Chapter 176 King Yan
"Your...your hand hurts." Yu Yanran held back her tears, and there was a hint of grievance in her tone.
"Someone come, turn on the light!" Zhao Xing sat up and shouted.
The maids in the palace were very skilled at beating people. It was impossible for them to leave scars that were difficult to heal, let alone injure bones.
After all, they are in the palace to teach the nobles. If they are left with scars or are disabled, how can they serve the emperor?
Sheng Shulan's hands were more swollen than Yu Yanran's, but there was nothing unusual about them during dinner.
Zhao Xing didn't think much about it at the time, but when he saw Yu Yanran crying and thought about the abnormality between her meals, he knew that something must have happened to her.
"Your Highness, I, your concubine..."
"Squeak~"
When Yu Yanran heard Zhao Xing calling for someone to light the lamp, she quickly sat up and tried to stop him, but the palace maid had already pushed open the door and came in.
Soon, the palace maid lit all the candles on the candlesticks in the room, and the room was as bright as day.
"Your Highness!" The maid came to the bed, waiting for instructions.
"All of you step back." Zhao Xing ordered.
"Yes." Several palace maids responded and retreated.
Although the lights in the room were on, it was still very dark inside because of the curtains blocking the bed.
Zhao Xing opened the curtain and hung it up, and the room instantly became bright.
Yu Yanran was seen sitting with her legs curled up, her eyes slightly red, and a tear mark on her left cheek.
"Tell me, why are you crying?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty..."
"Don't tell lies." Zhao Xing's voice became heavier.
"Your Highness, do you hate me?" Yu Yanran mustered up the courage to look at Zhao Xing and said.
"Huh?" Zhao Xing was stunned and asked in confusion: "Why do you suddenly think so?"
In fact, he himself didn’t know whether he liked Yu Yanran or not, but he probably didn’t hate her either.
Since he doesn't hate her, it means that there is something about Yu Yanran that attracts him.
Given his status and the fact that it happened in ancient times, this alone is enough.
"Your Highness favors Sister Shulan, but has never...never favored me. I wonder if Your Highness hates me." Yu Yanran lowered her head when she said this.
"You just..."
Zhao Xing originally wanted to say that it was because of this, but after thinking about it carefully, it was normal for Yu Yanran to think so.
"Yan Ran."
Zhao Xing held her head and kissed her in her confused eyes.
At this moment, any explanation seemed pale and powerless, and only action could stop Yu Yanran from thinking too much.
She has a slender waist and is just about to reach the age of marriage. She has just been touched by the wind and has two buns hanging down like willows. She has just started to learn to put on makeup, her figure is as if it is carved, and she is shy of rain and clouds. Her movements are very charming...
Half an hour later, Zhao Xing called the palace maid in and helped the two of them go to the bathroom to wash.
When the two of them finished washing and returned to the bedroom, the bedding on the bed had been changed and the windows in the room were opened to ventilate.
After the palace maid helped the two men to sleep, she lowered the curtains, turned off the lights, and left.
"Are you satisfied now?" Zhao Xing asked jokingly.
Even in the dim tent, Yu Yanran shyly leaned into Zhao Xing's arms when she heard that.
Seeing this, Zhao Xing did not continue teasing her. He closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep soon after.
Yu Yanran listened to Zhao Xing's even breathing, fatigue came over her, and she fell asleep.
The next day, when Zhao Xing woke up, he saw Yu Yanran sleeping soundly, so he tiptoed to the outer room to wash up.
When he came back from martial arts practice, Yu Yanran had already gotten up. Seeing Zhao Xing, her face blushed and she didn't dare to look at him.
Seeing her shy look, Zhao Xing wanted to tease her, but after thinking it over he gave up.
There were many servants around, and with Yu Yanran's personality, she would be embarrassed for a long time if someone teased her.
During sex, a few jokes can add some atmosphere, but forget about it now.
After Sheng Shulan came over and had breakfast with the two beauties, Zhao Xing went to the study to review the notes.
