Chapter 61 Learning (Bug Fixing) Regarding the professional relevance of whitewashing...

News travels fast in the hunting grounds, and rumors, when spread, only get more and more outrageous as you say them.

In Jingshou Garden, Empress Dowager Shu, who had slept poorly last night due to feeling stuffy, chuckled upon hearing the news.

"I thought that Wang Shi had made some progress in the past two years, but I didn't expect that she would still be so impulsive and has such a fickle nature."

Does Empress Dowager Shu know where A-Zhu has gone?

Knowing this, after all, Granny Li wasn't blind, and she wanted to pin the blame for her poor performance on A-Zhu.

But did Empress Dowager Shu intend to give Empress Wang a word of advice?

Haha, I really don't want to.

"Look at what the women in the palace have become!"

Empress Dowager Shu, who had long since escaped from this "quagmire," was quite disappointed in her son.

"All they do is fight over girls and be jealous. They're always trying to cause trouble and annoy people. They're never willing to let things go."

Since the women in the palace are not popular now, isn't this the perfect time to bring out the new faces—specifically, the two sisters from the Shu family, who are charming, sensible, and lovable?

"Let them make a fuss," Empress Dowager Shu said. "Just say that I caught a cold yesterday, took some calming soup, and rested."

Empress Dowager Shu refused to show herself and happily watched the show from the sidelines.

Empress Wang, however, remained inactive until the very end. Back then, when she made her move, she caused Consort Zhang and Consort Yi to stage a dramatic "sisterly feud," which even escalated to the point where one died and the other was injured.

How could she not be smug?

Moreover, did Empress Wang, who was renowned for her military exploits, came from a noble family, and had two sons, ever really take A-Zhu seriously?

No.

Ah Zhu had nothing but a wretched life; all his relatives were dead, and he had nothing he wanted.

If it weren't for the emperor's biased protection and his repeated personal warnings, making it difficult to take action, Empress Wang would have sent her to the underworld to reunite with the Jiang clan long ago.

Therefore, even though she didn't see A-Zhu after breaking into Songxiuxuan, and the matter had blown up, Empress Wang, who seemed to be being held captive there, remained completely calm.

She even went so far as to think that Ah Zhu might have... run away out of fear of punishment?

Don't blame Empress Wang for having such thoughts; after all, when A-Zhu "made a foolish mistake," the loyalty he showed didn't seem fake at all.

After calming down from her outburst of anger, Empress Wang vaguely sensed that something was amiss earlier—after all, A-Zhu really didn't look like someone who was going to serve the emperor.

But Empress Wang would never admit that she was wrong.

The one who is at fault is that lowly maid, Jiang, who doesn't understand her situation.

She was single-mindedly trying to climb the social ladder, and now that the Emperor despises her... Ah Zhu has "experience" in "escaping".

When she was punished by being sent to the Sinzheku (a place for forced labor) in the palace, she would run away when she didn't want to go. The guards in the Nine Dragons Garden were not as strict as those in the palace. What if she really managed to find a loophole?

Therefore, all the guards and palace servants inside and outside the palace were sent away to search everywhere.

Even within the Kowloon Garden, the princes dared not simply barge into the palaces where the imperial concubines resided.

Empress Wang acted too quickly, leaving the Crown Prince and Prince Rui somewhat bewildered as they hadn't yet caught up with her "thought process." They had no choice but to keep sending people to Songxiuxuan to gather information.

After the court officials and noblewomen vaguely heard the news of Consort Jiang's disappearance, the one who was most restless was Lu Yinyue.

After all, Lu Yinyue had seen through Azhu's character long ago.

He is all bark and no bite, all bluster and no substance; he is a coward who is truly afraid of death.

She only knows how to use her good looks to please the emperor.

They used every trick in the book in the palace, just to climb into the emperor's bed and flatter him.

He covets wealth and status, is shallow-minded, and becomes arrogant once he gains power; he is a complete scoundrel.

Her current identity is fake, and she is also burdened with the crime of deceiving the emperor, which is punishable by death. In the future, she will even have to help the Jiang family clear their name... With her empty mind, which only thinks about wealth and how to flatter and fawn, what brilliant plan can she come up with?

In a moment of panic and fear, it's not impossible for someone to act impulsively and run away.

"Why did we choose such an unworthy person to misrepresent the Jiang family's name?"

At this moment, Lu Yinyue picked up her pen, but she had no mood to continue writing "Lanyuan Collection".

