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

Chapter 71: Chapter 58: Taking the Firewood from Under the Cauldron

The Emperor noticed her rosy complexion and the way her eyes curved into crescents. When she saw him looking, she naturally flashed a disarmingly sweet smile, blissfully unaware that she was being treated as a bad example for other concubines to imitate. His heart couldn’t help but soften, and he beckoned her over.

Jiang Xian gracefully approached and naturally settled into the Emperor’s lap.

He held her, his eyes falling on the slender, willow-like waist cinched by her jade belt. She looked at him with bright eyes, saying nothing, as if waiting for him to speak first.

The Emperor said softly, "You have good color in your cheeks. Are you well-rested?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty’s blessings, Doctor Xin is a brilliant physician, and you have removed the source of my palpitations. After a good night’s sleep, I feel much better today," Jiang Xian said, taking his hand and pressing it to her cheek. "Feel for yourself, Your Majesty. I am in excellent health."

Before entering, Jiang Xian had turned up the temperature on her warming aura.

That was the reason her cheeks were so rosy.

In the harem, imitating others was no stairway to heaven.

Jiang Xian didn’t mind others imitating her. This time, with Lu Ronghua and another concubine adopting her "sickly beauty" style, she would simply pull the rug out from under them by changing her persona. She could even give the old one a "parting shot" on her way out.

"To have recovered so quickly," the Emperor remarked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Doesn’t Your Majesty remember summoning an Imperial Physician for me when I first entered the palace? The physician said then that he had never felt such a steady, strong pulse, and that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call me immune to all illness." As she spoke of her robust constitution, a hint of genuine pride appeared on Jiang Xian’s face, quickly followed by a bashful blush. "My body is sturdy, but my courage is rather small. I can only hope for Your Majesty’s compassion."

She had used the same word, "compassion," but her delivery was far more clever.

When the Emperor had been reprimanding Lu Ronghua, Liang Yuyin had been standing not far off, and he’d heard every single word. The more Lu Ronghua spoke, the more furious the Emperor became. Yet, the bellyful of rage the Emperor had been holding was now dissipating with each word Noble Lady Gu spoke.

"You certainly are honest. What young lady goes around calling herself ’sturdy’?"

Now, when the Emperor spoke to her, his tone was gentle.

It was as if the snow on the pine trees outside the window had melted, trickling down to form a pool of spring water.

The meaning behind Jiang Xian’s words was simple when you broke it down: she had been suffering from a fright, but the Emperor had resolved the issue. She had a good night’s rest, so she was now much better and in excellent health, which meant he didn’t need to worry. However, she still needed a great deal of His Majesty’s care and affection.

Though she was clearly hiding something, if you broke her words down, they were all technically true.

"Being sturdy is a good thing. Only a sturdy body can serve the Emperor well."

She leaned into him, and the warmth of her body in his arms seemed to smooth away all his displeasure from the night.

The Emperor, now in high spirits, was willing to speak his mind. "On such a cold night, I shouldn’t have summoned you so late. I was simply furious." He recounted the night’s events, finishing with a rant: "She was perfectly fine, so why claim her heart was hurting? Then when I offered to call for an Imperial Physician and let her rest, she became unhappy and insisted she could still attend to me... The audacity! Treating Me like a fool! And she even blamed you, Xian’er, saying I only favor your type. When have you ever feigned illness to curry My favor? It’s baseless slander!"

’Uhh,’ Jiang Xian thought, ’it’s just that my acting is more convincing.’

She averted her gaze. "So it has become my fault. I’ve been wronged."

"Isn’t that the truth? Don’t worry, I don’t blame you. Those two are simply mad for favor, it’s completely improper. Their understanding of the rules isn’t even as good as yours when you first arrived. And they’re usually the ones using their seniority to bully newcomers who don’t follow the rules."

Liang Yuyin listened with his head bowed. ’This isn’t entirely Lu Ronghua’s fault,’ he thought.

