CH 21

With the help of food, Song Jinning and Li Chengxuan have got along more freely. 

But Song Jinning has been bored lately. 

She can’t go out of the Palace, and the wine that she brewed ewas too early to drink. She can’t just read a book all day, can she? 

Song Jinning is a lazy person, and she would lie down on the couch all day if it weren’t for Gu Yu’s nagging. 

And since Li Chengxuan doesn’t have any concubines, she can’t involve herself in some drama. 

Her days are really too free!

She goes to Shoukang Palace from time to time, and spends time talking with Empress Dowager Song and Li Xiyan. 

The weather is slowly shifting from summer to fall. Sometimes the weather is hot, and sometimes the weather is cold. Empress Dowager Song and Song Jinning’s two madiao1 companions, Consort Dowager Hui and Concubine Dowager Rong, have unfortunately suffered from the cold and are recuperating. 

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Li Chengxuan is indeed a very smart student. Under the guidance of Empress Dowager Song, he soon knew how to play madiao. Even Empress Dowager Song praised him sincerely. 

Li Chengxuan was proud in his heart, and he quietly glanced at Song Jinning.

He saw that she was talking to Princess Jingle. He didn’t know what was being said, but the corners of Song Jinning’s lips were raised, and her face was full of smiles. She didn’t even spare Li Chengxuan a glance. 

But Li Chengxuan’s lofty ambition to beat Song Jinning remained undiminished. Empress Dowager Song eventually invited Li Xiyan and Song Jinning to play madiao with them. 

Li Xiyan sat beside Empress Dowager Song, while Song Jinning sat beside Li Chengxuan. 

The four began to play madiao. 

Li Chengxuan was very good for a novice player. Li Chengxuan’s cards were all good. He had 20 and 30 tens of myriad2.

Li Chengxuan was confident. He was surprised at how good he was. 

These are the gods of madiao he’s dealing with? Aren’t Song Jinning’s skills so good that no one in the palace can match it? Heh, this time he will teach her what a strong player actually is. 

He only needs another 20 tens of myriad to win. But this was hard to get from Song Jinning. 

Li Chengxuan felt that Song Jinning knew that he only needed 20 tens of myriad to win. Otherwise, why would she give him all the other cards beside the 20 tens of myriad? 

Fortunately, his efforts were not for naught. After more than a dozen rounds, Li Chengxuan finally got the 20 tens of myriad card. 

Li Chengxuan was overjoyed. He was afraid that Song Jinning would see, so he suppressed the smile on his face.

Just as he was about to place the card on the table, a slender white hand beat him first. 

“Heh!”

It was Song Jinning’s voice. 

Li Chengxuan: …

As soon as he was about to win, she pulled out the seven stakes card! 

He clearly saw her give it to someone else, so why does she suddenly have it now?

She must be deliberate!

He heard Empress Dowager Song’s surprised voice next: “Ning’er, you unexpectedly have the seven stakes card!” 

Li Chengxuan remembered what Empress Dowager Song had taught him. A seven stakes card is like a jackpot card for a banker3, if she has it she will surely win the game. 

Song Jinning turned out to have the seven stakes card! 

Upon taking a closer inspection of the card, Li Chengxuan confirmed in his heart that this was indeed a seven stakes card. 

Li Chengxuan: …

There are no words that can describe his emotions at the moment.

Song Jinning raised her eyes and looked at him with a smile. 

“Your Majesty, you have bet three silvers on this round. Please pay chenqie.” 

Li Chengxuan: …

He felt that he was being mocked by Song Jinning. 

As the Emperor, Li Chengxuan had all the money in the world, but as the lord of the forbidden city, why would he bring money with him?

So he had to call Zhou Jing: “Get 3 taels of silver.”

The problem is that Zhou Jing, as the head eunuch, didn’t also bring any money. When he walks around the palace, who doesn’t stop to flatter him? So he naturally doesn’t have to carry any money with him.

He can only go out and ask some of the eunuchs and guards for money. 

And he was afraid that Li Chengxuan would lose again, so he asked the eunuchs and guards for more money than Li Chengxuan had asked. 

He can’t always go out when Li Chengxuan loses, right? So he asked the eunuchs and guards who were standing by the door to give him all their silver taels. 

A total of more than twenty silver taels were collected, and all of them were brought to Li Chengxuan.

Empress Dowager Song smiled when she saw it.

“The emperor has all this silver? Since this is the case, Ning’er, Yan’er, let’s not be polite.” 

Li Xiyan pursed her lips and chuckled. 