It's easy to imagine that Ah Zhu's current antics have completely disrupted Lu Yinyue's plans.

After all, no matter how much you look down on A-Zhu's temperament and her actions, you can't just say that she is a "favored concubine" who is quite popular with the emperor is completely useless.

Neither the Crown Prince nor Prince Rui dared to say such a thing.

Even when the court and the harem were in an uproar over how Ah Zhu had "bewitched" the emperor and gained his favor, the crown prince immediately and quietly disposed of all the palace servants who had served in the Hibiscus Garden that day.

Prince Rui ordered his men to cover Gui Xi's mouth, beat him to death with sticks, hastily wrap him in a straw mat, and throw him into a mass grave.

Lu Yinyue was willing to take such a great risk to recognize Azhu so early, which was naturally not just a momentary impulse or a simple reunion.

It doesn't matter how bad A-Zhu's character is, how despicable he is, or how useless he is.

The important thing is that she can win over the emperor.

After all, the only person in this world who could exonerate the Jiang family under the late emperor's decree was the current emperor.

With A-Zhu as her "ladder to heaven," Lu Yin-Yue was able to achieve her goals with twice the result with half the effort after entering the palace.

Now things are really messed up. If A-Zhu really runs away... Jiang's reputation will be tarnished even more.

Lu Yinyue threw down her pen, gritted her teeth, and muttered under her breath, "Truly, all show and no substance, nothing inside."

"More trouble than it's worth."

Lianxin, who had come to inform Lu Yinyue after hearing the news, had a rather gloating expression on her face.

"Young lady, look at her. She was so arrogant and domineering that day, looking down on everyone. Because of your status as a candidate for the imperial concubine selection, she used the excuse of bowing to make things difficult for you again and again. Now she's getting her comeuppance, isn't she?"

"Lotus heart!"

Adding to the chaos, the flustered Lu Yinyue couldn't help but rebuke, "After all, she is Consort Jiang from the palace. Do I have to teach you the lesson that loose lips sink ships?"

"With your current unbridled speech, how can I feel comfortable bringing you into the palace?"

Lianxin bit her lip and lowered her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

Her face was pale as she hurriedly apologized to Lu Yinyue.

"Miss, I was wrong, I was really wrong, I will never do it again, please don't abandon me."

Realizing that she had lost her composure in her haste, Lu Yinyue sighed softly.

She reached out and wiped away Lianxin's tears.

"There are many troubles in the palace, and one may bring disaster upon oneself by making a wrong move."

"Today it's Consort Jiang, tomorrow it might be that Jieyu, or this Zhaoyi. If you act carelessly and incur their wrath, it's fine if only I am punished, but what about you? Do you expect me to just stand by and watch you suffer?"

"You've been with me for so many years; no one else can compare to this kind of affection?"

"If it weren't for you, who else could I trust?"

Lu Yinyue didn't blame her; instead, when she spoke gently, Lianxin's tears fell even more fiercely, and she nodded repeatedly.

"Don't worry, young lady, I promise I will change. I will even accompany you to the palace."

Lu Yinyue smiled and patted Lianxin on the shoulder, then told her to continue to inquire about the news. After all, the New Year would be the time for the imperial concubine selection, so it was not surprising that she was concerned about matters in the palace.

As Lianxin wiped away her tears and continued to inquire about the news, Eunuch Chen, whose face was pale and who didn't even know where to begin, hurriedly entered the back hall of Zhengyang Palace.

Honestly, Eunuch Chen really, really, really doesn't want to, and doesn't dare to, provoke, the Xuanpei Emperor, who is suspected of... cough cough cough, already having some kind of... you know.

Seeing that Consort Jiang had been given medicine by the Emperor, he personally dragged her to Zhengyang Palace and gave her a good beating.

Aside from silently chanting Amitabha Buddha and praying for the Bodhisattva's protection for A-Zhu, Eunuch Chen dared not utter a single word of pleading.

He only hoped that during these few days at the hunting grounds, this empress would be enough for Emperor Xuanpei to torment and vent his anger.

Emperor Xuanpei ordered that no one else was allowed to enter the palace at will.

Eunuch Chen was eager to get far away so that the emperor could calm down first.

But...

This sudden and outrageous news, coupled with the fact that Empress Wang deliberately suppressed the palace servants who came to deliver the message, forced Eunuch Chen to come and disturb Emperor Xuanpei.

Separated by the auspicious cloud and dragon patterned brocade curtain, Eunuch Chen, a few steps away, bowed and first respectfully wished the Emperor a peaceful and healthy life.

