Little Palace Maid Desires a Higher Seat of Honor - Chapter 19

Chapter 19: “Get well soon.”

The high walls and red tiles were illuminated by the lotus lanterns. Around dusk, the Emperor’s carriage arrived at the Heyi Hall. Yun Si listened to the commotion outside but didn’t go to join in the excitement.

She had lain down for a whole day and couldn’t sleep. So, she took out the embroidery handkerchief she had been working on earlier.

As a servant in the palace, her room wasn’t far from Lu Cairen‘s inner chamber. She could vaguely hear Lu Cairen’s laughter and the sound of Song Rong coming out to deliver food. The contrast made her room seem even more lonely. But she didn’t know when the noise outside gradually disappeared.

Her door was pushed open with a soft creak.

Someone walked in.

Yun Si looked up in surprise, and the silver needle she was holding almost pricked her hand. She let out a soft “ouch” and quickly put down the needle. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she threw off the quilt and was about to get up to pay her respects. However, the injuries on her back and shoulders caused her pain, and her face turned pale.

When Tan Yuanchu saw her movements, he noticed the blood on her fingertips staining the quilt. She seemed to ignore the pain, and he frowned imperceptibly.

“Don’t move.”

Yun Si’s body stiffened in place because Tan Yuanchu had grasped her hand. He didn’t say anything else, but his actions were commanding and left no room for discussion.

The distance between them suddenly became very close, close enough to hear each other’s breathing. Yun Si felt tense for a moment, but then she relaxed. She looked nervously at the window and her voice trembled, “Why did the Emperor come here?”

Yun Si felt a headache coming on. He was still in the inner chamber just a moment ago. Why did he suddenly come here?
Would Lu Cairen notice something was off?

Her thoughts were in chaos, and she didn’t notice the man in front of her narrowing his eyes. Yun Si looked up at the window again, wanting to get up and close it tightly so that no one passing by could see what was happening inside.She had just moved a little when Tan Yuanchu released her hand, but his tone was disapproving, “What are you doing?”

Yun Si’s lips moved, and she found it hard to speak. After a moment, she said, “This servant wants to close the window.”

Closing the window.
It was so subtle, like they were doing something shameful.

Although it was indeed the case.

Yun Si felt uneasy, biting her lip and not daring to meet Tan Yuanchu’s gaze. As soon as she finished speaking, she felt a wave of heat spreading from her neck to her cheeks and ears, and her face gradually turned red.

Tan Yuanchu thought she was seductive.

Suddenly, Tan Yuanchu recalled the scene in the imperial study. After they were intimate, the woman slowly gathered her clothes and tied her belt. With her head bowed, her slender fingers moved through her hair, quickly styling her hair. Except for the flush on her face, she seemed like nothing had happened.

Tan Yuanchu suddenly asked, “How about becoming a Yunu?”

He had to admit that for a moment, he was genuinely interested. So, the words of granting her a title slipped out of his mouth. He even directly skipped over her status as a palace maid and made her a Yunu.

The biggest difference between a Guannuzi and a Yunu was that a Guannuzi was between a servant and a concubine. She was both a master and a servant, and she could attend to the Emperor’s needs and do chores.

Tan Yuanchu saw the woman lower her head, “The Cairen is waiting for me to return and report.”

Tan Yuanchu’s face turned cold. He wasn’t the first person to be rejected, but it was the second time she had rejected him. The emotions in his eyes suddenly faded away.

The woman lightly grasped his sleeve, but was waved away by Tan Yuanchu’s cold expression. She didn’t dare to make any more movements and said in a low voice, “The servant takes her leave.”

When she entered the hall, her lips were tinted with a faint pink color from the rouge. Now, there was no sign of rouge on her lips, but they looked even more delicate and alluring.

Tan Yuanchu wasn’t generous when it came to granting titles to women in the harem, but he wouldn’t be so stingy as to make a woman who had been intimate with him remain a palace maid. So, he said, “You’ll be a Yunu, residing in the Yanxi Palace. You won’t see her again.”

At this moment, Tan Yuanchu still thought she was hesitant because she wouldn’t be comfortable seeing Lu Cairen again after her status changed.

But until Yun Si turned around and said with some hesitation, “Lu Cairen has been very kind to me.”

Tan Yuanchu was rejected twice by the same woman in one day, and his face immediately turned cold, “Get out.”

She left quickly, without any hesitation.

Tan Yuanchu felt a surge of frustration in his chest, unable to breathe properly.
It was a heavy feeling.

If she was truly loyal to Lu Cairen, would she have ended up like this today?
Today’s meeting in the imperial study involved more than just one person with hidden intentions.

In the end, it was her own motives that mattered, or perhaps the title of Yunu he mentioned didn’t appeal to her.

As his thoughts returned to the present, Tan Yuanchu’s expression turned slightly cold, but he had to admit that she knew how to captivate someone.

Tan Yuanchu asked, pretending not to know, “Why do you want to close the window?”

Yun Si was taken aback by his question and her face turned slightly red.
He clearly knew the answer.

But since the Emperor asked, she had to answer while suppressing her embarrassment. Her eyelashes trembled randomly, “Someone might see.”

Tan Yuanchu said, “No one will.”

When he came in, the window was already closed. Besides, he wouldn’t come to her room without taking any precautions.

Yun Si’s voice was muffled. Today, the window was only casually closed and not properly shut. She felt a sense of unease in her heart until she checked it thoroughly.

Seeing her biting her lip and not speaking, Tan Yuanchu said coldly, “Close the window.”

With a soft thud, the window was closed from the outside by someone.

