Chapter 64
The carriage was already waiting outside the door.
The carriage swayed slightly as the master and servant boarded, and the wheels began to rumble.
After traveling for about half an hour, the vehicle stopped.
Lifting the sedan curtain, a vast and majestic vermilion palace wall suddenly appeared before my eyes.
Xueya couldn't help but look up, filled with awe and curiosity about life within these high walls.
Following the eunuch forward a few steps, the palace gates came into view. Xueya quietly tugged at Lin Yi's sleeve, her voice low and weak: "Miss... are you panicking? I... I'm a little scared."
The original owner, Qiu Qing, was probably already quite familiar with entering the palace, but Lin Yi was here for the first time. How could he not be flustered?
Unlike the ancient city walls and palaces that you visit in real life through history, this is a real palace, full of life and human presence.
As you step onto the bricks and stones, the majesty seems to penetrate your heart through your soles.
I don't know what kind of person Consort Shu is, or whether she's easy to get along with. The better she treated the original owner, the easier it was for Lin Yi to reveal her weaknesses. She's completely ignorant of court etiquette, and if she's not careful, someone with ulterior motives could seize on her.
Lin Yi straightened his back, not daring to be careless in any movement.
But she still patted Xueya's hand, her voice as calm as ever: "Silly girl, what's the rush? Just follow behind me."
These words seemed to first calm her down, and courage rose silently. As a result, her straight back was no longer stiff, and her wandering fear was replaced by calm resilience.
Lin Yi told herself, what's there to be afraid of? This is nothing. She'll go somewhere even more central and unpredictable than this place.
"Greetings to the Imperial Noble Consort Shu." Lin Yi bowed to the figure not far away.
The Imperial Concubine, who was doing her makeup in front of the mirror, looked up in surprise upon hearing this, her voice filled with an eagerness unbecoming of her noble status: "Qingye is here! Come quickly, come to your aunt!"
The Imperial Concubine Shu bore a five-tenths resemblance to Qiu's mother. However, with her head full of gold, jade, and pearls and her flamboyant makeup and attire, only three-tenths of that resemblance remained.
But those familiar features still made Lin Yi feel warm and fuzzy.
"aunt."
"Come here—let your aunt take a good look at you." Consort Shu pulled Lin Yi's hand, looking him up and down as if she couldn't get enough of him. "Why do you seem to have lost weight? Have you not been eating properly again? But you have become even more beautiful! How are you? Are the children from the Yong'an Marquis's mansion treating you well? Have they made you feel bad?"
Confined within these high walls, the Imperial Concubine's life was far from free; she had no one to confide in. When she finally saw her family, she poured out her heart to them like beans spilling from a well.
Lin only managed to get the last sentence out of her: "Cheng Nan is very good to me and has never wronged me in the slightest."
"That's good then. When you insisted on marrying her, your aunt was worried..." After dismissing the last palace maid, Consort Shu continued, "You see the wealth and splendor of this palace, with everything in place, but only you know the desolation within." She held Lin Yi's hand, her voice carrying a hint of barely perceptible weariness, "What Consort, what Empress, those titles sound nice, but frankly, you're just a concubine. It's never as fulfilling as being a wife. It's suitable for you to marry into the Marquis's household. A good life for the couple is more important than anything else. I'll talk to His Majesty later and ask him not to add any more people to the Marquis's household for the next few years. No matter what, we can't let Qingye suffer."
“Cheng Nan currently has no plans to take a concubine. If he really wants to… then let’s do as he pleases,” Lin Yi said, bowing his head.
Although it was just polite talk, I couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness in my heart.
No woman wants her husband to have multiple wives and concubines, or even a large number of them, no matter how magnanimous she may appear in public. This is a heavy topic, and Lin Yi didn't know how to comfort this woman who had spent twenty years navigating the complexities of the palace.
She traveled from the 21st century, where monogamy and marriage laws were deeply ingrained in people's minds. So naturally, Lin Yi wanted to be with the person she loved for life.
But what about Xie Chengnan? What does he think, having grown up in this era?
He likes to go to listen to music; is there someone he likes there, someone he wants to bring home?
Lin Yi knew that in this world, husband and wife were one, sharing both glory and loss. In public, she represented the young mistress of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, and her every move was not just about herself.
Those words she said earlier weren't truly against her will. If Xie Chengnan really had someone he liked, she wouldn't force herself to take the position of the young mistress.
"You said you didn't care, why are you making such a sour face?" the Imperial Concubine teased. "You don't need to hide it from me, your aunt has been through this before..."
Not wanting to continue the conversation, Lin Yi seized an opportunity to suggest, "Aunt, how about I tell you about things at home?"
"Okay—look at me, I've been asking you all sorts of random questions, without considering whether you want to hear them or not. How are your parents? Is your sister alright?"
"Father and Mother are both well," Lin paused and said, "Father and Mother asked me to inquire after the Imperial Concubine and to say that everything is fine at home, and that you should not worry."
"How could I not miss her? My sister and I haven't seen each other for half a year..."
...
After inquiring about all the important and trivial matters in the household, Consort Shu finally turned the conversation to serious business.
"Actually, the reason I called you here today is to give you a few words of advice. The Qiu family has never been involved in court politics, but..." Consort Shu hesitated before continuing.
"Aunt, please speak freely."
"Tell your aunt the truth: what is your relationship with the Xie family boy really like?"
Unexpectedly, she was still worried about this. Lin Yi was taken aback for a moment, and then answered truthfully, "I have a very deep relationship with the young marquis, and Qing also truly likes him. He treats me... truly well."
