The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 404 - 337, the first night staying in the Empress’ bedroom

So hot!

I'm burning up!

Zhao Douan felt his condition was very bad.

After Ma Yan brought him into the Imperial Palace, his mind began to sink into confusion, his body burning hot as if he had caught a severe cold, dizzy and muddled in thought.

At first, he could still barely maintain consciousness, but once they entered the palace gates, he could hardly open his eyes and only felt sweat pouring out of every pore.

This reminded him of a past life experience of "yang," the strong confusion making him incredibly dull to his surroundings.

He could only faintly sense his junior fellow apprentice brother yelling next to his ear, accompanied by the transfer of qi energy, and then it seemed he was slapped twice, probably an attempt to wake him up, but all had failed.

Then, he felt as if his apprentice brother took him somewhere, vaguely hearing the noisy voices of many gathering people, among which were interspersed a few sentences in women's voices, and someone seemed to touch his forehead.

After that…

He was carried on someone's back to a new place, vaguely feeling someone wiping his body with a wet towel and feeding him icy cold medicine.

Afterward, he lay flat, his consciousness gradually fading, and it seemed the people around him had left.

After some time, Zhao Douan opened his eyelids again, then squinted at the light, quickly covering his eyes with his hand.

"Where is this…" He shook his head, his mind clearing up, and then realized that he seemed to be lying on the ground face up, right above him was a giant pearl embedded into the ceiling emitting light.

That pearl was held in the carved mouth of a dragon, appearing to be a Magic Artifact lighting up the room, and the base of the pearl was a large, beautifully carved, golden, coiling dragon on the ceiling.

"So luxurious… Am I in the Imperial Palace? Yes, I remember my junior apprentice brother brought me into the palace. So, which palace is this?"

Zhao Douan propped himself up, first checking his physical condition.

He found that apart from some pain in his face, there were no other discomforts, the abnormal fever had subsided, and other than a slight swelling at his temples, there was nothing else.

He then used the light to examine his surroundings.

This indeed was an extremely lavish room, "lavish" because the room he saw was clearly a cut above ordinary houses.

The spacious and bright space was filled with pieces of expensive classical furniture that were clearly costly just by sight.

To his left, there was a luohan bed with fluffy, Shu brocade cushions.

On a small table on the bed lay a large blue and white porcelain dish depicting twin dragons playing with a pearl.

To the right was a large desk piled with the four treasures of the study, each item on the shelf behind it shimmered as a rarity just from its luster.

In front was a low table, similar to a "coffee table," with four life-sized vases in the field of view, sticking out fresh green plants.

Zhao Douan was lying on the ground… The entire floor of the room was carpeted with carpets tributed from the Western Regions, truly extravagant, knowing that just one piece if taken out could be worth thousands of silver.

Even nobles didn't go to the extent of using them to cover the entire floor.

And the part he was on wasn't the entirety of the room, turning his head he could see, through the light gauze curtains, that the room was divided, with the semblance of another bed in the adjoining room through the veil.

The whole room was filled with the aura of refined grace.

He wasn't unfamiliar with this layout; to resist the cold in winter, some bedrooms in the Capital were divided into two rooms, with the inner being the bedroom and the outer serving as a "warm hall."

Acting as a living room.

"So, I entered the palace, then suddenly developed a fever, after which someone treated me and threw me into the living room?"

Zhao Douan tried to make sense of what had just happened, then his expression turned odd:

"Who on earth left a sick person lying on the living room floor!"

He looked down and realized that his clothes had been changed too. His original robe had vanished without a trace, and the "Void Illusion Scroll" that doubled as a Space Scroll and his sword were gone as well.

Even the undergarments he was wearing had been replaced with a new set...

"What exactly happened? I remember everything was fine until I saw the red lightning in the night sky..."

"Oh no, could it be that the Demon Path caused some sort of aftereffect? This isn't good."

Zhao Douan felt a bit panicked.

He realized, reflecting on tonight's events, that many of his actions had indeed been impulsive and rash, quite unlike his usual steady manner.

"It seems that the words of the Demon Path were probably true. He came to see me during the day with the core purpose of bewitching me into underestimating him, rushing to find him... I hope I haven't gotten myself into serious trouble."

Zhao Douan felt uneasy, but then it occurred to him that since he had already arrived at the palace, when in doubt, he could always ask Zhenbao for help.

If Zhenbao couldn't handle it, I could go see Wang... pah, I mean Zhang, and consult the magician of the Heavenly Human Realm. Wouldn't solving this little issue be effortless for him?

This is why connections are so important...

As Zhao Douan thought about this, his mood stabilized considerably. He stood up and realized his socks were also missing, forcing him to walk barefoot on the carpet. His eyes caught sight of a teapot on the "coffee table," and he felt parched.

Having lost a lot of fluids earlier, he immediately went over, grabbed the teapot without a second thought, blew into it, and drank all the water in one breath. After setting the teapot down, he finally felt his thirst relieved.

At that moment, from outside the quiet door, faintly came the voice of a chambermaid, "Your Majesty..."

It turned out there were people outside after all, just standing quite far away.

Zhao Douan was startled, hastily wiped the mouth of the teapot with his sleeve, and put it back in its place. Standing up in just his "pajamas," he barely got to his feet when the footsteps from outside grew nearer.

"Creeeak—"

The double carved wooden doors were pushed open from the outside in, and the cool air of late autumn whooshed in, invigorating Zhao Douan, who was in the warm pavilion.

He looked up and saw in the distant night sky a bright moon, adorned with a few wisps of clouds.

Outside the door, were the high-hanging lanterns and the silently standing chambermaids in the courtyard, but at the very center of this scene, and nearest to the front,

was a familiar, fairy-like figure.

Because she had already gone to bed and had to come out hastily, the Empress was not wearing her usual attire but was draped in a more homely gauze dress.

Through the gauze dress, one could see the silk pants underneath and her feet in shoes, her fair skin faintly lined with delicate blue veins.

The Empress's hair, normally smooth and orderly to her waist, was somewhat messy and frizzy, likely from lying down recently... Yet, it was these "imperfections" that made her seem less untouchably ethereal and more worldly as a mortal Empress, with an added allure.

As for her face, there wasn't much of a change, as the Empress seldom wore makeup or adorned herself with jewelry, always maintaining a natural, plain appearance.

Now, her flawless, pale face, with eyes like painted dots, quietly gazed with a slightly strange look at Mr. Zhao, who stood before her, respectfully bowing.

"Your servant, Zhao Douan, greets Your Majesty! Visiting late at night, disturbing Your Majesty's peace, is truly a sin. I was unwell earlier and couldn't report to Your Majesty immediately. I am fearful and uneasy..."

Words flowed smoothly from Zhao Douan's mouth.

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Xu Zhenguan stood at the entrance, elegantly and nobly accepting his bow, while the double wooden doors behind her closed on their own, separating the outside chambermaids.

After Zhao Douan finished speaking, Xu Zhenguan's eyes finally moved away from the empty jade teapot on the coffee table, and she spoke with a displeased tone, "You speak of fear and unease, yet you make yourself quite at home with the belongings of my bedroom."

Bedroom? Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned, then, catching on belatedly, realized:

So, this room... is Zhenbao's boudoir?!