"My lord, we have received a message from them that they wish to see you soon."
The Miao King's expression was so cold it bordered on ruthless: "I'm going into seclusion soon, we'll talk about it later."
Zi San hesitated for a moment, but knowing that the Miao Jiang Holy King always kept his word, he withdrew immediately.
As soon as Zi San left, the Miao Jiang Holy King slowly got up and walked to the side screen of the room. There was a large bathtub for two people, filled with steam. He took off his red clothes and leaped into the water without even letting a drop of water fall on him. His black hair was tossed up and then slowly fell off the edge of the tub. The rising steam made him appear and disappear, like an illusion.
He lay half-reclined in the bathtub, a faint, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
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"Um!"
"What's wrong, my wife? Are you feeling unwell?"
In the main bedroom of Prince Chen's mansion, Baili Chen strode to the screen. Ouyang Yue was half-lying in the bathtub, her brows slightly furrowed and her face pale. Baili Chen asked anxiously, "Have you been busy lately and gotten a little tired?"
Ouyang Yue shook her head: "It's nothing, I just felt a little uncomfortable in my stomach, it hurt a bit, but I'm fine now."
"Let's get up first, so you don't catch a cold." Baili Chen took a towel and wiped Ouyang Yue's body. Her fair and translucent skin shone with a pearly luster under the warm yellow light, so beautiful and soft that it was irresistible to touch.
"Hmm..." Ouyang Yue couldn't help but hum, but the sound had an inexplicable strange feeling. Ouyang Yue bit her lip, her face turning red.
With a "thud," Baili Chen picked up the large cloak and draped it over Ouyang Yue's shoulders. She wasn't wearing anything underneath. Just as Ouyang Yue was about to speak, Baili Chen hugged her from behind and kissed her face with his thin lips, which felt as hot as fire.
Baili Chen laughed: "Wife, you seem to be getting more and more sensitive."
Ouyang Yue remained silent, embarrassed. Baili Chen, seeing this, became even more smug. The cloak offered no protection whatsoever, so it couldn't stop his mischievous hand. Ouyang Yue frowned slightly but said nothing.
In a flash, Baili Chen picked up Ouyang Yue and carried her to the bed. As soon as she was on the bed, Ouyang Yue felt a sudden shock, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. At that moment, Baili Chen's body pressed down on her.
Ouyang Yue, lying on the bed, was still wearing a cloak. The red cloak, embroidered with exquisite cloud patterns, partially covered her body, making her fair and jade-like skin appear and disappear. Her graceful figure was even more alluring and captivating. Baili Chen felt a tightness in his throat. He hadn't expected that Ouyang Yue would be even more seductive than before.
Having just bathed, her fair face glowed with a rosy hue, and her eyes seemed to be misty with water, rippling like waves that directly stirred his heart. Bai Chenchen couldn't help but say passionately, "My wife, why are you so charming? So charming that I can't bear to part with you. I want to tie you to the bed and never let you go."
The blush on Ouyang Yue's face deepened, and she looked at Baili Chen with some displeasure. The latter chuckled softly, "Wife, is this an invitation?"
Ouyang Yue remained silent, her gaze fixed on Baili Chen, her two small, fan-like, curled eyelashes serving a dual purpose of feigned reluctance and attraction, making her eyes even more misty. Looking at Ouyang Yue's gently pursed red lips, her shy yet inviting expression, Baili Chen thought to himself, even the most alluring thousand-year-old enchantress in legends couldn't compare to even a fraction of his wife's allure.
Baili Chen stopped joking. He didn't want to mistreat himself. "Since my wife wishes, I will certainly satisfy her. But don't complain of being tired later. You've provoked me, so you have to satisfy me." As he spoke, he lowered his head and stared at him for a long time before kissing him with his red lips.
Lost in the kiss, Ouyang Yue finally had a moment to complain, "You're actually a hungry wolf!"
"Yes, a vicious wolf who thinks of all sorts of ways to devour his wife every day." Baili Chen's words were even more ambiguous. Ouyang Yue's face flushed red, and her eyes gradually became hazy. A question flashed through her mind. Why did she... feel so much for Baili Chen today? She couldn't explain that feeling.
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"Bang!"
"Master, what happened to you!"
