Chapter 42 His White Moonlight

After the emperor and empress returned to the palace, Emperor Zhaoheng first took Empress Liu to pay homage at Cining Palace.

After leaving Cining Palace, Emperor Zhaoheng did not even return to Qianqing Palace to change his clothes, but went straight to Yongle Palace.

He was thinking of Narcissus, and even more so of the imperial heir in her womb.

Inside the warm pavilion, Shui Xian was leaning against the window reading a book. When she saw him enter, she was about to get up to greet him, but Emperor Zhaoheng quickly stepped forward to help her up: "No need for formalities, you are pregnant now."

He looked her up and down, and seeing that she looked well, the worry in his eyes lessened a bit.

Narcissus then took out the token she had been hiding in her sleeve and returned it with both hands:

"Your Majesty, as you can see, I am perfectly fine. This token has not even been used."

Emperor Zhaoheng took the token, his fingertips gently tracing its path across her palm with a soothing gesture, before sitting down beside the couch and pulling her into his arms.

"It's good that nothing's wrong. But during the few days I was away from the palace, was there anything in the palace that bothered you?"

"It's not so much that it's bothersome, it's just..."

Narcissus leaned on his shoulder and truthfully reported to him what had happened at Zhaoyang Palace.

She did not directly accuse Consort Wan of plotting murder, but calmly stated the facts, even pointing out that Consort Wan meant well, but how could Emperor Zhaoheng not know about the tricks of the harem!

Emperor Zhaoheng tightened his grip on her arm slightly, and his eyes instantly darkened.

Consort Wan... and the Empress Dowager is also involved!

He was furious, but considering the Empress Dowager's reputation, he knew that now was not the right time to investigate further.

Emperor Zhaoheng suppressed his anger and soothingly squeezed Narcissus's hand:

"It was my oversight that startled you. Consort Wan... sometimes does act without thinking. From now on, stay away from her, and avoid going to Cining Palace unless absolutely necessary."

Narcissus nodded obediently: "Your Majesty, I have remembered."

She immediately raised her face, her eyes pleading: "Your Majesty, we owe a great debt to Xiao Chuanzi this time. He has an exceptional talent for medicine and pharmacology, and he loves to study medical books and pharmacopoeias. If it weren't for his extensive knowledge, the consequences would have been unimaginable."

Narcissus said softly, "Your Majesty, I would like to ask for a favor on his behalf. I wonder if Your Majesty could grant him permission to borrow medical books from the Imperial Medical Academy's library during his free time? That would satisfy his desire to study."

The Imperial Medical Academy's library is off-limits to the general public without an imperial decree.

The Imperial Medical Academy's books were invaluable to the old scholar, but to the emperor they were a trivial matter.

Xiao Chuanzi had rendered meritorious service in saving the emperor, and Emperor Zhaoheng naturally granted his request, summoning Feng Shunxiang:

"By imperial decree, Xiao Chuanzi, a palace attendant in Consort Jin's palace, is diligent in his studies and has a natural talent for medicine. He may borrow and study the Imperial Medical Academy's library at any time."

Shui Xian smiled with delight: "On behalf of Xiao Chuanzi, I thank Your Majesty for your grace!"

After Feng Shunxiang went to deliver the imperial decree, the two of them snuggled together and talked for a while in Yongle Palace.

Emperor Zhaoheng mostly inquired about her diet and daily life over the past few days, and Shui Xian answered him one by one.

However, Shui Xian keenly sensed that although Emperor Zhaoheng was talking to her, there seemed to be a hint of absent-mindedness hidden deep in his eyes.

His gaze would occasionally drift towards a certain direction outside the window.

Narcissus understood.

Yi Shuyao...in the end, she fell into the emperor's heart.

Narcissus felt at peace.

When she embarked on this path, she never dared to hope for the emperor's exclusive favor. What she wanted was power, the capital for revenge, and the strength to protect herself and her family.

As for whose heart the emperor has... as long as it doesn't hinder her from achieving her goal, what does it matter?

She subtly adjusted her posture, gently stroking her lower abdomen, and timely feigned weariness on her face: "Your Majesty, I've been standing for quite a while today, and I feel a little tired... Besides..."

She lowered her eyes slightly and, to her advantage, said, "The imperial physician advised that one should be extra careful during this month and should not attend to His Majesty. Your Majesty has had a long journey today, so perhaps... you should rest at the residence of the newly arrived Miss Wen?"

Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaoheng was slightly taken aback, then chuckled softly and pinched her cheek:

"Is Xian'er... jealous?"

Narcissus immediately feigned anger, glared at him, and gently slapped his hand away:

"How could I! I was only thinking of Your Majesty's health, and also of... the child in my womb!"

