Chapter 21: Xuanyuan Ling Plays a Prank

Fortunately, dinner was delivered just then. Shen Qing only hoped he wouldn’t fixate on the embroidery anymore, so she appeared especially attentive while they ate.

But the weather was gradually heating up, and during dinner, Shen Qing happened to be bitten by mosquitoes all day—right on her face. Whether it was because her skin was tender or because mosquitoes were especially vicious this time of year, the bite left a large red patch, which now looked like it might start to swell.

Shen Qing wanted to scratch it, but Chunhua said, “My Lady, don’t scratch too hard, or you might break the skin.”

Yet with Xuanyuan Ling present, Chunhua couldn’t be too blunt. Women in the harem feared nothing more than appearing disheveled before the Emperor. How unlucky that a mosquito had bitten her like this of all times.

That patch of redness looked terribly unsightly, and tonight she was supposed to serve him. Was the Emperor going to leave now?

Shen Qing frowned, clearly uncomfortable.

Xuanyuan Ling saw this and turned to Zhao Hai, saying, “Go summon the imperial physician.”

Shen Qing wanted to stop him, but it was too late—Zhao Hai had already gone out. Shen Qing thought, Getting the physician over a mosquito bite?

But Xuanyuan Ling had other thoughts as he looked at her flushed little face. Shen Qing obviously cared about her appearance. After all, what woman in the harem didn’t? With her low rank, she couldn’t call the physician easily. Even if it was just a mosquito bite, it was still something of a concern when it affected her face.

Soon, the physician arrived. After examining the red area on her face and checking her pulse, he reported, “Your Majesty, it seems Lady Shen has a slightly different constitution from others. Her skin is more prone to attracting insects, and mosquito bites cause significant swelling and redness. Applying ointment will reduce the swelling and relieve the itch. Going forward, she should avoid insects, and there should be no major problem.”

So every time she gets bitten she’ll have to deal with this? Summer was nearly here, the days were getting hotter, and naturally there would be more insects. It would be hard to avoid getting bitten.

“Is there a way to prevent it from happening again?” Xuanyuan Ling asked.

The physician replied, “This subject can prepare insect-repelling sachets for her to wear. That should prevent future bites.”

“Good,” Xuanyuan Ling responded with satisfaction.

Shen Qing smiled faintly. But her face still itched, so she wanted to treat it first. But once the ointment was applied—it turned out to be black! Once spread, it formed a large, inky patch over half her face. Shen Qing sneaked a glance at Xuanyuan Ling and felt deeply embarrassed. Looking like this, she obviously couldn’t serve him tonight.

She glanced at him pitifully.

Xuanyuan Ling beckoned to her. “Come here.”

Shen Qing walked over cautiously, thinking to herself, With how I look right now, surely even a beast like him wouldn’t be in the mood…

Xuanyuan Ling just looked at her face and gently reassured her, “It’s alright. The ointment will make it better.”

Shen Qing blinked twice, then nodded.

She thought he would leave after seeing her in this state—but he didn’t. After he washed up, since he had arrived early today, Xuanyuan Ling even picked up a book to read for a while.

Seeing that he really had no intention of doing anything physical, Shen Qing found it a bit hard to believe. Since they met, was this the first night they’d simply shared a bed without doing anything? Just lying under the covers to talk?

After reading for a while, Xuanyuan Ling let Shen Qing help him change into his nightclothes, then got into bed. Shen Qing wasn’t quite used to it. Doing nothing after getting into bed, she stole several glances at him and then quietly giggled.

Xuanyuan Ling noticed her sneaky laughter and frowned. “What are you giggling about?”

Shen Qing hugged one of his arms and swayed it. “I’m just happy.”

Happy not to serve him?

Or was it that she was simply happy whenever she was with him?

Xuanyuan Ling didn’t find her clinginess overbearing—after all, she was delicate. Perhaps she’d been worried he would leave because of the swelling on her face. Now that she was sure he would stay, she was overjoyed.

His heart softened a bit, so he allowed her to hug his arm like that.

But although her face had ointment, her body didn’t. With her hugging his arm like that, her chest brushed against him—soft and yielding. The sensation was very clear to him.

Xuanyuan Ling had just spent the evening acting like a gentleman, so he now felt bound by that image. He couldn’t suddenly turn around and demand she serve him after that—he couldn’t lose face like that.

Annoyed, he said, “Go to sleep.”

The next morning, when Xuanyuan Ling woke and turned his head, he was startled by the sight of Shen Qing’s half-blackened face. Then he remembered—he had slept beside her last night, and that was the ointment. After a night of rubbing against the pillow, the ointment had spread even more. Last night it was half her face; now it was most of it.

Xuanyuan Ling reached out and poked her face. His finger picked up some of the ointment. He was about to casually wipe it off when he looked at the other, fair side of her face and—impulsively—pressed a fingerprint onto it.

Xuanyuan Ling had never done anything so childish before, but seeing her half-painted face looking like a little tabby cat, he didn’t find it ugly at all. In fact, it was kind of funny.

That morning, he didn’t ask Shen Qing to wake up and help him into his court attire. He didn’t even get dressed in the bedroom—he went to the outer room to change. He instructed Chunhua, “Don’t wake her.”

After all, he’d done something naughty and didn’t know what kind of expression that little thing would have when she saw the fingerprint on her face.

The Emperor was enjoying the guilty pleasure of having played a prank.

Even the corners of his mouth were curled up in a smile.

Chunhua agreed, finally putting her anxious heart at ease. Last night, seeing Shen Qing like that, she had truly thought the Emperor would leave.

Zhao Hai was also silently amazed. Wow… he really dotes on her.

When Xuanyuan Ling left Zhaohua Palace and instructed Zhao Hai to have the physician prepare more insect-repelling sachets and send them to all the palaces, Zhao Hai was once again moved. Lady Shen is truly blessed. If sachets were sent to all the palaces, it wouldn’t look like Lady Shen was getting special treatment—it would all seem normal.

Xuanyuan Ling left Zhaohua Palace in good spirits, and that mood lasted the entire day.

Later, when Wang De brought in the green name plaques for him to choose from, Xuanyuan Ling was just about to select one when someone announced from outside:

“Empress Dowager arrives!”

Xuanyuan Ling’s hand paused mid-air.

Both Wang De and Zhao Hai felt a sinking sensation in their hearts. At this hour, for the Empress Dowager to come—it was obvious she had something serious to say.

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, dismissing the others.

Xuanyuan Ling stood up and gave her a formal salute. Even in private, he and his mother kept strict decorum.

The Empress Dowager didn’t stop him but said, “I came today because I heard that a few days ago, Consort Yu made the newly entered Noble Lady Fang kneel as punishment. Did the Emperor know about this?”

“I’ve been busy with state affairs these past few days, so I hadn’t heard,” Xuanyuan Ling replied.

That sentence made the Empress Dowager nearly choke. She frowned and said, “The woman you dote on is already acting recklessly—just because she’s pregnant, Consort Yu thinks she can do as she pleases. It’s truly outrageous. If this continues, she’ll try to climb above the Empress herself. That would completely upend the rules of the harem.”