Chapter 156: Late Night Heat (Update 1)
Capital city, imperial palace.
Behind the luxurious pearl curtain, the Queen Mother sat on the beauty couch, leaning slightly to watch the palace maid applying nail polish to her face.
After a moment, she glanced at the people kneeling outside the hall, and a hint of displeasure appeared in her eyes again.
"Come on, who are you doing this for?"
Her voice was cold and majestic, and the maid with nail polish on her face stopped nervously.
Seeing this, the Queen Mother simply stood up and waved away the palace servants: "Everyone, get out."
"Yes." The palace maids filed out of the room, leaving only the smoke from the incense burners curling up in the empty hall.
Duke Xin, who was kneeling outside, saw the Queen Mother come out and called out with a smile, "Sister."
"Don't call me sister. How can I be your sister?"
Duke Xin stood up shamelessly, walked to the side, poured a cup of tea and handed it over. "My elder sister raised me since I was a child. I remember when I was little, Aunt Zhang bullied us because we had no mother and blamed me for everything. It was my elder sister who stood up for me, and that's when father stopped taking sides. Our blood is thicker than water. Is there anyone in this world closer to me than my elder sister?"
The Queen Mother sneered, "You think I'm your relative, so why are you hiding everything from me? Now that something's happened, you think of me. You believe that the Duke has been very troubled before, so what? What do you want from me?"
Duke Xin sighed deeply, "I have no choice. Everything was going smoothly, but who knew the emperor would catch us off guard. He—"
He lowered his voice a little: "He said one thing to my face and another behind my back. How could I have known that he secretly sent Pei Xingju to Hezhou?"
"In the final analysis, it's all because of your clumsy handling of affairs. If you had asked the people below to be more restrained, today's disaster wouldn't have happened!" The Queen Mother scolded.
"Yes, yes, I was wrong about this, and I regret it. But it's already happened, so I have to find a way to resolve it, right?"
"What have you come up with?"
He pondered for a moment and said, "I am too far away to reach Hezhou. Even though the Crown Prince is there, Pei Xingju is too fast. It's too late now. I can only make two preparations."
"What preparations?"
"I'm afraid we can't stop what's happening in Hezhou. So, the only thing we can do is kill Pei Xingju and prevent him from leaving Hezhou."
"You've been trying to assassinate him for so many years, have you ever succeeded?" The Queen Mother sneered.
"So I have to make other preparations," Duke Xin said. "How things will turn out in the end depends on the Emperor's decision. If the Emperor is willing to favor our Liang family, we can escape this disaster."
"You saw it too. Since the Emperor secretly sent Pei Xingju to investigate Hezhou without our knowledge, I'm afraid he's alienated me. Why are you still foolishly hoping that he'll favor the Liang family?"
"Sister, I have an idea."
Duke Xin stepped forward and whispered something to the Queen Mother.
When the Queen Mother heard this, she was shocked at first, then looked hesitant.
"This... If I really do this, I will be pushing the emperor away. He and I are already at odds. If this continues, I'm afraid..."
"Why should Sister worry about all this? Furthermore, Sister is the Emperor's mother, and the bond between mother and son is thicker than blood. Stepping back, Sister is the Empress Dowager of Da Zhao, the pillar of the Liang family. The Emperor may have some complaints about Sister in the short term, but he can make amends in the future. How can a mother and son hold grudges overnight? But Sister's actions will benefit the Liang family for generations to come."
Duke Xin continued, "Once Yixin becomes the empress, the Liang family will be secure. If she can give birth to a prince, the emperor will be unable to touch the Liang family any more."
"Sister!" He said earnestly, "I'm doing this for the future generations of the Liang family!"
The Queen Mother looked troubled: "Let me think about it... Let me think about it..."
.
The Winter Solstice is a day of great importance to the people of Dazhao. Children would cut pieces of paper and draw branches on them, preparing to create a plum blossom "Nine-Nine Cold-Eliminating Plum Blossoms" pattern. The so-called "Nine-Nine Cold-Eliminating Plum Blossoms" pattern begins on the Winter Solstice, with one plum blossom added to the branch each day. When eighty-one plum blossoms have been added, it represents the end of winter and the arrival of bright spring.