She specifically emphasized the words "royal son," steer the conversation back to the imperial heir.

Seeing her embarrassed and angry expression, Emperor Zhaoheng's infatuation with Yi Shuyao faded a little, replaced by a deep appreciation for the child in her womb.

He laughed heartily: "Good, my fairy is the most sensible and considerate."

Emperor Zhaoheng stood up: "I still have some memorials to review, so I will stay in Qianqing Palace tonight. Feng Shunxiang, bring in all the new gadgets I brought back from outside the palace for Consort Jin."

Soon, several large boxes were carried into the warm pavilion, filled with exquisite folk toys, fine silk brocades, and other dazzling items.

Emperor Zhaoheng gave a few more instructions on how to rest well before setting off.

That night, Shui Xian was sitting at the table looking through the newly delivered fabrics, thinking about which ones were suitable to send out of the palace to make clothes for her parents and sister.

Yinzhu came in and whispered, "Your Majesty, news has come from the Imperial Household Department that the Emperor... has summoned Consort Wen."

Narcissus paused slightly as she examined the fabric, and the candlelight flickered, illuminating her calm, unwavering eyes.

She said calmly, "I understand."

As expected.

In her mind, Yi Shuyao's beautiful face became clearer and clearer.

While she was a servant in the Yi household, she had very little contact with Yi Shuyao and her daughter.

All I remember is that ten years ago, when this mother and daughter were brought into the mansion, Madam Yi flew into a rage, making the whole mansion aware of it.

Later, Yi Shuyao's biological mother managed to give birth to her son under Madam Yi's strict supervision, thus securing her position, demonstrating her shrewdness.

Now that the Yi family has sent her to the palace, their goal is very clear: to win the emperor's favor, or even... to help the one in the cold palace escape Yi Guichun's predicament?

Shui Xian recalled the sudden change in the expressions of Consort Li and Consort Wan at the palace gate earlier that day.

Consort Li's shock and vigilance are understandable, after all, the Yi family is her enemy.

But what about Consort Wan? Her gaze wasn't just filled with hostility towards the newcomer from the Yi family; it was more like... the shock of recognizing an old acquaintance?

What was so special about that face? Why did it cause the two concubines to lose their composure like that?

There are too few clues, and the mystery is thick.

Narcissus gently blew out the candle, slowly returned to the inner room, and sat on the bed.

In the darkness, she stroked her lower abdomen, quietly pondering a solution.

......

The next morning, just after Narcissus finished her breakfast, Yinzhu hurriedly lifted the curtain and came in.

She said urgently, "Your Majesty! Consort Wen... is kneeling outside our palace gates!"

Outside the palace gates.

The chill of the spring morning had not yet completely faded. Yi Shuyao was dressed only in a plain white palace dress, without any makeup, and her long black hair was loosely tied up with a plain silver hairpin.

She was slender and knelt upright on the bluestone brick ground in front of Yongle Palace, her back straight, yet she was thin and pitiful.

Yi Shuyao's voice was clear and cold, reaching the ears of every palace servant who passed by:

"I, Yi Shuyao, a sinner, pay my respects to Consort Jin! On behalf of my elder sister, Yi Guichun, who has committed a heinous crime and is now repenting in the Cold Palace, I beg Your Majesty for forgiveness!"

“My elder sister’s sins are grave, and even a hundred deaths could not atone for them! I know that Your Majesty is kind and magnanimous, and that it is already a great favor that Your Majesty has allowed your sister, a sinner like me, to enter the palace to serve you!”

She prostrated herself deeply on the ground, kowtowing and saying:

"I only hope that Your Majesty... Your Majesty, in consideration of the kindness the Yi family showed you in raising you, will not let past grievances weigh on your heart, harming your health and the precious dragon heir in your womb..."

Her posture was humble, and her words were earnest.

Along the palace road, every palace servant who passed by stopped and stared, whispering among themselves.

"Wen Changzai is truly pitiful..."

"Isn't Consort Jin being too harsh...? After all, they are from the former master's family..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! But what Consort Wen said is true. Consort Jin is pregnant with the emperor's child. Getting angry will harm her health!"

"Yi Guichun deserved his fate, but Wen Changzai is innocent. Why take your anger out on her..."

Voices questioning whether Narcissus was arrogant because of the emperor's favor began to quietly spread in the palace.

Inside Yongle Palace, as Shui Xian listened to Yin Zhu's detailed description of the situation outside, a cold smile slowly curved her lips.

"What a brilliant strategy of retreating to advance, and using softness to overcome hardness."

Narcissus's voice was calm, without the slightest hint of anger, "This illegitimate daughter of the Yi family has certainly learned her mother's skills perfectly."

