Chapter 10

Who is the Obstacle of Who?

Zhong Hua Hall is bright like it is in the middle of daylight, I paces in front of the door four or five times.  I peek at the inside of the hall, Feng Zhao Wen is busy criticizing memorials.  Not far from where he sits, a round table full of four dishes and one soup lays cold.

I was staring at the dishes, secretly salivating when Feng Zhao Wen speaks, "Come in."

I look around, the guards guarding the door are like wooden statues, they didn't move at all.

"Come in."  He is starting to sound impatient.

I poke one of the guards near me and whispers to him, "Hurry and get in!  His Majesty is calling for you!"

A heavy voice comes from the hall, "An Yi, roll over here now!"

(TN: The 'roll' here is            equivalent to get your a.s.s in here now!)

I scratches my head and takes my sweet time as I steps into the hall before I kneels, honestly saying, "Your Majesty, this criminal does not know how to roll."

Feng Zhao Wen stops writing, an ill-intent smile flas.h.i.+ng in his eyes, "You don't know how to roll, but you sure are good at kicking people."

I kowtow, "Your Majesty is brilliant and outstanding, this criminal really does not know how to roll.  Why don't you teach this criminal how to roll, this criminal will then roll for you to see!"

The laughing sound of 'Pft' can be heard and Tian Bing Qing who is standing behind the emperor clutches his own mouth.  He quaveringly turns his body around, hunching over looking as though he is in great pain.

Feng Zhao Wen kicks his leg, "If you want to laugh, go out and laugh!"

Tian Bing Qing walks out while limping a little.

Feng Zhao Wen gives me a diabolical look, "An Yi, you must be tired after going out."

His voice is warm as h.e.l.l, had it been accompanied by a soulful face, I would have been touched.  I copies Qin Yu Zheng's feminine voice to answer him, "Thanking Your Majesty for your consideration, this criminal is not tired."  No matter how touched one is, under Feng Zhao Wen's diabolical laughter, all of it disappears.

I alertly takes a step back, stammering, "N—Not tired!  Not tired at all!"

"But you look so tired." He smiles at me warmly.  "I am just a little hungry…"  He ignores my little reply and opens his mouth, "Somebody come!  Send Miss to bath."

Four st.u.r.dy palace maids suddenly comes in from outside, they looks so powerful and strong.  They lift the screaming and struggling me until we reach the bathhouse.  After that, they crudely flings me into the pond, causing water to splash all over.  I ended up submerging on the pool twice before leaning against the pool wall.  I carefully gives them a fawning smile, "All four Jiejies, An Yi is used to bathing on her own.  All four jiejies should just let An Yi bath on her own."

All four st.u.r.dy maids flock around me, they strips my clothes off of me and take out the Huan Xi Palace's layered cloth and rubs them against my entire body.

After the bathing session that takes around 2 hours, they lift me back to Zhong Hua Palace.  By then I am already famished.

"Your Majesty ah!  Where did you get those four jiejies?  They are so strong! This criminal almost loses a couple of layers of skin!"

Feng Zhao Wen is unruffled in the middle of other's chaotic time, he is reclining on the bed while reading a book.  I was flung over to the pond and was cleaned until my skin and flesh are almost scrubbed off; and then I was placed on a long couch next to the pool by a couple of pretty maids.  They rubbed some fragrant cream on my entire body and then trimmed my toes.  I complain about all those things to him, but it falls on deaf eyes.  He simple says, "They are all Za Yi Palace's maids that are in charge of cleaning toilets.  Perhaps they had grown used to rinsing toilets and cannot control their strengths…."

I weep tearlessly and glares at him in anger.

————- I need to teach this animal a lesson!  My feet are itching again!

The book covers half of his face, I can only see his dark eyes peering over to me.  His voice is really warm and considerate as he says, "You had been living outside for three years, it is normal for you to be unfamiliar to being served in bath.  From now on, these four servants are your people, they will especially serve you in bath!"

I painfully turns my head to look at those four paG.o.da-like ladies, their faces too appear aggrieved.  They should be grateful I can get over the fact that they treated me like toilet, but judging from their expressions, how dare they prefer rinsing toilets over me!  How can this be endured?

Tian Bing Qing's entire face reddens, he bites his lips and in the end manages to stop himself from laughing.

Feng Zhao Wen waves his hand, "All of you retreat."

Those four big palace maids retreat out of Zhong Hua Hall with their heads bow down.

Feng Zhao Wen points at the tableful of dishes, "Aren't you hungry yet?"

……… I was originally hungry, but hearing such a terrible news, all of my appet.i.tes are gone.  It is going to be summer soon, if the weather is hot, I will most likely bath three times a day.  Such a painful existence ah!   Can I live in the prison?  I heard it is cool over there throughout all seasons, I think I can even forego bathing if I live over there.

Feng Zhao Wen puts down his book, his two pair of eyes glittering.  Perhaps he is in a good mood now that he has repaid me for that one kick.  He gives me a brilliant smile, "Seems like An Yi is not hungry.  Tian Bing Qing, take the meals away….."

I rushes forward and salvage my last dinner.  I did not even bother pondering why the table only has one pair of chopstick and two bowls.  One of the bowls is empty.