Emperor Xuanpei, who had been feigning sleep while holding Azhu, opened his eyes.

He naturally reached out and took Ah Zhu's hand in his own, gently kneading it before asking indifferently, "What is it?"

Eunuch Chen then quietly explained the whole story.

Emperor Xuanpei: ......

He looked at Ah Zhu, who was lying on top of him, her face flushed and limp, fast asleep.

Normally, A-Zhu's body is always a little cold.

But now, as if she were tinged with the heat of Emperor Xuanpei, her whole body felt soft and warm to the touch. Of course, no matter how soft and warm the outside was, it could never compare to the inside of her body.

As autumn turns cooler, one can't help but crave the fragrant and soft hibiscus.

But after hearing the outrageous news that Eunuch Chen had come to report, he still had no choice but to leave.

"It's remarkable that so many people are thinking of you."

Emperor Xuanpei personally covered Azhu with a brocade quilt and lowered the embroidered curtains before going to change his clothes.

Before leaving the palace, Emperor Xuanpei lifted the brocade curtain and took a few more glances.

After reaching out and touching A-Zhu's face, which looked especially docile and gentle as she fell asleep, Emperor Xuanpei instructed people to guard the inside and outside of the palace and not allow anyone to enter without permission before leisurely leaving Zhengyang Palace.

......

Songxiuxuan

"His Majesty has arrived!"

Seeing that the emperor himself had arrived, Empress Wang led a large entourage to pay their respects to Emperor Xuanpei.

"Your humble servants and concubines pay their respects to Your Majesty."

May Your Majesty be blessed with good fortune and endless happiness.

Emperor Xuanpei simply glanced at the large group of people crammed into the Songxiu Pavilion before him. Only after entering the hall and sitting at the head of the table did he raise his hand to dispense with the formalities.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Looking around the room, excluding other beauties and talented women, all the concubines who were considered important in the palace were here, but I didn't see Consort Zhang.

"Your Majesty."

Empress Wang spoke first.

This time, instead of angrily berating A-Zhu and adding a bunch of charges against her, she said with a worried expression, "Consort Jiang has always been diligent and respectful to the Emperor."

“When I was in the palace, I always kept in mind the matter of paying my respects at Kunning Palace, and I never neglected it.”

"I didn't expect to find Consort Jiang at Fengyi Palace this morning."

"She didn't ask anyone to come claiming illness or requesting to leave."

"I wonder if it's because of her leg injury that she has difficulty moving around?"

"still......"

"After all, Consort Jiang is still young. Perhaps it was just a momentary impulse, and she is playful. I was really worried about her, so I thought I'd come and check on her. Who would have thought..."

Empress Wang's words were tactful and pleasant to hear, but naturally, others would also say unpleasant things.

Sure enough, Zhao Jieyu immediately jumped out.

"Your Majesty, the Empress is kind-hearted and naturally wanted to come and see Consort Jiang."

"But who would have thought that when we arrived at Songxiu Pavilion, we wouldn't find her at all!"

"When I asked the palace servants, they only said nervously that Consort Jiang had taken a nap last night and forbade anyone to disturb her."

Having finally gotten the chance to thoroughly "step on" Ah Zhu and avenge the loss of her title, Zhao Jieyu couldn't help but add fuel to the fire.

“Your Majesty, Consort Jiang is usually very domineering and arrogant, and she is really difficult to deal with. No one in or outside the palace dares to disobey her orders. They dare not disobey her in the slightest.”

"And now, things have turned out quite differently. No one dares to ask where Consort Jiang has gone."

Seeing that Emperor Xuanpei was listening very attentively, looking thoughtful, and with Consort Zhao taking the lead, the others were not willing to fall behind and echoed her.

"Yes, everyone in the palace knows that Consort Jiang is the most arrogant and doesn't respect anyone."

"I never imagined that such an unseemly mess would happen in front of court officials and ladies of high birth."

"Yes, nowadays they are even more unrestrained, going wherever they want without even saying hello."

"......"

Empress Wang dared to speak because she knew that Emperor Xuanpei and Azhu had fallen out, but Consort Sheng did not. She only felt that the situation was going in such an inexplicable way that it made her feel uneasy and terrified.

Having been swept into Songxiu Pavilion by a gust of wind, Consort Sheng, who couldn't quite understand the intricacies of the place, looked at Emperor Xuanpei's unpredictable expression above her and, after much deliberation, dared not speak.