Hearing this, the Imperial Concubine remained uneasy, her expression still grave. She asked seriously, "Do you still have feelings for the Crown Prince?"
Lin Yi suddenly realized that what she was worried about was her connection with the Crown Prince, which might drag her into the power struggles. The Imperial Noble Consort Shu had a son named Gu Shucun, the Emperor's seventh son and Qiu Qingye's cousin. In the original story, the Crown Prince's brothers didn't have a particularly good relationship with him, but none of them caused any major problems. However, as the mother of the seventh prince, it was impossible for her to be completely uninterested in the position.
She vaguely remembered that when the Qiu family fell from power, one of the charges was that they had secretly visited a prince.
“I have long since let go of His Highness the Crown Prince. Now I am merely an acquaintance of him.”
"really?"
Lin Yi sighed softly. Why couldn't anyone believe that she had no improper thoughts about Gu Shu'an?
“It’s absolutely true. Qingye did indeed have feelings for the Crown Prince before, but a few days ago she suddenly realized that His Highness is a noblewoman, not someone I could ever dream of. That’s why I asked you to petition the Emperor to grant us a marriage. Now I am Xie Chengnan’s wife, Aunt, don’t you believe me?”
Consort Shu took her hand again and said earnestly, "Qingye, it's not that your aunt doesn't believe you... it's just that the Crown Prince... In short, it's best if you break off your relationship with him."
Lin Yi sensed some danger and asked, "Aunt, do you know something? Could you tell Qingye?"
"Since you've truly severed all ties with him, there's no harm in telling you. Do you know why a palace banquet is being held tomorrow?"
Xie Chengnan had already explained the ins and outs of the palace banquet to her, but after weighing the options, Lin Yi decided to pretend to be clueless: "Isn't it for the Qixi Festival?"
Consort Shu shook her head, her golden hairpin swaying slightly. "Your Majesty's considerations are far-reaching; how could they be so simple?"
"I heard from the head eunuch of Shou'an Palace that His Majesty has been quite dissatisfied with the Crown Prince recently. I don't know what rebellious thing he did outside the palace that angered His Majesty so much that even this palace banquet was prepared by the Sixth Prince."
Lin Yi had never heard of these things before. The emperor's dissatisfaction with the crown prince must be related to Zhan Xian.
Lin Yi covered her mouth, looking incredulous.
Consort Shu seemed quite pleased with her surprise. "Although I wasn't the first to serve His Majesty, I've been by his side for twenty years, so I understand him better than most. His Majesty is truly furious this time. The Qixi Festival banquet he invited were mostly young, powerful officials or the children of important ministers. They said they were celebrating Qixi together, but their real intention was elsewhere. I think—"
Consort Shu lowered her voice even further, her crimson lips almost touching Lin Yi's ear, "Most likely she's using this opportunity to observe who else in the court is capable of taking on such an important role..."
Lin Yi exclaimed, "Auntie means—!"
Consort Shu pressed down on her open mouth and gently shook her head.
Although the Imperial Concubine didn't say it explicitly, Lin Yi understood her unspoken meaning. She felt that the Emperor was already dissatisfied with the Crown Prince and intended to reconsider the succession.
Lin Yi knew that the Crown Prince, who was the male protagonist of the original book, would not only not fall from power, but would also successfully inherit the throne, but he could not say this to the Imperial Concubine.
She could only offer a gentle reminder: "Even if His Highness the Crown Prince angers His Majesty, he is still the Crown Prince. It doesn't necessarily mean that His Majesty will truly dislike him... You can say these things to me, but you mustn't say them to others... His Majesty is most averse to interference in politics by the harem. If..." Lin Yi didn't finish her sentence. If the Consort still didn't understand, then there was no need to continue.
“I understand everything you’re saying. Your aunt isn’t one of those brainless women. I’m telling you this so you can see the situation clearly and absolutely not get involved with the Crown Prince again.”
Did she really understand? Lin Yi had deep doubts about this. It was no wonder she was worried about her aunt. Consort Shu had been in the palace for twenty years and could see through the true intentions behind an imperial edict, yet she didn't understand the principle that "important matters should not be lightly conveyed to others," even if that person was her own flesh and blood. It was truly a mystery how she had survived all those decades of palace intrigue to the end. Perhaps it was just another plot hole in the author's work.
Since the Imperial Concubine trusted him so much, Lin Yi also hoped she could have a better ending. However, apart from the intense tug-of-war between the male and female protagonists, everything else in this book is rather vague.
Lin Yi hadn't been paying close attention and couldn't quite recall the Imperial Noble Consort's fate. He only remembered that after the Qiu family's downfall, she was also demoted, her rank repeatedly lowered. It was hard to say whether the Qiu family's rapid collapse was due to the loss of the Imperial Noble Consort's protection, or whether the Imperial Noble Consort was implicated by the Qiu family. Among the Qiu family's crimes was 'privately visiting a prince and forming a clique for personal gain.' After today's in-depth conversation, Lin Yi reasonably suspected that this prince was Gu Shucun, and this 'clique for personal gain' was naturally related to the Imperial Noble Consort Shu and the Seventh Prince.
After the palace banquet, she needed to return to the Qiu residence to remind Qiu's parents to keep their distance from their relatives, including the imperial concubine and the prince, and to refrain from contacting them until Gu Shuan successfully ascended the throne.
That's not enough. They also need to carefully guide the Consort and the Seventh Prince to prevent them from doing anything out of line. If they really anger the Emperor by coveting the position of Crown Prince, even if the Qiu family jumps out to distance themselves, it will be in vain.
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