Chapter 91 - 75: A Fatal Offering
When the Emperor was in a bad mood, everyone in the imperial court walked on eggshells.
If being difficult came from being spoiled, then the Emperor was the most difficult man alive. After all, every person in the harem had to cater to his whims. He was displeased that after their argument, Jiang Xian had gone straight to pray with the Empress Dowager—and had even proposed doing so for a whole month.
A whole month!
’Is she not afraid that I’ll forget her?’
The moment this question arose, it was clear the Emperor would not be forgetting her. He would dwell on it, yet refuse to admit it. So, with a dark expression, he said, "I wish to have milk cakes. Have Ma Wan Yi bring them."
Meanwhile, Ma Wan Yi, who had received the gracious summons, was overjoyed. The milk cakes would be prepared by the Imperial Kitchen; all she had to do was dress herself up beautifully and go attend to the Emperor.
"But still, why milk cakes?"
A sweet dessert like milk cakes was something a child would eat.
In truth, Ma Wan Yi had not attended to the Emperor many times, and she wasn’t familiar with his tastes. But the Emperor had a cold, stern face, and the slight upward tilt of his eyes held a unique sort of compassion. She found it hard to imagine such a man enjoying sweet milk cakes, and so, another idea took root in her mind.
As she was getting ready, her personal palace maid said with a laugh, "The Emperor must be looking for an excuse to see you, Your Ladyship. Otherwise, why would he need you to personally deliver a plate of milk cakes?" Seeing her mistress silent, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, the maid continued, "What’s more, he specifically requested milk cakes—clearly, his true interest isn’t in the dessert! Watch as I make you look absolutely beautiful, Your Ladyship. You’ll surely win back his favor in one fell swoop!"
Ma Wan Yi’s heart fluttered at the words.
’That’s right. Noble Princess Consort Rong and Noble Lady Gu have both been taken to the Buddhist hall by the Empress Dowager.
Other than those two, the person whose nameplate the Emperor chose most often was Lu Ronghua. But Lu Ronghua’s nameplate was removed while she was ill, and there were even rumors that she had offended His Majesty during a night of service and was now under a form of house arrest by the Emperor.
Now is the time for me to take the lead!’
Dressed ostentatiously, Ma Wan Yi arrived at Qiankun Palace carrying a plate of milk cakes. The Emperor sat at his desk with a frown. Only after she had gracefully knelt and completed her salutations did he call for her to rise. "Come here and grind the ink."
Ma Wan Yi had no choice but to put down the dessert and go over to grind the ink.
The moment she drew near, the Emperor’s frown deepened.
Ma Wan Yi wore a seductive incense fragrance meant to enhance bedroom pleasures. It wasn’t potent enough to be an aphrodisiac; at most, it was an aid to arousal.
The Emperor was usually not picky about his concubines’ fragrances.
But at this moment, he recalled that whenever Jiang Xian came to Qiankun Palace to accompany him, she never wore any scent at all. He had once assumed it was because his summons were always so sudden that she had no time to prepare. But now, thinking back, ’How could it be such a coincidence?’ It was simply that she didn’t want to distract him from his work.
"Your Majesty, I have finished grinding the ink."
Just then, Ma Wan Yi called out to the Emperor in a coquettish voice and pressed her body close.
The fragrance grew stronger as the Beauty leaned in, her body soft as if boneless. Any ordinary man would have felt his bones melt. But the Emperor simply raised a hand to block her, saying coolly, "You’re blocking my light."
Hearing this, Ma Wan Yi could only shuffle to the side, staring eagerly at the Emperor.
The Emperor glanced at the ink she had ground.
Afraid of dirtying her hands, she had only ground a tiny amount of ink before she was trying to throw herself at him. Her intentions were painfully obvious.
’Jiang Xian wasn’t like this.
Jiang Xian loved to act coquettish too, and when she got clingy, she was even more shameless than Ma Wan Yi. But the moment she entered Qiankun Palace, she became as serious as a different person. A mere shift of his gaze and she would know which scroll he wanted, placing it in his hands before he even spoke. When he was thirsty for tea, its temperature was always perfect. When he wanted fruit—and he preferred sweet fruits with less juice—she would have already cut them up piece by piece with her own hands, with small, exquisite silver forks stuck in them for him to eat at his leisure.
When she accompanied him, if he had no orders for her, she would spend her time meticulously peeling the white pith from an orange.
All so he could have the most perfect bite.
He always told her to just have the servants do those things, but in his heart, he was actually delighted by the sentiment behind her doing them herself.
"Your Majesty, would you like some milk cakes? You said you wanted to eat them, and I made them myself..."
"Is that so?" The Emperor raised his eyes, devoid of emotion, and looked at her. "How are milk cakes made? Why don’t you tell me."
The moment he said this, all the color drained from Ma Wan Yi’s pretty face.
The greatest taboo in any workplace is to claim credit without doing your homework.
When the boss asks about the process and you don’t know the first thing, you leave the impression of being both dishonest and stupid.
"I... I..."
Ma Wan Yi knew that deceiving the Emperor was a capital offense. She knelt in terror, her bright eyes wide with fear, and kowtowed to admit her fault. The Emperor looked away indifferently, but his mind flashed with the memory of Jiang Xian taking his hand, pressing it to her waist, and exposing her most vulnerable spot to him.