Chapter 41 The Concubine's Daughter Enters the Palace
A thousand taels of gold?!
Consort Wan's eyes were filled with disbelief!
Narcissus... in front of so many noble ladies, she talks about gold and silver all the time, isn't she ashamed!
One thousand taels of gold would take Consort Yu quite some time to accumulate.
Consort Wan felt a metallic taste rise in her throat, and squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth: "...Good! One thousand taels of gold...I will definitely present it within three days!"
Having said that, she could no longer bear this humiliation. Disregarding all etiquette, she suddenly stood up and rushed out of Zhaoyang Palace without looking back, her back view showing a disheveled state.
Shui Xian watched Wan Fei's hasty departure, her heart unmoved.
She took out the token only to scare Consort Wan.
What Consort Wan did today did not cause her any real loss, and it was rather far-fetched. Shui Xian knew that even if she complained to Emperor Zhao Heng, with the Empress Dowager protecting her, Consort Wan would not be able to withstand any punishment.
Now, the compensation of one thousand taels of gold that she received was an unexpected delight.
This also gave her another excuse...
"I have been frightened and am feeling unwell. I fear that I may disturb Your Highness's enjoyment, so I will take my leave now."
Shui Xian slightly curtsied to Consort Li, her voice tinged with weakness.
Consort Li stared at the token in her hand, her eyes filled with barely suppressed jealousy and hatred.
The Emperor... he actually gave her even his personal token?!
Consort Li harbored deep resentment, but outwardly had to maintain the composure of assisting in the management of the six palaces:
"Consort Jin, your health is important. Go back and rest well. I have noted what happened today and will report it to the Emperor on your behalf."
Narcissus, accompanied by Yinzhu and Xiaochuanzi, calmly left the turbulent Zhaoyang Palace under the watchful eyes of many concubines.
On the way back to Yongle Palace, the sun shone warmly.
Recalling the letter her father from outside the palace that she received yesterday, in which he mentioned that the Yi family was now keeping a low profile and lying low, and that even Yi Ming had temporarily fallen ill and had not attended court for several days, Shui Xian felt uneasy.
She dared not relax her guard as long as the Yi family remained in power.
As she passed the fork in the road leading to the Cold Palace, an inexplicable impulse compelled her to stop.
"Your Highness?" Yinzhu helped her up with some concern. "What's wrong...?"
"Go and take a look at the Cold Palace."
Narcissus raised her eyes to look into the distance, her gaze deep and somber, like a sky filled with dark clouds.
Yinzhu was startled and quickly dissuaded her, "Your Majesty! That place is filled with yin energy and is very unlucky! You are carrying the emperor's child now, and are of the highest status. You absolutely must not go there!"
"It's alright, I won't go in, I'll just stand outside the palace walls for a while."
Narcissus patted her hand reassuringly, but her gaze was already fixed on the palace path where even the palace walls seemed particularly gloomy.
Yinzhu couldn't refuse, so she could only carefully help her along the palace wall.
The closer one gets to the Cold Palace, the more the surrounding air seems to stagnate, carrying a chilling, aged atmosphere.
The towering palace walls blocked out the view inside, but they couldn't block out the sounds coming from within: sometimes it was maniacal laughter, sometimes incoherent babbling, sometimes desperate wails, all of which sent chills down one's spine.
Narcissus stood quietly outside the tall, vermilion palace gate of the Cold Palace, the peeling red paint on the gate resembling dried blood.
She gently stroked her still flat stomach, looked up at the sliver of gray sky peeking through the palace walls, and listened to the sounds of the madmen inside.
Will the Yi family, Yi Guichun... really be willing to fade into obscurity?
Whether in the imperial court or the inner palace, there is never true peace except in the face of death.
The sky had become somewhat oppressive, with leaden-gray clouds hanging low as if they might press down at any moment.
Shui Xian narrowed her eyes slightly, her mind filled with only wariness towards the Yi family and Yi Guichun.
"Let's go back." She withdrew her gaze, stopped lingering, and turned to leave along the way she had come.
Inside the heavy palace gates, in the desolate courtyard of the cold palace.
Yi Guichun, dressed in a worn-out plain dress, sat upright on a dilapidated armchair with a missing leg and supported by stones.
Her hair was combed meticulously, and she even wore ruby nail guards on her well-maintained fingers, a symbol of her rank as a concubine!
Yi Guichun's continued decency clashed with the dilapidated surroundings, revealing a morbid stubbornness.
She seemed to sense something, and suddenly raised her head, her eyes fixed on the direction of the palace gate.
Not far away, Xue Mei, the former trusted palace maid, was hunched over, vigorously scrubbing a large basin of heavy clothes in the icy cold water.
She was panting heavily, her fingers were red and swollen from the cold, and there were even several cracks.
Just as Xue Mei was about to straighten up and catch her breath, Yi Guichun's icy voice rang out:
"Xuemei, what are you dawdling for? I'm hungry, go get lunch."
Even while she was in the cold palace, she still habitually used her old self-reference.
Xue Mei stiffened, a deep weariness flashing in her eyes, but she dared not show it in the slightest.
She responded softly, "Yes."
