Perhaps it was the blistering heat of the afternoon sun, or the warmth of the body surrounding her, but Lanqi felt almost feverish, as though someone had pressed a hot compress against her. Before she could stop herself, she leaned up and pressed a a kiss to Xuanye's lips, glancing shyly at him.
This only fanned the flames of lust in Xuanye even more. He couldn't help but think how adorable this woman was—he kissed her even more fiercely, his arm creeping slowly towards her waist to undo her buttons of her skirt.
Outside the hall, Head Eunuch Li quickly sent away the eunuchs and palace maids who were keeping guard at the door. Beneath his stern expression, however, he was laughing on the inside. He had been feeling rather anxious these past few days, what with the Grand Empress Dowager pressing him about the matter. Nobody could understand why the pair of lovebirds simply refused to consummate their relationship.
Thankfully, the Emperor had given in today, and very passionately so. Head Eunuch Li had served the Emperor for so many years, but it was the first time the Emperor had lost control around one of his concubines in the middle of the day.
After a long, passionate session of love-making, Lanqi curled up against the Emperor's chest, finally falling into a fitful sleep.
She slept for a long, long time. When she woke up, she found herself on the Emperor's bed in his bedchamber. Hadn't they been in another hall before this? As she sat up and gazed frantically around the room for Xuanye, Lanqi started to feel a little alarmed. Quietly, she asked, "Is anyone there?"
Xuanye walked into the room with a book in his hands. Seeing that Lanqi had woken up, he stuck his hands behind his back and chuckled merrily. "Rise and shine, sleepy-head! It's about time you woke up."
Lanqi bowed her head hastily. She snuck a look at Xuanye and found that he had already made his way towards towards her. Knocking her head gently with the book, he scolded, "Were you trying to get out of our calligraphy session today? Fat chance!"
Lanqi giggled foolishly as Xuanye gaped at her. He ordered a palace maid to assist her in washing up. Before he left, he whispered in her ear, "You aren't allowed to leave tonight either."
For the next few days, Lanqi barely stepped foot out of the Palace of Heavenly Purity. After Empress Xiaochengren, never had a concubine been so favored by an Emperor again. Tongues started wagging in the Six Palaces, and word even got to the court officials, who expressed their consternation amongst themselves. To prevent a loss of face if the situation worsened, the Grand Empress Dowager called her grandson to her palace to give him a good talking to. She told Xuanye that it was his duty to favor his concubines equally, cautioning that over-indulging a low-born concubine like Lanqi reflected poorly on him.
This finally put a stop to Lanqi's endless nights at Xuanye's palace. The Imperial Household Department started sending up the other concubines' green tablets to the Emperor again, and Lanqi finally got her well-deserved rest.
However, she seemed to have struck some sort of deal with Xuanye. Everyday, Lanqi practiced writing as though her life depended on it. Because First-Class Female Attendant Bu had been taught how to read and write at a young age, she lent Lanqi lots of help. The two of them were close as sisters, as First-Class Female Attendant Bu became more cheerful by the day.
Of course, this didn't stop the wagging tongues of the Six Palaces. Lanqi had attracted the jealousy of other concubines—although she lived in the Palace of Accumulated Purity, which was tucked in a quiet corner of the Forbidden City, trouble came knocking at her door anyway.
One day, the Imperial Household Department sent over some expensive rouge powder from Jiangnan to Noble Lady An. When she found out that Lanqi had already received it earlier that morning, and that Lanqi's portion far exceeded her own, Noble Lady An was so infuriated that she stormed over to the Palace of Accumulated Purity to pick a fight.
Lanqi's maid, Huanchun (Girdled Spring), had a rather feisty temper. Seeing Lanqi bow her head against Noble Lady An's barrage of mocking words, Huanchun retorted angrily. This only made Noble Lady An angrier, and she ordered her own people to give Huanchun a good hiding. In the end, the matter got so big that it reached the Palace of Earthly Honor. Consort Zhao had no choice but to order them over to discipline them.
Huanchun had been trained by Aunt Sumala, and used to work at the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. Although she was merely a palace maid, Consort Zhao felt rather wary of her. Although she hated seeing how favored Lanqi was, Consort Zhao knew the Emperor would hate her even more if she tried to make things difficult for Lanqi. After chastising everyone involved, she dismissed the matter blithely.
However, Noble Lady An didn't know when to shut up. Seeing Consort Zhao's indifferent attitude, she lost it and snapped, "Consort Zhao, are you going to be so biased towards First-Class Female Attendant Wu, too? Are we supposed to bend the palace rules for her just because His Majesty favors her?"