Chapter 71 Chapter 71 [VIP]
The New Year's Eve banquet has always been the most lively moment in the palace. The Taiji Palace is brightly lit all night long, and this liveliness can last until after the Lantern Festival.
On the previous day, Emperor Yuanshuo would go to the Taimiao and distribute the rice cakes from the sacrificial offerings to the court officials. From that night on, officials from the three provinces and six ministries could return home to rest, and only two or three people would be left on duty in the government offices every day. The prime minister and officials above the fifth rank still had to take turns to stand guard in the palace in case there were any urgent documents.
The emperor would make appointments to visit the temple seven times a year, sometimes going alone, sometimes with the empress and the crown prince. On days like New Year's Eve and the winter solstice, the previous emperors would go with the empress. However, when Emperor Yuan Shuo first ascended the throne, there was no empress. Although he later made the second prince's mother his legitimate wife, he took into consideration her poor health and seldom bothered her.
Even though the imperial concubine is respected in the inner court now, Emperor Yuan Shuo did not dare to let Shen Youyi endure the fatigue of the journey because she was pregnant, and still maintained the tradition of traveling alone.
The baby in her belly already knew how to move, and would turn over slightly from time to time to announce its presence.
Whenever Shen Youyi looked at her growing belly, her heart was filled with joy. She let her hair down, leaned in the tent, gently placed her fingertips on a certain spot on her abdomen, held her breath and waited for a response.
The thing in the belly seemed to sense something, and a shallow bulge appeared on the pajamas, like a small fist.
Looking up, he saw Emperor Yuan Shuo, now dressed in the imperial robes and crown, and couldn't help but boast to him proudly: "It will surely be very smart when it is born!"
Emperor Yuan Shuo's stern features also cast a hint of tenderness. How could a parent dislike their own child? He loved the child's mother very much, so he expressed his approval of this inference without any causal relationship: "She will be as beautiful as Yi Niang."
In the winter morning, there was only a thin layer of moonlight, shining on the cold steps, making it difficult to tell the time. Emperor Yuan Shuo leaned over to ask her to help tie the belt, and inevitably, he touched the warm bed.
It was warm and comfortable there, and there was a beautiful woman, her body drenched in fragrance, who bore him children and occasionally would be dishonest enough to cross the Chu River and Han River and throw herself into his arms seeking comfort... only to give him endless teasing in return.
It’s hard to tell whether it’s repaying a favor or repaying evil.
He didn't want to leave at all. He wanted to stay with her all day long, even if he didn't need physical satisfaction. He just wanted to indulge in her tenderness and couldn't extricate himself.
Shen Youyi could no longer smell the scent of chalcedony on him. Instead, she could smell the refreshing and invigorating scent of bath beans, like the imperial garden after the rain, which was refreshing. Emperor Yuan Shuo bathed more often than before, but she liked his smell more. She sniffed at the side of his neck for a while, feeling the strong beating and temperature of the veins under the skin. Her hearing also became hazy. He seemed to laugh twice, and his Adam's apple rolled over her skin, leaving a shallow depression, which disappeared in a flash.
"At this time next year, would Yi Niang be willing to go with me?"
He coaxed gently, "It won't take too long."
The man's breath hit her face, and Shen Youyi nodded randomly. She was actually not willing to endure this kind of suffering. Wearing a heavy dress to travel in winter, she would inevitably sweat a little. She also had to walk a long way in person, recite a bunch of words, and kneel down to pay homage to emperors and empresses of all dynasties. It was really a very honorable and hard job.
Perhaps being an emperor was such a glorious and demanding experience that she rarely felt any sympathy. Emperor Yuan Shuo even promised to grant her one request, which she had no objection to. "Then my dear, please take me out of the palace for the Lantern Festival. We can go to the Marriage Temple and eat glutinous rice balls with the children. Your Majesty, please win some lanterns for me... I want to hang them in the Purple Palace!"
The man in front of him suddenly fell silent. Just as Shen Youyi was about to say something else to him, he was hit on the forehead, neither light nor heavy.
"Have I never taken Yi Niang out of the palace?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo's face darkened slightly. What did she say at that time?
Shen Youyi turned away with a guilty conscience and argued, "At that time, I didn't think of Your Majesty as my husband... I don't remember anything, and I was questioned about everything. I almost let myself go. How do you want me to have fun with you?"
