…
The next day, early morning.
A series of unhurried knocks on the door brought Shen Ye back to reality from his sweet dream. He glanced out the window. It was still early, and for fear of waking up Ji Ruxue who was still sleeping, he did not ask who it was. Instead, he got out of bed, dressed, and went to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, he saw the two Miao and Xuan girls standing at the door, one holding a basin of warm water, and the other holding a tray with various toiletries of this era. They were obviously here to help him get up.
Miaocheng Tian tilted his head to glance at the bed, and seeing that Ji Ruxue hadn't gotten up yet, he asked in a low voice, "Xue'er isn't awake yet?"
"That should be the case. She slept very late last night." Shen Ye nodded and made way for the two girls to come in.
But they didn't move and still stood there.
Shen Ye looked at them in confusion, and heard Xuanjing Tian say, "Son-in-law, my sister and I came here so early to serve you, shouldn't you give us a small reward?"
Shen Ye was stunned for a moment, then he understood what they meant, smiled and asked, "What reward do you want?"
The two girls didn't say anything. As sisters, they closed their eyes at the same time, raised their heads, and pouted their lips.
"I knew it..." Seeing their actions, Shen Ye shrugged slightly, and then he gently kissed their tender lips.
Although they only had a brief taste, the two sisters were still very happy. They happily walked around Shen Ye and went into the room to get busy.
Ji Ruxue has never had a deep sleep, probably a habit she had when she was a maid for the empress, so in fact she woke up when the two girls knocked on the door. If it were in the past, she would probably get up as well, but she slept too late yesterday, so she simply took a break and didn't even open her eyes. However, she still heard the two girls asking Shen Ye for a reward.
But she immediately remembered what the empress had said to her a few days ago. Although she felt a little jealous, she didn't say anything. When she noticed Shen Ye and the other two entered the room, she just buried her head in the quilt and didn't listen or look.
Naturally, her ostrich behavior was seen by Shen Ye and the other two. Then Miaocheng tTian and Xuanjing Tian looked at each other and thought at the same time: since you don't want to see it, don't blame your sister for being rude.
So, when helping Shen Ye wash up, the two of them kept sticking to him and touching him all over, making Shen Ye think that they were here to seduce him.
As time went by, the two women became more and more daring, and even started to pull off his clothes. If it weren't for the loud noises, Ji Ruxue couldn't stand it anymore and came out from under the quilt to interrupt them. It would have been a spring morning...
…
Led by Miaocheng Tian and Xuanjing Tian who looked unhappy, Shen Ye and Ji Ruxue came to the dining hall.
At this time, the empress had already had breakfast here. When she saw them coming, especially when she saw that Ji Ruxue's walking posture was a little strange, her eyes flickered a few times, and then she asked, "Did you sleep well last night?"
"Great." Shen Ye grinned, then he saw that only the empress was at the table, and asked, "Where's Xuan'er?"
"She helped me read official documents until very late yesterday, and she didn't get up yet!" A trace of fatigue flashed in the empress's eyes. There were too many government affairs accumulated during this period. There was a huge pile of official documents handed in by various counties and prefectures in Qi State alone. She couldn't read them all by herself, so she troubled Lu Linxuan, who had originally come just to chat with her, to help her take a look.
"She has this ability?" Thinking of Lu Linxuan's restless nature, Shen Ye didn't think she was someone who could sit still. However, seeing the tiredness in the empress's eyes, he said distressedly: "Then why did you get up so early? Why don't you sleep a little longer?"
"There are still many things to deal with. There is no time to be lazy." The empress said with a frown, then grabbed a bun and handed it to Shen Ye who was sitting next to her.
Shen Ye took the bun, took a bite, chewed it for a few times, and drank a mouthful of the porridge that Miao brought to his mouth. After swallowing it, he said, "Then I'll help you later."
"No need." The empress shook her head and refused. Seeing Shen Ye frowning, she continued, "I don't want you to be tired. This is my own business."
Shen Ye was deeply moved by the empress's words, but the more he felt, the more he wanted to help. However, just as he was about to speak, the empress said, "Shen Lang, I can handle these small matters myself. You should just stay at home and rest. If you feel bored, let Xue'er and Xuan'er take you out for a walk, or let Jiutian Shengji take you around Qi Country."
"Am I not a gigolo?" Shen Ye felt that the women around him were all the same in the end, and didn't want him to do anything.
"Nonsense, you're not a gigolo. You've already helped me a lot." The empress rolled her eyes at him and said indignantly.
Shen Ye was startled and said, "I don't think I did anything. How did I help you?"
The empress looked at him tenderly: "You are helping me by staying by my side, because it makes me feel at ease and at home."
Wow, so corny!
Shen Ye didn't expect the empress to say this. Even though the empress said it to him, he still felt a little uncomfortable.
Not only him, Ji Ruxue also looked at the empress with surprise.
Silently stuffing a piece of bun into his mouth, Shen Ye didn't know how to respond to the empress. He lowered his eyes and thought for a while before he said, "Okay, Yun Ji, I'll do as you say."
Now he has no other choice but to do this. Facing the empress who is easily satisfied, even if he does nothing every day, or even attacks the girls in Huanyinfang, as long as he can stay by her side, he will probably make her happy.
Sure enough, after hearing his words, the empress smiled brightly. She finished the last mouthful of porridge in the bowl, rinsed her mouth with the mouthwash handed over by Fanyin Tian, and then stood up and said to Ji Ruxue, "Xue'er, you and Xuan'er should accompany Shen Lang well during this period. If Shen Lang feels bored, you can go out for a walk with him."
"Yes." Ji Ruxue nodded.
Then the empress said to Shen Ye: "Shen Lang, when I am done with my work during this period, I will accompany you and... compensate you."
Of course Shen Ye could tell what she meant by compensation, so he nodded and said with concern, "You'd better not tire yourself out."
"Yes!" The empress smiled and nodded, then turned and left the dining hall.
Watching the empress's figure disappear at the door, Shen Ye still did not withdraw his gaze. Then he sighed heavily, but in his heart he was thinking about how to compensate her in the future.
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