Sheng Shulan originally wanted to go strolling around the garden with Yu Yanran, but she didn't do much strolling yesterday as she was called away to learn the rules.
Yu Yanran excused herself by saying that she was feeling a little unwell and went back to the yard.
"girl…"
When Mother Xu saw Yu Yanran coming back, she was about to speak, but suddenly she was stunned.
After coming to her senses, Mother Xu excitedly pulled Yu Yanran into the house and sent all the maids out.
"Congratulations, young lady." Mother Xu said happily.
When a woman loses her virginity for the first time, there won’t be any particularly obvious symptoms.
However, there are some subtle differences in expression and walking posture.
Ordinary people cannot see this kind of difference at all, which is why Sheng Shulan did not notice anything unusual about Yu Yanran.
But an old lady like Mrs. Xu can spot it at a glance.
"Mom Xu." Yu Yanran blushed and said coquettishly in an awkward manner.
"Every girl has this day, there's nothing to be ashamed of." Mother Xu smiled and said excitedly, "Young lady, you are weak in character, and a place like the palace is not suitable for you. If you can have a child, whether it's a boy or a girl, you will always have something to think about in the future."
Yu Yanran has a gentle personality and doesn't fight or compete. If she marries someone from a lower-class family, the Yu family will be afraid of their power and they will treat her well, so her life after marriage won't be too difficult.
But she chose to enter the Eastern Palace, and with her personality, there was no way she could compete with others.
She has been taking care of Yu Yanran since she was a child. In her eyes, Yu Yanran is like her granddaughter.
Mother Xu knew that the concubines in the palace, although seemingly noble, were actually mostly miserable.
Given Yu Yanran's personality, it is very likely that it will be the same in the future.
She only hoped that Yu Yanran could have a child by her side, so that even if she was not favored in the future, she would still have something in her heart.
…………
"Your Highness, Prince Yan requests to see you." Sanshui said.
Zhao Xing put down his brush and asked in surprise, "Did the King of Yan explain his intentions?"
This was the first time a member of the royal family came to ask for a meeting since he moved to the Eastern Palace.
It’s not that the royal family members don’t want to curry favor with the prince, but it’s useless.
The Song Dynasty learned the lesson of the late Tang Dynasty's separatist regimes and the self-reliance of military generals, and began to value civil officials over military affairs.
Naturally, the imperial court also learned from the chaos of the royal family in the Tang Dynasty, and imposed very strict restrictions on the royal family members. The royal family members were not allowed to hold real positions, those with close blood could only stay in Bianjing, and those with distant blood would be sent to the local areas to serve as militia commanders.
The Tuanlianshi was an official position with "three nothings".
What are the three noes?
That means it has no authority, no fixed staff, and no location.
Therefore, even if he tried to curry favor with the Crown Prince Zhao Xing, it would be meaningless.
On the contrary, if not handled properly, it may be misunderstood as having ulterior motives.
It is said that since Zhu Di, the Ming Dynasty treated royal family members like raising pigs. In fact, the Song Dynasty was even more cruel than the Ming Dynasty.
"Your Highness, Prince Yan brought a lot of gifts and two women. He didn't say why he came." Sanshui said.
"I'm a little tired, so I'll go see him and take a break."
One does not visit the temple without a reason. After meeting the person, he naturally knew the purpose of King Yan.
When Zhao Xing arrived at the main hall, the seated Prince Yan quickly stood up and saluted, saying, "Greetings to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Brother Wang, there is no need to be so distant. Please get up quickly." Zhao Xing smiled and gave him a light support.
Prince Yan's father was Guan's brother, and the two were cousins.
Zhao Xing came to the top and sat down, saying, "Brother Wang, please sit down."
"Thank you, Your Highness." Prince Yan bowed his hands in thanks and sat down.
The Prince of Yan was in his thirties, had a square face, and looked intimidating even without being angry.
It’s no wonder that the emperor finally chose Prince Yong over Prince Yan.
In the words of later generations, Prince Yan had a face that looked like he was born to be an official.