Emperor Yuan Shuo was somewhat helpless. He had planned to hold a grand birthday celebration for her, but his imperial concubine was still unfamiliar with hosting palace banquets. When she heard about the idea of a grand celebration, she found it troublesome and inconvenient. She would rather teach him to publicize her virtue to the outside world, saying that there were frequent wars this year and there was no intention to waste the treasury's money, so there was no need for ladies from outside the palace to come to the palace to pay their respects.
But in fact, she is not a worry at all and is really spoiled because of her favor.
He bargained with the difficult beauty in the tent for a while, and Shen Youyi reluctantly agreed to hold a palace market in the Western Garden, inviting the common people to enter the palace for one night. Not only would she have a good time, but the ladies of the court and foreign envoys could also visit.
The relaxation of martial law after several months was considered a way for the emperor to show his favor, but the reason for these entertainments was inseparable from the imperial concubine.
It turned out that Emperor Yuan Shuo still had some sympathy for the prince and even agreed to let the prince go on the trip.
She heard from several imperial doctors that
However, she could only show up at trivial matters when accepting the worship of the people together with her father. Her heart was pounding before Emperor Yuan Shuo left.
Emperor Yuanshuo wanted to visit the temple, but she was too sleepy and worried about the baby in her belly, so she didn't go there even though she knew it was still early.
She got up, changed her clothes, and told someone to go to Cuiwei Palace to deliver a gift to the Queen. Then Yun Liangdi and Prince Hengshan, who were kept in the palace, also came to pay their respects.
Ever since the crown prince fell out of favor, even after moving into the inner court, as the mother of the only grandson of the emperor, Yun Liangdi did not feel much happiness. Emperor Yuan Shuo once intended to order Yang Xiuyuan to commit suicide. However, although her mother-in-law loved the crown prince, she was determined not to commit suicide to preserve her own honor and the dignity of the crown prince. Now she was demoted to a commoner and imprisoned in the Yunting Bureau, living a very miserable life. She didn't know when she would have to live that kind of life again.
In particular, the emperor did not think much of his eldest grandson, and only met him occasionally out of his duty as a grandfather.
But after the imperial concubine came back, her life with the child became much better. The imperial concubine moved them to a palace farther away from the Purple Palace, but took good care of their food and clothing. She even allowed her and the child to dictate and let a literate eunuch write a letter home to the prince.
Although she didn't know how sincere the imperial concubine was in doing this, or whether she was just trying to act virtuous to Emperor Yuan Shuo, the benefits still fell on her, and Yun Liangdi would feel grateful. Even the Prince of Hengshan was more affectionate to this grandmother who was close in age to her mother than to her majestic grandfather.
"Originally, I shouldn't have come to disturb Her Majesty, but Yang Shu Ren is the Crown Prince's biological mother. As a concubine in the Eastern Palace, I received some information, and I dared not withhold it from Her Majesty."
Yun Liangdi's face was full of melancholy. The Imperial Concubine was much more beautiful than the Crown Princess, their family background was very similar, and she was even more favored by the Crown Prince. Even she didn't understand why her mother-in-law was determined to break up the young lovers, just like she didn't understand now why she wanted to meet the Imperial Concubine.
Because when she first entered the palace, Shen Youyi and the woman who almost became her mother-in-law often clashed, and most of the time Emperor Yuan Shuo avoided them from meeting. Shen Youyi smiled suddenly and said slowly: "Why did Yang want to see me?"
Yun Liang Di shook her head and said carefully, "Mrs. Yang only asked me to pass on a message, saying that it concerns His Majesty. Madam will know once she sees her."
She thought the Imperial Concubine would not agree, and hurriedly tried to defend herself. Unexpectedly, the Imperial Concubine smiled and said slowly, "She only sees Your Majesty a few times a year. How could she possibly know the inside story? She's being so mysterious, it actually piqued my curiosity."
The Ye Ting Bureau, a place where the wives of criminals were imprisoned, was not suitable for the imperial concubine to go there. The Ye Ting Ling was really shocked when he received the imperial concubine's oral order. He ordered people to bathe Yang, put her in shackles, and take her to Zhaoyang Palace.
When Shen Youyi returned to Zhaoyang Palace, where she had been away for a long time, and saw the woman who had once been so arrogant, she was stunned.
Yang was a beautiful woman who had taken good care of herself over the years. However, the dark life in the Yunting Bureau had damaged her skin and appearance, making it difficult for Shen Youyi to recognize her, which made her feel a little regretful.
But it was only for a moment, she did not sympathize with Yang at all, she just felt that she deserved it.