In the suburban residence, Zi San heard a loud noise from inside the house and rushed in. But as he approached the screen, a suppressed roar came from inside: "Stop! I'm fine, get out!"
Zi San hesitated but dared not disobey. As he walked out, he saw Zi Er hurrying over, clearly having also heard the strange noise. Zi San shook his head: "Don't go in, Master has given orders."
Zi Er asked in confusion, "What happened? Is Master practicing martial arts again?"
Zi San shook his head: "I'm not sure, but I feel that Master's voice is a bit off."
Although Zi Er was worried, since her master had given the order, neither of them dared to go in. So they assigned several more people to guard the place, and the two of them didn't dare to take turns resting all night.
Inside the room, the Miao Holy King lay half-reclined in the bathtub, his face somewhat gloomy, his eyes dark and sinister like those of a demon. He gripped the edge of the bathtub, and with a forceful squeeze, crushed half of it. Then, holding it directly in his hand, the piece of wood slowly turned into white foam and fell onto the surface of the bathtub. The Miao Holy King's complexion improved slightly, but his eyes remained largely unchanged: "Zi Er, Zi San."
"Yes, Master!" Zi Er and Zi San, who had been waiting outside, immediately entered the room and replied respectfully.
“Go tell that person that I will find an opportunity to see her in the next couple of days, but... after a while, I will legitimately enter the capital under the pretext of traveling through the Great Zhou.”
"Yes, Master, I will take care of it right away."
After Zi Er and Zi San finished speaking, they withdrew. Steam slowly rose from the bathing pool. Suddenly, the Miao Jiang Holy King pointed a finger, and opposite him hung a closed scroll. With a flick of his finger, the scroll snapped open, revealing a woman in a brocade robe adorned with vibrant flowers, walking in a garden. Neither the floral scenery nor the exquisite clothing could conceal her beauty. The woman's expression was indifferent, a faint, reserved smile playing on her lips. Her eyes, like stars, were clear enough to see into one's heart at a glance. Her expression was detached, yet carried an unspoken affection as she gazed silently beyond the painting, as if facing a beloved lover.
"Xuanyuan Yue!" The sinister look in the eyes of the Miao Jiang Holy King faded, and he stared at the woman in the painting with half-closed eyes, a wicked smile curling at the corner of his lips. "Do you know that your tribulation is me!"
Half a month later, the Miao King entered the capital of the Great Zhou Dynasty under the guise of a tour. Emperor Mingxian sent the Crown Prince to welcome him and held a banquet for the Miao King in the palace. That morning, officials of all ranks in the capital came to the palace with their families. The Chen Prince's Mansion sent two carriages. One carriage carried Baili Chen and Ouyang Yue, and the other carried Leng Caiwen, who was staying at the Chen Prince's Mansion. The Chen Prince's Mansion's carriage traveled smoothly all the way. After entering the second city gate, they got off the carriage and rode in a sedan chair to the palace where the banquet was held.
Before the banquet began, Ouyang Yue had to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager and the Empress, as was customary. When she arrived at the Empress's Anle Palace, she found it very hot. Consort Sun, Fenyan, and other concubines, as well as several principal and secondary consorts from the princes' residences, were already seated and talking with the Empress. For a moment, the room was filled with beautiful words, as if flowers were blooming everywhere. However, as soon as Ouyang Yue entered, the hall suddenly fell silent.
The Empress laughed: "Mingyue has arrived, come and sit down."
Ouyang Yue politely bowed and said, "Your Majesty's daughter-in-law greets the Empress Dowager and all the concubines." After speaking, she sat down in the third seat on the right. The Fourth Princess Baili Cai, who was sitting in the second seat on the right, was so frightened that she stood up and wanted to switch seats with Ouyang Yue. Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "Why are you being so polite, Fourth Princess? We are all family. It doesn't matter where you sit."
On the left and right sides of the Anle Palace, the first seat on the upper left is Consort Sun, followed by several other consorts, then Fenyan and others. On the upper right, the first seat is occupied by the Second Princess Baili Jing, followed by the Fourth Prince Baili Cai and Ouyang Yue.
