Chapter Twenty-One: What's Wrong with a Little Pinch?

The palace attendants extinguished the lamps and lowered the curtains before quietly withdrawing from the inner chamber.

“Your Majesty.” Shen Fuyu burrowed straight over. Having lived for so many years, she had long since shed any sense of modesty about such matters. Feudal society imposed countless restrictions, but when there was no other way, survival always took precedence. Now that her new identity had become that of an imperial concubine, she had already anticipated this day—and even the day when she would have to share her husband with others.

She did not love him, so she cared little. Rather than struggling to reject him at first only to be forced to accept him in the end, she preferred to be candid from the outset, letting go of any inner burdens early.

That mischievous hand reached directly out. Qin Zhiyi had intended to feign sleep—endure it, and it would soon pass—but this woman! Touching his chest and abs was one thing, but she dared to pinch him there!

Was this something a person would do?

He could not help but suck in a cold breath, nearly reaching out to grab her hands. “Are you finished yet?”

“So stingy. It was just a pinch—how much could it hurt?” In the darkness, nothing could be seen, but hearing her words, it was as though one could see Shen Fuyu’s infuriating face.

“Let me pinch you, and see if it hurts?” Qin Zhiyi was perplexed—of course she felt nothing if she wasn’t the one being pinched.

“Go ahead.” Shen Fuyu pressed closer to him.

Qin Zhiyi was silent.

Forget it—any desire vanished.

“Sleep,” Qin Zhiyi turned away. “You know well what our relationship is. Do not do anything unnecessary.”

“What relationship? What is the relationship between Your Majesty and me? What is a relationship? Does it matter? Does it have anything to do with you? What kind of relationship do you want? What relationship do you have with me? Do you care about relationships?...”

So annoying!

Qin Zhiyi felt both her voice and her presence drawing nearer and nearer. Abruptly, he sat up and flung off the covers.

Shen Fuyu wore little at night, her slender legs entirely exposed, but Qin Zhiyi did not even glance at her. He seized the blanket and wrapped it over her head and body, saying, “I care not what you do with others during the day, but at night, let me sleep in peace!”

“Otherwise, I’ll smother you!”

It seemed Qin Zhiyi had once again reached his limit.

Yet, now that he was cured and his body was well, Shen Fuyu wondered why he showed no interest in her. Wasn’t it said that people in ancient times prized heirs above all? She found it a little puzzling—but in truth, it hardly mattered. After all, childbirth carried mortal risk, and she preferred to avoid that danger.

Once Qin Zhiyi lay down to sleep, Shen Fuyu poked her head out of the blanket. Since he had no interest, she let matters be. Let things flow naturally.

Sleep, sleep.

The next day, Qin Zhiyi attended morning court as usual, extended an olive branch to the Shen family, then, after court, reviewed memorials and handled affairs of state. From lunch onward, he remained in Crescent Palace.

He witnessed firsthand how Shen Fuyu behaved outrageously in her daily life.

That evening, palace attendants hung a banner inside the hall—"Celebrating Lady Xian of Crescent Palace’s Second Night with His Majesty!"

The blaring suona music pierced the heavens—loud, discordant, grating, and utterly nerve-wracking!

And for the next three days, the same spectacle repeated, with slight variations each day.

Rumors began to circulate in the palace: it was said that the Emperor of Daxun had peculiar tastes, disdaining gentle, beautiful, virtuous women in favor of the unruly, sharp-tongued Lady Xian. If he did not visit her and endure her outrageousness for a day, he would feel ill at ease.

Once, the imperial harem of Daxun was peaceful as still water, but since the arrival of Shen Fuyu, an extraordinary stone cast into the pond, a tidal wave had erupted.

“Sister Lady Shu, we have come to visit you.”

Lady Sun, accompanied by several concubines of lesser rank, took their seats and looked upon the slightly wan beauty at the chief seat, pitying her. “Sister, what’s wrong? Did you not sleep well last night?”

In Qin Zhiyi’s harem, aside from Princess Jing Lanxi from a foreign land, Lady Shu and Lady Sun had the most distinguished backgrounds. With Jing Lanxi above them, Lady Shu and Lady Sun had grown closer, their fathers both pillars of the court, and with Shen Fuyu’s arrival, the Lin and Sun families’ alliance had only hastened.

“Sisters, you’ve come.” Lady Shu greeted them, though her heart felt little joy; nonetheless, she maintained her gentle and gracious demeanor, forcing a smile. “I haven’t been sleeping well these days—please forgive me.”

“Sister, are you unwell? Have you consulted the imperial physician?” Lady Sun asked.

“The physician says it’s nothing serious, prescribed some calming medicine, and I feel somewhat better.” Lady Shu’s gaze was dim, but it occurred to her that some troubles should not be hers alone. Suddenly, with a sigh, she confided, “You may not know, but my Jingrou Palace is closest to the Crescent Palace.”

“Actually… we can vaguely hear…” The speaker was Lady Xie, whose family background was humble and who always relied on Lady Sun. “Lady Xian has lately monopolized His Majesty’s favor. He dines with her every day and listens to her play and sing every night…”

Lady Shu nearly lost her composure. If it were merely favor and ordinary music, she could endure a couple days of jealousy and grow used to it—but surely one shouldn’t be robbed of restful sleep!

But!

That woman, Shen Fuyu!

She plays! She sings!

It is horribly, painfully discordant!

What unprecedented wretch is this? She boasts shamelessly of her favor, and yet causes others both mind and body to suffer!

“I don’t understand why His Majesty likes her…” Lady Shu could not help but shed tears, gently dabbing at her eyes with a handkerchief. “My heart is full of His Majesty, yet he seems not to see me. What is so special about Lady Xian that he favors her so?”

“She is hardly worthy!” Lady Jiang sneered. “She relies solely on being a Shen family daughter—so coarse and vulgar, a shameless creature ignorant of propriety!”

“If you ask me, only you two sisters are truly worthy! Lady Xian merely stumbled into His Majesty’s life-saving grace by chance. She’s a daughter of a noble house—but can she heal? Surely it was a blind cat catching a dead rat, pure luck!” Lady Jiang’s tongue was relentless, her tone full of disdain. “I’ve made inquiries: Lady Xian is nothing more than a low-born illegitimate daughter of the Shen family. She even spent time on a country estate in her early years, and since returning has often caused chaos in the Shen family’s inner chambers. Strip away her noble title, and she’s just a common shrew. If not for His Majesty’s esteem for the Shen family, would she ever have gained favor?”

“You two sisters surpass her in both beauty and talent, and your families are no less than hers. In my humble opinion, if you both put in a little effort, His Majesty would surely take notice, and then Lady Xian would no longer have her day of glory.”