Chapter 40 Goddess

"Your Highness, Consort An has left. Judging from the direction, she's heading towards Xianyue Pavilion." Xuexin and the others had completely gone far away before she dismissed them and returned to Lü Yingfeng's side.

"I thought coming to the Old Summer Palace would be more pleasant, but it turns out to be a troublesome time." Lü Yingfeng pouted unhappily—"Have you found out what happened?"

Storytelling was Xuexin's forte. She stood up straight and vividly described what An had just said: "The magistrate of Songyang County was ordered to escort the military grain to the Northwest. An's father was one of the entourage, but who knew that the enemy troops would rob the grain on the way!"

Lu Yingfeng raised an eyebrow in surprise—"The Northwest...so that's for Nian Gengyao? This is going to be difficult, even getting past Consort Hua won't be easy."

Xue Xin agreed wholeheartedly—"Moreover, that county magistrate deserted his post and took a lot of silver with him. The emperor was furious and ordered him to be brought back and imprisoned along with Consort An's father. Their fates are still uncertain."

Lu Yingfeng claimed she was faking illness, but she was still preoccupied with the matter—"Where did this happen?"

Xuexin didn't ask for details, but after thinking carefully, she said something like, "It's probably...within Jeju Island." Ahn hesitated and didn't explain clearly.

“Jeju…the Assistant Commander of Jeju is Consort Hui’s father, so this case will most likely be handled by her father.” Lu Yingfeng’s tone was not optimistic, her long eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her eyes revealed deep thought.

Xuexin, not understanding what the Empress was worried about, leaned closer and asked curiously, "Isn't this a good thing? Consort Shen's letter of divorce can solve Consort An's predicament."

Lu Yingfeng looked at the pretty face that was close to her and reached out to tap her forehead. "You're thinking too simply. This isn't something that can be done easily. It concerns the Northwest, so Consort Hua can't just sit idly by. It would have been fine if Consort An had to bear it all by herself, but Consort Hui is pregnant, so it's really not appropriate for her to attract attention in front of Consort Hua."

"Furthermore," she continued, catching her breath, "the Emperor is currently in a fit of anger. Pleading for him like this will definitely not work. At best, you'll just get a scolding. At worst, it will implicate your family and brothers, and you'll be branded with the crime of interfering in politics and colluding with others. That would be a real disaster."

Xuexin had no idea about these things. Seeing her master deep in thought, she didn't disturb him and just quietly stayed by his side.

——

This matter caused quite a stir, and in the past few days, people have been flocking to Jiuzhou Qingyan like a swarm of bees, the first being Consort Hui, Chen Meizhuang.

No sooner had she heard Ling Rong's tearful complaint than she impulsively headed straight for Jiuzhou Qingyan, only to be persuaded to return by Su Peisheng before she could even see the Emperor.

The Empress and Consort Hua were both successfully imprisoned, but they each held their own opinions. One said that since it concerned grain supplies and military and political affairs, the perpetrators must be severely punished to prevent future troubles; the other said that the matter should be handled impartially and that no one should be unjustly imprisoned.

Although the two had never met, their accounts were completely contradictory. Before a conclusion could be reached, they had already angered the emperor, who immediately ordered that no one should mention the matter again.

Lingrong had never been summoned by the emperor from the beginning, and seeing the current situation, she could only weep in secret, saying that it was all up to her fate.

That night, Yinzhen wanted to go to Bitong Academy to see Consort Wan, who was pregnant, but Su Peisheng looked at the sky and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Wan is pregnant and should be sleeping a lot. She must have already gone to bed by now."

Yinzhen silently looked up at the sky—"Yes, indeed. She's been sleeping too much lately, so I won't go. I'll go... and see Consort Xin. I wonder if she's recovered from her illness of many days."

"Yes." Su Peisheng replied with a smile, turned around, flicked his whisk, and said loudly, "Set out the carriage, the moon shines, and the clouds part."

...

Since it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, no one sent a message to Lü Yingfeng.

She was exhausted from lying in bed for days, so today she leaned against the headboard and took out her jewelry box, spreading it haphazardly across the bed.

Yinzhen did not send anyone to announce his arrival. He walked in alone and saw that the person on the bed was only wearing an undergarment. His dark blue hair was loosely tied into a bun and fell down over his shoulders as he moved. The already thin person looked even more astonished by the hair.

He didn't make a sound, and the person on the bed didn't notice him either. The beautiful woman, dressed in plain clothes without any jewelry, was listlessly looking at the dazzling array of gold, jade, emeralds, and gemstones on the bed, but she didn't smile. The moonlight filtered through the window and fell on her face, making her look even more clear, jade-like, and pure, like porcelain.

The extreme simplicity and the dazzling array of jewels were distinct yet inexplicably harmonious in Yinzhen's eyes, as if a goddess from heaven had descended to earth.

