"I'll pass by here, so I'll come and see you," Zong Zhengjin walked over and sat down at the top.

  Qiao Jingyu personally brewed a cup of tea for him, "Your Majesty, please try it. It's the Mao Feng that Your Majesty rewarded me with the other day, and I find it extremely good."

  "You might as well let Su Shun bring some over, why must you beat around the bush?" Zong Zhengjin said casually.

  Qiao Jingyu smiled, "Your Majesty, I merely brewed a cup of tea for you, and yet you say that I am after your tea leaves. This is an injustice to me."

  "However, since Your Majesty has spoken, I will brazenly accept it," she said with a bow.

  Zong Zhengjin's meaning was obscure, "You love tea, I'll give you more tea leaves, it's still worth it to me."

  Qiao Jingyu sensed that there was more to his words, but didn't press the issue and continued, "The Emperor's favor towards me is my good fortune, only I am unable to do anything for the Emperor, and I also feel a sense of guilt in my heart."

  "When did you also deceive me with empty words?"

  The Empress Shu's expression remained unchanged, "Wouldn't Your Majesty also say such grandiose words to me?"

  The two of them stood still for a few seconds, then Qiao Jingyu knelt down, "I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

  In public, she was his beloved Empress Shu, and everyone envied her for receiving the emperor's favor. In private, they were just a ruler and his subject, using each other to get what they needed.

  "What crime does my beloved concubine have?" Zong Zhengjin turned the ring on his hand, hooked the corner of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes. "Would I blame you for such a trivial matter?"

  "Your Majesty's concubine thanks you," said Shu Gui Fei as she rose to her feet.

  Things will break easily if they are too rigid; only flexibility can prevent defeat.

  "I still have things to attend to, I'll take my leave first. You should get some rest early, my consort," Zong Zhengjin stood up.

  The Empress Shu curtsied again and said, "Your concubine sees off Your Majesty."

  Leaving, perhaps is a kind of liberation.

  Half a time later, the emperor had all the new Mao Feng tea sent to Chonghua Palace, and not a single one was allocated to other palaces. For a while, rumors that the emperor favored Shu Guifei the most spread rapidly.

  Drunken Cloud Pavilion

  "Your Majesty, why have you come at this hour?" Su Jing had just finished dinner and was taking a stroll in the courtyard to prevent indigestion. She turned around and saw him walking in.

  The eunuch walked up to him and said, "The concubines pay their respects to Your Majesty."

  Zong Zhengjin pulled her up before she could even curtsy, "No need for formalities, how can you bear to be out and about today?"

  Su Jing rolled her eyes and said, "According to what Your Majesty just said, it seems like you're saying that the consorts are lazy every day. I suppose the consorts misunderstood?"

  Zong Zhengjin was amused by her staring eyes asking for an explanation, patted her head, and unknowingly spared more than half of the harem, wandering aimlessly, and finally ended up here, with a better mood. To read the latest chapter of this book, please go to 800

  Perhaps, in the midst of fate, there is a predetermined course.

  "I often come here and it seems that every time I see you, you're either on the couch or in bed," he said bluntly.

  Su Jing blinked her eyes, thought carefully, and laughed too, "Your Majesty has a good memory."

  Zong Zhengjin couldn't help but say that these weren't meant to make her praise his good memory, and his skill at changing the subject was on the rise. He had never intended to argue with her about this anyway, so he didn't bring it up again.

  "It doesn't matter if you exercise a bit more when there's nothing else to do. I saw yesterday that Hui'er seems to have gained some weight."

  Especially in some parts.

  This sentence absolutely hits Su Jing's sore spot.

  Stomping her foot heavily, puffing out her cheeks, glaring with wide eyes, "Your Majesty, you absolutely got it wrong, the concubine is growing taller, not fatter!"

  Zong Zhengjin couldn't help but laugh at her appearance, which was even more adorable than before, just like the little white rabbit he had raised when he was a kid.

  The good-tempered one didn't mind her protest, "Alright alright, Hui'er is growing up, but who knows how many more days like this there will be"

  Su Jing thought he had really agreed with her point of view, as if she had found a kindred spirit. Normally, she would eat more, but Yao and others would stop her, insisting that she eat less because she didn't like to take walks, or else she would easily gain weight.

  The women of the Chu Zhou Kingdom considered thinness to be beautiful, and Su Jing's figure was slightly on the plumper side among the many concubines, with a tendency to continue developing.

  But she herself didn't think so.

  "His Majesty sees that the concubines have grown taller." Don't be too envious of those with long legs.

  Su Jingxi's mother was a standard Jiangnan woman, while her father was a northern Han man. Although he was refined and elegant, he wasn't short in stature. Su Jingxi had always aimed to inherit her father's genes and have a pair of long legs.

  Zong Zhengjin heard this and carefully measured it for a few times, barely reaching his chin. His brain had long forgotten her previous height. Seeing her expectant face, he went along with it and said, "It seems to be higher."

  Her figure in the harem belonged to a slightly plump type, but compared to those concubines, he thought she was still a bit thin, and being fatter would be fine. Although slender as a bamboo pole looked good in clothes, it couldn't be satisfying at night.

  As for her height, it's just average, but she's still young, so there's still room for development. Being tall has its advantages, and her preferences are what matter most.