She was not a woman who would disregard danger for the sake of love. If Yang Xiuyuan had firmly opposed the prince's marriage to her from the beginning and arrogantly ridiculed her, with the obstruction from his biological mother, she would have reconsidered whether the big tree of the Eastern Palace was still worth her clinging to. Or if she became a concubine of the Eastern Palace, cutting off her possibility of becoming Emperor Yuan Shuo's woman, even if she did not want to accept her fate, she could only swallow her anger in front of her mother-in-law.
Instead of being like now, she was looking down at a prisoner from a high position. The flesh and blood in her belly made the status of the prince born by Yang precarious, and even seeing him was as difficult as ascending to heaven.
She did have a bit of a desire to show off to this beautiful yet mean woman, but the moment she saw Yang, she suddenly felt a bit amused.
How could you even think of comparing yourself with someone like that?
No matter how much pride she had, it was almost gone after being tortured by those maids. Unlike the other women in the Yang family, Yang was the emperor's concubine. The maids in the torture chamber would not resort to whipping her, but the subtle torture was enough to drive her crazy. Others might have some hope for her, but she lived in a daze every day.
But when she saw the charming beauty, Yang subconsciously raised her chin, even though the action was a little funny.
This little bitch who seduced her husband and son not only did not die, but instead returned to the palace arrogantly to be her concubine. Her rosy face showed a good complexion, and the palace maids stood around her, blocking her several feet away.
Shen Youyi didn’t teach the palace people to force her to kneel on the ground, and said lightly: “If you want to see me, what else do you have to say?”
Yang looked at her young and tender face and chuckled softly, "Your Highness may be enjoying great success now, but everyone has been young before. Do you think you're the only one who's pregnant?"
When the Queen was a Consort Liang, second only to the Crown Princess, she was also as proud as she was. Even she herself had such a good time when she was the center of attention.
Shen Youyi smiled and said softly: "Madam Yang has also been pregnant, why is she still only a Xiuyuan... No, she should be a commoner now."
People's lives are completely different. Before the imperial concubine entered the palace, the concubines in the harem could only be pitied by Emperor Yuan Shuo when they were about to die, and be canonized as concubines for good luck. The ninth concubine was already a high position below the empress, and only concubines who had given birth to royal heirs could achieve it.
But this vixen had only been in the palace for a few months and had already become the emperor's most beloved concubine. Before that, she had also monopolized all of her son's love. How could she be willing to accept this?
"Your Majesty's vision is indeed getting worse day by day."
Yang's expression was calm, but her sarcasm was obvious. She chuckled and said, "Sister Wang's family background was so noble, and now it's your turn as a frivolous little girl to show off in front of me. You are truly unmatched these days."
The palace maids around lowered their heads. Queen Wang was His Majesty's original wife. She was from the Wang family of Taiyuan. Her father and grandfather were both important ministers around the late emperor. However, unexpectedly, after Emperor Yuan Shuo ascended the throne, apart from posthumously honoring her, he hardly mentioned this first wife. Later, when the mausoleum was built, he had no intention of moving her into the imperial tomb.
Yang's spirits lifted a little. She knew that Emperor Yuan Shuo would never talk about the past in front of her. She had been looking forward to this day for days. Without this breath, she didn't even know if she could stay awake. "Imperial Concubine, aren't you curious about how the late queen died?"
Shen Youyi blinked and said lightly: "Everyone in the palace said that she died of illness, but someone also told me that she was sentenced to death by His Majesty. It's just a rumor and can't be taken seriously."
She was neither surprised nor denied it, as if she had guessed about this past event in the palace a long time ago.
Yang's smile faltered, and she let out a soft breath, "My wife was well-informed, but her death was rather pitiful. She was simply jealous of the Queen being pregnant with Your Majesty's first child, and wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible. She didn't know the Queen's unborn child was a daughter, and I got the upper hand instead."
She personally arranged for someone to hand Queen Wang the powerful medicine, and the woman actually believed it. The medicine was colorless and odorless, and could cause an abortion silently. She never expected that while the mantis stalks the cicada, there is another oriole behind. When the truth was revealed, she was the first to bribe the maid around Wang and put all the blame on Wang.
Except for Wang herself, no one dared to be sure that this was her idea.
"Your Majesty has shown you so much favor today. Your Majesty, wouldn't you think that Your Majesty is deeply in love with you, that you are a truly infatuated man, rare in this world?"
Her voice revealed a hint of disdain. "He's the most selfish man in the world, but I couldn't see through him at the time. Just because I was pregnant, his so-called justice was nothing more than killing the Crown Princess Wang, while I was left unharmed."
