When Liang Qiuli returned to the side hall, her limping leg immediately attracted the attention of Granny Qin.

"Qiu Li, what happened to your leg? Did the Emperor punish you?"

Seeing that Qiu Li had been gone for so long and hadn't returned, Granny Qin was wondering if Liang Qiu Li had offended the Emperor. Now, seeing her like that, she was even more certain.

"No, the Emperor didn't punish me. He was just in a bad mood and made me kneel down to massage his shoulders."

Liang Qiuli quickly shook her head, a bitter smile appearing on her face.

"Thanks a lot."

When Qin Mama heard that the Emperor was in a bad mood, she naturally thought of Shen Qingyao again. She sighed and didn't ask any more questions.

"Is Miss Qiuli here? The Emperor knows you injured your knee and has given you medicine."

Liang Qiuli had just sat down in the side hall when she heard Eunuch Wang's voice coming from outside.

Liang Qiuli was slightly taken aback, thinking that the emperor still had some conscience.

She quickly stood up, walked out of the side hall, and respectfully took the medicine box from Eunuch Wang's hand.

"Thank you, Eunuch Wang. Please convey my gratitude to the Emperor on my behalf."

Seeing Qiu Li still adhering to the rules even though she was injured, Eunuch Wang nodded in satisfaction.

"Don't worry, Miss Qiuli, I will definitely pass on the message."

After Eunuch Wang left, Qiu Li wanted to apply medicine to her knees.

"You should rest well in your room for the next few days. You don't need to serve the Emperor for now."

After glancing at Liang Qiuli's swollen and even bruised knees, Granny Qin gave the order.

Liang Qiuli looked down at her knees and nodded gently.

While it's advisable to press the advantage and let the emperor experience her beauty more, being too hasty will easily cause the emperor to lose interest.

Moreover, her knee injury is quite serious, and if she were to force herself to serve the emperor, it would likely provoke his displeasure.

It would be better to take a few days off and relax a bit.

……

At night, thanks to Liang Qiuli's attentive service, the emperor was satisfied and was no longer restless and unable to sleep, finally getting a comfortable and peaceful night's rest.

The very next day after court, the emperor wanted to try again.

"Tea."

The emperor sat on the dragon throne, reviewing memorials and casually giving instructions.

The emperor knew that the young palace maid had been serving tea these past few days, so as soon as he sensed someone approaching, he gave the order.

"To be continued today..."

But when the people got closer and didn't smell that familiar fragrance, they stopped abruptly. Looking up, they discovered that the person serving tea today was actually Granny Qin.

Qin Mama was an old servant in the palace, and her ability to read people was first-rate. As soon as she saw that the emperor's expression was not right, she immediately spoke up to explain.

"Qiuli has injured her knee and walks unsteadily, which might offend His Majesty. So I've arranged for her to rest for a few days. If His Majesty wishes..."

"No need, let her rest well."

After Qin Mama said this, the emperor nodded. Liang Qiuli was just a palace maid. Even if she served him well yesterday, she was still just a palace maid.

It's not worth his distraction.

His heart was small; it could only hold Shen Qingyao.

Besides, he's the emperor. If he really wanted to, he could just find another palace maid to serve him.

He then turned his attention back to the memorial in front of him.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Liang Qiuli managed to avoid getting close to the emperor for five consecutive days.

During those five days, the emperor secretly visited the Cui residence again.

He noticed that Shen Qingyao was less resistant to him now, but whenever he tried to get closer to her, she would dodge away like a hedgehog.

This further enraged the emperor.

Upon returning to the palace, the emperor did not deprive himself of the cold water bath again. Instead, he directly summoned a young palace maid to serve him.

But the young palace maid was frightened and trembling with fear, which did not make the emperor feel comfortable; on the contrary, it made him even more agitated.

Finally, Liang Qiuli resumed serving tea to the emperor.

"Your Majesty, please use... Ah!"

Before Liang Qiuli could finish speaking, the emperor pulled her around and she ended up leaning against him to avoid spilling the tea in her teacup again.

Liang Qiuli blushed, but then she remembered something, quickly put the teacup down on the table, nervously nudged the emperor, and tried to get up.

"What, you're not happy?"

The emperor's large hand gripped Liang Qiuli's waist tightly. His deep voice was filled with anger, and if Liang Qiuli didn't answer properly, he might just break her waist.

"This servant wouldn't dare. I'm too happy to serve Your Majesty."

Liang Qiuli knew what the emperor wanted to hear, so she looked down at him with admiration.

The emperor's greed was instantly ignited.

……

What happened next was inevitable, and it wasn't the first time. The emperor's guilt towards Shen Qingyao had long been worn away by the excuses he made for himself.

The emperor felt that a mere palace maid was unworthy of bearing his child, so he didn't go all the way. However, he did everything else, both what he should and shouldn't have done.

The emperor never expected that Liang Qiuli, a woman with a voluptuous figure, would find such pleasure in that aspect.

So for the next few months, whenever he got angry with Shen Qingyao, he would go to Liang Qiuli to resolve it.

As for finding other people, the emperor had considered it, but because of his previous instructions, the palace maids in Zichen Palace were all of average appearance and figure. After tasting Liang Qiuli, he no longer looked down on them at all.

As for finding someone from elsewhere, the emperor remembered that he had refused Qin Mama's arrangement and was too embarrassed to ask her again.

I just hope that one day Granny Qin will notice Liang Qiuli's unusual behavior, and then...

It can only be said that he was young and naive, and missed out on too much.

Tap the screen to use advanced tools Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.

You'll Also Like