Chapter 124 How could I cuckold you in this case?

Yun Fenghuang was shocked. When she was about to put down the curtain as if nothing had happened, her wrist was held by someone. That was Emperor Chunjia, who leaned towards her and opened the curtain a bit more. He looked outside. It happened that Qi Jiulu dismounted from a horse and glanced at the carriage as if he was involuntary. He just caught the sight of the emperor.

He quickly bowed to the emperor.

Yun Fenghuang noticed that the knuckles of Qi Jiulu’s hand, which held the whip, were white with exertion. Obviously, he was not as calm as what he showed.

But Emperor Chunjia was calm. He looked around imperturbably, and then closed the curtain. Looking at Yun Fenghuang who was held in his arms, he said, “There is nothing beautiful outside. Why did you open the curtain all the time? You may be tanned.”

“Your Majesty, don’t frighten me. The county government is so stuffy, so I take a fresh breath on the road.” Yun Fenghuang calmed herself down and smiled, “After a long time, we arrive finally. Your Majesty, shall we get off now?”

The emperor glanced at her, replied “huh” dryly, and got off first.

Ji Muzi wanted to go out after the emperor, but two curtain-hats with long chiffon that could cover the waist were brought in. It was said that the emperor prepared them for his two concubines, so that they would not be exposed to the sun.

Of course, there was the purpose of preventing the outsiders from seeing the concubines. Although Emperor Chunjia said personally that he didn’t care whether the concubines, other than Yuan Lianniang, were loyal to him or coveted by others or not, the surface acting should be made. Even though he really didn’t care about it, the Empress Dowager, the Queen Mothers and the Empress must not allow the concubines to appear in front of a group of men flagrantly.

The maids quickly helped their masters put on the curtain-hats. Ji Muzi was closer to the door of the carriage. After wearing the hat, she wanted to rush out. However, when she began to move, she felt a resistance from behind, and then she staggered, threw herself out of the curtain and fell to the thill!

The people outside who saw that called softly. Fortunately, there were two eunuchs who were not far away. They responded quickly, and ran over to cushion her, which prevented this legitimate daughter of Ji’s Family from falling badly.

After Ji Muzi was helped to get to her feet, she forgot to straighten her curtain-hat, but turned her head and stared at the carriage, saying angrily, “You…”

“Are you OK?” Yun Fenghuang held Xi Le’s hand, coming out calmly and gracefully. Although with the curtain-hat, her expression couldn’t be seen clearly, it was not difficult to know her concern from her worrying tone, “I just wanted to remind you to move slowly. Fortunately, these two eunuchs responded quickly.”

Immediately, she turned to look at the emperor and said briskly, “Your Majesty, without these two eunuchs, Sister Ji would be injured today. Such loyal servants should be rewarded!”

The emperor responded with a sound of “huh” with a spurious smile, and then ordered Yan Yin to reward the two eunuchs later.

The two eunuchs quickly came to express their gratitude happily. After they finished, Yun Fenghuang asked the servants to support her, and stepped on the back of a eunuch to get off the carriage elegantly. Compared with her elegancy, the scene that Ji Muzi fell out of the carriage was so embarrassed.

Seeing Ji Muzi walking with her maids, Yun Fenghuang greeted the former with concern again, as if they were biological sisters. Finally, the emperor noticed that Ji Muzi was no longer able to control her temper since she wrung her handkerchief with the veins prominent on the back of her hands. Then the emperor interrupted with a dry cough, “The painted pleasure boat is right there. Let’s go.”

Chun Ti Lake was just a small lake in Wannian County which was not as wide as Tai Ye Pool.

The painted pleasure boat prepared for the emperor and his entourage to visit the lake at this time was also a bit old. Obviously, it was used temporarily. Although it was old, it was spacious. The upper and lower floors were divided into several rooms, and the traces of emergency repairs and decorations could be seen. The furniture and all utensils were new.

After ascending the boat, the emperor led his concubines up to the second floor. When they just sat down, there was noise underneath. Immediately, a row of servants came in and brought four seasonal drinks, namely lychee cream, glutinous rice wine, plum wine and ice-cold kumquat juice.

