Chapter 8.18 – Goddess of the Harem
Su Wan coming out from Xinzheku was already the best news to Yan Yunuo, but what Yan Yunuo didn’t expect was that Su Wan’s return to the Shangfu Bureau was actually to get her belongings because she had been given the position of being Beauty Yan’s personal maid by His Majesty.
“Everyone will not be together in the future, but you can often go to Jinfangzhai to see me, Beauty Yan will also welcome you.”
Su Wan packed her things in the room while speaking softly to Yan Yunuo with a smile.
In just one night, such a big change took place. Su Wan had come out, Yuqing changed from a palace maid to a little lady.
In the back palace, there were legends and stories every day.
Beauty Yan?
Yan Yunuo still felt unused to such a form of address, but the rules in the back palace were strict and she would have to call her as such when she saw Yan Yuqing again.
At this time, Xu Bingyue’s mood was also very complicated. She had long felt that Yan Yuqing had deep thoughts, unlike Yan Yunuo and Su Wan, who were easy to cheat. But she didn’t expect that that girl would really step over her master to get promoted, flying up to the tip of the branch overnight.
Teh: The double “that” is perfectly acceptable in English grammar and I thought it felt appropriate here
She was quite capable!
However, the Emperor has so many women. Even if she was favored now, can she be favored for a lifetime?
Besides, the Emperor…
Xu Bingyue hasn’t seen yet what His Majesty looked like. But Xu Bingyue couldn’t help but feel sweet feelings when thinking of Chen Shengbei’s appearance in her heart. No one in this world could compare to Brother Chen’s brave and dashing appearance.
Especially the appearance of him wearing his guard uniform with a sword on his waist, just like the peerless heroes written in the picture book she had seen when she was a child.
Unfortunately……
Xu Bingyue’s eyes dimmed and a somewhat complicated gaze swept over Su Wan’s body. Unfortunately, the hero in her heart was her fiance. This world really was unfair.
“Bingyue? Bingyue?”
Su Wan’s voice interrupted Xu Bingyue’s train of thought. It turned out that she was thinking too much at a moment and stared at Su Wan for too long, which caught Su Wan’s attention.
“Bingyue, what are you looking at?”
“Oh, I was….. I was looking… at your jade pendant!” Xu Bingyue pointed to the jade pendant that Su Wan had always carried on her waist. She peeked at Su Wan’s reply to Chen Shengbei that day, so she naturally knew that this jade pendant was a token of their engagement.
“Sister Xiaowan, your jade pendant is very beautiful! Bingyue also likes it very much. Can you tell me where you bought it? I want to buy one too.”
Xu Bingyue stared at Su Wan’s jade pendant with twinkling eyes, her tone genuine and sincere.
“This jade pendant ah.”
Su Wan’s gaze became softer again and her tone became more gentle: “This was what I had on me since I was a child, and it’s a very important….. token.”
“So it was like this! Since it is so valuable, you must keep it well, Sister Xiaowan!”
Xu Bingyue stared at Su Wan’s jade pendant again, noting down the approximate shape of the jade pendant in her heart. She knew that she could not rush it. Even if Su Wan had returned, she still could not marry Chen Shengbei right away because she was in the back palace. She still has a long time to prepare and there will be many opportunities.
Su Wan pretended not to see the emotion in Xu Bingyue’s eyes. She caressed the jade pendant, her eyes revealing a warm, tender smile. The image of her smile was an extreme eyesore to Xu Bingyue……
Jinfangzhai.
When Su Wan came to Jinfangzhai with her belongings, the maids in the palace were cleaning the courtyard.
“Sister Su!”
As soon as Su Wan entered the door, all the inner palace maids stepped forward to pay their respects. The people of the Jinfangzhai had heard in the morning that their master’s personal palace maid was called Su Wan. Although they had never seen Su Wan, she was wearing a sapphire blue palace uniform that symbolized that she was a senior palace maid, which constantly reminded others of her identity.
“Everyone has worked hard.”
Su Wan nodded at the people in the yard and then gently asked, “Where is the master? Is she resting?”
“Replying to Sister Su, the master is playing chess in the hall!”
Oh?
Su Wan nodded and ordered a little maid to put her things away, and she quickly walked through the door of Jinfangzhai.
At this time, Yan Yuqing was wearing a bright crimson palace dress and was playing chess with a little palace maid.
“Su Wan pays respects to the master!”
Su Wan walked into the inner room and bowed to Yan Yuqing.
Hearing Su Wan’s voice, Yan Yuqing’s movements paused before lifting her head and looking at her with joy: “Xiao Wan, you’re finally here! Come, come, come. Quickly come and play chess with me. Playing chess with them is so boring. No one dares to beat me!”
“Naturally, it is because the Master has superb chess skills. No one is your opponent.”
Su Wan smiled at Yan Yuqing slightly. It must be said that Yan Yuqing was also a very intelligent person. Although she was an unfavored concubine’s daughter since childhood, she was proficient in the four arts: zither, Go, calligraphy and painting. Unfortunately, no matter how excellent she was, she will never enter the eyes of Master Yan.
