Chapter 10 Conferring the Title of Zhaoyi Gu Xi looked closely and saw that someone was sitting in the pavilion…
"Gu Xi, daughter of Hanlin Academy scholar Gu Chengzhong, enters the hall..." Eunuch Wang, the chief steward of the Imperial Household Department, loudly proclaimed.
Gu Xi took a deep breath and walked into the hall, her palms already slightly sweaty.
As soon as Gu Xi entered the hall, she saw the Emperor and the Consort sitting on either side. The Emperor was still wearing his dragon robe, and his face was expressionless, just as aloof and noble as when she saw him at the lake pavilion that day. The Consort next to him had a smile on her lips, but the smile did not reach her eyes.
This was her first time seeing the current Empress Xue, who had been in the palace for over a month.
Consort Xue was the daughter of Xue Huaiyuan, the Right Chancellor of the current dynasty, and her maiden name was Xue Huixin. In the second year of the Emperor's reign, she was summoned to the palace and won the Emperor's favor. Soon she was made a Consort. Now that the position of Empress was vacant, Consort Xue naturally became the most powerful woman in the harem besides the Empress Dowager.
Before entering the palace, Consort Xue was already one of the three most famous beauties in the capital. Her face was like a blooming peony, her attire was extremely luxurious, and her brows exuded a noble aura that made people dare not look directly at her. Yet, her demeanor and expressions also possessed the beauty and allure of a woman.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty and pays respects to the Noble Consort!" Gu Xi respectfully performed the kneeling ceremony.
"Rise," the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine said in unison.
At this moment, an eunuch brought over several plaques. Gu Xi flipped over the middle one, which had a single character written on it—"Qin" (琴, meaning zither). After returning the plaque, she sat down as guided by a palace maid.
Gu Xi chose "Wild Geese Descending on the Sandbank" as her piece today. This piece is not difficult, but it requires attention to the smoothness of the melody and the purity of the tone. However, she deliberately controlled the rhythm of the piece, and several subtle pauses made the whole piece sound fragmented, which greatly diminished the artistic conception of the piece.
During this time, she secretly glanced at the Emperor and the Consort a few times. She noticed that the Consort's brows were slightly furrowed, as if she was not very satisfied, while the Emperor's expression did not change much throughout the entire process, making it impossible to discern his emotions.
The selection of imperial concubines has always been quite strict, with talent, appearance, and family background being the most important criteria. She clearly does not meet the requirements for the first two, and if there are no surprises, she should be eliminated.
After the song ended, Gu Xi returned to the center of the hall to await the results of the assessment.
"Your Majesty, what do you think of this piece?" Consort Xue asked.
"What does the Imperial Concubine think?" The Emperor did not answer, but instead threw the question back to the Imperial Concubine.
"In my humble opinion, this piece was played so-so, not even as well as Cuihuan in my room..." the Imperial Concubine said coquettishly, while the palace maids standing beside her covered their mouths and secretly laughed.
"Hmm, the playing was indeed not very good..." the Emperor chuckled and agreed.
Gu Xi's face flushed slightly from their comments. Although she had deliberately played the piano that way, being teased about it still made her feel a little embarrassed.
"Although her playing of the zither is not very good, her character is quite good," the Imperial Concubine said, changing the subject.
"Oh?" Upon hearing the Imperial Concubine's words, the Emperor seemed to suddenly become interested. He leaned back in his chair, opened his hands and lightly held the armrests, making it appear as if he was listening attentively.
"I've heard that a few days ago, this Miss Gu Xi offended Consort Wan. Your Majesty was also present at the time. Is that true?"
The Emperor did not respond, but the Consort continued, "Hmph, if you ask me, it must be that Consort Wan who is deliberately making things difficult. Do you think I don't know? She is just taking advantage of the Emperor's favor to act arrogantly in the palace!" After saying that, the Consort pretended to be angry.
The emperor raised an eyebrow, neither confirming nor denying.