Soon, two servants carried some ice cream in a golden plate, decorated with orange and radish peel, preserved fruits and seasonal fruits. The ice cream was white and the fruits were colorful, which looked beautiful.

Yan Yin took a little eunuch to check if the food was safe. After confirmation, the emperor took the lead to pick up a cup of plum wine. When he was just about to say something, Ji Muzi said suddenly, “Your Majesty, I misbehaved just now. Please forgive me.”

“It is just a small matter,” Emperor Chunjia said casually, “I am glad that you are fine.”

Ji Muzi bit her lips and said, “Your Majesty, I didn’t fall down because I walked too fast. Jie Yu Mao schemed against me!” As she said, she lifted the skirt on the ground, showing it to the emperor.

She wore a silver-red dress with wide sleeves, and a two-inch-wide belt embroidered with jasmine flowers. Two strings of dark green silk tapes were dropped on both sides of the waist, and the silk tapes were tied with peanut-shaped white jade. The jade was particularly crystal on the foil of light pink crepe pleated skirt.

The light pink was not a stain-resistant color. However, the crepe was light, and the satin petticoat in pale pinkish grey was added inside, so it was not obvious if the skirt was dirtied. But the skirt of Ji Muzi was embroidered with a circle of jasmine. The snow-white petals and the bright green branches and leaves were very refreshing against each other.

At the moment, there was a small footprint on an embroidery.

The footprint was so clear that the details of the patterns could be seen clearly, showing how hard the person was to step on.

Ji Muzi said with a grim face to the emperor, “Your Majesty, I was planning to keep up with you, but Jie Yu Mao stepped on my skirt, so I fell out of the carriage. If there were not the eunuchs who responded quickly, I’m afraid… I had lost my life now!”

Emperor Chunjia looked at the footprint and frowned slightly, asking, “Jie Yu, did you really step on it?”

“It seems that I stepped on something when I came out of the carriage.” Yun Fenghuang said indifferently. “But Pin Ji wrongs me if she believes that I was intentional. Your Majesty, according to the rules, you got out of the carriage first, and the next should be me, because I am a consort and she is Pin. I didn’t expect that Pin Ji would move before me. I also intended to go out immediately, so that you needn’t wait for me. However, Pin Ji beat me to the draw, so I just stood up and stepped on her skirt… Anyway, no one was hurt, and Your Majesty, you also didn’t blame us. I didn’t know why Pin Ji mentioned it specifically.”

Ji Muzi looked at Yun Fenghuang and said coldly, “Jie Yu Mao, you mean that I should be schemed against by you?”

“First of all, this is caused by your unruly behavior.” Yun Fenghuang sipped the ice-cold kumquat juice, looking at Ji Muzi with a hazy smile, “Now it is just a fright and you are not hurt. Even if you are injured, that is also your fault, and you can’t blame others. Secondly, I said it in the carriage before. His Majesty takes time to bring us out specially. Regardless of whether you didn’t sleep well yesterday, or you are uncomfortable, why do you show your bad mood to His Majesty?”

“I have helped you to dissemble once in the carriage, but you still only concern about yourself. Why are you so selfish? Do you want to make His Majesty and me unhappy like you?”

“…” Ji Muzi sat motionlessly and stared at Yun Fenghuang.

After a moment, she turned to the emperor who was quiet and said in a choked voice, “Your Majesty?”

Emperor Chunjia smiled with a good temper, “Jie Yu Mao is straightforward. Pin Ji, please don’t care what she said for her young age.”

The emperor showed his partiality casually again!!!

Ji Muzi couldn’t stand it, and burst out suddenly, “If I just want to quibble over it with her?!”

When she said this, there was stillness all around. The emperor’s expression which was lazy before instantly froze!

If it were an ordinary concubine who was in such abnormal state, in fact, Emperor Chunjia would not care too much. He had always been generous and kind. Although he didn’t care about the concubines except for Yuan Lianniang, he almost did not blame them. But Ji Muzi, the legitimate daughter of Ji’s Family, said this. It had a special meaning now.

