting!" Dirty, foul water rushed into her nostrils as Jiang Youlan gasped for air, bubbles forming as she angrily cursed in her heart.
Then, she drowned.
Comment 0 Comment Count