《Pampered By All In Different Planes》
Chapter 3: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 3
Chapter 3: Chapter 3: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 3
Also included were two concubines who had been pped on the ground, a group of kneeling pce maids and eunuchs, and Noble Consort''s entourage.
"Wishes for Noble Consort''s eternal peace and safety. I am a pce maid who sweeps in front of the Emperor, and I had no intention of offending the Noble Consort. Please forgive me, my Lady."
Su Zhiruan was true to her name; she had a gentle and serene character, seemingly at ease with any situation, but within her, she possessed a strong ability to adapt to her surroundings, maintain emotional stability, and manage sufferings which to her were but passersby in life.
With these words, she established her identity. The Noble Consort wanted to say something, but the Chief Court Lady leaned in and whispered, "My Lady, she is but a lowly servant and insignificant! But after all, she serves before the Emperor. If her swollen face is seen by His Majesty, it would be unsightly, and if the Emperor asks about it and it leads back to you, the loss would outweigh the gain!"
These words were indeed true.
But whenever the Noble Consort looked at her young, attractive face, she felt a stifling sensation in her heart.
Even though she was submissive, this wretched girl was exceptionally beautiful.
Her round almond eyes, long eyshes, and naive, lively gaze; her rosy cheeks and simplistic attire of pale yellow pce maid''s clothes only entuated her delicate and lovely appearance; her slender, graceful neck, her petite and enticing nose.
"You little wretch! It must have taken great effort to dress up like that, trying to seduce men at such a young age, with such deep thoughts!" the Noble Consort sneered coldly, arms crossed, absentmindedly fiddling with the agate on the sedan chair, still feeling uneasy about letting her off. Looking up at the bright sun, she came up with a torturous idea and, in a sarcastic tone, addressed the two beaten concubines on the ground, "Lady Song, Lady Wang, you two have indeed met a ''noble'' today. Look, there is someone willing to kneel on the pce path with you for two hours. The three of you, difficult brothers, might as well group together. I shall leave first."
After speaking, the Noble Consort signaled the eunuchs to lift the sedan, and then, with her retinue, she majestically left the scene.
At that moment, only Lady Song, Lady Wang, and the innocently implicated Su Zhiruan remained at the scene.
"What bad luck, today''s outing has been unpleasant, running into her!! It infuriates me!" Lady Wang rubbed her knees but dared not speak up or stand.
At this time, Lady Song seemed more interested in the lively young pce maid and tried to strike up a conversation, "Don''t take it to heart, that woman is just narrow-minded and cannot bear to see anyone prettier than her. You know, in the entire harem, except for Consort Shu, that ugly woman willing to be herckey, practically no one escapes her bullying."
"So it''s just our misfortune today!!" Lady Wang exploded like a firecracker, now furiously inmed.
Through their exchanges, Su Zhiruan caught on to much information not present in the plot.
The harem was teeming with concubines, but the Noble Consort had the upper hand, jealous of any woman more beautiful than herself, always suppressing and humiliating them, as was evident when she wanted someone to p Su Zhiruan.
Moreover, the harem trulycked any offspring.
Apart from the Emperor, only Prince Duan had several sons.
Yet, within the harem, the sight of a child was exceedingly rare.
Situations like today''s scolding happened almost every three days, mainly initiated by the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager, eager for a grandson, initially had time to protect her own niece, but being the Empress Dowager, she and the Emperor were ultimately one family, her desperation for a royal heir even more intense.
Hence, not every request from the Noble Consort was unreasonably granted.
Theck of offspring in the harem had even be a taboo subject around the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. The Empress Dowager, deeply concerned, constantly summoned concubines for talks and had the Imperial Physician conduct examinations.
It''s no exaggeration to say that if a concubine in the harem were now to conceive the Emperor''s heir, regardless of whether it''s a Prince or Princess, she would instantly rise in status by virtue of her child and be the darling of the entire Imperial Pce and even the entire world. She would ascend directly to the Empress''s position, and perhaps even the Empress Dowager would dly step down to allow the concubine carrying the heir to take over.
"Hey hey hey, you said your name is Susu, right? So we''ll call you that," Noble Lady Wang was quite forthright,ing from a military family and always speaking her mind, "Susu, tell us, how many heirs do you think His Majesty will have? There''s not even a hint of one now."
Su Zhiruan casually mentioned a number, "I guess, at least six or seven."
"Hahahahaha, I think, probably not even one, Susu, you are really honest, guessing when asked, so cute~"
With gossip and information from Noble Lady Wang and Noble Lady Song, this trip wasn''t a loss!
As Su Zhiruan massaged her knees, the three stood up with each other''s support after two hours and then left in different directions.
Two hours ¡ª that meant she had knelt on the stone bs for four hours. By the time she got up, it was almost dark.
Starving and dizzy, with piercing pain in her knees, she nearly had to support herself on the wall while she made her way back to the Imperial Study Room.
Next to the Imperial Study Room was a side hall, which housed various cleaning tools that could be used.
Su Zhiruan rubbed her knees again, picked up a wet cloth, and carried a basin of water with petals floating in it; she needed to wipe the bookshelves and the dusty areas of the Imperial Study Room.
The Emperor did not like crowds. There were twenty eunuchs, ten nannies, and thirty pce maids serving close to him.
Su Zhiruan was one of the pce maids.
She and a few other smaller pce maids lined up, entering the Imperial Study Room one by one following the Chief Eunuch''s signals.
They then began to silently clean and wipe the Imperial Study Room.
The scent of fruitwood wafted in the Imperial Study Room, invariably making one rx.
Shen Qi, the current sovereign, was reviewing petitions. He was dressed in a bright yellow dragon robe, tall and handsome, with the mature charm of a man adding to his allure.
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After reviewing petitions for an hour, he slightly propped up his body, ready to stretch his limbs. However, the corner of his eye caught sight of a hobbling little pce maid quietly wiping the bookcases.
He narrowed his eyes slightly, as sharp as an eagle eyeing its prey.
He had some recollection of this girl, but she seemed to have transformed from what he remembered.
"What is your name?" Shen Qi picked up his teacup, using the lid to skim off the tea leaves, "Come here and answer."
Su Zhiruan''s hand paused as she held the rag, cautiously looking around. Since only she and the Emperor were in the Imperial Study Room, the call must have been for her.
She stepped out from behind the bookshelf, her limbs unsteady. She wasn''t quick, even nearly falling as she moved, "In response to Your Majesty, this servant is called Susu."
Chapter 4: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 4
Chapter 4: Chapter 4: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 4
"Susu? A fitting name." Shen Qi nodded, carefully examining the kneeling pce maid who was paying her respects. She was not breathtakingly beautiful or astonishingly striking, but there was something ethereal and simple in her demeanor that set her apart from the heavily made-up women in the Imperial Pce. The young pce maid before him was dressed in in maid''s attire with novish jewelry. Her jet-ck hair was held simply with a in silver pin, and her bare face was as lovely as that of a Flower Fairy.
He had never shown much interest in female charms, yet something about Susu, so different from the standard opulence and heavy makeup of the women in the harem, suddenly piqued his curiosity.
Su Zhiruan said nothing, merely keeping her eyes lowered, allowing the ruler of this world to survey her as he wished.
Suddenly, Shen Qi waved his hand, "That will do. You may leave now, and call Little Fuzi in."
"Yes, this servant will take her leave." Su Zhiruanplied with the order, bowed, and then hobbled away.
After she left, the chief eunuch Little Fuzi entered and paid his respects, "Your Majesty, what would you like tomand?"
"What''s the matter with that maid''s leg? A pce maid serving in front of the Emperor should note to work sick - it would look as though I were oppressing my servants to observers outside!" Shen Qi''s eagle-like eyes swept over Little Fuzi, his jade ring finger flicked by his long fingertips.
A cold sweat broke out on Little Fuzi instantly.
Others might not know, but having served the Emperor for over twenty years, how could he not understand the implication behind those words? He quickly replied, "Your Majesty, the maid just now was Susu, transferred from Chuxiu Pce to serve before you. They say she''s meticulous and honest in her work and has never made a mistake, but today, she just so happened to..."
He paused mid-sentence, warily observing the expression of the man seated above.
Shen Qi showed no emotion. "What happened today?"
"Today, when she went out, she bumped into the Noble Consort. The Noble Consort was in a rage and made her kneel as punishment." Little Fuzi kept his head lowered, finishing his exnation. The Emperor''s inquiry about Susu indicated that the sovereign had taken an interest in her, but now that the Noble Consort was involved, it was likely the Emperor''s interest would be halved.
"Bumped into the Noble Consort?" Shen Qi knew without thinking that it must have been the Noble Consort who had provoked the incident.
He said nothing.
At present, there were no heirs in the harem, nor was there an Empress, rendering the entire harem effectively non-functional.
His feeling toward the Noble Consort was indifferent, but she was, after all, the niece of the Empress Dowager. With no children in the harem, keeping a Noble Consort would at least give the Empress Dowager someone to talk to.
As for Susu, even if she possessed some beauty, she was still merely a pce maid ¡ª it was not worth the effort to make a fuss over a servant.
"Alright, you''re dismissed."
Little Fuzi left, and the Imperial Study Room was once again filled only with the lingering fragrance of tea.
After leaving, Su Zhiruan returned to her own small room.
Serving before the Emperor was a job fraught with mental stress; it was said that serving the Emperor was like living with a tiger.
But for a pce maid assigned to menial tasks like her, it was more rxed, as long as the cleaning was properly done.
With some free time at hand, she decided to study the system.
[Host, I''m here]
"Are you always in my mind?" Su Zhiruan heard the system''s voice. While massaging her knee, she asked, "Will you appear whenever I call you?"
[Not exactly, Host. Besides the Newbie Gift Package, the system has no Golden Finger to gift to the host. Its functionality isn''t strong, mostly dormant in your consciousness]
[Your performance just now perfectly blended into this world. You have strong adaptability]
[Previous hosts have tried various methods to garner the favor of children of the ne, including openly challenging imperial authority, drugging and seducing, and revealing the system only to be treated as a Monster. It''s unexpected that you chose to follow the original plot]
"I used to be just an ordinary worker; getting by as circumstances demand was what I did best. Of course, there''s another important reason ¨C which is the most fundamental," Su Zhiruan''s voice was soft, arousing the system''s curiosity.
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[What is it?]
"If I had started off as the Emperor, maybe I could have acted with the authority of an Emperor. But right now, I''m just an insignificant and in pce maid," she smirked, not waiting for the system to respond before shey down on her bed, "Being a personal pce maid to the Emperor allows for a closer proximity than a concubine could. Slow and steady."
The system nodded in agreement.
As the saying goes, it doesn''t matter if the cat is ck or white, as long as it catches the mouse.
Although this Su Zhiruan seemed ordinary and preferred to take it easy, as long as shepleted the task, she would be the angelic Host Lady in its eyes.
Chapter 7: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 7
Chapter 7: Chapter 7: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 7
The Imperial Eunuch Little Fuzi, or rather all the servants attending the Emperor, mostly adored Su Zhiruan.
Those who mixed in these ranks were no fools; in fact, it could be said that each one of them was incredibly astute.
Everyone had a standard in their hearts about who said what and who did what.
Recently, the Emperor''s gaze had increasingly fallen on Susu; today, it seemed, was the turning point where Susu would ascend to glory like a phoenix.
Little Fuzi nodded in satisfaction.
----
The next day.
Su Zhiruan woke up, her consciousness gradually returning.
She reached out her hand and found a man lying beside her, with both of them bare, covered only by a gentle silk quilt.
At this moment, she realized her hand was still on the man''s chest; even for someone like Su Zhiruan, who rarely showed emotional fluctuations, this startled her and she quickly withdrew her hand.
However, this small movement caused the most revered Emperor of all under Heaven to slowly awaken.
Shen Qi''s voice was hoarse, tinged with drowsiness; he half-lifted his eyes to check the sky, then stretched out his hand to lock Su Zhiruan in his embrace, "It is still early before the court assembly; we can sleep a bit longer."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Su Zhiruan realized she waspletely embraced by the man, now utterly devoid of sleepiness. After responding, she continued to act like a teddy bear, letting Shen Qi hold her.
Whether in her previous life or after binding to the Childbirth System, this was the first time; the memories ofst night were chaotic and unclear, she only remembered her hoarse voice, back pain mixed with the scent of wine, her consciousness gradually blurring.
Shen Qi had intended to sleep a bit more, but gradually woke up feeling the warm breath on his arm.
The dim red candle in the sleeping chamber managed to cast light precisely on the girl''s rabbit-like expression, her bright, clear, lively, and naive eyes blinking, perhaps due to the heat, her entire palm-sized, egg-shaped face flushed red.
She looked as exquisite and moving as the finest silk.
Even in the harem, her beauty was unparalleled.
"Not sleeping anymore?" Shen Qi patted her back slowly, his voice as maic as ever. He seemed to ponder for a moment, then spoke again, "If you can''t sleep, talk to me. What rank or title do you desire?"
He too had enjoyed himself greatly yesterday and had been paying attention to this young girl for a while. She suited his taste well, not a boisterous and duplicitous woman like the Noble Consort; this Susu, she was very gentle.
As an Emperor, he never allowed himself to develop feelings for any woman. asionally indulging a favorite by elevating her rank was permissible as long as it wasn''t excessive.
Yet, after considering all possibilities, the Emperor heard a different answer from the young girl''s lips.
"Your Majesty, this servant does not desire a rank; I only wish to stay by your side," Su Zhiruan had her own considerations and continued speaking as she lifted her head, "This servant wishes to continue serving by your side, please retract your order."
She was here toplete a mission, not really to engage in pce intrigues; even if she had no ns now, she had to pretend.
s, such is a necessary skill for a worker.
"Rare!" Shen Qi paused, took a strand of her hair from the pillow, and twirled it in his hand, his tone curious, "Why don''t you want a rank? You know, with a rank and title, you would be treated like a mistress, no need to serve others, and someone would serve you, worry-free of food and drink."
Su Zhiruan earnestly said, "If I had a rank, I would not be able to see Your Majesty often. If so, I would rather not have a rank and stay by Your Majesty''s side."
"If I cannot see Your Majesty, what good would a high rank do me, sitting in golden solitude, all alone and cold?" Su Zhiruan spoke earnestly, her eyes fixed directly on Shen Qi, "My heart is tied to Your Majesty; I care for your entire being."
She was, of course, earnest; being sent to the harem and not seeing Shen Qi would makepleting her mission much harder.
Shen Qi fell silent.
In that moment, he even dared not look down into the girl''s eyes.
This was still the first time in his life that he, as the Emperor, had shown such emotions.
Her eyes were too clean, too pure.
Moreover, her heart-piercing words made him think a lot.
The entire harem tried to please him.
As an Emperor, he naturally had no shortage of these sycophantic people.
Yet, he could clearly see that the concubines approached him, vying for favor, solely to gain status, rewards, and the credentials to unt.
The servants approached him either wishing for promotion or fearing the loss of their lives.
The whole harem existed because of him, naturally depending on him; the entire realm revered and valued him because he was in power.
But without this status, were he just an ordinary person, all of this would vanish.
Yet now, there was a woman who cared about him as a person.
She sought no title or rank, just to nce at him.
"Good, stay by my side," Shen Qi retracted his thoughts, stood up, and called for someone as the time was almost right, "Come!"
Little Fuzi had been waiting outside the door all along. After announcing himself several times and being granted permission, he entered with a group of pce attendants in single file.
"Your Majesty, it is time to wash up, let your servant attend to you," Little Fuzi did not dare to look around, and after bowing, he wanted to help the Emperor dress.
"Eunuch Little Fuzi, let me do it," Su Zhiruan knew it was better for her to take stage at this time, so she actively took over the task. She took down the Dragon Robe from the rack and dressed Shen Qi, piece by piece.
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Little Fuzi was somewhat shocked, but not excessively.
When Shen Qi looked down, he could see the girl''s thin gauze dress, her exquisite body, and her fluffy hair top.
His heart warmed.
The Dragon Robe was quickly donned, and Shen Qi set off with a majestic procession prepared to hold court.
Su Zhiruan sighed deeply, looking at the red spot on the bed, and decided to first strip the bedsheet.
She had just arrived in this world as a menial pce maid, and after working diligently for a period, she was promoted to serve directly before Shen Qi, a position much better than before, and the workload was not too exhausting; most of the time, she just needed to follow Shen Qi, being called upon when needed.
As for now, she did not continue to go back to sleep but simply cleaned up the bedroom, tidying the bowls and wine pots on the table.
After all this was done, she rubbed her back and returned to her living quarters.
The little pce maid who had served with herst night only realized what had happened when she saw Su Zhiruan.
In her haste to dress, she called out to Su Zhiruan, "Hurry, hurry! The Emperor will soon end court, and it is time for the morning meal; quickly prepare with me."
"Don''t rush; the Emperor hasn''t concluded court yet. If we rush and lose decorum, it won''t be good," Su Zhiruan had already dressed, so she helped her tidy up, earning the young maid''s grateful gaze.
The Wang Dynasty valued rituals; even three meals a day were borate affairs.
After Shen Qi finished court and entered a side hall of Zichen Hall, Su Zhiruan, the little pce maid, and a troop of servants were already waiting inside.
"Your servant pays respects to the Emperor. Long live the Emperor¡ª¡ª"
Everyone bowed in unison.
Upon entering the hall, Shen Qi''s first nce fell on Su Zhiruan.
Chapter 8: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 8
Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 8
He nced once and then withdrew his gaze.
"Serve the breakfast¡ª"
Little Fuzi waved his whisk andmanded the two lines of queues below.
Subsequently, Pce Attendants on either side walked in, carrying tes of exquisitely prepared breakfast.
After all the dishes were well arranged, Little Fuzi began to set the food.
Osmanthus cake, congee, various medicinal dishes, and nourishing soups, as well as small steamed buns clear as crystal, and plenty of meat porridge and meat soups epassed the table, dazzling in variety.
Shen Qi picked up his chopsticks, but didn''t start eating right away; instead, he scanned the entire table.
The Pce Maids certainly didn''t have such a fine breakfast, and with that thought, Shen Qi''s eyes fell on a te of delicate pastries not far away. No sooner had he nced that way than Little Fuzi, sharp-eyed, picked up a piece and ced it on his te.
However, to everyone''s surprise, Shen Qi narrowed his eyes and then spoke, "No need for Us, imperial maid Susu has rendered good service in attending to Us, this te of pastries is a reward for her."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone''s gaze fell upon Su Zhiruan.
Su Zhiruan hadn''t anticipated that His Majesty the Emperor would suddenly make such a decision, and now all eyes were on her.
There were looks of jealousy, bewilderment, and sycophantic intent.
She steadied her spirit, folded her hands together, and knelt to express her gratitude, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for this servant''s reward."
In the bedchamber, the least surprised was Little Fuzi, who had spent the previous night listening at the corner of the wall; even if the Emperor had granted Miss Susu a title now, he would have found it normal. Instead, he was curious as to why she hadn''t received an official decree that morning.
Little Fuzi picked up the te, and Su Zhiruan epted it.
The most shocked of all, though, was another imperial maid serving on the other side.
She felt she must still be half asleep¡ªhow could it be that just over the course of a single night, her close sister had be the Emperor''s favorite! And even received pastries bestowed by the Emperor?!
Shen Qi continued with his breakfast, while the Pce Attendants below went about their duties.
Towards the end of breakfast, an uninvited guest arrived in the side hall.
Their approach was heard before they were seen.
"This Consort wishes to see the Emperor. You all go and announce my arrival!"
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The voice was loud and shrill.
With just one sentence, Su Zhiruan quickly recognized it was the voice of the Noble Consort; she cautiously nced at Shen Qi sitting before her.
Clearly, at this moment, Shen Qi was displeased, his brow furrowing almost instantly, "Noble Consort? What is she here for?"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Your consort has brought the sweet osmanthus and silver ear snowball soup that I made by hand, please grant me an audience!" The door to the side hall of Zichen Hall was open during the Emperor''s breakfast, and the Noble Consort, peering outside, hurried to pay respects upon seeing Shen Qi, her voice bing much sweeter, "Your Majesty!"
"Let her in." Shen Qi had already seen her; it wouldn''t be proper to turn her away now, especially since she is the Empress Dowager''s niece.
The Noble Consort lifted her head joyfully, stepped through the door, and, taking the food box from the Pce Maid close to her, approached Shen Qi. She moved so quickly she pushed Su Zhiruan aside, nearly pressing against Shen Qi, and started in a coquettish voice, "Your Majesty~ It has been so long since I''ve seen you; I''ve nearly be sick with longing. Listen, does my heart not flutter~" As she spoke, she attempted to ce Shen Qi''s hand on herself.
All the Pce Attendants around them assumed an air of detached concentration, including Su Zhiruan who had been jostled aside.
She wasn''t particrly upset about what had just happened, but she remembered quite clearly thest time she had been punished to kneel. One day, she would make sure the Noble Consort repaid her in full.
"Noble Consort, I have not set foot in the harem for a whole month so that you all could cultivate your character and virtues. Behaving like this, what example does it set for the servants!" Shen Qi pushed the Noble Consort away, his tone indifferent yet exuding an innate authority.
The Noble Consort didn''t seem to expect that she had truly angered the Emperor; the fluttering of her heart earlier was fake, but now it was real, "Your, Your Majesty..."
After being pushed away, she ended up right beside Su Zhiruan.
Before she could speak, she noticed the pastries in Su Zhiruan''s hands. It was as if she had found something to deflect the topic and quickly began to boast, "Your Majesty! This servant is holding pastries from the Imperial Kitchen, and one is missing! That missing piece wouldn''t happen to have been secretly eaten by this servant, would it?"
Su Zhiruan''s eyes widened slightly. She had assumed that the Noble Consort, being able to attain her position, would have some intelligence, but this was a sheerck of intellect,cking any logic, saying whatever came to mind¡ªthe quintessential beauty without brains. It was the first time she''d witnessed such a person in thepetitive harem.
Even if she, a mere Pce Maid, wanted to sneak a bite, she certainly wouldn''t dare to do so with the Emperor''s breakfast.
"That was bestowed by me," Shen Qi interjected, his gaze coldly settling on the Noble Consort, "The missing piece was eaten by me. Do you have any opinions about that?"
The Noble Consort opened her mouth but couldn''t utter a single word; she red at Su Zhiruan as if she were ring at an enemy.
With a longer look, she recalled that this Pce Maid was none other than the same ''Susu'' she had forced to kneel a few days ago.
She had never expected, truly did not anticipate, this little wench receiving such treatment.
Her eyes reddened with anger, and then with a turn, she broke into tearful sobs, "Your Majesty~ Is it possible that all this time you have been solely with this Pce Maid, not visiting the harem for a full month? Even Aunt, the Empress Dowager, feels aggrieved for me. It''s been so long since I''ve seen Your Majesty, and today my longing turned into illness. Unable to see the Emperor, your consort is utterly weak~ I even thought that if Your Majesty was too busy with state affairs, then as your consort, I would personally stew soup daily and bring it to your side as a token of my heart~ I truly wish to see Your Majesty every day, to take care of you daily. Your consort is even envious of these ves who can see the man of my heart every day~"
At her speech, all the servants lowered their heads in unison, not daring to look up.
Shen Qi hadn''t expected to be bothered by an uproarious Noble Consort early in the morning. He put down his chopsticks, his expression and eyes filled with deep weariness. He massaged his temples and knocked the jade ring on his finger against the table, producing a series of crisp sounds.
During this time, Su Zhiruan, following by his side, hade to grasp the temperament of this master of realms. Generally, when he exhibited this gesture, it indicated his mood was very poor.
The Noble Consort wanted to continue with more words to prove her sincerity was as undeniable as the sun and moon, but Shen Qi cut her off with a single sentence.
"Since the Noble Consort wishes to see me daily, even envying these servants, then I can satisfy your wish." Shen Qi said, annoyed by her words; he looked up at the Noble Consort and casually pointed at Su Zhiruan beside him, "Exchange ces with her?"
Chapter 10: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 10
Chapter 10: Chapter 10: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 10
"You don''t need to know that, just follow us obediently," the nanny said with a smile, not borating further but gesturing unmistakably towards Su Zhiruan, making it clear that she had no choice but to follow them today.
Su Zhiruan didn''t say anything more. She followed behind the nanny and a line of people headed towards the Empress Dowager''s sleeping pce.
At this moment inside the Cining Pce.
The Empress Dowager sat upright, dressed in a maroon auspicious cloud robe, holding a teacup in her left hand and skimming the leaves off with the lid in her right. She took a leisurely sip before looking at the Noble Consort below her, "The person you requested is brought to you, yet should your actions be too excessive, I will not turn a blind eye."
"Aunt! That wretched girl has gone too far, monopolizing the Emperor for over a month. I see her as nothing but a vixen, a disaster! She deserves Your Majesty to personally step in and then properly deal with her!" The Noble Consort tore at her handkerchief as if she were tearing at Su Zhiruan herself, her expression bing fierce as she continuously nced towards the door.
The Empress Dowager did not speak further, leisurely looking towards the door as well.
She had only recently learned of Su Zhiruan''s matter from the Noble Consort, but her thoughts were different.
The Emperor seldom set foot in the harem. If not for the sake of an heir, he might not visit even once a year.
Now, having someone he likes yet not bestowing a title showed that the Emperor wanted to keep her by his side. If he performed the conjugal rights night after night, perhaps the pce maid might indeed give birth to an heir.
For the Empress Dowager, though she and the Noble Consort shared a maternal family, she was not just a subject''s daughter; she was the mother of the reigning Emperor and Empress Dowager of the Imperial Family. If Su Zhiruan gave birth to an heir, the Noble Consort would be insignificant to her.
By calling the person over now, ostensibly, it was to vent anger for the Noble Consort, but she was also keen to see what this maid was capable of and to probe the Emperor''s intentions.
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Amidst these astute thoughts, the Empress Dowager heard footsteps outside the Cining Pce¡ªthe person should have been brought here.
The nanny entered the hall first, "ve begs to see the Empress Dowager and the Noble Consort. By the imperialmand, the imperial maid Susu is waiting outside the hall."
The eunuchs belonged to the Noble Consort and did not enter; at that moment, only the Empress Dowager, the Noble Consort, a few pce maids, and the nanny were present in the hall.
"Drag her out and beat her with forty heavy strikes immediately!" The Noble Consort mmed the table and stood up, her long armor scraping against the hardwood table, each movement making a piercing grating sound.
The nanny looked at the Empress Dowager. As someone who had apanied the Empress Dowager for a full forty years, she naturally understood that the Empress Dowager had other ns.
And as for this Noble Consort...
The nanny thought to herself, if not for her illustrious family background and sharing a maternal home with the Empress Dowager, she might not even know how she died in this merciless harem. Maintaining equanimity is the first rule to learn in the harem.
"Empress Dowager..." the nanny raised her eyes slightly towards Her Majesty.
"A mere servant," the Empress Dowager pondered for a moment, her eyes lifting at the corners as if she were smiling, "Since she is here, let her wait, I have a headacheing on again."
With those words, the nanny immediately understood what the Empress Dowager meant.
Having Susu wait downstairs was both a form of humiliation and a test.
"Speaking of the Emperor, let him catch a hint as well," the Empress Dowager''s summoning of Su Zhiruan wasn''t solely to bully her in the Noble Consort''s behalf¡ªit was more so to test her beloved son''s inclinations.
"Yes, Your Majesty, this ve will go at once." The nanny bowed, preparing to leave but was stopped by the Empress Dowager.
"No need, just have a few girls spread the word, I don''t believe the Emperor doesn''t know someone is missing from his side." The Empress Dowagerughed, knowing her child better than anyone else.
Now that there are no heirs in the harem, the Noble Consort holds the highest position, and as her maternal aunt, it is natural for me to protect her.
Su Zhiruan knelt outside the Cining Pce, not surprised by this oue at all, even expecting it.
Ancient people, especially the concubines in the harem, including the Empress Dowager, all favored punishing by kneeling.
She shifted to a morefortable position and continued to kneel properly, without anyint. She guessed the punishment of kneeling wouldst for a while, so she simply activated her system.
"[Host, is there something you need?]" The system, clueless, had just woken up from sleep to see Su Zhiruan kneeling on the ground and was startled, almost thinking the task had failed again.
"I wonder what will happen afterpleting a task?" Su Zhiruan was a go-with-the-flow type, but she wasn''t sentimental. On the contrary, she was skeptical of the abstract and uncertain nature of emotions, so for her, a task was just a task; it''s whates afterpleting the task that she wanted to see.
"[Host, once youplete all tasks, you can choose to return to the real world, where you will receive a hundred billion and your lifespan will increase. There will also be houses and cars, anything you want, we can provide for you]"
"[Completing short-term tasks, that is, tasks in the current realm, you can choose to live out your life with the target of the task, until their natural death. Or you can opt to leave directly, and our system world will create a copy of you to take your ce, it''s all up to you.]"
Su Zhiruan digested the information, indicating she understood.
All in all, there was quite a bit of freedom. Afterpleting the task, she could stay or leave directly, and afterpleting all tasks, she could return to her original world and live a wealthy life, with her lifespan extended.
Such good days had not been experienced by her in her previous life as a working person.
Thinking this, even being deliberately left to kneel didn''t seem too bad.
As the saying goes, "In war, there are thirty-six strategies," and the bitter-flesh strategy is one of them.
She remained expressionless, continuing to kneel obediently and submissively.
*
After half an hour, the Noble Consort in the Cining Pce couldn''t bear it anymore, "Aunt! This little wretch is so enduring! She hasn''t moved an inch even after half an hour! In my opinion, she''s just acting, the Emperor has been fooled by her pitiful act!"
"Indeed, she is quite tolerant." The Empress Dowager also had not expected that she only intended to avenge the Noble Consort and punish Su Zhiruan for her misconduct, yet Su Zhiruan hadn''t uttered a word and had continued to kneel properly for half an hour.
