MM Racing Chapter 209 The Gao Family Begins
Chapter 209 The Gao Family Begins
Shen Shixi didn't care; she'd deal with tomorrow's problems tomorrow.
After a passionate encounter, Shen Shixi lay on Li Yuanke's chest, and the two embraced and talked. It wasn't anything romantic; it was about the national affairs of Beisha.
After Li Yuanke asked a few questions, Shen Shixi shared his own views.
Shen Shixi's fingers drew circles on Li Yuanke's chest, unconsciously causing ripples to spread across Li Yuanke's skin and reach his heart.
Li Yuanke turned over and got up.
Shen Shixi was frightened by him.
"Be gentle! This is a broken bed. If you collapse it, where will we sleep? Aren't you ashamed?"
"You're talking nonsense. It's made of sandalwood. How could it be so easy to make?"
Shen Shixi bit his earlobe and gently rubbed it with her teeth. This was a very sensitive spot for Li Yuanke. He wanted to break free, but he couldn't bear to.
Outside, there's no soundproofing, and there are many Xuanjia Guards standing guard all around.
Shen Shixi didn't cause much trouble and just cooperated.
After one round, Li Yuanke didn't expend much effort or ask for water before starting the next round.
The two moved from the couch to the floor.
The candles inside the tent were extinguished, so that no one could see them from the outside.
It took about an hour for the two of them to rest, and Shen Shixi was completely exhausted.
Li Yuanke asked for water.
Lin Guiyou's tent was nearby, so she could naturally hear the commotion over there.
Yunluo said, "The Imperial Noble Consort is really domineering. She has been monopolizing the Emperor ever since she came out. It's been so long. It's a waste that Your Majesty treats the Imperial Noble Consort as a sister. The Imperial Noble Consort doesn't say a good word for you in front of the Emperor."
Lin Guiyou was furious. "Why are you saying nice things? Do you want the Emperor to come here? If you dare to say such things again, I won't let you stay here. I will tell my father to send you out of the palace and let you go back to your own residence. You can serve whoever you want."
Yunlu knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, please calm down. It was my heartlessness. I will never dare to do it again. I only did it because I felt sorry for Your Majesty."
"Why do you feel sorry for me?" Lin Guiyou sneered. "Is it because the Imperial Noble Consort won't allow it? When I entered the palace, my rank was higher than Chen Yuan's. If I hadn't brought this upon myself, would the Emperor have refused to let me serve him in bed?"
"The women in the harem are all there to produce offspring. I cannot bear children, so why should Your Majesty waste your energy on me?"
She glanced at Yunluo. "Get up. Don't talk nonsense again!"
She finally understood that Shen Shixi was not someone she could afford to offend. Look at Zhou Weiming, the once-famous Grand Protector of the Northern Protectorate. He and his sister were both thrown into prison after just one encounter with Shen Shixi.
If she really falls out with Shen Shixi, the Lin family will probably be the next Zhou family.
Although she was angered by her mother's favoritism towards her brother and neglect of her due to Shen Shixi's instigation, she had no intention of ruining her family.
The next morning, Shen Shixi was awakened by the noise. That's the downside of staying in a tent; the sounds outside are very clear. Li Yuanke was also awakened and raised his hand to shield his eyes from the light.
Bai Ping and the others entered to help the two mistresses with their toilette, and then called out to Yu outside, "Your Highness, Consort Jin, Lady Guo, and Lady Yuan are waiting outside to pay their respects!"
"Oh, ask them if they've eaten. If not, have breakfast together. No need for the greetings." Shen Shixi asked Bai Ping to style her hair into a neat bun, and then she put on two hairpins.
She was naturally beautiful and remained as graceful as an angel.
In her own words, she is beautiful from every angle.
The three waited outside. As soon as Shen Shixi and the Emperor came out, they bowed. They hadn't had breakfast yet, so the three of them were to serve them. Shen Shixi had them symbolically set out two chopsticks before letting them sit down to eat.