’They just weren’t as skilled as Jiang Xian. They managed to discard the essence and keep the dross. Compared to the genuine article, they came out looking like utter trash.’

"After Your Majesty finished reprimanding Lu Ronghua and Feng Liangyuan, you summoned me to your chambers. From now on, they’re both going to hate me."

Jiang Xian said this in a soft voice. She had to give him a heads-up. That way, if the two of them made trouble for her later and complained to the Emperor, he would remember that he was the one to blame. Sure enough, the Emperor understood the implication and patted her hand reassuringly. "If they cause any trouble, Xian’er, you just come and tell Me."

The bristling Emperor had been placated. As his anger subsided, sleepiness began to creep in.

"The hour is late," he said. "Let’s retire."

He put his arm around Jiang Xian as they went to bed.

Jiang Xian was full of energy, ready to "work overtime," only to find the "big boss" had closed his eyes, apparently preparing to do nothing more than sleep.

’Tonight...’

’No overtime?!?’

’Then why did the Emperor summon me? Was it really just to share a blanket and sleep?’ She was usually wide awake at this hour; she needed something to do. But since the Emperor wanted to sleep, she couldn’t very well shake him awake and say, "Don’t sleep, let’s have sex." All she could do was prop her chin on her hands and stare resentfully at the Emperor, who had fallen asleep in an instant.

Only a single lamp was left lit in the bedroom, its dim light blurring his features. When the Emperor slept, he lost the unapproachable majesty he wore with his Dragon Robe, as if his very aura had softened. His young, handsome face was quite pleasant to look at. ’He’s the most handsome boss I’ve ever seen,’ she thought, ’and also the most noble man in the world.’

’A face like that could make anyone lose their head over him.’

She couldn’t resist laying a hand on him, her thoughts racing. ’Your Majesty, how can you be sleeping at your age? You don’t have a son in your harem yet, not even a daughter to show for it! Shouldn’t you be working hard at night? How can you sleep so soundly! It’s infuriating!’

After quite some time, Jiang Xian reluctantly drifted off to sleep.

※

「The next day」

During the morning greetings at Jianzhang Palace, both Lu Ronghua and Feng Liangyuan had puffy eyes that no amount of powder could conceal.

Jiang Xian thought they looked like patients now without even having to pretend.

’Just not very beautiful ones.’

Lu Ronghua was stewing in resentment, her mood foul. Even though she knew the Emperor had gone to Feng Liangyuan after leaving her and then summoned Noble Lady Gu, she didn’t feel like talking. She just sat there listlessly, her lips sealed. Seeing her in this state, Jiang Xian certainly wasn’t going to provoke her.

But there was always someone who enjoyed firing shots indiscriminately.

"Lu Ronghua, why do you look so pale? Were you worn out from attending the Emperor last night?" Noble Princess Consort Rong began, feigning concern, before covering her mouth in a cool smile. "Oh, look at my memory. I forgot the Emperor didn’t stay with you last night. That should have saved you the trouble. Why didn’t you rest properly? You look exhausted just paying respects to the Empress."

Lu Ronghua’s face turned livid.

She gritted her teeth. "Thank you for your concern, Noble Consort. I am indeed a little tired. I did not mean to show any disrespect to Her Majesty the Empress."

The Empress said, "It is of no matter."

Hearing her voice, the crowd looked toward the head of the room, only to find that the Empress looked even more exhausted than the other two.

Noble Princess Consort Rong, who had been focused on enjoying Lu Ronghua’s predicament, was taken aback.

"Since Lu Ronghua is tired, I won’t keep you all long today. You may all be dismissed," the Empress said.

The Empress paused, then specified, "Noble Lady Gu, you will stay."

’The Empress wants someone to stay behind. What good could possibly come of that?’

Numerous gazes, filled with schadenfreude, darted toward Jiang Xian.

However, they watched as Jiang Xian cheerfully agreed and stepped forward—

’Hooray! The Harem CEO is finally calling me in for overtime!’