Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 404: Gongsun Angered, Rejected Again. Within the Chang'an Imperial Palace, the eunuchs were now filled with anxiety and bewilderment, like trapped beasts lost in a maze, completely unsure of where to turn. Just now in Lu Wan's palace, the emperor had suffered a terrifying accident, and the eunuchs were now at a loss, secretly debating whether to return to the emperor's chambers immediately and hurriedly summon the medical officer.

So, they approached the Emperor with trepidation, quietly inquiring about their next move. The Emperor had just emerged from the shocking incident in Lu Wan's palace. He was filled with desire, intending to ravage Lu Wan and force her into complete submission. However, he hadn't anticipated that Lu Wan would refuse the medicinal food. She resolutely refused the Emperor's harsh tactics, even accidentally stabbing him. The momentary pain brought a brief moment of clarity to the Emperor's mind, but once the pain subsided, the ghostly, hallucinatory feeling returned like a flood, surging fiercely over him.

At this moment, the emperor's eyes were empty and blurred, and he muttered to himself: "I'm not going to the bedroom, I'm not going to the bedroom, I'm going to Concubine Gongsun..." At this moment, he was completely controlled by the burning desire and absurd vanity deep in his heart. His mind was in chaos, and there was no clear thinking. He only wanted to rush to the side of the charming Concubine Gongsun immediately.

When the eunuchs heard the emperor's words, they dared not delay for a moment. They quickly and swiftly helped the emperor up and hurried towards the palace where Princess Gongsun lived.

Concubine Gongsun, on the other hand, had been eagerly anticipating his arrival ever since she was tricked into leaving the palace that evening. She quietly dispatched her clever and obedient maids to keep a constant eye on the emperor's movements, reporting any signs of trouble. Today, the commotion the emperor had caused in Lu Wan's palace was truly devastating, like dropping a boulder onto a tranquil lake. The ripples spread instantly, making it impossible for Concubine Gongsun to conceal her presence.

Therefore, Concubine Gongsun had long since learned that the Emperor had gone to Lu Wan's chambers and had been stabbed. Upon hearing this, hatred flared up within her like a raging fire. Yet, within this hatred, a strange, indescribable pleasure mingled. She snorted inwardly, "Serves him right! He's always talking big, but his mind is full of other tricks. I almost fell for his sweet talk again."

Concubine Gongsun was in the palace, sulking with resentment, when she saw one of her maids rush in, eagerly reporting, "Your Majesty, I've just heard that the Emperor, led by his attendants, is on his way to our palace."

Upon hearing this, Concubine Gongsun was stunned at first, then burst into laughter filled with sarcasm. "Great, great! Lu Wan didn't like him and rejected him. He got rejected by her, and now he's come running to my palace. He's truly shameless and unworthy of being the Emperor of this Han Dynasty!"

Concubine Gongsun said angrily, "Female guards, gather up your weapons and prepare to welcome the Emperor!"

Most of the maids around her were the same female guards who had been with her since she was still at her parents' home. Back then, when she married the emperor, Chang'an was just beginning to settle down, and the imperial palace was still relatively small. Even the number of maids and eunuchs was very limited. When she got married, she brought these female guards with her into the palace. On a daily basis, they dressed as maids and diligently served Concubine Gongsun.

But now, under the angry command of Concubine Gongsun, these usually gentle and docile palace maids suddenly became completely different. They quickly rushed to prepare their weapons, and a murderous aura emanated from them. It was obvious that each of them was extremely skilled and their strength should not be underestimated.

Carefully escorted by a host of eunuchs, the emperor hurried to the magnificent palace of Consort Gongsun. The palace was ablaze with lights, illuminating every corner like daylight, as if to reveal all the secrets of the inner sanctuary without reservation.

At the magnificent palace gate, a group of valiant female soldiers suddenly appeared from nowhere. Each of them had a stern expression, a murderous aura, and gleaming weapons in their hands. They lined up neatly on both sides of the gate, like two rows of solemn sculptures, yet exuding a chilling intimidation.

Princess Gongsun, clad in a gorgeous palace gown, exuded a stern presence, graceful yet brimming with a fierce aura. She held a longsword steady in her hand, its blade gleaming with an icy light. Standing at the palace's main entrance, she raised her chin slightly, looking down at the incoming emperor with a condescending gaze, her eyes filled with disdain and anger. She coldly said, "Liu Bian, why didn't you rest peacefully in Lu Wan's palace? Why have you come to me in such a dejected state?"

