Your Majesty is Poisonous – Chapter 94
by Little PandaThe Empress Dowager Refuses
“You are right, Eunuch. This bereaved one only needs you in this lifetime.” Wan Bi picked up the Zither-Playing Portrait, smiling as she looked at Yao Xi and slowly tore the painting in half. “Therefore, whatever others can do for this bereaved one, you should do with all your heart and soul. Isn’t that right?”
Just when Yao Xi thought she was standing helplessly on the precipice of being abandoned by the Empress Dowager, she suddenly saw Her Highness tear the Zither-Playing Portrait and say those words. At once, all the anxiety and unease in her heart vanished.
The Late Emperor had passed away five or six years ago, yet the Empress Dowager had never taken anyone into her chambers until she met Yao Xi. Right now, Her Highness did not even spare a glance at the portrait of the peerless young man offered by Concubine Kang; she simply stared fixedly at Yao Xi, telling her that having her was enough for this lifetime.
Her Highness clearly had countless choices, yet she chose only her. Yao Xi could not help but think: Her Highness must not only like me, but also love me a little, right?
Then again, Her Highness truly did not know the meaning of the word shy! What else could those things Her Highness spoke of—the things others could do that she should do too—be if not love? Why did she have to say such things out loud? It was incredibly embarrassing.
In truth, Yao Xi knew very well in her heart that before she confessed her female identity, Her Highness would not actually do anything to her. The countless times they had slammed on the brakes in the past made Yao Xi fully realize that the Empress Dowager only sought verbal gratification; deep down, she was still squeamish about a eunuch’s body.
“Very well! This slave’s body and this slave’s heart both belong to Your Highness. If Your Highness wishes to sleep with this slave, then sleep with me.” Yao Xi did not back down this time. She knew the Empress Dowager was teasing her again. Her Highness clearly detested a eunuch’s body to death, yet she was putting on an act to scare her into begging for mercy.
In her dreams! This time, she would not fall for it and beg for mercy!
Bring it on. She wanted to see who would be the first to chicken out1!
Yao Xi shamelessly reached for her waistband, gazing at the Empress Dowager teasingly as she unfastened her clothes. She even suggestively stuck out her tongue to lick her lips, smiling with exaggerated sleaziness. “Is Your Highness truly not afraid of seeing this slave’s scar? It might bleed!”
Wan Bi sat in her chair, watching Yao Xi court death with a cold gaze.
Undoing her outer robe, Yao Xi reached for her trouser waistband, her smile growing even more lascivious. “Does Your Highness wish for this slave to continue?” Call it off if you are scared! Yao Xi laughed wildly in her head. She could not help but recall the last time, also in the Main Hall, when Her Highness wanted to get physical with her, only to be terrified by her menstrual blood soaking through her trousers. Her Highness’s skin had broken into goosebumps at the slightest touch.
At the thought that in a moment, the Empress Dowager’s psychological defenses would be completely shattered, and she would pale in fright, begging her to stop and forbidding her from revealing her wound, Yao Xi felt both a little sympathetic and secretly thrilled.
Wan Bi made a “please” gesture with her hands and said with a sly smile, “A spring night is short and precious. You could actually go a bit faster, Eunuch!”
Yao Xi suddenly felt a little panicked.
The Empress Dowager sat there with perfect composure, staring straight at her without a single trace of squeamishness. Like some flasher pervert, Yao Xi stood with her outer robe open and hands on her hips, bluffing, “This slave’s wound is terrifying. It is not too late for Your Highness to regret this…” My god! Why isn’t Her Highness calling it off? Isn’t she scared to death of a eunuch’s body?
“This bereaved one has never regretted anything in her life! Keep undressing, Eunuch! Strip with peace of mind! The hall doors are closed, and no one dares enter without this bereaved one’s decree.” Wan Bi could not help but lower her head and let out a laugh. She wanted to see how the little thing would wrap this up. She indeed did not dare look at a eunuch’s body, but Yao Xi’s body… tsk, tsk. Wan Bi quietly swallowed her saliva.
“Is this slave really going to strip?” Yao Xi held her trouser waistband, looking like a hooligan about to misbehave. However, she was only shouting loudly; her hands did not move an inch. “I’m really stripping! Your Highness, have you thought this through? Are you scared? I’m asking you, are you scared?” Yao Xi felt as though she had played herself. The Empress Dowager had the look of someone watching a show, with absolutely no intention of stopping her.
Afraid of what? This old lady has wanted to strip you, you wench, for more than just a day or two. Wan Bi lost her patience and said, “Stop dawdling, Eunuch. Hurry up and finish sleeping with this bereaved one, we still need to have our midday meal!” Wan Bi said this so casually that anyone who did not know better would surely think she was merely talking about taking a midday nap.