This, to her, a woman past her fifties, suddenly felt an admiration.
The way young girls are nowadays, especially those like the Noble Consort who were pampered from a young age, wouldn''t be able to handle kneeling as punishment for half an hour, let alone stand for half an hour withoutining.
She actually found herself liking this calm andposed young girl.
With a thought, the Empress Dowager decided not to keep her kneeling for an hour; she put down her tea cup, "Someone, let that pce maide in."
"Empress Dowager Aunt!?" The Noble Consort''s mouth fell open.
"Yes, my Lady." The servant, upon receiving the order, went out to call for Su Zhiruan.
Chapter 11: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 11
Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 11
Su Zhiruan followed the pce maid into the Cining Pce.
At that time, the Cining Pce was very quiet. After entering, Su Zhiruan saw the Empress Dowager and the Noble Consort.
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She was very calm, and then she paid her respects, "This servant pays her respects to the Empress Dowager, and to the Noble Consort."
The Empress Dowager did not immediately tell her to rise but instead scrutinized her while holding a teacup.
Su Zhiruan had a very proper appearance; she had also seen her own reflection in a copper mirror when she arrived, which would be described in modern terms as a face that symbolizes national peace and prosperity.
Unlike the Noble Consort, who tended to have a bewitching beauty, Su Zhiruan''s dignified kneeling posture gave off a feeling of rity and purity.
It had to be said that the Empress Dowager''s favorability towards her shot up immediately, as this type of unbowed person only needed one nce to be likeable.
"Susu, how is it, eating the pastries granted to you by the Emperor, are you feeling particrly proud, particrly joyful?" the Noble Consort directly attacked with her words, without any courtesy, her toneced with weapons and traps, even wishing she could send her directly to the death cell there and then, "This consort believes that a servant like you should be¡ª"
Her words were cut off midway, as she was stopped by the Empress Dowager, who simply raised her hand a little. The Noble Consort had been covertly watching the Empress Dowager, as her biggest reliance was the Empress Dowager now.
"Susu, true to your name, you don''t seem like one who would cause trouble," the Empress Dowager began with a warning, then smiled, picking a grape from the colorful cloud-zed te, her tone unhurried, "I won''t hide from you, before meeting you, I thought you were a demon who could make the Emperor neglect his duties, but¡ª"
She drew out her tone for quite a long time, enough to make one''s heart rise and fall thrice. If someone were not mentally strong, they might have been scared by these sudden shocks, but Su Zhiruan knelt appropriately, with not a single fluctuation of emotion on her face.
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction and then said, "However, after meeting you in person, I now know that the rumor might have been a misunderstanding. You are a good child. It''s alright for you to stay by the Emperor''s side, but you must counsel the Emperor to be equitable in his attention. If the Emperor still hasn''t visited the harem this month, then it will be I who decides, and you will no longer be tolerated."
This was a trap.
Su Zhiruan, who had been a working-ss person in her previous life, naturally knew that these seemingly ordinary orders were a trap set for her.
The Emperor was not fond of the harem to begin with; his decisions could hardly be swayed by a mere pce maid.
That was precisely what the Empress Dowager had in mind. She slowly waved her fan, continuing with a smile that made her seem like a kind elderly woman, "Of course, I am not a heartless person; there''s another option."
"Auntie! Why give her any choice! As your servant sees it, the one just mentioned is fine--if shepletes it, keep her; if she doesn''t, send her to the death cell! Your servant thinks it''s quite good!" Hearing the Empress Dowager mention a second option, the Noble Consort immediately cast a disdainful nce at Su Zhiruan, and then looked back to the Empress Dowager.
"Noble Consort, don''t be hasty," the Empress Dowager at this moment smiled as if she were a benevolent elder, not at all revealing her demeanor when she gave the order to Su Zhiruan, "This second choice is to bear the Heir. If you can achieve this, then you will be a great hero of the Wang Dynasty."
Upon hearing this condition, the Noble Consort instantly breathed a sigh of relief.
She was no longer worried now.
The reigning Emperor had been on the throne for five years, with more than three hundred concubines in the harem, yet not a single one had been with child over these years.
Expecting Su Zhiruan to aplish this in one month was as likely as expecting the goldfish in the Imperial Garden to learn pce etiquette within a month¡ªutterly impossible.
Just at that moment, the old nanny entered from the door and paid her respects, "Empress Dowager, someone has been sent by the Emperor."
The Empress Dowager showed a bit of interest.
Her summoning Su Zhiruan was with the intention to kill three birds with one stone: first, to let the Noble Consort vent her anger; second, to see what abilities Susu truly had and then find a way to deal with her or whisper into the Emperor''s ear; and third, to gauge her standing in the Emperor''s heart.
"Let the person in," the Empress Dowager said to the old nanny, then turned her head towards Su Zhiruan, "You may rise."
Su Zhiruan did as instructed, stood to one side, and even her figure did not waver in the slightest.
Her etiquette was very good; indeed, it could be said she was among the best in the entire Wang Dynasty.
The little eunuch walked in from the entrance and knelt down at a respectful distance from the Empress Dowager in the outer chamber, "This servant pays respects to the Empress Dowager and to the Noble Consort."
"Rise," the Empress Dowager waved her fan with an authoritative tone, "What did the Emperor ask you to say?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, the Emperor instructed this servant to convey to the Empress Dowager: he knows that Miss Susu is with you. If Your Majesty is displeased, feel free to beat or kill her. There''s no need to test His Majesty."
Upon hearing these words, Su Zhiruan did not burst into tears or despair. Instead, she marveled in her heart.
It is well said that no one knows a son better than his mother, and the reverse is true as well¡ªno one understands a mother better than her son; certainly, that son would be Shen Qi.
Although this was Su Zhiruan''s first encounter with the Empress Dowager, from those few words, she gleaned something.
If Shen Qi had made a conspicuous move to take her away, it would certainly have created discord between mother and son, and she would have suffered terribly as well. In contrast, with such words spoken, the Empress Dowager might see her as an unimportant transparent figure, perhaps even forgetting about her shortly.
The Noble Consort, upon hearing this, showed tion on her face; her expression was one of triumph. She nced at Su Zhiruan and started toying with her armor, "So it turns out the Emperor doesn''t care about you, you little wretch, at all. Really, I was worried for nothing. Go on, roll back."
The Empress Dowager knew her son''s nature. The message he sent could be either true or a lie concocted to save this Susu.
Yet it might also reflect his true attitude.
Both guesses left the Empress Dowager uncertain.
Thinking it over, she felt she truly had too much idle time; she was already the Empress Dowager, not embroiled in past pce struggles. Just a lowly servant, after all, unable to stir up much trouble. With that thought, she dismissed the matter with a wave, "All right, go back now. Serve the Emperor well."
The little eunuch and Su Zhiruan both bowed, "This servant takes his leave."
Su Zhiruan followed the little eunuch out of the grand entrance of the Cining Pce.
After walking a good distance, the little eunuch finally spoke, "Miss Susu, please return to the Emperor''s side quickly. In fact, His Majesty initially wanted toe himself and only sent this servant after walking some distance."
"Thank you, Eunuch," replied Su Zhiruan. She hadn''t expected Shen Qi to decide toe personally, which was beyond her expectations. After all, their rtionship had only been consummated the night before. Logically, as the Emperor, he didn''t need to make a fuss about amon pce maid.
Soon, they arrived at the Imperial Study Room.
The little eunuch had other duties in the inner pce, so he left first.
Su Zhiruan tiptoed into the Imperial Study Room and then bowed, "Greetings to the Emperor."
Shen Qi knew it was her. He simply straightened his sleeve and gave her a brief nce, "You''re back? Now grind the ink for Us."
Su Zhiruan stood up and, unbidden, went over to his side to expertly begin grinding the ink.
In a moment unseen, Shen Qi quietly heaved a sigh of relief.
Chapter 13: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 13
Chapter 13: Chapter 13: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 13
"It doesn''t matter about the rest, but tonight the curfew is lifted, and themon folks will surely be bustling with excitement. You should take the Noble Consort out for a stroll; it would be better than her spending her days with this old woman," the Empress Dowager said with a wave of her hand, and then added, "The Noble Consort has been seeking this for a long time, and I have agreed. I cannot let my word be void."
Having said that, even if he wanted to refuse, Shen Qi could find no suitable excuse to do so, thus he agreed.
The day passed quickly.
Recently, Su Zhiruan felt very sleepy, even if she was grinding ink in the Imperial Study Room or standing by to serve, she would feel faint.
She attributed this all to autumn lethargy.
Night fell swiftly.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was an important holiday in the Wang Dynasty. During these three days, the curfew was lifted throughout the Capital City, and everyone, civilians and officials alike, would celebrate regardless of gender, age, wealth, or poverty. Everyone would choose to go out and enjoy the festivities.
The streets on both sides were lined with performers and stalls selling all kinds of delicious food, as well as various types ofnterns.
Su Zhiruan walked behind, ncing left and right, her gaze finally resting on the Noble Consort and Emperor Shen Qi up ahead.
While yawning, she squeezed into the crowd.
Little Fuzi had other matters in Zichen Hall and could note, so a Hidden Guard apanied her instead.
The Noble Consort and Shen Qi walking together felt incongruous. With that thought, Su Zhiruan yawned again.
Hearing that the Empress Dowager had asked Shen Qi to take the Noble Consort out of the pce to enjoy the festivities, all the concubines in the harem were nearly mad with envy, but ording to Su Zhiruan''s observation, the subjects themselves did not seem that excited.
The Noble Consort continuously sought opportunities to stick close to Shen Qi and engage him in various conversations.
"Your Majesty... walking with you, your concubine feels as if we are a family~" The Noble Consort gave Shen Qi a coquettish look, and then added, "Just walking together so inly, like a newlywed couple."
Shen Qi frowned, "When outside, call me Young Master Shen."
"Ah~ Young Master Shen~" the Noble Consort teased, almost bumping into arge tree. She had no interest in the trinkets on the streetside, nor in the floating rivernterns or firecrackers. Upon spotting a couple with happy smiles, she pointed and said, "Young Master Shen, look, don''t we resemble that family?"
Bored, Shen Qi followed her pointing hand.
At that moment, the husband in the couple bent down to lift a chubby little radish from the ground¡ªthe little girl, with her hair in two topknots, started giggling when picked up, showing two little sharp teeth, clearly soft and sweet. She waved her small hands and called out with an infantile voice, "Horsey ride! Horsey ride! Daddy, carry little girl!"
"This little girl, always clinging to your daddy!" the young mother feigned jealousy, quickly tickling the little girl''s nose.
The clever little radish understood immediately and waved her hands, giggling, "Mommy carry little girl, daddy carry little girl!"
In the end, the man simply lifted both his wife and daughter,ughing heartily.
Shen Qi watched, his expression turning cold.
Family.
As the Emperor, he was destined not to have such simple and warm happiness.
The Noble Consort hadn''t expected this turn of events. Childless, that was the Emperor''s pain, and she panicked as well, hurriedly saying, "Your¡ª Young Master Shen!"
By then, Shen Qi had already lost all interest and departed.
The Hidden Guard first nced at Su Zhiruan beside him, who was yawning and looking around at thenterns, and then at the Noble Consort in the distance, who was stricken with grief. In the end, he resolutely followed his own master.
When Shen Qi left the house, he naturally didn''t bring just one Hidden Guard; his people were all protecting him from different ces, so there was no need to worry too much.
The Noble Consort, seeing herself abandoned and noticing Su Zhiruan there as well, who looked very sleepy with her eyelids barely open, felt like she became the object of mockery. Her face changed dramatically, and she began to sneer and scorn, "You despicable servant! How much did you see! Don''t think you''re anything special just because the Emperor deigned to bring you along. If it weren''t for me also leaving the pce, how could it have been your turn, you little wench!"
Su Zhiruan didn''t say anything. She was especially sleepy, the kind of sleepiness where she could hardly stand.
Actually, she didn''t care about these harsh words. Before she received the system, when she was a working girl, she didn''t know how many times she had heard these overt and covert mockeries.
At first, she was also very angry, but then upon careful thought, she realized the premise behind their sneers and scorn was that they themselves had very ordinary lives, and then they envied her.
The best way to deal with these kinds of people was not to retort, but to remain silent, just watching them slowly crumble, then finally be frustrated and angry with themselves.
Following the Noble Consort''s loud scorn and insults, the passersby around also frowned and looked over.
Many passersby began to point and gossip about the Noble Consort.
"Whose family is this? Ranting and raving, one look at her face and you can tell she''s no good."
"Could this be her daughter next to her? Abusing her daughter, insulting her, this madwoman, really... "
"Shh... quietly, don''t talk anymore. The clothes on this woman are not cheap, she must be from a wealthy family. Probably a stepmother who looks down on the original wife''s daughter, and now she''s bullying this young girl on the street..."
After hearing this, everyone revealed a knowing expression.
The Noble Consort was not deaf; she heard it all, and by now, she was nearly driven mad with rage. The more the people talked, the more outrageous they became, until, in the end, they turned her into an evil stepmother, a disreputable woman who seduced a wealthy family''s master and then went in to bully the previously treasured and delicate young daughter.
The Noble Consort had never encountered such a situation before. Even if she wanted tosh out, looking at the current situation, with the crowd being sorge, if anymotion really started, she could be drowned in their spit.
"You! You just wait!!!" the Noble Consort said, furious.
But there was nothing at hand for her to smash, and no one to vent her anger on, so she could only re fiercely at Su Zhiruan.
Just then, someone suddenly descended from the sky and came before the Noble Consort, "I ammanded to escort you back."
For the current Noble Consort, this was the best opportunity to save face. She immediately nodded, carrying her malice towards Su Zhiruan, and was led away.
Su Zhiruan, dressed in her simple goose-yellow outfit and mistaken for having cried until her eyes were red, received much kindness from the people.
The auntie selling roasted sweet potatoes saw her dazed look and casually shoved a big sweet potato into her hand, "Girl, don''t mind your crazy stepmother, have a sweet potato."
The old craftsman grandfather sellingnterns picked out a beautiful crane and pinentern and cautioned her to watch her step.
...
When Shen Qi saw her again, Su Zhiruan had already been adorned by the kindness of themon folk, bing a New Year''s painting doll, carrying many little trinkets in her hands.
Even with his usual cold demeanor, he cracked a slight smile this time, "Ruanruan is so popr, eh? Then I must take good care of you!"
"My lord, what brings you here?" Su Zhiruan didn''t expect Shen Qi to suddenly appear by her side.@@novelbin@@
Chapter 14: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 14
Chapter 14: Chapter 14: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 14
Shen Qi had not gone far just now. Although he did not like the Noble Consort, he could not just abandon her, so he hid in the crowd, allowing the Hidden Guard toe forward in time to take the Noble Consort away.
Compared to the Noble Consort, who always wanted to cling to him and start conversations, he preferred to take Su Zhiruan for a stroll, watching her get captivated by various odd trinkets and then return to his side.
This mild sense of contentment made him feel needed, not just someone the Noble Consort looked to with desires for gain in her eyes.
For him, this kind of life was more self-forgetting than staying with the Noble Consort.
For a moment, he even did not want to return to the Imperial Pce, to follow the boring rituals, to deal with the never-ending official duties every day.
Everyone envied the life of an Emperor, but none had truly put themselves in his shoes and thought about the responsibilities that role entailed.
Shen Qi watched the bustling crowd but made sure Su Zhiruan did not leave his field of vision.
On this night with the curfew lifted, numerous sheltered young women also went out in groups. Seeing Shen Qi, many of them became eager to approach and speak to him.
However, when they saw a tall, handsome man leisurely walk over to a girl to buy masks, they could only choose to regretfully leave the scene.
"Young Master?" Su Zhiruan paused, then suddenly felt the warmth of a palm on her face, the faint scent of ambergris passing by her nose, behind her ears, and finally settling into her hair as the man put a Red Fox mask on her, "You..."
The vendor beside them, seeing them like this, subconsciously assumed they were a couple and started babbling, saying whatever came to mind.
"Oh my! I can tell you two are no ordinary pair. With such a handsome man and a beautiful woman, you''re bound to have a longsting rtionship, to grow old together, to be blessed with children and grandchildren, a lifetime of happiness! You two purchasing masks is simply the perfect touch for roaming the night market. This way, others may not see your faces clearly, but seeing the masks, they will immediately know you two are a match made by heaven. No one can argue with that!"
Shen Qi, pleased by some part of the vendor''s speech, saw Su Zhiruan wanting to say something but hesitating as he carelessly waved his hand, purchasing all the masks there, and picked a pure ck Fox mask for himself.
"What are you hesitating for? Put it on for me?" Shen Qi handed the mask to Su Zhiruan, and his words came out naturally as if they were indeed a couple destined by fate.
She stood on tiptoes, carefully cing the mask on him and tying it at the back of his head.
After she put it on, Su Zhiruan inadvertently looked down, only to see the Emperor, who had bent his knees slightly.
So... that is to say...
Shen Qi had quietly bent down to let her put the mask on him, and then, smiling, watched her slowly move.
Perhaps it was the fireworks in the sky being too dazzling, or the surrounding noise being too loud.
A flood of tenderness surged in Shen Qi''s heart.
"Young master, are you afraid of being recognized?" On such a rxed day, and outside at that, Shen Qi seemed to be in a good mood, so she asked bluntly, "Or is someone following us?"
Shen Qiughed heartily and then shook his head openly, "Neither."
As he spoke, he slowly took the girl''s hand. His dry, warm hand enveloped her slightly cold one. Those trinkets that had been bought or gifted to her, he handed over to the Hidden Guard to carry for her.
"Why didn''t you guess this possibility?" Shen Qi traced the edge of the Red Fox mask on her face, finally resting on her neck. With the two facing each other, he then slowly added, "There''s another possibility ¡ª wanting to pair up with this little Red Fox on your face."
Su Zhiruan lifted her gaze and clearly saw the sincerity in his eyes.
From her current angle, she could see fireworks filling the sky, the Milky Way gently streaming along the moat, and the perfectly full moon above. The bustling crowd, hawkers'' calls, joyfulughter, and shouts mixed together, creating a spectacle of the people''s prosperous era.
"Actually, today, if Mother had not arranged for the Noble Consort to follow me, I originally wanted to take you to themon folk. Unfortunately..." Shen Qi''s eyes showed a touch of regret.
Yet, what struck the Hidden Guard and Su Zhiruan was not his regret, but Shen Qi''s self-reference.
"I"
As an Emperor, he symbolized the Wang Dynasty, and his usual self-reference was "We."
He reigned supreme, the monarch of a nation, the ruler of an empire.
But today, he referred to himself as "I," and it was in the presence of a little pce maid.
Su Zhiruan, being from the modern era, was quite shocked, but for the Hidden Guard who followed them at all times, it was astonishing.
Shen Qi hadn''t even realized that he was actually not in a good mood at first because his ns were disrupted.
However, once the Noble Consort had left, he ended up walking together with Su Zhiruan, which could also be seen as an unexpected convergence of paths.
Now, this was very nice.
The two of them found a great spot on the edge of the moat and then sat down together to watch the fireworks.
For Su Zhiruan, all of this was quite novel; she was a modern person, ustomed to seeing such ancient charm only in TV dramas or movies.
Witnessing it with her own eyes, as opposed to the intentional scenes directed by a filmmaker, was apletely different experience.
Shen Qi enjoyed this moment, the liveliness in the tranquility, the peace within the tumult.
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...
The following day was the Mid-Autumn Festival.
This day was also of great importance to the Royal Family. Every year, the Imperial Family would hold a family banquet in the evening. Princes who had been granted titles would return to the Capital City, along with various concubines and even the Imperial Concubines from the temples would be invited to attend.
The entire Imperial Pce needed to treat this day with the utmost care and meticulous preparation.
Even Su Zhiruan had to take care of every aspect of Zichen Hall.
The location chosen for tonight''s pce banquet was thergest pce in the Imperial Pce.
It was situated beside a mountain and water, with the Imperial Garden nearby as well as the Kang Bridge Pavilion, the air scented with flowers, illuminated brightly, and festooned with blooms.
The concubines of the harem had dressed in their beautiful new clothes long ago, hoping to earn the Emperor''s favor on this day.
Some of the lower-ranking concubines, having heard of Su Zhiruan''s favor, directly copied her style, all donning dresses in goose-yellow.
The Noble Consort, as the most prestigious woman in the harem apart from the Empress Dowager, naturally dressed in an borate manner.
The Empress Dowager had already met with all the Madams of the Imperial Decree and Commandery Princesses early in the morning.
The harem hadn''t been this lively in a long time.
In the evening, around seven o''clock as Su Zhiruan calcted, night gradually fell.
The pce banquet slowly began.
Su Zhiruan followed behind Shen Qi, and on the other side was Ziyu, with Little Fuzi, who had been busy all day, in front of the two women.
Little Fuzi was even busier today, as he went to find many Princes.
And after everyone had arrived, Little Fuzi flicked his duster.
"The Emperor arrives¡ª¡ª"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live! Long may he reign!"
Chapter 17: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 17
Chapter 17: Chapter 17: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 17
His hand, raised high, halted mid-air as if only now had he realized the gravity of the situation.
At the same time, Su Zhiruan''s condition on the ground was not good at all.
The incident had unfolded too quickly, almost in the blink of an eye.
Everyone was stunned into silence.
The Empress Dowager, having witnessed everything, immediately rose from her seat and shouted, "Someone call the Imperial Physician!"
The ministers and the Imperial Rtives dared not move, and the scene descended into a tense yet chaotic order.
The wine jar had been aimed directly at Shen Qi, but Su Zhiruan had intervened. Her arm was struck heavily, and shards of porcin gashed her arm, from which blood profusely flowed. Her originally delicate face instantly turned pale.
Shen Qi did not stand up; his gaze was icy cold.
This look, Su Zhiruan had never seen in this world before¡ªit was a ring murderous intent. His voice was chilling to the bone as he coldly ordered, "Someone¡ª"
"Your servant is here!" The Imperial Guard outside the pce immediately stepped forward, surrounding Prince and the Princely Heir.
"Prince, Princely Heir, intentionally attempting assassination, speaking insolently, conspiring and rebelling, strip them of their ranks, and throw them into the great prison!" Shen Qi ordered coldly while half-supporting Su Zhiruan.
Not even one among the crowd below dared to speak, and even their breathing had be much shallower at this moment.
The scene left only the wretched screams of Prince and the Princely Heir, as the Imperial Guard showed no mercy, stripping them of their clothes right there.
Realizing his situation, Prince panicked and tried to run toward the front, shouting as he ran, "Emperor! Emperor! It was my fault for speaking out of turn, please spare me!"
Shen Qi didn''t give him a single nce.
"Emperor! The Imperial Physician has arrived!" A group of doctors from the Imperial Hospital hurriedly advanced with their medical kits.
The leading Imperial Physician knelt down to perform a salute, "Emperor, allow your humble servant to examine your injuries."
"I am unharmed; check her first," Shen Qi carefully ced Su Zhiruan aside, his expression filled with urgency.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager spoke up without even thinking, "So many doctors! You two check her, and you two check the Emperor! Do I have to personally teach you even in such a minor issue?"
The doctors quickly acknowledged.
The Concubines in the harem breathed a sigh of relief after seeing that Shen Qi was unharmed, but upon seeing how anxious Shen Qi was for Su Zhiruan, envy began to stir within them.
The Noble Consort felt dissatisfied and stepped forward voluntarily, standing beside Shen Qi, her voice bing much more charming, "Emperor, how do you feel now?"
At that moment, Shen Qi did not want to deal with the Noble Consort, "Step aside, the physicians are busy!"
His words also deterred the court ministers and princes who wished toe forward to check on him.
At that moment, everyone''s gaze was fixed on Shen Qi. Regarding Su Zhiruan, they deemed her just a pce maid, even if she did block the wine jar for Shen Qi, that was what a servant ought to do.
Even the Empress Dowager''s gaze was solely on Shen Qi; as for Su Zhiruan, everyone''s attitude was one of indifference, not cing much importance on her.
But who could have expected that just then, the Imperial Physician taking Su Zhiruan''s pulse suddenly screamed.
"Ah!"
"This... This! She is actually..."
Another Imperial Physician treating Su Zhiruan''s arm injury rolled his eyes at him and then hurriedly said, "How audacious, making such noise in front of His Majesty!"
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty!" The Imperial Physician who was taking Su Zhiruan''s pulse, as if he hadn''t heard, turned his head, his face filled with terror and shock, mixed with a trace of excitement, "Your Majesty! When I was taking her pulse, I found that this youngdy''s pulse¡ª"
Shen Qi immediately stood up, his eyes dark and agitated, his voice carrying a hint of urgency, "Speak! What about the pulse?!"
"Your Majesty! This youngdy¡ªit''s a pregnancy pulse!"
A pregnancy pulse!
Those simple words stunned everyone at that moment.
Even including Su Zhiruan, who was lying on the ground, oblivious to everything.
Almost instinctively, her hand fell to her lower abdomen.
"What did you say?" Shen Qi paused, seemingly in disbelief, and asked again.
"Great joy for Your Majesty!" The physician who had just rolled his eyes immediately took Su Zhiruan''s pulse again, and after raising his head, his eyes showed the same shock, disbelief, and excitement as the other physician, "This youngdy is indeed pregnant!"
"The pulse is stable; the child is being well cared for!"
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"What!!" Hearing this news, the first to react was not Shen Qi, but the Empress Dowager. Herposed expression could no longer be maintained. Her face turned to shock, then quickly to joy as her eyes widened, and she immediately descended from her high seat, her expression ecstatic as she flung her sleeve, "Are you saying, Miss Susu has a pregnancy pulse? She has been with the Emperor all this time! Yes! The time matches! This is confirmed now, oh my, my imperial grandson!"
Before Su Zhiruan could react, the Empress Dowager slid a bracelet off her own wrist and ced it on Su Zhiruan''s uninjured arm. Her demeanor now bore no trace of the Empress Dowager''s authority, filled only with smiles and kindness, "After so many years, I never thought it would be you, truly a blessing for our Wang Dynasty, a Heaven-sent daughter for our dynasty!"
The Emperor''s favoring of Su Zhiruan was basically no secret, whether it was among themon folk or the ministers, everyone enjoyed discussing the affairs of the Royal Family and harem.
Which concubine received favor, who received what reward, everyone knew it all.
These were no secrets, let alone the fact that Emperor Shen Qi exclusively favored a Pce Maid for a month and a half.
Whether it was themoners hearing rumors or the word of mouth, many different versions even emerged amongst them, some said the Emperor didn''t want to grant her a title, only wanting a one-time encounter, while others said, the Emperor couldn''t bear her leaving and by not granting her a title, he could keep her by his side forever.
Who would have thought that this month and a half of favoritism would unexpectedly result in the Imperial Family''s first Heir!
Prince Zhang stood with his mouth agape, foolishly at a loss for words.
He had felt that he had a chance to turn things around, as currently, among the entire Imperial Family, only he had three sons. Suppose the Emperor was truly incapable, then his sons could possibly stay in the Imperial Pce as Crown Prince to be tutored, and eventually, he could reap the benefits of a fisherman.
Who would have thought it was precisely because he got carried away, drank too much, and coincidentally targeted the woman who could conceive a Dragon Descendant.
Prince Zhang copsed onto the ground, now with no chance of turning the tables anymore.
The concubines in the harem witnessing this scene all gaped, some even stunned into silence.
The most shocked among them was the Noble Consort. In the past, she felt her status was the highest among the women in the harem, plus being the niece of the Empress Dowager, she definitely had a higher chance of having offspringpared to other concubines, and was the most likely to be the Empress.
But now, Su Zhiruan came out of nowhere!
Shen Qi watched as Su Zhiruan was helped to her feet surrounded by a crowd. He was somewhat dazed, gazing at the girl''s clean, pure face filled with a worried expression¡ªshe was worried about him.
Such a foolish girl!
Pregnant and with an injured arm, the first thing she did upon standing was to worry about him.
Chapter 18: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 18
Chapter 18: Chapter 18: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 18
He could no longer hold back and took the initiative to step forward and gently embrace Su Zhiruan.
In that instant, many scenes shed through his mind.
Whether it was the family of three he had seen in the public the night before,
or her tired appearance during this period,
as well as her gentle panting on the couch,
at this moment, all were circling in his mind, finally merging into one, bing the her in front of him and the child in her womb.
After a brief hug, Shen Qi asked someone to take Su Zhiruan down to rest properly.
Before the Pce Maid could step forward, the Empress Dowager came up herself and carefully protected Su Zhiruan. Before leaving, the Empress Dowager added, "I will escort her. No need to involve anyone else."
Shen Qi trusted the Empress Dowager, so he let them go.
Although they were now dealing with a joyous asion, the matters that needed handling still required him as the Emperor to preside over.
"Prince Duan and three Princely Heirs, daring to plot against me! Against the Heir! Conspiring and rebelling, utterly unforgivable!" Shen Qi said as he stepped up to the throne, his gaze cold, "Tomorrow at the Meridian Gate, execute by beheading!"
If it had been before, perhaps he would have hesitated for the sake of his reputation, not openly executing Prince Duan. But now, since Prince Duan nearly harmed his woman and his child, if something really had happened to her today, he would definitely have Prince Duan executed by dismemberment, slicing off his flesh piece by piece!
The senior officials and other nobles at the court did not raise any objections.
This matter concerned the Heir!
Everyone in the court or in the Capital City knew the importance of the Heir. The Emperor had been without a son for five years already. The vast empire of the Wang Dynasty couldn''t just end up in someone else''s hands.
The Empress Dowager gestured for the nannies and others to carefully shield Su Zhiruan with a soft pnquin, while she herself walked alongside, even holding her hand with worry during the journey.
This caused everyone they encountered along the way to be nearly frightened into fainting.
The Empress Dowager allowed the Pce Maid to ride in the pnquin, then proceeded on foot herself!
In the grand hall.