Upon seeing this, the emperor quickly put on a fawning smile and said, "My beloved, Lu Wan is truly a slut. Unworthy of being the daughter of a great scholar, she has no sense of etiquette at all. I was merely concerned about her well-being, but she had the audacity to stab me. What a shrew!"

Upon hearing this, Concubine Gongsun couldn't help but sneer, her laughter filled with mockery: "Humph! Since you went out to seek pleasure but failed and got stabbed instead, you should have quickly gone to the doctor for proper treatment. Why did you come to my palace to join in the fun?"

The emperor, still shameless and with a flattering smile, continued, "Alas, that Lu Wan is indeed very fierce. Now I finally know her true colors. No, I have come to my beloved concubine, thinking that you can bandage my wounds yourself, and by the way, I can also confide in my beloved concubine this pain of longing for you."

Princess Gongsun laughed heartily, as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke in the world. "Hahahaha, you talk better than you sing! If you hadn't been rejected by Lu Wan, would you have thought of me? My father and I have been deceived by your sweet words many times, and just this afternoon, you played us a fool again. Do you really think I'm easy to bully? Get out of here right now! If you dare to come any closer, I will pierce a few more transparent holes in your body so that you can also taste the pain of being stabbed!"

Though a little frightened, the emperor remained steadfast, brazenly trying to move forward. However, the female soldiers beside him, like enraged lionesses, placed their murderous hands on the daggers at their waists, nearly half-drawn. The cold weapons gleamed with a terrifying light under the light, and the overwhelming pressure instantly spread, frightening the eunuchs so much that they dared not move even a tiny step forward.

Seeing this, the emperor looked at Concubine Gongsun with a pleading look on his face, and said in a tearful voice, "My dear Concubine, are you really so heartless?"

Concubine Gongsun was now furious to the extreme. Her eyes widened as she shouted, "Get out of here! Just pretend that my father and I were blind to have given our all to help you. Until this very moment, I've always refused to believe what my father said about you. But now, I finally see your true, ugly face. If you don't leave immediately, I'll be rude!"

After saying this, Concubine Gongsun turned to the female guards beside her and shouted, "Kick them out!"

Upon receiving the order, the female guards immediately rushed forward aggressively, shouting and starting to push and shove. In a few moves, they drove the group of eunuchs and the embarrassed emperor out of the palace, leaving only the cold moonlight shining in front of the empty palace gate.

The emperor looked at a loss at this moment, and had no idea where to go. His face was full of disappointment, and he could only order the eunuchs in a bad mood: "Go back to the bedroom!" The emperor at this moment had gone to other people's palaces twice in a row to seek pleasure, but both times he failed. However, the hallucinatory feeling caused by taking the elixir and the irresistible desire in his body showed no signs of dissipating at all.

When he returned to the magnificent yet somewhat deserted palace, the emperor felt as if there was a blazing fire in his mind, and his body was hot and uncomfortable. All kinds of bizarre scenes were like surging tides, constantly impacting his mind and making him upset.

The eunuchs carefully helped him to the bed and then prepared to change his somewhat disheveled clothes. However, Liu Bian felt that if this matter were to be spread out, he would be embarrassed, so he hurriedly said, "Humph! I only suffered a minor skin injury, which only needs to be re-bandaged. Why must I summon the medical officer and let everyone in the palace know about it? How shameful!" It turned out that Liu Bian had lost face in front of everyone because his shameful plot had failed. So he was unwilling to make his injury public at all costs.

Here, a eunuch stretched out his hand tremblingly, and tried to peel off the cloth on the wound very carefully. However, due to the blood stains on the wound, the cloth seemed to be stuck to the wound. When he tore the wrapped cloth, the wound that had not yet healed was instantly involved. A piercing pain suddenly hit Liu Bian, and he immediately became furious. He kicked the eunuch to the ground without saying a word, and cursed: "Hmph! You clumsy idiot, what's the point of keeping you around? Hurry up and replace me with someone who is smart and nimble! With your stupid appearance, what's the use of expecting your eloquence to make me happy?" The eunuch who was kicked down was so scared that he curled up on the ground, not daring to breathe. The palace was suddenly filled with a tense and depressing atmosphere.