radicalducati Chapter 123 Rescuing the Emperor
Chapter 123 Rescuing the Emperor
Li Yuanke now regretted being too rough earlier. He picked her up, rubbed her belly, and carried her to the hot spring.
"I've never seen a woman more lustful than you, you dog! Can't you tone it down? What's wrong with you barking less?" Li Yuanke said angrily.
Shen Shixi slumped in his arms like a noodle.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Even if I'm lustful, it's only you. You're my man, so why can't I sleep with you? This kind of thing is all about mutual affection. If it feels good, of course you should shout it out. If you say that again, you won't get to sleep with me next time."
"I'm just worried about you, so what?"
"Ah, to die under a peony is to be a romantic ghost!" Shen Shixi sighed, feeling a little uncomfortable from the excessive exertion, but it was nothing serious.
Mainly, that's how she's always been; she's unwilling to let herself suffer a loss.
Li Yuanke couldn't help but laugh, "Where did you hear this nonsense from? Is there anything serious you can say?"
He knew perfectly well how talented Shen Shixi was; neither of them were academically weak, so they couldn't have said such a thing.
"How about we discuss Confucianism and Mencius's teachings?" Shen Shixi laughed. "Li Yuanke, if I were to talk to you on the couch about 'Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me,' or 'As heaven maintains vigor through movement, a gentleman should constantly strive for self-improvement,' wouldn't you think I'm crazy?"
Li Yuanke laughed, "I'll throw you off the bed!"
Shen Shixi chuckled at herself, struggling in his arms like a fish out of water. "Your 'Consort Zheng,' has she ever done anything like that?"
Li Yuanke slapped her, his face turning black.
Shen Shixi giggled, "Hahaha, of course there is!"
She imitated Song's mannerisms, acting serious, pretentious, and playing hard to get.
"Your Majesty, Jie's favoritism towards his sister led to the downfall of the Xia Dynasty; King Zhou of Shang's infatuation with Daji led to the destruction of the Shang Dynasty; King You's frivolous use of beacon fires to amuse the feudal lords ultimately resulted in the collapse of the Western Zhou Dynasty. A licentious ruler should not be so obsessed with beauty. I beg Your Majesty to leave my body and focus on state affairs! Hahaha!"
Li Yuanke was so angry that he suffered a cerebral hemorrhage. He resisted the urge to throw her into the hot spring pool, mainly because the water wasn't deep enough and it would easily crush her to death.
She then mimicked Consort Rong, saying, "Does Your Majesty intend to abandon me? They say imperial favor is like flowing water, once gone, it never returns. Does Your Majesty no longer wish to speak a single word to me? My heart is broken!"
She mimicked the gesture of Xi Shi clutching her heart.
I must say, she really does have the charm of Consort Rong.
Li Yuanke couldn't bear to look at it.
He went down into the hot spring pool and threw Shen Shixi directly into the water.
Caught off guard, Shen Shixi accidentally swallowed a mouthful of water. She quickly got up, furious, and pounced on Li Yuanke, pushing him into the water.
The two ended up fighting in the hot spring.
Hearing the commotion inside, Li Fude was terrified. What if the Emperor drowned?
He had never had such worries before, but after what happened last night, Li Fude knew that Consort Yuan was an extremely dangerous person.
"Your Majesty, are you alright? Your Majesty, should we go in and rescue you?"
Shen Shixi and Li Yuanke had both sunk to the bottom of the water while entangled and holding their breath. Upon hearing this, Shen Shixi quickly pushed Li Yuanke away.
The two surfaced, and Li Yuange said, "No need, you're not allowed to come in."
Shen Shixi was also startled and dared not cause any more trouble; she was indeed exhausted.
The next day, Li Yuanke didn't have to attend the morning court session, and the two of them slept soundly on the dragon bed.
To everyone's surprise, Li Fude came calling early in the morning. He dared not speak loudly, for fear of waking Consort Yuan. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Empress requests an audience!"
Sure enough, Shen Shixi got annoyed and kicked Li Yuanke.
Fortunately, Li Yuanke was prepared. He was furious, "Haven't you learned your lesson from last time?"
Shen Shixi retorted angrily, "It's not like I'm the only one who can use it if it's ruined!"
Li Yuanke slapped her on the butt. "Shut up, you bastard! I've spoiled you rotten! If you kick me and cause any serious injury, I'll exterminate your entire family."
