Thirteenth, it is just the time for new grace and favor.

  Xuan Lingpu walked away, and Xun Yuanyi walked to my side and whispered: "I heard from the House of Respect that the green head card for the young master has already been prepared. It seems that the emperor's intention is to have the young master serve in bed soon." After speaking, he smiled and bowed: "Congratulations, young master."

  I blushed and scolded, "Don't talk nonsense." The wind in the courtyard lifted my skirt hem, fluttering like a butterfly. I twirled my fingers around the sash, standing for a while before softly saying, "Should I go pay respects to Her Majesty the Empress now?"

  "Since the emperor has not given any instructions, you don't have to go for now, to avoid unnecessary trouble." After thinking for a moment, she continued: "The emperor has already instructed the Imperial Household Department, so the empress must also know. According to the rules, you should go pay your respects to the empress the day after serving the emperor at night."

  I nodded and said slowly: "The wind is rising. Let's go in."

  In the following days, the emperor would often come over every few days to chat with me for a while, either tasting tea or discussing poetry, but he never mentioned anything about having me serve him in bed. I also pretended not to know and spoke with him as usual.

  That morning, I woke up to the faint scent of flowers, reminiscent of the fragrance of the western-style sea hawthorn when it blooms outside my window. However, with the thick curtains drawn, and the flower just beginning to bloom, how could the scent have wafted in? It was probably just an illusion, or perhaps the smell of incense. As I sat in front of the mirror washing up, I casually asked Bixi: "Has the sea hawthorn outside the window bloomed yet?"

  "Master is truly prescient, knowing the sea peach blossoms have opened without even leaving the house. I also only saw them when I got up early this morning."

  "I turned around and said in surprise: 'Is that really so? I just casually asked. If it's really open, then I must reward you.'"

  After washing and dressing, I went out and saw that the peach blossoms had indeed opened. The clusters of newly bloomed flowers were like small snowflakes, only they were crimson red, slightly transparent, and radiant with a soft glow. Suddenly, at that moment, my heart surged with a sense of joyful anticipation, and I smiled, saying: "It was worth it for me to burn the red candle every day; after all, it finally hastened the blossoming of the flowers."

  At dusk, I sit idly under the window, and outside the window, a newly opened sea buckthorn tree is fragrant and intoxicating in the deep twilight.

  There was a sudden and urgent, yet unhurried and steady, footsteps coming in. The voice was respectful and calm as it announced: "By the Emperor's decree, Imperial Concubine Gui is granted permission to bathe in the Quanlu Pool. Cui Xuan, the attendant of Tongli Palace, will serve as escort." Following protocol, I accepted the edict and expressed gratitude. I exchanged a glance with Xuan, knowing that this was a prelude to serving the Emperor tonight. The eunuch who delivered the edict spoke politely to Xuan: "Please hurry and help our young mistress get ready quickly, the sedan chair is already waiting outside the palace gate."

  Quanlu Pool, with white jade railings. The warm spring water from the nearby Xishan Mountain was channeled into the pool, mixed with morning dew. Emperor Wu of Han built a jade dish to collect heavenly dew for longevity, known as "Immortal Dew". Hence the name "Quanlu Pool", implying a divine realm. Being granted to bathe in Quanlu Pool was considered a great honor for imperial consorts.

  The Spring Dew Pool is divided into three baths, which are the places where the emperor, empress and concubines take their baths. The "Lotus Bath" used by the emperor has a white jade dragon head for water inlet, with a carved pattern of ten thousand lotus leaves at the bottom of the pool; The "Peony Bath" used by the empress has a green jade phoenix half-body, with a carved pattern of one thousand peony leaves at the bottom of the pool; The "Hawthorn Bath" used by the concubines has three green jade birds half-bodies for water inlet.

  The entire Spring Dew Palace was filled with the fragrance of Ning Shen incense, with white smoke like fog. The quiet and delicate scent of the palace was silent and voiceless, only the soft sound of rippling water could be heard. The White Jade Pool was carved with intricate and endless patterns of sea peach branches, its clear water reflecting the moonlight, the candlelight flickering and flashing out countless seven-colored starlights, shining like a rainbow in the sky, casting a reflection on the pool bottom of large and boundless rippling peach blossoms.