Hearing this, Gu Xi already sensed something was wrong. Did the Imperial Concubine intend to keep her alive to deal with Consort Wan?!
“No…” Gu Xi tried to explain, but the Imperial Concubine interrupted her.
"Therefore, in my humble opinion, although Sister Xi's zither playing is not very good, and her appearance cannot compare to Sister Wan's, she is still quite pretty and charming. Most importantly, she is gentle and virtuous, and will surely be able to help His Majesty in the future..."
"Then, according to the Consort's opinion..." the Emperor asked, raising an eyebrow.
"In my humble opinion, we should bestow upon Sister Xi the title of Zhaoyi. What does Your Majesty think?"
The emperor pondered for a moment and said, "The Imperial Concubine can make the decision." He then slightly raised his eyelids and glanced at Gu Xi.
"Since His Majesty has agreed, then let me bestow upon my sister the title of Consort Gu." She finished speaking and looked at the Emperor with a smile in her eyes.
The Emperor's attitude pleased the Consort, and her anger from a few days ago because of Consort Wan's overstepping of her bounds completely disappeared.
That day in Xianfu Palace, when she heard that Consort Wan had slapped a palace maid in private, she knew that her opportunity had come. So she had someone deliberately lead the Emperor towards the Imperial Garden, so that the Emperor could see with his own eyes how Consort Wan was abusing her favor and acting arrogantly.
She knew the Emperor best. He could bestow unparalleled favor upon her, but he would never tolerate her taking advantage of it or acting arrogantly. Fortunately, the Emperor did not disappoint her. He not only confined Consort Wan to her quarters but also handed her over to her for punishment, giving her ample face and letting Consort Wan know who truly ruled the harem!
That Consort Wan was also foolish. At that time, she still defied the Emperor's will and was reportedly slapped several times for no reason. She truly deserved what she got.
All of this is thanks to the young lady who has just entered the palace. She has been extremely happy these past few days.
She immediately inquired about the new palace maid and found that she was not only of average appearance but also mediocre in talent, posing no threat to her. Upon seeing her today, she confirmed this. Therefore, she decided to keep her to provoke the arrogant Consort Wan.
As Gu Xi listened to their back-and-forth discussion, which quickly decided whether she should stay or leave, she felt a deep sense of powerlessness. She opened her mouth to say something, but found that it was useless to say anything at this moment.
The Imperial Concubine was indeed determined to keep her around to deal with Consort Wan. She promoted her to the rank of Zhaoyi, only one rank lower than Consort Wan. Firstly, this was to dampen Consort Wan's arrogance, as Consort Wan's haughtiness must have angered the Imperial Concubine for a long time. Secondly, since Consort Wan's rank was lower than Consort Wan's, Consort Wan would inevitably continue to bully her. The Imperial Concubine hoped that Consort Wan would make a scene in front of the Emperor, just like that time, so that the Emperor would completely despise her.
Even she could see through Consort Xue's thoughts, so the Emperor couldn't possibly be unaware, which means he tacitly approved of it all. As for his intentions, Gu Xi had no idea; perhaps it was simply to please the Consort.
Gu Xi couldn't remember what happened next. When she came to her senses, she had already been ushered out of the hall.
"Gu Xi, daughter of Hanlin Academy scholar Gu Chengzhong, is gentle and virtuous, and deeply favored by me. She is hereby conferred the title of Consort Gu and granted residence in Weiyang Palace..."
"My God, how did she get chosen?" someone exclaimed in surprise.
"Yeah, why? If someone like her can get ahead, why can't I..." she said, accompanied by sobs.
"Don't worry, she's offended Consort Wan, her future won't be easy..." someone said gloatingly.
Gu Xi listened to the imperial decree of investiture and the endless discussions outside the Tiyuan Hall, and resignedly closed her eyes.
From now on, all people and things outside the palace will be completely cut off from this imperial edict, and no one knows what the future holds for them.
