Pampered Consort's Acting Awards - Chapter 79

Xiao Yun entered the room while Qin Ling was absent, intending to take the eldest prince for a bath. However, when she returned, she was taken aback by the sight of a man in the room.

 

Since the emperor had arrived at the harem, there was no place for the prince there. After Xiao Yun greeted the emperor, Momo Yuan promptly escorted the young prince to a side chamber.

 

The little prince kept glancing back, puzzled by why he had to leave as soon as his father had arrived.

 

Surprised, Qin Ling asked, “Your Majesty, why have you come so late?” 

 

Xiao Yu patted the edge of the bed calmly, saying, “Come over and talk.” 

 

Qin Ling walked over and sat. “Has the Mongolian delegation not arrived yet?” 

 

“Yes, they’ll be here in five days at the latest.” As they got closer, Xiao Yu noticed her eyes were red. He asked, brows furrowed, “Why are your eyes red?” His inquiring gaze made Qin Ling lean back a bit. Xiao Yu used his hand to support her waist, pulling her closer to himself, “What’s wrong?” 

 

“Are they really red?” Qin Ling blinked, “It might be because the room was too hot just now…”

 

Xiao Yu remembered that she had indeed just come from the warm pavilion with their son, and his expression softened.

 

Just then, his stomach inconveniently made a sound.

 

“You haven’t eaten yet, Your Majesty?”

 

Xiao Yu replied with a simple “Hmm.”

 

“How can this be? Your Majesty, wait a moment, let me find…”

 

Suddenly, Xiao Yu raised his eyes to look at her and said, “Ah Ling, make me something.”

 

“How could I? I haven’t cooked in ages…”

 

“Can’t you make soup?” When he first took over the court affairs, he spent his days in the imperial study, and at that time, she would often send him nourishing soups of various kinds. He knew it was her way of caring for him without using obvious means. She truly worried about him.

 

Qin Ling frowned and said, “But… making soup will take at least half an hour…” 

 

Xiao Yu replied, “I’ll wait.”

 

Qin Ling smiled wryly. This person was clearly putting on an emperor’s airs.

 

In this remote place, Dongli Palace’s small kitchen was nearly bare, except for some basic utensils. Moreover, Qin Ling hadn’t set foot in a kitchen for long, so she felt flustered when she entered.

 

Fortunately, Zhu Lan was there to help her light the fire.

 

Zhu Lan suggested, “My lady, the ingredients here won’t do. How about I go to the Ministry of Rites and fetch something?”

 

Qin Ling replied, “No need to go that far. Just go to Princess Changning’s place.” Considering Princess Changning’s love for food, her courtyard must be stocked with food.

 

After a while, Zhu Lan appeared with several items in her hands.

 

Qin Ling looked at the scattered yam shrimp, mushroom, and bamboo fungus on the table and massaged her temples. After some thought, she tossed everything into the pot.

 

Cooking and preparing a meal has its charm. As the water in the pot came to boil, Qin Ling gradually calmed down.

 

She had never been a professional cook; she cooked by trial and error. She added some water if it was too salty; if it was too bland, she added salt. Ultimately, she didn’t know exactly what concoction she had created, but she found the soup quite delicious. The bowl she held had a strong mushroom flavor and was very savory.

 

After half an hour of bustling, she carried the pot into the hall. As soon as she entered, she noticed the man had already closed his eyes. She placed the bowl and utensils down and walked over to him. “Your Majesty?”

 

Xiao Yu half-opened his eyes and said, “You’re done?” His fatigue was evident in his voice.

 

“If you’re tired, you should rest early.”

 

Xiao Yu got up and said, “I’m really hungry.”

 

The Dongli Palace’s inner chambers layout was similar to Prince Jin’s residence, with only three steps from the raised bed to the table. Xiao Yu nodded as he looked at the steaming mushroom soup and quickly sat for a bowl. When Qin Ling noticed him furrowing his brow, she cautiously asked, “Doesn’t it suit Your Majesty’s taste?”

 

Xiao Yu held up his bowl and spoon and handed them to her. She naturally accepted them, muttering, “But I just tasted it.” Witnessing this scene, Zhu Lan suddenly felt like her heart was about to jump out.

 

His Majesty favored the zhaoyi and trusted her greatly. Not letting others try the soup for poison first was one thing, but… using the same bowl and utensils?

 

Zhu Lan quickly withdrew from the room.

 

Qin Ling sensed that something was amiss, and when their eyes met, she promptly set down the bowl and utensils. She discreetly said, “Is it not to your liking? If not, I can call the servants to bring you a meal.”

 

“It’s delicious.”

 

Xiao Yu reached for her hand, gently rubbing her fingertips, and his expression was hard to describe, a mixture of both sourness and a sense of refreshing delight.