Neither she nor the emperor were used to having food served to them; wouldn't it be better to serve themselves?
It was the first time the three of them had eaten with these two. They saw that everyone was eating their own food, eating whatever they wanted, without many rules, and they were enjoying their meal.
Eating with the emperor, even outside, is a matter of great importance. With the addition of Shen Shixi, her treatment and etiquette are now equal to that of the empress. Coupled with the emperor's favoritism, she surpasses the empress in many ways.
After all, there aren't many things that are actually visible.
It's just like getting a salary at work. Only the leaders and those who benefit from the benefits know how much of the under-the-table treatment goes to whom, and it's definitely not less than the salary.
Leaders have countless excuses for wanting to benefit their own people.
After breakfast, Lin Guiyou and the other two were all stuffed.
The emperor finished eating and left.
Shen Shixi led the three of them to digest their food, and they encountered Consort Gao, the concubine of Prince Jin, along with Consort Ruan and their maids and servants, who were also taking a walk. However, Shen Shixi felt that they were waiting for her.
When the emperor goes on tour, all the princes accompany him, otherwise they would cause trouble if they stayed in the capital.
After being away for several months, almost everyone brought a concubine or a secondary wife, or at the very least, two maids.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects to the Imperial Noble Consort and all the ladies!" Lady Gao led the others in bowing.
"No need for formalities!" Shen Shixi said. "It's inconvenient to be out here, I'm sorry to have troubled you."
"Your Majesty, what are you saying? It's good to be able to come out for a while. Not to mention that you'll broaden your horizons, you'll have something to talk about when you go back. Just think about it: being locked up in the backyard your whole life, with only four high walls and a small patch of sky in front of you, is much better than never being able to leave the house your whole life!"
Gao is quite eloquent.
Shen Shixi smiled and said, "It's quite good that you think that way."
Lady Gao said, "I learned this from Your Highness! I've heard that Your Highness has traveled to many places and has extraordinary knowledge. I was fortunate enough to come along this time, and I've realized how vast the world truly is!"
This is a very flattering compliment to Shen Shixi; however, one should be wary of excessive flattery.
Shen Shixi smiled and said, "The Gao family of Bohai and the Pei family of Hedong have always been allied through marriage and are of equal reputation, but their family traditions and upbringing are quite different. I met your mother briefly a few years ago when I passed through Bohai, and we had a very pleasant conversation. I wonder how your mother is doing now?"
Lady Gao said respectfully, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Thanks to Your Majesty, my mother is in good health! I have also heard my mother speak of Your Majesty, saying that although Your Majesty was young at the time, you were exceptionally graceful and your noble demeanor was admirable and still fond of her! When you wrote to me, you also said that if you had the opportunity to enter the palace, you would definitely pay your respects to Your Majesty on my mother's behalf!"
Shen Shixi smiled, didn't respond to the question, exchanged a few pleasantries, and left.
Gao's expression was inscrutable as he respectfully saw Shen Shixi off.
Lin Guiyou didn't understand a word she said and asked, "Chenyuan, what does she mean by that? Does she want to befriend you?"
The Gao family has begun plotting to kill her!
How could we possibly be on good terms!
Shen Shixi said, "I'm just talking because I'm bored. What else can I talk about?"
For several days in a row, Prime Minister Pei led people to discuss the agreement with the officials of Beisha. Beisha was still arguing for the trade, while the officials of Dazhou were just going through the motions. According to the current plan, the trade was impossible.
Since there's no longer any trade, there's no need to take it too seriously. Just let it drag on until everyone gets impatient, and then the outcome won't matter anymore.
Li Yuanke was very busy. Capturing Zhou Weiming was just the beginning; there was still a lot of cleanup work to be done. For example, he still had trusted confidants, and keeping them around would only cause trouble.
There are five obvious generals under Zhou Weiming's command, but the extent of his hidden forces is unknown. All of this needs to be investigated thoroughly before they can be eradicated.
The border regions are a matter of life and death, and cannot be left unstable.