Moonlight Over Pear Blossoms - Chapter 2

As the saying went, if you couldn’t fight it, you might as well enjoy it.

A bath, fresh clothes, incense… By the time they finished preparing me, night had fallen.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation glowed with candlelight. Gu Qiyuan sat behind a sandalwood imperial desk. His features were fine and handsome, and his long lashes trembled like butterfly wings, casting faint shadows in the flickering light.

I felt a lot more at ease. He was hotter than a male model. I wasn’t getting the short end of the deal.

When he saw me enter, Gu Qiyuan rose. He was tall and slender; a few steps brought him right up to me.

I dipped into a curtsy. “Your concubine pays her respects. May Your Majesty enjoy good fortune and peace.”

Gu Qiyuan raised a brow. “So now you know how to behave with grace?”

I kept smiling. Now that I knew he liked madwomen, there was no way I would act crazy and give him what he wanted.

When I didn’t answer, he leaned closer. The cool, sharp scent of dragon’s ambergris filled my nose. His shadow blocked the light, and I closed my eyes as though marching to my death…

“Keep swinging.”

The lazy masculine voice sounded by my ear. I opened my eyes in confusion.

The next moment, someone lightly caught my chin, forcing my gaze higher and higher and higher… until I saw it.

A length of white silk!

Me: “?”

I’d worked myself up for *that*?

In a flash, understanding dawned. First Concubine An had admired flowers, then Attendant Ping had danced, and now I got to swing from a strip of silk. The damned emperor had turned tormenting his harem into an art form.

A young eunuch, quick to take the hint, brought over a chaise. Gu Qiyuan reclined against it and looked at me at his leisure. His expression might as well have said, *Swing and live. Refuse and die.*

Ha. What a joke. Before transmigrating, I had been an Olympic champion on the uneven bars. Did he think this would scare me?

I loosened up, then jumped from where I stood. This time, I didn’t just swing. Handstands, flips, twists, giant circles… I spun and leaped without a pause.

Clack.

The jade thumb ring slipped off Gu Qiyuan’s finger. He called out softly, “Xiu’er…”

Me: “?”

The name startled me. My movement went awry, and I fell.

Instead of the pain I’d expected, I landed on something soft and warm. I couldn’t help rubbing it a couple of times. Surprisingly firm, too.

The body beneath me went rigid. A low, hoarse voice asked, “How long do you intend to keep touching me?”

Sorry, Mr. Abs! I was curious. I’d never felt any like these before!

I scrambled up, though on the way I couldn’t help grabbing another handful or two.

Gu Qiyuan: “…”

His chest rose and fell sharply. He was probably furious.

The young eunuch looked nervous. He hurried to pick up the jade ring and offered it with both hands. “Your Majesty, are you all right?”

We had made quite a commotion. Before Gu Qiyuan could answer, Eunuch Li rushed in from outside and snapped at the younger eunuch, “Xiu’er, is this how you attend His Majesty?”

I went blank. Looking at the trembling young eunuch, I stammered, “Y-you’re called Xiu’er?”

He nodded, bewildered.

Gu Qiyuan’s eyes narrowed. “Why?”

I met his searching gaze and shook my head mournfully. No reason. Just that my dream of meeting someone else from home and weeping together had shattered yet again.

Xiu’er, you misled me!