Chapter 277 It seems the Emperor and the Empress are having a disagreement.
Even after Consort Wan was impaled on a white silk ribbon, Emperor Zhaoheng continued to spend his nights alone in the Qianqing Palace.
At first, the women in the harem assumed that the emperor was busy with state affairs and was diligent in his duties.
However, as this situation of sleeping alone continued, and even when the Emperor visited the inner palace, he would only visit the princes and princesses briefly at Lihe Palace before leaving, rarely staying overnight, and there was no longer the close intimacy with the Empress that they used to share, some subtle thoughts began to quietly grow in the silent inner palace.
Rumors circulated in the shadows, silently spreading to every corner of the palace.
"Have you heard? It seems the Emperor and the Empress have had a falling out..."
"That's right. It's been quite a few days since we've stayed overnight at Lihe Palace. I noticed that although the Emperor is still polite to the Empress, his gaze... has become much less intense."
"Could it be because of what happened to Consort Liu? Is the Emperor taking his anger out on the Empress?"
"It's hard to say... but the situation in the harem is likely about to change..."
These whispers, during the morning greetings, transformed into all sorts of inquisitive gazes, fixed upon the narcissus seated on her phoenix throne.
Dressed in casual clothes, with her usual gentle demeanor, Shui Xian handled the affairs of the six palaces in an orderly manner.
He responded flawlessly to the concubines' overt and covert probing, as if he were oblivious to the rumors and strange looks.
However, only she knew that she felt Emperor Zhaoheng's estrangement more clearly than anyone else.
That wasn't disgust, but rather a cooling sensation accompanied by scrutiny and a sense of distance.
Alarm bells rang in her mind; if this situation were left unchecked, it could lead to a major upheaval.
Narcissus's eyes darkened, but she didn't realize that amidst this undercurrent, someone would inevitably be unable to restrain themselves and would be eager to take over as the ambitious one.
Consort An was one of them.
She came from a humble background; her father was a fourth-rank official. She was quite beautiful, but shallow and arrogant. After entering the palace, she relied on her looks and deliberate flattery to gain favor and was promoted to the rank of concubine.
She had long harbored resentment towards Narcissus for his exclusive favor in the harem. Now, seeing the apparent discord between the emperor and empress, she felt it was a golden opportunity and her mind immediately began to work.
That afternoon, she carefully dressed herself, put on a delicate peach-colored palace dress, drew her eyebrows and painted her eyes, and applied the most vibrant lip rouge. She personally carried a bowl of rock sugar bird's nest soup, which was said to have been simmered for two whole hours, and headed to the Qianqing Palace with thoughts of vying for the emperor's favor.
"Please trouble you, Eunuch, to tell the Emperor that Consort An is concerned about His Majesty's hard work and has specially prepared a soup for him to try."
She stood outside the hall, her voice deliberately soft and coquettish, her eyes sparkling, her intentions clear.
Feng Shunxiang was extremely shrewd. He could tell what she was up to just by looking at her posture. He secretly felt that something was wrong for Shui Xian, but he did not dare to be negligent and went inside to report.
Emperor Zhaoheng was reviewing memorials, but he was distracted by the matter of the narcissus, and his writing became sluggish.
Upon hearing that Consort An was requesting an audience and had brought some soup, he immediately frowned, a strange sense of irritation rising within him.
He initially intended to refuse outright, but then thought that perhaps it would be good to use this opportunity to give those restless women in the harem a warning, so he said coldly, "Let her in."
Consort An was overjoyed, thinking that her chance had come. She quickly adjusted her posture to be the most charming and walked gracefully into the palace.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
She bowed gracefully, her voice so soft and alluring it could melt hearts. As she rose, she glanced furtively at Emperor Zhaoheng. Seeing that although he looked displeased, he did not immediately reprimand her, which emboldened her.
She stepped forward with the soup, saying sweetly, "Your Majesty works tirelessly day and night; your health is of utmost importance. This was prepared by your concubine..."
Before she could finish speaking, she seemed to trip over something, cried out in surprise, and "accidentally" fell towards Emperor Zhaoheng.
The porcelain bowl containing the bird's nest soup in her hand flew out of her grasp, and she was about to crash into the emperor's arms along with the soup!
If she falls hard, the soup will spill, her clothes will get soaked, and there will be physical contact... whatever happens next is up to her.
However, just as she was about to touch that bright yellow color, a cold glint flashed in Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes, and he ruthlessly dodged to the side!
"Splash—"
Consort An fell heavily onto the cold, hard gold brick floor, shattering the carefully prepared bird's nest soup into pieces. The sticky soup splattered all over her head and body, instantly staining her peach-colored palace dress.
She winced in pain, both ashamed and terrified. She raised her tear-filled face and looked incredulously at the expressionless emperor who was looking down at her from above.
Looking at her like this, Emperor Zhaoheng felt no pity, only disgust at being offended.
He had almost instinctively dodged it, and what flashed through his mind was Narcissus's clear, calm eyes, which had never displayed such clumsy acting before.
"Consort An!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was icy cold, like a winter's chill, instantly freezing Consort An to the ground. "Your words and actions are indecent, your behavior frivolous, and you have no shame! How dare you behave so disrespectfully before the Emperor in the Qianqing Palace!"
Consort An trembled with fear and quickly kowtowed, "Your Majesty, please forgive me! I... I didn't mean to..."
"careless?"
Emperor Zhaoheng sneered, "I see you did this on purpose! It seems I have been too lenient with you in the past, which has led you to harbor such thoughts! Issue my decree: Consort An, née Li, is demoted to a lower-ranking concubine. She is to reflect on her mistakes and is not to step out of the palace gates without my decree!"
She was demoted directly from the rank of Consort to the lowest rank of Lady!
