Volume 1 Chapter 5 - King of Mystery! Imperial Uncle?
“Pay respects to the Empress Dowager!”
A woman in flamboyant crimson attire knelt and paid her respects, although her demeanor didn’t show much willingness.
“Zhao Yan!”
“Yes!”
“Take off your clothes!”
“What?” Consort Hui, Zhao Yan, instantly covered her chest, her big almond-shaped eyes filled with anger. “Empress Dowager! Even if you are the Empress Dowager, you can’t insult someone like this!”
Emperor Leng Jiu smirked and chuckled lightly, supporting his head with one hand. “I just wanted you to change your clothes. How is that an insult?”
“Change clothes?”
“So, are you changing or not?”
Zhao Yan put her hand down. “As a subject, I obey!”
The palace maids nearby immediately went to change her out of the crimson attire and into a pink gauzy outfit. Seeing them actually changing her clothes, Zhao Yan became somewhat puzzled. She glanced discreetly at Empress Leng Jiu, who was squinting her eyes as if feigning sleep, and her heart was pounding.
“Empress Dowager! It’s done!” one of the palace maids announced.
Empress Leng Jiu opened her eyes. Zhao Yan was naturally good-looking, in her late teens, the prime of her youth. While she had a straightforward and fiery personality, her figure wasn’t extremely curvaceous or alluring. Hence, the bright red attire didn’t quite suit her, while the pink outfit added a cute and playful charm, fitting her just right.
Empress Leng Jiu gestured for her to come to the dressing table and personally took a brush to prepare for doing her makeup. Zhao Yan was pleasantly surprised, “Empress Dowager! You can’t do this!”
“Sit down!”
Zhao Yan sat down somewhat rigidly, and her fiery temperament seemed to have been tamed, leaving her sitting very upright.
Empress Leng Jiu dismissed the palace maids and personally applied makeup and drew her eyebrows for Zhao Yan. When it came to makeup, she was as skilled as throwing darts, even though the tools here were lacking. After finishing the lip liner, she put away the brush and instructed a palace maid to style Zhao Yan’s hair in a simple updo, inserting two colorful hairpins. It was a resounding success!
“Now, open your eyes and take a look!”
Zhao Yan opened her eyes and saw the reflection of a lively young girl in the bronze mirror. Her face was adorned with pink makeup, featuring large, upturned eyes and rosy lips, giving her a cute and playful appearance. Her hair was styled in a slightly messy and whimsical fashion, but it surprisingly harmonized well with her outfit. Was this really her?
Empress Leng Jiu dismissed the palace attendants and quietly spoke to Zhao Yan. After a while, she had someone discreetly escort the shy-looking Zhao Yan out of the hidden place.
The show was about to begin!
Due to Zhao Yan’s situation, Empress Leng Jiu missed her visit to Lanzhe to listen to the music. As the evening had already arrived, she decided to head to the nearby bathhouse for a relaxing bath.
The Weiyang Palace had a special Phoenix Spring designated for the Empress’s baths, and since she occupied this palace, it naturally belonged to her. The pool, made of Han white jade, measured a spacious seventy square feet. White lacquered columns adorned with exquisite East Sea silk curtains and golden hooks and jade lilies flanked the pool. In front of it, a large bronze incense burner emitted a faint blue smoke. The pool was filled with natural hot spring water, which remained warm year-round. At this moment, the expansive pool was covered in a layer of red flower petals, a temptation few women could resist.
Undressing from her ornate attire, her graceful figure exposed to the air, her fair skin radiating a soft glow in the lamplight. She walked barefoot to the edge of the pool, then leaped in gracefully, moving through the water like a fish, joyfully starting to swim. The water temperature was neither too hot nor too cold, just perfect for a few laps and a relaxing soak.
Splash!
After finishing her swim, she emerged from the water, her long black hair cascading over her chest, concealing her tempting allure but adding an even more alluring feeling!
Sitting on the stone steps in the water, she submerged herself, resting her head against the jade behind her and closing her eyes for a moment of relaxation. Just as she was about to close her eyes, something suddenly fell from the beam above with a “plunk.” Leng Jiu looked at the splashes in the water, feeling somewhat surprised.
Splash!
A person emerged from the water with a half-gold mask being the first thing Leng Jiu noticed. Following that were a pair of enchanting, captivating eyes and seductive thin lips.
