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Translator's note: Finally there are advance chapters availaible on Kofi
Translator's note: I would like to give a big shoutout and thank you to Everyone who stayed till the very end. A big thank you to all my dear readers who stayed even with the chaotic posting schedule. you all have my heart. These are the last few chapters please drop your comments and what you think i should do better or any novel you want me to translate or post more chapters on.
Chapter 165: Extra 9 (Part 1)
Regarding the promotion in rank, not only was the rest of the harem astonished, but Gu Han herself was equally shocked.
She knew full well how stingy Lu Yu was when it came to ranks and titles. To put it bluntly, had Lu Yu not developed feelings for her in her past life and wished for her to become Imperial Noble Consort (Huang Guifei) sooner, that grand occasion of showering rewards upon the harem would never have happened.
Precisely because of this, Gu Han was utterly baffled by Lu Yu's current generosity.
An idea suddenly sprang into Gu Han's mind: Could Lu Yu have also been reborn?!
Gu Han's eyes widened in shock. Throwing all caution to the wind, she slipped on her shoes and sprinted straight toward Yangxin Palace, completely ignoring the calls of her palace servants.
In her moment of impulse, Gu Han had forgotten that this was not ten years later, there were still many concubines in the palace who held higher ranks than her. Seeing an imperial honor guard procession approaching ahead, Gu Han's mind finally cleared a bit. She barely managed to stop in her tracks and knelt to curtsy in greeting.
The imperial procession was open and unshielded, allowing Gu Han to see clearly who was seated upon it. She lowered her eyes and greeted respectfully:
"This concubine pays respects to Noble Consort He."
Noble Consort He looked down at Gu Han from her high perch with coldness in her eyes. Deep down, she felt immense loathing toward both Gu Tang and Gu Han, viewing them both as alluring vixens!
Gu Tang had met Xie Changan once, causing Xie Changan to yearn for her endlessly.
Gu Han had met the Emperor once, and actually caused the Emperor to break his longstanding habits for her sake.
Noble Consort He did not bother to conceal her emotions, asking in a cold voice:
"What are you doing running around so recklessly? If you had collided with a high-ranking concubine, could you bear the responsibility?!"
Even if Gu Han were not someone who had returned from ten years in the future, merely listening to Noble Consort He's words was enough to know that Noble Consort He disliked her. She had clearly stopped the moment she saw the honor guard, yet Noble Consort He still latched onto it, targeting her at every turn.
Gu Han lowered her eyelids. She knew there was no benefit in clashing with Noble Consort He given her current rank, so she said in a light, quiet voice:
"Noble Consort's lecture is correct; this concubine will keep it firmly in mind."
She answered nonchalantly, as if she hadn't taken the matter to heart at all. This made Noble Consort He feel as if her punch had landed on a wad of cotton, bringing an indescribable sense of powerlessness. Narrowing her eyes, she pretended not to hear Gu Han's response and said indifferently:
"It seems the mamas in Chuxiu Palace failed to teach you palace rules properly. Someone, take Beauty Zhao back to Chaoyang Palace; this consort will personally teach her the rules of this palace."
Gu Han knitted her delicate eyebrows, feeling quite speechlessly exasperated.
In order to make things difficult for her, Noble Consort He truly cast all regard for face to the winds!
It seemed that even with a second chance at life, certain things and certain people would not change.
Without those imperial white jade bracelets this time around, she didn't know what method to use to escape Chaoyang Palace on short notice. Fortunately, Gu Han had no intention of following Noble Consort He to Chaoyang Palace in the first place.
Gu Han raised her head and looked straight at Noble Consort He:
"Noble Consort must be joking. When His Majesty promoted this concubine's rank today, he even praised this concubine for proper and dignified etiquette. Does Noble Consort believe His Majesty was mistaken?"
Noble Consort He's face turned icy cold: "Are you using the Emperor to press down on this consort?!"
Gu Han was anxious to verify whether Lu Yu had returned as well, and had no patience to argue further with Noble Consort He, simply stating:
"This concubine would not dare; I am merely speaking the truth."
Without waiting for Noble Consort He to respond, Gu Han continued: "This concubine must go to Yangxin Palace to seek His Majesty. If Noble Consort has no urgent matters, this concubine shall take her leave first."
Having said that, Gu Han did not even wait for Noble Consort He to grant permission to rise, but stood up directly, turned around, and departed in the direction of Yangxin Palace.