However, according to rank, Ouyang Yue, the Princess Consort of Prince Chen, should actually be sitting in the first position on the upper right. This seating arrangement is quite particular. Neither the Crown Prince nor the Third Prince currently has a Princess Consort. The Fourth Prince went out to recuperate and his Princess Consort left with him. The Fifth Prince is no longer available. Below them is Ouyang Yue, the Princess Consort. In terms of seniority and rank, she is above Baili Jing. However, this is Anle Palace, and the Empress is above her. It is only natural that Baili Jing, as the Empress's daughter, should be closer. As long as Ouyang Yue, the person in question, doesn't speak, naturally no one will say anything.
However, seeing Baili Jing sneer at Ouyang Yue, it was clearly a show of force, and she even made Baili Cai, the princess, sit down in front of her without any pretense, which was a deliberate attempt to manipulate her. Ouyang Yue, however, didn't seem to care much, and simply said "we're family" to defuse the situation.
Consort Sun looked into Ouyang Yue's eyes as if they were filled with venom, a cold smile playing on her lips, as if she were looking at a dead person.
Ouyang Yue looked at the Empress casually and smiled, "Why does Mother's complexion seem even fairer and smoother? Did you obtain some fine beauty products? If so, please don't be stingy, so that your daughters-in-law can also broaden their horizons."
The Empress, who was originally quite dignified and reserved, couldn't help but smile when she heard Ouyang Yue's words: "One of my personal maids comes from a family of perfumers and has some knowledge of these things. She specially made it for me according to my requirements, and my skin has indeed become much smoother after using it."
These words were meant to tell everyone that even if this thing was good, it was unique to her. Ouyang Yue smiled and said, "Mother is truly blessed. Such a clever palace maid is truly enviable. I wonder if the royal daughter-in-law could open her eyes to it."
Consort Sun carefully observed the Empress. She had noticed her earlier when she entered Anle Palace, but had not spoken up. Now, hearing Ouyang Yue's words, she couldn't help but chime in, "I didn't expect that you had such a capable person by your side, sister. I wonder which one it is? I wonder if I, younger sister, would have the honor of meeting her?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, let us concubines broaden our horizons as well."
"Yes, Mother, your daughter-in-law also wants to see..."
The crowd below, upon hearing this, immediately became interested and began to ask questions curiously.
The Empress smiled faintly, glanced at everyone with slightly lowered eyes, and said, "Since everyone is so interested, then let you see her. Go and call Lan He over." Immediately, a palace maid responded and went out. After a while, she returned with a woman dressed in a light green short-sleeved shirt with her head down. The Empress then said, "Raise your heads so that the Princess Consort, the Princess, and the ladies may see you."
"Yes!" Lan He raised her head. Her appearance wasn't particularly novel, but her willow-leaf eyebrows and phoenix eyes were quite delicate and pretty. Seeing this, the other concubines' hostility lessened. In the palace, anyone with some ability and decent looks could become a stumbling block to the other concubines' favor in the future. If Lan He was really as good as the Empress said, and was also beautiful and charming, she would probably be framed and plotted against from today onwards.
"I heard from my sister that you are particularly good at perfume making and can even make your beauty secrets. I don't really believe it, but since you've already invited me here, why don't you let me show off my skills too?" Consort Sun just snorted coldly when she saw Lan He. Although she was speaking to Lan He, she was looking at the Empress.
The Empress's skin looked a little better than before, and she spoke so highly of Lan He, arousing the interest of everyone in Anle Palace, from the concubines to the ladies and young ladies of various households. Consort Sun was naturally uncomfortable and wanted to find fault with her.
The Empress glanced at Consort Sun indifferently, not minding at all. Over the years in the palace, the two had never stopped fighting. Consort Sun had only been imprisoned for a few days before being released. Fortunately, Consort Sun knew that she had gone too far before, so she didn't cause any more trouble. It seems that her sharp and sarcastic nature has not changed at all.
The Empress looked at Lan He and said, "Lan He, since Consort Sun and everyone here want to see it, why don't you give a performance?"
Lan He immediately bowed and greeted the Empress, saying, "This servant has made a fool of herself." As soon as she finished speaking, a palace maid brought over a table with various bottles and jars on it. The lids were tightly closed, but a faint fragrance still wafted out. Ouyang Yue's nose twitched slightly, and she couldn't help but say, "What a wonderful fragrance."
Upon hearing this, Consort Sun's eyes grew even colder.