Song Jinning took three taels of silver from Li Chengxuan and smiled in satisfaction. 

Today I will show you what a true master is like! 

Song Jinning didn’t make things easy for Li Chengxuan at all. Round after round he lost to Song Jinning. 

“Your Majesty, please give chenqie the silver.” 

“Chenqie won again. Give chenqie some silver.” 

Li Chengxuan: …

She must be deliberate! Otherwise, why is she targeting him alone! 

In the end, Li Chengxuan lost all his silver. 

Li Chengxuan was originally confident when he learned how to play madiao. He even dared to think he would be able to beat the master of madiao, Song Jinning. 

Li Chengxuan was depressed.

It’s not that he felt bad for losing the silver taels. To put it bluntly, even if twenty taels of gold fell on the ground, he would not bend over to pick it up, and he would not care at all. 

The thing is that he was beaten by Song Jinning!

From start to finish, Song Jinning didn’t give him any mercy! 

How can Li Chengxuan, who has never been wronged like this, not be angry?

After returning to the Imperial Study, he drank two cups of tea in a row to relieve the depression in his heart.

Then he called Zhou Jing over and told him: “Go and get me a deck of cards.”

He will learn how to play cards so that in the future he can beat Song Jinning!

Song Jinning was full of smiles. 

Winning money is a trivial matter, the more important thing to her was that she made Li Chengxuan feel frustrated. 

After speaking with Empress Dowager Song and Princess Jingle for a bit, Song Jinning walked out of Shoukang Palace and returned to her Weiyang Palace.

Under Gu Yu’s insistence, Song Jinning travels on foot and rarely uses a sedan chair. 

Gu Yu explained that since Song Jinning does nothing all day, she should at least walk when she goes to Shoukang Palace to get some exercise. 

Song Jinning naturally didn’t agree with this. But she couldn’t bear to listen to Gu Yu’s nagging, so she could only follow what she said.

It is quite a distance from Shoukang Palace to Weiyang Palace. The tall palace walls around the forbidden city made Song Jinning feel a little bit suffocated. 

She felt that if there was snow, she would feel better and it wouldn’t be as boring. 

But thinking about the cold and possible frostbites she would get, Song Jinning felt that it was better to forget it.

Song Jinning always walks slowly. After all, there is no rush for her to go anywhere and she can enjoy the scenery while walking. 

So when Song Jinning saw a handsome man, it was really hard not to notice. 

He had long black eyebrows, deep eyes, a sharp nose, pale lips, and was very tall. 

As a woman, Song Jinning naturally likes handsome men. After a short pause, she immediately raised her foot to continue walking forward.

Gu Yu felt that it was bad for Song Jinning to interact with another man. 

Bai Lu had a calm expression. 

She naturally knew Song Jinning’s purpose, but she also believes that Song Jinning is a person with sense. 

As for liking to see beautiful men, Song Jinning and Bai Lu had the same views. 

If you can stop and admire beautiful flowers and trees, why can’t you admire beautiful people?

As long as your mind is pure and free from evil thoughts, what is the difference between admiring flowers and people? 

Song Jinning was already ten steps away from that beautiful man.

The beautiful man apparently saw her too, and immediately knelt down with a plop and bowed down to her.

Song Jinning turned her gaze to the clothes he was wearing and the medicine box that was beside him and immediately knew he was an imperial doctor. 

“Get up.”

With a smile, Song Jinning asked, “Bengong wants to know how this imperial doctor is called?”

“Replying back to the Empress, this subordinate is named Liu Lanxi4.”

After answering Song Jinning’s question, Liu Lanxi thanked Song Jinning for her grace, and then dared to stand up.

Liu Lanxi? This name is good, very artistic, and very suitable for his handsome appearance. The sound when you pronounce it is also good, it really sounds like water flowing through a creek. 

Song Jinning looked at Liu Lanxi with interest.

It’s a pity that Liu Lanxi didn’t dare to look at her at all, so Song Jinning could only see his sharp jaw. 

“Where is Imperial Doctor Liu going?” .

Liu Lanxi still didn’t dare to look up, and replied respectfully: “Replying to the Empress, a maid from the palace of Consort Dowager Hui came to report that Consort Dowager Hui was sick, so she summoned this subordinate to come and check on her health.”

It turns out he was going to see Consort Dowager Hui. 

Song Jinning didn’t ask any more questions. She just nodded then continued to walk forward.

As for Liu Lanxi, he still respectfully stood with his head down, and waited for Song Jinning’s figure to disappear before he dared to move on.