Chapter 54: The First Encounter with Wu Zetian

  From her appearance, this palace maid should not be young, according to Chen Yi's estimation, she should be several years older than He Lan Minyue and Ning Qing, at least around 20 years old or above. Although in his eyes, this age is still a little girl, but in ancient times, in the Tang Dynasty, it can be said that she is an "old maid". If she were an ordinary person's child, she should have been married early, and even become a mother of several children. However, for women in the palace, it's not necessarily so, many people become old grandmothers without ever having experienced a man's love, let alone getting married and giving birth!

  This lovely palace maid looked like the latter, whether it was her dress or behavior, she seemed like a young girl, not like a real "woman"!

  This woman's demeanor was very neat and composed, giving people the first impression of being a refined person, completely different from Ning Qing's gentle and charming type. Chen Yi didn't know who this palace maid was, but he understood that she must be an extraordinary person, definitely someone with great influence beside Wu Zetian.

  "The young maid saw Chen Gongzi!" The pretty palace maid's eyes rolled around Chen Yi's face for a moment before she curtsied and said: "The Empress is waiting for you inside the hall, Sun Daochang is also there, please follow me to the hall!"

  "Tuan'er? Could it be Wu Tuan'er?" As soon as he heard the palace maid call herself Tuan'er, Chen Yi immediately thought of a figure recorded in unofficial histories - a heartless and ruthless woman who had an affair with Wu Sansi and was involved in some unspeakable matters.

  He also seemed to have suddenly woken up and understood something, that Wu Zetian, when she was the empress, must have had other trusted maids before Shangguan Wan'er appeared, and this palace maid who called herself Tuan'er was just such a person.

  This beautiful palace maid, I must get along well with her!

  Chen Yi was slightly stunned, still staring at her. The pretty palace maid frowned slightly but immediately relaxed, a hint of complacency showing on her face. She said in a low voice: "Young Master Chen, follow me into the palace. I know it's your first time entering the palace, just... be careful not to be rude in front of Her Majesty the Empress!"

  Chen Yi then came back to his senses and hastily returned the courtesy: "I'm a newcomer to the palace, I don't understand etiquette, thank you sister for pointing it out!"

  Perhaps it was Chen Yi's lively expression that made the palace maid think it was interesting, or perhaps this sweet "sister" moved her heart. Before Chen Yi had finished speaking, the palace maid's face, which had been slightly tense, had already bloomed into a smile: "Chen Gongzi, His Majesty is unwell and the Empress Dowager has not been in a good mood these days. Later on, you must be careful what you say and absolutely must not provoke Her Majesty! You must remember this!"

  "Thank you, sister, for reminding me. I've remembered it now. You're really a kind-hearted person! Not only do you look good, but your heart is also so kind. Today is truly lucky, I just entered the palace and met someone like you!" Flattering girls with sweet words was something Chen Yi excelled at in his later years. The higher level of flirting was being bold, meticulous, having a thick skin, and a sweet mouth, especially a sweet mouth.

  Sweet words and honeyed phrases, paired with a serious expression, often produce an astonishing effect. This trick was effective in later generations, but when it was used on women in ancient times, it still worked wonders. Although the girl in front of him could still be called a young lady, Chen Yi felt no awkwardness calling her "sister", nor did he feel disgusted; it was just a casual term, nothing more.

  Moreover, this beautiful palace woman is stunningly beautiful, especially her figure, which is extremely impressive with its prominent front and rear curves. Her pink chest is half-exposed, and standing next to her, one can see the deep "gorge" on her white and plump breasts. Chen Yi, a man in his prime, couldn't help but feel an urge when he saw this, and his blood vessels swelled with the desire to go up and grope her a few times. With an unmentionable purpose in mind, calling out "sister" a few times is really not an unpleasant thing!

  She got a long and not bad, also got the young man who was summoned by the Queen Mother's words of flattery, the lovely palace maid's heart blossomed with joy, but her face didn't show much expression, and she deliberately rolled her eyes to look at Chen Yi, wanting to express that she didn't like listening to such flattering words.

