CH 29

Chapter 29 - Serving in Bed (Part one)

There were two kinds of ways that the Emperor could show special favor toward a concubine.

One was called Xuanzhao, that is, turning over their nameplate to summon the concubines to the Emperor’s bedroom;

And the other was Linxing, that is, the Emperor goes to the concubine’s palace to seek pleasure.

Once summoned, the selected concubines should take a bath and change clothes as soon as possible, then proceed to the Emperor’s bedroom -- Beiji Palace.

Although the Da’an Dynasty summons was not like some dynasties in history where the concubines were stripped naked and rolled up in blankets, Su Yu was still forced to wash up and rinse again.

Declining Yang Gonggong’s offer to put perfume on him, Su Yu put on a plain long-sleeved cheongsam and, viewing death as a return to home, jumped into the carriage.

Su Yu immediately regretted when he jumped up, he should have said that he had diarrhea and couldn’t serve. He really wasn’t mentally prepared to serve in bed on the first day after entering the palace, ah.

Yexiao Palace wasn’t very far from Beiji Palace. At night the Imperial Palace was very quiet, only the footsteps of the patrolling guards echoed on the palace road.

Sitting on the carriage, Su Yu felt that there was something wrong with the silence around him, only then did he realize that he was so nervous that he forgot to breathe.

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The Beiji Palace was located in the center of the Imperial Palace, with a high and vast structure and an imposing atmosphere.

One person every three steps and one guard every five steps.

Countless guards were spread around the palace, solemn and respectful, fully concentrated on their duty.

Climbing the forty-nine white jade marble stairs, step by step he went into the brightly lit imperial bedchamber. To tell the truth, it was at this moment that Su Yu genuinely experienced the majesty of the Emperor.

The man who lived here held the power of life and death over all the people in the land under heaven. This man was now his husband, and he had no right to put up any resistance.

“Greetings, Su Niangniang.” Wang Gonggong saluted Su Yu with a smile.

“Wang Gonggong, you don’t have to call me Niangniang.” Su Yu was exasperated.

Being called this way, his nervousness suddenly decreased.

“His Majesty is inside, you can go in by yourself, this slave will not disturb.” Wang Gonggong smiled and motioned Su Yu to push open the second door.

All the surrounding eunuchs and palace maids retreated to the entrance together with Wang Gonggong and closed the door in a very orderly manner.

The Emperor never called someone to serve him in bed…

The Emperor has been frail and sickly since he was a child, and he had a cruel temperament…

Su Yu stopped in front of the door and took a deep breath.

“Chen, Su Yu requests an audience.”[TL_Note: Chen -> I, you servant]

The ten feet high dragon-carved gate slowly opened. The bright candlelights in the hall assaulted his senses, and Su Yu subconsciously closed his eyes.

The vast Emperor’s bedchamber suddenly appeared in front of him, the whole imperial dwelling was covered with soft carpets, and bright yellow silk sashes hung down from the high beams, interwoven into a hazy beautiful vision.

Under the dim candlelights, a man, wearing a black embroidered nine-clawed golden dragon robe, stood with his hands behind his back.

The Emperor, who is also the Heavens.

Su Yu hurriedly knelt down and bowed.

“Chen Su Yu salutes the Emperor. May my Emperor live for ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand of ten thousand years.”

An Hongche turned around and silently watched Su Yu kneeling on the floor for a while.

“You’re excused.”

A voice as pleasant as a cold spring, he seemed to have heard it somewhere before. Su Yu raised his head and looked up at the Emperor.

Tall figure, clear and bright manner, Dragon stature and Phoenix bearing, the natural quality of Heaven!

“It’s you!” Su Yu couldn’t help crying out in alarm.

This stunning but domineering face, wasn’t this the secret royal guard who took Sauce away that morning?

Stupid slave, An Hongche snorted coldly.

Slowly approaching Su Yu, he raised his hand and pinched his chin.

“You’ve already met Zhen, why are you so surprised?”[TL_Note: Zhen-> This Emperor/I/We(imperial use)]

His slender fair fingers had a very comfortable temperature, but the force was a bit large. Su Yu couldn’t help frowning slightly and became even more nervous in his heart.

The Emperor’s appearance was not like a frail and sick person at all. What’s more, the action of climbing over the wall that day was so swift, he was obviously a martial arts master.

He still remembered clearly what happened that morning. The man grabbed his throat and warned him not to say anything, otherwise, the Su family would be buried with him.

This must involve a lot of secrets. So maybe the Emperor married him into the palace to keep his secret? But, what secret do I keep?

“Chen didn’t know the identity of your Majesty at that time, I didn’t mean to offend. I hope your Majesty will please forgive me.” Su Yu knelt down and hung his head to confess his sins, freeing his chin in the process.

An Hongche frowned. This stupid slave had never spoken to him in such a vague and subtle manner, which made him feel strange and at the same time, gave birth to a lot of dissatisfaction.

He snorted coldly: “Did Zhen summon you just for you to plead guilty?”

“Yes…” Su Yu shivered, then quickly stood up and looked at the incomparable handsome Emperor at loss for words.

If it’s not for asking me to beg for forgiveness, then it’s to serve in bed, but how could he serve him?

“Come here, and wait upon Zhen to bathe.” An Hongche glanced at him, truly a fool!

The huge bath made of black marble was surrounded by mist after layer upon layers of curtains. The faucets were two dragon sculptures carved from obsidian embedded on the wall, clear running water gurgled out of the dragons' mouths.

