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Translator's note: Finally there is advance chapters availaible on Kofi
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Zhou Měirén, listening to His Majesty's words from the side, wanted nothing more than to roll her eyes. She truly didn't know if His Majesty was doing this intentionally or not. if the other concubines' gazes could kill, Noble Lady Zhao would have died countless times already.
She swept her eyes over the other concubines' expressions and took the opportunity to say:
"It's getting late. Noble Lady Zhao didn't eat anything at the banquet just now. Your Majesty, perhaps you should escort Noble Lady Zhao back to her palace first?"
Gu Han shot Zhou Měirén a grateful look. Who knew what else His Majesty might say if they continued to stay?
She felt puzzled, usually His Majesty treated her quite well. Why was he doing so many incomprehensible things today?
Lu Yu nodded: "You're right."
He escorted Gu Han back to Changchun Pavilion. The Empress and others didn't stop them, only performing a slow courtesy, allowing the two to walk away side by side. Someone muttered sourly: "...Truly, different people have different fates."
These words made quite a few people in the hall wear expressions difficult to read.
Consort Shu cast a cold glance at the speaker. Both enjoyed deep imperial favor, Gu Han had entered the palace less than a year ago and gained favor, while she had heard not half a whisper of good news until now. Even though this was because her body was completely ruined, these words were also a slap to her face.
Consort Shu snorted coldly:
"That's right. Some people have been in the palace so long yet can barely catch a glimpse of His Majesty. Clearly that mouth of theirs is quite unlikeable."
That person's face immediately flushed bright red. But since the speaker was Consort Shu, she didn't dare retort even a single word.
Consort Shu was too lazy to look at her further. She performed a perfunctory courtesy to the Empress, utterly careless. Without waiting for the Empress to bid her rise, she directly departed at a leisurely pace.
Today's events had also greatly impacted the Empress. She only glanced once at Consort Shu, the emotions in her eyes incomprehensible. After Consort Shu left, she also departed with her attendants.
After several high-ranking ladies had left, Zhou Měirén was about to go as well. Passing by the person who had just spoken, she paused, shot her a sidelong glance, and sneered:
"Your instigation was aimed at the wrong target. How laughable."
The person Zhou Měirén rebuked was Concubine Yang. Though they differed in rank, Zhou Měirén showed not the slightest fear. Concubine Yang was so angered she choked, her face livid, but mindful of Zhou's crazed behavior from the other day, she didn't dare confront her.
Also fearing her words might reach Noble Lady Zhao's ears, Concubine Yang forced a stiff smile and said without confidence:
"Zhou Měirén misunderstands. That's not what I meant."
Zhou Měirén scoffed: "What Concubine Yang meant, this consort cannot control. It depends on what Noble Lady Zhao and His Majesty think."
Concubine Yang's expression stiffened. She wished she could curse aloud on the spot. If not for Zhou's backing from the Empress Dowager and her close relationship with Noble Lady Zhao, would she dare speak to her this way based on her own standing?!
Regardless of what she thought in her heart, on the surface Concubine Yang didn't dare confront her even slightly, only managing a sheepish smile. In this harem, there were truly few who could suppress Zhou Měirén's arrogance. Even the Empress and Consort Shu mostly chose to turn a blind eye to her.
At this juncture, Concubine Chen directly brushed past between the two. Fearing being bumped, Zhou Měirén stepped back. She frowned, her expression poor as she looked at Concubine Chen. Chen looked back expressionlessly:
"What does Zhou Měirén want to say?"
She emphasized the words "Měirén" heavily, clearly reminding Zhou of her current rank, returning the mockery Zhou had directed at her when she'd been demoted.
Zhou Měirén momentarily forgot about Concubine Yang. Yang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly hid herself in the crowd, regretting inwardly, why hadn't she been able to suppress that outburst?
She watched Concubine Chen and Zhou Měirén face off, hoping Chen could suppress Zhou's arrogance somewhat. But in her heart she knew that with Concubine Chen's current status, she couldn't achieve this.
Gu Han didn't yet know what had happened in Taihe Hall. Having been escorted back to Changchun Pavilion by His Majesty, she met his gaze as he inquired:
"Are you hungry now? What would you like to eat?"
Such trivial questions coming from His Majesty's mouth made Gu Han feel somewhat uncomfortable all over. She looked at Lu Yu oddly, paused slightly, then shook her head:
"This consort isn't hungry."
After that earlier reaction, she didn't want to eat anything.
Moreover, now that no one else was present, she also had questions she wanted to ask His Majesty. Seeming somewhat conflicted, she hesitated for a long while before asking quietly:
"Why did Your Majesty promote this consort's rank today?"
