Chapter 35: Finally Appears

After Shen Yu was summoned back to the mansion by the old master, she was lectured. The old master’s lecture amounted to nothing more than telling Shen Yu not to be too close to Princess De’an, because being too close might invite misunderstanding. Shen Yu offered no explanation. Whatever the old master said she simply agreed to. The old master’s past follies were many, so these few admonitions meant little to Shen Yu.

After about 30 minutes, the old master finally let Shen Yu go.

The moment Shen Yu stepped into her courtyard, she saw Hengniang, now dressed in maid’s clothes, sweeping the courtyard’s withered yellow leaves with a broom. Shen Yu didn’t want to startle Hengniang, so she purposely lightened her footsteps, but Hengniang seemed to have eyes on the back of her head. Just as Shen Yu passed behind her, she noticed, turned around, and upon seeing Shen Yu showed delight. Holding the broom, she bowed slightly and said, “Hengniang greets the young master.”

“Mm.” Shen Yu replied curtly with a stern face, then hurriedly left the front yard.

Having roughly understood Hengniang’s little feelings for her, and coupled with what Fang Rui had said to her a few nights before, something about women marrying women being against reason, Shen Yu now felt uneasy and awkward the moment she saw Hengniang and only wanted to keep her distance. But the more she tried to avoid it, the closer Hengniang pressed, and the old master tightened his grip step by step.

Back in her bedchamber, she shut the door and pressed her forehead in pain. She urgently needed someone to give her advice. What should she do about this matter? She had a thousand objections to taking concubines, but given her status the only person who could offer any useful suggestions was that idiot who was completely unreliable. Now she only wanted to give him a good scolding, but the problem was she had no idea where he’d gone. It was already the fourth day and there was still no sign of him.

Shen Yu refused to believe it. Given this man’s roguish nature, he couldn’t possibly endure not coming to see her on the fifth day!

She lowered her hand from her forehead and was about to change clothes, but after only a couple of steps she stopped and muttered to herself, “Why am I so certain he’ll come to see me?” She let out a self-deprecating laugh and didn’t think about it further.

Meanwhile, Fang Rui, having returned to the imperial palace from De’an, had to face these four women as soon as he entered Zichen Hall. This was… a bit tricky.

The Empress Dowager kept twirling her prayer beads without pause, speaking in a calm tone.

“Has Your Majesty’s cold improved?”

Fang Rui, who had taken a seat nearby, nodded slightly. “It’s more than half better. I missed De’an, so I left the palace to visit De’an and get some fresh air.”

A faint smile tugged at the Empress Dowager’s lips as she said, “Since your illness has nearly recovered, shouldn’t you consider the matter of heirs?”

At these words, the three consorts standing by brightened with eager glances. Fang Rui’s gaze swept over the three consorts whom others praised as lovely as flowers and breathtakingly beautiful, but he felt none of that. No matter how he looked at it, he thought Shen Yu was more attractive than any of them, whether in his former life as a man or now as a woman.

To the Empress Dowager’s remark, Fang Rui could only reply perfunctorily, “I understand this matter.” He understood the issue of having children, but everything was ready except for Shen Yu’s consent.

The three characters “I understand” seemed like the dawn breaking in the eyes of the three consorts. They felt that after enduring three years in the harem, the time to rise was finally near. After three years of drought, rain was finally coming.

The three women’s gazes were so hot that Fang Rui couldn’t ignore them even if he wanted to. Those looks resembled the way he looked at Shen Yu, especially like the way he’d looked at Shen Yu a few nights ago.

People said an emperor has thousands of beauties in his harem and abundant pleasures, but his harem only had three women and he was not able to enjoy them. Aside from Shen Yu, no one else would do.

The Empress Dowager glanced at the three consorts, naturally knowing what they were thinking, but she did not expose them and instead continued to Fang Rui, “Since you understand, tonight don’t delay. Consort Li, Consort He, Consort Xiao are all here. Your Majesty may proceed as you see fit.”

Fang Rui looked at his mother. Why did it sound like they’re expecting him to choose all three at once?