Even though she later learned that Emperor Yuan Shuo had long seen the Wang family's dissatisfaction and was deliberately making trouble, she still felt a sense of elation: "What are you so proud of? Do you think that you can rest easy in the future just because you are so high and mighty today and have seen Zihui fall from the platform?"
She sneered, "Even if you climb to that position, there will always be more beautiful women around His Majesty. What can you do? Fighting with young and beautiful goblins day after day, one day you will end up like me and have a taste of what it feels like to be ignored by your husband!"
She once thought that as long as she defeated the Crown Princess and the Queen, refused to acknowledge her husband, and gave birth to a eldest son, her future would be much easier. However, Emperor Yuan Shuo's harem gradually increased. If those concubines had not given birth to daughters and the Queen was not a sickly woman, her life would have been even more difficult. But she finally survived.
Just when she thought she had survived, a vixen suddenly appeared out of nowhere and not only took away her son, but also her husband!
Even if Emperor Yuan Shuo now values the child in her womb, what does it matter? As long as Jun En is gone, the life of this child is not much different from that of Zihui.
The first two queens, including an old friend who served her in the Eastern Palace, were killed by him and the other two were deposed. How good could such a heartless man be to her?
Shen Youyi noticed her resentful and poisonous gaze, but smiled and said, "Madam Yang, these are things for the future. You are worrying too much. I thought you would learn to be smarter. For example, you could tell me about your difficulties back then and why you were so obsessed with it that you wanted to hurt others and yourself."
Yang Xiuyuan glanced at her with contempt: "How could Zihui's wife be a shameless woman like you, seducing others before marriage?"
Sui Chao, standing beside her, glared at her, but the Imperial Concubine motioned her not to go forward and said with a smile, "But marrying a daughter-in-law who can cause chaos through witchcraft can hardly be considered a skill, can it?"
Yang snorted softly. Although she hated this woman who dragged both Yang and the East Palace into this, she hated Shen Youyi even more: "I have been terrified for more than ten years. On what basis can you win Zihui's favor? He still has to guard you... How can a prince spend his days guarding a woman?"
The stable position that she had worried about for many years was effortlessly achieved by another woman?
As for the Crown Princess, although she knew that her son did not like her, she still felt a little happy. Her son would never be seduced by these women and lose his mind and reason.
Shen Youyi clenched his fists, almost unable to suppress the hatred in his heart: “So you slandered my Aye!”
"Madam Imperial Concubine, you've been in the palace for so long, don't you know that human life is just a number?"
Yang recalled the embarrassment of the entire Shen family being imprisoned, and she still felt an indescribable sense of relief. "Who told Zihui to like you? Do I really want to hurt his feelings for an outsider?"
The prince and this woman are totally incompatible, but she has no idea what to do. If it weren't for a godsend opportunity, who knows how many hats this witch would put on Zihui's head!
Marquis of Lingyang, the second prince, and even Zihui's most respected father!
This woman shouldn't even be in the harem. Yang sneered, "No matter how unworthy the Crown Princess is, she's not as fickle as you!"
Shen Youyi shook her head: “You said I was fickle, but how can a man who likes a frivolous woman be considered a good person?”
If the prince had no interest, there would be no need to send people over again and again, anxious to see her.
He loved her and was desperate to win her back, but in Yang's eyes, it was all her fault.
"Everything I have today is given by Your Majesty. I didn't want to thank you."
Shen Youyi didn't expect her to kneel in front of her and cry bitterly, but Yang's look of wanting to bite off a piece of her flesh was really nothing to watch.
"But I still want to thank you. If my wife hadn't interfered, I don't know if I would have swallowed my anger and shed tears in the East Palace, hoping to please a mother-in-law who always looked down on me."
A fifteen-year-old girl couldn't see through this. By the time she realized the other party's arrogance and malice of not wanting to see her, it was too late.
But the woman who looked down on her also paid a more painful price than Shen.
Seeing that the imperial concubine seemed to have lost her patience in talking to Yang, the people from the Yunting Bureau went in and took her down, waiting for the imperial concubine's instructions.
"Since Your Majesty has not explicitly ordered her death, tell the Eternal Palace Commander to treat her well."
Over the years, the eunuchs have changed several times, but now that they know the imperial concubine's past, they naturally dare not have a good face towards Yang. Shen Youyi said: "The life of the eunuchs is the most challenging. There is nothing wrong with teaching her a few more years, but you don't have to talk to her anymore... I'm afraid some things will not sound good if they get out."
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