Chapter 12: The Legend of Zhen Huan - Xia Dongchun (11)

Page 1/3

“The emperor pesters me nonstop every night. I said enough... uh...” Xia Dongchun, feeling she had found a reason, was determined to smear all the blame onto Xuan Ling.

The three people beside her began twitching their eyelids as soon as she shouted the first three words, and when she uttered the second sentence, Paozhu immediately rushed forward and firmly covered her mouth.

“Ancestor, you can’t say that.”

Xia Dongchun pulled her hand away, initially wanting to say more—she felt there was still much left unsaid—but seeing their disapproving expressions, she fell silent.

Still, she pouted, convinced she was in the right.

At that moment, a cough came from the doorway. The four of them turned simultaneously; three of them looked briefly embarrassed before resigning themselves and greeting with stiff faces.

But Xia Dongchun, still pouting, held her panda tightly and remained motionless—not because she didn’t want to bow, but because she was genuinely stunned.

There was suddenly someone standing at the door, and it was a little intimidating.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Xuan Ling smiled faintly and approached; the others in the room tactfully stepped back.

Since entering Zhaohua Palace, this little one had never properly paid respects to him once. At first, he frowned and said a few words, to which she responded with a half-hearted bow, but afterward, she continued to do as she pleased.

Typical behavior: “I know I’m wrong, but I won’t change.”

Eventually, he got used to it.

Got used to her carefree nature.

And got used to becoming carefree himself whenever he came here.

He came without notice, never announced his arrival, nor did he observe formalities.

Gradually, the two seemed to have tacitly accepted this way of being together.

If Xia Dongchun knew what was on his mind, she would definitely argue:

“I’m just going along with your way of interacting.”

Xuan Ling naturally lifted her onto his lap and casually tossed aside the item she was holding. He had disliked it for some time; the fluffiness didn’t attract him. Standing, sitting, sleeping—she had to hold it.

“What’s wrong with your little pout?” He teased, pinching her lips upward.

Xia Dongchun’s lips were tormented, making it hard to speak, “N-nothing... ugh...”

“Hehe,” he said, genuinely amused by her cuteness.

Unable to resist, Xuan Ling leaned in and kissed her once, then released her. Seeing her pout, he leaned in again and kissed her once more.

Page 2/3

Xia Dongchun rolled her eyes upward, wrinkling her small nose. “Your Majesty...”

“Yinzhen,” Xuan Ling interrupted her.

Xia Dongchun blinked in confusion.

Seeing her puzzled, he embraced her tighter and began to explain, “Call me Yinzhen. My full name is Aisin Gioro Yinzhen. Later, when the late Emperor went on a southern tour, he met a wandering sage who convinced him to change my name.”

Xia Dongchun wrinkled her nose, recognizing the question. “So it was changed to Aisin Gioro Xuan Ling, which sounds better than the original.”

As soon as she said this, she sensed something off in his aura. Looking up, she saw he was staring at her, so she quietly retorted, “It was always better—Xuan Ling sounds like a handsome young man.”

For some reason, hearing “Yinzhen” stirred mixed feelings in her—both love and resentment. She felt she shouldn’t dislike the name, yet somehow couldn’t accept it because it always reminded her of a feline animal.

Strange and peculiar.

The man holding her, seeing she hadn’t changed, simply tossed her onto the bed, ready to subdue her by force.

Until the late hours, under his stern persistence, Xia Dongchun finally timidly corrected herself.

“Little one, say it.”

Xia Dongchun: “...”

“Hm?” His tone was dangerous, and she immediately answered, “Yinzhen.”

“Good girl.”

Xia Dongchun: “...”

Damn it!

“You said it too late.”

That night in Zhaohua Palace, fallen leaves scattered endlessly in the wind.

Outside, the three exchanged glances, already starting to harbor resentment toward Su Peisheng.

Su Peisheng’s calves trembled under their gaze.

It wasn’t his fault—how could he have barged in to stop it?

He had realized that the longer his lord spent at the palace, the more his own status descended. Clearly, one should not spoil him, sigh.

In truth, he really misunderstood the three. Every morning, he ran to Jingren Palace and, in front of a full assembly of consorts, politely requested leave on behalf of his lady. Although they were thick-skinned, even they couldn’t withstand such a method.

Page 3/3

Moreover, a new arrival had just entered the palace; in three days, she was to pay respects at Jingren Palace. But their mistress hadn’t gone even once yet. If she happened to meet the newcomer, how embarrassing that would be.

The more they thought about it, the more sour-faced they became.

What to do? They dared not persuade the emperor, nor their young mistress. Today, she had tentatively spoken once and was shocked by his grand ambitions.

If they mentioned it again, who knew what she might say, especially since the emperor had recently developed the bad habit of coming here without singing the usual report.

Thinking this, Ye Yun shot a dagger-like glance at Su Peisheng.

This guy takes money but does no work, and is unmotivated.

Su Peisheng, pinching his nose, was suddenly ambushed and utterly bewildered. Although unsure what he had done wrong, he meekly lowered his head, occasionally glancing nervously at the others.

~

Two days later, the trio hauled the still drunken Xia Dongchun from the bed, then cleaned and dressed her. They couldn’t delay any longer—tomorrow was the newcomer’s audience, and today they had to drag their mistress to Jingren Palace to salvage her precarious reputation.

Hence, a spectacle appeared at Jingren Palace that day.

Everyone entering saw not the reluctantly smiling Empress seated atop, but the legendary Consort Jia.

She sat upright, eyelids drooping with heavy dark circles, appearing as if she might collapse at any moment, while palace maids prodded her gently one by one.

Everyone was at a loss for how to react.

Those of lower rank wanted to laugh but dared not; those higher up maintained their composure, suppressing their amusement.

One must say, beauty matters greatly—when a person is adorably beautiful to the extreme, others’ tolerance for her flaws is remarkably high. Even the once-dominant Noble Consort Nian, now sidelined, could hardly bring herself to dislike Xia Dongchun in such a state.

Of course, there were exceptions—like the Empress herself, whose perennial serene expression was nearly cracking.

In reality, no one in the palace, including those in Zhaohua Palace, knew that every day the emperor sent Su Peisheng to “notify” her not to let any bad news leak out; otherwise, she would have lost her temper long ago, and the news would have spread beyond the palace gates centuries ago.

Because of this, she was determined not to let him off easily and planned to expose her during tomorrow’s audience with the newcomer. Whether the latter came or not, she could then prove her disrespect toward the inner palace.

She simply hadn’t expected the people of Zhaohua Palace to be so shameless—arriving before dawn and refusing to leave no matter how much they were persuaded. That Paozhu even shamelessly shifted the blame for the missed visit onto the emperor, nearly causing her to lose control.