Hustle Queen in the Harem: My Consort Won't Stop Grinding

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: Working Overtime Tonight

After Jiang Xian came down, Chen Daying wrapped her hands under her armpits and gave her a little lift. "How strange."

"What’s strange?"

"You looked as light as a feather just now, but you’ve got some real weight to you."

Jiang Xian wasn’t offended at being called heavy. She pulled Chen Daying’s hand to her own waist and suddenly tensed. Beneath her palace dress, the waist that was as supple as a serpent’s coil suddenly revealed defined abs. "Of course I have weight. My training isn’t for nothing."

She had intentionally sculpted her body and controlled her training so she wouldn’t develop a brawny physique that went against the era’s beauty standards. The Emperor himself was a martial artist, so he greatly appreciated her fitness when they tumbled in bed. Chen Daying, on the other hand, was a typical lady of the boudoir, lacking even the strength to tie up a chicken, which is why she found Jiang Xian so heavy.

※

That evening, the Emperor came to Yizhu Pavilion to see her as promised.

He first admonished her, "Today’s incident was the Noble Consort’s fault, and I have delivered you justice. However, her rank and seniority are still far above yours. You must not make a scene over this and cause discord within the harem."

Jiang Xian nodded.

She had won the substance of the conflict and hadn’t lost face, so there was no reason to press the attack. "I understand. It wasn’t a major issue to begin with... I have a strong constitution, so standing outside Zhaoyang Palace for an hour was nothing to be afraid of. The only thing that truly terrified me..."

Her voice lowered slightly.

The Emperor lifted her chin. "My dear concubine, speak your mind."

"The Noble Consort said I had caught a chill and was unfit to attend to you or receive visitors. She wanted to make me recuperate in Yizhu Pavilion, effectively placing me under house arrest," Jiang Xian said, tilting her face up, a genuine look of fear on her features. "Being unable to see you, Your Majesty... that is what I fear most."

’They were actually going to force me to take sick leave!’

’In my past life, I had perfect attendance from the day I started work to the day I died from overwork. If you counted overtime, I’d clocked ten years of work experience in just five years. Take sick leave? Impossible. I would’ve rather brought an IV drip to the office.’

Her figure was slender, and a pure gold hairpin in her hair glinted in the candlelight, making her dazzlingly radiant. Her beauty was even greater than that of the Noble Consort, who had been considered the reigning beauty of the harem for years. The Emperor had heard similar flattery many times, but her words sounded exceptionally sincere.

’She truly likes me.’

And Jiang Xian thought to herself, ’No matter the era, I really do love to work.’

’Let me indulge in a life of leisure?’

’For a beautiful girl from a dirt-poor background like me, there’s no leisure to be had. There’s only a dog-eat-dog world waiting.’

"You truly can’t be away from me for even a moment."

A hint of warmth softened the Emperor’s expression. He no longer felt like saying anything stern or admonishing. But when it came to making small talk, he was at a loss. "What is your given name?"

He sometimes thought that when she wasn’t by his side, addressing her as ’Mrs. Jiang’ sounded a bit too distant.

’Good question.’

’Jiang Xian, the science student, urgently summoned her system: ’Quick! Give me some poetry with the character ’Xian’ in it!’’

’The two of them were in bed; it would be idiotic to ask for a brush and ink.’

So, slowly using the emperor’s back as her paper, she traced the characters as she whispered the line by his ear: "Oh, what beauty, so graceful and enchanting; a rosy face that gleams with flowing light."

"Jiang Xian."

The Emperor murmured her name.

He had a pleasant voice, though it wasn’t the ’subwoofer-deep’ type that women of later eras would swoon over. When he spoke gently, there was a slight nasal quality to it, giving it a unique charm. If you heard his imperial voice from behind a screen, you might picture a refined gentleman holding a feathered fan. "Your title is a form of my praise for you," he said. "But from now on, in private, I think I’ll just call you by your name."

For a man to address a woman by her given name was an incredibly intimate gesture.

Too bad Jiang Xian was a modern woman. The significance was lost on her.

’The boss isn’t calling me by my employee ID anymore, but by my actual name,’ she mused. ’This must mean he really trusts and values me.’

After he said it, however, the Emperor gave a slight smile.

Jiang Xian grew curious. "Your Majesty, is there something funny about my name?"

"Your surname, Jiang, and the title I bestowed upon you, ’Shu,’ both refer to a beautiful and gentle woman."

The character for your surname, ’Jiang’ (姜), is composed of ’sheep’ (羊) over ’woman’ (女), a combination that can allude to a beautiful woman.

The Emperor pinched her cheek, studying her face. "My dear concubine, you truly live up to both those names."

’Oh, the boss is complimenting my looks.’

So Jiang Xian returned the compliment. "Your Majesty is the truly rare and handsome man in this world."

But when it came to doling out effusive praise, Jiang Xian’s vocabulary was a bit limited. She had to fall back on phrases she’d seen online. "Your Majesty’s face is so handsome, as if chiseled from stone... uh, and... here..." Her hand touched his abs, and she almost blurted out a modern slang word for "absolutely epic."

’That was close.’

’You can’t just go around saying ’absolutely epic’ in ancient times.’

"What was that, my dear concubine? What about my ’here’?"

Hearing Jiang Xian’s clumsy yet sincere praise, the Emperor grew playful and pressed her for an answer.

"You’re in such amazing shape, Your Majesty. I’m quite envious."

The Emperor noticed that Jiang Xian seemed to genuinely admire his muscles, and a desire to show off sparked within him. "It’s difficult for women to build muscle," he said. "But your stamina is better than most. Perhaps with a bit more effort, you could develop them too."

"Actually, Your Majesty... I have them too."

Jiang Xian hugged him, whispering, "You just can’t see them when I’m not tensing."

On her slender waist, she had it all: defined abs and a sculpted V-line.

This time, the Emperor was genuinely astonished.

He knew Jiang Xian had a fine figure and was very... accommodating in all things, but he never expected a surprise like this! As someone who was fit himself, he wasn’t put off by a woman having a bit of toned muscle; on the contrary, it piqued his interest even more. "In that case, I’ll have to trouble my dear concubine to tense up a little more for me."

He drew out the last words, his tone becoming lingering and intimate.

It was a sentence that would let anyone’s imagination run wild. In Jiang Xian’s mind, however, it was translated as—

’The boss says we’re working overtime tonight, so I’ll need to put in some extra effort.’

And so, his dear concubine beamed:

"Of course. Please lie back, Your Majesty."