The Noble Consort was neglected. She nearly clenched her teeth in frustration, and the concubines behind her each showed different expressions; some were malicious; some were filled with sycophancy, and others were indifferent.
Shen Qi dealt with Prince Duan and looked at the fresh bloodstains on the ground. At this moment, his thoughts were entirely with Su Zhiruan.
He had never had a child, nor had a little dumpling call him "Royal Father." Now, suddenly knowing of Su Zhiruan''s pregnancy, his mind was a chaos of emotions, primary among them joy, and also some worry: he worried whether he could take good care of her and the child, whether he could be a good father.
Shen Qi also thought about howtely, every night before sleep and also during the day, Su Zhiruan seemed very tired and her appetite had increased somewhat. asionally, he wanted to tease her, yet saw her sleepy-eyed. All these signs had been present for some time.
Thinking about what the child might look like and how she was doing now, his thoughts were terribly jumbled. As a ruler usually clear and stern, all of that had nowpletely disappeared, to the extent that even Little Fuzi beside him could tell that their Emperor was lost in his thoughts.
The Prime Minister was the first to stand, holding a cup in his hand, his arms raised in salute, "Old subject congrattes Your Majesty! Congrattions, Lady!"
The ministers below also raised their sses, "This humble official congrattes Your Majesty! Congrattions, Lady!"
The Lady they spoke of was Su Zhiruan.
With things progressing this way, as the first woman in the Imperial Pce to be pregnant with a Dragon Descendant and with the Emperor''s favor, Su Zhiruan was set to rise meteorically, henceforth enjoying endless glory and wealth.
Being the first to call her "Lady" was only appropriate.
Shen Qi was overjoyed, his happiness apparent. He raised his wine cup, "Today is my day of great joy! My beloved officials need not adhere to strict formalities, drink freely!"
Following that, he generously bestowed gifts, including on the Imperial Physician and the servants.
The entire great hall was filled with joy andughter.
*
Meanwhile, Su Zhiruan, who was taken directly to the Empress Dowager''s chamber, felt her stomach churning.
When she was in the Imperial Study Room, Shen Qi had noticed that she had been eating more recently, so he had her eat a lot of pastries.
Despite the pastries being very delicate, she now found them cloying and felt like vomiting.
"System, can you sleep? I can''t sleep!" Su Zhiruany down helplessly, hoping to alleviate the feeling, as she called out to the system in her mind.
[...]
[Ah??!] The system seemed to be suddenly awakened, still a bit slow to react. Upon waking up, its first action was to check on Su Zhiruan''s mission progress.
[My goodness!! You''re already pregnant? That was fast!] The system didn''t expect her task to bepleted so quickly and began eximing in her mind.
Once again, Su Zhiruan suppressed the urge to vomit, "I remember, the Newbie Gift Package included no pregnancy nausea and a series of other side effects, what''s going on now?"
[I can exin that. You must have been carried in just now; you simply ate too much and then got motion sickness, oh no, pnquin sickness!]
[However, sometimes, the use of the Newbie Gift Package has a setting where, when plot characters are present, the Golden Finger will disguise itself so as not to arouse suspicion.]
Su Zhiruan roughly understood. If outsiders were present and she appeared the same before and after giving birth, people would surely be suspicious. Sometimes, it disguises itself and then gradually restores her pre-pregnancy physical state.
Just then, the Empress Dowager rushed in from the doorway. As soon as she saw Su Zhiruan trying to get up to greet her, she immediately went over to prevent her, settling Su Zhiruan back on the bed.
"This servant greets the Empress Dowager." Su Zhiruan felt the need to perform the courtesy but was immediately stopped by the Empress Dowager.
"You child, why still call yourself a servant? Just call me Mother like the Emperor does," the Empress Dowager suddenly seemed like a kind and benevolent old woman, far from her previous threatening demeanor. Su Zhiruan, having been a worker in her previous life and adept at reading people, observed the Empress Dowager and realized that her kindness wasn''t feigned, listening as the Empress Dowager continued, "Mother previously wronged you by allowing the Noble Consort to bully you. I truly am sorry. If you don''t mind, from now on, you can consider me your mother."
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Not only was Su Zhiruan stunned.
Even the old nanny who had served the Empress Dowager for decades was nearly shocked silly!
Had they heard wrong, or had the Empress Dowager misspoken?!
The Empress Dowager held Su Zhiruan''s hand, examining her closely.
The more she looked, the more she liked her.
"When the previous Emperor was still alive, I only had Qi as a prince. As a son grows older, he develops his own capabilities and methods, but in my heart, I always wanted a daughter. Later on, when you two have children, you will be my daughter. I was previously good to the Noble Consort and let her be, but now that you bear Qi''s child, should the Noble Consort be insolent or capricious, I will personally intervene," the Empress Dowager rambled on.
Su Zhiruan was clean and beautiful with a delicate, round goose-egg face, exactly the type of girl the Empress Dowager liked; she grew fonder the more she looked.
"Thank you, Empress Dowager, for your favor." Su Zhiruan patiently listened to the Empress Dowager''s words, then attempted to perform a courtesy.
While helping her up, the Empress Dowager said helplessly, "You child! I already said you can just call me Mother."
Su Zhiruan smiled but didn''tply, simply replying, "This servant understands the Empress Dowager''s kind intentions, but there are many people in the pce, and rites must not be neglected."
Chapter 20: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 20
Chapter 20: Chapter 20: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 20
Several dayster.
In the distant county town, Su''s father got dressed early in the morning, ready to head to his job at the county office, while Su''s mother quietly swept the courtyard.
Neither of their faces showed much joy, instead deep in their eyes were hidden looks of worry and fear.
"Take care on your way, old man," Su''s mother sighed deeply.
Su''s father didn''t say anything, just tightly held Su''s mother''s hand.
But as he pushed open the main door, a voice like that of a devil came through.
"Yo~ Old Su, heading to the office to busy yourself with chores?" The County Magistrate''s legitimate son, d in a shiny blue robe, was leaning against the wall with a sneer, tilting his mouth. Seeing hime out, he raised his eyebrows, his stick resting on the ground as he stood in a skewed posture, his eyes full of malice, "These past days, gracing your home with my presence has surely made your shabby little hut shine!"
"Hahahahaha¡ª¡ª" The bootlickers behind him all let out a bigugh, each holding a stick in their hand.
"What exactly do you want to do, young master? Disturbing my family repeatedly thesest few days, aren''t you afraid I''ll report this to the authorities?" Su''s father said coldly. Su''s mother heard themotion outside and came out, but was firmly shielded behind Su''s father.
The County Magistrate''s son scoffed, speaking disrespectfully, "Old Su! Go ahead and report, see if I care! Back then, you refused to give Su Zhiruan to me as a wife, and trust me, both my father and I have not forgotten! Hmph! Don''t think that just because you sent her to the pce you are safe. Five years with no news, I reckon she''s long dead! Such a pity, tsk tsk! Those hands, that figure, that face, never got the chance to grace my father''s and my bed!"
"You¡ª" Su''s father''s eyes filled with rage, nearly charging forward to fight to the death, while Su''s mother, on the brink of fainting, still forcefully pulled him back.
"What are you ves waiting for, go in and smash it up! Smash everything for me!! After letting out this grudge, I''ll treat you all to the finest feasts and drinks!"
"Hahahaha, young master, then we won''t hold back!"
The bootlickers charged into the Su Family homeughing and began to smash and shatter things.
Su''s father and Su''s mother looked at each other, both of their eyes filled with ast-ditch sense of despair.
They had only one daughter, Su Zhiruan, who had been in the pce for five years with no word from her. In their hearts, they somewhat had an answer, and that was she had died.
In a ce like the Imperial Pce, it was nothing unusual for a pce maid to die. A child is a parent''s life, and with this thought in mind, the two of them also didn''t have much will to live. Moreover, the County Magistrate''s son held a grudge against the Su family because of past events and had been increasingly troublesome, harassing and insulting them in every possible way.
Looking at the mud wall next to them and the County Magistrate''s son shoutingmands from other side, Su''s father took out a knife from his bosom. Su''s mother only had to look at him to understand his intent¡ªto kill the County Magistrate''s son and thenmit suicide.
The County Magistrate''s son, seemingly bored, ordered hisckeys to tie up Su''s elderly parents and strip them of their clothes.
Su''s father, with a knife hidden up his sleeve, was just about to make his move¡ª
However, just at that critical moment!
A thunderous roar came from not too far away, "Scoundrel!! Stop!"
Everyone on the scene looked over, and amidst his shock, Su''s father withdrew the knife he had hidden in his sleeve.
Theer was the County Magistrate; he dismounted and immediately started pping his son with walloping blows, knocking him down to the ground, where hey covering his face and crying out in pain.
```
"Father! What are you doing?! I am your son!" the County Magistrate''s illegitimate son cried out in desperation, even considering a counterattack.
The County Magistrate quickly ordered his men to pin him to the ground, preventing him from getting up, then he respectfully saluted Su''s father, aplete turnaround from his previous difficult behavior, "Lord Su, the rebellious boy is willful and has behaved outrageously. I hereby hand him over to you for punishment¡ªplease do as you see fit!"
"Lord Su?" Su''s father was puzzled, but then he saw a man in official attire, holding an Imperial edict, emerge from the luxurious carriage behind the County Magistrate.
"I presume this is Elder Su, whom I have long held in high regard!" The visitor did not behave arrogantly but instead treated Su''s father with great respect, which left Su''s elders quite baffled. Subsequently, the man took out a bright yellow scroll, raised his voice, and addressed everyone present, "I am here by the Emperor''smand to announce this Imperial edict¡ª"
All present knelt down in unison. Su''s elders, clueless as they were, also knelt to receive the edict.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: County Secretary Su Wenbu is upright and honest, a man of integrity. The Emperor orders him to enter the Capital City, to join the Ministry of Revenue, granting him a residence. His wife is to be gifted ten boxes of gold and silver, eighty bolts of fine silk, and to share the same rank as her husband. His daughter, Su Zhiruan, is virtuous, graceful, and dignified, pure and esteemed like the moon, and is hereby conferred the title of Moon and appointed to the rank of concubine¡ªLet it be known!"
As the edict was dered, everyone present was shocked.
Su''s elders were nearly scared stiff on the spot. They had thought their daughter, long assumed dead, had suddenly be Lady Moon, and they themselves were to enter the Capital City as well.
Entering the court as an official was the greatest wish of Su''s father, who was moved to tears, never expecting that his cherished youngest daughter would fulfill this dream. He had thought it impossible for him to enter the Capital and be a court official, but now his wish was granted.
The County Magistrate had been privy to some insider information, but even he waspletely taken aback upon hearing the edict, especially when considering his worthless son by his side and their past covetous thoughts toward Su Zhiruan. They had even schemed for Su Zhiruan to be a lowly concubine. Now, as the Emperor''s most beloved Lady Moon, if the Emperor were to find out¡ª
They would not be able to keep their heads on their shoulders!
The official dering the edict was the Prefect, who ranked significantly higher than a County Magistrate. He had heard about the mistreatment of Su''s elders even before his arrival and, having witnessed it firsthand, gave a cold snort, indicating that it might be time to rece the County Magistrate.
The County Magistrate and his son were fools, but the Prefect certainly was not. Lady Moon was pregnant, and as the Emperor had no offspring, if she were to bear a Prince, he would undoubtedly be the Crown Prince. In the future, no matter what, the Su Family would be the Imperial Father-inw. With this rtion alone, he would ensure that the affair of inviting Su''s elders to the Capital was handled properly.
"Lord Su, Madam Su, please stand," the Prefect personally helped Su''s elders to their feet, smiling warmly, "There is no need for you to worry or prepare anything; I will take care of everything¡ªAs for the County Magistrate''s family, I will deal with them personally."
It was his way of currying favor as well.
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Before long, under the meticulous arrangements of the Prefect, Su''s elders were on their way to the Capital City.
And the small county town, discreetly and without fuss, lost a corrupt County Magistrate and his son, and gained an upright and honest good official.
Themon folk, upon learning of the emergence of Lady Moon from the Su Family, were also astounded.
The matter subsequently turned into a beautiful tale.
*
Meanwhile, Su Zhiruan was leisurely drinking tea with the Empress Dowager in the Cining Pce.
Having resided in the Cining Pce for only a few days, she had already won the affection of nearly everyone.
In her previous life, she was a worker, and having started off as a Pce Maid in this world, was not ustomed to idleness. Plus, with appropriate exercise being beneficial during pregnancy, she asionally lent a hand. The Empress Dowager had told her to rest properly, but she meticulously managed everything, making the Empress Dowager veryfortable and even more fond of her.
```
Chapter 21: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 21
Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 21
Ever since she moved into Cining Pce, this usually solemn pce had be much livelier due to her arrival.
Holding her teacup, the Empress Dowager''s expression held a hint of anticipation, "Ruanruan, when will youe to y cards again?"
"If Mother wishes, I cane anytime!" Su Zhiruan put down her teacup and winked at the Empress Dowager.
"Judging by the time, the Emperor should have finished court by now; he''s probably rushing over here as we speak. Let''s wait for him to leave before we continue," the Empress Dowager said, nodding deeply to herself as the nannies around her quietly covered their mouths and giggled.
During these days, not only the Empress Dowager but also the elderly nannies serving her felt the change in the atmosphere of Cining Pce.
In the past, the Noble Consort would asionally visit the Cining Pce, but with her capricious temperament, her visits were mostly toin orment about the Emperor neglecting her. Her asional outbursts even targeted the nannies, making everyone want to avoid her at all costs.
Because of issues regarding offspring, the Emperor was so harried by the urging that he seldom visited Cining Pce aside from necessary greetings.
But after Su Zhiruan''s arrival, everyone gradually grew fond of her; she undoubtedly became the beloved of the group.
Su Zhiruan was gentle, and sometimes she woulde up with many novel ways to entertain. Her interactions with everyone were alwaysfortable, whether in conversation or in conduct, making people feel as if they were basking in a spring breeze.
Since her arrival, there hadn''t been a single day of mother-inw and daughter-inw conflict between her and the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager genuinely loved her as her own daughter, and the servants took even greater care in looking after her.
At the Empress Dowager''s Cining Pce, Shen Qi woulde to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager first thing after court each day, then he would tenderly inquire after Su Zhiruan.
In short, her presence had made the Empress Dowager much more at ease, and Shen Qi also seemed more personable. Most importantly, after the birth of the child, the rtionship between the Empress Dowager and Shen Qi had greatly improved, at least appearing like a normal mother and son.
"Ah, here he is!" the Empress Dowager smiled and looked at Su Zhiruan, "Truly, thanks to Ruanruan, I have seen the Emperor this month almost more than the entire past year."
"It is I who am fortunate for Mother''s grace. Had I been living in the harem, perhaps I would neither see Mother nor the Emperor every day," Su Zhiruan said, and then she lightly leaned on the Empress Dowager''s shoulder before standing up again.
The Empress Dowager''s smile was so wide she could barely close her mouth, and just then, Shen Qi entered.
The man was dressed in a bright yellow Dragon Robe, his expression anxious. Upon seeing Su Zhiruan, he rxed and smiled lightly, bowing, "Son greets Mother."
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"This concubine pays respects to the Emperor¡ª" Su Zhiruan was about to bow when the anxious Shen Qi stopped her.
"No need for formalities, you are with child and must take care above all else," Shen Qi said, gently reaching out to touch Su Zhiruan''s belly, where miraculously, a little life was growing.
It could be a chubby son or a tender little Princess.
This feeling was intriguing; even though a month was about to pass, he still felt the same way. Every time he thought about having a child with Su Zhiruan, he felt very warm.
It was like slowly drinking a warm cup of tea.
The feeling of being a father for the first time was indeed marvelous.
"At this moment, the Emperor doesn''t much look like an Emperor, rather like a man who has just be a father," the Empress Dowager chuckled, covering her mouth and cheerfully watching the young couple draw close together.
This scene had been daily for a while now. As she was getting on in years, such warmth brought her joy, almost reminding her of her younger days.
Lately, the Empress Dowager finally felt happy, thinking about her past life brought only regret. What bitter days those were!
In the past, she''d wake up either with a headache wondering how to urge the Emperor to visit the harem¡ª the Emperor disliked the harem, his visits could be counted on one''s fingers. Or the Noble Consort would be crying andining that today one concubine insulted her, tomorrow another concubine fought for favor, ormenting that the Emperor never sought her out.
Thinking about her past hardships, she felt regretful.
Fortunately, now that they had Su Zhiruan, and the Emperor had children as well, she believed the days ahead would definitely be better. With this thought, the Empress Dowager cheerfully stood up, "You all have a good chat, I am going out for a little walk, don''t worry!"
"Mother..." Su Zhiruan was unable to stop her. The Empress Dowager walked briskly and soon left the hall.
Now, only Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi were left in the hall.
Shen Qi tightly held her hand, warm and slender, his eyes bore deep feelings. Su Zhiruan could feel his burning gaze, "Ruanruan, how are you faring here with the Empress Dowager? If you''re ufortable, you can also return to the Imperial Study Room, let me take care of you and the child!"
"Your Majesty asks me this every day," Su Zhiruan tilted her head, pulling Shen Qi''srge hand to her stomach, then said, "The Empress Dowager treats me very kindly, and the old nanny here is experienced in childbirth. Let me stay here for now, until..."
She leaned closer to Shen Qi, whispered with a smile, "Until the child is born, then I''ll stay with the Emperor in his bedroom daily, would that be alright?"
Instantly, Shen Qi''s eyes became fervent, he moved his brow, his handsome eyes smoldered with a faint smile, and a hint of darker emotion, he lowered his voice, "I, look forward to seeing what the esteemed Imperial Concubine might do to me..."
Before Shen Qi''s gaze became too unsettling, Su Zhiruan swiftly escaped from his arms.
Only then did Shen Qi remember the matter at hand, "By the way Ruanruan, I sent someone to bring your parents to the Capital City, would you like to see them?"
Su Zhiruan hadn''t expected that her mere mention of her background long ago would still be remembered by Shen Qi, who even brought her parents over.
The original''s biggest worry was leaving behind the elderly Su Family.
"This concubine thanks Your Majesty!" She performed a salute, not only on behalf of the Su Family''s elders but also representing the original inhabitant of her role, and she was very earnest.
In the original story, because Su Zhiruan did not stay beside Shen Qi, the Su elders suffered under a debauched young master and died mourning their daughter.
Regrettably, in their previous life, the Su elders never saw their beloved daughter again before their demise.
Under Shen Qi''s arrangement, Su Zhiruan met the Su elders in Kunning Pce.
The moment the pce doors opened, there was only a threshold between Su Zhiruan and her parents.
In an instant, the usually reticent Su father, along with her mother, both had teary eyes.
"My Ruanruan... my Zhiruan!" Su''s mother stepped forward, embracing her daughter tightly, Su''s father also hurried forward two steps, trembling hands gazing at Su Zhiruan.
This was their first meeting after five years apart.
Now, Su Zhiruan was the honored Imperial Concubine, her mother muttered, with rough hands she carefully caressed her daughter, "My daughter! Your mother has finally seen you again!"
Chapter 23: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 23
Chapter 23: Chapter 23: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 23
"Emperor! The Noble Consort is about to give birth!! Pleasee quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qi''s pupils dted, and he immediately dropped the pen in his hand and dashed out, at that moment, disregarding any imperial demeanor.
When the Empress Dowager received the news, she also stood up at once, her expression anxious, even her palms were sweaty, "Hurry, all of you go quickly! Where''s the midwife?! Has she gone yet, and someone fetch the Imperial Physician! I''m going there immediately! And the nourishing herbal soups! Send them over!"
At this moment, Su Zhiruan was lying on the bed, other than the initial burst of pain, the difort gradually disappeared, yet she could feel a sensation as if something was about to emerge.
The pain faded, likely a benefit from the system''s Newbie Gift Package, she breathed a sigh of relief. The pain wasn''tpletely gone but had lessened significantly. She was veryposed at that time and gestured for the nanny to bring some food.
The nanny too appeared tense, but seeing Su Zhiruan''sposed face, she couldn''t help but praise, "This servant has never seen a master soposed during childbirth, please eat more, conserve your strength."
"Ruanruan!!" Outside the door, Shen Qi had arrived, and he immediately wanted to rush in to see the situation, but was quickly stopped by the midwives at the door.
"Emperor, please don''t worry, the Noble Consort is giving birth, please wait a moment." The nanny saw Shen Qi''s forehead dripping with sweat, his eyes turning red, his hands were all veined, and his eyes filled with concern.
The Empress Dowager, who arrived shortly after, also wanted to rush in to see, but was stopped as well. The old nanny had not expected that both the Emperor and the Empress Dowager, the two highest authorities in the entire Wang Dynasty, would be so protective of the Noble Consort and the unborn child.
"Can I not even go in to see?" The Empress Dowager couldn''t believe she too was stopped, her eyes deeply worried, knowing she couldn''t enter, she did something others wouldn''t dare to consider.
The Empress Dowager, the most honored woman in the nation, lifted her robe and knelt directly on the stone bs, hands pressed together, bowing deeply.
"Empress Dowager!!"
"Mother!!"
The servants and Shen Qi had not anticipated the Empress Dowager would kneel directly.
"Back then, when Mother gave birth to you, it was a difficultbor, barely escaping death, surviving from the brink of the Ghost Gate," the Empress Dowager looked towards Shen Qi, finishing her sentence, then knelt once more, "I am a woman, and I understand best what childbirth is for a woman, it is all agony, all torment, and could even result in death, but for the continuation of life, I am willing, kneeling is to pray for the safety of the mother and child!"
Shen Qi was extremely nervous, but upon hearing the Empress Dowager''s words, he became even more tremblingly nervous, then promptly and decisively, without another word, lifted his bright yellow dragon robe and knelt down.
Praying for the safety of the mother and child.
Praying for his Ruanruan, and the child, to be safe and sound, and stay by his side.
Shen Qi bowed three times.
*
On Su Zhiruan''s side, she, with the system''s Golden Finger, did not feel the pain, but rather, felt a sense of unburdening the moment the child was born.
It was a feeling of immense relief, she could feel her belly immediately dete.
"It''s born, it''s born! Lady, a Prince is born!"
"Congrattions, Lady, congrattions!"
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The child was patted a few times, then immediately started crying.
The old nanny and the midwife among others cheered jubntly, immediately rushing out to spread the good news, while the remaining few attended to the subsequent necessities.
"The servant brings joyous news to the Empress Dowager and the Emperor! Noble Consort has given birth to a little Prince! Both mother and child are safe!"
"Good! Wonderful!"
"What about Ruanruan? How is she?!" Shen Qi craned his neck, eager to see how Su Zhiruan was doing.
"Lady is all well, Your Majesty. Please wait before entering, let this old servant first cleanse Lady."
"Come here!" Shen Qi, unable to contain his excitement, promptly summoned Little Fuzi, even his voice carried a tint of joy, "Announce that today, everyone involved in the birthing of the little Prince, reward each with twenty taels of silver, those who served directly beside Noble Consort, each twenty taels, everyone in the harem five taels! Dere amnesty across thend! Bring the decree, proim the Prince as Crown Prince!"
Shen Qi, giddy with happiness, was visibly overjoyed, his entire demeanor bursting with delight as hevishly dispensed rewards, wanting the whole world to know the delight he felt upon gaining a son and a Crown Prince.
Su Zhiruan had fallen into a deep sleep, experiencing no difort, as the system had added some embellishments to make it appear more real, such as sweat beads all over her forehead and other noticeable changes.
In his happiness, Shen Qi penned several decrees, dering amnesty and awarding his servants, and finally, he carefully wrote a passage on the decree.
"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Noble Consort Su Zhiruan, having given birth to the Crown Prince, is gentle, virtuous, and dignified, possessing profound grace, deeply cherished by Us. She is henceforth proimed Noble Consort, awarded the Golden Seal, included in the royal genealogy, and granted the authority of coordinating with the Six Pce."
This decree spread as quickly as snowkes to the entire harem and was soon known by virtually everyone.
The one most infuriated was the Noble Consort.
She smashed everything within reach, her face darkenedpletely, even bearing a murderous aura, visibly unsettling.
Not just her servants, but evendies who normally ttered her were now meek and did not dare speak to her.
Previously, Noble Consort might have been the highest rank in the Imperial Pce, but now Su Zhiruan, who was already Noble Consort and now upgraded to Noble Consort of the Moon, overshadowed her.
She had the title, a son, the Emperor''s favor, and the protection of the Empress Dowager. How could she not be consumed by jealousy?
"Noble Consort... Your Highness, do not fret. Now that Su Zhiruan is confined for childbirth, it means there are no other women by His Majesty''s side. If you seize this opportunity to bear his child, what difference would it makepared to Su Zhiruan!" Shen Qi brainstormed a reason.
"Get out! I''ve always despised that wretch! A lowly Pce Maid! I am a nobledy, born of a distinguished family! She, a wretch, how does she deserve to bear the Heir!" Noble Consort was nearly frenzied by now, even startling herdy-in-waiting with the madness in her expression.
If this were at night, she would resemble an Evil Ghost!
The Noble Consort simply could not ept the fact that Su Zhiruan had sessfully given birth to a child who was now the Crown Prince.
She reflected on her life before, and the life toe, intermittently crying andughing, appearing disturbingly unhinged.
Even herdy-in-waiting dared not say anything.
*
Upon hearing of their daughter''s childbirth, Su Family''s elderly couple were endlessly anxious and began praying at home, with Su''s mother even taking up permanent residence in the temple months ago, hoping for Su Zhiruan''s safe delivery. Now that she had delivered a Prince, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Mother and child are safe.
Four simple words, yet the best news of all.
Chapter 25: Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 25
Chapter 25: Chapter 25: Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 25
Su Zhiruan didn''t even need to hear the next sentence to feel the heat at her earlobes, followed by a spreading blush.
She knew that during her postpartum period, Shen Qi had asked the Imperial Physician when they could resume marital rtions.
The Imperial Physician said it would be about a month and a half, but for her well-being, he restrained himself many times.
Initially, Su Zhiruan suggested that with so many concubines in his harem, he needn''t hold back because of her.
Although she harbored some feelings for Shen Qi, she was there toplete a task after all, and there was no need to get too involved.
But unexpectedly, when she suggested he could seek other concubines, Shen Qi uncharacteristically stared at her for a long time, and just as she was about to feel embarrassed by his intense gaze, he approached her with an aggrieved expression and slowly said, "Why push me away? I only want you. Do you and the child not want me, to push me away..."
After she repeatedly assured him that she wouldn''t push him away, Shen Qi finally felt satisfied, and after pressing her, though he didn''t go all the way, he left her with tears streaming, her eyes slightly red, and her legs weak, copsing on the bed.
Now, three months had passed, and with the help of the system''s Newbie Gift Package, not only did Su Zhiruan not experience any postpartum issues, but she also became more enchanting and alluring. Different from merely being morous, she exuded maternal charm mixed with a touch of pure allure.
This appealing contrast was utterly captivating; Shen Qi was of an age replete with vigor and unable to withstand, especially seeing her like this, he was uncontrobly passionate, causing disturbances every night, yet they still had not gone all the way.
"Rather than choosing a day, isn''t it better today?" Su Zhiruan on the swing, the man sitting beside her, the two sitting close together, a slight movement from her, and she felt an unusual sensation at her waist. Soon after, she was lifted by Shen Qi, and the unusual sensation in her lower back became even more pronounced.
"Under the broad daylight, and in this clear universe, the Emperor must not¡ª" Su Zhiruanughed and bent over; she jumped directly out of Shen Qi''s arms, waving at the man whose eyes were already reddening, "Your concubine will visit His Majesty tonight?"
Shen Qi was amused and annoyed by her antics, pressing on his fingers and said, "Tonight, you''ll be the one crying."
Here, the two huddled together, yfully messing around.
Meanwhile, on another side they hadn''t anticipated.
The Noble Consort, after arriving at the pce, sought a pretext to visit, iming it was to pray for blessings for Su Zhiruan and the Little Crown Prince.
By then, the Empress Dowager was already displeased with her, fearing her potential mischief, but seeing her sincerity, she agreed nheless.
With Su Zhiruan as theparison, the Empress Dowager found the Noble Consort disagreeable in every aspect.
Su Zhiruan was dignified and polite, gentle and humble, never haughty or arrogant with her favor; it had always been so, even after she gave birth to the empire''s only Crown Prince, she never demanded more than was due.
Without thinking hard, the Empress Dowager knew that if the Noble Consort were pregnant, she would certainly be overbearing, causing unrest throughout the entire harem.
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The Empress Dowager spent all day taking care of the Little Crown Prince, upon hearing of the Noble Consort''s arrival, she personally checked all food and drink, fearful of any poisoning.
The Noble Consort in her own pce quarters, her slender fingernails scraping at some medicine powder.
One hand held the small medicine bottle, while the nails of the other picked at the powder before returning it to the bottle, her features filled with viciousness, dressed in a purple-red gown, she didn''t look noble but more like a malevolent spirit on the road to hell.
"Is this the medicine you managed to get?" the Noble Consort spokenguidly, her toe kicking at the shaking pce maid kneeling on the ground.
"To, to answer the Lady, this is medicine a servant managed to get from outside the pce; it is extremely potent, they say just a touch would arouse any man instantly," the Pce Maid began trembling but perhaps confident in her medicine, she exined bravely.
"Humph, if it''s useless, I will send you and your family to the road to hell together!" the Noble Consort stood up, carefully eyeing the bottle. Even though she appeared to be looking at it, her gaze was not truly on the bottle; perhaps because no one else was around, the Noble Consort slowly started talking, "Now that Su Zhiruan, that despicable woman, has a child, it proves that the Emperor is in good health. If that wretch can conceive, why can''t I? As long as I too bear a child, and then deal with her child, I will still be¡ªEmpress Dowager!"
The Pce Maid was utterly shocked. She knelt on the ground, not daring to lift her head at all.