Su Yu unskillfully took off the Emperor’s regular clothes, he stripped off the black silk coat and untied the jade belt, revealing a dark golden inner garment. The warm body temperature passed through the thin inner garment to his fingertips.

The thought that he was taking off the Emperor’s clothes made his fingertips tremble uncontrollably, not knowing whether it was because of nervousness or excitement.

An Hongche was idle and bored, he tilted his head to the side of Su Yu’s neck and sniffed, it was clear and refreshing, without any hint of perfumes, just a little bit of the fresh taste of seawater.

The dissatisfaction in his heart suddenly faded.

The Emperor was half a head taller than him, and him sticking so close made Su Yu feel very oppressed. The original tense mood was even more so by this sudden action, but he didn’t dare to move.

He could only stand stiffly and allow the warm breath to spray over his neck, stirring up layers of goosebumps.

An Hongche looked at Su Yu with a dull expression, and a faint smile appeared in his eyes.

He chuckled in a low voice: “Stupid slave.”

“Ah?” Su Yu raised his head.

He had to say that the Emperor’s eyes were really beautiful, which was what he also thought last time. There was an exotic amber color in the depths of the serene pupils, which were as clear as a glass bead washed by a clear spring.

Outside the hall, Wang Gonggong was personally guarding the door and a little eunuch inquired rather worriedly.

“Gonggong, His Majesty has not bathed yet and this slave can’t go in and serve him, can Niangniang serve him alone?”

Wang Gonggong looked at the little eunuch with a faint smile.

“Su Niangniang is no ordinary person.”

Su Niangniang was indeed not an ordinary person, and Su Yu at his moment also thought so.

Anyone who could watch unfeelingly the Emperor jump into the pool with his undershirt on, and then easily throws the neatly dressed him into the water without changing his face was no ordinary person!

Su Yu touched the water droplets on his face and looked back at the Emperor.

He saw that the Emperor had already flung his soaked inner shirt to the edge of the pool, revealing his honey-colored broad shoulders.

“Why are you staring? Come over and bathe Zhen.” His Majesty leaned against the edge of the pool and threw a piece of soft silk cloth to Su Yu.

He felt that the Emperor’s actions were familiar, but he couldn’t remember where he had seen them. Su Yu shook his head and first took off his soaked outer and inner clothes.

It was summer, so he was not cold being shirtless, and after thinking about it, he still kept his underpants. To serve the boss in clothes is like taking a bath, to serve the boss without clothes was to behave like a rogue.

The Emperor had a very good figure, he had broad shoulders, a thin waist, and firm muscles. Su Yu couldn’t help secretly touching them, it felt like a steel knife wrapped in silk, dangerous yet addicting.

An Hongche stretched out his hand without looking back and slapped away Su Yu’s wandering hand, then leaned back again.

Su Yu took back his tofu-eating hand, no wonder the royal family seldom chooses male concubines. After all, the Emperor himself is so good-looking that it’s unknown who would lose out if he summoned a male concubine to serve him.

After finishing the bath with great difficulty, Su Yu changed into the clothes that had been prepared by the pool, then he looked at the Emperor, who was already lying lazily on a soft couch by the pool, and was appointed to go over dry his hair and put on his clothes.

But after doing all this, the Emperor was still lying on the soft couch, with no intention of moving.

“Stupid slave, are you still not carrying Zhen to bed!” An Hongche habitually stretched out his hand, and halfway through the motion, he suddenly remembered that he wasn’t a cat now, and immediately froze in the air.

Su Yu also froze, what did he hear? “Carry the Emperor” to go to bed?

He looked up and down, and he didn’t look at all like the “frail, sickly and unable to move” His Majesty the Emperor.

He secretly thought, this salary is really not easy to get.

Before the Emperor could lose his temper, Su Yu wisely picked up the Emperor in a princess carry. Although he often worked, it was still hard to carry a grown man. After a few steps, Su Yu could not hold on anymore. There was still a long distance from the bath to the dragon bed.

Su Yu gritted his teeth, and simply lowered his back and carried the Emperor on his shoulders. As someone who often carried fish tanks and straw baskets, such a move was easy for him, so his steps were suddenly a lot lighter, and he made a beeline for the dragon bed.

“Bastard, can you hold me like this? Put Zhen down!” The Emperor was naturally dissatisfied with being carried like a burlap sack and kicked up a racket to come down.

Su Yu had no choice but to put the Emperor down. As a result, because of the unstable center of gravity, the two fell to the ground together.

Fortunately, the ground was covered with huge cushions, so it didn’t hurt at all, however, Su Yu’s hair was still wet, and the fall soaked the Emperor’s lapel.

“Truly foolish.” An Hongche immediately jumped up, grabbed Su Yu by the collar, and lifted him up.

He touched the wet mark on his chest in disgust.

“Dry your hair, otherwise, don’t come near Zhen.”

There were soft bright yellow veils hanging on the four corners of the dragon bed, and the situation on the bed was indistinct.

Su Yu dried his hair, hesitated for a long time, and walked to the bedside step by step. He took a deep breath and slowly lifted the bed curtain.

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cheongsam -> traditional Asian dress for men

Beiji Palace -> North Pole Palace

tofu-eating hand -> to take liberties with a woman / to tease with sexual innuendo / to harass / to take advantage of someone sexually

dragon bed -> The emperor’s bed