Consort An was struck dumb, her face turned pale, and she couldn't even beg for mercy. She was dragged away by two expressionless eunuchs.
After dealing with Consort An, Emperor Zhaoheng's pent-up frustration did not dissipate; instead, it intensified his irritability.
He waved his hand, ordering people to clean the hall, while he walked to the window with his hands behind his back, gazing in the direction of the Palace of Rites and Harmony, his expression complex and unreadable.
The news that Consort An... no, Consort An was severely punished for her failed seduction attempt spread like wildfire throughout the palace.
Those concubines who were originally eager to take advantage of the situation and get a share of the spoils were suddenly doused with ice water and completely shut down.
Everyone understood one fact: even if the Emperor and Empress had a falling out, it was by no means an opportunity they could covet...
......
When the news reached the Palace of Reiwa, Shui Xian was reviewing the list of allowances sent by the Imperial Household Department.
After Tinglu finished reporting in a low voice the farce in front of the Qianqing Palace and its outcome, Shuixian paused slightly, and the ink smudged on the paper.
She felt no joy at Emperor Zhaoheng's severe punishment of Consort Li; instead, her heart felt even heavier.
Emperor Zhaoheng's actions were less about protecting her and more about venting his own frustration, and using this to declare to everyone that his principles were not to be challenged.
This precisely proves that the knot in his heart was not untied by dealing with a restless concubine; on the contrary, it may have tightened even more.
Ordinary gentle words would probably be unable to penetrate his frozen heart at this moment.
Narcissus knew she needed a gentler way to break through this layer of ice.
As evening fell, the setting sun bathed the palace in a warm golden glow.
Narcissus wasn't dressed up; she was simply wearing a plain white ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), with a fresh magnolia flower in her hair.
She held the bouncy Yongning in one hand, while the wet nurse carried the babbling twins Qingyan and Qinghe behind her, and the group walked towards the Qianqing Palace.
Upon arriving at the palace gate, she did not have anyone announce her arrival, but instead spoke gently to the eunuchs guarding the gate: "The princess and princes miss their father, so I brought them here to see him. If His Majesty is busy, we will wait for a moment in the side hall."
The eunuch dared not stop him and quickly bowed to invite him in.
Emperor Zhaoheng had just finished processing a batch of memorials and was resting while rubbing his temples when he heard that Shuixian had arrived with the children, and he was taken aback.
He wanted to decline, citing his busy schedule with official duties, but when he heard Yongning's clear voice calling "Father Emperor" and the twins' innocent babbling, the words of refusal stuck in his throat.
"Let them in."
He finally relented.
The palace doors opened, and Yongning rushed in first, heading straight for Emperor Zhaoheng. She hugged his leg, looked up at him sweetly, and cried out, "Father! Yongning missed you! You never come to see Yongning and my brothers!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's cold and hard heart softened somewhat involuntarily at his daughter's innocent dependence and soft, sweet voice.
He bent down and picked up Yongning, and the little girl immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
At this moment, Narcissus also came in with her wet nurse.
When Qingyan and Qinghe saw their father, they waved their little hands, grinned with their toothless mouths, and made "ah...ah..." sounds.
Narcissus stood a little further away, a gentle smile on her face, watching the heartwarming scene of father and daughter, father and son interacting, and said softly:
"The children were clamoring to see their father, so I brought them here. I hope we haven't disturbed Your Majesty's work."
Emperor Zhaoheng held Yongning in his arms, looking at his two adorable sons, and then caught a glimpse of Shuixian's profile, which appeared exceptionally beautiful in the afterglow of the setting sun, and... her familiar, even respectful and gentle smile.
The slight warmth that had just risen in his heart instantly cooled down.
Yes, that's the kind of smile.
Always so proper, so just right, as if measured with the utmost precision.
Whether in bed, in front of her children, or facing his indifference... she always seemed to be able to maintain this perfect mask.
His arms around Yongning stiffened slightly, and his expression, which had eased a little from the joy of family reunion, returned to calm, even showing a more indescribable distance than before.
"I... have a few urgent military reports to review."
He put Yongning down, his voice regaining its previous calmness, "You...should go back to the palace to rest early. It's windy at night, be careful the children don't catch a cold."
The smile on Narcissus's face froze almost imperceptibly for a moment, then returned to normal.
She clearly felt the cold, invisible high wall that had suddenly appeared.
Parental affection can only be temporarily postponed, but it cannot resolve the root of the emotional knot.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
She lowered her eyes, respectfully replied, then stepped forward to take the somewhat bewildered Yongning's hand, gestured for the wet nurse to pick up the twins, bowed, and took her leave.
Stepping out of the Qianqing Palace, a cool evening breeze was blowing.
Narcissus glanced back at the majestic and silent palace in the twilight, her gaze calm and serene.
Back at Lihe Palace, before she could even sort out her thoughts, Tinglu quietly handed her a secret report.
"Your Majesty, news has come from Manager Zhou that Dengdi Inn seems to have encountered some trouble recently. Several unfamiliar yamen runners have repeatedly come to harass us under the pretext of inspecting fire safety and verifying household registrations. Although they have not caused any major losses, they have affected business and scared away some regular customers. Manager Zhou suspects that someone may be behind this."
Narcissus took the secret report, glanced at it quickly, and frowned slightly.
The turmoil within the palace had not yet subsided, and it seemed that unrest was beginning to break out outside the palace as well.
She had no time to delve into the connection behind this, and simply gave the order in a deep voice:
"Tell Zhou Yan to be patient for now, play along, and figure out what the other party is up to. As for the person behind this... I want to see who is so eager to test my bottom line."
At this moment, she was unaware of the profound connection between the events inside and outside the palace...
......
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