Rumors suggest that Ah Zhu's rise to power through sleeping with someone was not honorable.

Both inside and outside the palace, there was mostly contempt and ridicule for the methods she used to rise to power, with the prevailing sentiment that it was the right thing to do to see her meet a tragic end by virtue of her "lack of virtue."

As a result, not a single person in the entire hall said a good word for A-Zhu...

Well, Emperor Xuanpei was indeed angry with Azhu, and when he was so angry that he wanted to strangle her to death, it was true.

But in the end, he always regarded A-Zhu as his own, and even more so, as someone he had raised himself.

He always remembered Ah Zhu's tearful, panicked eyes when he glimpsed her as a child, and he also witnessed her helpless fear and unease as she knelt and begged.

Emperor Xuanpei not only ignored the barrage of accusations and insults coming from all over the hall, but even felt a pang of pity and heartache.

No wonder she was so anxious.

Look, there's one in this palace, and every single one of them probably wishes they could skin her alive and get rid of her as soon as possible.

Amidst this incessant condemnation, Emperor Xuanpei had a strange thought at this moment—if he wanted to raise his Azhu well, the Jiang family had to clear their name.

Even the claim that A-Zhu had climbed into the emperor's bedchamber... Emperor Xuanpei knew that even issuing an edict would be futile.

After all, no matter how many times it's said, it can't silence the gossip of the world.

So what about another way?

The story of "climbing the dragon bed" is actually about the orphaned daughter of the Jiang family enduring humiliation and bearing countless infamy, sacrificing her own life, just to clear her father and brothers' names and vindicate the Jiang family. What do you think of this explanation?

Promoting "loyalty and righteousness" can shut up those pedantic scholars and even get them to write poems.

To legitimately secure a good reputation for Azhu and their future imperial son.

Emperor Xuanpei slowly stroked the thumb ring in his hand.

Emperor Xuanpei ordered the banning of many of those outrageous stories.

But since Ah Zhu really liked it, Emperor Xuanpei eventually read some of the "righteous and benevolent" stories as well...

The original "femme fatale" turned out to be the loyal and brave orphan Jiang, who was eventually exonerated and had a happy ending—isn't this the kind of story that folks love the most?

Human nature is nothing more than this.

In this land of wealth and splendor, amidst a torrent of condemnation, Emperor Xuanpei, with a slight shift in his mind, devised a perfectly reasonable "good show."

"Your Majesty..."

Empress Wang, who also felt the timing was about right, stepped forward.

"I was wondering if Consort Jiang had gone to Jingshou Garden to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager."

"However, the Empress Dowager is unwell and has been resting quietly after drinking a calming soup, so Consort Jiang naturally hasn't gone to Jingshou Garden..."

As long as he softens his heart towards Ah Zhu, Emperor Xuanpei, who isn't so easily angered, remains just as suspicious—

"Your Majesty, it's kind of you to think of Lady Jiang."

He looked up at Empress Wang and suddenly asked, "But since you remember to send someone to Jingshou Garden to inquire,..."

"Why didn't you send someone to ask me as well?"

"Ask Consort Jiang if she was summoned by me last night to accompany me before the Emperor, but instead she caused such a commotion, as if she wanted to search for someone across the Nine Dragons Garden?"

!!

Empress Wang was slightly startled, and couldn't help but look at Emperor Xuanpei with some astonishment—

Last night, Empress Wang considered how Emperor Xuanpei would issue an edict to punish that lowly maid Jiang, and also considered the possibility that Emperor Xuanpei might be reluctant to punish her because he still found Jiang novel... so she decided to put the matter aside for the time being.

Only—

Empress Wang truly did not expect that Emperor Xuanpei, in the heat of the moment, would not only refrain from issuing an edict to punish Lady Jiang, but would even return to bring her to Zhengyang Palace.

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty..."

Empress Wang tried to remain calm and find a reason.

"I thought that since Consort Jiang had injured her leg, it would be inconvenient for her to serve the Emperor. Even this morning, I did not receive any message from the Emperor to come to Fengyi Palace to report her illness."

"Moreover, the hunting grounds are not like the palace. Consort Jiang is still young and playful, and I was afraid something might happen to her, which is why..."

Empress Wang sighed repeatedly with a look of shame, "This time it was truly my fault."

"It was my fault for not thinking things through and for acting rashly, which resulted in this mess."

Do you think Emperor Xuanpei would believe this?

I don't believe it.