Yun Si was stunned.

How did he come here and have someone guarding outside?

As if he could hear her thoughts, Tan Yuanchu slightly curled his lips, but he didn’t respond to Yun Si. Instead, he lightly tapped his fingers on her shoulder, his tone casual, “Take it off.”

Yun Si suddenly snapped back to reality, but she froze again. She glanced outside, then unconsciously clenched her handkerchief, her throat feeling a bit tight.

Tan Yuanchu narrowed his eyes, making an ambiguous sound, “What do you think I’m going to do?”

Yun Si looked up at him innocently, and as she spoke, she realized she had misjudged the situation. However, undressing in front of a man still made her feel embarrassed.

Tan Yuanchu gazed at her with his eyes lowered, then suddenly stood up straight, waiting for her in a leisurely manner.

Both of them knew that this day would come sooner or later; it was just a matter of time.

Yun Si bit her lip, looked up at Tan Yuanchu, and after a while, in the quiet room, she turned her back to him. With her hands holding one side of her clothes, she slowly took them off. The clothes slid down her skin and finally hung on her elbow. She had rolled around yesterday, and her back wasn’t exactly pretty. The original white and delicate skin now had scratches and bruises.

She leaned half-way on the bed, her clothes pulled down to her waist. Due to tension and shyness, her whole body was trembling slightly.

Tan Yuanchu’s gaze darkened, and Yun Si, with her back to him, couldn’t see him swallow hard. Despite the imperfections, there was a kind of untamed beauty that made one want to lean in.

Yun Si heard someone approaching, and she bit her lip.

The next moment, someone touched her wound gently, but it was still painful. Yun Si couldn’t help but take a light breath.

Someone restrained her arms, their voice sounding a bit hoarse, “Yun Si, turn around.”

Yun Si was forced to turn around, and just as she was about to look up, someone leaned in, their lips cold and urgent. Yun Si couldn’t help but tilt her head back, and the wound on her back touched the quilt, causing her pain.

The person in front of her seemed to notice something and slowed down their movements. An arm suddenly restrained her waist, blocking the space between her and the bed. His fingers were placed in the small of her back, carefully avoiding her wound.

Yun Si could only raise her hand and cling to his neck.

After a while, the storm subsided, and before he got up, he lightly kissed the corner of her lips.

Yun Si didn’t notice the tenderness, but instead, she was startled by his movements. She subconsciously looked at the red candle in the room, trying to estimate the time.

How long had the Emperor been here? Would Lu Cairen send someone to look for her if she didn’t return for such a long time?

She didn’t hide her tension and unease at all. Tan Yuanchu’s face darkened for a moment, and he narrowed his eyes, laughing coldly, “You really think we’re sneaking around for a tryst?”

In the palace, whether it was concubines or palace maids, to some extent, they were all his people. Not to mention just being like this with her, even if they really had intimate contact and were caught by Lu Cairen, it wouldn’t make a difference.

Yun Si: “……”

She turned her head, and her arms slid down from his neck. She didn’t speak.

Tan Yuanchu’s fingers grasped her waist, holding it for a moment, and then he slowly released his grip. The distance between them increased, and it seemed like they had become cold, but the ambiguity remained.

He asked coldly, “Did you apply medicine today?”

Guessing what he wanted to do, Yun Si’s fingers trembled, and a hidden heat rose throughout her body. She didn’t let Tan Yuanchu do as he pleased, biting her lip lightly, half complaining and half pleading, “Lu Cairen’s place…”

She didn’t finish, but Tan Yuanchu understood her meaning.

Just that Tan Yuanchu didn’t answer her. He carelessly grasped her hand and glanced at the finger that had been pricked by the needle when he came in. The tiny wound had stopped bleeding, and in the dimly lit room, Tan Yuanchu couldn’t find the wound, but it didn’t stop him from holding her hand. His index finger traced along her wrist and into her palm, forcing her to let her hand hang limp in his.

Yun Si’s voice was husky, knowing that he wouldn’t tell her the answer until she responded. Yun Si’s lips barely moved, “No.”

Yun Si knew what he wanted to hear, and her lips parted, releasing an answer that suited his intentions.
Tan Yuanchu smiled, “Where’s the medicine?”

Yun Si looked at the dressing table. Tan Yuanchu stood up, found the medicine, and turned back. He sat down, lowered his head, and sat down. He opened the medicine bottle, speaking slowly, “If you can always be this obedient, it wouldn’t be bad.”

Yun Si turned her back, pretending not to hear his words. She was afraid of his unfamiliar movements and trembled slightly, “Your Majesty, please be gentle. This servant is afraid of pain.”

Tan Yuanchu’s movements paused almost imperceptibly. He said coldly, “Don’t provoke me.”

Yun Si didn’t understand and looked back blankly. Tan Yuanchu raised his eyes and directly met her gaze. The room fell silent in the moment of their eye contact. Tan Yuanchu suddenly asked, “When will your wound heal?”

Yun Si suddenly realized what he was referring to earlier, but before she could think further, her heart sank again.
What did he mean?

Tan Yuanchu didn’t wait for her answer and already reached out to scoop up some ointment and apply it to her wound. His movements were unfamiliar but still careful. As he applied the medicine, neither of them felt very comfortable. Yun Si clutched the quilt, her back slightly trembling, and fine sweat seemed to trickle down her neck.

Tan Yuanchu lowered his head, and suddenly leaned in to kiss the back of her neck. Yun Si’s body stiffened, and the sound from behind her was low and ambiguous, “Get the wound healed soon.”