“Su Wan, there are no outsiders here, so we do not need to treat each other like outsiders.”
Yan Yuqing was very satisfied seeing that Su Wan was acting extremely respectful towards her, but her mouth told Su Wan to not be so distant. Only in this way could she show that she was amiable and approachable!
“There is a difference between the master and the servant. Su Wan dare not act presumptuously. Moreover, it was the master who took the trouble to rescue this slave from the Xinzheku. The slave will wholeheartedly serve the master for the rest of my life and will lay my life down without regret.”
Su Wan also opened her mouth to speak words full of affection and concern. Coupled with her sincere and moved expression at the moment, Yan Yuqing naturally would not have any doubts about Su Wan.
Soon after Su Wan came to Jinfangzhai, Wang gonggong brought over a group of palace maids that the Emperor had bestowed on Beauty Yan. When he left, he vaguely revealed that His Majesty would come to Jinfangzhai for dinner in the evening.
Yan Yuqing was naturally overjoyed when she got the news. At this time, she had no forces of her own and the only one she could trust was Su Wan, so Yan Yuqing couldn’t help but discuss with Su Wan how to entertain the Emperor at night.
“Master, when the slave served in the Shangfu Bureau, the slave overheard that His Majesty liked spicy food. How about we instruct the small kitchen to make a few more such dishes?”
Spicy?
Yan Yuqing frowned, she was most afraid of spicy food in her life, but since His Majesty likes it…
“Okay, Su Wan, you do it. I can rest assured if you do it.”
In order to get His Majesty’s favor, Yan Yuqing was ready to stake it all. But what made her feel bitter yet happy was that His Majesty really did come here tonight, and as Su Wan said, His Majesty really liked spicy food.
“This dish is delicious.”
When Su Rui entered Jinfangzhai, he always had a cold face until Su Wan, who was waiting by the side, personally picked him a piece of spicy chicken. Su Rui’s face slowly began to smile: “Yuqing, how do you know that Zhen likes spicy food?”
The most taboo thing in the harem was to inquire about His Majesty’s preferences. Yan Yuqing gently looked at Su Rui with a smile on her face: “So it seems that Your Majesty likes spicy food? Qie actually didn’t know. These dishes are Qie’s usual favorites. When Qie recalled that Your Majesty might come over, Qie ordered people to prepare what Qie loves to eat and wanted to share Qie’s favorite with you.”
Blu: Qie – concubine, used when an imperial concubine speaks to the Emperor. In this paragraph, she did use other words to refer to herself, but I can’t have her saying ‘I’ in front of the Emperor, can I.
It has to be said that Yan Yuqing was very eloquent. Even if something was dead, she can speak as if it was alive. It was no wonder that Yan Yunuo was deceived again and again in the original world.
“I see.”
Hearing Yan Yunuo’s reasonable and extremely well-intentioned explanation, Su Rui smiled faintly, raised his hand and personally picked up a few pieces of meat for Yan Yuqing: “Since you like it, you should eat more, en, Zhen will reward you with this dish. Eat it all!”
Yan Yuqing:…..
To reap what one has sown. Yan Yuqing finally understood today.
Seeing Yan Yuqing looking like she was “extremely flattered” while eating a whole plate of spicy meat, Su Rui’s eyes finally showed a satisfied smile.
Little guy, a little bit of spice won’t kill you.
Seeing that His Majesty was staring at her with a smile, Yan Yuqing did not dare to let her expression show how spicy it was. She burst into tears in her heart while pretending to happily eat in front of Su Rui as if there was not enough to eat.
After enduring the pain in her throat and the discomfort in her stomach with great difficulty as she finished all those dishes, Yan Yuqing did not get to act in front of His Majesty when Su Rui spoke: “It seems that Beauty really is impressive! To be able to eat spicy food so well! Zhen feels ashamed!”
Hearing Su Rui’s compliment, Yan Yuqing immediately smiled shyly: “Your Majesty’s praise is misplaced.”
Actually, Chenqie doesn’t like to eat spicy food at all~
Blu: Chenqie – subject (to a ruler)
Fortunately, she had finally finished eating this meal. Yan Yuqing secretly swore in her heart that she would never prepare these dishes next time. Before she even completed the vow in her heart, she heard Su Rui speak again: “Since Beauty Yan’s preferences are so similar to Zhen’s, go directly to the imperial kitchen to get your Jinfangzhai’s meals! Zhen will ask people to prepare more meals that match your taste. Beauty, you will definitely love it!”
Eh……
Yan Yuqing looked at Su Rui with tears in her eyes: “Many thanks, Your Majesty, for your kindness. Qie cannot thank you enough.”
Sure enough, being close to the Emperor was like being close to a tiger. At the thought of having to eat such spicy food every day from now on and how she even had to be deeply grateful for it. Yan Yuqing instantly felt that it was very hard to be an imperial concubine~