Who could have thought the Noble Consort''s ambition was so great!
The Pce Maid suddenly felt pity for the Little Crown Prince and the reputedly gentle and virtuous Noble Consort.
As long as this malicious Noble Consort was around, she would disturb the peace of the harem.
Even now, she might not be safe herself. The Pce Maid thought about her way out; having heard such things today, would the Noble Consort let her go?
Impossible!
The Noble Consort hid the medicine in her sleeve, her gaze fierce. Then, she slowly began tough.
"Hahahahahahaha! Su Zhiruan! Just with your lowly status as a pce maid! You darepete with me?"
*
Elsewhere, neither Su Zhiruan nor Shen Qi knew about the malicious intentions of the Noble Consort.
After stepping out from the swing, they thought to visit their child together.
In her past life, Su Zhiruan had been a worker and had little contact with children. Now, seeing the child connected to her by blood, blinking and turning over to look at her, as if seeking praise, she immediately gave him a few gentle words of encouragement.
Shen Qi just watched with a smile.
Shen Xingzhi usually stayed in the Empress Dowager''s pce where he was taken care of. The Empress Dowager dearly loved this hard-won Crown Prince. Everything from his food to his clothing was of the finest quality, and the nannies serving him were the most devoted and earnest.
Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi often visited him. Despite his tenderness, he never acted shy with them, always babbling, wanting to be close to Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi.
"These days have been hard on you, mother," Su Zhiruan said as she held the child and thanked the Empress Dowager. Previously, when the Empress Dowager had threatened her, her impression of her had not been good, but after such a long period of care, she gradually felt the elderly woman''s kindness, "Taking care of such a young child is difficult, mother, you''ve worked hard."
"It''s not hard for me. As long as I see your child, I look forward to each day. Watching him change each day is like tending a well-nurtured nt," the Empress Dowager couldn''t help but express emotionally, "You young couple should foster more emotional bonds. I will be at ease watching the child for you."
Having said that, the Empress Dowager''s mischievous eyes nced at them and even winked at Su Zhiruan.
These days, the young couple was almost inseparably close. Although they had practiced propriety due to Su Zhiruan''s pregnancy, they had refrained from going overboard, and during the postpartum period, Shen Qi was particrly temperate, never exceeding the bounds of propriety.
Su Zhiruan, not usually shy, could not help her thin skin and her ears turned red.
Shen Qi embraced her, "Mother, let us leave Xingzhi with you and step outside for a talk."
The Empress Dowager gestured with her hand, "Go on, I''m at ease here."
Chapter 26: Tender Palace Maid VS Ruthless Emperor 26
Chapter 26: Chapter 26: Tender Pce Maid VS Ruthless Emperor 26
Shen Xingzhi blinked his big eyes and turned over to watch his parents leave affectionately, but because he was too small, he could not maintain his position for long and fell back onto the bed. However, he did not get angry or cry, instead, he just waved his little hands, and when the Empress Dowager stretched out her finger, Little Xingzhi gently grasped it.
The Empress Dowager had longed for a grandson, and now that her wish was fulfilled, she was full of vitality as if she had rejuvenated by ten years. Seeing the little one, she was energized and continued to y with the Little Crown Prince.
Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi walked out of the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce. Not far away, Shen Qi saw the Noble Consort swaying in the distance, and he frowned, ¡°Why has she alsoe?¡±
As soon as Shen Qi saw the Noble Consort behaving sneakily, he felt sure that she was up to no good, wandering around the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce likely trying to harm his and Ruanruan¡¯s child.
If it had been earlier, Shen Qi might have turned a blind eye to her actions, but now that he had someone he wanted to protect, he would never allow the Noble Consort to harm them in secret.
¡°The Empress Mother said she came to pray for the Crown Prince¡¯s blessing and will ask her to leave in a couple of days.¡± Su Zhiruan sighed inwardly, knowing the Noble Consort would definitely take action; given her character, it would be odd if she did not. Her only hope was that the Noble Consort would not harm the child.
When the Noble Consort saw Shen Qi looking at her, she approached hesitantly, first gazing at Shen Qi with tender affection. Then, ncing at Su Zhiruan, she acted as if Su Zhiruan was just an interfering third wheel, ¡°Greetings to the Emperor¡ªEmperor, your consort hase to pray for the little prince¡¯s blessing, and the Empress Dowager has also agreed. Noble Consort Su¡ surely wouldn¡¯t mind her sistering, would she? Emperor, I hope I¡¯m not bothering you and Noble Consort Su!¡±
Her words, dripping with insincerity, insinuated that Su Zhiruan disliked her and tried to sow discord.
However, Su Zhiruan was not flustered but simply smiled at her.
She said nothing, and Shen Qi, seeing her smiling expression, felt even more aggrieved.
His Ruanruan truly was unlike any other woman.
There she was, not caring at all whether her man was with another woman or not, indifferent as if whoever he was with, she¡¯d always bear the same smile.
The more she was like this, the more he felt as if he was about to lose her, no longer able to tolerate any other woman.
Thinking this, Shen Qi¡¯s eyes grew colder as he looked at the Noble Consort. He even thought it was all because of the Noble Consort that his Ruanruan was thinking of distancing herself from him, so Shen Qi bluntly said, ¡°If you¡¯re here to pray, then pray properly. If you try any funny business, the Cold Pce has been vacant for a long time, and I find it quite suitable for you.¡±
Upon hearing ¡®Cold Pce,¡¯ the Noble Consort shuddered, then, looking at Shen Qi, she hurriedly grabbed Su Zhiruan¡¯s hand and left.
Her face contorted with rage, she clenched the small vial in her sleeve tightly, her fingers closing around it almost grinding her teeth, she muttered word for word, ¡°Su, Zhi, Ruan! Wench, I¡¯ll make you pay! Once I gain the Emperor¡¯s favor and have a prince, just you wait¡ª¡±
The Pce Maid kept her head down, not daring to say a word, simply watching the path in front of her as her body trembled slightly.
Seeing the Noble Consort storm off, she hurriedly followed suit.
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*
¡°Ruanruan! Next time you encounter this woman, just scold her outright, look at how she was ring at you just now!¡± Shen Qi held Su Zhiruan by the shoulders, seating her on the bed, and then looked at her with a sense of grievance in his eyes.
Su Zhiruan was indeed puzzled, ¡°Isn¡¯t she your woman?¡±
Shen Qi was now almost infuriated to death, did she not consider him her husband at all! Even if other women came to him, she seemed not to mind, ¡°I only want to be good to you, I don¡¯t want to care about anyone else, Ruanruan, do you not want me anymore¡¡±
At this point, Su Zhiruan did indeed start to feel a little at a loss. She had bound the Childbirth System, and knowing that Shen Qi was the Emperor, she had known from the beginning that he would definitely not have just her.
But as far as now, it seemed like¡ Shen Qi had developed real feelings for her, he could even distinguish green tea on his own and automatically avoid other women, all to avoid making her overthink.
Moreover¡ as the Emperor, he should refer to himself as ¡°We,¡± and he did indeed do so in front of the Noble Consort just now, but in front of her, it seemed he always referred to himself as ¡°I¡±.
After thinking it over, she decided to find a sensible reason, and carefully considering it, she looked at Shen Qi¡¯s aggrieved expression and said seriously, ¡°I am afraid if I make a fuss, you will find me annoying.¡±
¡°I won¡¯t!¡± Shen Qi answered decisively, sitting down beside her, ¡°Whether it¡¯s a man or a woman, showing jealousy and quarreling for their partner is an expression of love. Without love, after being disappointed by someone for a long time, one wouldn¡¯t even think of arguing but would just feel tired and gradually drift away. Ruanruan, you don¡¯t have to hold back, I am here for everything, I will support you!¡±
¡°And with Xingzhi, once he grows up, we will protect you together. If we have a little Princess, it will be up to me and Xingzhi to protect you and the little Princess.¡± Shen Qi said, seemingly already fantasizing about a soft and adorable little girl who looked just like her, being held in his arms, sweetly calling him father.
¡°To want a little princess, I alone can¡¯t manage it,¡± Su Zhiruan gave a sly smile, then blinked, leaning back directly, her thin outer garment slipping off her shoulders. Her slender figure was just right in all the right ces, the fullness from childbirth making her look like a fairy, the corner of her eyes full of sly amusement as she nestled up to him, whispering in his ear, ¡°How about, Your Majesty¡¡±
¡°Ruanruan, I am not a saint,¡± he replied.
Shen Qi could hardly withstand such a Su Zhiruan; usually demure and dignified in front of others, yet so tempting only in front of him, his eyes darkening in almost an instant.
The slippery sensation, the pleasing chants, were almost instantly conjured from the memories in his mind.
Soon, the canopy was pulled down, clothes scattered across the floor.
Tearful eyes, drenched in fragrant sweat, a supple waist, skin white as snow.
¡
Little Fuzi, not finding his Emperor in the Imperial Study Room, took a turn to the Empress Dowager¡¯s pce without any luck either ¨C clinching cold sweat, he eventually returned to the side hall of the Imperial Study Room.
Then¡ he heard noises from the sleeping chambers¡
His rushing footsteps silently retracted, walking away a bit, mumbling to himself as he walked.
If someone were beside him, they would hear him muttering, ¡°¡ clear skies and daylight ¡ proim during the day¡ s, Your Majesty¡ Lady¡ indeed¡¡±
On the other hand, he also thought¡ªhaving a few more Princes and Princesses in the harem¡ perhaps some of the void in His Majesty¡¯s heart could be filled a bit¡
Chapter 30 - 30 Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 30
Chapter 30: Chapter 30 Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 30
That day, the entire Imperial Pce and even the court received this imperial edict.
The court buzzed with discussion, the mor unceasing, but byparison, the harem epted this fact quite calmly.
When they had first entered the pce, they had thought up various strategies to gain Shen Qi¡¯s favor, but more often than not, due to their low status, they could not even get an audience with the Emperor. Now that Su Zhiruan had suddenly appeared by Shen Qi¡¯s side, having given birth to the Crown Prince, bing the current Noble Consort, most concubines in the harem felt they had no chance to wedge themselves between them.
Rather thannguishing in boredom in the harem for the rest of their lives, they preferred to leave the pce with the status of a courtdy, carrying their rewards and living freely. If they encountered a betterpanion, they could also spend their lives together.
After waking from her noon nap, Su Zhiruan heard amotion outside. At this moment, a Pce Maid came to assist her in rising.
¡°Did the noise wake up Your Ladyship? I¡¯ll ask them to move away,¡± said the Pce Maid, seeing Su Zhiruan frequently nce towards the window, assuming she was awakened by the noise.
Su Zhiruan waved her hand dismissively, curious about what was happening, and said lightheartedly, ¡°I¡¯m not going to eat anyone,e, let¡¯s go have a look.¡±
The two walked out of the sleeping quarters one after another, and then Su Zhiruan stood at the entrance of Kunning Pce.
What met her eyes were carriagesden withrge and small luggage, forming a queue heading out of the pce. Some concubines had smiles on their faces, while others looked distressed.
Some pcedies who passed by and saw Su Zhiruan immediately curtsied, ¡°Greetings to the Noble Consort.¡±
¡°Rise, what are you doing today?¡± Su Zhiruan had slept until now, even missing the time for lunch, so drowsy she could barely keep her eyes open. Shen Qi had coaxed her to eat a few bites, after which she continued to sleep. Waking up, she found the harem nearly emptied.
¡°Your Ladyship isn¡¯t aware?¡± The woman who curtsied, whose previous position was that of a Noble, was surprised by Su Zhiruan¡¯s question. She then exined, ¡°The Emperor and the Empress Dowager decreed that the concubines below the rank of concubine, carrying the corresponding double rewards, be dismissed from the pce with the status of courtdies. The concubines have already received their rewards and are now leaving the pce!¡±
Su Zhiruan truly hadn¡¯t expected this. Upon hearing the news, she looked up towards the distance¡ªthe procession leaving the pce had already formed a long queue.
¡°Noble Consort!!¡±
Just as Su Zhiruan was looking towards the queue on the left side where people were leaving the pce, a clear and joyful voice suddenly called out from not far away. Turning her head, she saw it was a familiar face.
The vocally expressive woman was apanied by a more demure woman, and both of them, inseparable as shadows, had joyful smiles on their faces.
¡°Lady Wang, Lady Song?¡± Su Zhiruan took a couple of steps towards them. Seeing their joyful expressions told her they were content with leaving the pce. She smiled and said, ¡°It¡¯s good that I get to see you again before you leave the pce.¡±
¡°Oh, isn¡¯t that right,¡± Lady Wang said excitedly, her mouth almost stretching to her ears. Lady Song gently tugged at her sleeve, and only then did she remember her manners, bing a bit more serious, ¡°At the time, the three of us were punished to kneel together by the Noble Consort, oh no, she¡¯s now just a Lady. None of us expected to see such a day as this.¡±
Lady Song blinked softly, ¡°Who would¡¯ve thought that the three of us from that day would be so different now? The Emperor holds you in high esteem and has also shown us favor. Rather than dying old and alone in the pce, it¡¯s better to leave the pce where the sea opens for fish to leap and the sky is wide for birds to fly. The Emperor has released us, he truly cares for you and loves you deeply, Noble Consort.¡±
¡°Have you made any ns for after leaving the pce?¡± Su Zhiruan asked softly after nodding slightly.
As soon as Lady Wang mentioned this, her bubbly personality resurfaced, and she even sped up her speech, possibly because she was talking about something she liked, ¡°Our hometowns are both very far away, certainly too far to return to. We¡¯re nning to open an apothecary. It just so happens she has medical skills, and I, well, I can provide protection and dispense medicine. As for the future, if we meet someone we fancy, then we¡¯ll marry. Anyway, life is bound to get better.¡±
¡°Noble Consort, you and the Emperor should also take care,¡± Lady Song lifted her skirt to curtsy, a courtly gesture¡ªshe smiled after bowing, ¡°This might be thest time I perform a pce courtesy in this lifetime. Ruanruan, I wish you happiness.¡±
¡°I wish you happiness,¡± Lady Wang also curtsied.
¡°May you find happiness too, and may we meet again someday,¡± Su Zhiruan replied as she returned the curtsy and bid farewell.
She watched as the two of them slowly walked away,ughing and joking about something, and suddenly she felt quite emotional.
She was just an outsider here toplete a mission, yet she had managed to be remembered by others.
This feeling was rather pleasant.
*
In the following period, the harem became busy again.
Due to the flood disaster in Jiangnan, many concubines were sent away from the court, and there was much to attend to on both fronts.
Before long, it had been a hundred days since Little Crown Prince Xingzhi was born, and the Empress Dowager, along with Su Zhiruan, happily instructed the servants to prepare for the banquet.
This time it was a family banquet, with not many people from the harem attending, just Su Zhiruan, Shen Qi, and the Empress Dowager, as well as members of the Imperial Family who were on good terms with them. They enjoyed a meal together in a harmonious atmosphere.
The days that followed became much quieter, but Shen Qi, Su Zhiruan, and the Empress Dowager were all very content.
The Empress Dowager started living the life she wanted, doting on her grandson, and encouraged Shen Qi and Su Zhiruan to give Little Shen Xingzhi a few more brothers and sisters. Whenever this topic came up, Su Zhiruan knew she wouldn¡¯t need to prepare breakfast for herself the next day.
One monthter.
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Shen Qi looked at Su Zhiruan, who had fallen asleep at the edge of the desk in the Imperial Study Room, and, filled with concern, put down his pen and approached to feel her forehead.
Lately, the young girl seemed to be tired all day long, whether it was during daytime or at night. Seeing her so exhausted, he even refrained from disturbing her at night.
Initially, he thought it was because he was too demanding at night that caused her tock sleep, but now, she was falling asleep over her books during the day¡
The more Shen Qi thought, the more worried he became. He stepped out of the Imperial Study Room and seeing Little Fuzi chatting on the side, he called him over in a low voice, ¡°Little Fuzi, go call the Imperial Physician for Us!¡±
Little Fuzi had been chatting with his apprentice, but when he suddenly saw Shen Qie out, he was so startled that he almost kneeled down, only to be stopped by Shen Qi himself.
¡°If you dare make a sound today, We will fine you three months¡¯ sry¡±, Shen Qi spoke indifferently, stopping Little Fuzi from bending his knees, ¡°Go find the Imperial Physician for Us.¡±
¡°Your Majesty¡ Why do you need the Imperial Physician?¡± Little Fuzi carefully scrutinized Shen Qi, afraid that he might be injured somewhere.
¡°Ask again and see what happens,¡± Shen Qi¡¯s calm gaze fell upon him, and although it was gentle, Little Fuzi, who had followed him for more than a decade, knew that if he continued to inquire, he might really lose his head, so he quickly went to fetch the Imperial Physician.
Shen Qi returned to the Imperial Study Room and didn¡¯t continue to review the petitions. Instead, he sat beside Su Zhiruan and carefully lifted her up so she could sleep morefortably.
Soon, the Imperial Physician arrived hurriedly, carrying a medicine chest, following Little Fuzi into the Imperial Study Room.
As soon as he entered, the Imperial Physician didn¡¯t even look up and loudly said, ¡°This humble servant pays his respects to Your Majesty!¡±
In an instant, Shen Qi¡¯s sharp gaze fell upon the Imperial Physician, and at that moment, Su Zhiruan was also awakened by the noise.
Chapter 32 - 32 Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 32
Chapter 32: Chapter 32 Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 32
Several days after Shen Xingzhi¡¯s grabbing ceremony came to an end, Su Zhiruan, following the advice of Emperor Shen Qi and the Empress Dowager, reduced her activities. Midwives and elderly nannies were always on standby at Kunning Pce.
The Imperial Physician still came daily to check for a peaceful pulse. The pce was quiet, everyone dreading any idents that might disturb Su Zhiruan.
One ordinary morning, Su Zhiruan felt waves of pain in her belly, a warning ache that ebbed after a while, then the sensation gradually weakened considerably.
This was her second childbirth, and she was familiar with the process. By her side, Shen Qi almost instantly noticed her difort, seeing her look toward her belly he immediately grew tense, ¡°Ruanruan, is it time to give birth?¡±
¡°Yes, could you please ask the midwives toe?¡± Su Zhiruany on her side on the bed, her voice seemingly steady, but Shen Qi perceived it as her feigningposure.
Straight after, Shen Qi quickly donned his outer robe and got up to call the servants, ¡°Some of you go call the midwives, some of you go inform the Empress Dowager, Little Fuzi go summon all the imperial physicians from the Imperial Hospital.¡±
The pce attendants, upon hearing this, knew that Su Zhiruan was going to give birth! They immediately set about their duties.
Upon hearing the news, the Empress Dowager had the nanny carry the Little Crown Prince in the pnquin to rush over quickly.
Little Shen Xingzhi was still young, but his temperament was already not unlike that of Shen Qi. Being carried over, he simply looked around quietly. Once the Empress Dowager and her party arrived at Kunning Pce, and Little Xingzhi saw his father Emperor, he stretched out his little hands wanting an embrace, ¡°Father¡ Father Emperor!¡±
¡°How is Ruanruan doing now? Has she gone intobor? Have the Imperial Physician and the nannies arrived?¡± the Empress Dowager asked as she picked up the Little Crown Prince, looking over at Shen Qi.
Shen Qi took Little Shen Xingzhi from the arms of the Empress Dowager, ¡°The nannies have arrived, and the Imperial Physician is waiting outside the pce.¡±
¡°May heaven bless us, pray that Ruanruan has a smooth delivery,¡± the Empress Dowager prayed devoutly, sping her hands together.
*
Su Zhiruan¡¯s childbirth went very smoothly, with the aid of the System Newbie Gift Package, she felt no pain. All she needed to do was push. Fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, and the nannies cheered her on.
Amidst the cacophony of the nannies¡¯ voices, she heard,
¡°Lady! Push! We can see the baby¡¯s head now¡ªit¡¯s a Prince!¡±
¡°The second baby hase out too! It¡¯s also a Prince! Great joy for the Lady!¡±
¡°Wait, there¡¯s another child¡ª¡±
The midwives turned around in unison, originally thinking that Noble Consort Su carried twins, but they didn¡¯t expect it to be triplets!!
¡°Lady! Please push again! There is still one more child in your womb!¡±
¡°Great joy, Lady! Great joy indeed!¡±
¡°This is an extremely joyful asion! Hurry, go report to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!¡±
¡
After knowing that all three children were born safely, the burden Su Zhiruan had carried for ten months was finallypletely lifted. By then, she was too exhausted to speak and quickly fell into a deep sleep. In a daze, she felt Shen Qi¡¯srge hand tightly clutching hers and he did not let go for a long time.
The joy on the Empress Dowager and Shen Qi¡¯s faces was beyond words when they found out about the triplets.
¡°Triplets?! I thought Ruanruan was having twins; I never expected such an auspicious sign today!¡± The Empress Dowager was so surprised she couldn¡¯t close her mouth. She looked over the three children again and again, ¡°Are these three children Princes or Princesses?¡±
¡°Replying to the Empress Dowager! Great joy! All three children are little Princes!¡± one of the three nannies said.
Three Princes! Su Zhiruan had given birth to three Princes at once!
At this moment, the Empress Dowager and the servants had already acknowledged her as the Mandate of Heaven for the Wang Dynasty, a blessed star shining bright.
Shen Qi, now, sat beside Su Zhiruan¡¯s bed, gazing at her deep sleeping countenance and the beads of sweat on her forehead. He didn¡¯t want to look away for a moment. He held Su Zhiruan¡¯s hand, havingpletely forgotten that he was the Emperor; he forgot who he was, his entire heart concerned for the girl before him who had just borne him three children.
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For the first time in over twenty years, he experienced such sweetness andplexity, a mix of love and anxiety. At this moment, his entire heart had been wholly given to his Ruanruan before him.
Had someone told him beforehand that one day his entire emotional being would be tied to a woman, he certainly would not have believed it.
Yet now, he was immensely grateful to his past self for choosing to keep her by his side, to give his entire being, his whole heart to her.
If she were to suddenly vanish at this moment, Shen Qi did not even dare to imagine how maddened he would be.
The Empress Dowager, being a woman herself, deeply understood the difficulties of pregnancy and knew that Su Zhiruan, having birthed three children, was surely exhausted.
She stood outside the bedroom, watching her son holding the hand of his beloved girl, the mighty Emperor with tears welling in his eyes, falling drop by drop onto the silk quilt. She nodded her head in satisfaction, then silently retreated, leaving the gifts she had thoughtfully prepared for Su Zhiruan with her pce maid.
Her son, having found his love and having children, changed the most.
The Emperor, who used to be cold and immersed in bureaucratic affairs daily, and who even became estranged from her because of her nagging about the issue of heirs, had be much kinder and more humane after having Su Zhiruan and the children. His rtionship with her, his mother, had also improved a lot.
She was very grateful to Su Zhiruan. Without her, Shen Qi would have been a cold and ruthless loner today,cking love and bing capricious, which was thest thing she, as a mother, wanted to see.
As a mother, what she most wanted was for her children to be safe and joyful, not just lofty and high above without happiness, without emotion.
Now, she and thete Emperor had failed to be good parents, but Qiqi was blessed by Heaven. He found the person he cherished and had be the happy person she wanted him to be.
*
The news that Imperial Concubine Moon had given birth to triplet Princes spread throughout the entire Wang Dynasty as if it were pieces of paper carried by the wind.
Themon folks marveled at her as a Goddess, and some couples who had prayed to Fertility Guanyin for children even went to worship Su Zhiruan afterpleting their prayers.
The court ministers who had been dissatisfied with Shen Qi for disbanding the harem had nothing to say at this point. They had wished to send their daughters into the pce to garner favors for themselves, using theck of heirs under the Emperor¡¯s knees as an excuse. Now that Su Zhiruan had given birth to three little Princes, the ministers had absolutely nothing to say. Some even felt that their previous criticisms were embarrassing and simply chose to shut themselves in their homes.
There were some stubborn ministers, however, who still insisted on saying the opposite ¡ª that the Emperor¡¯s progeny was not meager, but such an abundance of Princes would inevitably lead to battles for sessionter on.
After Shen Qi learned of this, he didn¡¯t say anything but quietly ordered the Hidden Guards to trip up these few ministers who were making irreverentments so that their families would have affairs to deal with, distracting them from wagging their tongues recklessly.
Su Zhiruan¡¯s parents entered the pce to see her and brought many fresh novelties and several Peace Fortunes embroidered by her mother.
Su Zhiruan¡¯s recovery time this round was longer than thest, and while the system could have restored her health immediately, doing so overtly would certainly have aroused suspicion, so she stayed in Kunning Pce for close to two months.
The Empress Dowager, concerned for her health, let her rest at ease. She and the elderly nanny took care of the children.
Chapter 33 - 33 Delicate Palace Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 33
Chapter 33: Chapter 33 Delicate Pce Maid VS Cold-hearted Emperor 33
The Empress Dowager took care of the Princes, and Su Zhiruan couldn¡¯t be more reassured. Yet, when she thought of Shen Qi¡¯s dream of having a little Princess, she couldn¡¯t help but want tough.
Shen Qi was worried she would be anxious about the stretch marks on her belly, so he searched the entire nation for ointments and medicines that could eliminate scars. Countless of them were sent to Kunning Pce alone.
Su Zhiruan looked at the boxes of ointment on the table and turned to Shen Qi with a helpless look, ¡°It¡¯s a good thing His Majesty is wise. Otherwise, if you send these precious items to your concubine every day, I¡¯m afraid I would have already be the demon concubine of the nation in the eyes of the people.¡±
¡°That would never happen. Our Ruanruan is so good. Nowadays, when young couples pray for children, they pray to you first,¡± Shen Qi held her with a soft voice, ¡°Right, we haven¡¯t named the three children yet. I¡¯ve thought of a few names, would Ruanruan like to make the decision?¡±
Little Fuzi came in carrying a tray with many characters written on it, all with very good meanings.
¡°It would be good for Ruanruan to think of a few names too.¡± Shen Qi wanted her to look at these characters and also to name the children.
Su Zhiruan looked at the red papers with the characters written on them and had an idea. She turned and smiled at Shen Qi, ¡°How about this: let the three children draw lots to decide their own names? Perhaps fate will allow them to choose characters that suit them.¡±
The suggestion was good, and Shen Qi quickly agreed.
Little Fuzi followed them with the tray as the three of them went to Cining Pce.
As soon as she entered Cining Pce, Su Zhiruan saw Little Xingzhi.
The Little Crown Prince had grown a bit more and could walk steadily now. The little figure¡¯s eyes lit up when he saw her and Shen Qi, ¡°Father Emperor, Mother Concubine!!¡±
Su Zhiruan picked him up. Mother and son cuddled, their affection boundless. This must be the power of blood rtions; even without seeing each other every day, the bond of blood made them close.
The three Princes, held in the arms of three elderly nannies in the distance, looked over curiously with their eyes wide open. They were too young to understand what was happening, just staring with their round eyes.
¡°How is Ruanruan feeling now,¡± the Empress Dowager had her servants move a soft chair for Su Zhiruan, and Shen Qi sat beside it.
¡°Mother Empress taking care of the four children must have been hard,¡± Su Zhiruan insisted the Empress Dowager sit first. She turned her eyes, which were rolling round and round, to the three babies in swaddles, teased the children, and held each of them in turn. All three were well-behaved; when she picked them up, they all smiled with their eyes squinted.
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The Empress Dowager drank a sip of tea, her eyes, filled with affection, looked at the children, ¡°This old body is not distressed.¡±
¡°These days are truly good,¡± the Empress Dowager seemed to fall into some memories, ¡°Ever since thete Emperor passed away, this old body has been managing the harem, only able to chat with people by my side. Later on, someone from my maternal home also entered the pce, and so they were doted on a bit more. Every time I saw those Madams doting on their grandchildren, I wondered when the harem would have some children, lively surrounding this old body. To live such a life, even death would be satisfying.¡±
¡°Mother Empress mustn¡¯t say such things, surely you will live a long and prosperous life.¡± Shen Qi stopped her, then changed the subject, ¡°Mother Empress, I have considered a few characters for the children. Ruanruan suggested letting the Princes pick their own names; whatever they grab will be their name.¡±
The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction, ¡°This old body finds it feasible.¡±
So, the three of them had the nannies bring up the Second Prince, the Third Prince, and the Fourth Prince together.
The Second Prince was very calm. When Little Fuzi ced the tray in front of him, he just quietly looked at it and did not move. Su Zhiruan stood up, took the tray, and only then did the small child stretch out his hands to be held. Afterward, he seemed to grab something, and clenched it in his hand.
¡°It¡¯s a ¡®Shu¡¯ character,¡± Su Zhiruan took off the paper strip, ¡°Then the Second Prince shall be Shen Xingshu.¡±
The Third Prince hadn¡¯t yete forward when he started to fuss in the old nanny¡¯s arms. Little Fuzi took the tray from Su Zhiruan¡¯s hands and brought it in front of the Third Prince, who grabbed arge character¡ªQi¡ªimmediately.
And the Fourth Prince watched everything quietly; no matter who approached, he simplyy in his swaddling clothes, watching without showing any intention of reaching out to grab one. In the end, the Empress Dowager actively chose a character for him, ¡°Duan¡±.
Thus, the names of the three young princes were decided: the Second Prince, Shen Xingshu; the Third Prince, Shen Xingqi; and the Fourth Prince, Shen Xingduan.
Once the young princes¡¯ names were settled, Shen Qi brought up another important matter.
¡°Ruanruan, I¡¯ve had the Observatory select a few auspicious days. Take a look and see which one is better, suitable for the Empress¡¯s coronation ceremony,¡± Shen Qi said earnestly, holding her hand.
¡°This is quite timely! I also had the Observatory calcte a few auspicious days. I was nning to bring up this matter earlier. There are so many preparations needed for the coronation ceremony; it cannot be rushed, nor dyed too long,¡± the Empress Dowager also took out the auspicious days she had been eyeing.
