Chapter 199 Double Happiness
In the imperial palace of the capital, on the way to Fengqi Palace, the midday sun shone on the white square. A group of people walked hurriedly on the fine snow.
"Hurry up! You servants are so slow! It really makes me anxious." De Fei, sitting on the sedan chair, scolded the maids but still had a smile on her face. "Don't delay the meal for me and His Majesty."
Concubine De was in a good mood, and the palace maids accompanying her were not as well-behaved as usual and started to talk more.
This one said, "My Lady Defei, the roads are slippery in the snow. If you walk too fast and fall, I won't be able to bear the consequences."
The other one said, "Your Highness, this morning I heard a large flock of magpies chirping outside the window, and I guessed that Your Highness must have some happy event, but I didn't expect it to be a double celebration."
The palace maids chattered like magpies, only saying what Concubine De wanted to hear.
His Majesty unexpectedly summoned Consort De and the Second Prince to Fengqi Palace today. Furthermore, the guard commander Wu Mingzi, who came to announce the decree, didn't specify the details, only saying there was some happy news.
As for what the happy event is, even if Wu Mingzi doesn't say it, everyone can guess it pretty closely.
What exactly is Fengqi Palace? It's a place only the Empress is qualified to reside in. Ever since Empress Pei's death, the palace has been empty. Everyone is speculating who will take over. Many speculate it's Consort Mei Dai, after all, she had captivated Emperor Yongde.
Even though Mei Dai was so favored, she had never been to Fengqi Palace. This showed that only the Empress could go there.
In fact, a woman like Mei Dai could only rely on her beauty to please His Majesty. How could she compare to the noble and dignified Empress Defei? If Mei Dai were to be the Empress, she would be completely unworthy.
Now, it seems that His Majesty summoned Consort De to Fengqi Palace, which means he is definitely going to make her Empress. Furthermore, he also mentioned the Second Prince, which means he is most likely going to make him Crown Prince. Since Consort De is Empress, the position of Crown Prince is also decided.
Establishing a queen and a crown prince, isn't this a double blessing?
"Oh, I can't say for sure." Concubine De turned her head and looked at herself in the mirror carefully. She saw that her hair was not combed properly and a strand of hair was hanging down.
Under normal circumstances, she would have called the maids over to reprimand them. Now that she was in a good mood, she didn't bother with the servants. She carefully sorted it out herself and asked, "Has the Second Prince not arrived yet?"
The maid holding the mirror said, "Empress Defei, the Second Prince is still on his way back."
"It's alright, I'll go have dinner with His Majesty first."
After Concubine De finished speaking, she adjusted her appearance in the mirror. Seeing a thin wrinkle on her forehead, she pressed her skin with her fingers and pushed it upwards.
It's normal for men to be tempted by young beauties. But after a few months of constant companionship, even the most beautiful face would tire of it. Ultimately, it's a concubine like me who loyally follows His Majesty and earns His Majesty's appreciation. Besides, the Second Prince has been assisting the government for years; it's only a matter of time before he's appointed Crown Prince.
She would be happy no matter which one she got, whether it was the queen or the crown prince. Unexpectedly, she suddenly got both.
It's a stroke of luck.
Once his position was secure, he would first take action against that vixen Mei Dai. He wouldn't kill her, but at least he would teach her a lesson, letting her know the consequences of monopolizing the king's favor.
The group hurried to Fengqi Palace and found that the entrance to Fengqi Palace had been cleaned. After entering the palace, even the snow inside had been cleared away.
Concubine De looked at this place like a master, feeling very proud and satisfied. This was where she would live from now on.
In fact, Fengqi Palace is not as luxurious and grand as her own palace, it can be described as simple, and Empress Pei is not a luxurious person.
However, this is a symbol of status, a symbol of the queen of a country. No other palace can compare to it no matter how it is decorated.
When they arrived in front of the main hall, they heard drums and music playing inside, and Emperor Yongde was standing on the steps outside the door to greet them.
De Fei was flattered and quickly said to the palace maid, "Stop immediately."
I didn't expect that His Majesty would come out to greet her in person. He really thinks highly of her.
She was so moved that her nose was sore. She immediately forgot about the unpleasantness caused by Emperor Yongde ignoring her and hanging out with Concubine Mei Dai all day.
After getting off the sedan chair, Concubine De walked quickly to the front of Emperor Yongde and bowed, saying, "I greet your majesty."
"Please stand up, my beloved concubine," Emperor Yongde said, smiling as he reached out to hold her hand and looked towards the convoy. "Didn't the Second Prince come with me, my beloved concubine?"
