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Translator's note: Finally there are advance chapters availaible on Kofi
Chapter 72
After Gu Han learned of Yu Cáirén's fate, she didn't even lift an eyelid. Yu had repeatedly tried to harm her, no matter what end she met, Gu Han would feel neither pity nor sympathy for her.
Jiu si rubbed her nose, her face flushed with excitement:
"So what I learned from Third Miss back then is this useful!"
She kept her voice very low, just loud enough for Gu Han to hear clearly. No one knew that Jiusi had breathed a huge sigh of relief in her heart. After the previous incidents, Jiusi had constantly blamed herself and felt useless.
More than once she'd wondered—if the person her mistress had brought into the palace hadn't been her, would someone else have been more useful?
Now that she could actually help her mistress, the guilt in Jiusi's heart finally lessened somewhat. Her eyes sparkled brightly—she wasn't useless after all!
Gu Han glanced at her, raising an eyebrow almost imperceptibly:
"These skills of yours, haven't they been demonstrated before?"
Jiusi paused, then remembered the incense Concubine Chen had used. That truly had been a miraculous tool. Jiusi touched her nose and grinned foolishly at Gu Han a few times.
Gu Han looked at her once more, then casually withdrew her gaze when no one was paying attention.
In this matter, only Yè Xiūróng was innocent, she had suffered a completely undeserved calamity. Jiu si knew what impact this would have on Ye, yet she felt no conflicted emotions about it whatsoever.
She was loyal only to Gu Han. To put it bluntly, all other consorts were enemies to her mistress in Jiusi's mind. She wouldn't show the slightest mercy.
Gu Han knew she wasn't a good person. If given another chance, she would still choose to do the same. So she didn't hypocritically express regret or sympathy for Yè Xiūróng.
Gu Han had been quietly recuperating in the palace for over a month. Lu Yu came to see her every few days. Today, Lu Yu's arrival was very sudden. Gu Han had just taken an afternoon nap and hadn't yet awakened when the commotion disturbed her.
She groggily opened her eyes to see Lu Yu speaking quietly with Nanny Zhao. Gu Han froze, her mind immediately clearing. She sat up abruptly, startling both Lu Yu and Nanny Zhao.
Lu Yu's face darkened immediately. He quickly stepped forward to support her, saying irritably:
"Knowing you're with child, yet still so careless with your movements. Aren't you afraid of hurting yourself?"
Gu Han also knew her movements just now had been too reckless. Feeling somewhat guilty, she grasped Lu Yu's hand and softly defended herself:
"This concubine only got excited because the moment I opened my eyes, I saw Your Majesty."
Her soft mumbling immediately dispersed what little annoyance Lu Yu had felt. He became slightly uncomfortable, glancing at the woman and shaking his head almost imperceptibly.
If you really examined it, he had only been away from Changchun Pavilion for three days. Did seeing him warrant such excitement?
In public, the woman was thin-skinned, but sometimes when she spoke, she was far too direct. It sounded nice, but could also be somewhat overwhelming. For a moment, Lu Yu lowered his eyelids, not meeting the woman's bright gaze. He pinched her chin teasingly:
"Is it really necessary?"
He had to let her have her way. She'd developed that clever tongue and relied on that beautiful face to easily charm people.
Lu Yu scorned this inwardly, yet still pretended to casually glance at Gu Han. She'd just been resting and wore only a simple inner garment, a plain white style with a loosely tied sash. Lu Yu could vaguely glimpse some scenery, but his attention wasn't on that at all. It fell entirely on the woman's cheeks.
She wore no powder or rouge, pure and lovely as a lotus emerging from water. Lu Yu spared a thread of thought to ponder, this was probably what "natural beauty, unadorned" truly meant.
Gu Han had no idea what he was thinking. Who wouldn't be startled to open their eyes and see His Majesty right there?
How could she possibly continue sleeping?
But Gu Han didn't refute Lu Yu's words. She tilted her palm-sized face up to look at him, her delicate brows and almond eyes tinged with gentle warmth: "Of course this concubine is delighted that Your Majesty has come."
His Majesty had already elevated her rank. She didn't fear him coming to see her, she only feared he would treat her as he'd treated Yu back then. Gu Han hadn't seen the Empress, Consort Shu, and the others for quite some time and didn't know what they thought of her pregnancy.
If His Majesty showed even a hint of neglect toward Changchun Pavilion, Gu Han dared not imagine the consequences.
Lu Yu keenly detected the trace of worry hidden in her words. He couldn't help glancing at her imperceptibly, somewhat annoyed with her. She was clearly afraid enough to test the Empress Dowager's attitude, yet refused to honestly seek his protection?
Thinking this, Lu Yu applied more pressure with his hand. Gu Han wasn't in much pain, but pretended to gasp softly.
This habit absolutely couldn't be allowed to develop with His Majesty, lest he constantly pinch her cheeks in the future. Where would that end?
Lu Yu released his hand irritably, not knowing if he was calling out her pretense of pain or something else:
"Go ahead and pretend."
From the corner of her eye, Gu Han noticed the sachet tied to Lu Yu's sash, still the one she'd given him before the Longevity Festival. This gave Gu Han some reassurance, so she didn't dwell on Lu Yu's words. She pushed his hand away, murmuring softly:
"It clearly was Your Majesty who pinched this concubine and hurt her."
Lu Yu paid her no mind and sat beside the bed. The chamber suddenly grew quiet. Gu Han looked at him with surprise. She'd originally thought His Majesty was just making his usual visit to check on her and would leave soon. Why had he stopped?
Gu Han abandoned the thought of an afternoon nap and knelt up, nestling beside Lu Yu. She rested her face on his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his waist from behind. Not yet three months pregnant, her belly didn't show yet, so she could still make this gesture.