Su Zhiruan looked at the expectant gaze of the two, then at Shen Xingzhi, who was blinking curiously in Shen Qi¡¯s arms, and the children being held by the nannies in the distance. Suddenly, her heart was filled with indescribable emotions.
¡°Mother, Your Majesty, thank you.¡±
Originally, she had only wanted toplete a task and survive, yet she hadn¡¯t expected that what she hadn¡¯t received in her own world, she had obtained in Small World, care from others, in another form.
*
After the day for the coronation ceremony was set, the entire harem began to buzz with festivity once more.
The concubines, who had previously shut themselves in for fear of offending Su Zhiruan, now came one after another to congratte her.
At the time, Shen Qi had ordered that the concubines below the rank of concubine be dispersed from the pce. Those above that rank, including concubines and Noble Ladies, amounted to a dozen or so.
When they came to see Su Zhiruan, their eyes no longer held jealousy or the ambition to vie for favor. All that remained was indifference, and for some, envy, and as for the Noble Consort, she now stayed far away, fearing that Su Zhiruan would find out she had once been ackey for the former Noble Consort.
Apart from them, there remained the one who had been demoted from Noble Consort to Noble directly by the Empress Dowager¡¯s order.
The Noble Mei, who was formerly a Noble Consort, tightened her grip on the broom upon hearing that Su Zhiruan was about to be Empress. Her expression twisted into one of malice instantaneously.
¡°What are you looking at? What¡¯s with that expression? Go sweep the floor for me,¡± a concubine whom she had once bullied was now cracking melon seeds, spitting out the shells while berating her, ¡°You dared to bully me, andter the current Imperial Concubine, oh no, who will soon be the Empress. You never expected this, did you? What goes aroundes around.¡±
¡°Su Zhiruan, that bitch?! Empress?!¡± Noble Mei couldn¡¯t hold back, and blurted out curses before she realized her own predicament.
¡°Oh, look at the big talker, offending the Empress,¡± snapped the concubine as she leaped to her feet and pointed at her nose, ¡°Guards, p her! How dare you insult the Empress, our current Empress ispassionate and benevolent, full of love; the entire Imperial Pce adores her, the whole world respects and cherishes her! You should be thankful for your own downfall; if you had risen to power back then, I would have been skinned alive!¡±
Amidst the loud ps, the Noble Mei, once a Noble Consort, gradually harbored a sinister thought in her heart.
She was going to make Su Zhiruan die!
Along with her children, all of them, straight to Hell!
If she couldn¡¯t have it, then no one else could!
Chapter 38 - 38 Extra: The Children
Chapter 38: Chapter 38 Extra: The Children
As is well known, the Wang Dynasty had six princes and one princess.
Initially, whether it was themon folk, the court ministers, or the noble families and families from Jianghu, all were curious whether these six princes would fight each other bloody for the Emperor¡¯s position, incite pce revolutions, or even resort to fratricide or patricide.
But the reality waspletely contrary to their spections.
Not only did the princes note to blows, but even when the Crown Prince Shen Xingzhi was willing to abdicate, no one agreed to it.
Those with an interest wanted to know where the remaining princes had gone and had to spend some effort to find out.
After Shen Qi abdicated voluntarily, Crown Prince Shen Xingzhi ascended the throne as the new Emperor. He was prudent in his actions, having been tutored closely by Shen Qi from a young age. The Grand Tutor devoted everything to make him a good monarch, and Shen Xingzhi seeded. Every now and then, he would go to the vi to visit Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi, urging them toe home often. Despite his young age, he gave the impression of a left-behind child, and each time, Su Zhiruan had to spend a long timefortingly chuckling. He married the chief daughter of the Minister of Appointments, his childhood sweetheart, when they came of age, and did not take concubines after marriage. The deep affection between the Emperor and Empress became another pleasant tale among the folk.
Compared to him, the Second Prince Shen Xingshu pursued what he loved, enamored with literature and arts. Had it not been for Shen Xingzhi¡¯s intervention, his prince residence might have been transformed into a study filled with calligraphy, paintings, and poetry. He wouldpose poetry about everything he saw, greatly promoting the cultural development of the dynasty. Even three-year-old children could recite his poems praising filial love. As Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi traveled and enjoyed themselves, they asionally heard legends about them, most of the credit for which went to Shen Xingshu.
Third Prince Shen Xingqi, who had always enjoyed wielding swords and spears, was appointed as General by Shen Xingzhi to retain him. However, since the times were peaceful with no wars, Shen Xingqi could not stand the monotonous life in the Capital City and ventured into Jianghu. Eventually, he cut through numerous obstacles and even became the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch, reformed Jianghu, eradicated the Demon Sect, and was praised by all.
Fourth Prince Shen Xingduan often visited Huguo Temple for cultivation. The abbot, recognizing his intrinsic Buddha nature, ceded his position to him. Shen Xingduan then excelled beyond his predecessor. In terms of Buddhist teachings, no one could surpass him, and he became known as the ¡°Living Buddha¡± of Huguo Temple.
Fifth Prince Shen Xingshang, who had been extremely interested in trade from a young age, ventured incognito into business using his princely stipend. After eight years, he directly became the richest man of the dynasty. Whenever he saw Su Zhiruan and Shen Qi, he would worry that they might not have enough money to spend, stuffing wads of silver notes into their hands like falling snowkes.
Sixth Prince Shen Xinghe, who had studied agriculture, volunteered to be a County Magistrate. Initially, Shen Xingzhi refused, but could not withstand his pleading and finally agreed. In his second year as County Magistrate, the rice production doubled, and the amount of grain he submitted increased substantially. He became the most popr magistrate, with all themoners hoping he would personallye to guide them.
Princess Shen Xingyue, spoiled from childhood by her family, was treated as precious as the stars and the moon. She resembled Su Zhiruan closely in appearance, but her personality was clingier. Su Zhiruan, having a daughter for the first time, chose to keep her close and care for her. Sweet and charming from a young age, there was no one who didn¡¯t like her after meeting her. As she grew up, she even more closely resembled Su Zhiruan.
By chance, she met a young, principled, andw-abiding schrureate, and subsequently, she too had a wonderful marriage.
¡
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After Su Zhiruanpleted her mission, she was transported back to the System Space¡ªa deserted expanse ofnd.
[Host! You were amazing!]
[Although this world seems simple, hardly any host was able to undertake this mission!]
At this time, Su Zhiruan was somewhat dazed, having just lived a lifetime and still slow to react, murmured a couple of indifferent replies, ¡°Thank you.¡±
[But you shouldn¡¯t take it lightly, the next world will be more challenging]
After the system finished speaking and noticed her low spirits, it paused before deciding to speak up.
[But don¡¯t worry too much, after all, it¡¯s in the modern era, and you¡¯ll be somewhat familiar with it.]
¡°In the modern era?¡± Su Zhiruan lifted her head, adjusted her emotions, and smiled at the system, ¡°Transport me then. It feels like it¡¯s been ages since the modern era.¡±
[Okay!]
¡
With a dizzying whirl, Su Zhiruan felt her consciousness begin to blur, as new memories infiltrated her mind.
Hotel.
¡°Sign this contract, and Mr. Lu will immediately arrange for your grandmother to stay in the best ward and receive the best treatment,¡± the man standing beside her adjusted his sses and sped a briefcase in his arm, speaking in an even tone to the dazed girl sitting there, ¡°Miss Su, please think this through.¡±
Su Zhiruan snapped back to reality and saw the words on the contract.
Thenguage of the contract was lofty, but in fact¡ª
¡ªit was a sponsorship contract!
¡°Miss Su, you¡ª¡± the man in sses wanted to say something else but was interrupted by another man sitting in a wheelchair, who lifted his hand to stop him.
¡°Quiet, let her read,¡± the man exuded a formidable aura, his innate nobility undeniable even while seated in a wheelchair.
Dressed in a pure ck suit, the gems at his cuffs reflected a subdued sparkle under the dim lights. The man appeared slightlynguid, casually loosening his wristwatch, his voice deep as a cello, ¡°Miss Su need not worry too much, I, Lu Peijin, will not force anyone against their will. If you have reservations, you may leave.¡±
Su Zhiruan skimmed through the contract in a sh; there was no time to grasp the situation now, so she directly consulted the System.
¡°Can I sign this?¡±
[You can, host. He is none other than Lu Peijin, the son of Heavenly Dao and your target for this mission!]
Realizing this, Su Zhiruan quickly signed her name and, using a seal pad offered by the secretary, stamped her print on the contract.
Lu Peijin remained seated in his wheelchair, unmoving, while the secretary bowed and handed over the signed contract to him, ¡°Mr. Lu.¡±
¡°Miss Su, I will arrange for specialists to treat your grandmother and provide her with the best medical care. Once you give birth to the child and leave, I will ensure you are provided for the rest of your life,¡± Lu Peijin¡¯s gaze, under the dim light, grew dangerous andplex.
He signaled the secretary to take away the contract, then looked at Su Zhiruan, ¡°Miss Su, you may go back today, ande when I call you.¡±
Su Zhiruan nodded, ¡°Alright.¡±
After that, the secretary opened the door to the presidential suite, and she walked out nonchntly.
Descending in the elevator, she stood in the restroom and saw her current appearance: pure and delicate, yet very fair and clean.
And so she also received the background information for this mission.
The original Su Zhiruan was an orphan raised by her grandmother.
One could say her grandmother was her only family.
But just after she graduated from college, her grandmother became seriously ill, needing a substantial amount of money, which she could not afford.
Just when she was feeling hopeless and getting rejected everywhere, Lu Peijin sent someone to state his terms¡ª
Chapter 40 - 40 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 2
Chapter 40: Chapter 40 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 2
¡°Yo¡ªlook who we have here! Isn¡¯t this our dear little Master Lu?¡± The neer¡¯s hair was slicked back with plenty of gel into a Mohican style, and though he was wearing a suit, he looked more like a spoiled second-generation heir. He started with mockery, ¡°Lu Peijin, the young master of the Lu Family. If you¡¯re disabled, you better stay at home instead of wandering around. It took some effort to save one leg; be careful not to break the other in an ident.¡±
¡°You¡ª¡± The secretary, following close behind Lu Peijin, immediately wanted to retaliate. He clenched his fists but was stopped by Lu Peijin.
¡°Yo yo yo, what¡¯s this?! Wanna hit me? Come on, hit right here!¡± The arrogant heir sneered, sticking his head forward, ¡°If it were before, I would respectfully call you uncle, but you¡¯ve been disabled for so many years, it¡¯s about time you stepped down!¡±
¡°The old man may not like me, but he wouldn¡¯t care for a cripple either. If you had a child, maybe the old man would reconsider, but s, some people just don¡¯t have such fate!¡± The heir gloated.
He rambled on and on, but Lu Peijin showed no reaction.
¡°Thest person who dared to talk to me like that, seems to still be lying in the hospital this month,¡± Lu Peijin said casually, as if he was merely discussing what he had for breakfast. He flipped a page of the newspaper as he spoke and calmly looked over when he saw the other man was still not leaving.
Although he said nothing, and his gaze was calm, anyone who knew him understood this was a prelude to Lu Peijin¡¯s brewing storm.
Lu Ming, the illegitimate son of the Lu Family who had just mocked him, suddenly quieted down, giving Lu Peijin a fierce stare. Guilt made his voice much louder, ¡°You wait! Even if you¡¯re the young master of the Lu Family, what of it? Once my brother takes over your position, you¡¯ll just be kicked out of the house!!¡±
The so-calledckeys behind him listened to the exchange but dared not utter a word; instead, they cautiously observed both parties, keeping their heads down and making themselves as inconspicuous as possible.
Afterward, Lu Ming left with his entourage, fuming.
¡°Mr. Lu?!¡± The secretary, not loud but clearly frustrated, called out to him, ¡°Why don¡¯t you just get rid of him once and for all? He¡¯s just an illegitimate child, yet he dares to provoke you like this. You could easily take care of him!¡±
¡°A mere jumping clown, no need to take such direct provocations seriously,¡± Lu Peijin finished flipping through the newspaper, folded it neatly, andid it on the table. Looking up, he saw Su Zhiruan hard at work, and gestured with his finger, ¡°Call her over.¡±
The secretary followed the direction of his finger and spotted Su Zhiruan.
Thinking that Lu Peijin might have something to say, the secretary stood up and went to call Su Zhiruan.
Su Zhiruan saw Lu Peijin¡¯s secretarying out, then standing still in front of her.
¡°Miss Su, pleasee with me. Mr. Lu would like to see you.¡±
The other waitstaff working nearby exchanged nces, then all of their eyesnded on her.
¡°Me?¡± Su Zhiruan originally thought that outside, Lu Peijin would pretend not to recognize her, but since he was calling her over now, there might be something he needed to instruct her to do. She let her thoughts wander for a moment, then dried her hands and followed the secretary inside.
Upon entering the cafe, the first thing Su Zhiruan saw was Lu Peijin seated in his wheelchair.
The whole sight of him with the wheelchair seemed mismatched. Lu Peijin was tall with long legs and impably dressed in a ck suit; his broad shoulders and narrow waist outlined amanding figure. Su Zhiruan also overheard the recent mockery; there seemed to be something wrong with his legs.
With that thought, she even felt a bit of pity¡ªsuch a model-like figure, yet confined to a wheelchair at such a young age.
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It¡¯s rude to stare at someone¡¯s wheelchair, Su Zhiruan retracted her gaze and dutifully stood before him, ¡°Mr. Lu, you wanted to see me?¡±
¡°You¡¯re working here as a waitress?¡± Lu Peijin observed her waitress uniform, his long fingers tapping on the table surface, producing a series of crisp sounds. He paused for a moment before saying, ¡°You¡¯re in need of money.¡±
It was a statement.
Su Zhiruan did not demur but nodded emphatically, ¡°In need.¡±
¡°Your grandmother, I have already arranged for someone to take care of her,¡± Lu Peijin suddenly mentioned, his gaze falling on her. He appeared to be observing her thoughts, yet Su Zhiruan maintained a calm and collected demeanor. He continued, ¡°Why are you in need of money, and since you need money, why didn¡¯t you ask me for it?¡±
¡°I am very grateful that Mr. Lu could arrange for someone to save my grandmother. If I relied on earning money myself, I certainly couldn¡¯t have saved her,¡± Su Zhiruan lowered her eyshes. One of the original host¡¯spromises was a time she almost missed the treatment deadline for her grandmother. Her grandmother nearly left this world, and at that time, she couldn¡¯t scrape together even a single bill, her heart and eyes filled with despair. She continued, ¡°I will certainly fulfill my obligations, but for now, I should not ept rewards without having done any work. I still hope to have my own source of ie.¡±
Lu Peijin hadn¡¯t expected her to say that. His throat moved as if he wanted to say something but ended up saying nothing, then picked up his phone from the side, ¡°Contact information, I forgot yesterday.¡±
Actually, the information he obtained already included all the girl¡¯s details, but at this moment, he wanted to add her contact information in person.
Su Zhiruan scanned it, and what popped up was a in white profile picture with a very hasty WeChat name, just a period.
After Lu Peijin added her as a friend, he put away his phone and instructed his secretary to bring out a card. He pushed the card on the table in front of Su Zhiruan, ¡°Take this as a part of the twenty million you¡¯ll receive upon the sessfulpletion of the matter.¡±
¡°No¡ª¡± She started to refuse.
Lu Peijin calmly added, ¡°Deliver the child safely, and the twenty million will be yours. This card only has one million. Use it to visit your grandmother more often and get yourself some new clothes and jewelry.¡±
For the current Su Zhiruan, money was indeed very much needed.
Before Lu Peijin sought her out, she had nearly run out of money, having spent almost everything. To afford medical care, she had moved out of the decent apartment she had rented into a disreputable shared house, sold everything she could, all in the hopes of gathering enough for medical expenses as soon as possible.
Now, her clothes were from several years back when she was in college, and she hadn¡¯t bought any new clothes since then.
¡°Thank you, Mr. Lu.¡± Su Zhiruan epted the card, then remembered her task.
She felt the task of bearing a child seemed rtively simple this time.
In the previous realm, Shen Qi was averse to women and waspletely uninterested in visiting the harem, but this time, it was the child of the realm who sought her out, proactively proposing to have a child.
She didn¡¯t need to do much, nor did she need to strategize. As long as she followed the plot and Lu Peijin¡¯s wishes, gave birth to his child, she couldplete the task and then live afortable life with her grandmother and the money.
The system had said this realm would be somewhat difficult, but so far, she hadn¡¯t encountered any difficulties yet.
¡°Tonight, after you bathe,e to the 28th floor.¡±
Chapter 42 - 42 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 4
Chapter 42: Chapter 42 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 4
At the time, that¡¯s what he said, but he did indeed harbor such thoughts.
He didn¡¯t have children, and even felt that having a family was a burden. However, in order to silence the gossip and secure his inheritance from the Lu Group, he thought having a child to shut everyone up wasn¡¯t a bad idea.
He sent people to find Su Zhiruan and, at that time, she was at her wit¡¯s end, so she agreed. When Lu Peijin looked over the contract, he felt he was taking advantage of her vulnerability, but by then, there was no other way.
Su Zhiruan sat next to him, her toes curling slightly. Her calves were white and slender, the skirt was not long. She bowed her head, her ears and cheeks flushed red, her wet hair hanging down her back, resting on her shoulders. Yet she felt her temperature rising bit by bit.
Lu Peijin watched her lower her head with a reddened face, his Adam¡¯s apple bobbling, and in a husky voice, he asked, ¡°How old are you this year?¡±
¡°22,¡± Su Zhiruan, although not understanding why he would suddenly ask such a question, obediently answered. After speaking out, she remembered that Lu Peijin might be concerned she was underage, so she added, ¡°I¡¯m already of age, and I¡¯ve brought my ID card.¡±
Lu Peijin: ¡°¡¡±
He had never seen someone bring their ID card at a time like this.
¡°No need to find it, I believe you.¡±
Lu Peijin held down her hand, pressing her onto the sofa in one smooth motion, and with one hand, he picked up the stem ss from the coffee table and tilted his head back to down a drink, disying his sharp jawline, his prominent nose, his impable features.
¡°Since you¡¯re here, let¡¯s get started.¡±
¡°Mr. Lu¡¡±
The man, tall with long legs, half-knelt on the sofa, his knees sinking into it, his upper body leaning towards her, pinching her chin, his gaze deep as he examined her.
It was as if he was a wolf gazing at perfect prey!
He continued his movements, his well-definedrge hand pressing down on her crossed hands, while the other hand leisurely unfastened the buttons of her skirt.
¡°Lu¡ Mr. Lu¡¡± Su Zhiruan¡¯s breathing quickened, she could feel her heartbeat speeding up.
This scene¡
His presence was simply too sharp, the innate edge of a superior revealed in full at this moment.
He was born an emblem of aristocracy, blending into the darkness, his expression unreadable, only his coolness perceivable.
Even doing this, he remained cool.
Su Zhiruan felt like a boiled shrimp, entirely crimson, curled up, unable to bear the weight, unable to stand the disturbance.
It was like a clear and cool spring, the babbling of a brook.
In the night, the sound of water gradually started, as if someone had turned on the shower.
¡°Mr. Lu¡ maybe¡ maybe we should go to the bed¡ ah¡¡±
Lu Peijin turned a deaf ear, only focusing on what he was doing.
¡
After one entire night, Su Zhiruan had only one thought¡ªtruly worthy of being a son of Heavenly Dao!
Whether it was Shen Qi from thest world or Lu Peijin from this one, in this respect, they were both extremely formidable.
The two, for an entire night.
Lu Peijin¡¯s shower sounds filled the bathroom as Su Zhiruan fell into a deep sleep, only dimly aware that he was still around.
When she woke up the next day,
she finally understood what it meant to be run over by a truck!
That was for real!
The power of a child of Heavenly Dao was not to be underestimated!
Looking at the disheveled room, warmth rose on her face once again.
¡°Awake?¡± Lu Peijin entered, and saw her nkly wrapped in the duvet; he nodded, ¡°There¡¯s breakfast outside. You can leave after you eat.¡±
¡°Mr. Lu, about next time¡ Sometimes I might be busy, so if you have a set schedule that would be best¡¡± Although a bit embarrassed, Su Zhiruan was indeed considering this issue. Their contract was mainly about having a child, but she couldn¡¯t just be at his beck and call.
¡°Every day?¡± Lu Peijin had not considered this question. He looked at Su Zhiruan, ¡°I have plenty of time. You cane over ording to your schedule. As long as you¡¯re not busy, juste over!¡±
¡°Ah?¡± Su Zhiruan¡¯s eyes widened.
Come over whenever she was free¡
¡°After the child is born, you take your grandmother and leave Jinghua,¡± Lu Peijin spoke as things came to his mind, ¡°I won¡¯t develop feelings for you, and I hope you will do the same. I don¡¯t want to see you staying in Jinghua and clinging afterward.¡±
¡°Once the child is born, take the money and leave. We won¡¯t have any rtionship,¡± Lu Peijin said as he adjusted the cor of her clothes.
¡°I understand, Mr. Lu, rest assured,¡± Su Zhiruan agreed. The Childbirth System she was bound to only required her to give birth to the child of a being from another ne. After all, Lu Peijin just wanted to have a child with her, and she would happily take the money, which she couldn¡¯t earn in a lifetime, to provide for her grandmother without forming any attachment. This arrangement suited her just fine.
¡°Don¡¯t worry, I understand our rtionship. I definitely won¡¯t cling to you or the Lu Family. As long as you continue to have people save my grandmother, that¡¯s enough,¡± Su Zhiruan was quite satisfied with this arrangement¡ªshe wouldplete her system¡¯s mission, the child of the other ne would have its heir, and her grandmother would receive treatment and get better.
Lu Peijin nodded in satisfaction, and then settled back into his wheelchair, ¡°Do you have ns for today?¡±
¡°I n to visit my grandmother today,¡± Su Zhiruan said after taking a few bites, sharing her ns with Lu Peijin.
¡°Your grandmother, I¡¯ve always had experts treating her, and her condition has improved greatly. It¡¯s fine for you to visit,¡± Lu Peijin said as he opened the door. The secretary was standing just outside, waiting to push the wheelchair, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±
¡°Mr. Lu! But Miss Su¡¡± The secretary noticed that he was leaving Su Zhiruan alone in the presidential suite.
From the clothing and the state of the room, it seemed that yesterday was the day they had consummated the rtionship. The secretary sighed inwardly, still unsure why Lu Peijin would suddenly choose the poor Su Zhiruan.
After all, with his identity as heir of the Lu Family and CEO of the Lu Group, not to mention his breathtakingly cold and noble appearance, even if he announced he was disabled, numerous noble daughters would flock to him.
¡°She¡¯ll leave on her ownter,¡± Lu Peijin said as he stepped into the elevator, holding a tablet and looking at documents, ¡°Head to thepany first.¡±
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¡°Yes, Mr. Lu!¡± The secretary pressed the elevator button and rode it down to the underground parking garage.
*
Su Zhiruan tidied up a bit, mainly the sofa, where yesterday¡¯s antics had taken ce. Anyone with eyes could tell what had happened.
By nine in the morning, she returned to her newly rented apartment and changed into clean clothes, a light-colored sweatshirt and light blue jeans.
She was still young, and with this outfit, she looked just like a college student. With a small backpack and the things she bought for her grandmother yesterday in hand, she headed to the hospital.
Lu Peijin had said he would have someone treat her grandmother, choosing the best private hospitals where the most top-notch doctors from the whole country, even the world, were gathered.
She took the elevator up.
Chapter 43 - 43 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 5
Chapter 43: Chapter 43 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 5
This private hospital was among the top-tier institutions in Jinghua, where ess wasn¡¯t just about having money. But when Lu Peijin spoke, those involved naturally did everything in their power.
When Lu Peijin sent someone to find her, he had informed her of this hospital room¡¯s location.
She silently watched the elevator numbers climb on her journey, eventuallying to a silent stop on the 19th floor. As she stepped out of the elevator, a nurse came up to her and asked in a soft voice.
¡°Hello, ma¡¯am, are you looking for someone?¡±
¡°I¡¯m looking for Su Meixiang.¡±
The nurse¡¯s demeanor instantly turned respectful, ¡°Please, follow me.¡±
Su Zhiruan followed her down the hallway.
The original host had been raised by her grandmother since childhood. Her parents had passed away when she was just a child, they hadn¡¯t even obtained a marriage certificate, leaving behind only a baby girl. The grandmother had hesitated initially; such a young child, even if raised, might not turn out well. But as she looked into the infant¡¯s clear eyes, coupled with the inherent kindness, inclusivity, and moral sense of women, she ultimately decided to raise the child herself.
That was the reason the original host had agreed to Lu Peijin¡¯s contract, to save her grandmother.
Su Zhiruan came with a mission; she didn¡¯t have many concerns but held a reverential awe for her great grandmother.
She had already decided, Lu Peijin only wanted a child, she wouldplete the system task by having the child, and then take the money and leave Jinghua with her grandmother to live out the second half of their lives in a tranquil, spring-like small city.
The nurse led Su Zhiruan to a room at the end of the hallway. The scenery here was quite nice, and the noise level was low, suitable for recuperation.
¡°Here we are, miss. You can go in. The elderlydy has been much better recently,¡± the nurse exined some things to keep in mind in a soft voice, bid her farewell with a smile, and nodded as she watched Su Zhiruan enter the room before leaving.
Su Zhiruan pushed open the door to the hospital room and first saw her grandmother, Su Meixiang, propped up against a pillow.
The elderlydy was nkly staring at the scenery. Hearing the door, she didn¡¯t move but muttered, ¡°Is it time for the medicine?¡±
¡°Grandma!¡± Su Zhiruan called out softly, then hastened her steps, moving forward to tightly hold her grandmother¡¯s rough hands.
¡°Ah! It¡¯s¡ª¡± Su Meixiang couldn¡¯t believe she was hearing Su Zhiruan¡¯s voice. After reflexively turning to look toward the door, she saw her granddaughter and her face immediately lit up with joy, ¡°Ruanruan! It really is you!¡±
Their hands tightly sped together, Su Zhiruan saw her grandmother¡¯s eyes glistening, seemingly on the verge of tears, she too felt moved, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, grandma, for taking so long toe and see you, it¡¯s all my fault.¡±
¡°As long as you came, it¡¯s good,¡± her grandmother looked her up and down, unable to hide the heartache in her eyes, feeling even more that she had lost weight, ¡°Ruanruan has lost weight.¡±
¡°It¡¯s like dieting, no worries grandma. Once you¡¯re well, I¡¯ll eat your cooking every day, and then I¡¯ll definitely gain it all back,¡± Su Zhiruan saidughingly, making her grandmother chuckle, who repeated ¡°good¡± three times.
Su Zhiruan was not typically talkative, but she had a high emotional intelligence, so most people who interacted with her liked her.
After catching up for a bit, the grandmother also asked a question she had been eager to ask. She looked a bit nervous, patting Su Zhiruan¡¯s hand and asked, ¡°Ruanruan, why am I being treated in this hospital? The cost must be extraordinary. Initially, when there was no money, I opted out of treatment to go home. But suddenly some doctors and an ambnce showed up, saying they were here to continue treating me, and said it was you who sent them.¡±
Regarding this question, Su Zhiruan had thought through her answer early on. She replied calmly, ¡°Grandma, don¡¯t worry, just focus on getting better here, follow the doctor¡¯s orders. I found a good job and thepany boss, knowing our family¡¯s situation, wanted to do some charity work. The money will also be deducted from a part of my sry. I couldn¡¯te to see you earlier because I was just too busy with overtime. Just stay here and rest, and once you are better, we¡¯ll go home.¡±
Her words were gentle yet resolute, as if there was an indescribable, convincing force within, and since her grandmother already had a lot of trust in her, the doubts in her mind gradually dissipated.
Afterward, Su Zhiruan made some inquiries about her grandmother¡¯s condition, and knowing everything was fine here, she confidently left the gifts and departed.
The hospital wasn¡¯t far from the city center, just two streets away, there was arge shopping mall where she was now renting an apartment. She nned to move in once her grandmother was discharged, so Su Zhiruan decided to go to the mall¡¯s basement supermarket to pick up some small items and buy a couple of clothes for her grandmother.
Just as she had walked through the entrance of the mall, a male voice tinged with surprise suddenly came from behind her.
¡°Ruanruan?!¡±
The voice was rtively loud, attracting the attention of many nearby shoppers.
Among them was Lu Peijin, sitting in a wheelchair in a jewelry store¡¯s seating area, his brow furrowed as he looked at some documents.
Even seated in a wheelchair, the extraordinarily imposing aura he emitted was not to be underestimated, and coupled with his handsome features, it kept the clerks repeatedly stealing nces at him.
Su Zhiruan turned around when she heard the voice, only to find apletely unfamiliar young man.
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It shouldn¡¯t be calling her.
With that thought, she turned back around.
Unexpectedly, the young man waved his hand cheerfully and approached her, stopping her in her tracks, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m really d to meet you.¡±
Su Zhiruan, taken aback that he was indeed looking for her, looked up at him, ¡°Who are you?¡±
¡°You might not know me, but you should know my mom. She¡¯s been trying several times to set us up,¡± the young man was quite attractive, and his bright, sunny smile revealed his pearly whites as he continued, ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was you until I saw you in a video the other day, then I remembered we had met before, and we¡¯re from the same school. I got into Capital University on a schrship for my master¡¯s, and by age, you might even have to call me senior!¡±
Su Zhiruan blinked and finally realized, it was indeed the son of Sister Zhang, whom she always wanted to set her up with.
¡°So it¡¯s you, senior. Hello.¡± Since he was Sister Zhang¡¯s son, she didn¡¯t put on any airs, but directly addressed him as ¡®senior¡¯. It was visible that the senior was quite happy about it, his smile even widening.
Not far away, the man who had been sitting in a wheelchair looking at the documents heard everything.