  I smiled, and in the early-rising Tōri Palace, a new camellia had also bloomed. This gave me some familiar comfort. The petals of that camellia were both intimate in the Tōri Palace and unfamiliar in the Senrō Palace. My soft skin touched the hard, warm flower patterns, and it was as if I felt a mix of fear for the unknown and reassurance at the expected stability. It seemed like those jade-like petals were also lightly teasing my fluctuating emotions. The warm water was gentle and soothing, like a pair of tender hands comforting my wandering girl's heart. The hot air rose up to envelop me, letting me temporarily forget the tension of being in an unfamiliar place.

  At a glance, I saw a shadow projected on the soft curtain outside, but it was not the palace maid standing outside with her head bowed. Inside the curtain, there was only Xi Zhen by my side. Who could have entered so silently? My instincts alerted me to turn around, and that figure was familiar, yet I couldn't help but feel flustered. I certainly couldn't receive him like this. After a moment, I saw that he didn't enter, and I slightly relaxed, stood up, and raised my face. Xi Zhen immediately wrapped a white silk bathrobe around me, and in an instant, I was properly dressed again. Only then did I smile lightly and say aloud, "Your Majesty wants to emulate Emperor Han Cheng? I, your concubine, dare not be like Zhao Feiyan."

  Listen to my voice, the palace maids outside the curtain quickly lifted the soft curtain and knelt down on the ground. Only Xuan Ling stood with his hands behind his back, let out a "heh" of laughter, then covered his face and pretended to be angry, saying: "How dare you compare me to Emperor Cheng of Han?"

  I'm not afraid, I just knelt down and said softly: "Your Majesty is wise and intelligent, with talents that can be applied to the four seas. How can Emperor Cheng of Han compare to you? I'm afraid that even Emperor Cheng would have to prostrate himself before Your Majesty."

  Xuan Ling's face was tense, but his tone had no hint of blame, only a relaxed and pleasant tone: "Although it's flattering words, I find them comfortable to listen to. But how do you know about my wise governance in the front court when you're in the rear palace? You are not allowed to randomly discuss my state affairs."

  I bowed my head and said, "As a palace maid, I do not know the affairs of the previous dynasty. But one thing is certain: Your Majesty rules the world with beauty and virtue surpassing that of Flying Swallow and Consort De. More importantly, your virtues exceed those of Empress Ban, and Emperor Cheng's blessings are far inferior to yours. From this, we can see a glimpse."

  "He burst out laughing: 'My concubine is indeed clever and witty!' He raised his hand to signal me to stand up, and his fingers lightly stroked my temples, 'You are beautiful, Concubine Yan will have to rely on her new makeup when she sees you.'"

  I slightly drew back and stood up straight, looking at Xuan Ling and saying: "I do not dare to compare myself with Fei Yan's virtue, but I am willing to be compared with Ban Jieyu's virtue." As soon as the words were spoken, I suddenly remembered that Ban Jieyu later fell out of favor with Emperor Cheng and lived in seclusion in Changxin Palace serving Empress Dowager Wang until her death. My heart was still shrouded in a layer of gloom, and I couldn't help but feel a slight sense of discomfort.

  Xuan Ling smiled, "The appearance of a leaning city, the heart of a wise and virtuous nature, is indeed my good fortune." He stretched out his right hand in front of me, waiting for me to reach out and take it.

  For a moment, I hesitated, was it shyness or something else? I only felt the hot steam from the hot spring surging up towards me, and fine beads of sweat broke out on my forehead. The water dripping from my wet hair fell onto my clothes, the warmth quickly spreading throughout my body, and the thin silk bathrobe immediately clung tightly to my skin, revealing my figure. I felt extremely embarrassed, and softly said: "Your Majesty, please allow me to change into some other attire before attending your presence."

