Chapter 158: Noble Consort Zhou Visits...

"Want to talk now?"

Xu Boqing knew full well that a petty thief like this, who tailored his words to whoever he was talking to, would never utter a single honest sentence unless he suffered a bit and was thoroughly frightened.

Glancing sideways at the thief, he said with a half-smile, "I don't have time to listen right now. Just stay obediently in the celestial prison for a few days, and I'll come check on you when I'm free."

With that, he turned and walked away without even looking back.

"I..."

Seeing him leave, the jailers holding him wore meaningful smiles on their faces, which only made the thief feel even more terrified.

He stared wide-eyed, wanting to say something, but realized the man's retreating figure had already stepped out of the celestial prison...

Chief Warden Hu exchanged a glance with his subordinates.

Those jailers were seasoned veterans; they understood instantly, grabbed the thief, dragged him down to the cells, and deliberately picked a cell close to the torture room...

Listening to the occasional screams and wails echoing from next door, the thief's face turned a few shades paler...

"You're a lucky lad."

One of the jailers remarked with a tone of heavy pity, "The torture room's going to be busy interrogating some heinous heavy criminals for the next few days. It'll probably be a couple of days before your turn comes up."

"Oh come on, Old Zhou, don't scare the kid..."

Another jailer offered a "reproachful" remark before turning around with a warm, cheerful smile to comfort him, "Just eat well and drink well here, fatten yourself up a bit so you can last longer when the time comes..."

Seeing the thief's face turn completely pale with fright, the two jailers exchanged knowing smiles, shut the cell door without any further nonsense, and walked away...

"I..."

The thief stood there, completely lost and bewildered.

Only when another piercing scream drifted over from the adjacent torture room did he snap back to his senses with a start...

Watching the receding backs of the jailers, his lips trembled as he muttered, "If... if you guys want to ask something, just ask! You're not even asking, how am I supposed to talk..."

***

As the sky grew dark...

Xu Boqing returned to the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility. Learning from the wet nurse that the Empress Dowager was still bathing in the pool and had not yet returned to her bedchamber, a clever thought crossed his mind and he quietly crept closer...

Because of the chilly weather, the bathing room was shrouded in swirling mist like a fairyland. Not only were semi-transparent silk curtains hung around the bath, but several folding screens stood nearby as well.

Through the curtains and the mist, the beauty in the hot spring could be vaguely seen soaking in the warm water, tilting her graceful neck to relax her posture, radiating a poised and elegant demeanor...

Seeing the wet nurse who served the Empress Dowager preparing to greet him, Xu Boqing hurriedly made a silencing gesture and waved his hand to signal them to withdraw.

Those wet nurses were old servants who had been by the Empress Dowager's side for years. They nodded in immediate understanding, stepped back on tiptoes, and carefully closed the door behind them as they left...

"Nanny Sun, help me massage my shoulders..."

Empress Dowager Chen leaned back in the hot spring, her eyes closed in rest, completely unaware that the wet nurse had already left.

"Yes..."

Xu Boqing mimicked Nanny Sun's voice to reply, then stealthily slipped past the curtains and screens, approaching the edge of the pool...

Even though he had served the Empress Dowager for two years, the sight of the beauty's coiled cloud-like hair and her pink neck—fair, translucent, and glistening with water droplets—still made his mouth go dry and his heart leap with joy...

First blowing a warm breath onto his hands and rubbing them together to ensure his palms were hot, he finally reached out and gently kneaded the beauty's sculpted shoulders...

Suppressing a smile, a playful impulse seized him, and he asked in Nanny Sun's voice, "Your Ladyship, is this strength to your liking?"

"Mm..."

Empress Dowager Chen emitted a soft hum from her nose.

Though she vaguely felt that the hands felt somewhat softer and smoother than usual, hearing Nanny Sun's voice, she harbored no suspicions...

"The strength is just right. Your shoulder-massaging skills have improved quite a bit, Nanny Sun..."

"As long as the strength is right..."

Xu Boqing's fingers gently massaged the shoulders and both sides of the fair neck. Seeing the Empress Dowager close her eyes in enjoyment, he silently continued to play the role of Nanny Sun.

After a good while, sensing the time was ripe, he smiled and asked, "Your Ladyship, do you still need some scented lotion applied?"