Baili Jing looked at Ouyang Yue indifferently and said, "Doesn't Seventh Imperial Sister-in-law also have a Beauty Pavilion? Aren't the things inside also called exquisite? There are quite a few beauty products there. What, do you think the things here are better?"
Ouyang Yue looked at Baili Jing and smiled faintly: "Lanhe makes fragrances, while Meiren Pavilion specializes in skincare products. They are two different concepts."
"Is that so!" Baili Jing's eyes were indifferent, but a hint of sarcasm played at the corners of her lips. Others might not know, but she was very clear that Lan He was not merely a descendant of a family of perfumers. The most famous beauty cream in the Great Zhou Dynasty, Bixue Cream, was originally a formula passed down from Lan He's ancestor, which was improved and loved by the concubines of the previous dynasty. In this generation, the Lan family had become less capable, and the formula was eventually passed down to Lan He. Her mother had gone to great lengths to find her, and Lan He was indeed very capable.
In this palace, the most taboo thing is for a beauty to fade away. Without the emperor's favor, everything is over. Unless one is like the empress and still has a proper rank, even a concubine, without the emperor's favor and without children to rely on, one has nothing. One is even worse off than some newly arrived low-ranking concubines. That's how realistic the palace is. Besides, women are naturally fond of beauty. Look at Consort Sun now, isn't she looking at the empress with jealousy?
Once everything was ready, Lanhe had already begun blending the perfume. The process was quite complicated, involving constantly mixing various materials. It could be a bit tedious, but with the beautiful woman's delicate hands moving and the rich fragrances filling the air, no one paid any attention to anything else.
Suddenly, a strange smell wafted out. Ouyang Yue took a light sniff and frowned.
At that moment, Little White, who was being held in the arms of Granny Qi behind Consort Sun, suddenly began to struggle violently. At first, no one paid attention. Dogs are just animals; they are not as intelligent as humans and are similar to children. It is normal for them to make noise. Consort Sun had brought Little White out more than once, so this was not the first time. But who knew that Little White's noise this time was far more than before?
"Woof woof woof!" It barked louder and louder, struggling more and more violently in Qi Mama's arms. Qi Mama could no longer hold it. Consort Sun frowned and was about to speak: "Qi Mama, you... ah!"
Just then, Xiao Bai suddenly leaped forward and rushed towards Baili Le, Baili Cai, and Ouyang Yue on the opposite side. Baili Le was staring at Lan He's perfume making when a white shadow flashed in front of her. She was startled and instinctively dodged backward, but because she reacted too quickly, she fell to the ground with a "plop" and sat down hard on her bottom. The pain made her face turn pale instantly.
"Ah!" Everyone then heard Baili Cai scream in surprise. The little white creature actually rushed towards Baili Cai's face. Baili Cai was so frightened that her face changed color, and she quickly covered her face with her hands. "Ooh!" The next moment, she let out a muffled groan. Everyone saw that Baili Cai's fair hands had been cut with several bloody cuts. If it was her hands, her face would be disfigured. Everyone was shocked.
However, the little white dog suddenly flashed and came towards Ouyang Yue. Its sharp claws seemed to draw a silver light in the air. Dongxue reacted quickly and pulled Ouyang Yue and her chair backward to protect her, calling out, "Princess!"
The little white dog missed its target, its face revealing a sinister and ferocious expression. Standing on the chair, it seemed to be thinking about launching another attack.
This little white four-legged creature was much faster than a human. After such a series of movements, everyone finally reacted. Baili Jing sat on the ground, her face pale. It was clear that she had been injured in the fall, but she was in too much pain to get up. The Empress's expression changed drastically. She stood up and shouted angrily, "Guards! Quickly seize this troublemaking little beast!"
The guards outside rushed out upon hearing the noise. However, this little white dog was quite clever; it abandoned its confrontation with Ouyang Yue and instead turned to the left, leaping forward. Everyone was shocked and scrambled to avoid it. However, the little white dog was small, fast, and very slippery. Its paws slashed wildly wherever it went, and if they weren't careful, their clothes would be torn or their bodies would be scratched. Everyone covered their faces with handkerchiefs, fearing that what happened to Baili Cai would actually happen to them, and they screamed in terror.
The entire Anle Palace was thrown into chaos.
