Eagle-eyed and wolf-watching

Chapter 1722 How powerful is His Majesty?

Yijing Palace
An ordinary-looking palace maid, carrying a food box, arrived at a heavily guarded wooden house. Upon her arrival, the guards at the door immediately questioned her warily:

"who are you?"

"My name is Wang Xiaoqing, and I was sent by the Inner Court to deliver food!"

Upon hearing this, the guard glanced at the palace maid and then spoke:
"I remember the person who delivered the food before wasn't you?"

"The person who used to deliver the meals was ordered by the Inner Court to do other things, so I've been delivering the meals for the past few days. Here's my token, take a look!"

After speaking, the palace maid named Wang Xiaoqing took out a token and handed it to the guard. The guard, seeing that it was indeed a token from the Inner Court, hesitated. Seeing this, Wang Xiaoqing, somewhat impatient, directly said:
"Hurry up and let me in. If you delay things, the Inner Court will hold you both accountable!"

Despite his displeasure at Wang Xiaoqing's threat, the guard still unlocked the door.

"Tell her to eat quickly, and after she finishes eating, you should come out quickly too, don't dawdle!"

"Okay, okay, you're such a big man, always dawdling!"

Wang Xiaoqing carried the lunchbox into the room. The room was small but empty, with only a palace maid sitting against the wall on a thin blanket.

The palace maid was young, appearing to be only around twenty years old, and quite pretty. Hearing someone enter, she immediately looked over. When she saw it was Wang Xiaoqing, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and she asked with some astonishment:
"Sister Wang, it's you?"

"Qiaoxin has gone to serve the Empress Dowager, so I've been bringing you meals, Chunxiu..."

As Wang Xiaoqing spoke, she opened the lunchbox and took out the dishes inside, saying:
"Eat quickly!"

The dishes were not plentiful; there was only shredded potatoes with green peppers, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and a bowl of rice. But seeing how hot and steaming they looked made Li Chunxiu very happy. Ever since her pregnancy was exposed and she was locked in this room, she had never eaten a hot meal; every meal was just leftovers.

Having been in the palace for some time, Li Chunxiu knew that these were the maids from the Inner Court who knew the Empress disliked her. Therefore, they deliberately treated her this way to advance their careers and please the Empress.

Although Li Chunxiu felt helpless about this, he could only silently accept it. He had thought he would always be eating scraps, but unexpectedly, he now had the chance to eat a hot meal. He knew that all of this was thanks to the help of the person in front of him, and then sincerely said:

"Sister Wang, thank you!"

Seeing that Li Chunxiu had recognized her help, Wang Xiaoqing was quite satisfied, but still pretended to be nonchalant and waved her hand, saying:

"Chunxiu, eat quickly! It won't taste good if it gets cold!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chunxiu immediately picked up her rice bowl and chopsticks and began to eat. Although she was just a young girl and didn't usually eat much, she couldn't withstand the harsh treatment from the matrons of Netins. They only brought her one meal a day, and each meal contained very little food. Her last meal had been almost five hours ago, and Li Chunxiu was now starving…
Seeing Li Chunxiu wolfing down her food, Wang Xiaoqing said with some pity:
"Chunxiu, you've really suffered these past few days!"

Li Chunxiu, who had been somewhat numb, stopped eating when she heard someone caring about her. Her eyes welled up with tears, but she didn't let her pearls fall. She wiped her eyes and continued eating.

Wang Xiaoqing originally planned that if Li Chunxiu continued to cry, she could say a few words to comfort her. She never expected that this usually tearful girl would become so strong now.

Seeing this, she had no choice but to tentatively ask:
"How is Chunxiu's child?"

When Wang Xiaoqing asked about this, Li Qunxiu, who had already finished eating, put down her bowl, wiped her mouth, and said:
"It's only been less than four months, there shouldn't be any problems yet!"

Hearing Li Chunxiu say this, Wang Xiaoqing couldn't help but lower her voice and ask:

"Chunxiu, tell me the truth, is the child in your belly His Majesty's?"

Hearing Wang Xiaoqing's blunt and direct question, Li Chunxiu was taken aback. Sensing the excitement and anticipation in Wang's eyes, she seemed to realize something. After hesitating for a moment, she nodded under Wang Xiaoqing's gaze.