  He pulled me by the hand without warning, and all the palace maids lowered their heads. I didn't know what he was going to do, so I quickly looked at Lingtai, who didn't dare speak up, having just taken his outer robe and wanting to follow us. Then I heard Xuanying say: "Where are the attending palace maidens?"

  He nodded and said "yes", immediately putting the clothes on me, the loose robe fluttering to the ground. His voice was very calm, saying outside, "Go to the Yi Yuan Hall." He directly pulled my hand and walked out slowly.

  The night was extremely quiet in Yong Lane, the darkness was boundless, and the candles in the stone lamp posts on both sides shone brightly on the ground. A shallow new moon hung high in the sky, and the night breeze carried the fragrance of magnolia flowers, blowing gently, filling this peaceful night with a kind of inexplicable poetic charm. Xuan Ling's hand was warm, he just held my hand and walked forward, without saying a word. The dense arrow patterns on his sleeve occasionally rubbed against my robe, making a soft rustling sound, like an unintentional intimacy. The palace maids following behind us were all silent, not even breathing.

  The road from Quanlougong to Yiyuandian is not far. Under the white marble steps, there are trees of white and purple yulan flowers, under the palace lanterns in front of the hall, opening sacred flowers like the white wings of a dove.

  I followed Xuan Ling step by step up the stairs, and my heart already knew what was waiting for me. My footsteps were a bit slow, stepping heavily on each step, using quite some force.

  Yuan Temple is the emperor's bedroom, the west side of the temple serves as a study for the emperor, and the emperor has always lived in the east side of the temple, which is the main palace. It's not too luxurious, but rather elegant and comfortable. Xuan Ling took me inside, I just followed him with my head down. The main hall was paved with glazed tiles, extremely hard and fine in texture, very airtight, without even a single seam visible, smooth as a mirror. Turning east, the glazed tile floor ended at a threshold of vermilion doorsill, stepping across it, the feeling of both feet touching the ground was soft and light, it was a thick and dense carpet, the bright yellow and vermilion colors made people's eyes dizzy.

  A fragrance wafted in, not strong but omnipresent, filling the entire hall. It was a familiar scent, the same as the one on Xuan Ling's body. As she lifted her head, the twenty-four snow-white silk curtains with golden hooks were drawn up, revealing the innermost part of the bedroom. As she walked further in, palace maids lowered the golden hooks, and layer after layer of curtains fluttered down behind her. The deeper she went, the more layers of light silk curtains there were, each one overlapping the other, like snow and fog, as if separating another world.

  A broad, three-foot-long brazier stood outside the grand bed, emitting a faint wisp of smoke from the mouth of a bronze qilin. In front of the bed, a pair of crane-shaped incense holders supported lotus flowers and auspicious clouds, with newly lit red candles that cast no shadows due to the intricately embroidered silk lampshades adorned with peony patterns. The hardwood canopy was carved with motifs of gourds and lotus roots symbolizing prosperity for generations to come. The yellow satin dragon-patterned bed curtains were drawn high, and on the bed lay a neatly spread Suzhou-embroidered brocade quilt with five blessings and longevity. I only took one glance before feeling stifled.

  Xuan Ling let go of my hand and stood still, immediately the palace staff quietly came forward to help him change into his night clothes. I saw him changing in front of me and was shocked, quickly turning my back on him. Xuan Ling laughed behind me, making me even more embarrassed. Gan Cai helped me take off my outer robe, her hand touching mine as she glanced at me quickly. I knew that my fingers were icy cold. After everything was done, he waved his hand and the palace staff bowed their heads and retreated silently. The distant sound of the temple door closing made me struggle to control myself from looking at Gan Cai who was isolated outside by the tall temple doors, my heart involuntarily filled with fear.

  There is a voice whispering behind my ear, with a low laugh, "Are you afraid?"

  I held myself calm and slowly said in the hall: "Your servant is not afraid."

  "How can you not be afraid? You don't dare look at me." He paused for a moment, "It's always been the case that consorts are afraid when they serve the emperor in bed for the first time."