 

“Really?”

 

“Really,” he reiterated, raising the bowl and drinking it all in one go. Xiao Yu had never imagined that a bowl of soup could make a person feel slightly intoxicated. He wished to freeze time at this very moment and not let it slip away. Unfortunately, the course of life is measured in breaths and years, something an emperor cannot change.

 

***

 

When Qin Ling woke up the next day, Xiao Yu had already left. After having lunch, Xiao Yun was scheduled to attend a lecture in the Hall of Learning.

 

The Hall of Learning was adjacent to Dongli Palace, with a roof adorned in golden glazed tiles shining brilliantly.

 

Xiao Yun followed a eunuch into the Hall of Learning, and as he looked around, he noticed someone waiting for him by the lattice windows. It was his teacher.

 

Xiao Yun took a step forward toward him. When Su Huai’an saw Xiao Yun for the first time, even though he was prepared, he couldn’t help but be shaken. This was his nephew, who bore a striking resemblance to the emperor.

 

Su Huai’an clasped his hands and bowed, saying softly, “I greet Your Highness.”

 

Xiao Yun stopped and returned the courtesy, saying, “I greet you, Teacher.” 

 

Teacher. For some reason, Su Huai’an’s eyes inexplicably welled up with emotion. “So, should I test Your Highness on your studies?”

 

Xiao Yun nodded, agreeing.

 

At four years old, his understanding was limited, so he mostly reviewed what Tutor Yao had taught him in the Qionglin Elementary Studies. Most of his time was spent on calligraphy practice. Su Huai’an ground ink while keeping an eye on him. Even though he resembled an emperor in many ways, his eyes were still like Ah Ling’s.

 

“Teacher?”

 

The prince was very well-behaved. With a wolf hair brush, he sat upright at the desk with a pair of eyes like grapes rinsed with water. Su Huai’an resisted the urge to lift him and give him a bite as he spread a sheet of paper.

 

“Have you practiced these characters?”

 

Xiao Yun shook his head.

 

Su Huai’an held the prince’s soft hand and guided him to write slowly. His voice was gentle, almost revealing his true feelings, “Here, relax your wrist.”

 

Xiao Yun followed his instructions carefully.

 

Unbeknownst to them, the sun had already disappeared behind the artificial mountain, and the sky had darkened. The sound of drizzling rain could be heard from outside. Su Huai’an completed the final character, “礼” (li), with the prince. A palace maid entered and said, “Your Highness, Her Ladyship sees that it’s raining outside and has come to pick you up.”

 

This was one of the advantages of being an imperial concubine. With the emperor’s token, no one dared to stop her wherever she went. There was no specially designed chair for the prince in the Hall of Learning, and the teacher’s chair was a bit high. When the prince tried to get down, he stumbled. Just as it seemed he might fall, Su Huai’an quickly caught him. He held the prince by the neck to maintain balance and took the opportunity to pat his soft flesh. He smiled and asked, “Almost fall, didn’t you?”

 

Xiao Yun had never experienced such a gentle tone from Tutor Yao. Blood ties naturally brought a sense of closeness. Xiao Yun was still not accustomed to being held by someone other than his parents, so he said, “Thank you, Teacher, but I didn’t. I can walk by myself…”

 

Su Huai’an raised an eyebrow, and just as he set the little prince down, Qin Ling entered the hall. “It’s raining outside, so I came to give you an umbrella, my lord,” she said, her eyes crinkling with a smile.

 

Su Huai’an accepted it naturally and said, “Thank you, Your Ladyship.”

 

As they left the Hall of Learning, they pushed the door open and came face to face with Princess Changning.

 

“What a coincidence, Your Ladyship is here,” Changning said, then bent down to pinch Xiao Yun’s cheek. “Call me Aunt.”

 

Xiao Yun obediently replied, “Aunt.”

 

Princess Changning chuckled, and when she stood, her gaze met Su Huai’an’s momentarily. She quickly turned her head away. “Your Ladyship, Changning has some matters to attend to, so she’ll be leaving.”

 

Qin Ling replied with a nod.

 

Xiao Lianyu turned and walked under Fu Xun’s umbrella. They gradually moved away, and in the pouring rain, the nature of their relationship was evident in the angle at which the umbrella was held. When she stopped and faced Fu Xun, the two appeared to be in a dispute, but the rain muffled their words so that nothing could be heard.

 

After a while, Fu Xun sighed and raised another umbrella. The onlookers then realized she had thrown a tantrum earlier because she didn’t want him to get wet.

 

Qin Ling looked at Su Huai’an with concern and whispered, “Brother…”

 

Su Huai’an suppressed the impulse to explode and whispered back, “Ah Ling, you don’t have to worry about this. I will explain it to her myself.”