Hearing her call that man ¡°senior,¡± Lu Peijin suddenly realized he couldn¡¯t focus on the document at all.
Perhaps feeling somewhat unusual, the refined man lifted his chin, put the tablet aside, his deep eyes concealed beneath longshes. He had beautiful hands, lifting the teacup to his lips for a sip.
Senior?
Set them up to know each other?
Lu Peijin scoffed and put the tea cup down forcefully.
Chapter 44 - 44 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 6
Chapter 44: Chapter 44 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 6
He ced the cup down with a sound that was not subtle.
Su Zhiruan and the senior, as well as other people in the mall, all heard the noise and looked over.
Then the woman trying on jewelry in the jewelry store, hearing his movement, quickly took off the jewelry and approached Lu Peijin, not daring to get too close, her tone appeasing, ¡°Ajing, what happened?¡±
¡°Nothing,¡± Lu Peijin¡¯s gaze was devoid of any ripples, just quietly watching Su Zhiruan not far away, and the woman who had followed him looked in the same direction, somewhat puzzled.
¡°I get it now, Ajing, are you envious of that young couple? If only we could be like that¡¡± The woman, dressed in luxurious haute couture, showed a sudden look of realization, at first filled with joy and shyness, but when she looked at Lu Peijin again, she found his expression had darkened, and she hurriedly fell silent.
Su Zhiruan looked at Lu Peijin and the woman by his side, originally intending to greet them, but seeing his somber expression from afar, she guessed that he might not be in a good mood now, and if she were to disturb Lu Peijin and his girlfriend, it might only exacerbate his already sour mood.
With that thought, Su Zhiruan just smiled from a distance and nodded.
After doing so, she noticed that Lu Peijin¡¯splexion seemed to get worse.
Su Zhiruan felt the scene was somewhat bizarre, Lu Peijin and his woman, and then a so-called senior suddenly appearing beside her, and then her and Lu Peijin¡¯s rtionship¡
Standing together like this made it seem somewhat strange.
¡°Ruanruan, may I call you that?¡± the senior, clueless, still smiled openly, ¡°Is he someone you know? He looks very imposing, much like a leader.¡±
¡°Yes, he¡¯s someone I know¡ªSenior, did youe to the mall to shop too? Let¡¯s go!¡± Su Zhiruan changed the subject and wanted to take the blissfully ignorant senior away.
But just then, a cold and chilling voice came from behind her.
¡°What are you running for?¡±
It was Lu Peijin.
Su Zhiruan immediately stopped in her tracks.
The woman apanying Lu Peijin was called Gu Baicha, the second daughter of the Gu Family. Initially, she thought Lu Peijin was envious upon seeing the young couple in love, butter, she observed that his gaze on these two people, especially the female, seemed moreplex than what would be reserved for strangers.
rm bells went off in her mind.
She had been entangling Lu Peijin for a long time, and this time, she had barely managed to get a few minutes of his time by invoking her elders¡¯ names.
But if this woman had something to do with him, wouldn¡¯t all her previous ns have been in vain?
She could not ept such an oue, so her gaze towards Su Zhiruan once again filled with hostility.
¡°Mr. Lu,¡± Su Zhiruan had no choice but to turn around and greet him with a smile, ¡°I didn¡¯te over to greet you just now, afraid of disturbing you and your girlfriend.¡±
¡°Since Mr. Lu has his fairdy by his side, I won¡¯t disturb Mr. Lu¡¯s pleasures,¡± Su Zhiruan also smiled gently at Gu Baicha, as a way of greeting.
Gu Baicha originally thought she was a romantic rival or an adversary, but hearing her tone now, it didn¡¯t seem that way.
Instead, she looked more like a subordinate of Lu Peijin¡¯s, and this reassured Miss Gu quite a bit.
¡°Is this your boyfriend?¡± Lu Peijin hadn¡¯t listened to her polite words but just quietly looked at her, with an apparently calm surface yet seemingly hiding countless undercurrents.
¡°No, he¡¯s my senior,¡± Su Zhiruan said truthfully, ¡°He¡¯s from the same school, and today is the first time we¡¯ve met.¡±
The senior hadn¡¯t approached, but he didn¡¯t leave either, his gaze always on Su Zhiruan. Lu Peijin took in everything, his displeasure growing stronger.
But he didn¡¯t understand what was happening to him, so he could only watch Su Zhiruan say goodbye and then leave with the young man.
The young man seemed quite happy, constantly grinning.
¡°Ajing, who is she?¡± Gu Baicha wanted to get closer to Lu Peijin but could feel the oppressive air around him and immediately reconsidered.
Lu Peijin looked at Su Zhiruan¡¯s retreating figure and said indifferently, ¡°A hotel waitress.¡±
¡°Ah? So that¡¯s it,¡± Gu Baicha instantly rxed. If she had been some family¡¯s young mistress, she might have been worried, but as a hotel waitress, she wasn¡¯t concerned at all. With such social standing, there was noparison between them.
¡°She is pretty though, and they do look well-matched.¡± Gu Baicha said bluntly what was on her mind while watching the two from behind.
Lu Peijin¡¯s hand, holding the tablet, tensed in an instant, his expression still calm, but his eyes gradually brewed a storm.
¡°They can never be together,¡± Lu Peijin withdrew his gaze and focused on the document at hand.
Gu Baicha would normally speak to him without receiving any response, but today, the fact that he was willing to say so much to her¡ªeven though it was about another woman¡ªmade her quite happy.
¡°Why?¡± she asked.
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Lu Peijin furrowed his brows and, after quite a while, finally said, ¡°Their auras don¡¯t match.¡±
Although Gu Baicha didn¡¯t quite understand what that meant, she still nodded her head as if she did.
Right then, Lu Peijin¡¯s secretary arrived, and they left the mall.
*
As night fell,
Su Zhiruan had no shift today, and she had spent the day arranging her rented small apartment, making it much cozier.
In the evening, she thought it over and decided to take out the red dress she wore yesterday from the wardrobe, putting it on after taking a shower.
Nine o¡¯clock at night.
She arrived punctually at Lu Peijin¡¯s 28th-floor presidential suite.
Just like the day before, she knocked on the door first and, after half a minute, opened it with her key card.
Upon entering, she was enveloped in an overwhelming darkness.
She ced her card properly and softly called out twice, ¡°Mr. Lu? Mr. Lu?¡±
Receiving no answer, she felt around in the dark trying to locate the light switch.
However, at that moment, as the world seemed to spin around her, a great force pinned her against the wall.
Then, a cool and sharp fragrance pressed heavily against her, prying her mouth open.
Following that, Su Zhiruan¡¯s iling hands were also restrained, lined up neatly against the wall.
It was only then that she realized.
Lu Peijin! He did it on purpose!
But then, her consciousness gradually grew hazy, even blurry.
All of a sudden, it seemed as if she saw their ovepping shadows in the reflection of the floor-to-ceiling window.
Cast upon the window, they appeared even closer.
The thinning air was slowly being stripped away, and the remaining gaps were steadily filled.
She felt herself being picked up in a horizontal embrace and then ced down on a soft sofa.
Again, the sofa¡
She thought absently.
¡°Don¡¯t¡ not the sofa¡¡±
But it was to no avail.
There are some things that, once they have started, there¡¯s no reason to stop.
Just like now.
She could feel a low pressure emanating from the man, he was not pleased, one could even say, he was somewhat angry.
And all this, only Lu Peijin knew¡ªhe was indeed very angry, all of his iprehension, all of his anger, it all stemmed from her!
He himself didn¡¯t know why.
Chapter 46 - 46 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 8
Chapter 46: Chapter 46 After Fleeing, the Disabled Tycoon Stops Pretending 8
This life, since Lu Peijin only wanted a child, she could simply treat it as a mission. After giving birth andpleting the system task, she would leave and continue to lead a in and warm life.
Gu Baicha originally wanted to p her twice, but after hearing her out, she fell into silence instead.
It made sense¡
¡°Then why were you outside Ajing¡¯s room? You¡¯re definitely up to no good; you better watch yourself,¡± Gu Baicha still decided to warn her, ¡°I¡¯m warning you! Stay away from Ajing¡ª¡±
¡°Miss Gu.¡±
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A familiar, indifferent voice came from the other side of the corridor, and both Su Zhiruan and Gu Baicha turned to look.
It was Lu Peijin.
He was sitting in a wheelchair, with his secretary pushing it from behind. At that moment, Lu Peijin had an indifferent expression, and his cold gaze was like that of a robot, as if he was born devoid of any emotions, icy and ruthless.
¡°Who allowed you toe to the 28th floor?¡± Lu Peijin¡¯s extremely cold gaze fell on the two of them, ¡°Causing a scene here, as if I don¡¯t exist?¡±
¡°Ah, Ajing!!¡± Gu Baicha stomped her foot. The 28th floor was indeed Lu Peijin¡¯s personal territory, which she also knew about, ¡°I just wanted to see you¡ I¡¯m worried about your health.¡±
¡°The Lu Family has doctors, Miss Gu doesn¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Lu Peijin raised his hand, and the secretary behind him immediately understood. Hearing him speak, the man said coldly, ¡°Please take Miss Gu downstairs.¡±
¡°Yes, President Lu,¡± the secretary pushed Lu Peijin to the entrance of the suite, then turned to Gu Baicha and said, ¡°Miss Gu, please go first.¡±
Gu Baicha had no choice but to re at them a few times before stomping her foot and leaving.
The red numbers of the elevator gradually descended, and at that moment on the 28th floor, only Su Zhiruan and Lu Peijin were left.
The atmosphere was very quiet.
No one spoke.
¡°Why are you up so early?¡± He spoke faintly, but his tone was much gentler than when he spoke with Gu Baicha just now, ¡°Don¡¯t you want to sleep a bit more?¡±
¡°I have to go to work in the morning, I might be used to it, woke up at this time.¡±
Su Zhiruan used her room card to open his door, originally intending to push him inside, but Lu Peijin stood up by himself.
He was tall with long legs, standing in front of her, she felt an oppressive presence, as if he could pick her up with a stretch of his hand.
Perhaps because she had been at his mercy the past few nights, even now, in a very serious setting, her thoughts drifted to the scenes at night.
For a moment, Su Zhiruan¡¯s ears turned somewhat red.
Lu Peijin asked a question, but didn¡¯t hear the girl¡¯s reply, so he turned to look at her and saw the youngdy¡¯s ears were red, her cheeks like the afterglow of sunset, charming and ravishing, truly beautiful.
For a moment, the originally thoughtless, calm Lu Peijin was reminded of the nights that had just passed.
The silence between them deepened.
In his youth, Lu Peijin was known for his indifferent and chilly demeanor, earning the reputation of a cold Crown Prince in the circle. Back then, countless Misses and noblewomen wanted to attach themselves to him, but after he feigned disability as part of his strategy, many people thought he had lost the favor of the old master of the Lu Family, and might just remain this way for life.
Some women also worried about their future happiness, so there were much fewer pursuing him, and up to now, at 27 years old, Lu Peijin hadn¡¯t even had a girlfriend.
Having such an agreement with Su Zhiruan and having a rtionship with her was something he had never imagined before.
However, after trying it out, he found that she tasted unexpectedly good, to the extent that he even developed a craving for it.
¡°¡Well then, Mr. Lu, I¡¯m going to head down for work now¡¡± Su Zhiruan shook her head, banishing all the memories from her mind, took a couple of steps out, and bowed slightly, ¡°I¡¯m leaving now¡ I¡¯lle back this evening¡¡±
Herst sentence was very soft, but just loud enough for Lu Peijin to hear.
¡°Go ahead.¡±
Afterward, he folded his arms and leaned against the wall, watching her slender figure disappear from his line of sight.
His thoughts began to wander aimlessly again. He had never known before that matters between men and women could be so addictive; no wonder so many people indulged in it.
Once it started, one would know the taste and crave more; once he tasted the sweetness, he would want to keep trying.
The moment he thought of Su Zhiruan, his body underwent a change, and looking down, it was Xiaolu Peijin¡ª
¡°She wille tonight,¡± he whispered softly.
But it was to no avail.
Ultimately, Lu Peijin resolved the issue with a cold shower early in the morning.
Moreover, that day shattered his understanding of the past 27 years¡ªwaiting from daylight for the night could take such a long time.
*
By the time Su Zhiruan went downstairs, she had quickly regained her serious demeanor.
She retrieved the cleaning tools and began to clean alongside the others.
¡°Ruanruan, why haven¡¯t I seen you around the employee dorms recently?¡± Sister Zhang took advantage of the moment when there were fewer people around to quietly ask her. Su Zhiruan was very quick at changing the subject, and after asking this question, she swiftly moved on to another, her expression bing cheerful, ¡°Ruanruan, my son said he met you, and you are from the same school?! What a coincidence! Why don¡¯t youe over to Auntie¡¯s ce for a meal when you¡¯re off work!¡±
¡°I¡¯ve recently rented a new ce and have been setting it up,¡± Su Zhiruan responded to a few selected questions while continuing her work in a soft voice, ¡°I bumped into the senior in the mall a few days ago, indeed unexpected to learn we were from the same school. But Sister Zhang, let¡¯s not worry about the meal, I n to visit my grandmother when I¡¯m off work.¡±
Sister Zhang knew her situation and felt a bit regretful, ¡°No worries, no worries,e over next time. Take the opportunity to visit your grandmother since you¡¯re so busy here. It¡¯s rare to get some time off; go see the olddy.¡±
Su Zhiruan nodded her head.
They exchanged a few more words and, after cleaning that area, Su Zhiruan followed others to work on a different section.
While busying herself, she thought of Gu Baicha, the slightly na?ve miss from the morning.
In her view, the miss seemed quitepatible with Lu Peijin; one lively and innocent, the otherposed and restrained.
So why did Lu Peijin have that agreement with her?
After some thought, Su Zhiruan found a possible answer within the words spoken by the system when it first bound her¡ªit said that the son of the ne¡¯s fate was ipatible with ordinary women, so they would not have children. That was why she needed toplete tasks.
It seemed that after her departure, Lu Peijin was still very likely to marry Miss Gu.
Forget it, just focus onpleting the tasks well.
She continued to work diligently.
*
She stayed busy all day long.
Come evening, Su Zhiruan appeared punctually on the 28th floor.
Today, when she opened the door, she was greeted by a lit living room.
Lu Peijin, who exuded an air of nobility, was writing. His hands, distinct and pale, held a pen, scribbling a string of numbers on a sticky note.
Upon seeing Su Zhiruan enter, he paused and handed her the note, ¡°Here, this is for you.¡±
¡°What is this?¡± Su Zhiruan looked at the string of numbers on it.
¡°The gate code for my vi,¡± Lu Peijin stated indifferently, as if he was asking her if she had eaten dinner¡ªa question that simple.
Chapter 47 - 47 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 9
Chapter 47: Chapter 47 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 9
¡°Ah?¡± Su Zhiruan took the note, puzzled by the string of numbers and an address written on it. She then looked up and asked, ¡°The vi gate code¡ Why give it to me?¡±
¡°To prevent what happened today from happening again,¡± Lu Peijin had been holding himself back all day, and now, seeing Su Zhiruan, his desires surged, and his hands began to wander as he pulled her into his arms. His eyes turned a deeper shade, and he exined in a low, husky voice near her ear, ¡°You live in the hotel staff quarters, anding up to see me could be noticed. I bought this apartment a long time ago and I¡¯ve had it ready. Why not move in?¡±
Su Zhiruan folded the note and slipped it into her pocket. A secondter, her coat was removed and ced on the sofa.
She thought about it, realizing it was indeed inconvenient at the staff quarters where many colleagues gossiped about Lu Peijin¡¯s private life. If they knew she was not returning home at night and then left from the 28th floor in the morning, surely there would be a lot of whispers.
Since she was going to be with Lu Peijin every night anyway, she could not expect him to lower himself to move into her modest rented two-bedroom apartment. After thinking it over, moving into his vi indeed seemed like a good choice.
She was just about to answer when she suddenly realized her clothes had been removed. Then, she saw her outfit from the day arcing through the air tond on the single seat sofa across the room.
Their current position was facing each other on the longest sofa, intertwined.
Su Zhiruan: ¡°¡¡±
Again, the sofa.
This ce again.
¡°Don¡¯t like the sofa?¡± Lu Peijin saw her expression and her helpless eyes, yet he was somehow able to read resignation, eptance, and habit in them. He took the liberty to bite lightly.
¡°It¡¯s not that¡¡± Su Zhiruan patted the sofa lightly, ¡°It¡¯s just that I suddenly realized that, these times, it seems like it¡¯s always on the sofa¡¡±
Lu Peijin, being eager to learn and willing to take advice in this aspect, held Su Zhiruan and quickly changed to a new location¡ªthe floor-to-ceiling window!
So, that night, all Su Zhiruan could see were the shimmering neon lights of traffic, which left her feeling as if rainbows were swirling in front of her eyes by the end.
Despite her tired body, the activity kept her awake.
Lu Peijin showed a bit of humanity by keeping his arms around her the whole time, thankfully preventing her from hitting the ss and passing out.
Another mischievous night.
*
The next day, Su Zhiruan woke up to find the man gone, but he had left breakfast for her. After eating, she went on to work as usual.
As she went downstairs to clean, Sister Zhang warmly waved the moment she saw her, ¡°Ruanruan girl! You¡¯ve arrived!¡±
¡°Good morning, Sister Zhang.¡± Su Zhiruan greeted.
¡°Ji Chengzhao ising in a few days. How about we go for a meal together? I¡¯ll treat!¡± Sister Zhang still wanted to set up Su Zhiruan with her son, Ji Chengzhao, smiling anding closer, ¡°Chengzhao just received a schrship recently, it would be a good chance for you two to get to know each other, exchange contact information, and you young people could go out together, maybe see a movie or something.¡±
¡°Sister Zhang, I¡¯m not looking to find a boyfriend at the moment. You go have fun,¡± Su Zhiruan replied somewhat helplessly, wondering how Sister Zhang had gotten so fixed on setting her up with her son, Ji Chengzhao, every single day.
¡°Hey Ruanruan girl, let me tell you¡ª¡±
Sister Zhang was about to say more, but suddenly spotted the hotel¡¯s lobby manager hurrying around the corner, so she quickly pretended to work seriously.
Unexpectedly, the lobby manager came straight toward her, his steps even eager, ¡°Sister Zhang,e here a moment.¡±
¡°Me?¡± Sister Zhang put down her broom, pointed to herself, and walked over, ¡°Manager, what do you need?¡±
After she had walked over, the manager opened the staff statistics chart he was holding and told her, ¡°I received a notice from the higher-ups instructing me to switch your position.¡±
¡°What?!¡± Sister Zhang was immediately shocked, ¡°You aren¡¯t going to fire me, are you? Manager, I have elderly and children at home, and we rely on this ie to live.¡±
The manager was actually just as confused. That morning he had not even gotten out of bed when he saw an email from the secretary of the most powerful Mr. Lu at the top of the hotel hierarchy in his inbox. At that moment, he had even conceived of several terrifying possibilities.
But when he opened it, he was utterly surprised; it was merely about relocating this Sister Zhang among the waitstaff to another spot, assigning her a different position.
The manager had read the email ten times and still couldn¡¯t understand its purpose. If Sister Zhang had offended Mr. Lu, it would have been straightforward to just fire her, but if not, what was the meaning of just switching her position?
He didn¡¯t quite understand and eventually transferred Sister Zhang to the kitchen.
¡°I don¡¯t know which boss decided to move me to the kitchen, goodbye everyone.¡±
Sister Zhang went back to collect her tools and bid everyone farewell, reluctantly taking onest look at Su Zhiruan before leaving.
Su Zhiruan smiled politely and waved goodbye, feeling a sense of relief in her heart. Although she didn¡¯t know why Sister Zhang was suddenly transferred, at least she wouldn¡¯t be trying to set her up with a boyfriend now¡
That wasn¡¯t so bad.
It was only then that the secretary by Lu Peijin¡¯s side could finally breathe a sigh of relief and quietly left through another corridor.
These people didn¡¯t know that being by Mr. Lu¡¯s side, he was naturally aware of the reason for doing so, which was, of course, for Su Zhiruan.
Although it was just a contract, there was still a connection, and Mr. Lu had heard that Sister Zhang was always trying to set up her son with Su Zhiruan. Even though he had no romantic feelings for her, he could not bear to see his woman being introduced to other men.
The secretary quietly left, preparing to go back and inform Lu Peijin.
*
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Su Zhiruan worked earnestly during the day. It wasn¡¯t her shift in the evening, so she nned to pack some things and then move to Lu Peijin¡¯s vi.
ording to the address on the note, she found that it was not far from the hotel.
The location of the Lu Family¡¯s hotel was the best in all of Beijing.
Nestled next to the business district yet not noisy, with the tallest building standing a full one hundred stories, the higher the floors, the more one could overlook the entire Beijing.
Behind the hotel was the hillside andkeside luxury vi area¡ªFujin Water Pavilion.
This neighborhood housed vis of the incredibly rich and privileged of the Beijing circle, the sort that money alone couldn¡¯t buy.
Carrying a small suitcase, she walked straight into the vi neighborhood, then verified the house number on a vi at the edge.
By now it was 8:30 in the evening and darkness hadpletely fallen. After using the code to unlock it, the gate opened automatically, and upon entering, she saw Lu Peijin reading in the living room.
Unlike the usual stern and aloof Mr. Lu, whom people found difficult to look straight at, Lu Peijin under the warm yellow light reading a book, wore casual home attire.
Broad-shouldered, slim-waisted, and long-legged, his attire, unlike his usual ck suit, made him seem expressionless, but his overall contours appeared somewhat softer.
¡°What are you standing there for,e in,¡± Lu Peijin put down his book and tilted his chin to signal her toe inside.
Chapter 48 - 48 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 10
Chapter 48: Chapter 48 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 10
¡°You can pick any room on the second floor,¡± Lu Peijin stood up and casually pointed her in the direction, but after he finished speaking, watching Su Zhiruan¡¯s figure, he suddenly felt something was off and called out to her, ¡°Never mind, wait a moment.¡±
Su Zhiruan stopped in her tracks, unsure what he was about to do, and asked, ¡°Mr. Lu?¡±
Lu Peijin, with his long legs, took three steps in two and climbed the stairs, standing three steps below her yet able to look her in the eye. He added slowly, ¡°It seems there¡¯s no need to pick, my master bedroom is just on your right.¡±
Su Zhiruan: ¡°¡Mr. Lu, you wouldn¡¯t want me overhearing you dealing with documents or anything private.¡±
Her words were light, but Lu Peijin slightly curved his lips, although it was just for a moment, Su Zhiruan still caught it¡ªthis man was exceptionally handsome, and his smile was even more stunning.
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¡°Then pick a room yourself, the entire second floor is avable.¡± Lu Peijin walked a few more steps, reaching the top of the stairs before her, and casually pushed open the doors on both sides, ¡°These two are not bad, just close to the staircase.¡±
Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t go any further down, instead choosing the smaller room on the left that had sunlight.
¡°Have you had dinner yet?¡± Lu Peijin watched her start to settle in, leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed as he asked.
Su Zhiruan shook her head, her gaze clear as she looked at him, ¡°No, consider it dieting,¡±
¡°Whether the body is fat or thin, health is the most beautiful,¡± Lu Peijin stood up and said to her but the next second, his gaze slowly fell on her, ¡°You should still eat more.¡±
Su Zhiruan: ¡°¡¡±
Even though Lu Peijin was a stern, ruthless man in public, known for his decisive actions, perhaps only she knew that in private, he was just an unrestrained, energetic ordinary man.
Thinking about the previous exhausting nights, she involuntarily took a step back.
Lu Peijin¡¯s gaze grew increasingly intense, and it¡¯s unclear what he was thinking about, but those usually cold, indifferent eyes today held a hint of interest.
Seeing Su Zhiruan step back, he slowly moved forward a step,menting on the room, ¡°This room is a bit small, but theyout and lighting are quite nice, I could have someone bring you some green nts.¡±
¡°No, there¡¯s no need, Mr. Lu.¡± Su Zhiruan¡¯s smile was somewhat stiff.
During the whole conversation, Lu Peijin was looking at her¡ªnot the so-called room!
¡°Miss Su, haven¡¯t you eaten dinner yet?¡± Lu Peijin stepped closer and said, ¡°Neither have I.¡±
¡°Shall we go have some dinner?¡± Su Zhiruan stepped back but found that behind her was therge bed at the very center of the room, and her steps were blocked, her knees bending, directly sitting on the edge of the bed.
At that moment, Lu Peijin stopped teasing her, directly knelt by the bed, his knees beside her, and with a firm arm, Su Zhiruan¡¯s eyes suddenly widened¡ª
The two tumbled together onto the soft bed.
What followed was a tumultuous upheaval.
The light gray floor tiles were covered by clothes, blocking the porcin white moonlight, and also obstructing her gasping breaths.
As the tree shadows swayed, the moonlight suddenly reappeared.
Clearly, the quality of this bed was somewhatckingpared to a hotel, mainly manifested by its squeaking noise along the way.
Of course, that might also have been caused by the excessively vigorous shaking.
¡°¡Eating, of course, we should eat¡¡± Lu Peijin looked at the girl with her hair scattered and covering her face, while he moved, he reached out and brushed her hair aside, ¡°But before eating, I¡¯d much rather devour someone first¡¡±
The girl looked somewhat speechless, her eyes red-rimmed as she red at him, only seeing his extremely close, outstandingly handsome face.
Being able to be distracted in such a moment, it seemed she was the only one. Lu Peijin, dissatisfied, moved vigorously once more.
Thus, the moonlight was once again obscured, and dark clouds loomed, a precursor to the storm that was about to erupt.
Su Zhiruan soon lost the mindset to overthink. As for whether she was hungry¡ªthat came as a surprise, turning into the topic that started it all!
It proved that as long as Lu Peijin wanted something, he could concoct a thousand reasons on the spot.
When the clouds dispersed and the first light appeared, Lu Peijin held her and then asked, ¡°What do you n to do afterward?¡±
¡°What afterward?¡± Su Zhiruany still, not quite catching what he said.
¡°After having the child¡ what do you n to do?¡± Lu Peijin didn¡¯t know why he asked this question; he had believed for 27 years that he would remain solitary, not tied down by anyone.
Wanting a child was merely to appease the Lu Family; he himself wasn¡¯t particrly invested.
But at this moment, he suddenly wanted to ask her what she would do.
A girl who had such a past with him, lived dependently with her grandmother, and he had ordered never to entangle with the Lu Family again or return to Jinghua,
What would she do?
When Lu Peijin thought of this question, he was startled by himself.
But he quickly found a reason for himself; it was just a question to see her ns, after all, it wouldn¡¯t matter to himter, they¡¯d each go their separate ways.
Su Zhiruan had already thought about this question; she had nothing to hide. After all, the son of this world, ¡°Small World,¡± merely wanted a child, and she was merely fulfilling her mission, without any emotional involvement. Therefore, there was no harm in telling him.
¡°Maybe I¡¯ll take my grandmother traveling. The world through my eyes has a bustling, prosperous spring, a continuously rainy autumn in ancient viges and cities, a southern city full of blooming magnolias, and towns eternal in spring¡ªI want to take my grandmother to see these ces.¡± That was truly what Su Zhiruan thought.
She had a smile on her face when she spoke these words.
That smile was so dazzling that Lu Peijin even found it hard to look at her.
Her future should be brilliant and beautiful.
Yet, why did he feel a sharp pain in his heart when her world, her future, included no one but her and her grandmother?
It was strange.
This was not his style.
But inexplicably, he felt a sense of blockage in his heart.
After a long silence, he suddenly spoke up, ¡°If¡ would you consider staying in Jinghua?¡±
¡°Stay here?¡± Su Zhiruan turned her head, curiously looking at him, ¡°Didn¡¯t the contract say that I must leave here after having the child?¡±
¡°If¡ you want to see the child or if you want to develop a career here¡ªyour academic credentials mean that staying in Jinghua could offer you better opportunities,¡± Lu Peijin said after another pause.
He didn¡¯t even know what he was saying himself.
He just thought so and said it.
But why would he say that?
Initially, he worried that Su Zhiruan would cling to the child and try to ascend socially, bing a Phoenix.
But now, he realized she had no such intentions; she even wanted to leave Jinghua quickly.
Leave him.
Chapter 49 - 49 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 11
Chapter 49: Chapter 49 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 11
Su Zhiruan decisively shook her head, her eyes sincere and her tone firm, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Mr. Lu, when the timees, I definitely won¡¯t cling to you or the Lu Family. You can be assured of that.¡±
¡°¡After the child is born, you¡¯ll never be able to see them again. Won¡¯t you be unable to let go?¡± Lu Peijin¡¯s words took a turn in his mouth, and even he didn¡¯t know what he really wanted to ask, whether she would miss the child or someone else.
¡°But there¡¯s no child yet.¡± It was only at this moment that Su Zhiruan felt curious, noting that today Lu Peijin seemed a bit unlike his usual self, appearing to be probing. She didn¡¯t see any harm in continuing the subject, so she answered, ¡°If the child would only suffer with me, then I¡¯d rather they receive a good education with the Lu Family. The Lu Family can offer them much more than I can.¡±
¡°You¡¯re very smart.¡±
Lu Peijinplimented her, but for some reason, Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t find his current expression very pleasant.
She pondered for a moment, feeling a sense of familiarity.
When she looked at him again, she suddenly recalled Shen Qi¡¯s demeanor in the previous world, especially Lu Peijin¡¯s current expression, which was strikingly simr, identical in fact.
Upon closer reflection, in the previous world, when Shen Qi showed this expression, it usually meant he felt she didn¡¯t love him anymore, and then his eyes would cloud with confusion and grievance, waiting for her to coddle him¡
Looking again at Lu Peijin, Su Zhiruan found that he seemed to be wearing that expression indeed, yet she immediately shook her head, dismissing the thought.