But in ancient times, his appearance was that of an emperor.
But the official's face is that of a more elegant one.
To put it simply, this kid is not like me.
Zhao Xing glanced at the two women standing behind King Yan. They were in their twenties, with plump figures and beautiful looks.
The most important thing is that both of them have their hair tied up.
As mentioned before, those who have been married or divorced can dress as a woman or as a girl, depending on their preference.
The fact that these two women had their hair tied up indicated that they were either married or divorced.
It is impossible for the King of Yan to send a wife to him, which means that these two women should have been divorced.
Zhao Xing's eyes flickered slightly. Could it be that the Prince of Yan mistook him for a thief from Cao Cao just because he knew that he had taken Sheng Shulan into the Eastern Palace?
Did he specifically find two divorced women to please him?
"I wonder why my brother came to see me?" Zhao Xing asked.
"Your Highness." Prince Yan smiled and said, "I spent some time to find these two women, and I am here to give them to Your Highness."
"Why don't you greet His Highness?" Prince Yan said, turning his head.
"Your humble servant pays homage to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince." The two women walked into the hall and bowed to Zhao Xingying.
"Brother Wang is really thoughtful." Zhao Xing said with a smile.
Sheng Shulan has been in the Eastern Palace for only three days including today.
If we count from the time he sent Sanshui to talk to Sheng Wei about this matter, it has only been about half a month.
However, Prince Yan learned the news in such a short time and even searched for two beautiful divorced women.
This means that he has been monitoring every move of the Eastern Palace.
That’s really thoughtful.
Prince Yan remained calm and smiled, "I am doing this because I have a small matter that I would like to ask Your Highness for help with."
"Oh?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Xing waved to the two women, motioning them to come forward.
When the two women came closer, Zhao Xing reached out and held them in his arms.
Zhao Xing showed a charming expression on his face, and his hands moved around the waists of the two women, saying, "I wonder if my brother can help me with anything?"
"My princess has a nephew from her mother's side. He made some mistakes before and was dismissed from his post. Now half a year has passed, and he knows he was wrong. He would like to ask Your Highness for help. I don't ask for his reinstatement, but at least let him have a job to make a living." Prince Yan said.
"What's the big deal? I'll take care of this little thing for you later. If you have nothing else to do, you can go back first."
As Zhao Xing spoke, he kissed the woman on his left on the face, looking anxious.
"Thank you, Your Highness. I have brought some treasures to present to Your Highness this time." Prince Yan said, taking out a gift list from his sleeve.
"What treasures are there? I'll take a closer look at them later. Sanshui, help me send my brother off."
Zhao Xing waved his hands impatiently and continued to flirt with the two beauties in his arms, and his hand movements became more and more excessive.
"I'm taking my leave!" Upon seeing this, King Yan stood up, bowed and left.
When he reached the entrance of the palace, he paused. Listening to the flirting between Zhao Xing and the woman coming from inside the palace, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and he continued walking forward.
Zhao Xing's eyes regained clarity and he let go of the beauty in his arms.
"Your Highness..."
The two women were a little nervous at first, but when they saw Zhao Xing being so unrestrained, they relaxed.
Just when they were fantasizing about serving Zhao Xing well and enjoying wealth and glory in the future, Zhao Xing suddenly let them go.
"Get up!" Zhao Xing said in a slightly cold voice.
The two women quickly stood up and stood there, somewhat at a loss as to what to do.
"Take them down and find a yard to settle them down first." Zhao Xing said to the palace maid standing beside him.
"Yes." The maid replied, bowed and said, "My two nobles, please follow me."
Zhao Xing did not correct the palace maid's address, but frowned as he thought about King Yan's intention.
After a while, Sanshui came back.
"Your Highness, the person has been sent away."
"Sanshui, closely monitor the eunuchs and palace maids in the East Palace who have contact with the outside world." Zhao Xing said.
"Yes!" Sanshui replied.
"Come find Yin Hanzhang." Zhao Xing ordered.
(End of this chapter)