Lu Yu glanced at Gu Han in surprise, not expecting her to ask this directly. Without much hesitation, Lu Yu answered straightforwardly: "Because I wanted to promote you. You're carrying an imperial heir, you deserve it."
Gu Han's lips moved, wanting to say that when Yu Cáirén had been pregnant before, His Majesty had certainly not been like this.
Lu Yu seemed to see what she was thinking. He lowered his eyelids and said in a rather calm tone:
"You're different from her. You know what should be done and what shouldn't. I can be at ease with you."
Even with her rank promoted, she couldn't possibly become as arrogant as Yu Cáirén had been. Lu Yu gave her another glance before looking away as if nothing had happened. After nearly a year together, he could understand Gu Han's temperament to some degree.
Lu Yu wouldn't say Gu Han had no scheming at all, no one's thoughts in this harem would be purely innocent. If Gu Han were truly as pure as a blank sheet of paper, she wouldn't be able to protect herself in the harem.
To speak a callous truth, such a person would only be a burden to him.
No one would like someone who constantly brought them trouble. This was true for others, and even more so for Lu Yu.
Pregnant women shouldn't overthink. Lu Yu reached out and flicked her forehead, interrupting her wild thoughts, and said with lowered eyes:
"Stop thinking about irrelevant things. What I said in Taihe Hall wasn't empty words. As long as you take good care of yourself and deliver the imperial heir safely, I won't treat you poorly."
The words inside and out were all anticipating the imperial heir. But only Lu Yu himself knew that the imperial family was callous, he had never spoken such words to any concubine. This seemingly light statement was already tantamount to a promise.
Gu Han looked up in surprise. She gripped Lu Yu's sleeve slightly tighter. After a long while, she barely shifted her gaze away, seeming to say hesitantly:
"Is it only because of the imperial heir that Your Majesty won't treat this consort poorly?"
A slight accusation and grievance made Lu Yu feel amused. He concealed the faint flicker in his eyes, only pinching her cheek and scolding her neither lightly nor heavily:
"What else?"
He directly asked back without denying it. Gu Han didn't know if she understood or not. She hummed softly and pushed away His Majesty's hand. Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, clicked his tongue lightly, and said to her:
"Others would be overjoyed beyond measure to receive such words from me. Yet here you are quite greedy."
Gu Han lowered her eyes, idly playing with Lu Yu's fingers. Hearing this, she only mumbled: "...Then let Your Majesty consider this Consort greedy."
Lu Yu stopped talking. The woman gently nestled into his embrace, nuzzling lightly at his shoulder, this was a little trick she habitually used. Then she said softly and slowly:
"This Consort is indeed greedy toward Your Majesty, always hoping Your Majesty will treat this Consort even better."
She didn't hide her feelings toward Lu Yu at all. The emotions in her words were somewhat downcast. Lu Yu's eyes seemed to flicker for a moment, but soon he returned to normal, bypassing this topic and saying instead:
"The people serving in your palace are all too young. You're just pregnant and need someone experienced by your side. I'll assign you a capable nanny."
He was clearly deliberately changing the subject. Gu Han shot him an accusatory glare. Lu Yu bent his fingers and lightly flicked her forehead, not taking the bait, only finding it amusing inwardly. This little girl, her true feelings amounted to only thirty percent, yet she could express them as if they were one hundred percent. She was skilled at winning hearts.
In this palace, there were indeed people who truly loved and admired him, Zhou Měirén had once been one. What someone who truly loved and admired him looked like, Lu Yu knew crystal clear. Gu Han was careful and observant, but wasn't he the same?
Yet though he saw through it clearly, the moment she spoke those words, he couldn't help but lose focus for a moment.
This woman possessed a pair of transparent almond eyes. When speaking, it seemed as if you were the only one in her eyes and heart, forcibly stirring ripples in one's heart. Truly, she was too deceptive.
Lu Yu had once thought that beauties, no matter how lovely, were merely skin covering dry bones. Now thinking about it, that often-heard phrase "beauty brings calamity" wasn't without a shred of truth.
But Lu Yu wasn't angry with Gu Han. She was in the Harem and would only ever be in the Harem for this lifetime, that thirty percent of genuine feeling could be taken as one hundred percent.
Gu Han didn't know what Lu Yu was thinking. She was genuinely grateful that His Majesty was assigning her an experienced nanny. She could sense that His Majesty truly treated her with a measure of real kindness, that was enough.
The earlier playful complaint, Gu Han knew full well Lu Yu wouldn't take it seriously.
As Emperor, in this harem, where would he lack women who admired and loved him? She couldn't even deceive herself, so naturally she didn't hope to deceive His Majesty.
That His Majesty now treated her well proved she was doing things right.
Translator's note: guys please i am looking for a volunteer editor, chat me up on dis cord if you are interested. Discord: d_ladypresident
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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