This is a favorite pastime for children in every household, while adults would pay homage to their ancestors on this day, burning paper money and sending them winter clothes. The emperor would lead his officials in offering sacrifices to heaven, praying for good weather and peace for the country and the people in the coming year.
That evening, the Empress Dowager had already prepared a table of wine and food in Yongning Palace.
"Send someone to check if the emperor has finished his work. It's cold, don't let him get cold."
"Yes." The eunuch hurried to the Qinzheng Hall to inquire.
After a while, the eunuch came running back: "Empress Dowager, Lord Shen is still discussing matters with the Emperor. Steward Feng from the Qinzheng Palace estimated it would take another quarter of an hour."
The Queen Mother nodded: "Only two quarters of an hour, I can wait."
As night fell, there was indeed movement at the entrance of Yongning Palace. Palace servants carrying lanterns came into the night, and the emperor's carriage stopped outside Yongning Palace.
When he got out of the sedan chair and walked in, he saw the Queen Mother standing on the steps in front of the palace.
The Emperor hurried forward to pay his respects. "Why did your mother come out? It's so windy outside, be careful not to catch a cold."
Before the Empress Dowager could speak, the old maid beside her said, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager is looking forward to your coming. The Empress has been wondering when Your Majesty will arrive, but she is also worried that Your Majesty will be delayed by state affairs and cannot come."
The Queen Mother glared at her in disapproval: "You old thing, you are becoming even more talkative."
The old lady smiled awkwardly.
Her words were quite meaningful. On the one hand, they revealed the Queen Mother's longing for the Emperor, and on the other hand, they reminded the Emperor of his shortcomings as a son.
The Emperor and the Empress Dowager had previously been at odds over the Hezhou incident. Normally, the Emperor would pay his respects to the Empress Dowager almost every other day, but lately, he'd been using his busy schedule as an excuse, clearly angered by the Empress Dowager.
Yongning Palace held a banquet today during the winter solstice in order to ease the relationship between mother and son with the emperor.
The emperor thought so too, so he happily walked down the stairs and came here as soon as he finished his official duties. Now, after hearing what the old nanny said, he was not angry, but felt guilty.
Entering the inner hall, the emperor politely bowed to the empress dowager as a son and said, "Mother, I am sorry for the injustice done to you."
The Empress Dowager's eyes moistened. She hurriedly helped him to his feet and wiped his tears with a handkerchief. "Why should my prince be so unfamiliar? Come, sit down, and let us celebrate the festival in peace."
The palace maids came forward to serve the dishes and poured a glass of wine for the Empress Dowager and the Emperor.
The Emperor tried to stop them, but the Empress Dowager said, "Don't stop me, my son. I'm very happy today. It's been a while since we've sat together like this, mother and son, and drank together."
"Do you remember your childhood?" the Empress Dowager smiled as she recalled the past. "Back then, your father was still alive, you were only seven, and it was also the winter solstice. You watched your father drinking and you were so greedy that your eyes almost fell into the wine cup. Later, your father allowed you to have a drink. Unexpectedly, after just one drink, you became dizzy and spoke nonsense."
When the palace maids heard this, they couldn't help laughing.
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere suddenly became relaxed. The emperor couldn't help but smile: "I have been a poor drinker since I was a child. Whenever the palace holds a banquet, everyone drinks freely, but I can't enjoy myself."
The Queen Mother heard this and said, "Today is not a palace banquet, so there is no need to worry about embarrassing yourself. Just treat it like a child here at A'niang's place. Drink as much as you want."
The word "mother" touched the emperor's heart.
