Chapter 3: Midnight Wait
Several candles in the hall had already been extinguished; the remaining ones flickered, casting the bedchamber in semi-darkness.
The flickering light illuminated Gu Zhen, casting a warm glow on his sharp features.
Zhao Yiyi, stepping on the purple silk carpet with auspicious cloud patterns, walked towards him slowly, saying softly, “This concubine knows that state affairs are busy these days, but no matter what, Your Majesty’s health is the most important.”
Seeing Gu Zhen’s furrowed brow, Zhao Yiyi couldn’t help but reach out to smooth it, then sat down by the couch, gently massaging the acupoints on his head.
When she was young, Zhao Yiyi often massaged her grandmother, but she was unskilled and simply pressed randomly.
After marrying into the East Palace, seeing her husband often neglecting sleep and food due to state affairs, she proactively learned some acupressure techniques from a female physician, occasionally helping him relax his muscles and bones.
After more than two years, her skills had become quite proficient.
“Hmm.” Gu Zhen’s expression was solemn; he lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought. Suddenly enveloped by a faint fragrance, the soft and warm touch of her fingertips made him pause, then he suddenly grasped Zhao Yiyi’s hand.
Her hand was soft and boneless. Although her fingers were slender, they were small compared to his, easily enveloped by his large palm. Feeling the delicate touch, he subconsciously caressed it.
The man’s palm was burning hot, covered with a layer of calluses. When her slightly rough fingertips caressed her back, she trembled involuntarily.
“You’ve had a hard day.” Gu Zhen turned his head to look at her, then softly said.
Zhao Yiyi was thinking about how to tell him about today’s events, and after hearing this, she was stunned. She stared at Gu Zhen for a long time, then slightly averted her gaze, softly saying, “As the empress, this is my duty.”
At this moment, Jiao Fang Palace was quiet and distant; apart from the chirping of birds in the courtyard, there was no other sound.
Zhao Yiyi, who had spent a lot of time practicing calligraphy today, raised her head to mention retiring for the night, but found that his eyes had become unusually deep.
As her robes loosened, although Zhao Yiyi was not an inexperienced girl, she still blushed and turned her head, not daring to look at him at this moment.
Her intricate and delicate clothing was removed; her ivory-like skin was exposed to the air without any cover.
Placing Zhao Yiyi in the center of the brocade bedding, Gu Zhen looked around the bed, suddenly chuckled softly, and said with ambiguous meaning, “The Empress is indeed far-sighted.”
Most people’s beds are small and narrow, and even the imperial bed in Gu Zhen’s Purple Palace was not very wide. When Zhao Yiyi was young, she was restless while sleeping, often falling off the bed. After being scared several times, she insisted on sleeping on a wide bed.
Initially, Gu Zhen couldn’t understand this habit, even scoffing at it, but after a long time and trying it himself, he gradually realized the advantages of a wide bed.
Since then, he had been captivated.
Understanding his implication, Zhao Yiyi’s face immediately flushed red, the redness spreading all the way to her ears. She stammered, unable to utter a word for a long time.
As she was dazed, her earlobe was suddenly held in his mouth; the warm and moist sensation made her body tingle, and she involuntarily wanted to curl up.
Gu Zhen’s hands, roaming over her body, calmed her.
“Why are you still so thin?” Gu Zhen frowned, seemingly sighing helplessly, “When the weather gets better in a few days, I’ll take you to the western suburbs for horse riding.”
In fact, this was not entirely true. Although Zhao Yiyi was slender, she was well-developed in the right places. Her body, like mutton fat jade, lay in the center of the bedding, captivating the eyes.
Hearing him say this, Zhao Yiyi was initially reluctant, but when she heard him say he would take her to the western suburbs for horse riding, she was suddenly delighted, “Your Majesty!”
But Gu Zhen merely said it casually. He was clearly very unhappy with her distraction, so he slapped her heavily to bring her back to her senses, “Alright, don’t think about anything else.”
After a long while, Zhao Yiyi gradually relaxed, feeling like a boat drifting with the current, unable to control its direction.
After trying for a moment, she simply closed her eyes, letting herself be immersed in it.
