freenovelworld Chapter 398 Ancient Palace Maid 11
Chapter 398 Ancient Palace Maid 11
Both of them sighed inwardly, thinking how lucky Qingdai was. She had been highly valued by His Highness as soon as she arrived at Jingxuan Palace, and now she had risen to the top in one fell swoop.
They dared not harbor any ulterior motives. Didn't they see how much His Highness cared for her? If they served Qingdai well, they might be able to become senior palace maids in the future.
Helian Zhou has been very busy these past few days, leaving early and returning late every day. He will officially ascend the throne after he has settled everything in the palace.
After ascending the throne, the first thing he did was to appoint Qingdai as empress. At first, many ministers objected, but they were all suppressed by his swift and decisive actions.
The day of the Emperor and Empress's wedding, which was also the ceremony for the Empress's coronation, was set for a month later, and everyone in the palace was busy making preparations.
Helian Zhou was busy reviewing memorials every day, and only had time to accompany Qingdai in the evenings and during meals.
Qingdai was the most leisurely one in the palace. Her mission was complete, and now she could just relax, eat, wait to die (crossed out) and enjoy life.
*
In the courtyard of Lingxiao Palace, under a tree, there was a rocking chair. Qingdai, dressed in a white gown embroidered with gold thread and wearing a gold hairpin, was dozing with her eyes closed.
Fresh fruits were laid out on the table next to me, and the sweet aroma of the fruits and the fragrance of the flowers in the yard filled the air.
Standing next to her was a palace maid fanning herself; she was He Gu, who had come from Jingxuan Palace earlier.
On the other side, the grapes being peeled and then fed to Qingdai were also made by Mulan from Jingxuan Palace.
Both women sought refuge with Qingdai, and seeing that they were honest and knew their place, she took them in.
"Host, you seem to be enjoying yourself too much right now." Xiao Qi said in the system space, her eyes filled with envy.
Qingdai glanced at it and smiled, "You're right to be envious."
Xiao Qi was taken aback by her words, so she simply turned away and refused to look, preferring to stay out of sight.
Helian Zhou led his men in, and his gaze never left the person in the rocking chair. Seeing her leisurely demeanor, he was all smiles.
He walked over and waved for the others to leave, then took a fan and fanned Qingdai.
He Gu and Mulan left with Shu He. The three of them were already used to the Emperor and Empress's interactions.
Although Qingdai has not yet undergone a formal investiture ceremony, everyone in the palace directly addresses her as Empress, and the Emperor has no objection, nor do others say anything.
"Why did you come back at this hour today?" Qingdai asked helplessly, enduring the intense gaze of the person next to her.
On weekdays, he is usually very busy and rarely comes home before mealtimes. He would only subtly suggest that I visit him during the day in the evening.
When Qingdai had free time, she would bring some food to Zichen Palace to watch him review memorials, but most of the time she would leisurely lie in Lingxiao Palace by herself.
As for why Helian Zhou didn't bring the memorial back for processing...
Naturally, when Qingdai was around, he found that he had difficulty concentrating, as his attention was always on her, which made him less efficient at work.
But he also wanted her to come see him, which was a sweet burden.
He had always treated Qingdai as an equal to himself and even asked her to review memorials with him, but she firmly refused.
Wouldn't it be better for Qingdai to just lie down and relax? Why does she have to make herself suffer?
Helian Zhou had no choice but to bear it all alone.
Setting down his fan, Helian Zhou pulled her hand and played with it: "After dinner later, I'd like you to come with me somewhere."
Even though they have changed their identities, the two still speak and refer to themselves in the same way, just like an ordinary couple.
"Alright, you should rest for a while today too." Qingdai had noticed that he was in a low mood today, and she guessed that he was probably going to deal with his enemies.
Consort Xian is not dead yet, but she is being imprisoned and tortured. Helian Zhou has not yet found the time to see his enemy, and today should be the day to settle things.
Helian Zhou's hand was already around Qingdai's waist. He lifted her up with a little force, then sat on the recliner and placed her on his lap.