Noble Consort He was so enraged that she clutched her chest, shouting in fury:
"What are you all standing around for?! Why haven't you stopped her for this consort?!"
Gu Han wanted far too desperately to know if Lu Yu was reborn from the future, so she lifted her skirts and jogged all the way. By the time Noble Consort He's servants reacted, Gu Han had already run a long distance ahead. However, the palace servants dared not defy their mistress's orders and hurriedly chased after Gu Han.
Gu Han didn't bother with them, running straight toward Yangxin Palace.
Thus, a strange sight unfolded within the palace: Beauty Zhao, who had just been promoted by the Emperor today, was running in front, while a group of palace servants chased behind her, continuously shouting "Halt!"
Everyone who witnessed this scene was left utterly dumbfounded.
Strange occurrences happened every year, but this year had an exceptionally large share.
Just what kind of extraordinary person was this Beauty Zhao, to cause so many commotions within barely two months of entering the palace?
In front of Yangxin Palace, Liu An was chatting leisurely with Xiaowenzi when he suddenly heard a burst of clamor. Liu An's face turned cold.
Who is so bold as to make a racket right outside Yangxin Palace?!
Taking a step forward, Liu An saw Beauty Zhao running over while clutching her skirt, with a crowd of servants chasing behind her. Yet her face showed no sign of panic; instead, she looked as if she were driven to verify something. Liu An watched her run closer in sheer disbelief.
Seeing Liu An, Gu Han came to a stop and asked:
"Is the Emperor inside?"
Liu An failed to snap back to reality immediately, nodding his head in dumbfounded stupor.
Gu Han bypassed him directly to enter Yangxin Palace. In her past life, she had long ceased needing Liu An's announcement before entering Yangxin Palace—though of course, if court ministers were inside, Liu An would give her a reminder.
Liu An hurriedly snapped to his senses and blocked her path:
"Beauty Zhao, if you wish to see His Majesty, please allow this servant to announce you!"
Liu An didn't dare leave Beauty Zhao waiting outside. However, sweeping a glance over the group of palace servants who had immediately lowered their eyes and put on deferential acts upon reaching Yangxin Palace, he couldn't help but ask an extra question:
"Who are these people?"
Only then did Gu Han grant those servants a brief glance, stating casually: "The people Noble Consort He sent to block me."
Liu An was so shocked his mouth almost failed to close. If he remembered correctly, Noble Consort He was a Consort of the Third Rank, wasn't she?
How could Beauty Zhao bring up Noble Consort He without the slightest trace of fear?
Soon, Liu An found an excuse for Beauty Zhao in his mind: She even dares to boss the Emperor around, so a mere Third-Rank Noble Consort is indeed not worth placing in her eyes.
Suppressing the curiosity in his heart, Liu An stepped inside to announce her arrival.
Lu Yu was currently bent over his desk handling state affairs. Hearing the commotion, he looked up and asked:
"What is that sound outside?"
Liu An had a strange expression on his face: "It is Beauty Zhao, requesting an audience with Your Majesty."
Lu Yu failed to notice his odd expression for a moment. Hearing that Gu Han had arrived, he didn't hesitate at all, nodding directly:
"Let her in."
Liu An paused, looking as if he wanted to speak but hesitated.
Chapter 166.2
When she smiled, her almond eyes often curved into sweet crescents, as if her gaze held room for no one else but the person before her.
Lu Yu could not bring himself to smile. He felt disheartened by Gu Han’s insincere sweet talk, experiencing a suffocating, indescribable weight in his chest, yet he said nothing.
He stayed the night at Yihe Palace as usual.
Deep into the night, the passionate encounters in Yihe Palace showed no sign of ceasing. Gu Han raised an arm to cover her eyes while her other arm draped weakly over Lu Yu’s neck, letting out breathless, fractured sounds amidst the swirling passion.
Gu Han felt that Lu Yu was thoroughly wrong today.
Even after being reborn, Lu Yu had always been exceptionally gentle with her between the bedsheets. Yet today, there was an indescribable irritability clinging to him.
Before Gu Han could figure it out, someone pulled away the arm covering her eyes. She heard Lu Yu’s low voice ask:
"Why aren't you looking at me?"
Gu Han glared at him with glistening almond eyes, annoyed by his deliberate question.
