Shasha sha~~
The rain hit the upturned eaves, and the palace lanterns in the corridor swayed slightly.
The Empress Dowager was dressed in a dark red phoenix dress and sat on a carved palanquin. She held a book in her hand and covered the title of the book with her large sleeve. Her bright almond-shaped eyes carefully examined the content, just like an empress dowager listening to government affairs behind a screen while reviewing memorials.
Hongyu, who had an elegant appearance, walked in front of the palanquin, holding a palace lantern to light the way for the Empress Dowager, and muttered softly:
"The tunnel in the side hall has been dug through. I heard from the craftsmen that it can directly lead to the Prince of Jing's Mansion. If you go further, it can even reach Wende Bridge."
The Empress Dowager paid great attention to this matter and instructed:
"Make arrangements with the people from the Ministry of Works. Don't seal it up. Leave the section leading to the Prince of Jing's Mansion. In the future, when I have nothing to do at night, I can go out of the palace for a stroll. It's safer to take the tunnel."
Hongyu quickly shook her head: "The tunnel is so deep, and there are rats. If it's just me and Your Majesty walking in it, we're probably going to be scared to tears halfway."
"You get used to it after doing it a few times. Last time was my first time, so I was naturally worried. Now that we know all about it, what's there to be afraid of..."
...
While chatting, the procession returned to Changle Palace.
The Empress Dowager's bedroom was full of craftsmen, and it was in a mess. The Empress Dowager couldn't stay there at night. Moreover, there were no other concubines in the imperial city, just the Empress. Since she was staying here for a few days, she would definitely sleep with the Empress.
When they arrived at Chengan Hall, there was no one else except the palace maids. After asking around, they learned that the whereabouts of the Empress were unknown. Liren had just come back, but she was carried out of the palace by Yejingtang.
The Empress Dowager was rather helpless about this. However, she was used to being alone in the boudoir, so she didn't wait for the two of them. After washing and grooming, she changed into a light nightgown and climbed onto the imperial bed by herself.
The drizzle outside the window rustled. In the silent bedroom, there was only a dim lamp.
The Empress Dowager didn't have the habit of going to bed early in the past. She couldn't fall asleep even when lying on the bed. With nothing else to do, she lay on the inside of the luxurious imperial bed, with her back to the light, and continued to study the "Secret History of the Beautiful Empress" in her hand.
This book described the secret affairs of the imperial court. There was also a plot where the heir apparent was injured, and the Empress Dowager secretly took the "Bathing in Fire Diagram" treasured in the palace to treat her lover's injury.
The book was written in great detail, saying that the "Bathing in Fire Diagram" affected a person's "essence". Because the "Bathing in Fire Diagram" was so powerful, it caused the essence and blood to rush to the head, resulting in the Empress Dowager sticking out her tongue.
But the Empress Dowager thought that what was written in the book was wrong. She had practiced the "Bathing in Fire Diagram" and knew that this diagram would not make people beastly at all.
If there was any effect, it was similar to a person recovering from a serious illness. Since "a drop of essence is equivalent to ten drops of blood", recovering from an injury consumes a large amount of a person's essence and blood, which will make one drowsy, weak, and in a state of weakness for a period of time. One needs to eat a lot of nourishing things to replenish the body, and one would be too weak to have improper thoughts about a girl.
Moreover, how could one stick out their tongue in that kind of situation...
The Empress Dowager's face turned slightly red. When she read this part, she thought that Yejingtang had such amazing talent and should be interested in the "Bathing in Fire Diagram".
However, the "Bathing in Fire Diagram" was a great opportunity bestowed by Master Shu and the only variable in her life that seemed to have a foreseeable end. It was extremely precious to her.
If the Empress urgently needed it and sent people to search everywhere, after much hesitation, she guessed that she would still hand it over to the court.
But the Empress was tough and capable, giving the impression of being omnipotent. She had never shown the need for these mysterious and supernatural objects. Living in the imperial palace for a long time, she was even safer than the Empress Dowager herself. So the Empress Dowager naturally wanted to keep her little treasure.
And Yejingtang was from outside the palace. In the past, even the imperial guards were not allowed to practice this diagram. If she made the decision to give it to him privately, she might cause a big problem for the Empress.
After thinking randomly for a while, the Empress Dowager put aside these distracting thoughts and continued to enjoy the plot where the empress was mistreated. Just as she was getting absorbed in it, she suddenly heard the sound of the bead curtain being pushed aside outside the bed:
Hua la~——
After coming out of Mingyu Building, Yejingtang first went to the Black Yamen to find a robe. On the way, he saw that Qiu Tianhe was recuperating in the Black Yamen and was not seriously injured. Then he directly returned to the imperial city.
As the night deepened, the original heavy rain turned into a light rain, and the imperial city gradually quieted down.
Yejingtang was wearing a black robe and had a saber hanging from his waist. Relying on the waist token that allowed him to freely enter and exit the imperial palace, he was familiar with the way and came to Changle Palace.
The time he was away wasn't too long, and Chengan Hall hadn't changed much. The bedroom by the lake was still quiet and there was no movement.
Yejingtang went around to the side of Minglong Lake, crossed the lake surface like a dragonfly skimming the water, landed on the terrace by the lake, and then entered the outer room of the bedroom and looked towards the imperial bed in the inner room.
There was a green jade bead curtain blocking the view in the inner room. He could see that there was a light on outside the eight-step bed, and he could faintly hear even breathing sounds. However, due to the angle, he couldn't see the specific situation inside the bed from the outer room at a glance.