Seeing Li Chunxiu nod, Wang Xiaoqing became even more excited and immediately said:
"Chunxiu, I knew you were capable when you first entered the palace! You truly are a force to be reckoned with, and when you do make a move, it's astonishing!"

"You're pregnant with the emperor's child now, you're about to rise to the top like a phoenix! Tell me, how did you manage to win over His Majesty?"

Hearing Wang Xiaoqing say this, Li Chunxiu was somewhat surprised, but she could only say what she had planned beforehand:
"That evening, His Majesty had a few drinks and was in high spirits. I happened to be delivering tea to the Imperial Study when His Majesty took a liking to me..."

Hearing Li Chunxiu say this, Wang Xiaoqing had no doubts and said with some envy:
"Chunxiu, you're so lucky! You're got no breasts or buttocks, how did His Majesty take a liking to you? Why can't I have such good fortune!"

"Ugh!"

Listening to Wang Xiaoqing's self-pitying sighs, Li Chunxiu appeared calm on the surface, but her heart was filled with complex emotions. Being favored by the emperor and successfully giving birth to a child was the dream of every palace maid. If only she could be favored by the emperor!
Just as Li Chunxiu was lost in thought, Wang Xiaoqing, who was beside her, seemed to have thought of something. A blush rose on her cheeks, but she still couldn't help but ask with some curiosity:

Is His Majesty capable?

Wang Xiaoqing's question left Li Chunxiu somewhat stunned. Not understanding what she was talking about, she could only ask in return:
"What's so great about it?"

Seeing that Li Chunxiu didn't understand her meaning, Wang Xiaoqing blushed even more, but still couldn't suppress her curiosity and continued to ask:
"That's the one?"

"that?"

Seeing Li Chunxiu's bewildered expression, Wang Xiaoqing said in an annoyed tone:

"Chunxiu, you're already pregnant with the dragon's child, what are you pretending for?"

Upon hearing Wang Xiaoqing's words and seeing her flushed face, Li Chunxiu realized what she had said and immediately blushed as well, stammering a little.

The more she hesitated, the more curious Wang Xiaoqing became, and she couldn't help but press further: "Chunxiu, tell me! Is His Majesty gentle with you?"

"I'm so embarrassed..."

"This is basic human decency, what's there to be ashamed of? Just tell me!"

Faced with Wang Xiaoqing's persistent questioning, Li Chunxiu couldn't avoid it any longer and whispered:

"Actually, I don't know either. It was my first time doing something like this. My mind was completely blank at the time, and I didn't have time to think too much. But it hurt a little at first!"

Listening to Li Chunxiu's story, a hint of longing flashed in Wang Xiaoqing's eyes, and then she said with some envy:
Chunxiu, you're so lucky!

Upon hearing this, Li Chunxiu smiled wryly and said:

"If I were lucky, I wouldn't be here!"

After speaking, she glanced around the empty room, and seeing this, Wang Xiaoqing smiled and said:

"Things are a bit tough right now! But don't forget you have this!"

As she spoke, Wang Xiaoqing glanced at Li Chunxiu's belly and continued:

"His Majesty is a good man. He will take responsibility for you. When you give birth to the child, you will become a mistress! At that time, I should call you Consort Chunxiu. Don't forget to recognize me then, Chunxiu!"

In response to Wang Xiaoqing's teasing, Li Chunxiu quickly said:
"Sister Wang, please don't embarrass me!"

"My dear Chunxiu, don't think too much. Just stay here and rest. Your good days are ahead!"

As soon as Wang Xiaoqing finished speaking, the voice of the guards came from outside the door.
"Have you finished eating? If you have, come out quickly, don't linger in there..."

Wang Xiaoqing rolled her eyes upon hearing this, then quickly cleared away the dishes and chopsticks, finally saying to Li Chunxiu:

"Sis, I'll bring you food again tomorrow!"

"Thank you sister!"

"fine!"

With Wang Xiaoqing gone, the door to the house closed again, leaving Li Chunxiu alone in the empty room.

Sitting on the ground, Li Chunxiu's expression turned dejected, and she unconsciously began to stroke her stomach.

She and Wang Xiaoqing were from the same hometown, both from Changshan Prefecture in Youyan. Wang Xiaoqing, who had entered the palace three years earlier than her, had always taken good care of her. Today, she could tell that Wang Xiaoqing was genuinely envious of her. Li Chunxiu was not surprised by this, after all, for palace maids like them, being favored by the Emperor was the best opportunity for them to rise in rank.

