Eastern Han Dynasty, not the Three Kingdoms

The sun, hanging high in the sky, had gradually moved to the zenith. It was not until noon that the emperor finally awoke from a chaotic slumber. He opened his eyes lazily, a hint of the hazy look from last night's indulgence still lingering in his gaze.

On the bed beside him, the young palace maid, as fresh and delicate as the morning dew, had actually awakened long before the emperor. But she was filled with fear, and dared not even to disturb the emperor. Now, seeing the emperor awake, she quickly closed her eyes again, trying to keep her breathing steady, pretending to be still asleep.

Despite her best efforts to conceal it, the emperor was still keenly aware of her trembling eyelashes, which were trembling with fear. Seeing this, the emperor's mouth curled up slightly, and he reached out to gently stroke the little maid's slightly pale cheek. His tone was filled with a hint of doting as he said, "My beloved, there is no need to worry so much. Since you and I had such a pleasant time yesterday, I will naturally reward you. From today on, I will confer upon you the status of a beauty. From now on, you will be considered a respected and honored person in this palace."

Upon hearing this, the young palace maid was still filled with fear, but she also knew that she could not disobey the emperor's will at this moment. So, she endured the burning pain in her body and knelt respectfully on the bed. Then, she kowtowed to the emperor and said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. Long live your Majesty."

Seeing her so obedient and docile, the emperor was even more delighted. He caressed the little maid's hair with even greater affection. His eyes inadvertently swept across the noticeable bruises on her body, and he suddenly felt distressed. He said with pity, "Alas, yesterday I was also overwhelmed by passion and desire, and I got carried away. That's why you suffered so much. In the future, don't call yourself a slave anymore. Remember to call yourself a concubine. By the way, my beloved concubine, I still don't know your last name."

The young maid, still kneeling on the bed, raised her head slightly, looked timidly at the emperor, and replied, "Your Majesty, this servant, no, before I entered the palace, my surname was Wang. My family called me Wang Niu. Because my family was poor, I didn't have any famous name."

The emperor laughed heartily upon hearing this, and said repeatedly, "Very well, very well, from now on you will be Lady Wang. Now, you will help me put on my clothes, and when I am dressed, you can come and have some food with me."

After saying this, the emperor shouted loudly to the outside: "Come in and change my clothes!"

The eunuchs had been waiting outside for a long time. Upon hearing the emperor's order, they hurried in one after another and swiftly helped the emperor and the newly promoted concubine Wang change their clothes. Soon, everything was ready, and the emperor ordered the meal to be served.

Soon, a sumptuous meal was placed on the table in the palace. The Emperor and Concubine Wang sat opposite each other, preparing to enjoy the delicious meal, when the eunuchs approached with trepidation and cautiously said, "Your Majesty, the palace guard commander Wang Yue and his disciple Shi A are outside requesting an audience. Do you intend to see them or not? They... they've been kneeling outside for most of the day."

The emperor was slowly picking up a piece of food with chopsticks and putting it into his mouth. Hearing this, he did not stop what he was doing. He just chewed the food in his mouth and said slowly: "Send in his master and disciple."

The eunuch received the order and hurriedly turned around to report. The master and disciple had been kneeling outside until their legs were numb. When they heard the eunuch say that the emperor wanted to see them, they hurriedly supported each other to stand up, stretching their numb legs, and supporting each other, they slowly walked towards the hall step by step.

The master and disciple trembled as they entered the hall. As soon as they set foot inside, they fell to their knees with a plop, their faces filled with fear. Wang Yue spoke first, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, we deserve death! We were charged with protecting Your Majesty, but we failed to do our utmost. Our plan was a complete mess, and even injured Your Majesty. We deserve death." Shi A, beside him, quickly followed suit, kowtowed repeatedly.

Upon hearing this, the emperor's mind instantly flashed back to the shameful and infuriating scenes of last night, and his face flushed with anger. He suddenly threw the chopsticks he was holding in front of the two men with a loud "bang". The sound of the chopsticks hitting the ground was particularly abrupt in the silent hall, startling the master and disciple and making them tremble violently. The emperor roared, "You two are usually very thoughtful people, but look at what you have done in the end! Humph! I really want to drag you two out and execute you two immediately, so that I can vent my hatred!"

