CH 5.1

Bai Lu knew what Song Jinning wanted to do, so when she saw her index finger bleeding, she immediately took two steps forward and dropped the blood unto the white quilt.

To make it look more realistic, Bai Lu deliberately spread the blood around, in order to make it look like a very chaotic and intense scene happened last night. 

After she did this, she stepped aside, raising her hand to put her bloody fingertips in her mouth.

Song Jinning looked at her for a while, then stretched out her hand, with tears in her eyes.

"Sure enough, the one who truly knows me is Lu’er.” 

Bai Lu rolled her eyes, and urged Song Jinning: "Mistress, you need to change clothes. You have to go to the Empress Dowager and pay respects."

Song Jinning smiled and got out of bed to put on shoes.

Gu Yu looked at the bloody quilt, and then at Song Jinning and Bai Lu. She did not agree with the two of them.

"Bai Lu, why are you helping the mistress fool around?" 

Bai Lu didn't answer, but Song Jinning turned her head to look at Gu Yu, and said with a smile: "This is not ‘messing around’. Do you want others to think that your mistress is unclean? Or that the Emperor laughed at your mistress because he did not want to sleep with her." Although Gu Yu felt that Song Jinning's two reasons were justified, she still felt that this was an inappropriate thing to do. 

"But even if you can hide this from others, the emperor knows exactly what's going on. What if he gets angry?”

Song Jinning chuckled. It was Li Chengxuan who didn’t want to do it!

If the quilt is clean, and Empress Dowager Song sees it, not only her but Li Chengxuan will be scolded as well.

With these ‘bloodstains’, both Li Chengxuan and Song Jinning can save themselves.

Moreover, Empress Dowager Song will surely send a person to check on the quilt. 

She smiled and said to Gu Yu: "Don't worry about these trivial things. I’ll wash and dress up then I'll go see the Empress Dowager.”

Gu Yu had no choice but to agree. 

Song Jinning washed up then sat down in front of the mirror to start dressing up.

On of the corner of her eye, she saw two maidservants making the bed. They took the blood stained quilt then placed it on a silver tray. 

There was another maidservant who looked older than the two who took the tray and left the hall. 

Li Chengxuan was standing outside the hall. They stopped quickly, bowed and greeted him, calling out your majesty.

Li Chengxuan didn't intend to look at the servants, but from the corner of his eye, he suddenly saw a white quilt from the tray the oldest maidservant was holding. 

His heart beat fiercely.

He suddenly remembered that there is indeed such a custom of verification during the wedding night.

He was full of shame when he went and returned last night, so when he lay on the bed, he didn't notice that there was a white quilt on the mattress. 

Song Jinning was already asleep, and he knew that she naturally couldn't do anything while she was asleep.

So the quilt must be clean.

If Empress Dowager Song sees this…...

Maybe she would take the opportunity to refuse to return the political power to him.

Li Chengxuan was desperate. He turned around and reached out to touch the quilt.

He can never let Empress Dowager Song see this. 

But the hand he stretched out suddenly froze in the air.

Because he saw blood on the quilt.

This is...

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, Congratulations."

The maidservant saw him move and saw his face change, and thought he was shy.

The Emperor slept with someone for the first time. How can he not be shy?

The maidservant pursed her lips and chuckled, she smiled and said vaguely: "This slave is from Shoukang Palace. It was the empress dowager who asked this slave to make the bed for the empress today."

Actually, she went to Weiyang Palace to take the white quilt. The white quilt is to be shown to the Empress Dowager for verification. 

How could Li Chengxuan not understand what she meant?

He knew that this maidservant was named Cui Nong, and she is a close confidante of the Empress Dowager. Cui Nong is a respected mama [1] and the highest ranking servant in Shoukang Palace. 

Empress Dowager Song actually sent her to pick up the white quilt in person which shows how important it is to her that they consummated. 

However, since there was already blood on the quilt, Li Chengxuan did not need to stop her.

He did not speak anymore, turned his head, and continued to look at a distance with an expressionless face. 

Cui Nong saluted and retired, and holding the tray in her hand, she walked out of the gate of Weiyang Palace.

Footnotes:

1) 嬷嬷(mā mā)- this refers to old female servants.