"Mm..."

Empress Dowager Chen nodded slightly, propping herself up to sit on the edge of the pool. Her back formed a well-proportioned and graceful curve, a dimple at the base of her spine held a fallen flower petal from the hot spring, and her pair of jade-white, petite feet splashed lazily in the water...

Seemingly recalling something, she sighed and instructed, "Help me rub it in evenly."

"This servant understands..."

Xu Boqing's Adam's apple bobbed up and down. He scooped up some floral lotion into his palm, rubbed it gently to warm it, and then pressed it against the Empress Dowager's back to smooth it on.

Rolling his eyes while suppressing the surging heat in his chest, he asked, "Why is Your Ladyship sighing?"

"Lamenting that time waits for no one..."

"Your Ladyship is in the prime of your youth, why such sentiment?"

"Prime of my youth?"

Empress Dowager Chen murmured, a trace of melancholy in her voice as she said, "I have already become a faded beauty past her prime, how can I still be called the prime of youth?"

Then, thinking of Nanny Sun's age, she figured that at her own age, being called "in the prime of youth" in Nanny Sun's eyes wasn't too far off.

She shook her head, lamenting to herself, "In an ordinary household, at my age, I'd probably be holding grandchildren and acting as a grandmother..."

"Your Ladyship need not worry..."

Xu Boqing thought to himself that Noble Consort Zhou was even two years younger than the Empress Dowager and indeed already a grandmother, so it was no wonder the Empress Dowager felt this way.

"With Your Ladyship's figure, looks, and grace, you look to be only around twenty. It is no exaggeration to say time has left no mark upon you."

"In a few years, I'll just be an old hag..."

Empress Dowager Chen smiled faintly, though inwardly she thought Nanny Sun certainly knew how to sweet-talk today...

"In a few years, you'll still be a beauty~"

Xu Boqing smoothed the scented lotion across the Empress Dowager's back, poured a little more into his hand, and slowly slid it from her flank around to the front......

"Huh?"

Empress Dowager Chen's body stiffened as she let out a startled cry...

Frowning slightly, she lowered her gaze to check the hands resting against her front, only to realize those hands were taut-skinned and distinct-jointed—completely unlike Nanny Sun's hands!

She hurriedly turned around...

Only to discover that standing behind her was not Nanny Sun at all, but a scoundrel completely spellbound by lust...

"You..."

"What about me?"

Seeing his disguise exposed, Xu Boqing raised an eyebrow and smiled, "As Your Ladyship's personal attendant, is there any problem with me serving Your Ladyship in the bath?"

"Was it you the whole time?"

"That's right..."

"You... you just love teasing me."

Empress Dowager Chen could hardly remain unaware of his mischievousness. Cupping some pool water, she splashed it directly onto his face, speaking in a tone that was half-pout and half-reproach, "Why didn't you tell me when you came back?"

"I wanted to give Your Ladyship a surprise..."

Xu Boqing wiped the water from his face, stripped off his clothes, and slid down into the pool as well...

He pulled the blushing, charming noblewoman into his arms to whisper words of devotion, but before he could take things any further, a wet nurse's voice rang out from outside the door, announcing: "Noble Consort Zhou of the Palace of Eternal Peace is here to visit~"

Empress Dowager Chen: "???"

Xu Boqing: "???"

The two exchanged glances, neither of them understanding why Noble Consort Zhou would pay a visit after dark...

"Pay her no mind~"

Secretly annoyed, Xu Boqing had no desire to deal with Noble Consort Zhou and intended to continue at his own pace...

Yet Empress Dowager Chen hurriedly pressed her slender finger against the corner of his lips, pecked him lightly on the cheek, and whispered, "Wait, let me ask what she's here for first~"

Only then did she call out toward the door: "I am in the middle of a bath. What urgent matter brings my sister here so late?"

Noble Consort Zhou hesitated for a moment outside the door. Remembering the "unpleasantness" that had occurred at the banquet involving her son, and with outsiders nearby, it wasn't appropriate to speak through the door...

She replied, "There are some private matters I'd like to discuss with older sister."

Empress Dowager Chen frowned slightly, just about to send her off to wait in the bedchamber for a moment, when she heard the voice outside ask once more: "Sister, may this concubine come in to speak?"

"..."