Chapter 255 Offering the Title of Consort? The Ceremony of Establishing the Empress

Upon receiving the Empress Dowager's words, Ji Qingwu immediately stopped crying.

With tears welling up in her eyes, she said, "Your Majesty, has anything amiss? Ever since I entered the palace, the Emperor has only had two days of novelty before he grew tired of me."

The Empress Dowager pondered her words carefully. She realized that her daily orders for Ji Qingwu to appear before the Emperor had backfired.

"You mean to say that I was too impatient?"

Ji Qingwu said, "This matter cannot be rushed; we must proceed gradually."

The Empress Dowager said, "Tell me, how do you plan to do this?"

Ji Qingwu glanced at Shi Xi and Fang Hua standing in the hall, then hesitated to speak.

The Empress Dowager said, "These two have served me for many years, so there's no need to avoid them."

Ji Qingwu pursed her lips and said, "Empress Dowager, it's not that I don't trust my two aunts, it's just that I'm a little embarrassed to say it..."

The Empress Dowager did not make things difficult for her, and said, "Alright, you two can go down first."

Ji Qingwu didn't want Fanghua to hear what he was about to say, and then for it to reach Emperor Wusu's ears.

The two bowed and retreated outside the hall, and the door closed behind them.

The Empress Dowager said, "Is that alright now? There's no one else here. Now you can speak."

Ji Qingwu's eyes were still a little red, but there was no sign that she had been crying.

She said, "Since His Majesty has finished speaking, I will no longer go to the Emperor's presence."

Not going?

The Empress Dowager disagreed with her idea and said it was nonsense.

Then, with a deep frown, he said, "How can that be? If too much time passes, the emperor will really forget about you. That would be like trying to steal a chicken but losing the rice instead, and you'd have nowhere to cry."

Ji Qingwu didn't really want to stay far away from Emperor Wusu. Now that she had entered the palace, she wouldn't give up so easily.

In the few days since she entered the palace, she has come to her senses...

Since the Empress Dowager has something she wants to get from her, she might as well use the Empress Dowager to do something she wants to do as well.

Ji Qingwu called out, "Aunt."

This was the first time the Empress Dowager had heard her niece call her "aunt," and the gentle way she addressed her was quite soothing to the ears.

When Ji Qingwu wanted to please someone, he rarely failed.

She picked up the round fan on the table, gently waving her porcelain-white wrist, and fanned the Empress Dowager from behind.

But most of the wind still fell on her.

Ji Qingwu said, "I only realized today how unreliable men are. They just wanted to get rid of me with a simple 'I'm tired of you'."

The tone was melancholy, much like that of a resentful woman confined to her boudoir, long rejected by her husband.

Ji Qingwu sighed and continued, "I was ignorant before, but now I realize that my aunt is the best to me and thinks long-term for me."

The Empress Dowager was touched, and her expression softened considerably.

"Qingwu, I've been through this before. Because of what you said, I will also promote you to the rank of concubine. Don't be discouraged. Just get through this period, and good days will come from here."

Ji Qingwu said, "I am staying in the palace not for myself, but for the Empress Dowager and the Ji family."

The Empress Dowager nodded: "It's excellent that you think that way. You mentioned earlier that you want to proceed gradually. How do you intend to do that?"

Ji Qingwu said, "If the Emperor says he doesn't want to see me, then I won't go to see him. But as my aunt said, after a while, men crave novelty and might forget me. So I'll stay in the palace and do things that the Emperor can't forget."

The Empress Dowager looked at her in surprise and asked, "What are you going to do?"

Ji Qingwu's eyes flickered slightly as she asked, "Aunt, do you know any methods used in the palace to vie for the emperor's favor?"

The Empress Dowager had not expected that Ji Qingwu, who was usually so timid and hesitant, would have such audacious ambition to vie for the Emperor's favor.

"Didn't you just say that you wouldn't go to the emperor's side anymore? So how are you going to compete for his favor?"

There are many ways to win favor. On a small scale, it's about catering to someone's tastes, composing a piece of music or playing an instrument to show off your talents, or preparing a song and dance performance to display your beautiful and graceful figure.

On a larger scale, it refers to the tactics used in palace intrigue, but Ji Qingwu is not yet an empress or concubine, so she cannot use them for the time being.

Ji Qingwu walked around to the front of the Empress Dowager and said angrily, "Tonight, the news that the Emperor disliked me in Zhaoyang Palace should have spread throughout the palace. People in the palace underestimated me, which means they underestimated the Ji family and also underestimated my aunt."

The Empress Dowager agreed wholeheartedly and said with satisfaction, "You've finally grasped this principle, child. We are a family where we share both glory and fortune."

Ji Qingwu said with bright eyes, "So, I want to fight for this favor to show the whole palace, and I need my aunt's help."

The Empress Dowager nodded with a pleased expression: "As long as you have this intention, I will definitely help you."

Ji Qingwu deftly twirled the round fan in his hand.

She smiled and said, "But I just won't let the Emperor see it."

The Empress Dowager understood what she meant.

"You're quite clever."

The Empress Dowager acted swiftly, ordering everything Ji Qingwu needed to be prepared the very next day, and even hiring a tutor from outside the palace to teach her.

Ji Qingwu is not good at music, but he is very talented in other areas.

She was busy practicing during the day, but would take some time after dinner to meet with Yuan Heng.

The two met at the Jiying Hall, which was usually empty as there were no banquets being held there.

They found a corner and sat together, their arms close together, talking about what they had done during the day.

Ji Qingwu would also secretly wrap some of the better-quality pastries made in the small kitchen of Cining Palace in silk cloth and bring them to Yuan Heng.

Yuan Heng couldn't bear to eat it; he would always take it back and store it in a treasure box.

Their feelings for each other grew stronger every day, and Ji Qingwu's training progressed rapidly.

Amidst her instructors' praise, she successfully completed her apprenticeship.

*

The Hall of Diligent Governance has been as quiet as a stagnant pool these past few days.

The emperor remained silent in a somber mood, and Li Yuzong dared not utter a sound either.

Today, Emperor Wusu went out of the palace incognito, without even taking Duan Mingfeng with him. He didn't return until dinner time, and his face showed obvious signs of fatigue.

He sat in front of a large desk, with a pile of documents, half a person's height, on his right.

Li Yuzong stood at the bottom of the steps and said, "Your Majesty, the servants from the Imperial Kitchen have brought your dinner. This old servant will serve you a little something first."

Emperor Wusu waved his hand: "Let them withdraw."

Li Yuzong said, "Your Majesty, you've been eating less these past few days. No one is made of iron; how can you survive without food? This will all be recorded in your daily log. If you do this again..."

Apart from the Empress Dowager and the Empress, no one had the right to see the Emperor's daily records.

But even with the Empress Dowager's title, she couldn't persuade the Emperor.

But Li Yuzong, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, knew very well what Emperor Wusu had been doing recently.

The emperor ordered him to begin preparing the auspicious clothing and supplies for the empress's investiture ceremony, which would take at least half a year to prepare.

Li Yuzong said, "If the future Empress finds out, she will surely reprimand this servant for not being diligent enough."

Emperor Wusu frowned and scolded, "You talk too much."

But when Li Yuzong led the eunuchs to place the meal on the round table in the side hall, he did not stop them.

The Hall of Diligent Governance was quiet, but sounds from outside could be heard.

It was the sound of drums, and if you listened carefully, you could also hear the sounds of string and wind instruments.