C99

Xue Liuhua drank a mouthful of fruit juice without batting an eyelid, but when she saw Ru Yan peeking at the emperor's eyes, her hand suddenly froze, and her right hand quickly grabbed onto the emperor's palm.

The Emperor held her fingers and smiled lightly at her. He looked at Ru Yan who was behind her and said, "You are a palace maid who serves the Consort Hua. What's your name?"

Ru Yan bashfully bit her lips: "This servant's name is Ru Yan."

"En," the emperor mumbled with a groan. "You look like Zhou Zheng, a pretty and delicate little girl."

Ru Yan slowly turned her body, and looked up timidly. "Thank you, your majesty."

Xue Liuhua clenched her teeth tightly and did not want to make a sound, the Empress Chen smiled with an unknown meaning, and interrupted, "It is indeed the people that the Consort Hua has brought with him, they are extremely beautiful, far surpassing the average palace maid."

The emperor's gaze was still on Ru Yan's blushing face, "The empress seems to see Ru Yan very often, it sounds so familiar."

Empress Chen was startled for a moment, and then revealed a fitting smile, "Consort Hua has a rule in her heart, she calls Ru Yan over to attend to me everyday."

"So that's how it is," the Emperor said with a smile to the Consort Hua. "You should give Ru Yan a good reward first, it's not easy to frequently go to the Changchun Palace on such a hot day."

Ru Yan immediately acted like she was docile, "This servant doesn't use anything, this is what this servant should do."

"Although this is your duty, you did well," the Emperor said as he took a sip of his wine.

Xue Liuhua smiled as she looked at Ru Yan, then slowly turned her head towards the emperor and nodded: "Yes, thank you your majesty for your praise."

"I see that you are pregnant, and she is also taking care of you, right?" the Emperor asked. "How old are you, and where do you live?"

Ru Yan smiled lightly, "This servant is sixteen years old and lives in Yuanzhou."

"Yuezhou is a good place, but you are actually from the same place as Yun Niang." The emperor clapped his hands and laughed, clinking a cup with Empress Chen.

Xue Liuhua was confused, who was the Yun Niang?

Empress Chen pointed out: "It's Mrs. Heyi."

Xue Liuhua thoughtfully nodded her head. She seemed to be the mother of the Prince Duan, a concubine who wasn't really favored.

"Have you heard about Liu’sArmy in Yuezhou?" the Emperor asked.

Ru Yan quickly nodded her head, and her lips curled into a proud smile, "There are three treasures in the State of Yue. The first is the willow tree that covers the entire city, and the second is the Liu’sArmy used by the Emperor to fight for the whole world. The third is …"

The Emperor looked at her with interest. "Tell me, what is three?"

Ru Yan pursed her lips and smiled, "Thirdly, the devastatingly beautiful Big Miss Liu Chengyun."

"Hahaha," the Emperor laughed heartily. "I remember the first time we met the Yun Niang, she especially didn't want others to say that she was a beauty that could topple empires. But after looking at her carefully for half a day, I feel that using the words' beauty that could topple empires' on her was just too vulgar."

The Empress Chen maintained his calm smile, "Hurry up and beat the Emperor's back. After drinking the alcohol just now, don't choke on it."

Xue Liuhua, who was completely ignorant while they were chatting, reacted immediately. She quickly extended her hand out, but Ru Yan moved a step faster than her and grabbed onto the emperor's back first. Her hand stopped in mid-air in an awkward gesture, but she slowly pulled it back.

The Empress Chen watched everything without batting an eyelid, and asked: "How long has Ru Yan been serving the Consort Hua?"

Xue Liuhua regained her senses, "From the moment her concubine entered the palace, she was by her side."

"He can still be considered an old servant," Empress Chen's eyes narrowed as he reached out to touch her stomach, "Consort Hua is going to be born in a few months."

"Yes," The emerald ring on the Empress's finger flashed under the candlelight. Xue Liuhua smiled and said, "The Empress will be able to hear about the happy news of your concubine in a few months."

"Indeed," The Empress Chen smiled slightly, "Consort Hua is indeed a woman of our Great Qin Empire, and is much more powerful than that Consort Fu. You must take care of her well, I will be waiting for your good news."

The Emperor caught his breath and asked, "Consort Fu?"

"Your Majesty, we were just talking about the Consort Fu," the Empress Chen asked for clean water to be brought over. "How has the Consort Fu been serving the Emperor recently?"

The emperor suddenly came to his senses. "Zhen hasn't been to her place yet."

"Tonight, the moonlight is truly beautiful." Xue Liuhua leaned on the beauty's bed and extended her finger out the window. The moonlight flowed down her hand, making her skin turn even paler.

"Empress," Ru Yan brought over a plate of freshly cut fruits, "The further into the autumn, the more round the moon is. When the moon is full, the Yongle Palace will fill the entire garden with moonlight."

"Is that so?" Xue Liuhua sighed lightly, "At that time, my children will also be born."

Ru Yan's eyes flashed with an undetectable glint, "The Empress looks very healthy, and in the future, she will definitely give birth to a fat and white little prince."

Xue Liuhua lowered her head and laughed, "Recently, my body has been in a bad mood, so how could my complexion be any better?"

Looking at her pale and haggard expression, the smile on Ru Yan's face grew wider. "Since Dragon's Embryo is bigger, the Empress's appetite has increased, so naturally, I'm not in a good mood.

Xue Liuhua smiled and nodded. Ever since she was pregnant, the sharpness in her body had faded a lot. As expected, it was because of being a mother that the corners of her eyes started to soften.

"Esteemed Empress, why didn't you ask for a quasi wangfei to accompany you?"