Only those who were born in the royal family know how miserable and difficult life in the royal family is. He was not born as a prince. When the late emperor was alive, Concubine Ren and Empress Liang gave birth to sons at the same time, and Concubine Ren was even born a quarter of an hour earlier. He was considered the eldest son of the royal family of Da Zhao, and Concubine Ren was quite favored, always surpassing Empress Liang in everything. In order to make her son the prince, Empress Liang put a lot of thought into it. For a long time, Empress Liang and her son depended on each other for survival. She often called herself "A Niang" and encouraged him: "Don't be afraid, my son, A Niang is here for you. What belongs to my son can never be taken away by others."
Later, the Ren family got into trouble, and Concubine Ren was banished to the cold palace. Her son also contracted smallpox. Empress Liang was the only one in power in the palace, and with the Liang family's strong support, the emperor was finally made crown prince.
The royal family was known for its unfeeling nature, but the Empress Dowager had truly been a gentle yet strong mother to the Emperor when he was young. Those dark yet warm years had become the Emperor's most unforgettable memories. Therefore, even after taking power, he remained filial to the Empress Dowager and always maintained a tolerant attitude towards the Liang family's affairs.
However, in the past two years, the Liang family has become more and more outrageous, and the emperor has also begun to show his imperial edge and started to consider more aspects besides filial piety. Gradually, his relationship with the Liang family and even the empress dowager has faded.
Tonight, the Empress Dowager tried to coax the Emperor by telling him stories from their childhood, which made the Emperor feel guilty.
"Mother," the emperor had already drunk several glasses of wine, his cheeks flushed, "Your Majesty, you have worked hard over the years. This glass...this glass is for you..."
Before he could finish his words, the chopsticks on the table were knocked to the ground by the wide flutter of his sleeves. If he were to return home, the emperor's proper dining etiquette would never allow such a situation to occur. It was obvious that he was quite drunk.
The maid was about to go forward to clean up, but the Queen Mother smiled and said, "Forget it, the Emperor is also drunk, it is not appropriate to drink anymore today."
She advised the emperor, "We have a long life ahead of us mother and son. You'd better not drink any more. The emperor's health is more important."
The emperor always listened to the empress dowager and knew that he had indeed drunk a little too much tonight, so he nodded.
The Queen Mother looked outside the palace and said, "It's getting late. Why don't we stay here and rest? Otherwise, we might catch a cold after drinking and then going out into the wind."
The emperor had rested in Yongning Palace before, so he didn't think much about it and let the eunuchs help him leave.
Elsewhere, in the Changxin Hall of Yongning Palace, a calming incense burner beneath a folding screen quietly burned. Layers of gauze curtains, reflected in the candlelight, illuminated the exquisitely crafted bed within the inner chamber.
Liang Yixin slept restlessly on the large bed. Perhaps it was because the floor heater was too hot or something else, but she felt very hot and uncomfortable, and the more she slept, the more uncomfortable she felt.
After a moment, he simply lifted the curtain and stood up.
She walked to the table with unsteady steps. After drinking two cups of tea, she still felt it was not enough. She picked up the jade bottle beside her. The cold and hard jade bottle finally relieved some of the dryness.
This was her third day staying in the palace.
The Queen Mother said she had been feeling bored recently and had called her in to talk. Since today was the winter solstice, she was worried she'd be cold at night, so she had the underground heating system lit. At first, Liang Yixin slept soundly, but gradually she began to feel unwell.
It was as if a fire was burning in her heart, and the flames extended to her limbs and bones, making her blood boil and making her feel extremely uncomfortable.
Soon, the coolness of the jade bottle could no longer relieve her heat, so she simply took off her pajamas, leaving only a small and thin bellyband on her body.
She drank two more cups of cold tea before going back to her inner room to continue sleeping.
The air was still unbearably hot, and she tossed and turned on the bed in vain. She opened her mouth to call the maid to come in, but she seemed to have lost all her strength, and even her voice was like a moan.
Liang Yixin felt uncomfortable and unknowingly untied the straps of her bellyband and kept touching herself.
In a daze, I heard someone opening the door. The person quickly approached the bed and seemed to be stunned for a moment.
"Whose little maid are you? How dare you seduce me here?"
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