Chapter 168 Harem

Emperor Sheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said helplessly, “Won’t hide it from Madam, this is my first time.”

Guan Suyi’s eyes widened and said in disbelief, “But you will be thirty after the new year, how can you…” She was too embarrassed to say it, so she could only quickly cover her mouth while her cheeks getting flushed.

“In the early years, I fought war on all sides, where did I have the heart to find a woman. Later, the Empress Dowager provoked me with my mother’s matter, so I even more didn’t dare to find it.” Emperor Sheng Yuan sat next to Madam and held her hand. “So, Madam is not the only one who’s uneasy, I’m also very worried. Why don’t we look at the Bihuo picture*Calling it erotic drawing seems too direct, but writing it by its literal translation which is ‘fire avoidance picture’ seems confusing. This is so funny, so apparently people used to hang erotic drawing in the warehouse to prevent fire, why? because people believe sexual intercourse generate ‘yin’ energy, which can suppress the ‘yang’ energy from the fire, so it can prevent fire, hence the name first and study it for a while?”

He lifted the sheet, took out a few exquisite booklets from under the pillow, and said calmly, “Whenever Madam find something you don’t understand, you love to study it. You can teach me these books after you thoroughly read them. It’s okay even if I have to wait.”

Guan Suyi’s dowry also contained these booklets. Just one glance made her face red and smoke came out of her head, how could she study it? Is Hunnar joking or is he serious? He has no shame? With lighting speed she grabbed the Bihuo book and shoved it under the bed. She scolded while her was blushing, “How can you let me study this? You bastard! Shameless!”

Her head turned into a mush, and she could only scold these two sentences over and over again.

Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled instead of getting angry, “Alright, I’m a bastard, I’m shameless. Madam, don’t be angry.” He gently hugged her and asked, “Are you still afraid now?”

Huh? She actually not afraid anymore. Only then Guan Suyi returned to her sense. She wanted to give Hunnar a stern look, unexpectedly her eye barely opened, but she smiled first. She put her chin on his shoulder and scolded in a low voice, “Not afraid, but you are indeed a bastard.”

Emperor Sheng Yuan turned his head to look at her, his heart was warm and soft, he couldn’t help but tentatively said, “If you’re not afraid, can I kiss you?”

Guan Suyi hesitated for a moment before nodding, her lips trembling slightly, still feeling flustered. Emperor Sheng Yuan approached slowly and whispered, “Don’t be afraid, it’s also my first time. Let’s take out the spirit of studying knowledge and thoroughly understand it. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and if you have fun, you won’t be afraid in the future.”

“Pfft.” Guan Suyi was teased again, and the last trace of fear in her heart finally dissipated. She then said half-shyly and half-annoyedly, “Can you stop saying thing that ruin the atmosphere? If you want to kiss, just kiss, why you have to be so…” The last word “long-winded” were swallowed by Hunnar. He really had no experience, and only relied on instinct, he was brimming with wolf predatory nature, but there was no lack of unique gentleness. He intertwined the tip of her tongue, tossing and sucking, tasting the sweetness in her mouth bit by bit, carefully engraving this give-and-take taste into his mind.

After a long time, so long that even a good chunk of the joy candle was already burned, the two recovered from the dizziness.

“Does Madam like it?” He kissed from the corner of her mouth to her earlobe.

“Like.” Guan Suyi could not deny that she was addicted to it. The pain that Zhao Luli brought her was quietly replaced by this sweet feeling.

Emperor Sheng Yuan laughed closely, then declared, “Madam, I’m going to take off your clothes.” But he didn’t move, just looked at the woman under him with enduring and eager eyes. If she nodded then continued, if she shook her head then ended, saying that he would respect her and love her, this was not an empty talk.

Guan Suyi turned her head and said abruptly, “You don’t have to talk at time like this.”

“I understand.” Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled and kissed Madam. Don’t talk, just do it? Madam is really timid but spicy.

—–

After a touching night, the next day, Guan Suyi woke up with a sore waist and back, and found that Hunnar was holding her, his serene blue eyes looked at her without blinking. She had never slept in other people’s arms before. When she saw they were hugging each other after she opened her eyes, she reflexively struggled a few times, but was pressed down by the other person, so she tried to push back.

“No more.” She hurriedly shouted.

“No more what?” Emperor Sheng Yuan asked knowingly.

“Don’t do it anymore!” Guan Suyi tried to stay away from his scalding spot, but she was always pressed down.

Emperor Sheng Yuan smiled while kissing her cheek, “Where are Madam going to? I’m just hugging you.”

“Isn’t it already chenshi (7-9 am)?” Guan Suyi shoved him, “Don’t you have any government affairs to deal with? Why are you still lying on bed and hasn’t get up?”

“The empress just married in, so the court will be paused for three days. While madam hasn’t wake up, I was thinking, what should I do in these three days.” Emperor Sheng Yuan wrapped her slender waist and sighed, “Wife, children, and warm bed, these are the greatest joy in life. Madam, I don’t want to be the emperor anymore, and I don’t want to get up and go to court every day before dawn and listen to those ministers arguing. I’m satisfied to just stay with you, talk about nothing and doing nothing, but still incomparably happy.”

“Really? That would be inappropriate. Let’s go out of the palace in plain clothes and find a place with verdant hills and limpid water to live in seclusion. You plough the fields and I weave cloth, and live a peaceful and stable life. As for the great chaos in the court, the suffering of the people, and the destruction of the country, who cares about those things, we don’t have to worry about that.” Guan Suyi lifted the quilt and went down to the ground, found a square cloth from the trunk, and put valuables stuffs inside.

Emperor Sheng Yuan was very happy, and quickly put his clothes on, and urged, “Then let’s hurry up, so as not to be discovered by Baifu. In another quarter of an hour, he should bring people to serve us to change our clothes.”