Lu Yingfeng, unaware of his deep thoughts, was only pondering to herself, "These are too few for Shu'er's future dowry. Will the styles even be fashionable by then?"

“So graceful in the quietude, yet so charming in the human world.” Yinzhen couldn’t help but interrupt this beautiful scene with his voice.

Lu Yingfeng was startled and looked towards the door. When she saw that it was the Emperor, she relaxed and smiled as if to get up. "The Emperor has arrived. Why didn't you let someone announce his arrival?"

She shed her previous ethereal, almost otherworldly demeanor and returned with a smile to the earthly realm of the emperor's residence. In a hazy state, Yinzhen truly felt as if he had conquered a goddess, and his heart was filled with immense satisfaction. He quickly took two steps forward and pressed Lü Yingfeng down to prevent her from getting up.

"I made this decision on a whim. If I had sent word, I would have missed this beautiful sight." He helped Lü Yingfeng to continue leaning against the bed, then sat down in an empty spot by the bedside. He picked up a bracelet at random, looked at it, and threw it back onto the bed with dissatisfaction. "These are all vulgar things. How can they match Ying'er's noble appearance? In a few days, I will order the Imperial Household Department to make some better ones and send them to you."

Lü Yingfeng didn't know what had gotten into the Emperor today, but there was no reason to be unhappy about a reward. So she smiled broadly and said to the Emperor, "Then I'll be waiting."

After saying that, she fiddled with the thing on the bed, covered her face and coughed twice, and said as she caught her breath, "I don't often carry this with me, but Shu'er likes it very much. Every time she takes it out, she stares at it for a long time and plays with it. The little girl is really very interesting."

When talking about his eldest daughter, Yinzhen smiled.

Previously, it was said that a mother's status was secured by her sons, with the twins ensuring Consort Xin's position. But now, it's hard to say who is more important to whom. The Emperor's affection for Lü Yingfeng is growing stronger, and her place in his heart is becoming increasingly irreplaceable.

Hongjin is different from Hongzhao. Hongzhao is a prince after all, and Yinzhen still needs to be a strict emperor and father in front of him, but he is more easygoing with Hongjin, and the father cherishes his daughter more.

Seeing that the Emperor was in a good mood, Lü Yingfeng rolled her eyes and took the opportunity to say, "Your Majesty, I have been with you for many years. I am getting old and I have a daughter of my own. I feel sorry for Consort An and the others as if they were my own children."

Mentioning Consort An, Yinzhen looked at the person opposite him and saw her large eyes meeting his without any guilt. After a moment of silence, he asked, "Are you also here to plead for Consort An's father? You are ill, and she has come to you for help?"

Seeing the impatience and doubt in his tone, Lü Yingfeng deftly placed her hand on the back of the emperor's hand and shook her head indifferently—"It's inevitable for children to worry about their parents."

Lu Yingfeng's fingertips were slightly cool, and the sensation of them touching her skin was particularly noticeable. Yinzhen swallowed hard, secretly rubbing his clenched hand, but he still couldn't resist turning his palm over to hold the pair of soft, boneless jade hands in his palm.

With this action, Lü Yingfeng felt even more confident—"I know Your Majesty must be very troubled. I'll just say one thing: it is said that children resemble their parents. Your Majesty knows Consort An's temperament. She is as timid as a rabbit. I suppose An Bihuai is not the kind of person who would dare to do such a thing."

Yinzhen listened attentively without interrupting, but was somewhat lost in thought as he watched Ying'er, despite her illness, try to persuade others. Ying'er truly loved him so much that she was virtuous enough to tolerate everyone in the harem.

After Lü Yingfeng finished speaking, the Emperor did not say a word. It was unclear whether he had taken her words to heart or not. He simply patted her shoulder gently, telling her not to worry.

She was ill and it was inconvenient for her to keep the Emperor there, so the two chatted for a while about all sorts of things. Seeing that she looked a little tired, Yinzhen told her to rest early and left the palace reluctantly.

After the person had walked away, Lü Yingfeng rubbed her eyes. "Xuexin, go tell Consort An that there's been a turnaround in her father's situation." She then added, "What I said in the palace today must not be known to anyone else, remember?"

Xuexin nodded solemnly.

Although the Emperor didn't give her a definite answer, it was clear he was wavering. Since she had put in the effort, she wanted the beneficiary to know who they should thank when things were done.

Furthermore, Lü Yingfeng thought to herself, even if the Emperor didn't fully listen to what she said, there was still Consort Wan, wasn't there? She hadn't gone to see the Emperor yet, and based on Lü Yingfeng's understanding of her, she wasn't the type to sit idly by.

Regardless of who is responsible for the success, my own assistance will always be indispensable.