Although the outside world portrays His Majesty as a capricious, tyrannical, cruel, despicable, and shameless villain, in the eyes of these palace maids, His Majesty is indeed a rare good person. He is gentle in nature, never loses his temper or punishes his servants, and is very polite in his dealings with others. Sometimes he even thanks them.

Despite his rather ordinary appearance, lacking striking features and just having a very plain look, Ye Mingsheng, with the added benefit of his privileged status, was, without exaggeration, the dream lover of these palace maids. Some of them would even silently chant Ye Mingsheng's name before falling asleep at night.

Li Chunxiu was no exception. Since entering the palace, she had been engaged in arduous labor. However, watching those concubines who didn't have to work but could still boss people around, act arrogantly, and enjoy luxurious food and clothing, a question couldn't help but arise in her mind...

We're both women, so why can they live such good lives while I have to be so subservient and suffer from backaches every day?

Is all of this fair?

No! That's not fair!

She was clearly younger and prettier than them, so why couldn't she be an empress and instead had to be a palace maid at the beck and call of others?

The reason these people live better than me is simply because they slept with His Majesty and pleased him.
She was a woman too, and what they could do, Li Chunxiu could do as well!

Filled with indignation at the injustice, Li Chunxiu was determined to rise in rank. To this end, she worked even harder and tried her best to please the people in the Inner Court. Finally, through her unremitting efforts, she got the opportunity to work in the Imperial Study.

Li Chunxiu would never forget the excitement she felt when she first entered the Imperial Study; it was the first time she had been able to quietly look at His Majesty.

Compared to her previous work, the work in the Imperial Study was much easier, but it required more care. On her second day in the Imperial Study, she, like every other palace maid who entered the Imperial Study, was warned by the Inner Court Department not to be promiscuous or think about how to seduce His Majesty, or she would lose her head!

Having made up her mind, Li Chunxiu outwardly obeyed the warnings from the Inner Court, but inwardly she disdained them. She thought that as long as she could get close to His Majesty, what did the Inner Court matter?
When I become an empress, will the Inner Court be nothing more than servants to me?
Despite having such thoughts, before she could curry favor with Ye Mingsheng, Li Chunxiu could only proceed with extreme caution, fearing that the Inner Court would discover her intentions and expel her from the Imperial Study…
As an emperor, Ye Mingsheng was quite diligent, spending nearly half of his time in the Imperial Study every day. This meant that Li Chunxiu had opportunities to spend time with Ye Mingsheng. In order to achieve her goal of rising to a higher social status, Li Chunxiu would try her best to dress up and make herself look more outstanding and beautiful every time she went to work in the Imperial Study.

Although Li Chunxiu was full of expectations, she was ignored by Ye Mingsheng. Disappointed, Li Chunxiu had some bold ideas. For example, when serving tea to Ye Mingsheng, she would pretend to accidentally drop the teacup on him, in order to create an opportunity to get close to the emperor.

She once wanted to put this into practice, but every time she tried, she gave up halfway.

The reason for this was to take into account the power of the Inner Court. Li Chunxiu knew very well that if she did this and managed to get close to Ye Mingsheng, everything would be fine and she would reach the pinnacle of her life. However, if His Majesty did not take a liking to her, then she would definitely be punished by the Inner Court, and she would be expelled from the Imperial Study, thus losing the opportunity to be close to His Majesty.

It was precisely because of her fear of the Inner Court Department that Li Chunxiu never dared to put such an idea into practice. Her boldest move was in January of this year, when she deliberately wore summer clothes to the Imperial Study under the pretext that her clothes were not yet dry. She wanted to show off her curvaceous figure to His Majesty through summer clothes, but unfortunately, it was like throwing a picture to a blind man. In His Majesty's eyes, the memorials on the desk were more attractive than her, a living beauty.

(I received criticism from several senior members today, and they also pointed out some issues. One senior member said he didn't know what the main plot was, and another said that he couldn't write anything more about reform. Both of them are right. Actually, the main plot is reform, which is the main plot at this point. But the problem is that there are some things I don't want to write. I can't say too much more than this. I can only write a couple of chapters about harem life to add some variety, and even that is subject to daily review!!)