Chapter 45 Provocation, Counterattack

The next day, when the sky was just beginning to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Jiang Fenghua woke up.

She thought: There's one downside to entering the palace, which is that I have to get up early to pay my respects to the Empress, even though I'm so tired I can't even get up.

So, when Xie Shang got up, Jiang Fenghua also got out of bed.

He said, "You should sleep a little longer."

"I'm not going to sleep anymore. I still need to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. That's the proper way for a daughter-in-law." Jiang Fenghua's back was sore and she needed help to get up. She really admired Xie Shang's stamina, as if nothing had happened.

Seeing her looking so pitiful, Xie Shang felt apologetic. "Next time, I will be more restrained. Thank you for your hard work."

Jiang Fenghua was shy and timid. Xie Shang had already been very gentle and careful. She had overestimated her own strength and thought she could withstand his wrath. She tried too hard to please him.

During their time together, she asked Wuxin to prepare a contraceptive that wouldn't harm her body; after all, this was the imperial palace, and such things were very common.

The two children in this life won't be born so soon. Thinking about everything in her past life, she's not ready to welcome them yet. She's afraid of being a mother, afraid of being an unqualified mother.

After the two were dressed, Xie Shang escorted her to the entrance of Kunning Palace.

Granny Xi came forward, bowed to Xie Shang, and Xie Shang gave her a few instructions before leaving.

"Your Highness, you're up so early? Why didn't you sleep a little longer?" She blushed with embarrassment when she overheard this outside the door last night. "His Highness instructed me to take good care of Your Highness, as you've been working hard."

"Thank you, Granny Xie." Jiang Fenghua's face flushed slightly as she said gently, "Has Mother gotten up? I've come to pay my respects to Mother."

"Please come in, Your Highness. The Empress has only just gotten up as well," Granny Xi explained. "She also got up a little earlier today."

Jiang Fenghua naturally knew why; today was also the day when the concubines from all the palaces went to Kunning Palace to pay their respects to the Empress.

Jiang Fenghua, graceful and elegant, slowly made her way to the main hall. She was considered to have arrived early, but she hadn't expected that there were even earlier concubines waiting there.

As soon as she entered Kunning Palace, she attracted the admiring glances of the concubines, who whispered among themselves, "The Princess Consort of Heng is so beautiful."

"I heard that Prince Heng doesn't like this princess. He likes the niece of the Imperial Concubine, and the two are inseparable."

"That's true. In previous years, Prince Heng and Su Tingwan exchanged glances at banquets, and some people even saw them riding horses together at the horse farm."

"If Prince Heng doesn't like the Princess Consort, why did he personally escort her to Kunning Palace?"

"It's just for show!"

"Why haven't we seen Consort Su's niece come to the palace in so long?" some of the concubines murmured.

No one knew that Su Tingwan had quietly entered the Heng Prince's mansion as a concubine, since there was no extravagant ceremony.

In her previous life, Su Tingwan entered the palace in a high-profile manner as a concubine. Because of Xie Shang's favor, she had the right to be arrogant.

Granny Xi naturally wouldn't let her stand in the courtyard like the concubines. She welcomed her into the main hall and found her a seat first. "Your Highness, please sit down. This servant will go and see if Your Highness is dressed up yet."

Granny Xi only came out to greet Jiang Fenghua after she heard that Prince Heng had personally escorted her over.

As soon as Granny Xi left, Consort Yan walked in, supported by a palace maid. Her gaze towards Jiang Fenghua was like a sharp blade, as if she wanted to gouge a hole through Jiang Fenghua.

Jiang Fenghua felt a cold gaze fixed on her. Following the gaze, she saw that Consort Yan had taken one of the four consorts' seats and was sitting at the head of the table.

Consort Yan's slender tortoiseshell nails tapped lightly on the mahogany armchair, producing a very soft, crisp sound, as she glanced coldly in Jiang Fenghua's direction, seemingly unintentionally.

Jiang Fenghua sat steadily without moving. She naturally recognized this Consort Yan, who was the biological mother of the Second Prince Xie Yu.

She thought: The reason why Consort Yan was so angry must be because Xie Shang broke her son's arm yesterday.

At this moment, the other concubines also filed in. Jiang Fenghua glanced around and did not see Consort Su present.

Jiang Fenghua naturally knew the reason: Consort Su, relying on the Emperor's favor, naturally held herself above the other concubines and the Empress.

In a scene like last night, even though the Emperor knew that Consort Su had lured Xie Yu to her bedchamber, he didn't say a harsh word and simply killed a palace maid as an explanation.

This shows how arrogant Consort Su was.

After everyone had found their seats, the Empress came out in her full regalia.

The crowd said in unison, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to Your Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."

Jiang Fenghua also bowed.

The Empress glanced at everyone present and said in a deep voice, "Dismiss the formalities and take a seat."

"Thank you, Empress." The crowd said in unison again.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone gracefully took their seats. Although the Empress was no longer in favor and had aged and lost her beauty, she was still the mistress of the harem, and everyone had to respect her.

At this moment, Consort Su, dressed in a magnificent palace gown, gracefully approached. She gave a slight curtsy and said, "Your Majesty, I have just finished serving His Majesty last night and thus rose late. Please forgive me."

Before the Empress could even rise to take her leave of honor, she had already straightened up and sat down in her designated seat.

Her arrogance and domineering attitude were all due to the emperor's indulgence.

Although the Empress was so angry she felt like vomiting blood, she could only endure it, because Consort Su was deeply favored by the Emperor.

To break the awkward silence, Consort Jing suddenly spoke up, "This must be the Princess Consort of Heng. She is so beautiful and charming. Your Majesty the Empress is truly blessed."

Consort Yan said sarcastically, "Consort Jing is mistaken. I remember that Her Majesty the Empress prefers dignified and virtuous women. She probably doesn't like women who are too glamorous. I heard that Prince Heng originally did not agree to marry her, as the Prince has someone else in mind."

Consort Su chuckled lightly, clutching her handkerchief, without any restraint. Prince Heng's favorite was Wanwan. "Consort Yan means that being too beautiful makes one easy to attract unwanted attention, or perhaps she doesn't need anyone's attention, or maybe she is just promiscuous and doesn't uphold traditional womanly virtues."

The Empress was annoyed by Consort Yan's face. She knew that Consort Yan's words were simply a sign of her resentment over what happened last night. To make matters worse, the troublemaker, Su Qingqing, was smug. The Empress was furious and glared at them with her cold eyes.

Jiang Fenghua stood steadily to one side. She had been casually criticized by them in the courtyard just now, and now they were even more unrestrained in front of the Empress.

At this moment, Jiang Fenghua suddenly walked to the center of the main hall, knelt down in front of the Empress with dignity and respect, and bowed to the Empress, saying, "Your daughter-in-law greets Your Majesty."

The Empress was furious. Seeing Jiang Fenghua kneeling gracefully in the main hall, her forehead throbbed with anger. Her son had been seduced by Su Tingwan. Although Jiang Fenghua had already consummated their marriage, good things don't last forever, and she didn't know how long Jiang Fenghua could hold out.

She asked, "What is it?"

"I found Consort Su's etiquette inappropriate, and she should be punished," Jiang Fenghua said in a deep voice, neither humble nor arrogant.

Upon hearing this, the Empress perked up instantly, a smile playing on her lips. "What does Fenghua think is inappropriate?"

“She is arrogant and overbearing, and doesn’t know her place.” Jiang Fenghua’s voice was clear, steady and powerful. She continued slowly, “I think Consort Su is slapping Father and Mother in the face. She is of high status, but she has no sense of hierarchy. She should be punished.”