  "From now on, whatever the mistress wants to eat, just let her have it, no need to restrain her," Zong Zhengjin thought to himself and resolutely said to the palace maid standing around.

  "Yes, milord," Xiang replied, inwardly sighing as she hastily made her obeisance.

  This made Su Jing so happy that she didn't even want to go for a walk anymore. "Does Your Majesty want to come in and sit down?"

  Behind them, Su Shun's feet took a step back. They had been here for so long and finally remembered to invite the Emperor in to sit down. Looking at the Emperor's self-initiated steps forward, they didn't care about the turmoil in their hearts anymore. Hurriedly taking a few steps forward, "Your Majesty hasn't eaten yet, should we serve dinner?"

  "Your Majesty, you haven't had your meal yet, and you must be starving. What should we do? Hurry up and summon the servants to bring in the food," Su Jingfan hastily said, "Your Majesty, there are some pastries in the small kitchen, would you like to try some first?"

  Su Shun saw that the Emperor did not object and hastily summoned a small eunuch behind him to transmit the order to the imperial kitchen.

  Zong Zhengjin sat in front of the wooden table, watching her busy figure, feeling warm and cozy. "Sit down, no need to be busy."

  In fact, she just handed him a cup of tea and helped him wash his hands.

  "The emperor's hand is much larger than that of his concubines," Su Jingfan placed her hand on the back of his hand, tracing a few lines.

  Zong Zhengjin lowered his head, in the dark yellow copper basin, two hands were stacked on top of each other. The hand on top was white and delicate, while the one underneath was slightly dark and thick. He flipped his hand over and grasped hers, walking towards the edge of the table.

  "Does Your Majesty want some almond milk?" Su Jing'an pushed the plate in front of him.

  Zong Zhengjin glanced at her, not very interested. Seeing that she was staring at him intently, he couldn't bear to disappoint her kindness, so he picked one up and said with a sweet smile, "You eat it yourself."

  Su Jingxi saw his expression and knew he didn't want to eat, so she didn't force him. She changed the subject, "The emperor had someone send over a narcissus today, and the concubine watered it."

  "Hmm" Zong Zhengjin waited quietly for her next words.

  Su Jing raised an eyebrow, "Doesn't Your Majesty think it looks better this way?"

  Zong Zhengjin was taken aback, and he secretly sighed. He then smiled and said, "Hui'er is subtly reminding me that I also need to water you later, huh?"

  Su Jing's face turned bright red in an instant, this guy was flirting with her again.

  "Your Majesty, how can you bully people again?" Su Jing said indignantly.

  Zong Zhengjin was also speechless about his own bad taste, and he had just said what he thought in his heart. He clenched his fist and coughed twice, "Wait for a while to be bullied." As he spoke, his eyes gestured towards the door.

  Su Jing saw Su Shun standing at the door, looking strange and glancing around, humming a sound, silent and speechless.

  Su Shunan saw that the two people inside had noticed him, so he dared to walk in with his food box. Heaven knows, he just happened to arrive at the door and heard Zhen Zhu's words, which sounded like a mixture of anger and blame, making his heart tighten even though he didn't have any children.

  He sneaked a peek and saw her staring at him, his whole body twitching with excitement. He quickly put down what he was holding and said, "I'll take my leave first."

  Su Jing raised an eyebrow, a gesture she had learned to mimic perfectly after seeing him do it so many times. "He's afraid of his concubine," she accused.

  It is an affirmative sentence, not an interrogative sentence.

  Zong Zhengjin found it amusing but remained serious, "I'll deduct his salary."

  Su Shunan had just stepped out of the gate with one foot when he heard this and let out a bitter sigh. This year's salary, both direct and indirect, would all be confiscated because of this master.

  "Let it go, Your Majesty. The concubine is magnanimous and won't bother with him," Su Jing swept a glance at his back and seriously said to the person sitting here.

  Zong Zhengjin swallowed what was in his mouth and ignored someone's flattery, "My golden words are as heavy as nine tripods, I will not change my mind."

  Su Jing thought he was telling the truth, and only said that she had made a mistake, and hurriedly went to help him serve the dishes. "Your Majesty, it's just that the wind is strong, so I didn't hear it clearly, otherwise, the concubine would have been in trouble."

  Zong Zhengjin put the duck silk dish she had brought into her mouth, "What did you just say?"

  Su Jingxiao revealed a smile, very flattering, "Concubine said that later on, she will definitely serve the emperor well."

  Zong Zhengjin raised an eyebrow, "How to serve?"

  "It's up to His Majesty to decide as he pleases, and I, a concubine, will follow him to the end, never begging for mercy."

  "This is what you said, no taking it back."

  Su Jing hesitated for a moment, still gritting her teeth, "Absolutely no regrets."

  No matter how much he says, it's just a joke between the two of them and can't be taken seriously. He is just trying to have fun and rarely considers her feelings. Of course, in terms of frequency, no matter how cooperative she was at first, she always ends up losing quickly, with a physical strength that is far inferior to his.

  Lost to his physical strength, lost to his various unexpected postures, this is not unjust.

  Zong Zhengjin accelerated his eating speed, his eyes fixed tightly on her, making her blush all over her face, shy and timid, not daring to look him in the eye, with a hint of a smile at the bottom of her eyes.

  Who can resist the charm of a flirtatious woman, with a dazed and infatuated expression.

  Palace Concubine (Yi) / 33 / 33265

  Gong Shu