Chapter 27 Consort Li's Visit: "Get out! Don't ever come again!"...
"Your Highness, Your Highness..." Granny Chang called out to Consort Xue several times, but she did not respond. "Your Highness, what's wrong?" Granny Chang looked at her with concern. Ever since returning from Jingyang Palace, she had been absent-minded.
Consort Xue then slowly turned her head to look at Granny Chang.
"Granny, is Consort Wan really dead?" Consort Xue suddenly asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty," Granny Chang sighed, "She deserved it; she dared to poison the Empress Dowager at her birthday banquet."
"I never imagined she was actually one of the Empress Dowager's people..." Consort Xue murmured. But if she was one of the Empress Dowager's people, why would she poison the Empress Dowager?
"Yes, this servant didn't expect this either. Consort Wan used to be at odds with us all the time... Could this be the Empress Dowager's intention?"
Consort Xue pondered for a moment but did not answer; she was also unsure.
"Granny, do you still remember what Consort Wan said before she died... Who exactly was she talking about?" the Imperial Concubine asked anxiously.
"Your Highness, are you referring to the person in His Majesty's heart?"
The imperial concubine nodded.
"That must be Consort Li. Who else could the Emperor have on his mind right now but her? But it doesn't matter. The Emperor loves this one today and that one tomorrow. He might change his mind in a few days." Granny Chang comforted her, "Your Majesty, you shouldn't worry too much. The Emperor's favor is important, but nothing is as real as power. The most honored person in the harem right now is still our Your Majesty."
Consort Xue nodded, then shook her head, and said, "No, I always feel that she wasn't talking about Consort Li."
Consort Xue stared into the distance, when suddenly a brilliant idea struck her. "Granny, please investigate something for me... Please find out if any of the newly selected ladies-in-waiting know the Emperor before."
"Does Your Highness have doubts?"
Consort Xue remained noncommittal: “Go and investigate. Apart from Consort Li, everyone who entered the palace this time must be investigated… This matter must not be known to anyone, especially the Emperor.”
She used to think that the Emperor was unwilling to establish an Empress because he still had concerns about her father and was afraid that the Xue family's influence in the court would grow too strong. So she was willing to wait until he had enough trust in her and the Xue family.
But recently, she has increasingly felt that the reason he is reluctant to establish an empress is probably because he already has someone in his heart, not the one they see on the surface, but someone who has truly captured his heart. And what Consort Wan said seems to confirm her guess.
This feeling only arose after the selection of the imperial concubines for the palace. After returning from Wanfo Temple, her unease grew stronger and stronger.
If such a person truly exists, she must find her; otherwise, not only will she lose her position as Empress, but she might even lose her current status as a Noble Consort.
“Yes, Your Highness,” Granny Chang replied.
*
Gu Xi arrived at Cining Palace early the next morning to prepare medicine for the Empress Dowager.
She brought Cailian with her this time; she's always been reliable and rarely makes mistakes.
After Qin Wanyu and Granny Liu finished serving the Empress Dowager her medicine, she was about to take her leave when the Empress Dowager suddenly called her back.
"Gu girl, come here and let me take a look at you."
These past few days, she sent people to investigate Gu Xi's background, never expecting that she would actually be that person's disciple. She hadn't seen him for one or two decades, and she didn't know if they would recognize each other if they met again.
The Empress Dowager held Gu Xi's hand, like a kind elder: "Thanks to you for saving my life that day, I feel even better than before thanks to your care these past few days."
"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager is blessed with boundless good fortune; I dare not claim credit for it," Gu Xi said humbly.
"She's a sensible child," the Empress Dowager said, nodding in satisfaction at Gu Xi. She continued, "I see that although you are a woman, your medical skills are remarkable, even surpassing those of the imperial physicians in the palace. May I ask who your teacher is?"
Gu Xi knew the Empress Dowager would ask this question, and had already prepared her answer: "Your Majesty flatters me. I have been weak since childhood, and over time I have learned some medicine. My master was just an ordinary traveling doctor who often traveled around, so he just happened to recognize this poison. My medical skills are far inferior to those of the imperial physicians in the Imperial Hospital."
"Child, you are too modest. The Imperial Medical Academy is so pedantic. It should have been reformed long ago. They can't even cure a small poison. What use are they in the palace?" The Empress Dowager frowned as she spoke, clearly dissatisfied with the Imperial Medical Academy.
