blenderwars Chapter 29 Will Li Yuanke be so angry he dies?
Chapter 29 Will Li Yuanke be so angry he dies?
Dressed in magnificent attire and crown, she was breathtakingly beautiful, captivating all eyes.
Didn't you say I don't dress up?
Can you handle my makeup and appearance?
Shen Shixi gave Hui Xiurong a provocative smile. Her beautiful face was radiant and she was full of confidence, attracting everyone's attention.
Li Yuanke made no attempt to hide his amazement, exclaiming, "My beloved concubine looks absolutely stunning today!"
[That bastard dares to call me "my beloved concubine"? Is he trying to make me lose my appetite?]
Shen Shixi calmly bowed, "This concubine greets Your Majesty and Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty and Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace. Thank you for your kind words of praise!"
"No need for formalities, please take a seat!" the emperor chuckled.
Shen Shixi arrived very late. After she arrived, the last person to arrive was the Empress Dowager. The Emperor was busy today, so the Empress Dowager did not ask him to go to the palace to pick her up.
Everyone rose and knelt in greeting. The Empress Dowager asked, "Your Majesty seems to be in a good mood today. Is it because of a festival, or is there some other joyous occasion?"
The Empress smiled and said, "Consort Shen looks beautiful today; His Majesty is pleased to see her!"
Consort Hui said, "Your Majesty is mistaken. Consort Shen's attire today is presumptuous!"
The ruby on her head was something she could wear, and the brocade robes she wore were not something someone of her rank could wear.
She never wore it when she was one of the Nine Concubines.
The Empress was somewhat displeased. Was anyone blind? Seeing the ruby on Shen Shixi's head, she felt that her own phoenix crown no longer appealed.
But this must have been a gift from the Emperor or the Empress Dowager.
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "Consort Hui is always engrossed in her studies, no wonder her thoughts and ideas are always different from others. I know that I am naturally beautiful, which inevitably makes Consort Hui feel ashamed, but you are a scholar after all, and should restrain yourself and follow the rules. How can you lie with your eyes open?"
Consort Hui said, "Lady Shen, don't forget your status. You're merely a sixth-rank lady-in-waiting. Are the floral crown on your head and the shimmering brocade on your body even appropriate for you?"
Shen Shixi said, "Oh, I wore it, I put it on! What, did I steal it, rob it? Even though I'm just a sixth-rank concubine, I'm still the Emperor's concubine. The Emperor bestowed it upon me, he ordered me to wear it, should I disobey the imperial decree?"
Shen Shixi smiled, "Your Majesty, I think Consort Hui is so engrossed in her studies that she can't keep up with all this knowledge. Is there any top scholar present today?"
"If so, let the top scholar and Consort Hui have a competition, let her know that there are always people more capable than you, and what's the point of spending your days in the palace peddling academic knowledge? Everyone takes the imperial examinations!"
Li Yuanke fiddled with the colorful rope on his wrist, watching her with a smile, as if he were watching a good show.
Consort Hui was furious and said angrily, "Confucius said, 'To understand propriety is to cultivate oneself; to know propriety is to understand virtue; to practice propriety is to understand affairs.' Consort Shen is completely ignorant of propriety!"
Shen Shixi clapped her hands, "Sister Hui Xiurong is truly learned! Fantastic! Your Majesty, I suggest that Your Majesty should not keep Sister Hui Xiurong in the harem. It's such a waste of her talent. Such a person should be used in the court to do something practical for the country and its people!"
The emperor smiled but did not answer.
The Empress dared not say anything, picked up her bowl to drink tea, and covered her lips, which she could not suppress.
The Empress Dowager glanced at Consort Hui with disdain. "You've only read a few books, yet you keep quoting Confucius. You're an old servant of the Prince's Palace, and you still have no heir. Instead of thinking about how to properly serve the Emperor, continue the imperial line, and make contributions, you spend your days studying, advising the Emperor, and remonstrating with the concubines. Is this harem too small to accommodate a Bodhisattva like you?"
From prince to crown prince and then to the throne, among the older generation of people, only Shen Shiyan and the empress were women he took as concubines when he was crown prince.
Consort Hui knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, I am terrified! I had no such intention. I was just worried that Consort Shen's ostentatious attire was inappropriate for her rank, and that the court officials would gossip about His Majesty and the Empress!"
Empress: "..."
Thank you so much!
"Mind your own business. I can't stand your endless formalities. If you are a person of propriety, then you should keep to your duty. Concubines should consider bearing children as their contribution! Empress, it is your responsibility to regulate the harem!" the Empress Dowager said displeasedly.
The Empress was furious. She had come to watch the spectacle, but instead, the wind blew into her face.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will reflect on my actions and diligently fulfill my duties!"
Throughout the entire process, Li Yuanke acted as if he were deaf.
However, it's understandable. His mother is still alive. If things get out of hand in the harem, his mother will definitely not turn a blind eye. Why should he worry about it?
"Send this crystal dragon and phoenix cake to Consort Shen!" Li Yuanke pointed to the pastries on the table, then pulled his sleeve back to reveal the colorful rope on his wrist.
It caught the eye of the concubines. When did the emperor start wearing such gaudy things?
The Empress Dowager also saw it and found it very strange: "The Emperor is actually wearing a five-colored rope."