Qingdai lay on his chest, her hands getting restless, slipping inside his clothes and wandering through his thin undergarment.
Seeing her becoming increasingly audacious, Helian Zhou grabbed her hand, a helpless smile playing on his lips: "I want to wait until after our wedding. Don't mess with me now."
Qingdai didn't really want anything to happen today; she was just teasing him: "You have quite a strong sense of ritual."
"I want a perfect wedding, and you deserve the best." Helian Zhou held Qingdai in his arms every night while sleeping, which was actually quite difficult for him, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.
Seeing his insistence, Qingdai had no objection. After all, he was the one suffering, and she could use her spiritual power to alleviate the discomfort in her body.
So at night, they would usually go to sleep after Qingdai finished flirting with them, leaving Helian Zhou, who was feeling unwell, to calm himself down.
After finishing their meal, the two strolled to the Cold Palace and saw off Helian Zhou's mother's killer.
On the way back, Helian Zhou seemed rather quiet, and Qingdai didn't say anything, just silently kept him company.
*
On her wedding day, Qingdai, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe symbolizing her status as empress, and a bright red auspicious gown, was led step by step by Helian Zhou towards the high platform.
The two sat on the dragon throne at the same time, and the ministers below immediately knelt down: "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Empress!"
Helian Zhou didn't speak, but smiled and turned to look at Qingdai, gesturing for her to speak. They were equals, so it didn't matter who spoke.
Today, he wants to tell everyone that the Emperor and Empress are one and the same.
Qingdai glanced at him before looking at the ministers below, raising her hand slightly: "Rise!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Your Majesty!"
The ministers had already resigned themselves to their fate. When they first learned that the emperor was to be on equal footing with the empress, they had made a huge fuss.
As a result, everyone who had objections experienced the Empress's methods firsthand.
At the morning court session, Qingdai had the books and her father-in-law spread out a pile of evidence of crimes committed by them or their family members and read it aloud. She also asked those whose names were called to come and claim them.
The ministers who had been jumping around so enthusiastically suddenly seemed to have their throats blocked, and no one dared to utter another word.
Who would dare to speak up now? If you disagree, you'll be dealt with according to the severity of the offense—confiscation of property, exile, and beheading all at once.
The ministers looked worse than if they had swallowed flies. They all left the court with ashen faces, and their backs looked hunched over.
No, does Her Majesty the Empress run the Censorate? How come she knows everything about their affairs?
Actually, what they did wasn't a big deal, but if we bring it to the surface, it becomes a handle against them.
The truly corrupt and greedy ministers who disregarded human life, those parasites in the court, had long been eliminated by Helian Zhou.
The ministers returned with expressions of utter disbelief, while Qingdai and Helian Zhou, the individuals involved, were the complete opposite.
The two were in high spirits after their victory, and they went back and prepared a feast to celebrate.
I remember the atmosphere was just right, the two of them were so affectionate they couldn't bear to part. If they hadn't stopped in the end, they almost wouldn't have made it to their wedding.
After the coronation ceremony and wedding ceremony, Helian Zhou and Qingdai returned to the Lingxiao Palace, which had been prepared in advance.
This is their new house, and their future bedroom.
The twin candles, one for dragons and one for phoenixes, illuminated a corner of the room, where Qingdai and Helian Zhou drank the nuptial wine.
When Qingdai looked up, she saw his gaze fixed intently on her, and she couldn't help but smile.
"You look at me like I'm a priceless treasure."
Seeing her teasing look, Helian Zhou smiled and stepped forward to hug her: "That's right, you are my most beloved treasure."
I meant to tease Qingdai for saying that on purpose, but I didn't expect him to be so shameless.
She tilted her head back and felt that the thing on her head was really too heavy.
Noticing her discomfort, Helian Zhou quickly helped her sit down: "Let me help you take that thing off your head."
After they retrieved the jewelry, they went to bathe in the pool behind the bedroom.