Yet Lu Yu seemed to have backed himself into a stubborn corner, asking the exact same question again in a gravelly tone. Gu Han suddenly raised her head and bit down hard on his neck, making Lu Yu gasp in a sharp breath of pain. Soon after, he heard the woman’s sobbing, broken whimpers:
"C-Can't you be a little gentler?"
Gu Han had shown no mercy; though Lu Yu’s neck was not bleeding, a clear row of tooth marks remained.
Yet Lu Yu ignored it altogether. Lowering his head, he met the woman’s eyes. Her gaze was entirely candid—those almond eyes truly held no one but him. Her choked whimpers continued, yet that question remained unanswered.
And yet, Lu Yu could not bring himself to press her any further. It was as if from the very first moment he laid eyes on her, he had been rendered completely helpless against her.
Lu Yu lowered his head, pressing a kiss onto Gu Han’s forehead, before whispering word by word right beside her ear:
"Look at me."
‘Look at me—otherwise, I will always feel as though you are thinking of someone else.’
---
Gu Han was thoroughly exhausted by Lu Yu’s relentless fervor. By the time Lu Yu rose in the morning, Gu Han remained fast asleep with her eyes closed, her brows slightly furrowed as if unsettled even in her dreams. Having stayed awake the entire night, Lu Yu sat beside the bed, gently smoothing out the crease between her eyebrows.
Liu An stepped inside to attend on the Emperor. Catching sight of the tooth marks on the Emperor's neck under the lamplight, his jaw nearly dropped to the floor in shock.
Yet seeing the Emperor’s seemingly cold demeanor contrast with the tender gentleness as his fingers brushed across Beauty Zhao’s brow, Liu An silently swallowed his astonishment back down once more.
‘Just what other unimaginable abilities does this Beauty Zhao possess that I don't know about?’
Stepping out of Yihe Palace, Liu An had assumed the Emperor would be in a good mood, only for a single command to nearly trip him up:
"Investigate whether she had anyone she favored before entering the palace."
A cold, detached sentence, devoid of any apparent emotion.
Soon, Lu Yu added another line: "Childhood sweethearts count as well."
Gu Han's recent gazes and melancholy moods surfaced in his mind. No matter how much Lu Yu refused to admit it, he had to acknowledge that Gu Han seemed to carry someone she deeply cherished in her heart.
Liu An swallowed hard, almost suspecting he had misheard, yet he dared not ask a second time.
Feeling his own neck turn chilly, he silently mourned for himself—if he actually managed to uncover something, would he even be able to stay alive?
---
Gu Han had no idea what was going on in Lu Yu's mind. By the time she woke up, the hour of *Chen* had long passed.
Her waist ached beyond endurance. When Jiu nian came over to support her out of bed, the entire hall heard her softly muttering complaints and curses aimed at the Emperor.
Gu Han pinched her waist, taking in a sharp breath from the sheer soreness:
"What kind of madness was he driving at?!"
Jiu nian and Jiusi exchanged bewildered glances. Sweeping a glance over the palace servants in the hall who carried various expressions, Jiunian hurriedly interrupted her mistress:
"Mistress, the Emperor sent someone to Kunning Palace to request leave on your behalf, saying you should rest well today."
Only then did Gu Han remember the morning greetings. She felt no gratitude toward the culprit who had reduced her to this state—had it not been for the Emperor, how could she have slept so late?
It was the Emperor's fault in the first place; shouldn't he be the one to clean up the aftermath?
Gu Han laid back down on the bed with a clean conscience. Yesterday, she had been far too exhausted to ponder the motives behind the Emperor's actions.
Now that her memories returned, Gu Han realized something was amiss.
She had always been a meticulous person. That she acted so willfully after her rebirth was also rooted in her observation of the Emperor's immense tolerance for her.
Gu Han pursed her lips. In truth, she roughly understood what had been troubling the Emperor.
The Lu Yu of the third year of Hande was young, his sharp edges unpolished, and his feelings for her lacked the mature depth of ten years later, carrying an awkward, bewildered earnestness. Gu Han would not deny that she felt her heart flutter for this version of Lu Yu as well.
Just as Gu Han knew full well, even if he were ten years younger, Lu Yu was still Lu Yu.
Yet Gu Han could never forget that the person who had truly pried open her heart and allowed her to fall in love with the present Lu Yu so effortlessly was the Lu Yu of thirteen years later.
