Chapter 93 : Xue Nujiaojiao

Xue Qingyin jolted awake from her nap.

The bed was empty, leaving only her.

She felt a pang of sadness.

Had her reward been taken away?

Xue Qingyin got up, and as soon as she made the slightest noise, King Xuan approached her.

She hurriedly scolded him, “Your Highness, why didn’t you wake me? Did we miss the timing again?”

King Xuan replied, “No matter, it is still daytime.”

Xue Qingyin thought about it for a moment.

Well, that’s true. It’s still better than yesterday, isn’t it?

But then she asked, “According to protocol, what time should we have entered the palace to pay respects?”

“Between 7:00 and 9:00 a.m.”

“And what time is it now?”

“Near noon.”

They were nearly two hours late!

Even so, Xue Qingyin didn’t feel disheartened. Instead, she looked up at King Xuan and said, “Doesn’t that mean we’re just in time for lunch?”

King Xuan didn’t expect her to say that.

After a moment of silence, he responded, “…Yes.”

Xue Qingyin straightened up confidently and declared, “Then let’s go!”

The palace attendants hurried to help Xue Qingyin dress and groom herself.

King Xuan took an item from the hands of a servant before heading out with Xue Qingyin toward the palace.

He rode on horseback while Xue Qingyin sat in a palanquin.

Midway through their journey, King Xuan handed something to Xue Qingyin from outside.

She opened it to find food.

It was quite similar to the oily rice that had been handed to her during the wedding procession.

So this was what King Xuan had taken earlier.

With a small meal to tide her over and some tea to rinse her mouth, Xue Qingyin felt refreshed and ready by the time they reached the palace.

There was already a eunuch waiting at the door. With sweat all over his head, he bowed and said, “Your Highness and the Concubine, please follow me to the Jishan Hall to pay respects to the Queen Mother.”

King Xuan replied coldly, “We’ll go to the Hall of Supreme Harmony first.”

The eunuch’s face turned pale, and he began sweating even more. “This…this…”

Ignoring him, King Xuan led Xue Qingyin directly to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Xue Qingyin whispered, “Are we going to see His Majesty first?”

King Xuan confirmed, “Yes.”

At the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Emperor Liang De sat at his desk, his expression grim.

Not having seen King Xuan for two days, the emperor felt a tinge of unease.

“Your Majesty, it’s almost noon. Shall I prepare your meal?” a eunuch asked respectfully.

The emperor waved him off. “I have no appetite.”

The eunuch looked worried. “Your Majesty must take care of your health.”

Before he could continue persuading him, a young eunuch rushed to the door and announced loudly, “Your Majesty, King Xuan requests an audience.”

The emperor snapped out of his thoughts and slammed the table. “Let him in!”

King Xuan entered promptly with Xue Qingyin and bowed before the emperor.

“Greetings, Your Majesty,” Xue Qingyin said, her gesture half-hearted.

King Xuan corrected her, “Now, you should address him as Father Emperor.”

The emperor’s face darkened, but he bit back his words.

Meanwhile, the Queen Mother had heard of King Xuan’s arrival.

“Why hasn’t he come here yet?” she asked with a frown.

The eunuch who reported the news stammered, “King Xuan…he…went to the Hall of Supreme Harmony first.”

The Queen Mother’s face immediately fell.

Even Concubine  Wan glanced over in surprise.

Having waited here for two hours, the Queen Mother’s displeasure was evident.

Not only had King Xuan failed to bring Xue Qingyin to pay respects immediately, but he had taken her to the emperor first. Wouldn’t the Queen Mother now harbor resentment toward Xue Qingyin?

The Queen Mother, protective by nature, would surely blame all of King Xuan’s actions on Xue Qingyin!

Suppressing her anger, the Queen Mother instructed coldly, “Wait outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Do not return without bringing King Xuan to me.”

The eunuch shivered and bowed low in agreement.

Back at the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Emperor Liang De seemed intent on testing Xue Qingyin.

He turned to King Xuan and asked, “Have you eaten breakfast?”

King Xuan replied, “Yes.”

After a pause, he added, “Father Emperor, have you had lunch?”

The emperor, surprised by the question, said, “It’s still early; I haven’t eaten yet.”

King Xuan suggested, “Since we’re late today, Qingyin and I can accompany Father Emperor for lunch.”

Liang Dedi was even more surprised. He thought to himself, In the past, I couldn’t keep you here for a meal no matter how hard I tried. What’s gotten into you today to make you change your ways?

After pondering for a moment,Emperor Liang Dedi waved over a eunuch. “Have the Imperial Kitchen prepare two dishes that King Xuan favors.”

The eunuch cheerfully responded and went off.

Emperor Liang Dedi, in a slightly better mood, turned his attention to Xue Qingyin with some “concern.”

“The last time we met was in the Hibiscus Garden. Do you still remember me?”