At this point, Gu Xi dared not reply and could only lower her head to listen.
After a while, the Empress Dowager said she was tired, so Gu Xi took her leave and walked towards Weiyang Palace with Cai Lian.
As I passed through the Imperial Garden, I saw several palace maids gathered together, discussing something in hushed tones.
"Have you heard? Consort Wan died last night!"
"Really? Didn't His Majesty issue the decree in three days?" the palace maid asked in surprise.
"Of course it's true! I heard that yesterday the Emperor and the Imperial Concubine were together..." The palace maid made a throat-slitting gesture and continued, "This morning the bodies were carried out, their faces covered in blood, it was terrifying."
"Heavens!" The palace maid beside her looked shocked.
Gu Xi stopped in her tracks, unable to move.
"He just died like that..." Gu Xi murmured. So that's why he suddenly left last night...
Although she knew that Consort Wan would eventually die, she still felt regret when she heard that she had actually died.
Over the years, she had traveled with her fellow apprentices to practice medicine and save lives. They had saved many people, and some had died before their eyes. She had witnessed firsthand how people struggled to survive, and she had always held life in awe. Now, a living person beside her had died, not from illness, but from a momentary mistake made out of love, hate, anger, or infatuation. Thinking of this, she felt an indescribable sadness.
Gu Xi returned to Weiyang Palace with a heavy heart.
"Your Highness, you're back? Consort Li has come to see you!" Hua Yue said happily as soon as Gu Xi entered the room.
"Sister Lu, what brings you here?" Gu Xi asked in surprise. This was Lu Mengli's first time visiting Weiyang Palace. No, it should be said that this was the first time anyone other than Xiao Heng had come to Weiyang Palace.
“Sister, it’s my fault. I should have come to see you sooner. If it weren’t for your timely rescue that day, I’m afraid…” Lu Mengli paused, then explained, “To my shame, I fell seriously ill after the Empress Dowager’s birthday…”
Upon hearing that Consort Li was feeling unwell, Gu Xi anxiously asked, "Sister Lu, what's wrong? Let me take a look." As she spoke, she reached out to take Consort Li's hand to feel her pulse.
Consort Li instinctively withdrew her hand, and Gu Xi immediately felt a little embarrassed.
"Little sister, I..."
Lu Lipin felt sorry for her overreaction and was about to explain when Gu Xi interrupted her.
"Look at me, His Majesty has surely already summoned the best imperial physician for my sister, so there's no need for me. I was just confused because I was worried, please don't take offense, sister." Gu Xi didn't know why Consort Li reacted this way, but guessed that it was mostly related to Xiao Heng, so she quickly tried to smooth things over for her.
For some reason, she felt that Lu Mengli had changed. She was no longer as spirited as before, and there was a faint sadness between her brows. Perhaps the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet had frightened her.
Lu Mengli stared at Gu Xi for a long time before asking, "Sister, does the Emperor treat you well?"
Gu Xi was slightly taken aback, and after hesitating for a moment, she said, "The Emperor treats his younger sister well, but his favorite is still you, Sister Lu."
"Does my sister really think so?"
Gu Xi thought for a moment, then nodded solemnly: "Sister Lu, the Emperor loves you the most, otherwise why would he have protected you so much on the day of the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet? If it were someone else..." At this point, Gu Xi's heart skipped a beat. Her eyelashes drooped, and she couldn't help but ask herself, if it were her, would he have protected her in the same way? Perhaps not.
Hearing Gu Xi's words, Lu Mengli couldn't help but laugh self-deprecatingly. That day, he wasn't protecting her at all; he was clearly... But she couldn't tell Gu Xi any of this.
"Little sister, do you like the Emperor?"
Gu Xi was taken aback. Did she like Xiao Heng? She didn't know. She only knew that she didn't dislike him. Even when he did things to her that made her blush, she only felt shy, not disgusted.
"I...I don't know..."
Lu Mengli suddenly took Gu Xi's hand and said seriously, "Sister, promise me that if you also like the Emperor, don't love him too deeply, lest you hurt yourself."
Gu Xi didn't understand what Lu Mengli meant by those words.
"Oh, right, little sister," Lu Mengli suddenly changed the subject, "I heard it was your birthday a few days ago. I brought you something and gave it to Zhuyin. You can check it later to see if you like it. You're all alone in the palace now, and there's no one to celebrate your birthday with you..."