Zhao Yiyi hadn’t left the palace for a long time. Hearing that she could go horse riding with him in the western suburbs, besides being surprised, she was inevitably excited.
Her mood became elated, and she couldn’t help but ask a few more questions.
Gu Zhen frowned impatiently. The man who looked gentle and refined during the day now seemed to have relaxed, his brows and eyes revealing a bit of coldness. He glanced at Zhao Yiyi with his deep phoenix eyes, though obviously reluctant, he answered one by one.
The sky was dark, and the palace maids outside were all looking up at the moon, sighing in relief.
No matter what, as long as Your Majesty and the Empress get along well, they won’t worry.
The next day, Zhao Yiyi felt sore all over. She had been exhausted the night before, her whole body lacked strength, and she slept soundly but not well.
Sensing the movement of the person beside her getting up, Zhao Yiyi lifted the quilt and was about to get up, but Gu Zhen held her down.
“If you’re tired, rest for a while,” his voice was low, resonant like bells, echoing in her ears.
Zhao Yiyi was startled at first, but still got up and got off the bed, saying softly, “This concubine will help Your Majesty get dressed.”
If the emperor stayed overnight at Jiao Fang Palace, she would always get up early and have some refreshments with him before personally seeing him off at Su Zhang Gate.
Matters in the boudoir were fine, but if she spared the Emperor from being seen off, gossip would inevitably spread.
After washing and dressing, steaming refreshments were brought up. Zhao Yiyi listlessly ate an orange cake, thinking about the matter she hadn’t been able to say last night, pondering how to broach the subject.
Her aunt had told her that as empress, she should let her husband know her difficulties, but not make him resentful.
Finding the right balance was undoubtedly extremely difficult.
As she was about to speak, Gu Zhen suddenly turned his head to look at her and asked softly, “Empress, do you have something to say?”
Zhao Yiyi paused with her chopsticks, not expecting him to see through her thoughts. She quickly nodded and was about to confide in him.
Her heart felt inexplicably sweet.
“This concubine…”
But at that moment, Gu Zhen put down his chopsticks, glanced out the window, and his smile faded to almost invisibility, “It’s a bit late today, I should go to the front court. Empress, if you have anything to say, let’s talk tonight.”
A ray of sunlight shone on the orange cake, almost blinding her eyes.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t react immediately. Only after regaining her senses did she feel somewhat surprised. Gu Zhen was always busy with state affairs, rarely coming to Jiao Fang Palace for several days in a row, but yet…
She wanted to say something else, but Gu Zhen had already gotten up and strode out of the hall.
A few red plum blossoms were still fluttering in the east wind. Zhao Yiyi followed behind him, her mood fluttering with the plum blossoms, with a hint of elation and joy.
After the emperor left for the front court, the bustle of Jiao Fang Palace subsided for a moment, returning to its usual peaceful tranquility.
Yunzhu helped Zhao Yiyi back and said softly, “I’ll have someone change the bedding to a thinner one, Your Majesty, sleep for a while.”
She had followed Zhao Yiyi since she entered the East Palace, more than two years now, and naturally felt sympathy.
She couldn’t help but complain that the emperor was a bit uncaring.
After the two got up, the bedroom had been cleaned inside and out. Now, only a fresh scent remained. Zhao Yiyi was truly sleepy. She buried herself in the quilt and slept soundly.
But she didn’t dare to sleep too long. She had only slept for half an hour when the maid woke her up at the time for palace affairs to arrive.
Though still a little drowsy, after breakfast, Zhao Yiyi mustered her spirit and began to handle palace affairs in an orderly manner. As empress, she knew that if she couldn’t manage the palace affairs properly, someone else would want to replace her.
“Your Majesty, don’t only remind Your Majesty to take care of his body, you must take care of your own body too,” Yunzhu placed a cup of longan tea on the desk, “If you’re tired, rest for a while and then look.”
Zhao Yiyi glanced at it, suddenly feeling lost and tired. She picked up the cup and took a sip, frowning, “I have to finish it quickly.”