Leng Jiu propped up her head, her phoenix-like eyes curiously fixated on this person who had fallen into her bath – a man!
The man had clearly been observing her for a while, so he wasn’t surprised by Leng Jiu’s presence. Instead, he raised his lips in a seductive smile, akin to a poppy’s allure, blinked, and emerged from the water. He leaned against Leng Jiu’s side, his long and slightly cool fingers lifting her chin, caressing it with ambiguity. His low, husky voice carried his unique allure, “So, there’s such a beauty hidden in this palace. It seems this trip was worth it.”
If an ordinary woman were harassed like this, even the most composed would panic. Unfortunately, Leng Jiu wasn’t like that. She, too, raised her lips seductively, and her delicate fingers touched his chin, gently gliding over his rose-like lips. “Peeping at someone while they bathe isn’t the behavior of a gentleman, you know!”
The man raised an eyebrow in surprise, and the hand on her chin slid down her neck to her collarbone, seemingly with a downward tendency. “I never claimed to be a gentleman. A true gentleman wouldn’t remain unmoved when a beauty is before him. That’s what you call a pseudo-gentleman!”
“Hehe!” Leng Jiu chuckled with her eyebrows arched, lifting her hand to gently squeeze the man’s hand. Just as the man was relaxing his guard, her aura suddenly changed. He was startled, but it was too late. She grabbed his arm with one hand, tugged at his waistcloth with the other, and executed a swift shoulder throw. Before he could react, she lunged at him once more, using a grappling technique to subdue him. Then, she swiftly removed his belt, helping to bind his two hands. With lightning speed, she turned his loose robe into makeshift restraints, tying his legs together. In the blink of an eye, he had been turned into a bundle!
Leng Jiu abandoned her previous seductive demeanor, her face now filled with mockery. She paid no attention to the bound man on the ground and walked directly to where her clothes were kept. After quickly putting on her two garments, Lord Chang entered with palace maids. It was clear that the commotion had alerted them.
Upon seeing the man on the ground, Lord Chang immediately exclaimed, “There’s an intru… guest!”
“Shut up!” Leng Jiu cast him a cold glance without any patience, immediately silencing him.
After securing the belt, she walked barefoot over to the man. Meeting his pleading gaze, Leng Jiu raised an eyebrow. Where did this demon come from? She lifted his mask with her hand, gently but firmly revealing his face. When she saw his visage, Leng Jiu once again raised her eyebrow, this time in disbelief. With just his chin and red lips, she knew that this man’s appearance was extraordinary. But why was he so bewitching?
A man with a face as captivating as a fox spirit’s, looking even more enchanting and stunning than her. Was he intentionally trying to undermine her confidence?
“This face of mine is only meant for my own beloved. If a beauty like you sees it, you’ll have to take responsibility!” Even though he was bound, he didn’t forget to flirt. Leng Jiu rolled her eyes at him and tossed the mask aside before standing up.
Lord Chang was about to order someone to seize the man, but when he saw the man’s face clearly, he suddenly exclaimed, “Royal Highness Xuan! Why is it you?”
Leng Jiu stumbled for a moment, then turned to look at the man on the ground in astonishment. She then turned to Lord Chang and asked, “What do you call him?”
Lord Chang quickly helped the man to his feet, simultaneously unbinding him. He said, “Empress Dowager, this is Royal Highness Xuan!”
Leng Jiu felt like a thunderstorm was raging within her. She remembered asking Lord Chang to tell her about the members of the royal family when there was nothing else to do. The one who left the deepest impression was this Royal Highness Xuan. It was said that he had the looks of both a man and a woman, so stunning that it made women feel inferior. Fortunately, Royal Highness Xuan rarely stayed in the capital city; otherwise, countless women would probably feel embarrassed and envious to the point of self-destruction. She had merely been curious at the time and had recorded it, thinking about how a man could be more beautiful than women.
However, none of this was shocking enough to warrant her current astonishment. What truly shocked her was that this Royal Highness Xuan was the youngest brother of the late emperor and the current emperor, Emperor Longyi’s youngest uncle. In other words, he was his nephew!
Meeting Royal Highness Xuan’s still flirtatious eyes, and then looking at his face, an inexplicable anger welled up within Leng Jiu. She took two steps forward, and to the astonishment of everyone present, she kicked Royal Highness Xuan into the bath…
O(∩_∩)O Haha~ Royal uncle makes an entrance, quite flavorful, right!