  But her irrepressible joy betrayed her true thoughts, Chen Yi couldn't help but want to laugh and stifled it.

  "Sister, you look so beautiful, I've never seen anyone as good-looking as you," Chen Yi said with a suppressed smile after saying a few more flattering words, then put on a serious face. "Just now, I was stunned and forgot my manners, please forgive me, sister!"

  Any woman likes to hear that she looks good, especially in front of Chen Yi, this specially identified palace maid. In the palace, she rarely has the opportunity to come into contact with men alone, and the men who can see her will not say such things to her. The difference between her and those men is too great, and there is only a humble attitude. Today, hearing a man who gives people a pretty good feeling say a lot of praise for her, she couldn't help but burst into bloom, and the smile on her face can no longer be hidden. After staring at Chen Yi, she said in a soft voice: "Since you are so sensible, I will also help you out and remind you! Remember not to offend the empress, and also, Sun Daochang is in the temple, if there's anything, you can ask for his help!"

  "Thank you, sister!" Chen Yi thanked again and said boldly: "This is the second time I've seen my sister. Last time in the guest house, I also saw her before. At that time, I thought my sister looked quite familiar, and she was so beautiful. I was guessing what kind of immortal being she would be. I didn't expect to meet again today when entering the palace... we really have fate..."

  "You last time... Master Chen, have you seen me before?" The pretty palace maid stopped in her tracks, looking back at Chen Yi with a puzzled expression, and after a moment, she suddenly realized, "You... were the one hiding in the room peeking that time?"

  "That day was just curiosity, but fortunately that day's curiosity saw a heavenly figure like my sister......" Chen Yi suppressed the nausea that slowly rose in his heart and flattered again, "It was just that I was startled by my sister that day..."

  "Oh?! Hmph... Who told you to look around!" The pretty palace maid couldn't help but crack a smile, then immediately restrained herself, glanced at Chen Yi a few times, but didn't say anything else, and continued walking into the hall. Chen Yi slightly lowered his head, not looking at the palace maids and eunuchs standing by, following the pretty palace maid inside.

  At the entrance of the inner and outer temples, a pretty palace maid who called herself "Tuan Er" stopped and turned to Chen Yi, saying: "Chen Gongzi, please wait here for a moment, I'll go in and report!" Her voice was softer than before, and her eyes were unusually kind!

  Chen Yi nodded and smiled at the pretty palace maid, then immediately stood up with his hands hanging down.

  The charming palace maid looked at Chen Yi again, hesitated for a moment, and didn't say anything else. She immediately lifted the curtain and walked into the inner hall.

  Chen Yi immediately raised his head and looked around at the situation of the hall he was standing in. This was a palace with a very dignified architectural style, the decorations inside were very grand, not flashy at all, even the curtains were like that, it didn't seem like a palace where women lived, could this be Emperor Li's sleeping quarters?

  When Chen Yi first came in, he didn't dare to look around randomly. The plaque on the temple was hung very high outside the hall, and it couldn't be seen without looking up. He could only stand there with a curious mind and perk up his ears to listen for any movement inside. However, the curtain was too thick, and no sound came out from inside.

  In a moment, the pretty palace maid lifted the curtain and walked out, curtsying to Chen: "Master Chen, please follow me inside!"

  "Thank you, sister!" Chen Yi returned the courtesy and immediately followed the pretty palace maid into the hall.

  Out of curiosity, Chen Yi didn't follow the eunuch's order and lower her head as she walked, but instead slightly raised it to look inside the hall.

  Just then, Chen Yi saw the person he most wanted to see today, a very dignified woman with luxurious clothes and many ornaments sitting solemnly in the hall. At first glance, she looked a bit like Wu Shun's five officials, but the noble quality on this woman's face was much more than Wu Shun's when he was ill, giving off an aura that made people dare not offend her.

  This is Wu Zetian, a legendary woman with a very legendary color, the only female emperor in history, Wu Zetian. Chen Yi confirmed it at first sight, but the tense feeling he expected when he first met Wu Zetian did not appear...