She had lost her mother at a young age. Even though her grandparents protected her, it was still different. Moreover, her grandparents had passed away before her marriage, and no one taught her how to manage a household.
She didn’t even know how to manage a household, let alone this huge palace, causing her to be flustered and overwhelmed.
The heads of the Six Palaces and the Inner Servant’s Office were previously the Empress Dowager. Facing her, the empress, they naturally dared not hide anything, but seeing that the Empress Dowager disliked her, they wouldn’t take the initiative to teach her diligently, just waiting for her to ask.
But Zhao Yiyi didn’t know this; she didn’t know what to ask.
Some court ladies did take the initiative to offer their services to advance their careers, but most of them were not of high rank, and their knowledge was limited.
After stumbling along for so long, she had only just barely grasped the basics.
Due to the preparations for the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, some unnecessary palace affairs had been neglected for several days, so it took quite a bit of time today. By the time she had finished everything, it was almost noon.
Just as she was about to have dinner, Cheng, a court lady from the Empress Dowager’s side, entered Jiao Fang Palace with a food box. She opened the box, took out a steaming bowl of soup, and said softly, “Your Majesty, this is a tonic soup prepared by the Empress Dowager for you. It’s best to eat it while it’s hot.”
Zhao Yiyi looked at it; the contents were no different from yesterday’s.
She sighed inwardly, thinking that the Empress Dowager must have gotten addicted and wouldn’t give up this matter for the next few days.
A smile appeared on her lips. After thanking the Empress Dowager, she reached out and picked up the bowl of tonic soup, stirred it slightly, and scooped out a spoonful.
The court lady had been instructed by the Empress Dowager to make sure that the Empress drank the soup. Seeing Zhao Yiyi drink two mouthfuls, she went back to report.
Although the soup contained many precious ingredients and was very nutritious, the taste was really not good. Zhao Yiyi almost frowned as she drank half a bowl, then drank several sips of tea to suppress the taste.
Her mouth was filled with the bitterness of the soup, and the meal became tasteless; she only ate a little.
Zhao Yiyi rubbed her temples, got up, and instructed, “Bring me some candied fruit, I feel uncomfortable.”
There wasn’t much to do today, and the sun was nice, so Zhao Yiyi had the things from the storeroom that had been kept for the winter taken out to air. Unknowingly, it was time to light the lamps.
Thinking of Gu Zhen’s words that morning, although Zhao Yiyi stayed in the study, she specifically instructed the palace attendants to keep the lamps in the bedroom and courtyard lit.
Zhao Yiyi’s evening activities varied. Today, it should have been her turn to blend incense, but she had been criticized by him yesterday and was afraid of being reminded, so she didn’t dare to touch the incense and instead played the zither.
Since she was ten years old, her zither skills had been taught by her grandfather. However, her grandfather was busy and only taught her for a year or two before he no longer had time. Zhao Yiyi didn’t stop, continuing to practice and studying many zither scores.
After tuning the zither, her fingertips gently plucked the strings, and the gentle zither music flowed from the study, making people feel relaxed and happy.
Zhao Yiyi played several pieces; the moon was high in the sky. She looked out the window and waited for a moment, but still didn’t hear Gu Zhen coming.
She couldn’t help but wonder, was he too busy with state affairs?
It was already this late; if he came, he would certainly be tired and might want to listen to her play the zither. Would it be Seagulls Forgetting Worries or Wild Geese Descending?
After a long time, there was still no sound. Zhao Yiyi felt a little uneasy, and the zither music gradually lost its rhythm.
Until the door was knocked. As the person entered, she also stood up abruptly, trying her best to conceal her trembling voice, and asked calmly, “What’s wrong?”
Yunzhu suddenly didn’t dare look at the empress, and whispered in her gradually dimming gaze, “Your Majesty, Purple Palace… the lights are out.”
Author’s Note:
Gu Zhen: Tell me, what does my name mean?
“Reminds you to be virtuous!”
Gu Zhen: Then… the radical?
“Put on clothes!”
Gu Zhen: It’s not the clothing radical, it’s the “show” radical!
“Reminds you that if you don’t be virtuous, you’re done!”
Finally on holiday! ^_^