The Emperor made no attempt to conceal it, openly revealing it. "For good luck, Mother Empress, would you like one? If so, I'll have Consort Shen weave one for you!"
The Empress Dowager laughed and said, "I don't want to. I'm too old for you young people to play with."
Then everyone noticed that Shen Shixi also had one on her wrist, and they realized that they were a pair.
I felt a pang of sadness.
When has the emperor ever worn anything made by his concubines? It's not that no one has ever sent him handkerchiefs, sachets, or tassels, which he has accepted, but he has never worn them. He only wears the official robes made by the Imperial Wardrobe.
Shen Shixi didn't care. It was just a couple's bracelet, no big deal!
She went off to focus on the snacks.
Actually, it was just an ordinary snack, but after it was printed with auspicious dragon and phoenix patterns, it became a royal delicacy, and no one else was allowed to eat it.
Shen Shixi thanked him verbally and then started eating with a spoon. It was made of jujube paste mixed with glutinous rice flour, and it tasted pretty good.
She ate very slowly, her cheeks bobbing up and down like a little hamster stealing food—it was incredibly cute.
Li Yuanke stared at it for a while, feeling itchy to try it himself.
When the Empress Dowager got angry, the concubines became very well-behaved; even if they harbored resentment towards someone, they dared not utter a word.
There were pastries on the table, but everyone was afraid of gaining weight, so these people sat there like clay statues.
Fortunately, everyone had arrived, and the banquet began. After nine rounds of drinks, the emperor appointed Prince Chang Le, Li Yuanyin, his younger brother, to toast the assembled officials.
The Empress Dowager was very happy to see her youngest son.
The concubines had mixed feelings, because such matters should have been handled by the princes.
Consort De was filled with hatred and anger. Her son was six years old and was supposed to be able to shoulder heavy responsibilities in two years, but he had become an idiot.
Consort Qing thought that since Consort De's son was deposed, her son would become the only useful prince. In a few years, such occasions would become her son's stage.
The other concubines, even if they were pregnant, gave birth to princes who were already too old.
Shen Shixi entertained herself without thinking too much and thoroughly enjoyed the banquet.
The song was beautiful, the dance was gorgeous, and she was quite mesmerized by the dancers' alluring figures.
She even forgot to eat.
Li Yuanke was speechless. How could this bastard be so lecherous towards both men and women?
He stared at the dancer for a while, but couldn't figure it out.
This scene, however, was witnessed by the concubines, and alarm bells rang in everyone's hearts.
After hesitating for a long time, the Empress made up her mind.
The Empress Dowager and the Emperor's protection of Shen Shixi already made her uneasy; she didn't want to risk the Emperor's displeasure for the sake of a dancer.
She would be happy to see someone share Shen Shixi's favor.
After the singing and dancing, it was time for Li Yuanke to present awards to the three winners of the day's willow-shooting competition.
Cen Yin came up first. It wasn't the first time Shen Shixi had seen Cen Yin, but she only noticed him now, mainly because she had eaten and drunk her fill and had nothing else to do.
[Huh, I never noticed Cen Yin was this handsome before. Broad shoulders, long arms, and a V-shaped waist. Is this guy married yet? He's always following Li Yuanke around like a shadow, with a perpetually stern face, like a door god!]
Li Yuanke's face darkened instantly. Cen Yin was puzzled, as the emperor had seemed quite pleased when Li Yuanke came up to receive the reward.
He couldn't get promoted; if he did, he would lose his current position. The emperor couldn't do without him, so he gave him a favor and granted him the hereditary title of Deputy Commandant of Xuanjie, a rank of eighth grade, which would later be given to his son.
Cen Yin thought the emperor was somewhat reluctant to part with it, but he could actually do without it.
They gave it to him, and then gave him a hard time.
[His legs seem a bit short, and he's not as tall as Li Yuanke. Li Yuanke has an exceptional physique—slim when dressed, muscular when undressed, with eight-pack abs that could play the piano. Cen Yin is still lacking; his demeanor is also a bit off. He can only get a maximum of 75 points.]
Li Yuanke was quite pleased, and a smile spread across his face, making Cen Yin's heart flutter with anxiety.
Has His Majesty finally come to his senses and is willing to give up this prestigious eighth-rank official position?
He breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Next up was Xu Murong's older brother, Xu Wanyi, the heir of the Marquis of Changning. When Shen Shixi saw him, she was taking a sip of pear juice and almost choked!
This drew a sidelong glance from Hui Xiurong.
Are Xu Murong and her brother not born to the same parents? Or do they look like their father and their mother respectively? Good heavens, this young master looks like a chimpanzee! It's an eyesore!
Throughout the entire process, the Emperor smiled at Prince Xu, which inevitably made the officials think that the Emperor was going to give important positions to the Marquis of Changning's family, and that he appreciated Prince Xu so much!
This put Cen Yin in a somewhat precarious position. He couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor's rewards had decreased and whether he had been performing his duties diligently lately.
[Nephew Xiao, I wonder if Xu Murong and Li Yuanke's child will resemble Prince Xu! Hahaha, Li Yuanke is exceptionally handsome, like a celestial being. If he had a prince like Prince Xu, hahaha, wouldn't Li Yuanke be furious?]