If the "poisonous snake" that Ah Zhu was so terrified of was so easy to coax and deceive, Ah Zhu wouldn't have been so afraid and would have given up on himself like that.

But in the matter of hunting, Prince Qi had already publicly "overpowered" the Crown Prince. If he were to punish Empress Wang in succession today... Emperor Xuanpei slowly nodded and said, "I see."

Empress Wang, who had unknowingly broken out in a cold sweat, forced herself to remain calm.

She smoothly changed the subject, saying, "Now that Consort Jiang is serving before the Emperor, I am relieved... Is Consort Jiang's leg injury any better?"

“She injured her leg, and I was afraid that she would not sleep well at night and would put pressure on the injury, so I took her to Zhengyang Palace to take care of her personally.”

As he spoke, Emperor Xuanpei stared at Empress Wang, saying, "After all, I don't feel comfortable leaving it to others to take care of her."

Seeing that Empress Wang's smile was about to fade, Emperor Xuanpei calmly stood up.

As he was leaving, he added, "She's a bit mischievous and playful, so I've kept her in Zhengyang Palace to recuperate these past few days."

"No need to bother me with anything else."

"There's no need to rush around looking for people."

Empress Wang, who was being mocked so harshly, could only reply, "Yes."

The other concubines rose and bowed, saying, "Respectfully seeing off Your Majesty."

After Emperor Xuanpei was seen off, the concubines in the hall looked at each other, and for a moment they were speechless.

"Alright, everyone go back and rest."

Empress Wang, her mind in turmoil, was only focused on getting everyone else to leave, and even forgot where she was.

It was only after Huiyue whispered a reminder that she helped Empress Wang head towards Fengyi Palace.

What a huge misunderstanding! Just as Empress Dowager Shu watched coldly from the sidelines and the Emperor and Empress tacitly suppressed the incident, it passed quietly.

When Lianxin returned to report the news, her smile vanished. She carefully explained the matter to Lu Yinyue.

Lu Yinyue, who was quite anxious, breathed a sigh of relief, only to find it absurd... But upon closer reflection, she realized that it was probably the infighting and power struggles within the palace that had caused this ridiculous incident.

Lu Yinyue should be happy that Azhu is alright.

But she only suffered a minor injury, yet the Emperor not only personally escorted her to Zhengyang Palace to care for her, but also so openly and without restraint personally intervened to protect Consort Jiang in front of everyone...

Lu Yinyue didn't know whether she should praise the useless Azhu for her seductive skills in "bewitching the emperor's heart," which was truly remarkable.

"Well, fortunately, she has such a wretched and weak nature, and we can still control her."

Lu Yinyue muttered to herself, "In the end, it's a good thing that she's trying to win over the Emperor's heart like this."

......

Empress Wang truly lived up to her reputation as a good master, whom Azhu repeatedly swore to be loyal and devoted to.

She jumped out so quickly to take a bullet for him.

Emperor Xuanpei became suspicious and sent Eunuch Chen to investigate some matters. At the same time, he was no longer so angry with Azhu.

Zhengyang Palace

Ah Zhu has woken up.

Upon seeing Emperor Xuanpei lift the embroidered curtain, her stomach involuntarily spasmed for a moment.

No matter how much she cursed Emperor Xuanpei in her heart, Azhu just looked at him pitifully.

Emperor Xuanpei reached out and lifted Azhu's long, curled eyelashes, which fluttered and trembled.

"You have something to say to me?"

Ah Zhu blinked frantically.

Emperor Xuanpei paused, smiled at Azhu, and then slowly shook his head under her expectant gaze.

"I am still somewhat angry."

"You heartless bastard, you probably just let someone whisper some rumors and start a fight without asking any questions. You just keep poking at my heart and lungs with all your might."

"If you say anything more that I don't like to hear, I'm afraid I might really lose control and kill you."

"Behave yourself for a while."

Emperor Xuanpei looked at Azhu and said, "Wait until I'm not so angry before you say those unpleasant things to continue to annoy me."

A-Zhu: ......

No martial ethics!

A hypocrite, a real scoundrel!

A petty, narrow-minded person!

Emperor Xuanpei covered Azhu's eyes.

"Behave yourself, I'll apply some medicine for you, don't provoke me first."

"Alright... They say a wise man doesn't suffer a loss in front of him, so let's wait and see." Ah Zhu, who had been cursing all along, reluctantly closed his eyes.

......

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Author's note: Thank you for your support, my little cuties! Mwah!