  I turned around, looking straight at Xu Ling, and said softly: "I'm not afraid. I don't think tonight is just about serving the emperor as a concubine. To the emperor, I am just an ordinary concubine, but to me, the emperor is my husband, and tonight is my wedding night, so I'm nervous."

  Xuan Ling was taken aback for a moment, and hadn't expected me to say something like that. After a while, he spoke warmly: "Don't be afraid, don't be nervous. I'm sure the people around you have already taught you how to serve properly."

  I shook my head: "I am terrified. I was taught how to serve the emperor, but not how to serve my husband." I slowly knelt down: "I have committed a crime, spoken recklessly, and hope that Your Majesty will forgive me."

  Just as his knees were about to touch the ground, he was lifted up by a pair of strong hands. Xuan Ling's expression changed: "From concubines to imperial consorts, no one has ever spoken to me like that before. Everyone is always cautious and fearful, even the empress." His voice was like a gentle ripple in a pond, softly spreading through the air: "If you consider me your husband, then don't be so careful and timid in front of me."

  A warmth in my heart, the corners of my eyes already felt moist. Although I was in the temple, wearing only a thin nightgown, there was still a hint of coolness. My body trembled slightly, and he immediately noticed it, stretching out his arms to hold me tightly, with a warm voice in my ear: "Don't be afraid."

  Snow-white soft curtains gently swayed and fell to the ground, the surroundings were quiet as if they didn't exist in the world. It was so quiet that you could hear the sound of a copper bell dripping slowly, after a long time, one drop, as if it would shatter the entwined colorful dreams.

  The quilt was too smooth, as if it were unreal, sticking to my skin and causing a strange tingling sensation, making me feel even more awkward and confused. When his lips landed on mine, I felt suffocated for an instant. My body gradually heated up, as if a fierce fire was burning from the tip of my heart. The kiss deepened, but a thread of coldness seeped into my back, as if all my breath had been swallowed by him, and none of it belonged to me. I gently turned my head, and this was a bright yellow world, with dragons dancing in the sky, as if they would dazzle my eyes. Only he and I were left, and I couldn't help but let out a soft "mmm" from my throat, the pain making my body arch up, his hand soothing me, gently wiping away the cold sweat on my forehead, his lips nibbling at my earlobe, gradually falling into a deep and distant daze.

  In the quiet and peaceful rear palace, the physical pain had not yet dissipated. The man beside her was sleeping with his eyes closed, struggling to get up, half of the brocade quilt slipped down smoothly, startling him to immediately turn his head around, he was still in a dream, not moving at all. Secretly relieved, she quietly covered the quilt over him and got out of bed. The candles on the candelabra had been burning for half the night, the candle tears were hanging down, condensing into a tree-like coral, even the tear marks seemed to be blushing with joy. The candle flames were all bright and clear, without any dimness at all. It was just that in this quiet palace, the bright light also seemed to shine with unparalleled gentleness.

  "What are you doing?" Xuan Ling's voice was not loud, with a hint of laziness.

  I turned around with a faint smile and said happily: "I was looking at the candle."

  He sat up halfway and casually pulled over his nightclothes, saying: "What's so great about candles that you're so happy?"

  "When I was at home, I heard that in folk weddings, on the night of the new marriage, a pair of red candles must be lit in the bridal chamber and burned until dawn, and the two candle flames must go out simultaneously, symbolizing the husband and wife growing old together."

  "Oh?" He was quite interested.

  I blushed slightly, "However, the candles lit by ordinary people are all dragon and phoenix candles. The pair of red candles in front of me can be considered as well."

  "You see the red candle shining brightly, so you're happy." I lowered my head and didn't say a word. He sat up, stretched out his hand to me, and I also reached out to hold his hand, leaning against him sideways.

  I saw him with a hint of a smile, yet his expression was as if he had something on his mind. I couldn't help but ask in a soft voice, "Your Majesty, are you laughing at my foolishness?"

