RPAGF Chapter 172 The Emperor is Coming
Chapter 172 The Emperor is Coming
That evening, when Shen Zhiyao was about to ask Chu'an to order dinner, a eunuch from Changde Palace came with a message saying that the emperor would come to Cuiweixuan for dinner later.
Shen Zhiyao laughed secretly in her heart. The emperor, a grown man, was just as she had imagined. Although he was black-bellied, he was also very proud and arrogant, and he fell for her tricks.
It was freezing cold that day, so Shen Zhiyao simply told Chu An to go to the kitchen to get a copper pot, eat from the pot, and get some osmanthus wine to warm herself up.
When Bo Muxi arrived in the imperial carriage, he saw from afar Shen Zhiyao wearing a red cloak with a fox fur collar. She was standing in the snow, looking as eye-catching as a red plum blossom.
"Stop." Bo Muxi couldn't help but stop the imperial carriage. He got off the carriage neatly and coolly, and walked towards Shen Zhiyao with a smile.
"May the emperor be healthy and well." Shen Zhiyao bowed with a sweet smile.
"Get up quickly." Bo Muxi was quick to grab her cold little hand.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Shen Zhiyao's little face was also red from the cold. She really hated winter.
"You are disobedient. You came out to greet me without even bringing a hand warmer with you!" Bo Muxi frowned, then pulled her into the pavilion.
As soon as I entered the yard, I saw an exquisite little snowman made of snow at the door of the front hall, with a carrot stuck on its nose.
"My beloved concubine is in such a good mood. No wonder your hands are so cold." Bo Muxi glared at her and pulled her into the hall.
The copper pot had been set up long ago and was now boiling, emitting steam.
"Your Majesty, it's cold today, so I'll take the initiative and order a pot. Is that okay?" Shen Zhiyao asked, blinking her peach blossom eyes.
"If you really want my opinion, why didn't you ask in advance?" Bo Muxi tapped her nose: "At this moment, can I say no?"
"Your Majesty...if you don't like it, I will ask someone to change it right away..." Shen Zhiyao acted coquettishly, but had no intention of changing it at all.
"Okay, I'm just kidding. It's good to eat this in this weather." After saying that, Bo Muxi sat down in the upper seat generously.
Shen Zhiyao cursed the emperor in her heart, but still sat down with a smile on her face, and enthusiastically took the initiative to serve the emperor some dishes.
Bo Muxi was naturally pleased to see her being so attentive.
During this time, the two of them drank a lot of osmanthus wine with great interest.
After the meal, Shen Zhiyao made Bo Muxi very happy.
After everyone cleared the pot, Bo Muxi took Shen Zhiyao's hand and said with a gentle smile, "My beloved, you have worked hard today. I know you again because you are so righteous."
"Your Majesty, this is all due to the good teaching of the Empress. I was also influenced by her." Shen Zhiyao was not greedy for credit. There must be the Empress's spies in the palace, so why bother to show off her verbal skills?
"Well, you have only been in the palace for two years, but you have become more sensible. Looking closely, you have the demeanor of a ninth concubine." Bo Muxi said with a smile.
"If the emperor says that I have it, then no matter how incompetent I am, I can still do the job; if the emperor says that I can't, then no matter how capable I am, it will not be enough! I still have to rely on the emperor's support!" Shen Zhiyao smiled slyly and answered in a very pleasing way.
This was a disguised way of expressing her stance to the emperor. She was aware of her own weight, and now the position of the Nine Concubines was given to her by the emperor.
The emperor was very pleased that Shen Zhiyao was so self-aware. He hated those stupid people who couldn't figure things out the most and always thought they were very great!
When Bo Muxi was happy, his hands started to itch again, so he said with a smile: "Why don't you play a game of chess with me?"
"Your Majesty, came to see me just to play chess?" Shen Zhiyao pouted.
"My beloved concubine, you missed me, and I think you are great at playing chess." Bo Muxi asked with a smile, "Do you have any chestnuts? Bring them here and eat them while playing chess."
Qiuyue agreed with a smile, and called on people to pick up the freshly roasted chestnuts and peel them for the emperor to eat.
Shen Zhiyao had something on his mind, so he didn't play the chess game with much concentration, but it was enough for the emperor to deal with it seriously for an hour.
The chess manual that Shen Zhiyao got from Lu Wanyi was indeed amazing. She just used a few moves casually when playing against the emperor this time, which made Bo Muxi feel very satisfied.
After playing chess, Shen Zhiyao saw that the emperor was very happy because of her coaxing, and felt that the time had come.
"I heard something incredible this afternoon!" Shen Zhiyao said with a smile.
"Oh? What's the matter? It can make even my beloved concubine feel so incredible?" Bo Muxi couldn't help but joked.
"Your Majesty, do you really not know, or is you pretending not to know just to please me..." Shen Zhiyao hugged the emperor's arm and acted coquettishly.
"I don't even know what's going on, how can I pretend?" Bo Muxi was speechless.
"This matter has spread throughout the palace, how could the emperor not know about it? It is said that Prince Rui has specially prepared a peerless dancer for the emperor, who will be sent to the palace soon..." Shen Zhiyao pouted.
"I really haven't heard of this..." Bo Muxi said as he glared at Lin En fiercely.
Lin'en quickly shrank his neck. This matter was only spread in the afternoon. The emperor was in a hurry to review the memorials at that time, so how could they dare to tell it? They wanted to tell it in the evening, but were afraid of offending the emperor. Who knew that Jin Shuyi had the courage to tell the emperor in person!
"Don't blame Eunuch Lin'en. This matter suddenly spread after the birth of the second prince. Eunuch Lin'en might not have had the time to tell you. It was I who spoke too quickly..." Shen Zhiyao frowned, looking very self-blaming.
"Forget it, I didn't say anything..." Seeing her like this, Bo Muxi was no longer angry.
Lin En, who was observing the expressions on the side, finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Empress Jin Shuyi was a person who knew how to handle things!
"It's not my fault. Prince Rui and you have a deep brotherly relationship, but this time, I'm afraid he may have done something bad with good intentions." Shen Zhiyao pretended to be very conscientious, as if she was completely unaware of the rift between the Emperor and Prince Rui.
"What do you think, my beloved concubine? Tell me, I love to hear it." Bo Muxi asked in a gentle voice.
"To be honest, it's a good thing that Concubine Zhuang gave birth to the second prince. It's understandable that she took the opportunity to present a beautiful girl to the emperor. But Zhaoguo just experienced the snow prayer, and we heard that there was a famine on the border. If we send a beauty here with great fanfare at this time, I'm afraid it will give people a reason to criticize us..."
Shen Zhiyao stopped talking halfway through her words, just enough to make the point.
Upon hearing this, Bo Muxi did not get angry. Instead, he smiled and took Shen Zhiyao into his arms, kissed her on the cheek, and teased, "My beloved, are you saying this for the greater good, or are you jealous?"
Shen Zhiyao couldn't help but complain in her heart about his strange ideas, but she still pretended to be very well behaved on the surface.
"I am naturally considering the emperor. I am also afraid that this person will enter the palace and cause more trouble for the queen, and... and..." As she spoke, Shen Zhiyao suddenly hesitated.
"Why don't you tell me quickly, what is it for?" Bo Muxi stared at her peach blossom eyes with burning eyes.