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Chapter 54
As morning court approached, Lu Yu left the Rongcui Hall directly. The Empress gave Consort Shu a long, meaningful look before turning to leave. The other consorts exchanged glances, even the most oblivious among them could sense something was wrong.
A group of wet nurses carrying swaddling cloths followed behind Consort Shu as she departed. This was the first time Gu Han had seen Consort Shu travel without her ceremonial procession. She took only a few steps before turning back to check on the infant in the swaddling clothes.
Gu Han felt a pang of sympathy.
Coming back to herself, she cast a cold glance at the delivery room. She would remember what Yu Cáirén had schemed, and one day she would make her pay it all back, with interest!
Translator's Note: I noticed the author changed Miao Cáirén's name to Yu Cáirén. I have no idea, probably her name is Miao Yu. I want to keep using Miao Cairen but decided against it since I don't know why the author decided to change it
When Yu Cáirén woke up, it felt like a bolt from the blue.
She suddenly gripped Xia Qiao's sleeve tightly, asking in disbelief:
"What did you say?!"
Xia Qiao knelt on the ground, head bowed, not daring to speak.
Yu Cáirén's eyes swept around the hall. The palace servants knelt in a miserable huddle. She had just given birth to an imperial heir, yet there wasn't a trace of joy in the hall. She looked at Xia Qiao in confusion. How did it come to this?
When someone poisoned the little prince and the evidence pointed to Concubine Zhao, shouldn't the Emperor have been furious and refused to hear her explanations?
Even if the Emperor cherished Concubine Zhao too much to punish her, he should at least feel somewhat guilty toward herself.
Yu Cáirén truly disliked Concubine Zhao, this woman who entered the palace at the same time as her but surpassed her at every turn.
That's why her scheme had been aimed at Noble Consort Zhao.
But whether Concubine Zhao was demoted or punished didn't really matter to Yu Cáirén. She just wanted the Emperor to feel pity for her and promote her rank, so she could raise the little prince herself.
Throughout her pregnancy, the Emperor had been indifferent toward her. Yu Cáirén couldn't be certain he would promote her two ranks in succession, so she had wanted to add an extra layer of insurance to the plan.
But the moment she opened her eyes, the news she received was that she'd been demoted, the little prince had been taken away, not even kept in Chonghui Palace, and it would be difficult for her to even see him!
After enduring ten months of pregnancy with such hardship, this was the result. How could Yu Cáirén accept it?!
Her body swayed and she collapsed onto the bed. She stared blankly at the canopy above, murmuring vacantly:
"...Impossible..."
Yu Cáirén's heartbreak went unknown to outsiders. The happiest place in the harem today was Yian Palace. After staying up all night, the Empress was also excused everyone from morning greetings. While all the other palaces had quietly settled down, Yian Palace had never been calm.
The little prince was placed to rest in the main hall. Consort Shu hadn't rested for a moment, having the side hall cleaned out. She sat on the cushioned couch, carefully reaching out to touch the little prince's cheek. It was so soft, with what seemed like only a thin layer of skin on his face, as if it would break at a touch. Frightened, she quickly withdrew her hand.
The newborn prince was red all over and wrinkled, honestly not pretty at all. His body, no bigger than two palms, was curled up in the swaddling clothes. His eyes were closed, making him look exceptionally well-behaved and quiet.
Consort Shu gazed down at him, her eyes somewhat dazed.
If she could have children, after all these years of imperial favor, perhaps she would have had a child like this long ago. But if she could have children, the Emperor wouldn't lavish such favor on her now. Blessings and misfortunes were intertwined, she honestly couldn't tell what she had gained and what she had lost.
Once the side hall was ready, the wet nurses nervously bowed and carried the little prince away.
They were all rather intimidated by this Consort Shu who enjoyed unrivaled imperial favor. Besides, the Emperor had only temporarily placed the little prince in Yian Palace, his true destination hadn't been decided yet.
They were the wet nurses the Emperor had found for the little prince, destined to be bound to him. Until the prince's true placement was confirmed, they were anxious around everyone, Consort Shu being no exception.
Consort Shu could guess what these wet nurses were thinking, so she didn't stop them and let them leave. But after the little prince was carried away, Consort Shu didn't speak for a long time.
Ya Luo led the wet nurses out, and when she returned, she saw her mistress looking so lost. Her throat tightened, and after a long while, she exhaled and entered through the curtain as if nothing had happened, saying softly:
"My lady, you haven't closed your eyes all night. You should rest."
Outside, the sky was already turning white, and a thread of morning light fell into the hall. Consort Shu lowered her eyelids. Even the morning light couldn't illuminate the darkness in her eyes. Ya Luo heard her mistress ask very quietly:
"What do you think His Majesty is really trying to do?"
Ya Luo fell silent.
How could they possibly guess the Emperor's thoughts? In any case, since His Majesty had them raise the little prince in their palace, they would simply raise him well.
As for the rest, it was best not to think about it at all.
She never answered. Consort Shu's lips twitched slightly. She took a deep breath and laughed softly:
"I must be possessed, to actually believe his words for a moment and develop such delusions."
Ya Luo called out heartbroken: "My lady!"
"He will never let me have a child." Consort Shu closed her eyes. Her low murmur was so soft it almost dissipated the moment it left her lips.
But Ya Luo heard it. Her nose tingled and two streams of tears suddenly fell. Ya Luo turned her head away and wiped at her eyes.
When the Emperor first elevated her, aside from her being the most beautiful in the harem, it was because she couldn't have children. Unable to have children meant fewer delusions, meant she could only rely on the Emperor's so-called favor, and it prevented another situation like what happened with Rong Bǎolín.
Ya Luo wanted to comfort her mistress, wanted to say the Emperor wouldn't be so heartless toward her.
