Relief
Xiao Shushen was sharp-eyed. She stood up immediately, waved her hand to signal Lianren to stop singing and dancing, took a few steps forward and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, may your Majesty be blessed."
Fu Yuheng was tired from reviewing memorials, and seeing that the weather was nice, he came to the Imperial Garden to enjoy the scenery. However, he unexpectedly met someone he didn't want to see.
He wanted to turn around and leave, but these women were his concubines after all, so he had to give them some respect. So he took a few steps forward and called up the concubines who were kneeling down.
"Is the Emperor here to see the flowers too?" Hsiao Shushen asked with a smile.
Fu Yuheng nodded, put his hands behind his back and looked around: "You are quite elegant, coming to the Imperial Garden to chat and have fun."
Liu Churong stepped forward, gently pulled Fu Yuheng with her slender hand, and said softly, "That's right, my sister and I are watching the Lianren singing and dancing, and the emperor happened to come to enjoy it, why not join us?"
Although Fu Yuheng had been quite cold to Liu Churong because of what happened a few months ago, after all, she still had the Liu family and Prime Minister Liu behind her, so Fu Yuheng couldn't keep giving her a cold shoulder, so he smiled faintly and said, "In that case, I will respectfully obey your command."
"What are you saying, Your Majesty? How dare I give you an order?" Liu Churong smiled sweetly and pulled Fu Yuheng into the pavilion, ordering Lianren to continue singing and dancing.
The pitiful figure jumped up, her waist was flexible, and her eyes were full of affection. It was a beautiful sight, but Fu Yuheng had no intention of appreciating it. He had just walked in from the other side and did not see the situation clearly. Now, sitting in the pavilion, he saw Shen Qingwan kneeling not far away.
"Why is Concubine Xian kneeling there?" Fu Yuheng asked Xiao Shushen.
Xiao Shushen paused for a moment and explained, "Just now, the virtuous concubine pushed the noble concubine down, and the noble concubine punished her slightly, so she knelt."
Fu Yuheng thought of Liu Churong's previous attempt to frame Concubine Qi, and frowned, looking unhappy. He asked Liu Churong: "Why did Concubine Xian push you for no reason?"
Liu Churong's eyes turned and she said pitifully, "How should I know? Sister Xianfei is usually a reasonable person. I was at odds with her at first and just wanted to reconcile with her, but I never thought that she would push me away."
Fu Yuheng didn't believe what Liu Churong said. During the time he spent with Shen Qingwan, he knew her character well and knew she would never cause trouble for no reason. He also knew that Liu Churong was used to being arrogant and domineering and often bullied concubines.
Because of Liu Churong's family background, Fu Yuheng had mostly turned a blind eye to her behavior in the past. But when he saw Shen Qingwan's face turning pale from afar, he felt a little reluctant and no longer followed Liu Churong's temper.
"The sun is shining brightly. I see that Concubine Xian is not in good condition, so let her get up." Fu Yuheng's words were irrefutable. Even though Liu Churong was reluctant, she had to obey. There was a hint of deep meaning in Xiao Shushen's eyes.
It seems that Shen Qingwan has already had a place in the emperor's heart, which is beneficial to her, but also a threat to her.
There was more tolerance in Xiao Shushen's eyes when she looked at Shen Qingwan.
After what Shen Qingwan did, Fu Yuheng was in no mood to continue pretending with them. He stood up and strode towards where Shen Qingwan was kneeling.
More than an hour had passed since she knelt down. Shen Qingwan's legs had long been numb, her head was dizzy from the sun, and her whole body felt a little groggy.
Seeing Mo Minghuang coming, Shen Qingwan raised her eyes and happened to see the worry on Fu Yuheng's face.
Shen Qingwan was stunned. When she tried to look more closely, that look had disappeared from Fu Yuheng's face, as if it had never appeared.
"Your Majesty, your servant greets you." Shen Qingwan didn't think any more and knelt down to pay her respects.
Fu Yuheng looked at her pale face, feeling even more distressed, and hurriedly said, "Get up."
Shen Qingwan was not very happy when she heard this. Her legs were so numb that she could not stand up gracefully by herself. Lianyun behind her was also kneeling with her and naturally did not have the strength to help her up. But if she did not stand up properly and ended up staggering, it would be considered impolite in front of the emperor and a violation of palace rules.
But she couldn't disobey the order. Xiao Shushen and the imperial concubine were standing behind Fu Yuheng, waiting to see the joke. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and get up from the ground with difficulty.
Even though Shen Qingwan tried her best to stay normal, she still couldn't stand steadily. Just when she stood up a little, her body swayed and she was about to fall.
Shen Qingwan closed her eyes tightly, but the pain did not come. Instead, she fell into an embrace with a faint scent of ambergris.
She opened her eyes in surprise and found that it was Fu Yuheng who was hugging her.
The two of them were therefore very close to each other. Shen Qingwan had never been so intimate with a man before, and all her previous intercourse was just a show. In addition, Fu Yuheng had a broad and handsome face, which made her blush.
The two looked at each other for a moment, Shen Qingwan looked away, pushed Fu Yuheng, and whispered: "Thank you, Your Majesty, I can stand firmly now."
Fu Yuheng chuckled and didn't try to persuade her to stay. He let go of her hand and let Lianyun support Shen Qingwan.
The interaction between the two was seen by Xiao Shushen and Liu Churong. Xiao Shushen's face was relatively calm, but Liu Churong's anger could hardly be concealed. Fu Yuheng turned his eyes to look at her and said half-warningly: "My noble concubine, I didn't bother with you last time because I thought you had served me for many years. I hope you can control your temper in the future and don't cause trouble again."
Thinking of the incident with Concubine Qi, Liu Churong became even more angry, but she couldn't get angry either, so she could only bow and say, "I will remember this."
"You guys continue to enjoy it." Fu Yuheng said no more and turned to leave.
When he walked away, Liu Churong glared at Shen Qingwan fiercely and said, "Xian Fei, the emperor has forgiven you today, but it won't be so easy next time!" After that, she left with a group of servants.
Only Shen Qingwan and Xiao Shushen were left, and the atmosphere was a little quiet.
Xiao Shushen spoke first: "I'm sorry for what happened today."
"I understand your majesty's difficulties," Shen Qingwan sneered in her heart, but she was respectful on the surface, "It was my fault that I didn't do it well."
Hsiao Shu-shen patted the back of her hands. The bright red cardamom made her hands look as pale as paper, which made people think about how many lives were on these hands.
"Liu Churong has this kind of personality. You should try to avoid being alone with her in the future," Xiao Shushen said earnestly, "Don't feel wronged. There is a long way to go. I believe that one day, you will be able to trample Liu Churong under your feet."
Shen Qingwan's eyes turned slightly, but she didn't respond. Xiao Shushen's words were really scary. This was definitely not the first time she had said this, and she was definitely not the first concubine to hear Xiao Shushen say this.
In Xiao Shushen's opinion, these people are probably just pawns.
Seeing that she was silent, Xiao Shushen said, "You have suffered today, and you must be tired. Go back and have a good rest."
"Yes," Shen Qingwan bowed and followed her instructions, "Then I will take my leave first."
Xiao Shushen nodded and watched Shen Qingwan's figure disappear at the end of the path.
After a while, she plucked a crabapple flower and stroked the petals with her fingertips, saying, "Madam Gui, I'm afraid I might raise a tiger to cause trouble."
"Your Highness has raised a lot of tigers, right?" Aunt Gui said with a flattering smile, "After all, they are being played around by your Highness, so they can't cause any big trouble."