Ignoring my grief, I eat until I am 8/10 full.  Feng Zhao Wen simple turns a page while saying, "An Yi, you are using the pair of chopstick zhen just used."

'Clang' The clanking sound of the silver chopstick as it falls to the ground can be heard.

My face heats up…… He did this on purpose…. He must have!

I shamefully and indignantly turns my head around.  One of the palace maids behind me is holding a pair of silver chopstick.  She pitifully looks at me, looking like she is about to burst out in tears.

My child, I want to cry even more than you do……

I thought he was over it.

Animals are indeed animals.  You cannot ponder over their actions using human's rationality.  You cannot measure their mentality using human's standard.

After eating my fullest and rinsing my mouth, I climb over the bed like I am going to war, expertly crossing over the enemy's long legs.  I secretly look over to him, he is immersed in the book.  Even his eyelashes didn't move, he clearly does not mind my action.  I finally reaches my side of the bed after such a hard work.  I shrink my body into a little ball and faces the wall, getting ready to sleep.

The person behind me didn't turn the page after a long time.  I was holding my breath under the quilt in suspicion when the quilt was suddenly pulled off of me.

A pair of iron-like hands lift me up and press me on top of a very broad chest.  I can hear his steady heartbeat from my ears.  I secretly steals a glance but ends up locking gaze with Feng Zhao Wen's pair of appraising eyes.  I can faintly hear him say, "I heard you asked for abortion tonic from the maids this morning."

His tone doesn't sound very good.  I try to understand what he is trying to say but cannot bring myself to.  I earnestly asks him, "Your Majesty, are you asking this criminal or praising this criminal?"

He caresses my head twice but his voice is hair-raisingly cold as he says, "You are still a criminal aren't you?"

I withdraw my head and grievingly nods.  This guy just poked into my wound.

"Do you ever wish you can get rid of that criminal status?"

My eyes sparkles and I quickly looks up to him.

He continues caressing my head with his palm, his coa.r.s.e finger lightly tracing the area within my brows.  He casually decrees, "As long as you try your best to conceive the Great Qi's imperial line, zhen will allow you to shrug off that 'criminal' t.i.tle'."

I stare at him in rage, "You….. You……"

Imperial line?  Isn't he basically talking about children?

Ever since I met Feng Zhao Wen, I always got speechlessly angry.  I lost my ability to speak and my wisdom dropped.  Even my ability to land a blow gradually becomes weaker.

Telling me I didn't hear wrong, he nods with a light smile.  "You guessed right.  You really deserves a praise."  He leans down and gives my lips a heavy kiss.  "Correct, give zhen a child and zhen will set you free off all offences!"

I am rendered speechless.

———-  Have all the concubines in the Great Qi's harem turn infertile?

I finally can no longer endure it and gives him a violent outburst, "Why should I?"

Feng Zhao Wen gives me a dazzling smile.  "Because of your status as a criminal who is waiting for the big blow."

I hatefully glares at him.  He lifts his sword-like eyebrows, "Don't tell zhen you are willing to die from lingchi."

(TN: lingchi = Death of a thousand cuts)

I cannot help but s.h.i.+ver as I lay on top of him.  To die so pitifully like that isn't my purpose in life ah!  Father used to tell me that you cannot take life and death lightly, you must a.s.sess the situation and seize the chance to live on.

I must cherish this little life of mine.  If not, once I go to the nine springs as white skeletons, even Father will not be able to recognize me!

He laughs proudly upon seeing me no longer having the urge to resist, "So, from now on, don't ever bring up the abortion tonic ever again."

A hungry tiger pounces on the little lamb, he turns us around and makes me lie below him on the bed.  No matter how hard I struggle, I cannot escape his imprisonment.

The next day, when I wake up, my chest is covered with blue and purple marks.  A little palace maid that serves me looks shy, as though she was the one on the dragon bed last night.  I think I am getting more and more thick-skinned.

She is thin and weak, helping me change clothes is a little hard for her.  She ponders for a while before saying, "Miss, why don't you call those four jiejies to help you change?  Those four jiejies are now your maids, His Majesty said so himself."

Remembering those strong and st.u.r.dy maids, my head suddenly aches.  Even though I am not in the position to be able to pick my servant, I think we should all just stick to our original duties.

I shake my head and humbly rejects her suggestion, "I have always taken care of myself all these years, I don't really need anyone to serve me.  They must be really busy in Za Yi Palace, just ask them to return there."

The maid stares at me with bulging eyes and hesitantly says, "Those four jiejies are actually proficient in martial arts, they are not Za Yi Palace's maids.  They are all female officials that were instructed to protect the empress dowagers and the rest of the concubines during war.  Even though their ranks are not that high, but they usually will not bother with something like serving a concubine as personal maids.  His Majesty ordering them to serve Miss is a privilege that even the rest of the concubines have not enjoyed before."

…… Feng Zhao Wen said they are palace maids from Za Yi Palace.  He said their job is to clean toilets…….

Just how much does he hates me?

I think Feng Zhao Wen is the biggest obstacle in my life.  I cannot run from him nor can I shake him off of my trails.  I cannot beat him and I cannot be upset for not being able to beat him.  Even if I personally bows to him, he may not necessarily be satisfied.

How should I go through these days?