The Lu Yu who shared all their precious memories, who treated her with meticulous care and devotion.
The Lu Yu who, after her elder sister passed away and Gu Han spent three years transforming herself into the legitimate daughter of the Marquis Household, spent ten full years pampering her back into being the carefree Gu Han.
The twenty-seven-year-old Lu Yu made her heart flutter.
But the person Gu Han truly loved was the thirty-seven-year-old Lu Yu.
---
Liu An moved with great efficiency, thoroughly investigating Gu Han’s past in just three days. Ever since Gu Tang passed away, Gu Han had rarely left her residence, attending only occasional banquets, and had no close male acquaintances to speak of.
Even with her mother's family's direct cousin, the two had intentionally maintained a distant boundary.
The only man she had ever been somewhat close to was her elder sister's former fiancé—the Second Young Master of the Xie family.
Previously, Lu Yu had never looked into it and thus knew nothing of Xie Changan’s whereabouts. Now that he set his mind to investigate, Xie Changan’s tracks naturally could not be hidden from him—or rather, Xie Changan’s movements had never been hidden from anyone.
Yet the news brought by Liu An clearly stated that though Gu Han had been in the palace for two months, she had never maintained any contact with Xie Changan.
Perplexity and confusion surged in his heart, making Lu Yu furrow his brows tightly.
‘Could he really have guessed wrong?’
Lu Yu didn't know, yet he constantly felt that Gu Han was looking at someone else through him. The irritable mood kept him away from the inner harem for two full months.
Liu An stepped in from outside the hall, speaking with utmost caution: "Your Majesty, Consort Shu sent someone to invite you over."
He hadn't wanted to report it—the atmosphere around the Imperial Presence had been suffocating these past two months—but on second thought, since the Emperor was in a foul mood because of Beauty Zhao, wouldn't it be better to go to Consort Shu's palace to unwind?
Lu Yu withdrew his gaze from Liu An.
Liu An lowered his head, not daring to speak, yet in his heart he couldn't help but admire Beauty Zhao. For two whole months, there hadn't been a single movement from Yihe Palace sending anyone to the Imperial Presence, Beauty Zhao truly possessed remarkable composure.
---
Upon learning that the imperial carriage had headed to Yi'an Palace, Gu Han gently lowered her eyelids.
Seeing her mistress's somewhat thin and frail silhouette, Jiu nian felt deeply pained. She offered a soft word of comfort:
"Consort Shu personally sent someone to invite His Majesty; only then did His Majesty go to Yi'an Palace."
Gu Han offered Jiu nian a faint smile. As winter set in, pure white snowflakes drifted down continuously from the sky. Reaching out her hand, Gu Han caught a handful of snow, before suddenly stepping down from her bed and walking out of Yihe Palace.
When Jiu nian and the other servants hurriedly rushed out after her, they saw their mistress standing still before Yihe Palace. Dressed somewhat thinly, she merely raised her eyes to stare at the small pathway ahead.
This was the path the Emperor had to take whenever he came to Yihe Palace.
Jiunian’s nose suddenly stung with tears:
"Mistress, His Majesty went to Yi'an Palace. It is cold outside, please come back inside!"
Gu Han did not know what she was anticipating, or rather, what emotional struggle she was nursing. She ignored Jiunian and simply stood there without moving.
Just as Jiu nian was on the verge of crying from anxiety, commotion finally came from the small pathway.
Lu Yu came running over in a desperate rush, pulling Gu Han into a tight embrace, scolding her in uncontrollable fury:
"Are you mad?! In such freezing weather, do you still care about your body?"
The woman was so cold her body had turned stiff. A layer of pure white snow had settled on her eyelashes. Her lashes fluttered softly, and after a long moment, she finally raised her eyes and said:
"You didn't come to see me."
A very, very soft voice, yet it struck Lu Yu's heart like a heavy sledgehammer.
Lu Yu held her tightly in his arms, embracing her so closely that no one could see his reddened, aching eyes. In a gravelly, pained voice, he said:
"It was my fault; it was all my fault."
He shouldn't have been petty with her, shouldn't have refused to come see her while waiting for her to come look for him.
She clearly knew nothing at all, didn't even know what was on his mind.