Fenyan's expression changed drastically. She immediately covered her stomach and fled to a corner. Several palace maids closely protected her, and the others also hid. However, Liu Wanyi and Consort Yun were a little slower to react. Both of them were newly pregnant and not yet three months along, which is the most vulnerable time for miscarriage. They dared not walk too fast and were helped away by two palace maids. Originally, Xiaobai was not close to the crowd and was running around randomly. It was no different from the two of them. But for some reason, Xiaobai suddenly leaped and jumped onto a chair on the left. Then, it sniffed and suddenly pounced on Consort Yun.
Consort Yun was terrified and cried out in alarm, "Ah, quick, get this beast away!" She then covered her face in fear to prevent Xiao Bai from scratching her and disfiguring her.
"Pfft!" As expected, the pain in her hand did not occur, and Consort Yun was relieved. However, the next moment she felt something was wrong. It seemed that something was flowing out of her body. Consort Yun was suspicious and couldn't help but slightly open her fingers. She didn't see Xiao Bai's figure. Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, she heard a terrified scream from the side.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty! Your belly, your belly!"
Consort Yun looked at herself in confusion, then her eyes widened, but she couldn't say a word. She could only instinctively scream, "Ah!"
No one knew how Xiaobai did it. All that could be seen was a long gash in Consort Yun's clothes, revealing her belly underneath. The gash, long and bleeding continuously, shocked everyone!
"Ah! No! Don't come any closer!" Just then, Liu Wanyi, who was rushing to escape, also screamed. The little white dog suddenly pounced on her as if it had gone mad, scratching her stomach several times. Liu Wanyi and the palace maid beside her were all injured, and Liu Wanyi screamed in terror, her voice filled with extreme pain.
"suck!"
"Ah! Someone come quick! This damned beast! Protect Consort Zhao!"
After causing trouble again and again, Xiao Bai ran towards Fen Yan. At this moment, a dark shadow flashed across the hall and slashed Xiao Bai's head with a knife. With a 'bang', Xiao Bai's body was cut in two, and blood flowed like a pillar throughout the hall.
However, screams of alarm followed one after another: "Quickly, call the imperial physician! Quickly, call the imperial physician!"
"Help me, help me! I don't want to die!"
"Stop the bleeding! Stop the bleeding quickly!"
Xiao Bai's movements were incredibly fast, running back and forth like a gust of wind. Everyone knew that Liu Wanyi and Yunfei were injured, but when they heard their screams and looked over, they were all terrified, their faces turned pale, and they turned away and vomited.
"The Emperor has arrived!" Just then, an announcement rang out from the Anle Palace outside.
Emperor Mingxian led his entourage in, but his expression changed drastically upon entering. Even the seasoned men behind him felt a nausea rising in their stomachs at the sight. Consort Yun's abdomen was oozing blood, her entire lower body was red, and Consort Liu was a thousand times worse off. Her entire abdomen had been torn apart by dog claws, her contents spilling out—a truly gruesome sight. Consort Liu was trembling with pain, yet she was not dead, her eyes fixed on Emperor Mingxian: "Your Majesty... save... save..."
But everyone knew that Liu Wanyi was doomed!
Emperor Mingxian was furious upon seeing this: "What's going on here!"
The Empress's face was pale: "Your Majesty, Consort Sun's dog suddenly went mad, rushed into the palace and bit and scratched people indiscriminately, and many people were injured."
Consort Sun's expression changed drastically, and she suddenly said, "No, Your Majesty, I am innocent! I used to take Xiaobai in and out of the palace often, and Xiaobai never acted like this before. It was when Lanhe was mixing incense in the Empress's palace that Xiaobai's personality suddenly changed. Your Majesty, it must be the Empress who did something!"
At this moment, Baili Jing suddenly said, "No, Seventh Sister-in-law, that dog rushed at everyone like a madman when it saw them, but why did it just skip over you? It was you! You did something to it!"
Everyone was shocked. Because the situation was critical just now, no one had thought much about it. Now that they thought about it, wasn't that exactly what happened? Consort Sun scolded, "Princess Consort Chen, how dare you do something that harms the royal offspring! What is your punishment!"
Leaving aside whether Consort Yun and Liu Wanyi could save their own lives, they certainly lost their children. If Ouyang Yue was responsible for this, she would be guilty of a capital offense!