At this time, Guan Suyi didn’t move, threw away the clothes in her hand, and asked, “Do you really want to leave? I was just joking. Can’t you hear my obvious sarcasm?”

Emperor Sheng Yuan also threw away his clothes, and said with a muffled laugh, “I was also joking with Madam. Didn’t Madam hear it?”

Guan Suyi first narrowed her eyes in anger, then covered her mouth and laughed non-stop, shook her head and sighed, “Good one Hunnar, you actually learned to turn against me. I don’t have to pack up these things, you can put them back in the trunk yourself. These words before, let’s just say it in private. If you really delay the government affairs because of me, don’t even wait for the ministers to accuse me as someone who brings a calamity for the country, grandfather and father will first stand up and scold me as evil daughter.”

Emperor Sheng Yuan hurriedly hugged her and comforted, “Don’t say that, I was joking. After finally marry you, I will only work harder and be more diligent, and never let you look down on me. In the future, when our children grow up, I want to give them a prosperous country, not a fragmented, turbulent mess. Just look after me and accompany me, alright?”

Guan Suyi nodded and said yes, thinking of the farce just now, she couldn’t help but laugh again. In fact, marrying into the palace was not as dangerous as she expected. As long as she stayed with Hunnar, it was actually very easy.

The two of them washed up, got dressed, and then went to the side hall to eat. Although he had three free days after the empress’ big wedding, the northwest was still at war at this time, and in the late spring and early summer, the rain was abundant and flood control matters had to be arranged, so there were a lot of government affairs to be handled. Emperor Sheng Yuan accompanied Madam to finish breakfast. Before leaving, he repeatedly told her to go to Weiyang Palace to accompany him after seeing the Empress Dowager, and not stay in Changle Palace for too long, so as to avoid bad luck.

Guan Suyi nodded again and again, and just after she sent Hunnar away, she heard Jinzi report, “Niangniang, all the honorable concubines have come to greet you, and are now waiting outside the hall.”

“Announce them to come in.” Guan Suyi was afraid that she would not be able to take on the responsibility as the mother of the country, but she would not be afraid of those women in the harem. She went to the main seat and sat down, her eyes were on the palace hall’s door

Because Emperor Sheng Yuan was not good with women, and the Empress Dowager wanted to control his children, she did not wantonly fill the harem. At most, only twenty to thirty women were selected, and most of them were sent back, the people who remained were not high in status, nor have outstanding family background. When Ye Zhen was still here, the palace power was in her hand, and after she was sent back, Emperor Sheng Yuan arbitrarily pointed out four women to split the power, so as not to make Pan Jieyu‘s family become dominant and feed the Pan family’s ambitions.

For the western expedition, there were two suitable candidates for the commander-in-chief, one was Pan Jieyu‘s brother, and the other was Zhao Hai. However, Emperor Sheng Yuan would rather spend efforts to clean up the stigma around Zhao Hai than directly let the Pan family take command, which showed that he was quite wary of them.

Naturally, Guan Suyi would not underestimate Pan Duolan. Seeing the other person leisurely came in leading a group of concubines, did not bend her knees, but cupped her hands slightly, and performed inappropriate etiquette, Guan Suyi couldn’t help sneering in her heart: What do you mean by this? The empress herself has not yet show her strength, but she wants to become arrogant first?

Without waiting for Guan Suyi to let her get up, Pan Duolan had already straightened her waist and took a seat under her. The other concubines followed suit, sparsely shouted “May Niangniang live for a thousand year”, and then sat down according to their position. Instead of looking at the main seat, they all stared at the next seats, where the Han concubine and Juili concubine equally seat. It could be seen that a consensus had been reached in private that they would only follow Pan Jieyu and resisted against the empress together.

Jinzi and Minglan were annoyed in their hearts, and they couldn’t help but show it out on their faces. When they looked out, they saw that Pan Jieyu‘s maid was just like her, all wearing military man’s attire, dressed up as soldiers and even wore machetes, daggers, and other weapons around their waist, fully armed with defensive expression. Where is this coming to pay respect? It’s like going to war.

Guan Suyi was not polite with her, and said coldly, “No one in the palace is allowed to carry weapons except for the emperor and the imperial guards. Does Pan Jieyu know this?”

“Reporting to the Empress, these women are from military households and categorize as imperial guards, not palace maids. Naturally, they can carry weapons.” Pan Duolan cupped her hands again, and her movements were as unconstrained as men.

Guan Suyi took a sip of tea and continued, “Pan Jieyu is indeed a heroine who has fought on the battlefield and killed the enemy, really doesn’t bother with trifles. However, you are now an imperial concubine in the harem, so you should abide by the rules of the harem. Facing the empress and not use proper etiquette is still fine, but why do you even dress like a man? If people take advantage of the loopholes, or have misunderstandings, it will hurt the reputation of all the concubines in the harem.”

“If Niangniang doesn’t like it, this concubine will go back and change it. This concubine used to follow the grand princess to fight in the north and south, and now even though live in the harem, but heart remains on the battlefield, and still dare not forget the duties of a soldier. This concubine loves to dress up as a soldier, practice martial arts every day, so words and deeds are a little rude and straightforward. So if in the future say wrong things or do wrong things, still ask the empress to please excuse.”

Well, as soon as she came, she named herself as a hero and said that she was a straightforward person, which set the tone for future disputes. If the empress was too concerned about her words and deeds, wouldn’t it mean she tried to suppress a hero and not being virtuous and generous? Where is this Pan Dolan a straightforward person? Obviously very cunning!

Guan Suyi put down the teacup with a “bang”, ready to let the other person know that she was also a straightforward person.

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TN: Let the face slapping begin!