Concubine De smiled and said, "I'm on my way. I was afraid Your Majesty would be waiting, so I came here first."
"Alright, come in with me." Emperor Yongde took Concubine De's hand and walked into the hall. "I am waiting for my beloved concubine to come and have dinner together."
The hall was warm as spring. Two tables of food sat in the center, steam rising and fragrant. Musicians played below.
Emperor Yongde sat down and said to Concubine De, "Look, my beloved concubine. The main dish on this table was specially prepared for you by my imperial chef."
A palace maid came over and opened the thermal insulation cover for Concubine De.
Concubine De was surprised and delighted when she saw this, and said to Emperor Yongde, "I didn't expect that Your Majesty still remembered my favorite dishes."
"Of course, I still remember that your mother's family is in the south of Jingzhou. People there like spicy food. I asked the purchasing department to buy chili peppers produced in Jingzhou."
The two of them dined together. Halfway through, Emperor Yongde ordered the musicians and the maids to leave: "I want to drink alone with my beloved concubine. You all should leave first."
After everyone left, Emperor Yongde picked up the wine pot and poured a glass of wine. He came to Concubine De and said, "My beloved, please drink this wine."
Concubine De smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I cannot drink too much. If I drink too much, I am afraid I will lose my manners in front of Your Majesty."
"Just this one glass," Emperor Yongde said, not withdrawing the glass. "I've been a little cold towards my beloved concubine these past few months, and I feel guilty about it. This glass of wine is my apology."
Defei didn't dare to refuse, so she had to take it and drink it.
When Emperor Yongde saw that she had drunk it, he returned to his seat and said to Concubine De, "My beloved, I wish to reconcile with Zhuo'er. What do you think?"
Concubine De was startled and put down her wine cup and asked, "Why do you say that, Your Majesty?"
Emperor Yongde wanted to hunt Xiao Zhuo down a while ago, but now he suddenly changed his mind, leaving her at a loss as to what to do.
Emperor Yongde looked towards the main hall and said, "I have already lost the Empress, and I don't want to lose Zhuo'er as well."
Concubine De asked, "Your Majesty wishes to reinstate Xiao Zhuo as Crown Prince?"
"That's exactly what I meant." Emperor Yongde nodded, "I have already sent a secret decree to Zhuo'er."
Defei didn't know how to answer for a moment.
She came here full of joy, but unexpectedly she was hit head-on with a club, which made her dizzy and she even seemed unable to sit still and began to shake.
"Then why did Your Majesty summon me here?" She supported herself on the edge of the table with both hands and shook her head vigorously.
Why did this wine make her so uncomfortable?
"If we want to reinstate Zhuo'er as the Crown Prince, we must first clear his name. Those who falsely accused and framed him must be dealt with." Emperor Yongde's voice began to sound distant in her ears. "If Zhuo'er returns to confront us, things will be out of control."
"I can't... I can't clean it up?" Defei's vision also became blurry, and the dishes on the table turned into countless shadows. "But... Your Majesty ordered me... You asked me to..."
"That's right, I ordered you to do it. So I must never let Zhuo'er know all this." Emperor Yongde said calmly, "I hope my beloved concubine will prevent this from happening for me. As long as my beloved concubine doesn't tell anyone... no one else in this world will know."
Concubine De's consciousness began to become hazy, and she felt something hot flowing down her nostrils. She reached out to wipe it, and her hands were covered with blood.
It's poisonous wine.
She overturned the table, and crawled to the ground with great effort towards Emperor Yongde, holding out her hand and saying, "Your Majesty... I won't tell you, I will never tell you... Please save me."
"No, only the dead can keep secrets."
These were the last words she heard.
Emperor Yongde looked down at Concubine De's raised hand and saw it fall to the ground. He stood there for a long time in silence.
When the dishes on the table were as cold as ice, and the Concubine De on the ground was also as cold as ice, Wu Mingzi's voice rang out in the empty hall:
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent. The Second Prince may have learned the news and fled the capital. I was unable to capture him."
"It's okay." Emperor Yongde waved his hand, asked Wu Mingzi to retreat, and slowly walked into the back hall.
"Now that Concubine De is dead, this matter can be concealed forever," Emperor Yongde said with a smile. "The Second Prince might flee to Jingzhou, right? Perhaps Concubine De's maternal family will rise up in rebellion... It doesn't matter. I have Zhuo'er here. It doesn't matter, haha."
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