Hearing Her Highness say this, Yao Xi guessed she must be hungry. She said wimpishly, “This slave is always by Your Highness’s side; serving in bed can wait, for we have plenty of days ahead. Why don’t this slave serve Your Highness’s meal first?”
Little coward. Wan Bi rolled her eyes at Yao Xi and said coldly, “Since you are unwilling to serve in bed, Eunuch, do not occupy the position of male favorite. Vacate it!” With that, she picked up the torn painting from earlier, piecing the fragments back together as she sighed in admiration, “He truly is exceptionally handsome. In a moment, I will have Concubine Kang bring this person to the imperial villa. Oh? Eunuch, do you think this bereaved one should stay at the imperial villa tonight, or head over early tomorrow morning?”
Wan Bi was deliberately saying these words to provoke Yao Xi.
She wanted to know Yao Xi’s choice—whether she would confess everything to stay by her side, or continue concealing her identity as a daughter of the Yao family at the risk of potentially having to leave her. Even if Yao Xi chose to keep hiding it, she would not blame her. She merely wanted to try, and it would not matter even if she did not get the answer she wanted.
She knew Yao Xi loved her, and she could no longer live without Yao Xi. It was just that Yao Xi did not trust her enough to place her entire family’s lives in her hands. Of course, she could not blame Yao Xi for this; she could only blame her own notorious reputation. If she were in Yao Xi’s position, she would not gamble with her family’s lives either.
Yao Xi actually knew the Empress Dowager was saying this just to anger her, but it still felt incredibly painful in her chest, a sour ache that was hard to bear. “Please do not tease this slave with such words, Your Highness…”
“You truly are growing more and more clever, Eunuch, knowing that this bereaved one is only teasing you and would never discard you,” Wan Bi said with a laugh.
The gloomy expression on Yao Xi’s face finally brightened quite a bit.
“In the future, you will continue to serve here in the palace, while he serves at the imperial villa. Neither will get in the other’s way!” Wan Bi’s fingers gently brushed across the handsome but now-creased face of the man in the painting.
Seeing this, a tempest of distress surged in Yao Xi’s heart. She rushed forward, trapping the Empress Dowager in her horseshoe-back armchair with both arms, and leaned down to kiss her. Wan Bi did not resist. She could have easily pushed Yao Xi away, but she did not. Instead, she quietly accepted Yao Xi’s kiss, wrapping her arms around Yao Xi’s slender back as she closed her eyes in intoxication.
“Your Highness is not allowed to let anyone else serve you!” Yao Xi cupped the Empress Dowager’s face, pressing against her lips as she spoke each word with deliberate emphasis. She felt miserable to death. Hearing Her Highness talk of taking another male favorite sparked a blazing fire of jealousy that made her chest feel suffocatingly tight.
“Then are you willing to serve in bed?” Wan Bi’s hand gently caressed the back of Yao Xi’s neck, her eyes full of anticipation. “This bereaved one does not detest your body, truly. I simply like you and wish to share my meals and bed with you.”
Yao Xi tentatively asked with unease, “Does Your Highness only like this slave?” Not love?
Wan Bi shook her head. “No. It is love!” She did not hesitate for even a fraction of a second when she said this. “Therefore, no matter what your body is like, this bereaved one does not mind. But you must not hide anything from this bereaved one!”
Love? Yao Xi was stunned. She had always been carefully observing and testing Her Highness’s feelings toward her, never expecting the answer to come so directly.
“This slave is willing to serve Your Highness. But before that, this slave has something to tell Your Highness—” Yao Xi knelt properly before the Empress Dowager, her robes still loosely draped over her shoulders. If she kept stalling and refusing to serve in bed, Her Highness had human desires too, and perhaps one day she truly would lose her patience and seek another male favorite.
The thought of Her Highness lying in someone else’s arms made her feel worse than death.
“This slave deserves to die. This slave has committed a capital offense.”
Yao Xi had thought it through. She would only confess her identity as Sun Xibao and would not mention a single word about the Yao family. If Her Highness investigated her origins in the palace and tried to use this matter to target the Yao family, she would defend Young Master Yao’s innocence even at the cost of her own life, and she would drag Eunuch Meng down with her.
Wan Bi sat up straight. She guessed what Yao Xi was about to say, and she knew the wench was risking her life. The playful atmosphere suddenly turned solemn. Wan Bi said softly, “Speak. This bereaved one is listening.”
“All this time, it was not that this slave was unwilling to serve in bed, but rather that this slave did not dare to,” Yao Xi gathered her courage and said. “Because this slave is female. This slave was drugged and abducted into the palace to become a eunuch. If anyone found out, it would be a capital offense, which is why this slave did not dare let Your Highness know.” After saying these words, Yao Xi actually felt a wave of relief wash over her.