People would doubt that she forced the emperor with her natal family’s power.

“… Pin Ji drank too much.” The emperor put the cup of plum wine in his hand on the desk in front of him, and did not look at Ji Muzi whose face became pale, saying indifferently, “Come here. Send Pin Ji back to the county government.”

Ji Muzi clenched her fists, stood up and saluted, saying lightly, “Your Majesty, I misbehaved just because I don’t like Jie Yu Mao. I have no intention of contempt for you.”

She adjusted quickly, so did the emperor. The emperor’s face had no any emotion of disgust or dissatisfaction. He just said softly, “I know. I also told you that Jie Yu Mao is young and ignorant, so she is a little bit naughty. Pin Ji, you are elegant. It’s true that you can’t get along well with Jie Yu Mao. Therefore, I am afraid that you can’t be happy to travel together today. I promised Jie Yu Mao the travel with her, so you can go back to the county government to have a rest. I will take you out alone in another day. OK?”

As if he had never been angry and didn’t mind it at all, he comforted Ji Muzi in reasonable words without any fault.

But the more he acted like this, the more people wondered how much boredom and intrigue he had in mind.

“… I leave now.” Ji Muzi opened her mouth, but finally could not say anything. She left with the servants staggeringly.

The emperor looked at her to go downstairs indifferently. Then, he picked up the cup and took a sip. He leaned to Yun Fenghuang, asking gently, “Jie Yu, you deliberately make Pin Ji leave. What do you want to do?”

“Of course, I want to talk with Qi Jiulu when you don’t pay attention to me…” Yun Fenghuang thought carelessly. But she said, “Certainly I want to be with you alone today.”

The emperor laughed and said, “Then I will stay here to accompany you. I wouldn’t go downstairs.”

No!

“I can’t even see Qi Jiulu’s clothes here. How can I cuckold you?” Yun Fenghuang thought.

After thinking quickly, she reminded the emperor, “Your Majesty, but you promised me to go fishing.”

Now that the emperor and his concubine wanted to go fishing, the servants wouldn’t throw two fishing rods to them and let them fish on the deck optionally. They stopped the boat in a water area specifically, holding up umbrellas, setting ice containers, tables and chairs, and scattering a large amount of bait to attract many fishes and shrimps. After a careful preparation, they took two fishing rods with gold and jade to invite the emperor and his concubine to move on the deck.

The reading partners and the entourage, who followed the emperor to the boat but stayed in the first floor, had been enjoying the music performance and drinking with each other. After hearing about this, Ji Minggan, who loved to poke his nose into others’ business, was also interested. When he saw that the emperor carrying Yun Fenghuang who wore a curtain-hat came downstairs, he asked the emperor if he could go with them.

After hearing that, Yuan Ke was unwilling to be left, saying that he also wanted to participate.

The emperor smiled and said, “This is Jie Yu’s idea. I can’t make the decision. You have to ask her.”

These two people didn’t have good impression of Yun Fenghuang, especially Ji Minggan. His cousin was just taken away. At that time, he was downstairs. Even if he didn’t know the whole process, he must doubt that it was caused by Yun Fenghuang.

After hearing the emperor’s words, they didn’t want to participate in fishing. However, before they were about to say that, Yun Fenghuang said quickly, “No way! Your Majesty, you promised to accompany me specifically. I don’t want to take them together.”

When she said, she grabbed Emperor Chunjia’s sleeve and urged him to go to the deck quickly, stopping talking to these guys!

These two people immediately became angry. “Damned! We didn’t even quibble over the things that you made trouble for our sisters in Imperial Harem. But now you dare to humiliate us in public?!”

What!!!

Since they stayed with the emperor, especially the emperor who had come to power, they were repeatedly told by their families that they couldn’t make any inappropriate behaviors. But they couldn’t help retaliating now. After they watched the emperor and the concubine going to the deck, they coincidentally asked their subordinates to do something…