But she was also afraid of giving her mistress false hope. When those hopes were dashed later, that feeling of being lifted to great heights only to crash down would be even more desolate.
Ya Luo could only repeat: "My lady should rest."
Consort Shu wiped away tears she didn't know when she'd shed. She exhaled and said:
"You're right."
Before lying down, Consort Shu paused, still unable to stop herself from instructing: "Tell the palace servants to keep their movements quiet so they don't disturb the little prince."
She knew it was impossible, but thinking that the little prince was in the side hall, Consort Shu couldn't help but harbor a thread of hope.
Ya Luo's voice was hoarse. It took her a long time before she quietly acknowledged.
But seeing her mistress like this, she suddenly felt heartbroken, even developing a trace of resentment toward the Emperor. If he clearly didn't want to give her mistress a child, why torment her like this!
In Changchun Hall, after being up all night, Gu Han felt utterly exhausted when she returned to her chambers.
When she finally woke from sleep, it was already nearly evening. Gu Han, still fuzzy from sleep, was helped up by Jiu Nian to wash up. She looked around the hall and didn't see Jiu Si anywhere. Her temple twitched and she shook her head irritably:
"Where is she?"
Jiu Nian was equally irritated: "She's been shut up in her room crying for half the day. Earlier I told her to go get the meal, and she didn't dare go."
Jiu Si always loved joining in the excitement. Every day when it was time to collect meals, Jiu Si was always eager to run over, because the imperial kitchens were always lively then. So whenever Gu Han ate, she could hear Jiu Si chattering away beside her about all the interesting palace gossip.
After today's incident, she was clearly scared. From her appearance, Jiu Nian felt she'd rather never leave Changchun Hall for the rest of her life.
Gu Han rinsed her mouth and shook her head lightly:
"Go call her over."
Jiu Si shuffled into the inner hall. She kept her head down, hiding her red-rimmed eyes, and said with a heavy nasal tone:
"This servant greets my lady."
Her voice was somewhat muffled and hoarse. Gu Han frowned listening to her. She was furious: "What are you tormenting yourself over?!"
Hearing that her mistress wasn't blaming her, and that even this scolding carried concern, Jiu Si's tears immediately streamed down:
"This... this servant caused trouble for my lady! This servant has wronged you!"
She cried her heart out, sobbing so hard her body shook. Gu Han was afraid she'd cry herself into convulsions. She had Jiu Nian pour her some tea, rubbed her forehead with a headache, and said irritably:
"After suffering losses so many times, will you finally learn your lesson?!"
Jiu Si nodded frantically.
Gu Han was exasperated. She had Jiu Nian pull her up, bent down to wipe her tears herself, and said softly:
"She bullied you, so we'll bully her right back. What's the use of crying here?"
Yu Cáirén had indeed bullied Jiu Si. The reason Gu Han didn't often keep Jiu Si by her side was because Jiu Si was careless and sometimes not careful enough. Her own temperament was strong, leaving her in the palace could actually keep the servants in line.
Yu Cáirén had seized on this point, which is why she had set her sights on Jiu Si. Could you blame Jiu Si?
Perhaps Jiu Si really did need to change her ways a bit, but in this matter, the one at fault was never Jiu Si, but Yu Cáirén with her scheming heart.
Jiu Si looked at her mistress with red eyes. Jiu Nian had someone bring water for her to wash her face, then glared at her with both heartache and annoyance. She also felt unable to swallow this grievance. She lowered her brows and turned to her mistress:
"What does my lady want to do?"
Gu Han lowered her eyelids and said coldly: "She has lost the prince and been demoted. To deal with her, why would I need to use such dirty tactics?"
Hearing this, Jiu Nian hesitated:
"But if this falls under His Majesty's notice, I'm afraid it will create a bad impression for my lady."
Schemes laid out in the open were always the lowest class.
Jiu Si wiped her face and mumbled: "My lady, please don't be impulsive."
Gu Han smiled and tugged at the corner of her lips, tapping Jiu Si's forehead:
"Now you're standing on the same side as Jiu Nian."
Jiu Si blushed. She lowered her head uncomfortably. Gu Han, seeing her emotions had recovered somewhat, let the smile in her eyes fade. She said calmly:
"She went through all that trouble, premature birth, hemorrhaging. If I don't grant her wish, wouldn't all her efforts be wasted?"
Jiu Nian and Little Fang Zi exchanged glances, both unconsciously breathing more lightly as they heard their mistress continue:
"Now that it's getting closer to summer and the weather's heating up, Yu Cáirén just gave birth. Even if there's no merit, there's hardship involved. We can't let her be uncomfortable during her confinement."
Gu Han glanced at the tea beside her before saying:
"Before I entered the palace, I once heard a rumor. There was a household where a child often drank well water, which caused continuous stomach pain, and in the end, the child inexplicably died."
Jiu Si was completely confused. She'd been serving her mistress all along, how had she never heard about this?
She wanted to ask but was discreetly pulled back by Jiu Nian.
Little Fang Zi understood what his mistress meant. At the mention of a child, he couldn't help but think of the little prince, and his heart jumped with fear. He hesitated: "But the little prince…"
Before he could finish, Gu Han looked up and cut him off:
"I've waited so long for the little prince to be born safely. I don't want anything unexpected to happen to him."
Little Fang Zi understood. He quickly bowed and withdrew.
After he left, Jiu Nian told Gu Han about the reactions at Rongcui Hall. Gu Han smiled slightly. She looked toward the night scene outside the window. Just this, was enough to make Yu Cáirén heartbroken?
This matter was far from over!
Gu Han really wanted to know, when Yu Cáirén learned that her body was ruined from childbirth and that the little prince would be her only child for the rest of her life, what would she do given her personality?
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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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