Xue Qingyin, a master of flattery, responded crisply, “Of course, it’s unforgettable! It was only during the palace banquet later that I realized the towering figure, sharp-eyed and commanding without anger, was none other than Your Majesty himself. It was quite a shock!”

Flattering him like this in front of King Xuan brought an even broader smile to Emperor Liang Dedi’s face.Emperor  Liang Dedi chuckled. “That day might have caused you some grievances, but it was also a fateful encounter that led to you and King Xuan today.”

As he spoke,Emperor Liang Dedi couldn’t help but feel they might indeed be a match made in heaven, deeply fated.

He continued, “I heard you’re in poor health. How are you doing now?”

Xue Qingyin blinked her eyes with an innocent expression and replied earnestly, “The physician from the King’s residence has treated me, saying that with careful care, I should recover well.”

 Emperor Liang Dedi thought, It seems King Xuan really is pampering her like a little treasure.

Outside.

A young eunuch had rushed from the Queen Mother’s palace to the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

He waited outside for quite some time.

He hadn’t expected King Xuan and the Emperor to have so much to talk about.

Soon, he saw people from the Imperial Kitchen arrive as well. Guessing that a meal was about to be served, the eunuch’s expression changed dramatically. Could it be that King Xuan is staying to dine with His Majesty? How am I supposed to explain this to the Queen Mother?

Unable to hold back any longer, the young eunuch boldly asked a palace servant to relay a message.

“Your Majesty, someone sent by the Queen Mother is waiting outside.”

 Emperor Liang Dedi, still chatting with Xue Qingyin, was interrupted and frowned in displeasure. “Waiting for what?”

“They’re waiting for King Xuan to pay his respects to the Queen Mother.”

 Emperor Liang Dedi’s expression became quite nuanced upon hearing this.

After a moment of silence, he turned to King Xuan and asked, “Did you come straight to me after entering the palace today?”

King Xuan nodded.

 Emperor Liang Dedi scolded him with a smile, “You should’ve followed protocol and greeted the QueenMother first.”

Yet his expression showed no sign of reproach; on the contrary, he was quite pleased.

He was delighted that King Xuan prioritized him over the Queen Mother.

“Send the people from the Queen Mother’s palace back. Tell them that I’ve kept King Xuan for a meal, and he will visit her once he’s free,” Emperor Liang Dedi said cheerfully.

The young eunuch outside, hearing this decree, felt his heart sink but had no choice but to nervously return with the message.

Upon hearing this, the Queen Mother was furious and felt deeply humiliated.

“There’s no need for Concubine  Wan to stay here. She may leave with the King Wei’s Concubine,” the Queen Mother said, suppressing her anger.

Concubine  Wan no longer had the mood to savor the Queen Mother’s predicament.

She bowed and withdrew.

After stepping out, her expression darkened slightly.

The Emperor kept King Xuan for a meal? Even Wei Wang, newly married and entering the palace, didn’t receive such treatment.

In the past, the relationship between King Xuan and the Emperor had been distant and tense.

Now, it seemed to have completely shifted.

Could it be that Xue Qingyin had played some role in this?

Concubine  Wan glanced at Liu Yuerong, thinking to herself, Still too dull.

Qiao Xinyu is clever, but unfortunately, her parents are far away in Jiannan  Road. She can’t be made the primary consort and thus isn’t very useful.

Concubine  Wan felt somewhat troubled.

Meanwhile, Emperor Liang Dedi looked at Xue Qingyin again and found her even more pleasing to the eye. Though her beauty leaned toward the overly delicate, she was bold in her demeanor and close to King Xuan. This put his mind at ease about his greatest worry.

Four years ago, he had sent a beauty to King Xuan’s residence. To his dismay, an incident occurred that very day.

Disguising himself and visiting the residence, he discovered the woman pale with fear, trembling so badly she couldn’t even stand.

Apparently, no matter how much she tried to entice him, King Xuan remained indifferent and nearly took her head off instead.

Emperor Liang Dedi had feared that King Xuan’s overwhelming aura had suppressed his emotions, rendering him incapable of intimacy.

Now, with Xue Qingyin alive and well, and so close to King Xuan, things seemed to be improving. Emperor Liang Dedi’s gaze grew more affectionate, even tinged with sympathy.

This left Xue Qingyin utterly bewildered.

He asked her, “What do you like to eat? I’ll have the Imperial Kitchen prepare a few more dishes.” His favor was evident.

Xue Qingyin thought, If I asked for spicy crayfish, you wouldn’t be able to manage it anyway.

So she obediently replied, “I haven’t had any of the food in the palace before, so I don’t know which dishes are good. Can I try them all?”

Her response was endearingly naive.

What a simple little thing. Emperor Liang Dedi laughed heartily. “There are hundreds of dishes in the palace; you won’t be able to try them all in one meal.”

He paused and said, “Come with King Xuan tomorrow to have another meal with me.”