The Night Before Leaving the Palace, Reduced to the Tyrant's Plaything - chapter 4

The shrill voice snapped Qi Rang back to his senses, and made his already sullen face grow even darker, as if a snowstorm was about to descend.

He fixed his gaze deeply on Wanyu for a couple of seconds, his jaw tight, then strode out of the hall.

Wanyu felt as if she had escaped death, and as she listened to his footsteps recede, her legs gave way and she slumped to the ground.

The Prince of Jin was the Third Prince, and the Princess Consort of Jin was her elder sister.

She hadn’t expected that at such a critical moment, it would be her sister who saved her life.

It seemed that Qi Rang still could not let go of her sister. She’d heard that as soon as word reached him that her sister had fainted, he rushed to see her without a second’s delay.

But why was her sister kneeling outside the palace gates?

Was she pleading for the Prince of Jin?

And was this also why Fuzi said her sister had angered His Majesty?

She sat on the floor for a while, and only after the weakness in her limbs subsided did she get up and return to the Dragon Bed. She took down the quilt and replaced it with a new one.

No matter if there really was hair on it or not, Qi Rang would never use that quilt again. She changed it directly, lest he use it as another excuse.

She inspected the Dragon Bed inside and out once more before finally leaving the hall.

Fuzi and two other young eunuchs were waiting outside the door. When they saw her come out, they smiled and said, “Gugu Wanyu, His Majesty probably won’t be able to nap this afternoon. You’d better go get some rest and come back to serve tonight.”

Wanyu nodded and thanked him before returning to the attendants’ quarters.

There were originally two Sleeping Attendants on duty at Qianqing Palace, and this room was shared by her and another female official named Xue Ying.

A few days ago, Xue Ying unfortunately caught a chill. After several days of medicine with no improvement, she only grew worse. To prevent infecting others, according to palace rules, she was moved to the Taiping Office, a place reserved for sick palace staff.

So, for now, Wanyu had to hold the fort alone.

If Xue Ying recovered, then after Wanyu left, only one of the newly arrived Palace Maids would be allowed to stay.

If Xue Ying did not recover, then two could remain.

Whoever learned well and quickly had the best chance of winning the position.

All the girls were studying hard. Wanyu knew they all hoped to work in Qianqing Palace, dreaming that one day they might catch the emperor’s eye and rise to glory.

But they did not know that Qi Rang never touched those closest to him; the more intimately they served, the less likely he was to lay a hand on them.

Because Consort Rong, the woman who caused the death of his mother, was once a Sleeping Attendant who had climbed into the former emperor’s bed.

That was also why, even after five years as a Sleeping Attendant under Qi Rang’s nose, enduring his cold mockery and every kind of difficulty, she had never once been favored by him.

Yet for some reason, Qi Rang had been behaving very strangely these past two days, always looking as if he wanted to possess her, leaving her at a total loss as to how to respond.

There was still a long while before nightfall. After sitting idly in the room for some time, she finally put on a half-old padded jacket and headed to the Taiping Office to visit Xue Ying.

The sky was overcast, as if it would snow at any moment.

Now that winter had set in, the Taiping Office was full of palace staff suffering from colds. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she was met with a chorus of coughing.

Xue Ying lived in the room nearest the entrance. Because she served as Sleeping Attendant by the Emperor’s side, the staff here took special care of her; her meals and medicine were always delivered promptly.

But sadly, after drinking so much medicine, her illness showed no improvement. In just a few days, the once beautiful girl was already gaunt beyond recognition.

Seeing Wanyu, she became agitated, covering her mouth with a handkerchief and coughing, “I told you not to come. Why are you here again? Everyone here is sick. If you catch something, there’ll be no one to serve the Emperor, not to mention your own suffering.”

Wanyu smiled and sat by her bed, gesturing to assure her there was nothing to worry about-she’d always been healthy and was not easily taken ill.

“Oh, you mustn’t say that,” Xue Ying hurriedly stopped her. “Bad luck always comes true! You’re leaving the palace in just two days-you absolutely mustn’t get sick.”
Wanyu smiled again, her smile tinged with bitterness.

Xue Ying had already begun to imagine the happy life awaiting her after leaving the palace: “By then, your Mother will come to fetch you, right? You haven’t seen her in five years, and this year you can finally spend a reunion festival with your family.

When spring comes and the flowers bloom, your grandmother will find you a good husband at the spring banquet. The two of you will live harmoniously together, and have a few chubby babies. You’ll be as happy as you could ever wish.”

Wanyu smiled with tears in her eyes, gesturing with her fingers: “You’ll be free soon too. By this time next year, you can leave as well. Then we can meet outside the palace.”

Palace Maids do not leave the palace according to their birthdays, but are released once a year.

The reason they are released before the New Year is so they can spend the reunion festival with family members they haven’t seen in years.

Thinking that she could leave next year, even Xue Ying’s sickly face gained a hint of vitality.

“Then you come and fetch me, dress up beautifully, and let me see how happy you are.”

“Mm.” Wanyu nodded vigorously and reached out her slender, fair pinky finger.

Xue Ying laughed: “How old are you, still making pinky promises? Isn’t that childish?”

Though she said so, she still hooked her finger with Wanyu’s: “Wanyu, we will definitely have a good life.”

Afraid she would lose control, Wanyu dared not stay any longer. She hugged Xue Ying, then got up to take her leave.

Xue Ying, worried Wanyu might catch her illness, urged her to go: “Go on, go on. Just come see me one last time on the day you leave the palace.”

Wanyu nodded, leaving reluctantly.

At dusk, the sky grew even gloomier.

Wanyu returned to Qianqing Palace to attend to the emperor’s rest.

After what had happened twice before, just thinking of Qi Rang made her instinctively afraid. But there was no choice; no matter how scared she was, she had to force herself to go.

It was as if Qi Rang had someone watching her. As soon as she finished making the bed, Qi Rang returned.

Before the Palace Maids could kneel, Qi Rang waved them away, leaving only Wanyu.

He seemed irritable, perhaps because of Jiang Wantang.

Wanyu knelt on the ground, not daring to make a sound.

“Come here, help me change.” Qi Rang sat on the dragon bed, tiredly rubbing his brow. Under the lamplight, he appeared unusually vulnerable.

Wanyu hesitated for a moment.

In the past, the Sleeping Attendant was indeed responsible for helping the emperor change clothes, but Qi Rang disliked being attended by Palace Maids. After ascending the throne, he assigned the task to eunuchs.

But he was the emperor; not to mention helping him change, even if he ordered her to die, it would be just a word.

Wanyu shuffled forward on her knees, moving to Qi Rang’s feet, then straightened up to unfasten the golden buttons at his collar.

The emperor’s clothes and bedding were made from the finest materials in the world. The Sleeping Attendant’s hands had to be carefully maintained and regularly trimmed to avoid damaging the precious fabrics.

Wanyu’s hands were naturally slender and fair, daily treated with jade skin cream, making them as delicate and white as scallion stalks. Her nails were neatly trimmed, a soft, pale pink.

Compared to the concubines in the harem who kept nails sharp enough to stab, hers looked much cleaner and more pleasing, making one want to hold and knead them.

Qi Rang’s hand, hanging at his side, moved slightly.

But it was only a slight movement, with no further action.

Yet in the next moment, Wanyu’s hand accidentally brushed against his Adam’s apple.

That cool, soft, unintentional touch made his heart skip a beat, and he lowered his head toward the girl’s rosy lips.

The pain from last night’s bite was still fresh in Wanyu’s memory, and she instinctively turned her head away.

With that subconscious movement, Qi Rang’s expression instantly darkened.

“Are you disgusted by me?”