Fang Rui covered his sleeve and coughed twice, his complexion still poor. With a hint of apology he told the Empress Dowager, “Mother, although my health has improved, this…” He glanced at the three consorts who seemed to be silently saying “pick me, pick me,” coughed twice more, and continued, “I’m afraid I have the will but not the strength. Let me fully recuperate before we discuss this.”

If the three consorts had just been like flowers parched for three years, now they were withered twigs and fallen leaves with not a drop of moisture left.

Fang Rui dismissed the four women using his ill health as an excuse. Once they were gone, he hurriedly instructed Rong Tai to close the main doors of Zichen Hall, poured himself a cup of water, and drank it down. Seeing this, Rong Tai couldn’t help but say, “Your Majesty, you can’t stall like this for much longer.”

Fang Rui looked up at Rong Tai, a faint smile curling his thin lips. Why couldn’t he delay much longer? In his previous life he had been emperor for eight years. Before the Empress Dowager’s ambitious nature was revealed, he had managed to stall for a full five years. If he could stall for five years then, surely three years now was nothing. He still had two full years left.

As the Empress Dowager and the others left Zichen Hall, Consort Li and Consort He followed behind, making suggestive faces at each other. Consort Li said, “You go ask our aunt, ask what’s the problem with His Majesty?”

Consort He rolled her eyes at Consort Li. “Why don’t you go ask instead?”

They exchanged glances for a while, but it was Consort Li who finally yielded. She stepped closer, hesitated, and still couldn’t bring herself to speak.

The Empress Dowager cast her a cool glance and, equally distant in tone, said, “If there’s something to say, speak.”

Upon hearing this, Consort Li lowered her voice, “Aunt… do you think His Majesty isn’t… fond of women?”

No sooner had Consort Li finished when the Empress Dowager’s gaze turned cold, and Consort Li immediately fell silent, afraid to say more.

The Empress Dowager withdrew her gaze, looked back ahead, and said, “How could the Emperor be someone you are allowed to gossip about?”

Though she appeared calm on the surface, doubts began to stir in the Empress Dowager’s heart. Even going back not just these three years since the accession, but throughout his adult life, she had never heard of Fang Rui having allowed any palace attendant to sleep with him.

And if he truly were not fond of women, how would her plan be carried out?

…

Night fell, and with the onset of autumn the weather grew gradually cooler. Shen Yu put on an extra garment and sat at the edge of the bed, frowning as she looked at the window, unsure whether Jia Ming would come to see her tonight.

Shen Yu had never expected that someone as frivolous as Jia Ming, who often behaved improperly and shamelessly, would vanish entirely after attempting to flirt with her. It was completely unlike his usual style. He wasn’t the sort to be so cowardly.

Shen Yu refused to wait idly any longer. She went to the window and was about to close the latch when she heard a faint sound at the window. On closer listening she heard a few soft mews. The corner of her mouth lifted. She thought Jia Ming couldn’t take it anymore and would come on the fifth day.

After a moment’s thought, Shen Yu opened the window. There was no human figure to be seen, only a white cat.

The white cat jumped from outside the window onto the sill, its round eyes gazing at Shen Yu as it let out a little “meow,” seeming to act cute and coaxing.

Shen Yu glanced at it, unconvinced, and leaned out the window, scanning up, down, left, and right. There was still not a single person in sight.

She scooped up the cat, closed the window with one hand, and muttered inwardly, i**f he’s got the guts, he’d better not come looking for her again!

She set the cat on the table and leaned on the table, stroking its fur again and again. Suddenly she remembered Jia Ming’s jianghu identity and murmured, “Could he have been killed by some rivalry in the martial world?”

The more Shen Yu thought about it, the more possible it seemed. Otherwise, with his level of shamelessness, how could he possibly fail to show up after five days?!

As Shen Yu pondered, drowsiness overcame her and she fell asleep with her head on the table. Only after she had drifted off did the figure on the beam jump down.

Fang Rui saw Shen Yu asleep, patted his chest and drew a breath, then turned his gaze to the cat. The cat lay on the table, lifted a paw and licked it, as if to tell Fang Rui, “I’m hungry.”