Has she already left?
In the Empress's bedroom, Yejingtang definitely couldn't have imagined that there could be someone else sleeping on the imperial bed. Seeing that the light was on and it seemed that the person wasn't asleep, he slowly walked to the inner room and raised his hand to lift the bead curtain to take a look.
Hua la~
The green jade bead curtain was lifted, and he could only see the outside of the bed. The thin quilt had been spread out, and black long hair was draped over the edge of the pillow.
Just as Yejingtang was about to stick his head in, he found that the thin quilt moved. The woman sleeping on the bed turned over, looked back at him, revealing a stunningly beautiful mature face and those big eyes as bright as stars.
!
Thunderclap——
A thunderbolt flashed through the minds of both of them.
The bedroom instantly fell into a deathly silence, and even the lampstand seemed to freeze at that moment.
Yejingtang's expression froze. Although the other person was wearing a loose nightgown, her hairpin had been untied, and she had no makeup on, those almond-shaped eyes, the rosy small mouth, and the plump figure still allowed him to recognize her identity at the first moment!
Looking at each other, Yejingtang could see a flash of surprise in the Empress Dowager's eyes. Then her almond-shaped eyes widened, her red lips parted slightly, and she covered her bulging clothes with the thin quilt. Her expression turned to panic, and it seemed that she was about to let out a piercing scream that could resound throughout Changle Palace.
Yejingtang thought it was not good. He flashed into the eight-step bed and covered the red lips that were about to let out a scream.
"Wu wu——"
The Empress Dowager was cover your mouth by the tall man who pounced on her and only let out a few muffled sounds. Her eyes became even more angry and frightened. She raised her hand to push Yejingtang's arm and also wanted to use the book in her hand to hit him to make a noise and remind the silly Hongyu.
The movement was too big, causing the already very loose nightgown to sway.
Yejingtang was slightly anxious. To prevent alerting the palace maids outside, he could only reluctantly use the technique he learned from Ning'er and tapped the Empress Dowager's chest twice.
Dong dong~
"Wu~"
The Empress Dowager's limbs suddenly went limp and she lost her strength. A feeling of dizziness came over her. Her eyes widened a little more, and a look of helplessness, grief, indignation, and despair flashed in her eyes. Before losing consciousness, the last thought in her eyes was probably—If you, this lecherous thief, dare to touch me, I won't let you go even if I become a ghost...
Then her tearful big eyes slowly closed, and her body went limp as she lay on the pillow.
The bedroom returned to a deathly silence.
"..."
Yejingtang released the Empress Dowager's lips. Looking at that mature and beautiful face filled with despair and grief, he knew that this matter might not be easily resolved.
But at this time, he couldn't care so much. Yu Hu didn't show any reaction, so there must be something wrong.
Yejingtang quickly covered the Empress Dowager with the thin quilt and quickly walked behind the screen and knocked on the sliding door.
Dong dong~~
He listened carefully, but there was no sound from inside.
Yejingtang's heart sank slightly. He turned the knob on the tiger head relief and opened the sliding door to check.
In the enclosed private bathroom, the candlestick was still lit. The Qilin treasure armor placed in the middle emitted a dark golden luster, looking magnificent and imposing, exuding a sense of majesty that kept outsiders away.
And directly in front of the armor, a stunningly beautiful woman leaned against the edge of the bath pool. Her face had recovered a lot, but she had her eyes closed and was silent, showing no signs of movement.
As soon as Yejingtang raised his eyes, he saw a flash of white. He quickly turned his head to avoid looking. But immediately he felt something was wrong. Afraid that Yu Hu might have already died, he gritted his teeth and entered the bathroom.
Yu Hu's plump figure was half-soaked in the pool water. The water reached up to her neck, and the rest of her body was immersed in the water.
Her legs were together, and this time there was a small piece of red cloth draped over the root of her legs, covering the triangular area. However, her plump legs and the curve of her buttocks were still clearly visible.
Yu Hu seemed to be on guard, maintaining her arms in a hugging position. But her body was relaxed, causing her arms to slide down naturally.
Yejingtang had no intention of admiring these. He quickly came to her side and placed his finger on Yu Hu's philtrum—her breathing was even, and she wasn't cold.
Then he pressed on Yu Hu's neck—her pulse was as thin as a thread, and she felt very weak.
Moreover, when he came over just now, Yu Hu's body was burning hot, but now it was ice-cold, and her body temperature was very low...
Although Yejingtang didn't know much about medicine, having walked the rivers and lakes for many years, he could roughly tell the situation.
Yu Hu's pulse condition was a kind of weakness from the inside out. It wasn't like the weakness after strenuous exercise, but rather a depletion of her internal energy.
If he had to describe it, it was probably as if he had been "roughed up" by seven or eight aggressive girls for three days and three nights, feeling as if his body had been completely drained...
Yejingtang knew that after recovering from a serious illness or an injury, the body would be weak for a few days, but Yu Hu's weakness seemed to be excessive.
He carefully examined Yu Hu's face and found that there seemed to be an additional white hair among her three thousand strands of black hair...
While Yejingtang was carefully examining her, he suddenly noticed that Yu Hu, who was very close to him, her eyelashes twitched. Then her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and she opened her naturally charming eyes, showing an expression of displeasure like having a fit of anger after waking up.
Their eyes met.
Yejingtang frowned and asked:
"What's wrong with you?"