Lu Mengli originally meant to say that Gu Xi has no family by her side now, but Hua Yue heard it as a provocation. Her subconscious action of withdrawing her hand earlier clearly showed that she didn't like their empress. She had just advised the empress not to get along with the emperor, but Hua Yue wanted the emperor and the empress to get along well.
“Who said there wasn’t? The Emperor came to celebrate our Empress’s birthday on the night of the seventeenth,” Hua Yue quickly said, afraid that Gu Xi would be overshadowed.
"That night on the seventeenth, wasn't it the Emperor who sent it to Consort Li..."
"Cai Tang, shut up!" Lu Mengli quickly shouted, her eyes filled with panic.
"His Majesty has arrived!"
Why is Xiao Heng here?
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
"This servant greets Your Majesty."
Xiao Heng strode in, looking as if he had come to interrogate someone.
As soon as he entered the room, he stared intently at Lu Mengli, his eyes filled with a chilling murderous aura. He asked in a deep voice, "What did you say to her?"
"What does Your Majesty think I said?" Lu Mengli asked sarcastically.
The veins on Xiao Heng's forehead throbbed as he grabbed Lu Mengli by the neck and asked, "I'm asking you, what exactly did you say to her?"
"Your Majesty!"
"Sister Lu!"
Gu Xi and Cai Tang exclaimed in surprise.
Gu Xi was stunned by Xiao Heng's sudden anger. When she came to her senses, she rushed to the two of them and said, "Your Majesty... what are you doing? Let go of Sister Lu!" She tried to pry Xiao Heng's hands off, her voice trembling with tears, and she looked very frightened.
Seeing Gu Xi's tearful eyes, Xiao Heng immediately calmed down and shook off Lu Mengli.
"Cough cough cough..." Lu Mengli coughed incessantly, her body bent over, while Gu Xi gently patted her back.
Xiao Heng's eyes flashed with a chilling light: "I'm warning you! You'd better not spout nonsense, otherwise..."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will not utter a single word that I should not say!" Lu Mengli raised her head, each word seemingly spat out from between her teeth. With red eyes, she said to Gu Xi, "Sister, I must take my leave now. I will come to see you another day..." Then she bowed slightly to Xiao Heng and said, "I take my leave."
"Sister Lu..." Gu Xi called out softly, her voice full of worry.
Lu Mengli paused, then walked away without looking back.
Hua Yue also left the room.
Gu Xi stood far away from Xiao Heng, looking at him with a mixture of fear and anger, like a little lion about to pounce on him.
"Come here," Xiao Heng said in a deep voice.
Gu Xi refused and instead took two steps back.
Xiao Heng strode towards her. Gu Xi had no time to dodge and was lifted up by his waist and pushed down onto the bed.
Gu Xi was terrified and flailed her limbs, trying to resist. Xiao Heng pinned her hands down above his head, pressed his lower body against her legs, and said in a hoarse voice, "Don't move!"
His voice sounded strained, as if he was suppressing some kind of emotion, and Gu Xi stopped moving in fear.
"Why did Your Majesty treat Sister Lu like that just now!" Gu Xi questioned loudly, her anger ultimately overshadowing her fear.
"For no reason," Xiao Heng said indifferently.
Xiao Heng's attitude angered her. She had been in the palace for a long time and only had Lu Mengli as a friend, and now he had driven her away.
"Get out! Don't ever come back again!"
Xiao Heng suddenly let out a low chuckle. At this moment, she was like a cat with its fur standing on end, which was quite amusing.
He had never seen her so vibrant; she had always been cautious in his presence.
His smile completely enraged Gu Xi, and she struggled even harder.
Xiao Heng was afraid she would hurt herself, so he gently released her.
Gu Xi immediately got out of bed and directly ordered the Emperor to leave: "Your Majesty, I respectfully see you off!"
Xiao Heng remembered he still had things to take care of, so he straightened his disheveled clothes and headed out the door.
As soon as he stepped out of the room, Gu Xi slammed the door shut with a loud "bang".
Xiao Heng paused for a moment, then chuckled softly, his eyes filled with a doting affection he himself didn't realize.
Zhao Fuquan wiped his sweat. He had heard everything clearly outside the house. She actually chased the Emperor away and now she was making such a rude move... This Consort Gu is really a bit bold, but the Emperor seems to like her quite a bit.
He really doesn't understand.
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Author's Note: Huayue is the number one CP leader [laughing and crying emoji] The angst is about to begin [evil grin emoji]
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