With trembling hands, Lu Yu brought Gu Han back inside the palace. Within the hall warmed comfortably by charcoal fires, when Gu Han once again unconsciously stroked her bare wrist, Lu Yu suddenly embraced her.
The hall was profoundly quiet; Liu An and the others had long withdrawn.
This silence even gave Gu Han an illusion—as if in the vast expanse between heaven and earth, only she and Lu Yu remained.
Gu Han froze slightly, raising her hand to gently pat Lu Yu's back in comfort.
Just as she was about to speak, she heard Lu Yu ask her:
"Do you like me?"
His feelings had almost never been hidden. From the very first moment he saw her, he had accommodated her without limits. He was not the Lu Yu of ten years later; facing the uncontrollable, surging emotions deep within his heart, all he could do was yield.
Lu Yu was proud, yet now he confessed with urgent candor:
"I like you very much."
It was as if he held his affection as a bargaining chip, yearning for the person in his arms to give him the answer he desired.
"I do," Gu Han answered softly.
How could she not like him? Whether it was the Lu Yu of ten years later who held her in the palm of his hand, or the present Lu Yu who was somewhat clumsy yet burning with intense emotion—if she did not like him, how could she have remained so quiet during those two months, simply waiting for him to sort out his emotions?
The moment Gu Han uttered those words, the sight before her eyes suddenly blurred. All surrounding colors faded away into a vast, boundless expanse of white.
When color finally returned to her vision, Gu Han opened her eyes to see Lu Yu holding her, sleeping peacefully. It was the Lu Yu she was so familiar with.
Gu Han finally remembered: right before returning to that timeline, Lu Yu had been accompanying her during an afternoon nap.
The Lu Yu of ten years later was no longer as young as he was ten years ago. She raised her hand to gently caress Lu Yu's cheek.
Suddenly, her wrist was caught, and a voice sounded beside her ear:
"I like you too."
Gu Han froze, then let out a silent, soft smile.
Gu Han did not know if Lu Yu had also traveled back to the past, nor whether he had witnessed everything that occurred in that timeline, or if he had merely overheard her softly mumble in her sleep.
Yet Gu Han knew that no matter when, Lu Yu would always give her a response.
Please check out: I CULTIVATED BY TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE DEMON LORD
Why you should read: FL transmigrates and decides to seduce a pitiful good-looking youth, using him to boost her cultivation... But oops! Who would've thought — that's the novel's ultimate villain that she had picked up! And now he doesn't plan to let his "jiejie" go!
Author's Note:
Kunning Palace: Empress
Yi'an Palace: Consort Shu
Xianleng Palace: Imperial Consort De
Zhaoyang Palace → Main Hall: Xiuyi He
Zhaoyang Palace → Side Hall: Rong Baolin
Yihe Palace → Changchun Pavilion: Female Lead
Rongcui Hall: Beauty Miao
Cuizhu Pavilion: Beauty Lin
Changning Courtyard: Zhou Meiren
Hanleng Palace → (Main Hall transferred to Side Hall): Talented Lady Yuan
Also appearing: Noble Lady Lin, Liu Baolin
Here are the ranks of imperial consorts:
- Empress (皇后 Huánghoù) — Head of the Imperial Harem
- Imperial Noble Consort (皇贵妃 Huáng Guìfēi) — Rank 1
- Noble Consort, Pure Consort, Virtuous Consort, Worthy Consort (贵妃、淑妃、德妃、贤妃 Guìfēi, Shūfēi, Défēi, Xiánfēi)** — Senior Rank 1 (The Four Consorts, with Noble Consort as the highest)
- Consort (妃 Fēi) — Junior Rank 2
- Bright Deportment, Bright Countenance (昭仪、昭容 Zhāoyí, Zhāoróng) — Senior Rank 3
- Cultivated Deportment, Cultivated Countenance (修仪、修容 Xiūyí, Xiūróng) — Junior Rank 3
- Noble Lady (贵嫔 Guìpín) — Senior Rank 4
- Imperial Concubine (嫔 Pín) — Junior Rank 4
- Beauty (美人 Měirén) — Senior Rank 5
- Talented Lady (才人 Cáirén) — Junior Rank 5
- Precious Grove (宝林 Bǎolín) — Senior Rank 6
- Imperial Woman (御女 Yùnǚ) — Junior Rank 6
- Palace Maid (宫女子 Gōngnǚzǐ) — Senior Rank 7
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