 

***

 

On this moonlit night, the sound of rain pattering, Su Huai’an followed the faint glow of a horn lantern, avoiding the eunuchs who were patrolling back and forth. Dressed in dark clothing, he went to Dongli Palace, contemplating how to enter.

 

At the same time, on the other side—

 

Xiao Lianyu sat on her couch, furrowing her brows, counting the shadows of eunuchs outside the lattice window. Strangely, there were two more figures among them. She took two deep breaths and suddenly smiled. The empress dowager had been watching Dongli Palace for a while now…

 

She had truly, truly had enough.

 

Fu Xun stood by, serving tea, and softly said, “It’s cooler when it rains on the mountain, Your Highness’ health isn’t fully recovered yet. How about having some hot tea?”

 

Xiao Lianyu accepted the tea and took a few sips. When she looked up, lightning and thunder illuminated the area in fits and starts, revealing a figure drawing closer to her.

 

Considering their stature, could it be Eunuch Zhang?

 

She placed the teacup down, grabbed Fu Xun’s arm, and stood close to the door. Just as the figure outside reached for the door, she said, “Xun lang, I’m sorry.”

 

Fu Xun replied, “Don’t say it like that. Being by your side is my honor.”

 

“If Mother insists on forcing me to marry that man from the Ministry of Justice again, I’ll become a nun.”

 

“Don’t say that, Your Highness.”

 

“Xun lang, don’t leave tonight. Stay with me here,” Xiao Lianyu said, “Ah Yu wants to be with you, and nothing else matters…”

 

Immediately, there was a faint sound inside the room, accompanied by almost imperceptible gasps. The sounds were particularly alluring in the night.

 

— Su Jingming, I want to be with you.

— Ah Yu doesn’t care about anything.

 

Su Huai’an’s complexion darkened, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. With a forceful push, he swung the door open.

 

At that moment, Fu Xun was still bowing and talking to Princess Changning; the princess’ hair was slightly disheveled, while Huai Jing stood like a shadow in the doorway.

 

Six pairs of eyes collided, and the atmosphere was as frigid as midwinter. When Princess Changning saw Huai Jing, she was taken aback, but Fu Xun’s face flushed with a feigned embarrassment. In Su Huai’an’s eyes, that blush appeared as solid evidence, a telltale sign of something more intimate. In the presence of the imperial son-in-law,  the princess’ fiancée, it was a situation that couldn’t be easily explained.

 

Especially considering that Princess Changning was already betrothed.

 

Xiao Linayu’s heart pounded loudly, but she clenched her teeth and firmly grasped Fu Xun’s waist sash, glaring at the intruder.

 

Su Huai’an, watching her fingers on the waist sash, felt his taut self-control beginning to crumble. He knew she didn’t owe him anything. It was only natural for her to develop feelings for someone else. But Xiao Lianyu, are you like this with everyone?

 

Su Huai’an looked at Fu Xun and said coldly, “Get out. I need to speak with Her Highness.”

 

Fu Xun didn’t move and instead gripped the knife at his side. He had a vague feeling this imperial son-in-law would have a conflict with the princess tonight.

 

Princess Changning’s anger flared, and she stood firmly before Fu Xun. She spoke slowly and sternly, “What is Lord Huai doing here? Is Dongli Palace where you should be?”

 

With a swift and unexpected movement, Su Huai’an raised his hand and brought his hand directly to Fu Xun’s neck, knocking him unconscious. His martial arts skills weren’t truly superior, but Fu Xun had never considered that a top scholar like Su Huai’an would be skilled in combat.

 

Su Huai’an didn’t utter a word and dragged Xiao Lianyu into a side chamber.

 

Xiao Lianyu shook off his hand and said, “Lord Huai’s true colors are revealed…”

 

Before she could finish her sarcastic comment, Su Huai’an silenced her with a kiss. Xiao Lianyu’s eyes shot open, and she pushed Su Huai’an away desperately, landing a resounding slap on his left cheek.

 

No, it was more like she struck a thunderclap that could deafen the heavens. Her hand trembled as she said, “How dare you… How dare you do this to me.”

 

A wry smile appeared at the corner of Su Huai’an’s mouth, and he didn’t hesitate to kiss her again. How dare I? What I’ve done to you today is nothing compared to what you did to me once upon a time.

 

One kissed desperately as if marking a territory, while the other used fists and kicks.

 

The difference in strength between men and women was immense. Xiao Lianyu’s hands were bound, and Su Huai’an’s knees firmly held her legs in place, rendering her completely immobile.

 

After an uncertain amount of time, the princess’ whimpers grew weaker. Su Huai’an’s consumed rationality returned. He released his hold, and as their eyes met, he offered her the other side of his face. “Go ahead, hit me.”