*
Five days after the investiture, Gu Xi and Zhu Yin moved into Weiyang Palace.
Weiyang Palace is secluded, located near Bihe Garden to the north of Chuxiu Garden, and is farther away from the Emperor's Ganqing Palace and Consort Xue's Xianfu Palace.
The Imperial Household Department also arranged two palace maids for Gu Xi, Cai Lian and Hua Yue.
Cailian has been in the palace for three years and is quite familiar with palace affairs. She is efficient and thoughtful in her work, which makes Gu Xi very satisfied.
Huayue, on the other hand, just entered the palace this year. She is two years younger than Cailian. Because of her young age, she is also straightforward and cute, and always makes everyone laugh unintentionally.
Gu Xi had been spending a few days with them, and their relationship was fairly harmonious.
"Your Majesty, I heard when I was in the Imperial Kitchen that His Majesty is very handsome. Is that true?" Hua Yue, who was wiping the table, suddenly asked with wide eyes, as if she had been holding back for a long time before asking.
"Hua Yue! What nonsense are you talking about?! How dare we discuss the Emperor? Your Majesty, please forgive us!" After saying this, Cai Lian pulled Hua Yue down to kneel down together.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me!" Hua Yue was also frightened and quickly begged for forgiveness.
"What are you doing? Get up!"
Gu Xi was at a loss for what to do, so she quickly got up to help them up.
"It's alright, Cailian, you don't need to be so nervous," Gu Xi reassured her, as she found a chair and sat down.
Cailian pursed her lips, not daring to speak.
"Does Hua Yue really want to know?" Gu Xi asked Hua Yue with a smile, looking at her as if she were a child.
Hua Yue hesitated for a moment, then stole a glance at Cai Lian before nodding heavily.
Seeing her nodding vigorously, Gu Xi couldn't help but chuckle: "Yes, Hua Yue is right, the Emperor is indeed handsome and dashing, like Pan An."
"Really, Your Highness? Hua Yue also longs to meet the Emperor." Hua Yue's eyes lit up when she heard Gu Xi's answer.
“Hua Yue…” Cai Lian winked at Hua Yue, afraid that she would say something shocking.
Hua Yue received Cai Lian's gaze but chose to ignore it, instead asking innocently, "Sister Cai Lian, my mother said that everyone has a love for beauty. Don't you want to know what a beauty like the Emperor looks like?"
“Hua Yue…” Cai Lian was speechless for a moment. She wanted to say that this sentence was not used in this way.
Gu Xi and Zhu Yin couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The four of them, master and servants, got to know each other through playful bickering. Gu Xi suddenly felt that it wouldn't be so bad if life in the palace could continue like this forever.
Night fell quickly, and Huayue and Cailian went back to their rooms to rest, leaving only Zhuyin in Guxi's room.
"Miss, the bedchamber is finally finished. You should rest early today and not overwork yourself!" Zhu Yin said as she lowered the bed curtains for Gu Xi.
Gu Xi agreed and then closed her eyes.
Zhu Yin blew out the candle, gently closed the door, and walked to her room.
Gu Xi lay in bed for a long time without falling asleep, her mind filled with the events of the past few days. She hadn't really figured out how to deal with her days in the palace ahead.
Unable to sleep, I decided to get up and go for a walk outside.
She had already washed up before bed, and her makeup and hair were all gone, so she took a shortcut and just covered her face with a towel before going out.
There are usually few people around Weiyang Palace, so she wasn't worried about being seen.
Lost in her own thoughts, Gu Xi unknowingly walked to Bihe Garden.
She lowered her head and walked towards the pavilion. Only when she stepped onto the pavilion's steps did she realize something was wrong.
Gu Xi suddenly looked up and was shocked to find that there was someone in the pavilion!
Gu Xi looked closely and realized that the person sitting in the pavilion was none other than the current emperor, Xiao Heng!
A note from the author:
----------------------
He's started, he's started! [Let me see]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com