Male Lead Is Always That Heartless

Chapter 37

The entire palace knew the Emperor had overturned the Heluo Hall’s Beauty Zhao’s jade plaque.

Lady of Fairness Gong of Zhaifang Hall listened to the palace staff’s report and sighed with a smile: “Zhao Wan has good means. She’s so favored, better than Lady of Fairness Gu the last time. Indeed, the good times are not long, and friendships are difficult to maintain. Ms. Gu probably didn’t expect that she would lift a rock and hit her foot by raising Beauty Zhao in Wu Shan Palace. She deserved it ……”

Chunya nodded, “I didn’t expect that A Wan also has this kind of skills. When she was in your hall, I only thought she was good at needlework, but I didn’t expect that she was also good at ball games. She caught the eye of His Majesty with the games. Speaking of which, I don’t know her family background?”

Lady of Fairness Gong sneered: “Born as a palace maidservant; how can her family be outstanding!”

Xiuyi Hall’s Lady of Fairness Wang was greatly surprised when she heard this, “That …… I heard that Beauty Zhao was once Gong Yueqin’s palace maid and now lives in Lady of Fairness Gu’s hall. The Emperor had turned her plaque twice in only half a month.” She disdainfully laughed twice, “One Gong Clan and one Gu Clan must be beating their chests and stomping their feet now. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, Gong Yueqin used all her tricks to win favor and accompanied the Emperor to Wu Shan. As for the one in Heluo Hall, she went from Beauty to Lady of Fairness in just a few months. But who would have thought that this Beauty Zhao would appear halfway……..”

Huang Li whispered: “You were extremely right. I heard that Lady of Fairness Gu nearly died because of the thief, so it’s not strange for her to become a Lady of Fairness. As for Lady of Fairness Gong, the Emperor hasn’t turned over her plaque for a long time. When the Luoying Hall’s maid spied on the harem history, they said the Emperor never called Lady Of Fairness Gong in the Wu Shan Palace.”

Lady of Fairness Wang couldn’t help but be in a better mood, sneering, “Beauty Zhao is just a beauty and didn’t have a good birth. I don’t take her seriously ……”

Once again, the side hall of the Heluo Hall welcomed the female officials of the Shang Yi Bureau.

Xiu He rejoiced: “The Emperor pitied Beauty! Although it fails the last time, he’ll make it up for you tonight!”

In front of the bronze mirror, Zhao Wan’s black hair scattered over her shoulders, and the palace maid combed it into a bun. She gently hummed. This reward and favor came faster and more abundantly than she expected. In the Cuiwan Games, she did have the heart to fight, but the Emperor’s reward came too quickly. The six palaces said she was favored in the Wu Shan, and the favor has not declined, but only she knew what was going on. She wondered if she would really be favored tonight —

At three-quarters past Xushi (7-9 pm), a half-round of cold light surged in the sky. The palace staff outside the door of the Heluo Hall’s side hall sang, “The Emperor has arrived.”

Zhao Wan knelt at the hall’s entrance and bowed, “Greetings, Your Majesty.”

The Emperor entered the Heluo Hall’s side hall slowly, and behind him, Eunuch Gao, holding several volumes of the dossier, followed closely.

“Rise.”

Zhao Wan raised her head and met his condescending gaze, a pair of dark brown glazed eyes filled with scrutiny. She rose and whispered, “I will help Your Majesty to pull out the hairpin and remove the crown.”

“No need. I still have documents to read.” Xiao Yan spoke as he lifted his feet and headed towards the study.

Zhao Wan was left alone.

Eunuch Gao looked at her and reminded, “Beauty, why don’t you serve tea?”

Zhao Wan returned to her senses and immediately sent someone to make tea. The only sound in the side hall was the rustling sound of open and closed scrolls. Eunuch Gao used a dragon-patterned paper knife to lighten the candle flame slightly in the study, then retreated to the side and stood silently. This side hall was extremely close to the main hall; if one looked out of this half-round window in the study, one could see the garden. There were no fruits on the grape vines, only sparse yellow leaves hanging.

Eunuch Gao looked sideways and saw the stone pond where Lady of Fairness Gu used to feed the fish. Unfortunately, at the moment, under the clear light, the courtyard was deserted. Lady of Fairness Gu has injured her leg, so she probably didn’t like to feed the fish anymore.

Zhao Wan held the tea tray and gently walked into the study, bowing, “Please drink the tea, Your Majesty.”

Xiao Yan looked up, “Put it down.”

Zhao Wan rested the tea tray. “I will be right outside the study. If Your Majesty has an order, call me.”

Xiao Yan looked at her lowered brows. He thought this was what a palace consort should look like; he was used to being disobeyed by Gu Yi and had forgotten that it should be like this. He nodded and said, “Okay, you should retire first.”

Zhao Wan saw that his brows were relaxed, and her heart was relieved. She smiled lightly and said, “I will retire.”

