Chapter 238: The Emperor Bites

Chapter 238: Chapter 199: The Emperor Bites

One night, half a month later, Jiang Xian finally saw the Emperor.

He hadn’t summoned a concubine. Instead, he walked alone through the harem as night fell, stopping before the gates of Bihua Palace. The eunuch on watch hurried inside to announce him. “If the Pure Consort is already asleep, don’t wake her,” the Emperor said. “Just come back and let me know.”

Jiang Xian was, of course, not asleep.

She was reviewing the homework the tutor had assigned Zhao’er that day. After Zhao’er finished his work, she would look it over, take a fresh sheet of paper, and write down her comments and suggestions for revision. In the morning, Zhao’er would review her notes and incorporate the suggestions he found useful. They were mother and son, but also like teacher and student.

Jiang Xian was surprised to hear the eunuch’s announcement.

“I can’t keep the Emperor waiting. I’ll go out at once.”

She rose, and a palace maid draped a large fox-fur cloak over her shoulders before she headed outside.

The reason for Jiang Xian’s surprise was that the Emperor had always treated Bihua Palace as his own home.

He would usually just walk right in. He was familiar with every corner of the palace; there was no need for caution or ceremony. The Chief Palace Maid of Bihua Palace knew exactly which tea he preferred and which chair was his favorite. On the rare occasion she retired early, he would simply slip into bed and sleep beside her.

It was a silent understanding between them, one that had never changed.

As the Emperor traveled, a eunuch led the way, holding a lantern high. Snow fell silently from the sky, the candlelight blurring the flakes into soft-edged halos. Jiang Xian’s gaze pierced the swirling snow, and she finally saw the bright yellow figure.

The Emperor was the most honored man alive. Who would dare make him wait outside?

Jiang Xian didn’t understand the sentiment behind his waiting outside. She only saw him look over at the sound of her approach. His handsome features were softened and hazed by the night. A faint smile touched his lips, but a deep sorrow lay in his eyes.

“It’s cold out here. You could have just sent someone to let me know. Why did you come out yourself?”

The moment he spoke, that familiar intimacy returned.

When they were alone, he was not the Emperor; he was just Xie Che.

“You’ve arrived, and I’m supposed to just lie in bed? If word of that got out, I’d be condemned by everyone tomorrow.”

“No one in the harem would dare criticize you, and the officials at court have no time to bother with the harem’s trivial affairs.”

Xie Che took her hand and pressed his hand warmer into her palm.

In truth, having just come from a warm room and wrapped in a thick cloak, Jiang Xian wasn’t cold at all. But Xie Che, who had walked all the way from Qiankun Palace, had slender hands that were pale and chilled. “Your Majesty’s own hands are freezing, and yet you’re lecturing me.”

“I’ll be fine.”

“Your imperial health is precious. How could you say such a thing?”

Xie Che looked down at her.

What women often leave in a man’s heart is a poetic memory. The golden candlelight shone on her face, her coolly beautiful features softened by the dusk into a deep gentleness. As her warm hands clasped his, he belatedly realized just how cold it was outside—cold enough to make him crave her warmth.

‘The Pure Consort’s tenderness and care for him were unparalleled in the harem. She performed her role too perfectly. He used to think it was born of love, but he gradually came to understand that she was simply fulfilling her duties as a concubine, no different from the court officials who professionally demonstrated their loyalty each day.’

‘Even after bearing him two sons, this hadn’t changed in the slightest.’

“When Your Majesty is troubled, you tend to ignore the eunuchs’ advice, as if you can’t feel the cold or heat. Come inside with me and have some hot water to warm up… But no tea. I’m afraid it will keep you from sleeping later.”

Xie Che allowed her to lead him inside.

The room was heated by silver silk charcoal, its pleasant warmth immediately putting one at ease.

Xie Che slipped his fingers through hers and asked, “Can you take me in for the night?”

His voice was muffled, making him sound just like a forlorn stray cat.

…

‘What nonsense is he spouting!’

‘All land under heaven belongs to the Emperor. It would be perfectly reasonable, legal, and proper for him to throw me out of Bihua Palace and sleep in my bed himself. The only consequence would be that I’d become the laughingstock of the entire harem, while no one would dare say a word against him.’

‘So what did he mean by asking that?’

It took Jiang Xian all of two seconds to reach a conclusion—

‘The Emperor got emo in the middle of the night. He was having a melodramatic fit and came to her for comfort.’

“Then please don’t leave, Your Majesty. I’ll take you in for a lifetime.”

Jiang Xian took his hand and swung it gently. With her other arm, she wrapped her hand around his neck, guiding his head down to bury his face in the hollow of her own. Xie Che inhaled her faint fragrance, but upon hearing such plastic sweet talk, a sudden anger surged within him, and he gave her slender, pale neck a little bite.

“Why is Your Majesty biting people now?”