CH 12

Tonight, the Emperor was once again accompanying a concubine to the Imperial Garden to relieve boredom.

This time, it was Concubine Xian.

This Concubine Xian was the head of the harem. She didn’t have any family background, but her appearance was beautiful, and her nature was virtuous. She had been made into a concubine by the Emperor when she had just entered the palace. After that, she became in charge of the harem after not even half a year.

Even now, she possessed a piece of the Emperor’s heart.

At the meeting tonight, Ling Xiao believed that the Emperor would definitely resume a meat diet. It had already been so many days since the Emperor touched a woman. It was just too abnormal.

What Ling Xiao felt was important was that if the Emperor doted on some other woman more, then he wouldn’t be able to think about that Mo Qi who had had her plate flipped, but wasn’t made into a concubine. As long as he could not remember Mo Qi, then Mo Qi’s chance of climbing up was even lower. This was why Ling Xiao was so keen to help create the atmosphere for the Emperor and his concubines.

Concubine Xian was wearing light purple tonight, and her face powder and eyebrow liner were light. She looked quiet and exquisite without losing any grace.

The moonlight was thick, and the atmosphere was just right. Concubine Xian and the Emperor stopped at the edge of the lake.

Seeing this, Ling Xiao quietly retreated and hid himself in the underbrush beside the lake. He took the pouch that he had prepared long ago out of his embrace. The mouth of the pouch was loose, and its contents made it bulge.

Ling Xiao slightly smiled and aimed at the two people standing close together by the lake.

He lowered his head to deal with the pouch, and at this moment the Emperor who was standing by the lake looked in his direction and slightly smiled, his eyes shining brightly under the moonlight.

“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”

Concubine Xian looked at the Emperor in puzzlement, and the Emperor turned around to look back at Concubine Xian. The smiling expression on his face was long gone, becoming completely blank.

“What is the matter?”

In response to the Emperor’s question, Concubine Xian slightly pursed her lips and smiled a little, looking dignified and graceful, “Your Majesty, your servant[1] just said that the lake pavilion’s scenery is beautiful. There are tables and chairs in the pavilion, so we can admire the moon. If it is no harm, we can go take a look?”

The Emperor glanced in the direction of the underbrush, saying, “We think this place is just fine.”

Concubine Xian was surprised, but she just closed her eyes and gently smiled, obediently speaking no more.

Suddenly, a large amount of green fluorescence flew out from the underbrush, flashing brightly and illuminating half of the place. Concubine Xian’s eyes widened, revealing her shock.

The Emperor also looked up to see it, his gaze profound.

“They’re fireflies.” Concubine Xian reached out a hand to touch the flashing insects, her elegant smile still in place, but if one looked carefully, one could still see the surprise in her eyes.

She turned her head to look at the Emperor, her eyes filled with nostalgia and gratitude, “Many thanks to Your Majesty for this generous love to your servant.”

The Emperor turned his head and faced Concubine Xian, but his eyes were nevertheless crossing over Concubine Xian to look at the underbrush where Ling Xiao remained quietly.

Concubine Xian blinked in puzzlement and followed the Emperor’s line of sight behind her. Suddenly, the Emperor forcefully grabbed Concubine Xian’s hands, and Concubine Xian, surprised, turned back around in reflex. In the end, she did not see what the Emperor was looking at.

The Emperor lightly cast Concubine Xian aside and, seeing her look of pain and panic, he seemed somewhat disappointed and he released her hands.

He lowered his voice, “The night is late, Concubine Xian can go back early to rest.”

Concubine Xian looked back at him, blankly. Feeling somewhat wronged, she frowned, but the expression immediately faded and she obediently bowed slightly and left with her servant girl.

Ling Xiao looked at Concubine Xian’s back, stunned and full of doubts.

This atmosphere was so strong, the moonlight just right, but this Concubine Xian is leaving just like that?!

It doesn’t make sense!

