Chapter 1115 - 1117 Still Making Trouble in the Palace_1
"This consort Bai has seen the emperor." Bai Ruozhu gave her respects to the emperor and then stood aside.
The emperor asked about Consort Yue’s condition and inquired if Bai Ruozhu suspected anyone, but Bai Ruozhu really didn’t know. Even if she did have her suspicions, she dared not point fingers without evidence.
"Take good care of Consort Yue. There will be great rewards for you," the emperor said in a very calm tone, but Bai Ruozhu still saw a trace of concern in his eyes. It appeared the emperor did care about Consort Yue after all. It’s just that an emperor could not easily show his feelings, as that wouldn’t be good for him or Consort Yue.
"Yes, your servant obeys," Bai Ruozhu respectfully gave a bow, then moved aside.
The emperor glanced at Jiang Yichun, "Alright, your person has arrived. Escort her back to Cining Palace."
As the two of them left the Imperial Study Room, just as she was stepping through the doorway, Bai Ruozhu heard an almost inaudible sigh from behind her. But she was certain it was a sigh, and it carried a desolate tone.
The emperor was still young, but he was twenty-five already. In ordinary families, it would be normal to have two or three sons by now. Yet the emperor, despite all his women, had a sparse lineage. He was not unaware of the issue at hand.
Once out of the Imperial Study Room, Jiang Yichun quietly reached out and took hold of Bai Ruozhu’s hand. Bai Ruozhu was startled and whispered, "Be careful in the palace."
As she spoke, she tried to withdraw her hand, but how could she match his strength? She struggled in vain to pull away. Turning her head, she saw the teasing look in his eyes; the corner of his mouth was slightly raised.
Oh, so he was deliberately teasing her. He really was in a good mood.
Her own mischievous intent arose, and instead of trying to pull her hand away, she pinched a bit of flesh on his hand with her fingernails. Unfortunately, since Jiang Yichun was a martial artist and had thick skin, he didn’t care at all. The arc of his mouth even widened, causing Bai Ruozhu to feel annoyed. Was she just going to be bullied by him like this?
Thinking this, she relaxed the grip of her hand and also let go of his fingers, then gently scraped the soft pads of her fingers across the palm of his hand.
Jiang Yichun’s body tensed visibly. He turned to look at Bai Ruozhu, his eyes flashing with a dangerous light.
"Woman, are you testing my willpower?" He tilted his head close to her ear, "Be careful, or I might just take you right now!"
Bai Ruozhu was inwardly pleased. She might not be able to overpower his brute strength, but couldn’t she still fight back with her guile? After all, he started it by bullying her first. Humph, let him suffer the torment.
"There are many Shadow Guards in the palace, so you’d better not mess around and break the palace rules," Bai Ruozhu warned him quietly, a mischievous smile playing at the corner of her eyes, irritating Jiang Yichun to the point where he almost wanted to bite down hard on her vermillion lips.
"If you push me too hard, I won’t care about any rules," Jiang Yichun likewise hooked his finger and scraped it across the palm of her hand; his gesture carried more of a warning though.
Bai Ruozhu gave him a glare, "I’ll be staying in Cining Palace for a few days. Don’t you have anything serious to tell me?"
Jiang Yichun’s playful smile faded as he pulled her a bit closer and said, "There’s a lot of intrigue in the palace; you must be careful. Of course, I trust you, but I’m afraid others may take advantage of your kind-heartedness."
"How so? I’m no saint," Bai Ruozhu disagreed vehemently.
He chuckled softly, "Just be careful anyway. If you run into major trouble and I can’t get into the palace right away, and you can’t send a message, go find..." He leaned in close to her ear, his voice dropping lower.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but widen her eyes; it seemed there was still much she didn’t know about her husband.
By now, the two had arrived outside Cining Palace. It was already improper for Jiang Yichun to escort her this far, lingering any longer and giving rise to gossip would be even worse.
"I need to go in, I have to keep an eye on Consort Le," said Bai Ruozhu.
Yet Jiang Yichun’s hand did not let go, and his eyes slightly lifted as he looked at her, "So, you’ve riled me up and now you think you can just run off like this?"
Bai Ruozhu tried to pinch him again; they were at the very entrance of the Empress Dowager’s Palace, why was he still messing around?
He chuckled softly and suddenly released his hand. Bai Ruozhu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he dared not fool around anymore, but the next second, she became completely petrified...
His large hand suddenly reached out and smacked her bottom with a "pop." Although it was winter and she wore a thin jacket, which meant the smack wouldn’t make much noise even if done forcefully, he obviously smacked her hard and with an exaggerated gesture!
Bai Ruozhu’s eyes bulged with disbelief as she looked at him. Not far away were palace maids, and there might be Shadow Guards lurking in the shadows. Yet, he had just smacked her bottom in public! Though they were husband and wife, this was outside!
If it had been a lecher, Bai Ruozhu would surely have slapped him without thinking, but because it was her own husband, she couldn’t slap him. By the time she recovered her senses, itching to strike him, she no longer had the chance.
Bai Ruozhu took a deep breath, holding back the heat on her face, and cursed softly, "Bastard," before turning around and swiftly entering Cining Palace.
Alright, she had lost the duel with him. She couldn’t exactly start fighting him in public and let others enjoy their "flirtatious quarreling," could she? Even though she truly felt like giving him a good beating now, how could others know this?
Steaming with anger, Bai Ruozhu went to Consort Le’s room. Consort Le was awake and looked at Bai Ruozhu worriedly, "Ruozhu, I heard the emperor summoned you for questioning. He didn’t blame you for anything, did he?"
"No, the emperor told me to take good care of you," said Bai Ruozhu. Noticing Consort Le’s misunderstanding, she hurriedly put aside her feelings of embarrassment and anger to calm herself down.
"Don’t hide it from me. You were flushed just now, as if you were really angry," Consort Le said, still concerned.
Bai Ruozhu instantly thought back to that slap and her face heated up again, "No, it wasn’t that. My husband upset me, the emperor didn’t blame me."
Consort Le stared at Bai Ruozhu for a while and then suddenly chuckled. As a married woman who was now pregnant, how could she not guess those little occurrences between husband and wife?
Bai Ruozhu’s face grew even hotter, thinking Consort Le was too perceptive. She had no choice but to sternly say, "You need to rest properly now, no more talking, close your eyes and go to sleep."
Consort Le’s smile revealed her dimples as if they were hiding and seeking, "Alright, I must listen to our Ruozhu, the Divine Doctor."
As she spoke, Consort Le truly stopped talking, closed her eyes, but her lips still curled with a smile. With this distraction and joke, her mood lightened considerably, and upon relaxing, she was promptly ushered back into dreamland.
...
In a dimly lit room, a palace maid reported to her mistress. The mistress let out a light chuckle, her tone filled with disdain, "As expected from a country bumpkin, daring to flirt and chide with men even in the palace. Can she really not stay away from men?"