With one hand he scooped the cat from beside Shen Yu down to the floor, took out some dried fish snacks, and placed them on the ground. It happily began to nibble.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at Shen Yu, a faint smile touched Fang Rui’s lips. Shen Yu was certainly waiting for him. Though she intended to scold him, the fact she had already begun waiting meant he had penetrated the enemy’s ranks. Shen Yu no longer treated him as someone irrelevant.

He reached out, lifted Shen Yu, and carried her toward the bed.

He laid Shen Yu on the bed and was tucking the quilt around her when Shen Yu, eyes closed, twitched her pupils and had already gripped the dagger hidden under the pillow.

A chill swept through him and vigilance had already appeared in Fang Rui’s eyes. When the dagger was only a short distance from his arm, he suddenly turned halfway, grabbed the hands that were about to act, and the dagger clattered to the floor beside the bed.

Fang Rui held Shen Yu’s hands with both of his and pinned her to the bed, a resigned smile at the corner of his mouth. “You just wanted to lure me out, didn’t you?”

Shen Yu struggled a bit, but it didn’t change her disadvantaged position at all. She gave up struggling and glared at Fang Rui, cursing, “You bastard!”

To her surprise, Fang Rui didn’t refute her. Instead he nodded and agreed, “Yes, I am quite a bastard.”

“You!” Shen Yu didn’t know how to continue insulting him when he admitted it so bluntly.

The sound of the dagger hitting the floor had been loud. Though there was an outer room between them, Hengniang, who was on night watch outside, still heard some noise. After hesitating several times, she knocked on the door and worriedly called, “Young master, are you all right?”

Shen Yu didn’t even realize the night watcher was Hengniang, so she was startled when she heard Hengniang’s voice.

Not only was Shen Yu stunned, but Fang Rui also froze. How was it her again! Why was it so difficult to get rid of her!

In a suddenly sour mood, Fang Rui looked at Shen Yu and lowered his voice, displeased, “There’s talk outside that you, the great young master Shen who never goes near women, is about to take concubines. I wonder whether this rumor is true.”

Hearing this, Shen Yu angrily glared at him and replied to Hengniang outside, “It’s nothing, something just fell.”

Hengniang asked, “Do you need me to come in and tidy things up for you, young master?”

Fang Rui suddenly lowered his head until he was only half an arm’s length from Shen Yu and teased, “Oh ho, at this late hour, is she coming in to tidy you up, or are you planning to tidy her up?”

No sooner had Fang Rui spoken than Shen Yu didn’t understand at first, but after thinking it over once more she grasped the full meaning.

This man was truly shameless. He was clearly the one who had barged in so late at night!

“Not necessary. You should go down and rest early, I will rest too.”

Hengniang then replied, “Then this maid will go downstairs first.”

Afraid of making more noise, Shen Yu lowered her voice to a whisper and snapped, “Hurry up and let me go!”

Fang Rui laughed. “I could let you go, but if you let me kiss you once, then I’ll let you go.” Sure enough, he was more deft at playing the rogue when Shen Yu was awake.

Even though they weren’t very close, his heated breath still fell on Shen Yu’s face.

At the idea of a kiss, Shen Yu immediately remembered getting drunk and giving him a chance to take advantage of her. Fury flushed her face red. “You bastard!”

Fang Rui chuckled again, stopped teasing Shen Yu, and kicked the dagger far away before letting her go, muttering, “Rather than playing with these sharp things, if you want to play, play with me instead…”

Shen Yu raised her palm and with a sharp smack it landed on Fang Rui’s mask.

The mask tilted, revealing the contour of Fang Rui’s jaw, and the air in the room suddenly froze.

After a moment, Fang Rui calmly straightened his mask, his gaze moving from Shen Yu’s face to her hand, and he said with particular concern, “Even if you want to hit me, you should choose a softer spot, but you always choose the hard spots. You see, your hand’s gone red…”

“Shut up!” Shen Yu yelled angrily. This man’s nerve could rival a wall of bronze and iron!

Fang Rui actually shut his mouth. Looking at Shen Yu’s furious face, he wanted to laugh but dared not.

Shen Yu thought she had never been foolish. After all, she had outmatched thousands upon thousands of exam candidates and overcome countless challenges to become the top scholar of the country, which proved she was clever. But she couldn’t understand why, when it came to this lecherous fellow, she suddenly became stupid.