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Translator's note: Finally there are advance chapters availaible on Kofi
Chapter 116
Lu Yu's temple throbbed with pain. After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a sentence:
"Go to Yihe Palace and find out what she actually did."
Just as Liu An was about to leave, he stopped him again:
"Forget it. I'll go see for myself."
Liu An's mouth twitched as he watched the entire Yangxin Hall spring into action, somewhat speechlessly. When the Emperor went to the harem, especially to Yihe Palace, the young prince naturally had to go along. Swaddling clothes and cloaks were deployed in succession, covering the young prince tightly so that not even a trace of wind could reach him before he was placed in the palanquin.
When Gu Han learned the Emperor was coming, she was stunned. Once the young prince was brought in, she had no mind to spare for Lu Yu until he asked her:
"What did Noble Lady Yao come to say to you?"
Gu Han paused, her emotions cooling: "I thought Your Majesty came to Yihe Palace because you missed me. It turns out you came to give Noble Lady Yao justice."
Her words carried sarcasm and emotion.
This left Lu Yu feeling uncomfortable. He wouldn't take this blame:
"I only asked one question. How does that earn your resentment?"
The latticed windows were closed. Gu Han couldn't see the time outside, but there was an hourglass in the hall. She glanced at it and said stubbornly: "From when Noble Lady Yao left my Yihe Palace to when Your Majesty arrived—not even half an hour passed. Presumably Noble Lady Yao rushed to complain to Your Majesty as soon as she left Yihe Palace. Am I wrong?"
Not wrong—everything she said was correct. But Lu Yu was truly wronged. He pressed his brow and drew in a breath:
"Your guess is correct, but I didn't come for her."
Gu Han looked at him half-believingly, her hands still twisting her handkerchief. Lu Yu was unwilling to have her worry during her confinement and explained directly:
"She ran before me crying and wailing, asking me to give her justice. I didn't agree. She then said I was biased toward you and directly swept her sleeve and left."
When saying the word "biased," Lu Yu imperceptibly glanced at the woman, but she didn't grasp his meaning. Instead, she was shocked by his latter statement and couldn't speak for a long while. After a long time, she finally repeated in shock:
"Swept her sleeve and left?"
Gu Han was dumbfounded. She knew Noble Lady Yao had a princess temper, but to use that temper on the Emperor, there wasn't a second person in this palace who would do such a thing.
Gu Han withdrew some of her attention from the young prince and listened attentively as if to a play:
"And then nothing more?"
Lu Yu detected her thoughts and was momentarily at a loss for words. He asked again what had happened. Gu Han lowered her eyes listlessly without concealment:
"As soon as she arrived, she demanded I bring the young prince back. She even implied that I shouldn't provoke public anger. She frightened the young princess. In my anger, I had someone slap her."
As her words fell, Lu Yu's entire aura suddenly darkened. If it were anyone else, Lu Yu might have doubted the truth of Gu Han's words.
After all, given Gu Han's current status in the palace, very few people dared speak to her so arrogantly. But Noble Lady Yao had dared show him attitude today, which immediately lent more credibility to Gu Han's words.
Lu Yu quickly said: "She has no manners. You were right to punish her."
He didn't think Gu Han was wrong at all.
Even though Gu Han didn't think she was wrong either, Lu Yu's straightforward attitude still surprised her somewhat. She raised an eyebrow lightly: "Such a beautiful woman suffered, Your Majesty doesn't feel sorry for her at all?"
Lu Yu choked. He didn't like discussing these things with Gu Han—it always made him uncomfortable.
Lu Yu refused to answer. He accompanied Gu Han for the noon meal. After a pause, he casually mentioned the New Year banquet:
"There are seven more days until the New Year banquet. Your condition is inconvenient, and you'll have to miss another year. Is there anything you want? I'll have someone send it to you."
