Chapter 81: No Problem, They're All Male

Song echoed constantly by his ear, and Qin Zhiyi felt as though he were a butterfly trapped within the Crescent Moon Palace, his heart filled with utter despair.

He could not tell when these days of torment would ever end!

Yet though barely the time it takes to drink a cup of tea had passed, every second crawled by agonizingly slow. Qin Zhiyi tried to resist, but every attempt at movement was tightly restrained by Shen Fuyu!

She was doing it on purpose!

“Your Majesty, do you like my singing?”

With her shrill music and wild dance, it was an infernal performance, a torment fit for hell itself. Qin Zhiyi’s face was dark as he looked up at Shen Fuyu’s innocent expression, his anger rising. “What do you think?”

“But of course it’s pleasant!” Shen Fuyu held a suona in one hand, her eyes curving in a mischievous smile. “If my talent is ranked second, who could claim first?”

Such confidence!

“…After a few days apart, I find her even more unbearable,” Qin Zhiyi thought. Where did she get such brazen self-assurance?

“I never should have believed a word you said!” Qin Zhiyi shook his hand, giving a cold glance around before suddenly pointing at the returning dog, Qin Shihuang. “Even a dog is better than you!”

“Woof!” Delighted to be praised, Qin Shihuang rolled about at Qin Zhiyi’s feet in glee.

“Could Qin Shihuang ever match my unique style?” Shen Fuyu put her hands on her hips, insisting she was the unrivaled master of such discordant airs.

“?”

Qin Zhiyi nearly choked: “Who’s competing with you for the title of most discordant voice? So you do know you sound bizarre!”

“I truly have never met anyone as shameless as you!”

But words were pointless; he had never seen this woman embarrassed or angry, as though she had no concept of shame, and her brazenness made her impervious to reproach.

Best sleep quickly and silence her!

“Your Majesty, didn’t you promise to warm my bed? We’ve eaten, enjoyed the performance—let’s not delay and get to the main event!” Shen Fuyu seized every chance to provoke his ire.

“I think I’d better summon the imperial physician to treat your ears first!” Qin Zhiyi flicked his sleeve. “And you still want me to warm your bed?”

“Why not? Imagine the prestige if word got out.” Shen Fuyu blinked, thinking how glorious it would be for the emperor himself to warm her bed.

Qin Zhiyi could hardly believe it. “Can’t you leave me a shred of dignity?”

“Am I not your dignity?” Shen Fuyu batted her eyes, caring only for herself. “I’m so beautiful, after all!”

Fine, Qin Zhiyi thought, waving her off. He didn’t need dignity anymore.

“I’m going to sleep.”

Shen Fuyu was relentless: “Then I’ll sleep with you.”

“I’d rather sleep with Qin Shihuang!” Qin Zhiyi’s head ached; he had no wish to share his bed with this woman.

“Here you go,” Shen Fuyu deftly scooped up the dog and handed it over.

He should have known! The same trick again! Last time it was with bathing, now with sleeping. Was she planning to have Qin Shihuang bear him a son next?

“Don’t worry, even if the dog sleeps with you, it won’t produce a son—after all, they’re both male,” Shen Fuyu grinned.

Now saddled with the dog, Qin Shihuang, who imitated Shen Fuyu’s coquettish smile and fawning demeanor, Qin Zhiyi was left speechless.

How could the dog and its mistress be so alike?

He wished he could toss them both out.

Frustrated, Qin Zhiyi dumped the dog and retreated alone to the inner chambers to prepare for sleep. Women could not be relied upon, least of all Shen Fuyu; getting close to her only brought misfortune!

Yet, to his surprise, Shen Fuyu did not hurry after him into the inner chambers but instead sat down in the main hall.

“Everyone leave. It’s been a long night,” Shen Fuyu waved her hand lazily, keeping only a few close-serving maids.

Green Tea and White Lotus were clearly eager, knowing their mistress was pregnant; if they could gain her favor, they might even surpass the senior maid.

Shen Fuyu narrowed her eyes, glanced at Green Tea and White Lotus, and then towards the window before returning her gaze. “What, you want to serve His Majesty?”

Green Tea and White Lotus exchanged a look and knelt. “Please, Your Grace, grant us this opportunity!”

“Keep dreaming,” Shen Fuyu shook her head, her tone laced with disdain. “I’d thought you two more capable, but you’re so easily flustered. With me here, what makes you think the emperor would ever look at you? Ridiculous.”

“Remember this: His Majesty likes women like me. You two fools could work for two more lifetimes and still not catch up!”

Silver Bell stood aside, watching as White Lotus and Green Tea’s faces filled with tears and resentment. She silently shook her head in disapproval. As servants, how could they harbor such ambitions, not realizing life and death depended on the mistress’s whims? She wondered how they’d survived this long.

Silver Bell did not know that Shen Fuyu indulged them, finding pleasure in teasing and tormenting them but never bothering to punish them.

Others feared weeds would sprout anew with the spring breeze; Shen Fuyu couldn’t wait to pull them up by the roots!

After a round of mockery, Shen Fuyu smiled in satisfaction. Yawning, sleepiness overtook her, and before retiring, she glanced once more at the window, smiled, shook her head, and slipped into the inner chamber.

“Your Majesty~ is the bed warm yet?”

“Get out!”

...

Lights were out, but a shadow stumbled awkwardly toward the maids’ quarters.

Green Tea and White Lotus, once again humiliated, felt ill at ease and retreated to their room, where a doll stuffed with needles sat on the table.

With vicious glances, they took turns stabbing the doll, which bore a paper with Shen Fuyu’s birth date and time written upon it.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Tangyu pushed open the door. The two maids barely had time to hide the evidence before she caught sight of the scene. Heaven was truly aiding her. “How bold you are, daring to practice such witchcraft in the palace!”

Shen Tangyu’s voice was soft but her words were harsh. Green Tea and White Lotus panicked, attempting to hide the doll, but Shen Tangyu snatched it away and they could only fall to their knees in terror.

“How very bold of you,” Shen Tangyu remarked, glancing at the doll in her hand. “Daring to curse your own mistress—are you not afraid of losing your heads?”

“Please, Young Miss, spare us!” Green Tea hung her head. She did not wish to die, but with no hope of rising in status under Shen Fuyu, resentment had festered. “It was a moment of foolishness.”

“I was foolish too,” White Lotus sobbed in fear. “Please don’t tell the mistress—we’ll never do it again.”

“I suppose it was not truly intentional,” Shen Tangyu replied, seeing the maids had taken the bait. “Back at the manor, you both helped me quite a bit. So let’s forget tonight ever happened.”

Shen Tangyu found a place to sit, intending to sleep early, but she had been kept awake for an hour by Shen Fuyu’s noisy antics for the emperor. Pregnant and still monopolizing the emperor—how despicable!