Since it was the exact answer she had anticipated, Wan Bi’s expression remained calm. However, she suddenly realized her reaction was a bit too flat. After a brief pause, she feigned surprise and said, “Oh? Really? This bereaved one truly did not expect that!”
“It is true,” Yao Xi nodded, biting her lower lip.
“You kept it hidden so well, so why are you willing to tell this bereaved one now? Aren’t you afraid of being beheaded?” Wan Bi knew the answer, but she wanted to hear Yao Xi say it.
Yao Xi raised her head, looking at the Empress Dowager with a firm gaze. “Your Highness is more important than this slave’s life. This slave was afraid that if this slave kept hiding it, this slave would truly lose Your Highness.”
“…” Wan Bi felt her eyes grow slightly warm. She recalled Yao Xi’s complete disregard for her own safety when saving her. Yao Xi truly loved her with her life. In this relationship, she had only given her feelings, while Yao Xi had given her everything. “Isn’t being a woman actually quite good? Your illness has just recovered, so do not keep kneeling. Come here quickly.” Wan Bi pointed to her own embrace.
Wan Bi did not intend to press further about the Yao family. Yao Xi had not meant to deceive her; she only wanted to protect her family.
It seemed she would have to intervene in Yao Hezheng’s case.
Yao Xi still did not dare to stand up. “Does Your Highness not blame this slave?” Impersonating a eunuch was a major crime, yet Her Highness’s reaction was far too calm. Furthermore, she did not even ask for her surname and given name, or who had purchased her to bring her into the palace… “Does Your Highness not wish to ask about this slave’s life before entering the palace?”
“Let bygones be bygones. You were willing to risk your life to confess to this bereaved one, and this bereaved one is too happy to even begin to blame you. Why would this bereaved one?” Wan Bi reached out and pulled the kneeling Yao Xi into her embrace. Hugging her with a face full of smiles, she said, “Just serve by this bereaved one’s side with peace of mind. With this bereaved one here, no one will dare lay a hand on you.”
Yao Xi nodded obediently. “Mm.” Perhaps the matters she struggled and fretted over were of no consequence in Her Highness’s eyes. It seemed Her Highness only cared about her. With this thought, another flush of rosy red bloomed on Yao Xi’s cheeks.
Wan Bi held Yao Xi tightly and said, “Do you remember that you have yet to give this bereaved one a Dragon Boat Festival gift2?”
“Your Highness~” Yao Xi lowered her head bashfully. “Doing it in broad daylight is not very proper!” Her Highness seemed extremely happy after finding out she was a woman; asking this surely meant she wanted her to serve in bed as her festival gift. Fortunately, Great Aunt3 had already passed… Yao Xi had already prepared herself to offer her own body as the gift.
“Huh? Not very proper in broad daylight?” Wan Bi poked Yao Xi’s head and scolded with a laugh, “What is that little brain of yours thinking, you little thing?” Serving in bed was a matter of course; how could it possibly count as a festival gift? Sleeping with Yao Xi and robbing—pah!—and receiving gifts did not conflict with each other in the slightest.
Yao Xi’s blush spread all the way down her neck. Had she truly overthought it? “Then what does Your Highness want?”
“This bereaved one wants! A pair of gold zongzi, a green jade fan pendant, two gold bracelets set with gems, and two hundred taels4 of silver…” Wan Bi grew happier the more she spoke.
The smile on Yao Xi’s face slowly vanished!
Why did Her Highness know exactly what rewards she had received? Those who had accompanied her were indeed all Her Highness’s spies! Every single one of them! “Your Highness, how about this slave sleeps with you, and we count it as the festival gift?”
“A eunuch’s bedside service is only worth two taels a night. These things are enough for this bereaved one to sleep with you many, many times!” Wan Bi released Yao Xi and said, “Did you not say, Eunuch, that everything of yours belongs to this bereaved one? Hurry up and bring those things over!” With that, she patted Yao Xi’s little bottom, telling her to go and return quickly.
Footnotes
- Sǒng (怂) is a colloquial Chinese term meaning to lose one’s nerve, back down, or behave like a coward. To 'rèn sǒng' (认怂) means to admit defeat or chicken out.
- Duānwǔ jiélǐ (端午节礼): Traditional gifts exchanged during the Dragon Boat Festival, which occurs on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the traditional Chinese calendar.
- Dà yímā (大姨妈), literally 'Great Aunt,' a common Chinese colloquial euphemism for menstruation, similar to 'Auntie Flo' or 'my monthly visitor.'
- Liǎng (两) or tael, a traditional Chinese unit of weight used for silver currency. One tael is roughly equivalent to 37.5 grams.
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