Gu Han was truly confused by the question. Zhongsheng Hall never lacked provisions for her needs. For a moment, Gu Han really couldn't think of anything she wanted. After a while, inadvertently noticing Jiu Nian's hand cord, she said:
"I have nothing particular I wish for, only to have matching items with Your Majesty—jade bracelets, hand chains, or jade pendants—anything will do."
As she said this, Gu Han gently lowered her eyelids, as if too shy to look at Lu Yu.
Lu Yu's movements paused, but unfortunately no one noticed. Lu Yu adjusted his sitting posture before saying impassively:
"Let me think about it."
Jade bracelets and hand chains, none of these were suitable for him to wear. But if it were only a jade pendant, it seemed less intimate than the first two. Lu Yu was conflicted, unable to decide for a long while.
When he returned to the palace with the young prince, he was still thinking about this matter. Finally, just before the lights were extinguished, Liu An saw his distraction and asked puzzledly:
"What is Your Majesty thinking about?"
Lu Yu's mind was preoccupied. He asked subconsciously:
"Do you think I should give her a jade bracelet or a hand chain?"
The implication completely excluded jade pendants from consideration.
Liu An didn't know why, but suddenly his tooth ached. After a moment of silence, he said: "Her Ladyship has seen many rare objects and only wants a token of affection. Jade bracelets are rather feminine. If Your Majesty truly must choose between these two, this servant still thinks a hand chain would be better."
At least that thing could be made simply. Even if Your Majesty wore it constantly, it would be acceptable. That's why he specifically emphasized that Her Ladyship had seen many rare objects.
Liu An wasn't wrong. Lu Yu had a new worry, how should the hand chain be made?
Liu An couldn't bear to watch. He said:
"In this servant's opinion, have palace servants select agate beads of the same size, then string them with red cord, that would be most appropriate."
It must not be complicated.
Lu Yu raised an eyebrow, also finding it good. He looked at Liu An with appreciation: "You're quite clever today."
Liu An didn't want to respond to this. Actually, he had many things left unsaid, for instance, agate beads were mostly red, and aside from the Empress, consorts were not permitted to wear this color. Had the Emperor considered this point?
Perhaps he had, but the Emperor simply didn't care.
The Emperor was always like this. When willful, rules couldn't trump his mood.
****
The matter of Noble Lady Yao going to Yihe Palace, everyone in the harem was watching, wanting to observe how things developed. As a result, Noble Lady Yao suffered a setback, which also quieted the other consorts.
In Yi'an Palace.
Consort Shu closed her eyes irritably. In the not-too-distant side hall, Noble Lady Yao had been crying and making a fuss since returning at noon. After another sound of jade shattering, Consort Shu suddenly said coldly:
"Instruct Zhongsheng Hall not to provide Noble Lady Yao with additional ornaments."
Noble Lady Yao loved to smash things. Consort Shu was too lazy to care, but after she smashed all the ornaments in her hall, she shouldn't expect replacements.
Ya Luo naturally agreed. Seeing Her Ladyship flipping through documents with her delicate brows tightly knitted, she felt somewhat heartbroken:
"Your Ladyship should rest a while."
Consort Shu waved her hand, pressing her brow wearily: "The New Year banquet is only a few days away. Where do I have time to rest?"
Ya Luo fell silent. After a long while, she said softly:
"If Your Ladyship continues working so hard, this servant will mistake you for the Empress."
This mistake didn't refer to appearance or status, but solely to that expression and demeanor.
Clearly knowing the Emperor wouldn't truly grant Her Ladyship power, yet she still devoted herself to it, wasn't this putting the cart before the horse?
Noble Consort Shu was stunned. Seeing her stop, Ya Luo hurriedly said: "Does Your Ladyship remember how long it's been since His Majesty came to Yi'an Palace?"
Since Noble Lady Yao moved in, the Emperor hadn't come. It had been over a month now.
Fortunately, the Emperor hadn't entered the harem in a long time, so other consorts hadn't noticed anything amiss. But as someone close to Her Ladyship, how could Ya Luo not know the truth about Yi'an Palace?