She did not get angry, nor did she immediately step forward.

In situations like this, whoever loses their composure first will lose.

“Silver Pearl,” Narcissus instructed calmly.

"Quietly find a discreet spot and carefully observe the outside. See who's watching, especially... pay attention to whether there's anyone acting strangely."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Yinzhu accepted the order and quietly withdrew.

Shuixian sat calmly in the warm pavilion, picking up the miscellaneous notes she hadn't finished reading yesterday, as if the person kneeling outside wasn't a newly favored concubine, but just an insignificant person.

She even instructed the palace servants: "The lotus seed soup for breakfast was good; have the kitchen warm up another bowl."

If you're willing to kneel, then kneel.

Soon, news that Consort Wen was kneeling outside Yongle Palace to plead guilty reached Emperor Zhaoheng's ears, who had just finished court.

Emperor Zhaoheng frowned, feeling inexplicably irritated.

The face of Yi Shuyao, so similar to...that person, flashed through his mind instantly, along with the memory of that person kneeling outside the palace to protect him...

Emperor Zhaoheng did not hesitate for long and immediately set off for Yongle Palace.

The imperial carriage stopped in front of the palace gate.

Emperor Zhaoheng immediately spotted Yi Shuyao kneeling on the palace bricks, teetering on the verge of collapse.

Her face was pale, and her lips were slightly purple from the chill of early spring, yet she still stubbornly straightened her back. That image of her taking the blame for others instantly overlapped with a figure from the depths of his memory that caused him heartache!

Emperor Zhaoheng's heart softened, and he strode forward to personally help Yi Shuyao up: "Consort Wen, why are you doing this! The ground is cold, get up quickly!"

His tone was clearly one of pity, but also of concern for Narcissus and the unborn child: "Consort Jin is pregnant and needs to rest and recuperate. There's no need to disturb her with these old matters."

Yi Shuyao was helped up and leaned weakly into Emperor Zhaoheng's arm, her voice choked with sobs: "Your Majesty... I am filled with remorse and unease... My sister... she has wronged Consort Jin..."

The more pitiful she appeared, the stronger Emperor Zhaoheng's protective instincts, stemming from his feelings for that person, became.

As he looked at that face, a shadow inevitably fell over him.

He remembered how that person had suffered so much because of him, but in the end...

Emperor Zhaoheng thought of Narcissus again. She was kind, resilient, and had borne him children... But seeing her now holding the high rank of Consort, and seeing Consort Wen kneeling outside her palace gates without stopping her, she seemed more and more like the late emperor's former concubine who had risen from the ranks of a servant...

No! Narcissus is kind, and ultimately different from that late imperial concubine.

He immediately suppressed the absurd thought, but a lingering sense of unease remained in his heart.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. I'll take you back."

Emperor Zhaoheng did not want to think about it anymore. He personally and carefully escorted Yi Shuyao back to Chuxiu Palace and bestowed upon her calming tonics.

Yinzhu, who was carefully observing through the crack in the door from inside the Yongle Palace gate, kept a record of the expressions on the faces of everyone present.

Suddenly, her gaze fell on an old woman who was sweeping the corners!

The old nanny initially kept her head down, showing curiosity just like the other palace servants.

But the moment Yi Shuyao raised her face, the old nanny's expression suddenly changed drastically!

Yinzhu's eyes flickered slightly as she memorized the old woman's appearance.

The turmoil has temporarily subsided.

In the following days, Shui Xian appeared to be acting normally, going about her daily greetings and taking walks as if she were completely unaffected by the kneeling incident.

Secretly, Yinzhu conducted a thorough investigation, proceeding cautiously and discreetly.

Finally, on the evening of the fifth day, Yinzhu returned to the warm pavilion of Yongle Palace and dismissed all the palace servants.

"Your Majesty," Yinzhu's voice was extremely low, "we've found out!"

Narcissus put down the book in her hand and looked at her calmly: "Speak."

Yinzhu lowered her voice and spoke very quickly: "That old woman's surname is Sun, and she is known as Granny Sun. She has been in the palace for almost forty years! In her early years, she served in the palace of the late Emperor's Consort Wen! She was a second-class palace maid in charge of washing clothes by Consort Wen's side!"

Consort Wen... Wen?!

Shui Xian connected this to Yi Shuyao's current title and began to make a vague guess.

Yinzhu continued, "It took me quite a while to gain Granny Sun's trust and I gave her a large sum of money before I finally got the information out of her."

Yinzhu lowered her voice even further as she said this: "According to her, the current Consort Wen and the late Emperor's Consort Wen look... about seven or eight parts similar!"