"Let them kill me then. It's not like I'm the only one who dies. We'll all die together, so we won't be lonely on the road to the underworld."
Li Yuanke wanted to say, "You're so capable, say this to your father!" But then he thought, "Her father is useless too; he can't do anything about her."
Li Yuanke said irritably, "With your gluttonous look, if I were to cripple you, would you live for more than three days?"
Shen Shixi fell silent, seemingly finding it quite difficult.
A man can skip meals, but he can't skip sleep.
The key issue is that she can't replace her.
He got busy, touched it, and said, "Oh, next time I'll make some armor for our little Li to protect him."
Li Yuanke was truly spitting blood. He kicked her in the buttocks, sending her flying to the corner of the bed. He then called for Li Fude to come in, "What is it, Your Majesty?"
He hadn't slept well, so he was really grumpy when he woke up. He was also quite angry with Shen Shixi, so naturally he didn't have a good expression.
"This... I didn't ask, I'll go ask right now."
"What are you asking? What brings you here so early in the morning? I haven't even had breakfast yet. Let the Empress go back first. I'll visit her when I have time."
I don't know when I'll have any free time.
Li Yuanke knew perfectly well what was going on; the Empress should know about what happened at the Prince of Jin's residence last night by now.
Li Fude was speechless. He thought to himself, "It's still early in the morning, the sun is already high in the sky," but he dared to think it but not say it.
Shen Shixi was curled up in the corner of the bed, wrapped in a blanket, sleeping. Li Yuanke wanted to sleep, but there was no blanket, so he had to pull her over, crawl inside, and the two of them continued to sleep, cuddling together.
When the Empress heard that the Emperor wanted to have breakfast, she said, "I can serve Your Majesty breakfast."
Li Fude was in a terrible predicament. The emperor hadn't gotten up yet, but he couldn't say these things. It wouldn't sound good if word got out, especially since Consort Yuan was still there last night. Wasn't this clearly an act of debauchery?
"Oh dear, Your Majesty, this is not right. You are pregnant, how could His Majesty bear to let you serve him? This is the duty of us servants. Your Majesty, why don't you go back to Fengyi Palace to rest?"
"I'm not leaving. I'll wait here." The Empress was also holding her breath.
Shen Shixi beat people up like that, and the Emperor not only demoted her but also stripped Xian'er of his title as heir, who was his sister's only son!
She tried to go inside, but Li Fude wouldn't let her. He knelt down with a thud, "Your Majesty, you can't just barge into Qian Yuan Palace! You can't enter without His Majesty's permission!"
"I am the Empress. What if I insist on going in today?"
"Your Majesty, you are carrying the imperial heir. It would be terrible to harm the heir for the sake of a lowly servant like me. Your Majesty, please calm down. The Emperor will definitely visit you at Fengyi Palace when he has time."
But if she is stopped outside today, what face will she have left?
Li Fude was furious. Helpless, he tried to stop her, and sent someone to report again, "Your Majesty, the Empress refuses to go back."
Shen Shixi wrapped herself in the blanket and crawled into the bed, curling up in a corner to sleep, leaving Li Yuanke out in the air.
[What's wrong with the Empress so early in the morning? She's pregnant, why isn't she sleeping properly and instead disturbing everyone's peaceful sleep? What heinous thing did Li Yuanke do at the Prince of Jin's residence last night?]
It's winter now, and although the floor heater is warm, it's still a bit cold without a blanket.
Li Yuanke had no choice but to get up and call someone in to help him wash and dress.
After he left, the Empress was still in a stalemate in the courtyard.
Li Yuanke summoned her in, his entire demeanor tense. He picked up his tea and gulped down two mouthfuls. "The Empress is relentless. What is it that she's so insistent on?"
The Empress was pregnant, so even if Li Yuanke didn't say she was exempt from the formalities, she still had to perform them.
While kneeling, Li Yuanke looked as if he were blind.
"Your Majesty hasn't had breakfast yet. Please allow me to serve you." She continued, "It's past Chen Shi (7-9 AM), why hasn't Your Majesty had breakfast? Is it because the servants are not doing their job properly?"
It was past nine o'clock.
The Emperor asked, "What, is the Empress going to help me deal with the people in Qian Yuan Palace?"