"She has plenty of things to do, so I didn't keep her here," Xue Liuhua said as she casually chewed on the fruit.

"More people means more care," Ru Yan's eyes dimmed for a moment. "However, the Empress is still fortunate. Even if quasi wangfei has a child, she's only a son."

Xue Liuhua slightly raised the corner of her lips, "You're right, I'll be fine with you by my side, there's no need for others."

Ru Yan beamed, "This servant will do everything in my power to serve the Empress."

Xue Liuhua crooked her fingers, "Bring the small embroidered box in the second drawer on the left."

Ru Yan took out the embroidered box and handed it over to her, "What treasure is inside the Empress's box?"

Xue Liuhua smiled and opened the box in front of her curious eyes. Inside the box was an agate hairpin made from red plum.

"I can see that your skin is white, so it must be very suitable for you to wear this." Xue Liuhua smiled amiably as she picked up the hairpin and stuck it into her hair bun.

Ru Yan was unable to react in time, she blankly raised her hand and touched the hairpin. Why did Consort Hua give her such a precious gift today?

"You have served me for a long time," Xue Liuhua smiled sweetly.

"Empress," Ru Yan lowered her eyes. "You treat me so well."

"It's nothing. The reason why I gave you this hairpin was not just to thank you for taking care of me for so long."

Ru Yan looked at her blankly. "Serving the Empress is my duty, Empress …"

"Sigh." Xue Liuhua put her forefinger next to her lips, interrupting her words in a soft voice, "Besides praising your diligence, I also want to praise your loyalty."

Ru Yan was startled, but at the same time, her heart became alarmed. Could it be that Consort Hua suspected that she was one of the informants sent by Empress Chen into Yongle Palace?

"Ru Yan," Xue Liuhua's ice-cold fingers slowly caressed her face, "Do you know that many of the imperial concubines in the palace died instantly when they were pregnant with a dragon embryo?"

"Your servant …" Ru Yan hurriedly said, "Empress, the Yin Qi in the palace is very dense, and it is common for the imperial concubines to not catch diseases when they are pregnant. The imperial concubines have already been alive for almost five months, please do not be careless."

A trace of a miserable smile appeared on Xue Liuhua's lips, "It's not that I'm worried, it's just that the rear palace has never been a battlefield without smoke. I don't want anyone who's hiding in the shadows to pierce my heart with an arrow."

"That won't happen," Ru Yan advised softly. "The Emperor has always been very concerned about the Empress's baby, and only has one share of food and clothing. The Empress will definitely be able to give birth to this child safely."

"I'm in the dark, and I'm in the light, so how can I guard against it?" Xue Liuhua lightly pinched her chin, her gaze as gentle as water.

Ru Yan kneeled down in a hurry, the aubergine hairpin in her hair teetering on the verge of collapse. "Empress, this servant is loyal to the Empress my entire life, definitely not with any other intentions."

"It's still too early in your life. Girl, what are you talking about right now?" Xue Liuhua increased her strength without a sound, "Are you really that loyal?"

Ru Yan nodded in panic, afraid that the Consort Hua would notice something if she acted too late.

"Alright then," Xue Liuhua said with a faint smile, "Go and bring me today's Body Nourishment Medicines. I'm tired, so I want to finish my medicine as soon as possible and go rest."

Ru Yan's heart was beating so fast that even the hands holding the medicine bowl were trembling.

Xue Liuhua stirred the soup back and forth, but did not drink it, "How many years have you been in the palace?"

"It's been three years."

"En," Xue Liuhua suddenly put down her bowl, "I saw that you look pretty and delicate, so how come you didn't attract the emperor's favor?"

Ru Yan opened her eyes wide, a suspicious flush appearing on her cheeks. This servant did not think about that. "

"No?" Xue Liuhua squinted her eyes and smiled, then feebly picked up the medicine bowl and slapped it on her head, "You slut, you dare say you don't have it?!"

Ru Yan raised her head in disbelief as her eyes reddened. Her voice turned frighteningly hoarse, "Empress, I really don't have any, I don't have the guts to do it!"

"You know very well whether you have the guts or not," Xue Liuhua's face held an almost cruel calm. "If you don't have the guts, why do you keep staring at the emperor?"

Ru Yan gritted her teeth and said, "Empress, you are carrying emperor’s kid with you, so don't think too much."

Xue Liuhua slowly rubbed her stomach, a trace of malice flashing past her eyes. "You went to the Changchun Palace for so long, did you say something at the empress dowager's place?"

"Your servant …" Ru Yan closed her eyes in hatred. If she had to give up the Queen now, then she would be dead without a burial ground in the future. "This servant is just going to pay respects, this servant really doesn't understand why the Empress doesn't trust this servant so much."

Xue Liuhua scoffed, "Because you are not worthy of my trust. You really think I am a fool that you can play with in your palms. In fact, I already knew that you had ill intentions from last night's Changchun Palace."

"Your servant …" Ru Yan feebly opened her mouth, but could not find the reason behind it.

"Tell me, why did the empress call you here?"

"Empress, the empress didn't call me a servant. This servant really doesn't know what the empress is saying." Ru Yan bit her lips tightly, not letting out a single word.

"You," Xue Liuhua laughed while covering her mouth, her eyes filled with frost, "You really won't shed a tear until you see your own coffin."

's knees were incomparably sore, but he still forced himself to hold on. "I wonder what wrong this servant did that could cause the Empress to suspect this servant?"

"Just hang in there," Xue Liuhua's eyes flashed with a devouring light, "I will let you know, the most wrong thing you did was to provoke me, Xue Liuhua."