“Ling Xiao.” Just when he was staring at Concubine’s back thoughtfully, Ling Xiao heard the Emperor’s summon.

He hurriedly bowed and came forward, “Your Majesty.”

The Emperor’s serene and deep eyes were staring at Ling Xiao, as if he wanted to thoroughly understand him. Ling Xiao was nervous in his heart. After all, these “romantic” things hadn’t received the Emperor’s approval. It was just that the Emperor hadn’t objected to what Ling Xiao was doing. Now that he was being summoned by the Emperor, Ling Xiao was becoming quite panicked in his heart.

However, the Emperor just stood in front of Ling Xiao, not speaking a word. Ling Xiao’s mind was becoming more and more frantic. Finally, he couldn’t hold it anymore and opened his mouth first.

“Does Your Majesty like the things this servant does?”

When the Emperor heard his words, he raised an eyebrow. Lifting his head to look at the sky full of fireflies, he placed both his hands behind him, “If you prepare these again, it’s best if you do it when I’m not accompanied.”

Ling Xiao opened his eyes wide. What did the Emperor mean?

If he talked about a next time, then did that mean he liked it?

But that it was best to do it when he wasn’t accompanied, what did that mean? Was it that the Emperor liked being alone more?

Then what was the meaning of him doing this?

Didn’t he just prepare these to give some flavor to the Emperor’s Spring Night?!

Ling Xiao was at loss when the Emperor lightly laughed, “Of course, We allow you to stay.”

Then, wouldn’t it become the “romance” between men?

No, wrong.

He was a eunuch right now, so it would be the “romance” between a man and a eunuch.

He should not imagine this, Ling Xiao flung his head and bowed in front of the Emperor, but he did not dare to retort, “Many thanks to Your Majesty’s great favor to this servant.”

The Emperor cast him a soft look. That glance seemed to see through Ling Xiao completely, making Ling Xiao’s body stiffen and his heart jump non-stop.

However, the Emperor’s eyes only landed on his face for three seconds before moving away. Ling Xiao felt relieved, his heartbeat’s peng peng peng continuing to sound in his ear.

Since the Emperor did not tell him to leave, Ling Xiao did not dare to speak again. He only remained by the Emperor’s side quietly, following him to stand in the fireflies he had let loose  and stood there for half a night.

The second day, Ling Xiao gloriously caught a cold.

His throat was dry, rough, and very painful. Additionally, he was unable to stop coughing and also had a splitting headache. Although he wanted to lift his hand for a while, he had no strength.

Because he did not go to the Emperor’s side to serve him, he didn’t know what kind of malicious words Steward Xu would say about him.

This Steward Xu really was ruthless. When the Emperor rewarded him, he would take all of it; but when given the opportunity to trip him, he never showed mercy.

Ling Xiao was also done with this Steward Xu. Steward Xu was worried about his own position being taken, but he was also reluctant to part with Ling Xiao’s future rewards.

When comparing position and rewards, the position was naturally more important.

As a result, now that he was infected with a cold, Steward Xu would definitely not concern himself with him and would eagerly await his death like this. In this palace, since he had spent all his time serving the Emperor, he did not have any eunuch friends or even any silver. As a result, trying to find someone to take care of him and help him get some medicine would be extremely difficult.

Ling Xiao frowned and darkly sighed at his blunder. Leaning on the wall to support himself, he walked to the table and attempted to pour some water to drink, but the kettle on the table was completely empty.

Ling Xiao angrily dropped the kettle to the side and weakly called out twice.

Seeing no one answer, Ling Xiao laid back down on the bed. Once he had laid down, he went into a daze and fell back asleep.

Footnotes:

[1]Chen qie, different from the servant’s Nu Chai/Bi, but it means the same thing.

The meaning of the Title if you don’t get it is:

Being a sweetie and making things sweeter (As the third wheeler)

But the question is, although Ling Xiao is indeed the sweets maker, is he the third wheel?