The master and disciple were terrified and banged their heads against the ground, one thump after another, begging for mercy. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please have mercy and give us a chance to make amends. We will do our utmost and will not hesitate to die. If all else fails, we will capture Dian Wei and avenge Your Majesty."

The emperor was so angry that he gasped for breath after hearing this. After a long while, he managed to suppress the rage burning in his heart and said through gritted teeth, "Forget it! Even if I deal with Dian Wei and that bitch Lu Wan today, what good will it do? As long as Ma Chao's Xiliang army is still there, I cannot use any harsh measures against the Queen and Dian Wei. Otherwise, once Ma Chao's violent temper flares up, how can I suppress him? Humph!"

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the master and disciple knew their lives were temporarily saved. They kowtowed several times and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy. Thank you, Your Majesty, for your mercy!"

The emperor waved his hand impatiently and said, "Alright, alright, get up. Never mention this matter again. From now on, you just need to do your job as a good guard for me. But don't be so careless and make such a mistake again. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we understand and will definitely keep Your Majesty's teachings in mind!" The master and disciple answered in unison, secretly breathing a sigh of relief, and then slowly stood up.

The emperor paused, then continued, "Go, fetch the Prince of Luoyang. I have something to tell him in person. Also, tell everyone in the palace that no one is allowed to spread a single word about what happened today, or anything else that happened last night and today. If anyone disobeys and spreads these things, I will see to it that they are utterly annihilated. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Your Majesty, we obey your command!" The master and disciple responded hurriedly.

Shi A was about to leave when the emperor said, "Wang Yue will go and inform the King of Luoyang first. Shi A will stay."

Upon hearing this, Shi A couldn't help but feel secretly delighted. He secretly wondered, could it be that the emperor still remembered the little favor he had done last night? Could it be that he had some kind of reward for him alone?

Wang Yue, who was standing by, couldn't help but frown when he heard the emperor's words, but he didn't dare to disobey in the slightest. He could only turn around silently and leave quickly to inform King Luoyang.

After Wang Yue left, the emperor slowly turned his gaze towards Shi A, his eyes filled with scrutiny, and said, "Shi A, the medicine you presented to me last night, used to treat women, didn't show any reaction to Lu Wan after she took it. What's going on? Hmm?"

Upon hearing this, Shi Ah suddenly became nervous again. His legs softened and he fell to his knees with a thud. He cried out in horror, "Your Majesty, how dare I use fake medicine to deceive Your Majesty? This... I absolutely would not dare to do this. Your Majesty, please understand!"

The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "If it's fake medicine, it's unlikely. After all, the elixir I took yesterday did have magical properties, and I think the other medicine you found should also be fake. If so, then it means that the palace maid and eunuch who delivered the medicine yesterday did not tell me the truth. Go, find them immediately, I want to ask them personally."

The palace maid and eunuch who had been responsible for delivering the medicinal meal last night were now being brought before the emperor, trembling with fear. The emperor, always meticulous and perceptive, easily extracted the truth from the two with just a few questions.

The palace maid and the eunuch knew they had committed a grave offense, and they were so frightened that they kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy. Their heads banged on the ground with a thud like pounding garlic, while they kept begging the emperor for mercy. But the emperor remained unmoved, his face stern, and he just gave Shi A a cold look.

Upon seeing this, Shi A immediately understood what he meant. Without saying a word, he stepped forward and roughly dragged the two men away. It seemed that he was going to "deal with" them according to the emperor's wishes.

At this moment, Wang Yue had also respectfully invited Liu Xie, the Prince of Luoyang, to the palace. Upon seeing the emperor, Liu Xie immediately performed a respectful salute. Afterward, he raised his head with a seemingly casual smile and said, "Your Majesty, your face is so rosy. I believe something good must have happened last night. This is truly cause for celebration."

Upon hearing this, the emperor suddenly felt a little embarrassed. He coughed twice to hide his inner discomfort and said, "Hey, brother, you are joking. It's just that the magic medicine I used last night took some effect. Well, what happened last night is a long story. Let's not mention that bitch Lu Wan and the matter with Concubine Gongsun anymore. It will only cause more trouble."

When Liu Xie heard this, his heart skipped a beat. He thought to himself, "Oh no! It seems my brother didn't accomplish anything last night. Didn't we plan it all out so thoroughly? How did it end up like this? Forget it, why should I worry about it? It's not good to offend my brother for no reason. He has always been a deep-minded person, so I don't dare to provoke him lightly."