It¡¯s hardly possible, right¡
They were currently in a contractual rtionship, the kind without true feelings. She must have seen it wrong.
But today, Lu Peijin had been bringing up the child repeatedly. Could it be that he felt things were moving too slowly and wanted to hasten the process of having a child?
Conveniently, that was exactly what she desired too¡ªto bear a child for Lu Peijin as soon as possible so that she could take care of her grandmother and take her to enjoy the scenery and rx.
Since they wanted a child¡
She couldn¡¯t let him take the initiative every time; she had to do her part as well.
Thinking this, she mentally cheered herself on, then reached out to wrap her arms around the man and moved in slowly, whispering softly, ¡°Mr. Lu, if we¡¯re going to have a child, then we can¡¯t slow down our pace¡¡±
Her fingertips were delicate, yet there were some calluses at the base of her fingers from long periods of part-time work to earn money for her grandmother¡¯s medicine¡ª a mix of soft and itching sensations.
Although Lu Peijin was no longer a green youth, before the age of 27, he had never tasted this kind of vor. It took him only a moment to be rigid again, just as Su Zhiruan had anticipated.
His voice was hoarse as he warned, ¡°You¡¯re courting death.¡±
She leaned in closer with a smile and said, ¡°How to die, how to live¡ teach me, Mr. Lu¡¡± Her hand gradually moved downward.
A battle was about to erupt.
The room began to heat up again.
During the process, as Su Zhiruan watched the shaking ceiling, she suddenly agreed with what Lu Peijin had said earlier¡ªshe really was courting death.
Throughout the ordeal, aside from being proactive for three minutes at the beginning, she spent the following fifty-seven minutes shedding tears of regret on her pillow.
Actually, taking things step by step can be quite nice sometimes.
She hadn¡¯t expected toprehend such a life lesson in this kind of situation.
¡
The two of them carried on recklessly, perhaps Su Zhiruan¡¯s initiative today giving Lu Peijin an extra boost, and they kept at it until one-thirty in the morning.
¡°You didn¡¯t have dinner yesterday; you must be hungry by now. How about going downstairs to eat something?¡± Lu Peijin asked her softly.
By this time, Su Zhiruan had long since fallen asleep, unable to hear anything.
She could vaguely sense someone calling her, but she waspletely drained by that point, unable even to lift a finger.
Lu Peijin cleaned her up a bit, originally wanting to cook some porridge, but seeing her so exhausted, he dismissed the idea, turned off the light, covered her with a nket, set the air conditioning to afortable temperature, and then left the room.
*
The next morning, Su Zhiruan woke up to the sunlight slightly dazzling her eyes.
They had made love in front of the floor-to-ceiling window the day before, and they hadn¡¯t drawn the curtains.
She got dressed, walked downstairs, and circled around but didn¡¯t find Lu Peijin anywhere in the vast vi. There were no other people, and the air was filled with a warm, grassy fragrance, creating an atmosphere that made one long for a return to slumber.
She didn¡¯t continue to wander aimlessly, spotting a rocking chair by the door, shey down on it with her phone in hand.
Having been through too much the day before, she decided to take a day off to rest, and while at it, to calcte her finances in preparation to quit her hotel job.
After the birth of the child, Lu Peijin would give her twenty million, plus the one million he had given her earlier.
She had spent thirty thousand, to rent a ce for half a year, daily expenses, and to buy things for her grandmother. The rest of the money was untouched on the card, which she had no ns to use further and wouldn¡¯t take with her when she left.
Having worked as a waitress at the hotel for nearly two months, she had earned sixty thousand. As a high-end waitress selected after many rounds, and given that the Lu Family¡¯s hotel was the best in Jinghua, the job was strenuous and exhausting but paid a sry beyond the reach of most people.
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She could take five million out of the twenty million to buy a nice sunlit apartment in a small city for her and her grandmother, as well as a car, and to open a small bookstore. Even if she stopped working and was to live off her savings alone, she would not run out of money.
As for the hotel job, she nned to submit her resignation after getting up in the afternoon.
If she worked during the day and then was spent by Lu Peijin at night, even an iron person could not withstand such pressure!
Quitting the hotel job sooner rather thanter, fulfilling the contract as soon as possible,pleting the system tasks, she would then be able to gain her freedom sooner.
Soon, she wrote a resignation letter, ready to print it out in the afternoon and resign from the hotel.
Lu Peijin didn¡¯t return by noon and only sent her a message on WeChat.
[There is some food in the fridge, or you can ask the maid to cook.]
Su Zhiruan replied, [No need, I¡¯ll just grab something simple.]
Lu Peijin replied, [I¡¯m actually at the restaurant, I¡¯ll have some food sent over to you, eat and then get some more sleep.]
[Okay, thank you, Mr. Lu.]
Twenty minutester.
The doorbell outside the vi rang, and Su Zhiruan, putting on a coat, walked to the door.
Outside stood a young man holding an oversized box, who greeted her politely as she appeared, ¡°Hello miss, this is the food Mr. Lu ordered for you, enjoy your meal!¡±
¡°Alright, bring it in,¡± Su Zhiruan allowed him to set it down in the entryway, casting curious nces at it.
¡°Enjoy your meal!¡± the young man repeated with enthusiasm, bowing before departing.
Su Zhiruan moved therge box to the dining table. The meal boxes were exquisitely packaged, bearing a logo she recognized from a pricey and difficult-to-book private kitchen¡ªa ce the average person couldn¡¯t even enter without a ticket.
The dishes inside were also beautifully packaged, and they tasted excellent; she ate quite a lot.
After cleaning up the trash, she took a nap and then prepared to go to the hotel to hand in her resignation.
Chapter 50 - 50 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 12
Chapter 50: Chapter 50 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 12
¡°You¡¯re resigning?¡±
When the manager heard Su Zhiruan say this, he looked up at her, ¡°Have you found a new job? I remember your grandmother¡¡±
Su Zhiruan was calm andposed as she sat on the sofa across from the manager, ¡°I am nning to take my grandmother to another city, so I¡¯m preparing to submit my resignation letter. I have received this month¡¯s sry, but there are still five days left. I will continue to work for the next five days.¡±
¡°You are a good child,¡± the manager knew her family situation and, after a deep sigh, he didn¡¯t say much to try to change her mind, ¡°I know you graduated from Capital University. With your degree, it¡¯s easy to find a good job in a small city. Take good care of your grandmother and spend more time with her.¡±
Su Zhiruan nodded. The manager was quite nice; after learning about her family situation, he even secretly asked her if she needed donations.
After exining the situation, she nned to go back to Lu Peijin¡¯s Fujin Water Pavilion, so she went downstairs. As she walked out, she unexpectedly saw a familiar face at a bookstore next to the hotel entrance.
¡°Ruanruan? Is that you?¡± It was Sister Zhang¡¯s son, Ji Chengzhao. He was holding a few books and smiled broadly when he saw her, ¡°Long time no see! I didn¡¯t expect to run into you here!¡±
¡°Senior? What a coincidence.¡± Seeing him, Su Zhiruan immediately thought of Sister Zhang, who had been eager to set them up, and felt somewhat helpless, ¡°Senior, what brings you here? Are you waiting for Sister Zhang?¡±
¡°That¡¯s not it. I just happened to be passing by and thought I¡¯d check out some books.¡± Ji Chengzhao lifted the books in his hands, smiling brightly.
The two exchanged a few words casually.
At that moment, a sleek ck luxury car slowly drove out of the hotel.
In the car, a man dealing with his emails, broad-shouldered and slim-waisted, his appearance stunningly handsome and his demeanor noble.
The secretary driving in the front lowered the speed and asked, ¡°President Lu, to the office or back to the Lu family?¡±
¡°Back to the Lu family for what?¡± Lu Peijin frowned upon hearing that, ¡°To the office.¡±
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¡°Okay.¡± The secretary changednes, merging into another stream of traffic.
Lu Peijin casually looked out the window.
It was then that he saw Su Zhiruan.
And the man opposite her.
¡°Wait a moment,¡± Lu Peijin immediately spoke, ¡°stop at the West Street parking lot.¡±
¡°Ah?¡± The secretary initially didn¡¯t understand, but after ncing in the direction of West Street, he immediately understood and turned the car around.
A car slowly parked in the parking lot.
Lu Peijin watched the two talking outside with the sharp gaze of a hawk.
The secretary looked at Su Zhiruan outside and then at Lu Peijin.
He suddenly felt a pang of emotion.
Their President Lu¡ seemed possibly halfway caught up¡ though he probably didn¡¯t know it himself.
Lu Peijin watched out the window, his hand on the emails having long since stopped.
Unable to hear the outside noise, but when Lu Peijin saw the young man reaching out to grab Su Zhiruan¡¯s hand, he immediately closed theptop in front of him.
A low-pressure aura surrounded him.
¡°President Lu¡¡± The secretary, seeing a side of him that was vastly different from his usually even-tempered state through the rear-view mirror, called out softly.
¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡± Lu Peijin was not looking at the secretary but at the two outside the window.
Ji Chengzhao intended to step forward and grab her hand.
Su Zhiruan immediately dodged.
Shortly thereafter, she said something in a tone different from before.
Lu Peijin, though he had not been around her for many days, could tell what some of her expressions meant.
The expression she was showing towards that man now was impatience, a strong desire to leave, but the other party kept talking incessantly.
Lu Peijin didn¡¯t even know if he was possessed, but after guessing that she was annoyed with the person in front of her, he even felt a secret delight, and the heart he had lifted moments before was entirely put back in ce.
She hadn¡¯t shown him any signs of impatience.
Did that mean his status in her heart was somewhat different?
Lu Peijin felt a small bud of something starting to grow in his heart.
The car was very quiet, with no one speaking.
The secretary nced again at Boss Lu through the rearview mirror; his face showed no expression.
Having followed Lu Peijin for several years, he roughly knew that even if Boss Lu had many thoughts on his mind, he could hide them very well if he chose, not letting anyone see his true thoughts.
In other words, he was a natural-born negotiator in the business world.
At this time, the secretary was actually a bit curious, after all, he was the one who knew the most about the rtionship between these two; after some internal struggle, he still felt somewhat gossipy.
¡°Boss Lu, do you feel something different for Miss Su?¡± the secretary asked, then saw Lu Peijin¡¯s gaze shift towards him, followed by a casual nce.
¡°What different feeling?¡± Lu Peijin asked leisurely. ¡°That contract was drafted by you. You should know it best.¡±
¡°Miss Su, she¡ª¡±
¡°The contract remains unchanged. After she gives birth, neither the child nor I will have anything to do with her,¡± the man lowered his eyes, repeating the content of the contract.
Anyway, she doesn¡¯t want to stay in Jinghua.
Being so smart, she naturally knows what is right to do, like leaving him.
¡°Are you really driving her out of Jinghua?¡± Seeing that Lu Peijin was not resistant to this topic, the secretary grew bolder and continued to ask.
¡°It depends on her choice,¡± Lu Peijin took a deep breath and looked out the car window, feeling somewhat choked up inside. ¡°If she wants to stay, let her stay.¡±
This was the first time in 27 years that he had experienced such emotions, feeling ufortable but not knowing what to do or how to act.
Because of a woman.
Because of an insignificant Su Zhiruan.
He might be having mental issuestely.
Lu Peijin thought silently to himself.
Outside the car window, Su Zhiruan had just dodged Ji Chengzhao¡¯s attempt to grab her hand and felt somewhat annoyed.
She didn¡¯t want anyplications. Even though her rtionship with Lu Peijin was only contractual, during this period, she was not a disloyal or deceitful person; having followed Lu Peijin, she would not give other men any kind of hints.
After saying another couple of sentences, Su Zhiruan found an excuse to part ways with him.
Ji Chengzhao, left behind, saw his previously happy expressionpletely vanish, reced by a determined look of wanting to possess and take.
*
Su Zhiruan returned to Fujin Water Pavilion; there was no one in the vi, and Lu Peijin wouldn¡¯t be back at this hour either.
She returned to her room, rearranged her clothes, then opened the refrigerator to look inside; it was rather full of fresh ingredients.
She rubbed her hands together, preparing to cook dinner by herself.
Before she was bound by the Childbirth System, she handled several jobs at once to save money and, unwilling to dine out, often cooked herself, eventually bing quite good at it.
After nning to make a few dishes, she suddenly thought about asking whether Lu Peijin would be home today. If he wasing back as well, she would prepare enough for two.
Chapter 51 - 51 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 13
Chapter 51: Chapter 51 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 13
She sent a message to Lu Peijin.
Soon, the reply came from the other side.
[I¡¯ll be backte today, don¡¯t wait for me, you can eat first]
[Okay]
She put away her phone, then prepared some dishes and stewed a soup based on the ingredients she had.
After the soup was ready, she checked the time, eight o¡¯clock in the evening.
Since it was already thiste, she might as well wait a little longer for Lu Peijin; otherwise, there was too much food to finish by herself.
With that thought, she carefully covered the dishes with their lids and then sat down to browse her phone.
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Maybe it was the quiet atmosphere or perhaps the aroma of the food that made her drowsy.
What Lu Peijin saw when he returned was this scene:
Dim, warm yellow lighting, the air filled with the scent of food, and the girl, not knowing when, had fallen asleep on the table.
Her phone screen was still lit in front of her, her entire head fluffy, her long hair slightly curled, casually draped over her shoulders, shimmering under the light in beautiful gleams, seemingly fast asleep, her breathing even and steady.
In front of her, several delicate dishes were covered, probably to keep them from cooling, a set of chopsticks and bowl in front of her, and another set beside it, both neatly arranged, waiting for him.
Suddenly, his heart softened a lot.
It was as if a cold pond suddenly thawed and warmed up, gradually turning into a steaming hot spring.
He stared at this image for a long, long time, as if time was frozen in this moment.
Although Lu Peijin lived with the Lu Family, the Lu Family was a ce where the weak were prey to the strong; one had to leave if theycked the strength.
Even though his mother was ady from a reputable family and the legitimate wife, the old man Lu had been promiscuous in his youth, and he had arge number of illegitimate children both male and female.
Over the years, he had dealt with many of them, but in the process, his views on so-called marriage and family had be especially indifferent, subtly believing that the rtives who were supposedly closest to him might sometimes harm him in the shadows, with smiles hiding knives.
Yet, without knowing when, he had started to see a ce as his home to return to every day, knowing someone was waiting for him, experiencing a previously unknown sensation.
It was like someone who had been walking in the dark for a long time suddenly found light, a glimpse of a possible future.
For a moment, he felt a mix of timidity and hesitation. He knew deeply that this scene did not belong to him, that it could not include him, just like a thief who has unwittingly stolen a treasure but doesn¡¯t know what to do with it. Just then, his phone, clenched in his hand, suddenly rang.
When he turned off the ringtone, he found Su Zhiruan rubbing her eyes, sitting up from the table. She looked around, dazed, and finally focused on him, stood up and called to him, ¡°Mr. Lu, you¡¯re back.¡±
¡°Shall we eat together?¡± Su Zhiruan said as she casually opened the lids, the dishes still warm, ¡°I was nning to wait for you, but I identally fell asleep.¡±
¡°Next time you eat first, don¡¯t wait for me,¡± said Lu Peijin, his usually cold tone softening.
The two sat opposite each other and began to eat.
Maybe because the atmosphere was good today, they chatted leisurely for a while, surprisingly enjoying the conversation, and after the meal, Lu Peijin took the initiative to clean up the dishes, cing them inside the dishwasher.
That evening, although Su Zhiruan was sleepy-eyed, she was ready to take the initiative again, but Lu Peijin stopped her, ¡°Let¡¯s go to sleep early today, you already stayed up sote yesterday, no need for exertion tonight.¡±
Su Zhiruan agreed as well, and just nodded vaguely, wrapping herself in the nket.
Afterward, she felt a light touch at the corner of her mouth, a kiss.
Gentle, devoid of any lustful desire, was the kiss.
¡°Good night.¡±
The man spoke, then turned off the bedsidemp and closed his eyes to sleep.
Su Zhiruan, however, widened her eyes in the darkness.
What¡ what did he mean by that?
Why had he suddenly done that?
It would have been fitting in a past life, but now¡ªthey were in a contract rtionship!
This development seemed somehow amiss.
Unable to fall asleep, Su Zhiruan toss and turned, unable to stop thinking. Eventually, it was Lu Peijin who couldn¡¯t handle her restless fidgeting. He pulled her close half-heartedly, but they didn¡¯t go all the way, which helped Su Zhiruan settle down considerably.
When she awoke the next day, Su Zhiruan¡¯s condition was even worse than the previous day when she had stayed up until two in the morning.
In contrast, Lu Peijin seemed to be in a surprisingly good mood. Looking at the neatly dressed Su Zhiruan, he said, ¡°Are you off to work at the hotel? I can give you a lift on my way.¡±
¡°Thank you, General Manager Lu.¡± She yawned, still sleepy.
After reviewing his documents, Lu Peijin, noticing her limp state, raised his eyes curiously and said, ¡°I¡¯m curious, you didn¡¯t do it yesterday, so howe you look so out of it now?¡±
¡°I couldn¡¯t sleepst night,¡± Su Zhiruan replied helplessly from the couch.
With a thoughtful look, Lu Peijin put down hisptop and sat beside her, ¡°Then tonight¡¡±
Su Zhiruan: ¡°¡¡±
When the time came, Lu Peijin¡¯s secretary drove up to the vi and, seeing Su Zhiruan, he showed no surprise. He opened the door, letting both of them into the car.
Lu Peijin¡¯s car had a dedicated parking spot, and there was even a private elevator, so Su Zhiruan wasn¡¯t worried about being seen by others as she prepared to go up with him.
She still had half an hour before her work began; there was plenty of time.
*
Meanwhile,
inside the hotel,
the woman who boasted about attaching herself to a wealthy man wore a smile of confidence as she strode into the room where the staff changed clothes and took breaks.
¡°I have some explosive news for you all!!¡± As soon as the woman entered, she announced loudly to everyone.
The others were used to her so-called news and kept busy with their tasks, showing no interest in what she deemed to be explosive.
Only the waitresses who usually ttered her approached with ingratiating smiles, ¡°What¡¯s the news, sis?¡±
¡°This morning, I saw General Manager Lu¡ªthe owner of this hotel and the head of the Lu Group,¡± the woman said, seeing the crowd around her grow, a rising sense of satisfaction within her. She spoke as if she was already a part of the Lu Family, proudly beginning, ¡°His car passed in front of the hotel, and I recognized it immediately! There was someone else in the car, probably his secretary. If we go to the elevator now, we might even catch a glimpse of this legendary figure!¡±
At her words, everyone became tempted.
To catch a glimpse of the president of the Lu Group, apany ranked among the top 500 globally, was certainly something to talk about.
Chapter 54 - 54 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 16
Chapter 54: Chapter 54 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 16
Su Zhiruan¡
turned out to be a graduate of Jinghua University!
When the young woman revealed everything, silence fell over the room.
Nobody could dispute the prestige of other universities, and there could be debates about which school ranked second or third, but Jinghua University was the undisputed number one!
All the teachers and students of Jinghua University had been meticulously selected after numerous exams and trials, representing the very top echelon of schrs.
Basically, as long as one sent out a resume, it would be highly sought after, eagerly snapped up by corporations.
And the reason Su Zhiruan chose toe to this hotel was mainly because the sry could be advanced, and the shift system allowed for more rest time, not requiring one to stay at the hotel all day to work.
Indeed, manypanies had extended olive branches to her, but the starting sry and benefits naturally wouldn¡¯t be high, and it required being on-site all day. At that time, the original host was desperate, and rather than taking a job requiring an internship before promotion, it was better to find a job that allowed for quick employment with a higher sry.
Meanwhile, Su Zhiruan was unaware of what was happening at the hotel.
She took her belongings and made a trip back to Lu Peijin¡¯s Fujin Water Pavilion.
She nned to live at Lu Peijin¡¯s ce for a long time, so these daily necessities were to be left there.
And today, she also had an important matter to attend to.
Familiar with the route, she entered the vi, but as she looked up, she saw Lu Peijin.
Lu Peijin was handsome, with a tall and slender figure, broad shoulders and a narrow waist, and a particrly good physique, something Su Zhiruan was well aware of.
Currently, he was dressed in an off-white casual outfit. He seemed to have just taken a shower, a towel draped over his neck, with his half-dry, half-wet hair covering his eyshes.
Different from the usual imposing figure in a ck suit, the superior and indifferent President Lu, he looked more like a college student today.
¡°You¡¯re back?¡± He watched as Su Zhiruan gazed steadily at him, motionless. A trace of secret delight emerged in his heart, and Lu Peijin quickly walked over. Having approached and realized she hadn¡¯t moved, he asked, ¡°Why are you standing still?¡±
¡°Came home to drop some things off; I have to go out again in a bit,¡± Su Zhiruan lifted the cloth bag she was holding, which contained the daily necessities she had left in the staff dormitory.
At this moment, Lu Peijin¡¯s mind was entirely preupied with that unintentional phrase she had uttered, ¡°came home.¡±
He hadn¡¯t really listened to anything else she said.
Came home¡
Could it mean that she also sees this ce as a home?
Lu Peijin felt that he might have some kind of mental problem recently, otherwise why would he keep thinking about Su Zhiruan and those inadvertently intimate words she said?
@@novelbin@@
Su Zhiruan looked at the man before her, the son of a different realm, and involuntarily swallowed.
Should she say it or not, the normally cold and indifferent, icy when approached, and expressionless distinguished Young Master Lu Peijin.
His recent anomalies seem to be a bit too frequent, whether it was kissing her in public spaces like the elevator, or the kissst night before going to sleep, and when she called his full name, all these made her feel that he was different from the usual Lu Peijin.
Even now it was the same; she had only said a few ordinary words. However, looking at his current demeanor, he seemed quite happy.
Su Zhiruan herself felt it quite confusing, when exactly had Lu Peijin¡¯s sense of humor be so low.
She scratched her head and decided it was still better to put down her things and go pick up her grandmother from the hospital.
¡°Hold on, where are you going?¡± When Lu Peijin saw her leaving, he quickly took three steps at a time and caught up with her, grabbing her arm. Fearing that it might hurt her, he let go and asked, ¡°Shall I give you a ride?¡±
¡°Thank you, Mr. Lu, but I¡¯d better go myself. I have to pick up my grandmother from the hospital today.¡± Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t n to let Lu Peijin appear in front of her grandmother. Although they had a contract agreement, it was hard for the older generation to ept such arrangements, and she was afraid it would worry the elderly woman.
¡°I¡¯m on leave today, so I¡¯m free anyway. Why not drive you to the hospital and then take your grandmother to the apartment you rented?¡± As Lu Peijin spoke, he stealthily observed her expression, and then added, ¡°You don¡¯t have a car. It¡¯s probably pretty hard to hail a cab now with the heavy traffic. Do you really want to let your grandmother wait outside the hospital all the time?¡±
After giving it some thought, Su Zhiruan agreed that he had a point. However, besides her grandmother, there was another reason she didn¡¯t want Lu Peijin to follow. She said somewhat helplessly, ¡°Mr. Lu, there are too many procedures at the hospital, and you¡¯ll have to sit in a wheelchair in public, which will be inconvenient.¡±
¡°Who said I¡¯m going to sit in a wheelchair?¡± Lu Peijin nced at the wheelchair not far away and decided, ¡°It¡¯s settled then. I¡¯ll just put on a mask and disguise myself a bit. Wait for me in the car.¡±
Having said that, he reached out and tossed a set of keys to Su Zhiruan; she had no choice but to catch them and then sit in the passenger seat of Lu Peijin¡¯s car.
After a while, Lu Peijin was dressed up in his disguise.
During the drive, Su Zhiruan sneakily looked at him several times.
He had transformed himself into the likeness of a college student.
Lu Peijin looked young, and having just taken a shower, his hair was fluffy and soft. Wearing a light-colored baseball jacket, a ck mask and ck hat, and baggy pants, he didn¡¯t look out of ce standing beside her. In fact, it made them seem like a young couple in love.
Su Zhiruan¡¯s grandmother had been personally tended to by Lu Peijin; the resources and medications used for her were the best, and the discharge process was also swift.
Lu Peijin, holding a stack of paperwork, stood at the entrance of the hospital room and overheard the conversation inside.
¡°Ruanruan, tell me the truth, this young man who came with you, is he the boyfriend you¡¯ve found?¡± An old but affectionate voice spoke up.
¡°Don¡¯t talk nonsense, grandma. He¡¯s just passing by and came to lend a hand. He¡¯s definitely not my boyfriend!¡± Su Zhiruan briskly packed her grandmother¡¯s belongings as she denied it.
¡°Oh my, grandma has gotten old and can¡¯t keep up with the thoughts of you young people,¡± her grandmother¡¯s smile did not fade, still cheerful, ¡°Ruanruan dear, if you really meet someone nice, why not consider it? I think this young man is very good, humble and polite, and he also seems very spirited, all smiles.¡±
Lu Peijin seemed very much alive.
Su Zhiruan shook her head to clear it.
For some reason, when her grandmother remarked on how spirited Lu Peijin looked with his cheerful smile, Su Zhiruan¡¯s thoughts subconsciously drifted to the smile he had absentmindedly revealed that morning.
And also his smile on the couch the night before.
She just realized that at some point, the originally noble and detached prince, who seemed as unreachable as an immortal and who always wore a cold, indifferent expression, had somehow turned into a multitude of Lu Peijin¡¯s smiling faces in her memory.
And each one was a smile that only she had seen, revealed only in her presence.
She quickly shook her head again, trying to rid her mind of the smiling Lu Peijin.
At that moment, Lu Peijin came in holding the stack of papers, all smiles.
¡°Good to see you, grandma.¡±
He greeted politely, and then turned to Su Zhiruan with a smile.
Chapter 55 - 55 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 17
Chapter 55: Chapter 55 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 17
¡°Ruanruan, let me help.¡± Lu Peijin approached her with a smile.
Su Zhiruan red at him, then quietly looked towards her grandmother on the other side.
She couldn¡¯t figure out what Lu Peijin was really thinking. He clearly knew what their rtionship was at the moment, but he still had to present himself as a harmless, upright young man in front of her grandmother.
At this time, her grandmother¡¯s face was brimming with a smile, just like the happy expression of an old person watching the lively younger generation.
Su Zhiruan felt that the situation was a bit tricky. The original host had never brought a boyfriend home before. She had always been busy earning money and studying hard to get schrships. Being so busy all the time, even if someone pursued her, her first thought was to reject them.
Now, Lu Peijin was behaving very sincerely in front of her grandmother. If one didn¡¯t know better, they might really think that Lu Peijin and she were a couple.
During the process of packing up things, Su Zhiruan decided to speak less.
After finishing packing her grandmother¡¯s things, Lu Peijin and Su Zhiruan supported their grandmother on each side, while listening to her chatter as they walked outside.
Lu Peijin¡¯s appearance today was too deceptive, as no one could recognize him.
The usual Lu Peijin was seen in a wheelchair, dressed in a suit, but today he was wearing a hat and a mask, looking just like a young college student.
The doctors and nurses knew that this elderlydy had been instructed to be treated as a VIP guest, so the medical staff came out to mention the precautions to be followed afterwards.
Su Zhiruan took note of everything and sincerely thanked them, ¡°Thank you all, you¡¯ve been a great help.¡±
¡°Not at all, not at all!¡±
Hearing her say this, everyone¡¯s fondness for her rose a bit more.
Su Zhiruan and Lu Peijin led their grandmother out of the hospital¡¯s main door.
The grandmother took a deep breath and eximed happily, ¡°Today is the happiest day for me. Ruanruan and this young man both came to pick me up. After getting better, I feel much lighter!¡±
¡°Grandma, you also need to take good care of your healthter. While I¡¯m at work, you should rest well at home. Only if you¡¯re healthy can I take you around the world to y,¡± Su Zhiruan said, seeing her expression vivid and feeling much rxed herself.
¡°Very well, but grandma is old now. If you two want to go out and have fun, just go and build your rtionship¡¡± She looked at Lu Peijin and Su Zhiruan with loving eyes, thinking more and more that these two children were really well-matched. She truly wished these two could be together.
¡°Grandma! Don¡¯t talk nonsense! Let¡¯s get in the car first,¡± Su Zhiruan groaned with a headache. Older people always wanted to match-make the younger generation, but their intention was to see the younger ones support each other and form a small family, which was understandable.
Lu Peijin just listened to their conversation with a smile, not intervening or interrupting.
Soon, they arrived at the new residential area where Su Zhiruan had rented a ce.
This wasn¡¯t a particrly good neighborhood, but she had considered it before renting since many elderly people lived here, and there were morning and evening markets, bing very quiet after the bustle. Many older people lived here, and themunity was very good with various entertainment activities and facilities.
¡°It¡¯s on the second floor; let¡¯s go up first,¡± Su Zhiruan supported her grandmother, carrying many things in her other hand, struggling slightly.
At this moment, the items in her hand were silently taken over by Lu Peijin. He was tall and found it easy to carry these household goods. Then, he supported her grandmother again, ¡°Grandma, be careful of the steps.¡±
Su Zhiruan stood by his side. His movements were so light and quick, it was almost like a breeze had passed by.
The breeze was silent, but she could smell the faint sandalwood on him.
This had been a recurring midnight dream, in which she would smell this scent and fall into a deep, weary sleep.
Soon, after the two had gone upstairs, Lu Peijin said something that made grandma couldn¡¯t stop smiling.
It was then that Su Zhiruan pulled the keys from her bag and unlocked the door to let grandma in.
As soon as grandma entered, she happily looked around, her demeanor resembling that of an excited child.
Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t enter. Instead, she quietly closed the door and then, facing Lu Peijin, she began, ¡°Mr. Lu, you really don¡¯t have to do this.¡±
@@novelbin@@
Lu Peijin leanedzily against the wall, arms crossed. At that moment, he appeared rxed, a stark contrast to the aloof and authoritative chairman of the Lu Group, his gaze softening with a smile as he looked at Su Zhiruan, ¡°Isn¡¯t this nice? Grandma is happy!¡±
¡°Grandma thinks we are¡but our rtionship isn¡¯t something that can be discussed openly,¡± Su Zhiruan whispered, taking a step closer to him. She always remembered her mission and knew what she ought to do.
But now, things had deviated from the original n.
And it was different from what she had imagined.
¡°Since the olddy is happy, why not let her believe it?¡± Lu Peijin felt somewhat choked up. It had been his idea to draft the agreement, yet now it seemed as if she was constantly reminding him not to forget, as if making sure he remembered. He had long forgotten his initial cold demeanor and just felt unhappy.
Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t want to continue the lie. She took a deep breath and was about to say more.
However, at that moment, she was suddenly enveloped by a pair ofrge hands.
The two were already standing very close; Lu Peijin merely had to reach out to grasp her.
In an instant, the world spun around, and their positions switched.
Su Zhiruan was pressed against the wall, her pupils dting instantly.
¡°Lu¡ªmmh¡¡±
She felt the faint scent of sandalwood spreading gradually at the tip of her nose, the fragrance was very light.
At that moment, it was as if she was enveloped by the sandalwood.
A flood of gentleness, coolness, and sweetness mingled together, reminding her of the kiss days ago.
After a long while, Lu Peijin let her go.
He smiled, arms still crossed, and even when he saw Su Zhiruan¡¯s legs go weak, he lent a hand and said righteously, ¡°Miss Su should be careful while walking! Though a stranger like me is here to help this time, there might not always be such kind-hearted people around.¡±
He had been smiling as he spoke, even straightening her cor.
Su Zhiruan, her breath unsteady, leaned on the door, only to hear him chuckle again.
¡°Tonight, how about this stranger gets to know Miss Su a little better? Perhaps we¡¯re not yet acquainted well enough¡¡±
¡°President Lu loves to joke,¡± Su Zhiruan¡¯s smile stiffened momentarily before deciding tough it off.
She truly wondered if this yful, joking man, always thinking about such matters, was indeed the same cold, capricious young master of the Lu Family!
Chapter 59 - 59 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 21
Chapter 59: Chapter 59 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 21
It was at this moment that the sack over Su Zhiruan¡¯s head was removed, and she got a full view of her surroundings.
@@novelbin@@
She was now in arge hall, staring at two people in front of her: one with salt-and-pepper hair, wearing a traditional buttoned jacket and leaning on a cane; the other was Lu Ming, the young man who had just cornered her.
When Su Zhiruan retched, these two, as well as Lu Ming¡¯sckeys who were squeezing at the door not daring toe in, and the butler and the cooking auntie on the other side, everyone heard it.
¡°Scoundrel!!!¡±
After a brief silence, the old master Lu erupted with a huge scolding and mmed his dragon-head cane down on Lu Ming¡¯s head furiously. Not content with one hit, he reached for the vase next to him to hit Lu Ming again but was stopped by the people around him. Only then did he start cursing terribly, ¡°Lu Ming! I turn a blind eye to your usual misdeeds, but if you dare to harm her¡ªor the eldest grandson of the Lu Family¡ªI¡¯ll skin you alive!¡±
Su Zhiruan was a bit confused about the situation. She had been dragged in here by Lu Ming¡¯sckeys, thrown on the floor with a sack over her head, and had only managed to wriggle out of the loosened sack during the process.
She tried to stand up, but before she could move, the auntie and the butler rushed over, clumsily helping her up, ¡°Miss, are you alright? Sit on the sofa first.¡±
Su Zhiruan waved her hand, intending to say she was fine, just car sick.
However, at that moment, she felt her stomach churning and saw a trash can next to the living room. Breaking free from the butler and the auntie, she rushed toward the trash can to throw up, but ended up just retching.
The butler and the cooking auntie exchanged nces, then looked towards the old master Lu.
At this point, old master Lu couldn¡¯t even concern himself with beating up Lu Ming anymore. Casting aside his cane, he walked over, his voice shaking. He had been a decisive leader of the Lu Group in his youth, and age had not changed that. However, he became tense and, seeing that Su Zhiruan seemed to have recovered, quickly called the butler and others to action, ¡°What are you standing around for! Help Miss Su to the sofa! Butler, call the family doctor over!¡±
But before the butler could even leave, old master Lu immediately stopped him, ¡°Butler,e back! Prepare the car, we are going straight to the hospital!¡±
¡°Mr. Lu, I¡¯m not¡ª¡± Su Zhiruan was beginning to understand why these people were in such a panic.
They must think she¡¯s pregnant!
¡°Don¡¯t worry, girl!¡± old master Lu was all action, holding the phone to call the hospital director, while threatening a cowering Lu Ming, ¡°You, if anything happens to your brother¡¯s child today, I¡¯ll drive you out of the Lu Family on the spot!¡±
Lu Ming didn¡¯t dare to let out a breath.
Seeing this, hisckeys scattered like startled birds.
Afterward, everyone in the Lu Family began to hustle about quickly, seeming very busy, and Su Zhiruan couldn¡¯t even find a good opportunity to exin that her retching was due to motion sickness, not pregnancy.
It wasn¡¯t until she was seated in the car that Su Zhiruan was able to speak with old master Lu.
¡°Mr. Lu, I am not pregnant; it was just car sickness,¡± Su Zhiruan never imagined, she would be sitting in a car with the legendary decisive former head of the Lu Family, old master Lu, in such circumstances.
Even though she was a person who could remain calm in the face of sudden changes, the current situation was truly beyond her imagination.
¡°Su girl, do you really think I wouldn¡¯t know about what¡¯s been going on between you and Lu Peijin, thatd?¡± old master Lu looked at her, growing more and more satisfied as he did. Sometimes, a person¡¯s character can be seen from their appearance. Having lived so many years, almost ready to be buried, he looked at Su Zhiruan. The youngdy was not old, but she possessed a maturity and temperament far beyond her peers, very serene, giving people a feeling offort just by being with her.
¡°Old Master Lu is well-informed.¡± Su Zhiruan wasn¡¯t quite sure to what extent the old man understood her rtionship with Lu Peijin.
Was it just the apparent sugar daddy rtionship, or the actual contractual one?
Actually, when she signed the contract, Su Zhiruan had already made a rough n for this system task. At that time, Lu Peijin and his secretary probably worried that she would cling to the Lu Family or the child to be born afterwards, which was why they included so many uses in the contract.
But in fact, Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t even want to have the slightest rtionship with the Lu Family, let alone curry favor with the legendary old master.
¡°That kid Lu Peijin, he always refused the arranged marriages I set up for him; I didn¡¯t expect that the first woman he would choose to take care of would be you,¡± Old Master Lu chatted leisurely with Su Zhiruan, as if a kind elder was inquiring about his junior¡¯s life.
But as soon as these words came out, Su Zhiruan immediately realized that the old master probably only thought Lu Peijin was keeping her as a kept woman, and not that she would leave the Lu Family after giving birth to the child as per the contract.
¡°Since you know, there was no need to bring me to the hospital,¡± Su Zhiruan said, looking at the approaching hospital sign with a bit of resignation, ¡°I¡¯m very clear that I¡¯m not pregnant.¡±
At this time, the Lu Family¡¯s car had already arrived at the hospital.
And as soon as Old Master Lu spoke, the whole hospital was decked out, ready and waiting to receive them.
Su Zhiruan originally thought she would go through a check-up, confirm there was no child, and then put Old Master Lu¡¯s mind at ease.
What she didn¡¯t expect was that reality would p her in the face so hard.
¡°Madam, ording to the ultrasound and blood results, the fetus has been imnted for nearly a month!¡± The nurse handed several sheets to Su Zhiruan.
Su Zhiruan hadn¡¯t expected that she was actually pregnant!
She subconsciously touched her stomach, setting the papers aside.
When Old Master Lu picked up the papers, his entire demeanor was one of surprise and joy, as if he had already seen the Lu Family¡¯s child being born and calling him grandpa.
Su Zhiruan, not quite believing it, summoned the system that hadn¡¯t appeared in a long time in her mind, ¡°System, are you there?¡±
[I am here, what is it, host?]
¡°I¡¯m pregnant?¡±
[Let me check, ah! Indeed, the Newbie Gift Package has started to take effect. You don¡¯t have to worry, the Newbie Gift Package, just like in the previous world, won¡¯t cause you any pregnancy or childbirth troubles!] The system spoke in a cheerful tone.
Su Zhiruan understood; she now had a child, meaning she was one step closer topleting the task. This seemed pretty good to her.
No wonder she hadn¡¯t realized she was pregnant. Her period was dyed and she thought it was due to the recent stress from studying; she hadn¡¯t expected it was because of pregnancy.
She suddenly became a little curious about what Lu Peijin¡¯s expression would be once he found out she was pregnant.
Chapter 60 - 60 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 22
Chapter 60: Chapter 60 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 22
At first, Lu Peijin was away on a business trip and indeed did not know that Su Zhiruan was pregnant.
After the meeting, his secretary, holding his phone, handed it over to him with a look full of congrattions, ¡°Mr. Lu, congrattions to you!¡±
¡°Why would you congratte me for no reason?¡± Lu Peijin replied indifferently as he tidied up the documents, casually taking the phone, and then he saw the message at the top from Elder Lu¡ª
[Lu Peijin, the girl you¡¯re hiding in the golden house is pregnant! One month!]
It was in this instant that Lu Peijin¡¯s mind suddenly went nk.
The documents that were neatly organized in his hand were subconsciously released, scattering on the floor, just like snowkes.
At that moment, Lu Peijin, who was always cold, distant, and heartlessly indifferent, as if born with ack of emotion and the man in power at Lu Group, waspletely dumbfounded.
His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but his brain, which normally worked like high-end machinery, couldn¡¯te up with a single word to say.
First, he froze, and then what followed was sheer ecstasy.
He felt as though he was immersed in tender bubbles, but the next second, he fell into an endless abyss.
She was pregnant, one month, from that time before he left.
But her pregnancy also meant that in less than ten months, she would leave Jinghua, fly far away with her grandmother, and nevere back again.
Su Zhiruan didn¡¯t know there were CCTV cameras in the vi, and maybe it was out of boredom, or simply a desire to see what she was doing, or some unclear feelings in his heart, he almost watched her every day through the surveince.
Sometimes she was reading on the sofa, sometimes biting her pen while seriously working on problems, and other times preparing meals and then eating quietly.
Even turning off the CCTV feed elicited a sentiment of reluctant attachment.
For a long time, Lu Peijin even wondered if there was something wrong with his mental state, otherwise why would he daydream, and when he did, his head was filled with her face, her smile.
¡°Mr. Lu?¡± The secretary squatted down, picked up all the documents, and organized them one by one before cing them in front of Lu Peijin. He thought of something else and simultaneously informed Lu Peijin, ¡°By the way, Mr. Lu, there¡¯s another thing, the old master dered he¡¯s going to cast out the two Lu Ming brothers from the Lu Family.¡±
¡°Why?¡± Lu Peijin, holding his phone with the chat box of Su Zhiruan still lit up on the screen, theirst conversation being just yesterday about what they ate today without a single mention of her pregnancy, the secretary knew by looking at his expression that Lu Peijin¡¯s mind was entirely filled with Su Zhiruan, having no interest in what he was about to say.
¡°Apparently, Lu Ming kidnapped Miss Su and brought her back to the Lu Family in a sack; the intention was to expose you to the old master, but they didn¡¯t expect Miss Su to suddenly have morning sickness, and it was only after the old master took her to the hospital for a checkup that they found out,¡± the secretary directed the conversation back to Su Zhiruan.
Indeed, Lu Peijin¡¯s attention was instantly captured.
He turned off his phone, clenched his fists, and said, ¡°Are you telling me¡ she was kidnapped by Lu Ming and taken back to the Lu Family?¡±
¡°Yes, Mr. Lu,¡± the secretary continued, ¡°but now, the old master has pronounced to expel these two brothers from the Lu Family, and it seems Lu Ming is making a huge scene crying and causing a ruckus. The old master has also kept Miss Su at the Lu Family, saying they can take good care of her!¡±
¡°Lu Ming!¡±
Lu Peijin¡¯s aura gradually grew icy as he softly repeated these two words, as if speaking about a dead man.
¡°Buy the next avable flight ticket ande back immediately!¡± Lu Peijin ordered his secretary.
The secretary nodded in agreement, ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go right now.¡±
*
Su Zhiruan was now staying at the Lu Family¡¯s ce.
Even though she insisted that she could take care of herself, the old Master Lu, along with the butler, Zhang Ma, and others, took turns persuading her. They promised they would take such good care of her that she would be plump and healthy, telling her not to worry or be afraid.
Even the old Master Lu, in an attempt to alleviate her stress, spent time with Su Zhiruan telling her many things about Lu Peijin.
¡°This kid, Lu Peijin, has always been like a little ice block since he was young; even as he grew up, he remained the same, like an old ice block,¡± Master Lu seemed to be reminiscing about long-ago memories and couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°Ever since he was young, he never got close to anyone, be it friends, family, or a lover, he dismissed them all with disdain. It¡¯s as if he has no ties to this world at all.¡±
Master Lu seemed to be speaking both to Su Zhiruan and giving vent to his own feelings.
Today, after he found out about Su Zhiruan¡¯s pregnancy, he sent a message to Lu Peijin. However, it had been a long time since they had messaged each other before this.
In his youth, Master Lu neglected his family to vigorously develop his business outside the home, entangling himself in amorous affairs and piling up romantic debts, ultimately producing many illegitimate children. This not onlypletely alienated his original wife, Madam Lu, leading to her death, but it also turned his only son cold-hearted and cynical, no longer believing in the warmth of a family, despising marriage, despising family, and it¡¯s likely why they hadn¡¯t been in touch for an extended time.
When Master Lu was young, he cared nothing for his family. Now that he was old, he realized that he had long since lost what he most wanted. The illegitimate children all wanted toe in and im their share of the inheritance, each of them vying to please him and push down their siblings in various ways. Yet his own son, Lu Peijin, had long since built up his own business, taking over his mother¡¯s shares and winning the admiration of many shareholders, never relying on pleasing him to get what rightfully belonged to him.
Even though Master Lu knew that the final inheritance would undoubtedly be left to Lu Peijin, he realized that only when the illegitimate children flitted before his eyes did his son Lu Peijin put some effort into dealing with these half-siblings, showing some drive. And so, he let those illegitimate children be.
But Master Lu was getting old, after all, and he still hoped that his son could have a family and not follow his old path.
Su Zhiruan listened to his endless chatter, and eventually, Zhang Ma made some nutritious dishes. Su Zhiruan helped her serve them, surprising Zhang Ma, ¡°Miss Su, you should just leave it, I can do it!¡±
¡°It¡¯s no trouble, Zhang Ma, it¡¯s on my way, and I didn¡¯t even help with the cooking,¡± Su Zhiruan said, and with a polite smile, she once again gained a lot of favor.
After the turmoil at the hospital and Master Lu¡¯s endless chatter, the time had already reached evening.
Just as Master Lu and Su Zhiruan were about to sit down to eat, they heard the butler cry out in surprise from outside the door.
¡°Young Master¡ª¡±
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Then, the front gate of the Lu Family estate was flung open, and a travel-worn man stepped in from outside.
¡ªIt was Lu Peijin!
And he wasn¡¯t in a wheelchair!
¡°Come here!¡±
Lu Peijin looked straight at Su Zhiruan and then warily at Master Lu.
The tense atmosphere exploded in an instant¡ª
Chapter 62 - 62 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 24
Chapter 62: Chapter 62 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 24
¡°It¡¯s fine, I didn¡¯t even notice myself this month, not a single reaction, don¡¯t worry.¡± Su Zhiruan touched her own belly, still feeling amazed that a little angel had moved in. The months were too few to show a specific embryo, but just thinking of a soft and mushy child calmed her heart extraordinarily.
She didn¡¯t even realize she was pregnant, which must all be thanks to the System Newbie Gift Package.
¡°Let¡¯s head back first, I¡¯ve hired a caretaker for you.¡± Lu Peijin was driving, he made sure Su Zhiruan was seated properly, today his driving speed was much reduced, and a lot steadier as well.
Back home, Su Zhiruan saw the two caretakers that had been hired.
Upon seeing Lu Peijin standing and helping Su Zhiruan out of the car, the two caretakers exchanged a stunned look.
This Mr. Lu ¡ª wasn¡¯t he supposed to be in a wheelchair?!
¡°Miss Su! Mr. Lu!¡±
Both bowed simultaneously, shouting in unison, and bowed again.
¡°Hello,¡± Su Zhiruan responded.
¡°Miss Su cane with us, we will analyze and decide the most suitable dietary and daily habits for you based on your diet and lifestyle.¡±
Lu Peijin watched reluctantly as they left.
After Su Zhiruan and the two caretakers went to discuss these issues, Lu Peijin opened the message from his secretary that he had nced at earlier.
It was an email, not many words, but the content was shocking.
Old Master Lu himself had ordered, for Lu Ming and his illegitimate older brother, Lu Yan, to get out of thepany, to leave Jinghua, never to return.
After reading the email, Lu Peijin did not feel schadenfreude, but was instead filled with dread.
Lu Yan was a man who smiled on the outside but stabbed you in the back, a very sinister person. Even he had to take some effort to dispose of him, whereas Lu Ming was purely an unintelligent bastard.
A part of the reason Lu Peijin feigned disability was to lower the guard of these illegitimate children, making it easier to deal a fatal blow directly.
Today, Lu Ming had kidnapped Su Zhiruan and brought her in front of Old Master Lu.
If Lu Yan had been the one to do this, it¡¯s likely that his woman, and child, would have ended up in the Netherworld.
Thinking back on it, Lu Peijin felt a chill.
But what surprised him was, he hadn¡¯t even made a move, and Old Master Lu had already decided to drive Lu Yan and Lu Ming out of Lu Group and the Lu Family, never to let them return to Jinghua.
Those old slick operators at Lu Group might disregard others¡¯ words, but when Old Master Lu issued an order, nobody was unwilling to push the boat along and grant him this favor.
Just now, Lu Peijin had been tender with Su Zhiruan for a while, and that was enough time for Lu Yan and Lu Ming to have scurried away disgracefully.
He had long wanted to deal with these two men and had already prepared the means to strike in secret.
Yet, to his surprise, just as Su Zhiruan found out she was pregnant, Old Master Lu immediately announced to drive those two men out.
Afterwards, he would be the sole heir to Lu Group, the only one holding power.
She and the child, it seemed, could bring him good luck.
Thinking this, Lu Peijin¡¯s gaze unconsciously shifted towards Su Zhiruan over yonder.
Her personality was pleasant, always smiling and very polite to everyone. It seemed that anyone who had met her, who had spent time with her, felt she was a good person.
Lu Peijin¡¯s eyes and brows gradually softened.
Possibly, even he himself did not realize, now, at this very moment, his eyes looking at Su Zhiruan were filled with love.
*
Su Zhiruan and the two caretakers confirmed her daily schedule.
She had the System Newbie Gift Package, so her pregnancy was basically free from major suffering; she could also continue studying for her postgraduate entrance exam. During the day, the aunties would prepare things like fruit and snacks, and all three meals were prepared ording to nutritional standards.
Quickly, five months passed.
After several prenatal check-ups, Su Zhiruan received yet another astonishing piece of news.
This time, she was expecting triplets!
A month ago, it was too early to tell, but as the babies in her belly grew bigger, a reexamination at her check-up revealed she was carrying triplets.
It wasn¡¯t just Su Zhiruan who was surprised!
Lu Peijin, who apanied her, waspletely stunned.
He had not expected that she would be having three children at once!!
Such good fortune had never before urred in the Lu Family.
Lu Peijin was over the moon with excitement.
He even wanted to have his secretary hire two more aunties on the spot to take care of her, but Su Zhiruan stopped him.
During this time, the two aunties who had been hired, as well as Su Zhiruan, witnessed all the changes in Lu Peijin.
¡°Mr. Lu, two aunties are already enough, the children are well-behaved, and the aunties are taking good care of them,¡± Su Zhiruan teased him, ¡°A few days ago the aunties were shocked. They had thought that Lu Peijin, the president of Lu Group, was a strict, meticulous, cold, and indifferent person. Who would have thought he¡¯d be like a child?¡±
¡°Were they short on things to be shocked about?¡± Lu Peijin caressed her belly, touching the children, then added, ¡°A few days ago when I bought things for you, the eyes of the two aunties lit up. From the moment I showed up not in a wheelchair, I could tell they were itching to spread the gossip.¡±
Su Zhiruan had noints about the two aunties.
Lately, the two aunties didn¡¯t know what kind of novel they were reading, but they started calling them ¡°sir¡± and ¡°madam¡± in every other sentence.
Their daily duty was to be astonished, much like bystanders in a novel.
Beyond that, the two aunties were highly empathetic; they chatted happily with her and cooked delicious meals.
Su Zhiruan watched her belly grow day by day, enjoying delicious food, and asionally received gifts from Lu Peijin, making her life incrediblyfortable.
As for her grandmother, she hadn¡¯t revealed the news to her yet and had reduced the number of times she went out. Her grandmother didn¡¯t know about the pregnancy and thought she was on a business trip abroad.
Lately, Lu Peijin had taken to buying her all sorts of clothing and jewelry.
It was said that one day, he had someone privately book an entire season¡¯s collection of clothing and jewelry. Outsiders spected that Lu Peijin had found someone he liked, splurging for that person¡¯s sake.
And in the end, all those things ended up in Su Zhiruan¡¯s dressing room.
She sometimes felt helpless, patting her belly, indicating that she really couldn¡¯t wear these now, but Lu Peijin wouldn¡¯t listen and only thought about buying more for her every day.
This slightly troubled Su Zhiruan, but having such surprises each day was also nice.
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As the months went by, spring turned to autumn, and she moved into her seventh month of pregnancy.
She was rather slim, so the triplets in her belly didn¡¯t look very big; to the unknowing observer, it appeared as if she was carrying twins.
During this time, Lu Peijin, who was usually cold and ruthless, known to outsiders as a workaholic, a veritable work machine, even started leaving the office early sometimes, just toe home and see her sooner.
This unusual behavior sparked a lot of spection and curiosity among people.
The private hospital had already prepared a private room, just waiting for her to give birth.
That day, the doorbell suddenly rang; Lu Peijin was feeding grapes to Su Zhiruan and went out to check upon hearing the sound.
Su Zhiruan grew curious and looked up as well.
Then, her gaze met with a familiar person¡ª
Chapter 64 - 64 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 26
Chapter 64: Chapter 64 After Running Away, the Disabled Tycoon Stopped Pretending 26
¡°Just now¡ the person who ran out, was that¡ªLu Peijin?¡±
It wasn¡¯t until someone uncertainly murmured to themselves that everyone reacted.
Just now, Lu Peijin, the Lu Family head who had been wheelchair-bound for many years with leg disabilities, had gotten up and run off!!
What could be more shocking than that!
Lu Peijin had long stopped caring about these things; his mind waspletely filled with the thought that Su Zhiruan was about to give birth.
He had no idea that he had gone viral for not having a disability!
The whole inte exploded!
The nurses, trying to distract Su Zhiruan, let her look at her phone, only for her to open the trending search and see Lu Peijin sprinting out of thepany.
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In the pictures spread by everyone, Lu Peijin was so fast that only a blur could be seen.
The real-time search rankings shot up wildly, eventually even crashing.
Before that car ident years ago, although Lu Peijin was mysterious and low-key, he was irresistible due to his good looks; even among male models in the entertainment industry, he could press everyone down with his naturally noble appearance alone.
Just a few side-face shots released in financial magazines could haunt the dreams of all women.
Daughters of wealthy families endlessly sought to marry him.
But after that car ident, the mor for Lu Peijin gradually decreased a bit.
However, now that they had seen him rushing out, the trending searches were ignited for him once again.
At this moment, those who had been most shocked were the board members who had just been in a meeting with Lu Peijin¡ªthey had just seen him sitting in his wheelchair, looking formidable, yet carrying a noble air that made anyone say what a pity it was that he was disabled. To their surprise, just as they were leaving, they saw the current patriarch of the Lu Family, who had been in a wheelchair, dash out running!
This shock was akin to seeing a fish hop onto a bicycle and speed away!
¡°Was that really Lu Peijin just now? He¡ªHe¡¯s not disabled!?¡±
¡°Oh my God! He¡¯s kept it so hidden; so, tell me, why do you think Lu always pretended to be disabled?¡±
¡°I don¡¯t know! But if they see him safe and sound, Old Master Lu will certainly be at ease.¡±
Many people actually had their own guesses, but they were all shrewd individuals who wouldn¡¯t recklessly voice their spections.
*
There was a flurry of discussion on the outside.
At this time, Lu Peijin had no time to pay attention to the online trends.
After getting out of the car at the hospital, he went straight to Su Zhiruan.
¡°Where is she?¡± he asked, looking at the empty room, not seeing the two aunts either.
The nurse, knowing he was Lu Peijin and whom he was asking about, suppressed the tsunami of shock inside her and answered dutifully, ¡°Mr. Lu, Miss Su has already entered the delivery room.¡±
Lu Peijin was anxious, but could only wait.
As time ticked second by second, and just as Lu Peijin¡¯s anxiety reached a critical level, the door of the delivery room suddenly opened.
¡°The child is born! Mother and son are safe!¡±
¡°Great joy, they are two little gentlemen and one littledy!¡± The nurse congratted Lu Peijin but saw that he seemed somewhat distracted, guessing that what he most wanted to know now was about the mother of the children.
So the nurse added cheerfully, ¡°The baby¡¯s mom is also very well, just too tired and asleep.¡±
Only after hearing this did Lu Peijin let go of his worries, ¡°Can I go in now?¡±
¡°Please wait a moment, you can¡¯t go in just yet.¡± After the nurse spoke, someone called her inside, so she offered an apologetic smile and left.
Lu Peijin hadn¡¯t been standing outside for long before he heard several people approaching. He looked up, only to find it was Grandpa Lu.
¡°Why are you here?¡± Lu Peijin watched Grandpa Lu walk up to him with sturdy steps, leaning on his cane, his face full of anxiety.
¡°You scamp, running off so fast, you even made the trending searches. As your father, how could I not know what¡¯s going on?¡± Grandpa Lu scolded him before hastily asking, ¡°How¡¯s the Su girl? How was the delivery? Was it smooth?¡±
¡°Very smooth, she should be out in a bit.¡± Speaking of Su Zhiruan, Lu Peijin¡¯s expression immediately softened, and his tone of speaking with Grandpa Lu improved a lot too.
It was only after this exchange that the two men finally rxed.
*
Su Zhiruan had the Newbie Gift Package from the system, so her first feeling after giving birth was fatigue. Pain was minimal, and then there was a sense of immense relief.
After all, three real children had been living in her belly for ten months, and the delivery process was also quite long.
She only managed to catch a glimpse of the children, and upon knowing they were two boys and a girl, she fell into deep sleep.
When she woke up again, she found it was very quiet around her.
The sunshine was warm and gentle as it poured in, and the air carried a soft, indescribable scent that was very soothing. She slowly opened her eyes.
The time must have been early morning, just as the sun was rising. Two nannies were sleeping head to head on the sofa, and beside her, was Lu Peijin.
She was momentarily stunned, moved her fingers, and found her hand tightly held by none other than Lu Peijin¡¯s.
Looking at him at this moment, there was a different kind ofposure and docilitypared to daytime.
Perhaps it¡¯s biased to say so, but right now, this was indeed what Su Zhiruan thought.
Feeling her stir, the light sleeper Lu Peijin immediately woke up.
¡°You¡¯re awake.¡± His voice was hoarse, yet he meticulously got up to prepare some porridge.
Su Zhiruan watched him bustling around and suddenly remembered something, then looked up at him, ¡°Mr. Lu, your wheelchair?¡±
¡°No longer needed,¡± Lu Peijin had actually decided to drop the act on the day he ran over, ¡°Want to know why I was in a wheelchair?¡±
¡°If that¡¯s okay.¡± Su Zhiruan was indeed curious. He obviously was a normal person, yet he put himself in a wheelchair, posing as a disabled person, ¡°I saw the trending search yesterday, Mr. Lu sprinting through thepany.¡±
¡°The matter has been dealt with, and the wheelchair is no longer necessary.¡± Lu Peijin sat down and began feeding her porridge.
¡°Grandpa Lu was quite the yboy when he was young, spawning quite a few illegitimate children. Ever since that bunch entered the Lu Family looking to fight for inheritance, they¡¯ve done plenty of underhanded things, like poisoning and tampering with cars¡ªit¡¯s uncountable.¡± Now, as Lu Peijin talked about these matters, his expression was calm, as if the arrows and bullets were not directed at him.
ording to what he said next, as well as what Su Zhiruan knew, she pieced together a story.
Lu Peijin, being the legitimate heir of the Lu Family, was the target. The illegitimate children who sought to rise above orpete equally had to get rid of him. One of them rigged his car to cause an ident, which Lu Peijin discovered. He then pretended to be disabled after the ident to lower their guard and ultimately dealt with them one by one.
And in the end, the most difficult to deal with was Lu Yan, who had entered thepany. Lu Peijin had feigned disability, preparing to set traps to oust them, but he hadn¡¯t expected that Grandpa Lu wouldmand Lu Yan and Lu Ming to leave after learning that Su Zhiruan was pregnant with the Lu Family child and had been kidnapped by Lu Ming.
Having removed these obstacles and now firmly in power, Lu Peijin no longer needed to pretend, and as for the outside world¡¯s good or badments, he never cared about them to begin with.
¡°Let¡¯s name the children. The two boys will be older brothers, and the girl will be the younger sister. The brothers will take care of their sister.¡± Lu Peijin fed her another spoonful of porridge.
Su Zhiruan thought for a moment and then said, ¡°Let¡¯s call them¡ª¡±
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