The night was long. There were two clangs; the second watch drum in the palace had been struck. It was past midnight, the time for people to rest.

Eunuch Gao glanced at the Emperor and advised, “Your Majesty, it’s time to rest.”

Xiao Yan put down his brush, “Serve to freshen up.”

Eunuch Gao secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The sound of water resounded from the Heluo Hall’s side hall compartment. The palace maids helped Zhao Wan, who sat on the couch, to undo the hairpins on her head.

The time spent waiting was long. The candlelight swayed lightly as Zhao Wan sat motionless on the bed, only hearing her heartbeat accelerating.

The sound of footsteps finally came, and she raised her eyes to see Xiao Yan, dressed in plain, dark-colored clothes and a basalt-colored dragon robe casually draped over his body, slowly stepping into the chamber.

A Yan.

Xiao Yan raised his hand and waved away the palace maids waiting in the room. The light in Zhao Wan’s eyes flickered as she forced a smile and said, “I’ll serve Your Majesty in bed.”

Xiao Yan watched her walk closer and reached out to untie his black robe.

“Why are you so good at Cuiwan Games?”

Zhao Wan’s hands paused and softly said, “When I was young, I often played it with my family members ……”

Xiao Yan avoided her hand, sat on the couch, and slowly asked, “Your surname is Zhao. Which Zhao family is it?”

Zhao Wan was shocked. A layer of sweat emerged on her back; an idea to take out the jade pendant flashed, but finally, she suppressed it. “My family is not an outstanding family, only a small merchant, is a …… unfamous Zhao family, so… I entered the palace as a maidservant.”

Xiao Yan lightly laughed, “I only casually ask. Beauty does not have to be so formal. I am tired tonight. Rest early.” He took off his black outer robe and casually threw it under the bed.

Zhao Wan saw him not move, so she turned around and blew out the candles first, slowly stepping on the bed and lying to the inside.

The chamber was dark and dreary, but her heartbeat was unabated. However, Xiao Yan slept in his clothes and lay on the outside.

Zhao Wan stiffly closed her eyes. However, she couldn’t sleep; her mind was full of thoughts. Why did the Emperor ask her which Zhao family she was from? Did he already know her origin? She recalled her first encounter with the Emperor repeatedly but was sure she had not left any cracks.

Clang, clang, clang, several times; the third watch of the night drum was struck, and Zhao Wan still could not sleep. She suddenly noticed a gust of wind beside her; the Emperor seemed to get up and leave the bed.

Zhao Wan stiffened but did not dare to open her eyes. After waiting for a while, when the sound of feet gradually disappeared, she slowly opened her eyes. The night was as cold as water, and there was no one else in the dark chamber except herself.

Outside the side of the hall, Eunuch Gao, who was on night duty, saw the Emperor, cloaked in black robes, leave the chamber. Surprised! This Beauty Zhao was so terrible at serving! This is the second time!

The Emperor’s eyes swept like knives across his face, and Eunuch Gao consciously silenced himself. Seeing the Emperor walking toward the main hall, Eunuch Gao wanted to cry and laugh; he knew it!

Two glazed palace lanterns hung outside the main hall of Heluo Hall, and orange light poured down. Xiao Yan eased his footsteps and pushed the door into the hall. The servant girls in the hall were sitting on a chair and dozing off. Gu Yi did not know how to restrain her maids; these girls in this palace had always been like this.

Ridiculous.

He laughed coldly in his heart and walked through the corridor, slowly entering the chamber.

Inside the chamber, warm incense was smoking from the stove, and the layered bed curtains fell over each other. Gu Yi was sleeping soundly, her arms stretched out on her head, and her breasts slowly rose and fell.

Xiao Yan’s gaze fell to her legs. Her calf was bare outside the silk quilt, and he could see a half-palm-long scar on it through the shadow of the hazy lamp outside the window. The flesh was slightly bulging, and the surface had scabbed like a few strands of tangled spiderwebs, covered with many narrow red dots, like scratch wounds.

Xiao Yan could not help but frown, but he saw Gu Yi’s figure move slightly. The scar was itchy, and Gu Yi subconsciously reached out to scratch even when sleeping. Only this time, she couldn’t scratch it, but her hand suddenly touched cold instead.

What the heck!

She was so startled that her eyes widened!

Surrounded by pitch darkness, a tall silhouette stood at the edge of the bed, and the shadow cast by the moonlight covered one side of the bed. She felt all the blood rushing to her head, and under a moment of dizziness, she could not help but shout: “There is an ass ……” words had not yet come out of her mouth, and a cold hand covering it.

“It’s me! Do not make a sound!”

It was Xiao Yan’s voice! Gu Yi’s eyes widened as she looked at the figure sitting on the bed. She saw his hair was messy, but it was indeed Xiao Yan!

She took several deep breaths before calming her overly fast heartbeat. Then, reaching out, she pulled down his palm and whispered, “Your Majesty… why are you here?”

Damn, you want to scare me to death, just say it!