Lu Yu held her hand, lowering his eyelids, and said heavily:
"Tell me, does such a thing as the connection between mother and child truly exist in this world?"
Gu Han recalled recent events in the rear palace, understanding flashing in her eyes. Since Yu had been confined to Rongcui Hall, the little prince had fallen seriously ill. As time passed, rumors spread in the palace that this was the mother-child connection between the prince and Yu, seeing Yu suffer made him ill too.
As the little prince's condition didn't improve, these rumors grew fiercer. Even Gu Han had heard them, but His Majesty had already ordered the rear palace not to discuss this matter, so Gu Han hadn't continued paying attention.
Now it seemed the rumors hadn't been completely suppressed. Even His Majesty's heart had developed some doubt. Otherwise, he wouldn't have asked this question today.
Gu Han lay against Lu Yu, concealing the flash of coldness in her eyes. After a moment, she said:
"Is Your Majesty troubled by the recent rumors in the rear palace?"
Lu Yu remained silent with lowered eyes, essentially an admission.
Gu Han felt annoyed in her heart, not at His Majesty but at Yu. After a while, she said quietly:
"The mother-child connection, this concubine believes it exists. But in this matter, those spreading false rumors are worse. This concubine doesn't know what Your Majesty thinks, but this concubine has begun to worry about the little prince's future."
She didn't speak of concern for the little prince's health, but rather said she worried about his future.
This made Lu Yu frown. For a moment, he couldn't understand her meaning and couldn't help asking heavily: "What do you mean?"
Gu Han glanced at Lu Yu once before saying quietly:
"Your Majesty, setting aside the little prince and Yu, and not mentioning who benefits most, just look at who these rumors affect most deeply?"
Lu Yu met her gaze. After a moment's contemplation, his heart couldn't help but sink.
Just from His Majesty's expression, Gu Han knew he'd understood.
His Majesty was, after all, His Majesty. However attentive he might be, he wasn't living within the rear palace itself. He could see the big picture, but without someone pointing out the twists and turns within, His Majesty couldn't possibly understand them thoroughly.
These rumors weren't helping Yu at all, they were targeting the little prince.
His Majesty's word was law. Having ordered Yu confined, he couldn't possibly lose face by releasing her so quickly. Once His Majesty made an exception for the little prince this time, what would happen in the future when others continued using imperial heirs to lower His Majesty's standards?
If the rumors persisted and couldn't be quelled, they would eventually reach Yè Xiūróng's ears. Yu was someone who'd tried to take Ye's life. If the little prince fell gravely ill and cried incessantly due to his mother-child connection with Yu, over time, what would Ye think? She would certainly harbor resentment.
Imperial heirs had an exceptionally difficult path to adulthood in the palace. Many consorts watched covetously. Once Yè Xiūróng became negligent toward the little prince, his safety would be at risk.
Moreover, once His Majesty discovered Yè Xiūróng's negligence, given how much he valued imperial heirs, he would inevitably reconsider who should raise the little prince.
Gu Han bit her lip lightly before lowering her eyes and saying:
"This concubine isn't afraid Your Majesty will think this concubine is targeting Yu. This concubine doesn't like her, but in this matter, this concubine won't deceive Your Majesty."
"Only thinking of the little prince, the rumors must also be suppressed, even if it means making an example of someone. And the little prince can only have one mother consort."
When she reached the last sentence, Gu Han couldn't help looking up at His Majesty. This statement indeed contained her personal interest, but she'd also spoken from the heart.
Gu Han knew what His Majesty was concerned about, nothing more than the alliance between the Ye clan and the Yu family at court. But the link between them wasn't Yu at all, it was the little prince. As long as the little prince remained Yè Xiūróng's son for even one day, the Yu family would hold their noses and ally with the Ye clan.
No one would willingly give up an imperial heir, especially given how few children His Majesty currently had.
Lu Yu wasn't stupid. He simply didn't see as clearly as Gu Han, who lived within the rear palace. With just one hint from Gu Han, Lu Yu understood the purpose behind these rumors. His eyes darkened, but he didn't continue discussing with Gu Han how he would handle this. Instead, he pinched the flesh at the back of the woman's neck and curled his lips:
"You certainly haven't forgotten to settle personal scores publicly."
Gu Han met his gaze without guilt or shame. She lowered her eyes slightly and bit her lip. Seeing this, Lu Yu paused, then heard her say quietly: "She has repeatedly tried to harm this concubine. This concubine indeed holds a grudge against her."
When she said this, she refused to look up and meet Lu Yu's gaze.
Lu Yu's eyes lowered. He knew why. To put it bluntly, everyone in the world was somewhat hypocritical, even when doing bad things, they had to cloak themselves in righteousness. Revealing the dark side of one's heart was always difficult.
The woman seemed afraid he might be displeased. The arms around him loosened slightly, and she repeated: "She repeatedly tried to harm this concubine..."
Lu Yu's eyes flickered slightly. After a moment, he squeezed her wrist and interrupted heavily: "I understand."
"Hold a grudge if you must. She wronged you first, how could I blame you?"
Gu Han embraced him without speaking further. After Lu Yu left, Gu Han watched his figure disappear through the latticed window, her eyes darkening for a brief moment.
There was one thing Gu Han hadn't mentioned just now, the rumors might not only be targeting the little prince, but also Yu herself. Under the onslaught of rumors, Yu and Yè Xiūróng could never coexist.
And how His Majesty would choose was self-evident.
The rift between her and Yu had long been impossible to mend. What use was merely confining Yu to Rongcui Hall? Once the Second Prince gained power in the future, the situation would change again.
Gu Han was truly tired of Yu jumping around in front of her eyes.
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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