  He gently patted my shoulder: "I only feel that you have a kind heart, frank and lovely." His voice dropped slightly, "In this life, I also had a night of burning dragon and phoenix candles."

  I was taken aback for a moment and asked, "Wasn't it twice?"

  He shook his head, with a hint of hardness in his tone that was not easily detectable: "Yi Xiu is the heir, no need for the ritual of consummation." I felt a great loss for words, fearing that it had stirred up the Emperor's painful memories of the passing of Empress Chun Yuan. The atmosphere was suddenly ruined, and I couldn't help but fall silent, stealing glances at his expression.

  Xuan Ling, however, showed no sign of displeasure or hurt, and merely said calmly: "All men under heaven, except for monks and Taoist priests, have had at least one night in the bridal chamber." He paused briefly, then asked me: "Do you want to grow old with me?"

  I remained silent, only raising my eyes to gaze at him, the candlelight casting a warm glow on his face, which was even more handsome than usual, with a faint hint of warmth in his eyebrows, without any hint of jest.

  "I nodded slightly and said, 'Yes.' A faint smile rose to the corners of my mouth. 'All women in the world think this way. I am just an ordinary person.' Although there was a smile on my face, a thread of sorrow and despair arose in my heart, entwined with a strand of hopelessness and longing. It was just a luxury, a luxury. My fingers holding his hand unconsciously relaxed."

  He stared at me intently, his eyes flashing with a hint of blue stardust, like a shooting star streaking across the sky, gone in an instant. He gripped my hand tightly, so tightly that I bit my lip to stifle the pain. His voice was low and husky, filled with infinite longing: "Do you know? Your ordinary thoughts are precisely what I lack most by my side." He held me close, his words sincere: "I treasure your thoughts like a precious gem, I will not disappoint you."

  As if falling on the cloud of surprise and confusion, it seems that the sentence in my ear is not real, but it is indeed on my ear. I don't know how, a clear tear slipped from the corner of my eye and fell onto the bright yellow soft pillow, quickly absorbed without any trace.

  He wrapped his arms around my body, rested his chin on my forehead and gently patted my back saying "Don't cry."

  I smiled with tears in my eyes, feeling overjoyed as if I had obtained an unexpected treasure. I looked up and asked, "Is there a brush and ink in the Emperor's bedroom?"

  "What's the pen and ink for?"

  "I'll get it in writing. Once it's down on paper in black and white, Your Majesty won't be able to deny it."

  Xuan Ling laughed loudly: "How childish. I am the Son of Heaven, my word is law, how can I rely on you?"

  I couldn't help but find it amusing myself, and chuckled as I said: "Please, Your Majesty, get some rest early, for there is an early court tomorrow."

  He pressed his fingers on my lips and smiled: "With you by my side, how can I sleep peacefully?"

  I blushed and turned away, letting out a soft "heh" of laughter.

  Note: (1) Zhao Hede: A favorite concubine of Emperor Cheng of Han, younger sister of Zhao Feiyan. She was exceptionally beautiful and favored in the harem. Historical records show that Emperor Cheng had a habit of secretly watching her bathe. In Qin Feng's "The Separate Biography of Zhao Feiyan" from the Song Dynasty, it is recorded that: When Zhaoyi was bathing, the emperor would secretly watch her. The attendants reported to Zhaoyi, who hastily retreated behind the screen to avoid him. The emperor caught a glimpse of her and his heart became even more enchanted. Another day when Zhaoyi bathed, the emperor quietly instructed the attendants not to speak, and he himself watched from behind the screen. The water in the bathtub was sparkling, and Zhaoyi sat in it, like a three-foot-tall jade statue submerged in icy spring water. The emperor's thoughts were flying high.

  (2) However, Ban Jieyu declined and advised Emperor Cheng: "All wise and virtuous emperors have famous ministers by their side, while the likes of Xia Jie, Shang Zhou, and King You of Zhou were surrounded by concubines." Emperor Cheng stopped because of her reasonable words. Empress Dowager also highly praised her, saying: "In ancient times there was Fan Ji, now there is Jieyu."