Consort Shu pushed away the documents. She pressed her brow, her eyes somewhat dazed. After a long while, she said self-mockingly:
"You're right. I was possessed."
She had been determined to make the Emperor see her, but unfortunately, in the Emperor's eyes, her image and role had long been deeply rooted, not something she could easily change.
All her efforts and dedication were merely her unwillingness to accept reality.
The Emperor's long absence from Yi'an Palace was both a reminder and a warning for her not to forget her "proper place," but she hadn't understood and had nearly lost herself in this power.
Seeing Her Ladyship's former expression finally return, Ya Luo nearly wept with joy. She covered her mouth:
"It's good that Your Ladyship sees clearly."
It wasn't that Ya Luo was pessimistic, but she clearly knew that harboring fewer delusions meant less disappointment in the future.
During this time, Consort Shu had been immersed in palace affairs, but Ya Luo didn't dare relax her vigilance. Now seeing Her Ladyship finally had the mindset, she hurriedly reported the harem news:
"After the Empress was stripped of her seal and register, she has seemingly stayed obediently in Kunning Palace to nurture her pregnancy."
Seeing Her Ladyship frown, Ya Luo continued: "But our people discovered that the Empress sent a message to Chonghui Palace, seemingly deliberately wanting Chonghui Palace to know how much His Majesty values the young princess."
As Ya Luo's words fell, Consort Shu knew what the Empress was plotting. She suddenly sneered:
"She wants to use Ling Zhāoróng's hand to deal with Cultivated Beauty Zhao Xiūróng?"
"Have the setbacks and blows of this period addled her mind? Has she forgotten how she targeted Ling Zhāoróng in the past? If not for her, when Ling Zhāoróng gave birth, how could she…"
Consort Shu seemed mindful of something. Her words cut off abruptly, but this couldn't conceal the mockery in her eyes and brows. She said:
"If Ling Zhāoróng doesn't join forces with Zhao Xiūróng to deal with her, she should thank Heaven! People like them only think they're high and mighty, that others are merely chess pieces they can use at will. Little do they know, how can human hearts be so easily controlled?!"
Wealth and status indeed dazzled the eyes, but some people's intentions didn't lie in power.
Ling Zhāoróng did care about the eldest princess, but the Emperor, if not treating all imperial heirs equally, at least wouldn't show too much favoritism. Even with the young princess, he wouldn't let anyone belittle the eldest princess one bit. Ling Zhāoróng had always been clear-headed. She wouldn't turn to deal with Zhao Xiūróng just because there was another princess in the palace.
In fact, even now Consort Shu suspected that the evidence Zhongsheng Hall sent that day when Zhao Xiūróng nearly miscarried was Ling Zhāoróng's doing.
Ling Zhāoróng was too quiet. Even though everyone remembered her, they inevitably overlooked her. Having accompanied the Emperor for over eight years, who knew which palace servants were hers? It made her impossible to guard against.
Ya Luo asked hesitantly: "Your Ladyship doesn't seem optimistic about the Empress and Ling Zhāoróng joining forces. Don't you detest Zhao Xiūróng?"
Late at night, Her Ladyship often stared toward Yihe Palace in a daze.
The hall fell silent for a moment. After a long while, Consort Shu's soft, low voice sounded:
"...I don't detest her."
She had never detested Zhao Xiūróng.
Ya Luo wanted to say something more when another sound came from the side hall, disturbing the peace. Ya Luo looked back:
"This Noble Lady Yao is too troublesome."
Relying on her status and background, from the day Noble Lady Yao moved into Yi'an Palace she'd been showing attitude. She still hadn't come to pay respects to Consort Shu. Though Consort Shu had no time to deal with her, today there were too many vexing matters. Consort Shu was impatient to tolerate her. Her eyes turned cold for a moment:
"Then make her quiet down!”
---
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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