Then, with great effort, he straightened his aching back, wiped his numb hands on his coarse cloth skirt, and staggered toward the side gate where the food was being distributed.
Yi Guichun raised his hand subconsciously to touch the hair ornament on his hair bun, but his hand found nothing.
Her gaze grew even more sinister as she ground the name she had cursed a thousand times over between her lips once more.
"Narcissus! You wretched wench! Once I get out of here, I'll tear your tendons out and skin you alive!"
Yi Guichun's obsessive tone, vaguely merging with the mentally unstable figure in the background, gradually became an indispensable part of the Cold Palace...
......
Three days passed quietly on the surface, seemingly calm and peaceful.
As promised, Consort Wan sent someone to deliver a hefty sum of one thousand taels of gold. Shui Xian accepted it without hesitation, intending to send the money outside the palace to supplement her family's income.
During the three days that Emperor Zhaoheng was away from the palace, Shuixian kept a close watch on the movements at Cining Palace. Strangely, the Empress Dowager and Consort Wan were unusually quiet, as if the turmoil at Zhaoyang Palace had never happened.
The calmer things were, the more wary Narcissus became.
Finally, the day arrived for the Emperor and Empress to return to the palace.
The imperial concubines, dressed in their finest attire, gathered in the square in front of the palace gate, eagerly awaiting their arrival.
The afternoon sun in spring was a bit scorching. Narcissus, dressed in the palace attire of a concubine and wearing a jeweled crown, stood at the front, feeling a slight, barely suppressed drowsiness.
The drowsiness brought on by pregnancy was hard to resist, so she forced herself to stay awake. Yinzhu carefully supported her from the side, her face full of concern.
After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the solemn ceremonial music and the sounds of horses' hooves and wheels finally came from afar.
The bright yellow imperial carriage of the emperor and empress, escorted by the imperial guards, slowly drove into the palace gate.
Once the palanquin had come to a complete stop, Emperor Zhaoheng stepped down first, his travel-worn appearance unable to conceal his imperial majesty.
His gaze immediately swept past the crowd and landed precisely on Narcissus. Seeing that she was unharmed, his brows relaxed almost imperceptibly for a moment.
Empress Liu, supported by palace maids, slowly descended the steps, her face still pale and sickly.
However, it wasn't just the Emperor and Empress who returned to the palace; there was another person as well.
The concubines noticed that a slightly smaller sedan chair followed closely behind the emperor and empress back. Soon after, a young girl dressed in a light green spring dress timidly stepped down from the carriage, supported by a palace maid.
The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a slender figure, like a tender willow sprouting in spring.
Her head was bowed, her timid demeanor evoking pity. When she seemed to sense countless gazes upon her, and slightly raised her face...
Shui Xian subconsciously gripped the hand that Yin Zhu was supporting, and all her drowsiness vanished instantly, a chill running from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head!
That girl was... Yi Shuyao!
She was a concubine's daughter in the Yi family, and later entered the Yi family mansion with her mother when she was about six or seven years old.
Shui Xian had heard about Yi Shuyao's mother when she was a slave in the Yi family.
Yi Ming (Yi Guichun's father) was a womanizer and had kept many mistresses, but Madam Yi was ruthless and never allowed any mistress to threaten her position as the legal wife.
Only Yi Shuyao's birth mother, a woman who was said to have been a courtesan in Yangzhou, managed to become Yi Ming's concubine through her extraordinary cunning. She not only successfully entered the household but also gave birth to a son safely under Madam Yi's nose, thus gaining a firm foothold in the Yi family's backyard. She was an extremely troublesome character.
Now, the Yi family has actually sent this illegitimate daughter into the palace!
Emperor Zhaoheng seemed oblivious to the momentary stagnation in the atmosphere. He naturally took Yi Shuyao's hand, led her to the front of the crowd, and announced in a steady voice:
"This is Yi Qing's (referring to Yi Ming) daughter, Yi Shuyao. I have already conferred upon her the title of Changzai and bestowed upon her the name... Wen."
Despite being a low-ranking official, Yi Shuyao actually has a title!
As soon as Emperor Zhaoheng finished speaking, whispers arose among the concubines.
According to palace rules, the rank of a Consort is extremely low, and they usually don't even receive a title! This special favor... all indicate that this newly arrived Consort Wen is no ordinary person!
Narcissus's eyes were aloof and cold.
The Yi family is indeed still up to their old tricks! As soon as Yi Guichun fell, they couldn't wait to offer up their illegitimate daughter, and judging from the way they're doing it, it seems like she's directly caught the emperor's eye? What methods did the Yi family use?
Just as Shui Xian was calmly analyzing why Yi Shuyao had won Emperor Zhaoheng's favor, she keenly caught a reaction from the corner of her eye.
She turned her head slightly and saw Consort Li and Consort Wan standing not far from her. The moment they saw Yi Shuyao's face, their expressions turned extremely ugly!
Their expressions were not merely due to the appearance of a newcomer, nor did they seem to reflect dissatisfaction with the Yi family sending their daughter to the palace.
It was as if, through Yi Shuyao's face, they saw something terrifying...
Shui Xian pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze back to Yi Shuyao's delicate and beautiful face.
What... was it that she hadn't noticed?
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