Chapter 31 Congratulations, Your Majesty! It's a happy pulse!
Emperor Zhaoheng took the opportunity to visit Chengming Hall, and the next day, Granny Yan went to Changxin Palace.
Soon, Emperor Zhaoheng received a joint memorial from court officials led by Yi Ming. The memorial stated frankly that for the sake of the country and its people, the emperor should bestow his favor widely to ensure the continuation of the imperial line, and should not favor only one person.
At that time, war reports from the northern border were frequent and the military situation was urgent. Emperor Zhaoheng was in a state of great distress. When he saw that his court officials had the leisure to concern themselves with the affairs of his harem, he was furious. He threw the memorials down the steps in the court and vented his anger.
However, after his thunderous wrath, Emperor Zhaoheng was still an emperor after all.
To quell public opinion and temporarily silence dissent, he indeed stopped setting foot in Chengming Hall from that day onward, as if he had truly returned to a life where everyone received equal favor.
Suddenly, the political climate in the harem shifted dramatically.
Those concubines who were once filled with envy now pass by Chengming Hall with undisguised schadenfreude in their eyes.
Some rumors occasionally reached Narcissus's ears, but she ignored them.
The most important thing for Shui Xian now is to ensure a safe pregnancy. The fact that Emperor Zhaoheng is not coming is actually a good thing for her.
After Yi Guichun took charge of the six palaces, he replaced several key positions in the Imperial Household Department with people who had defected to him.
The items delivered to Chengming Hall were visibly inferior.
On this day, in the main hall of Changxin Palace, Yi Guichun sat at the head of the table, receiving flattery from lower-ranking concubines.
Consort Rong was particularly active, and every sentence she uttered mentioned Consort Qi's effective management of the palace.
Shui Xian wore a dark-colored palace dress, which looked rather shabby among the brightly colored concubines. However, her stunningly beautiful face brightened up the color of the dress, making the dull color seem fashionable.
She curtsied to Yi Guichun and asked, puzzled:
"Your Highness, there is something I do not understand. The allowances recently sent to Chengming Palace by the Imperial Household Department seem to... deviate significantly from the regulations. The charcoal fire produces excessive smoke and is difficult to ignite, and the clothing fabric is extremely rough..."
Before Shui Xian could finish speaking, Consort Rong interrupted her with a sneer: "What are you saying, Noble Lady? You climbed up from a household slave. What good things could you have used when you were working in the Yi household? I'm afraid it wasn't even as good as what you have now."
"What, now that you've risen to a higher position, you've forgotten your own worth and are starting to complain about your mistress's arrangements?"
A suppressed snicker immediately filled the hall.
Yi Guichun sat upright and pretended to scold, "Sister Rongpin, you mustn't be rude."
She looked at Narcissus and said gently, "Sister Narcissus, Consort Rong's words may be a bit blunt, but the reasoning behind them is sound."
"His Majesty is concerned about the affairs of the state, and the ladies of the harem should naturally be considerate. A slight reduction in expenses is also for the sake of the greater good. You come from humble origins, so you should understand that diligence and thrift are virtues."
Yi Guichun said sarcastically, "I know you are not used to your sudden wealth and status, but you must also learn to adapt to the rules of the palace. Don't be too pampered and lose the dignity of a noble person."
The concubines in the hall echoed her sentiments, their gazes toward Narcissus filled with mockery.
Narcissus wants to be humiliated in public, the more people who see it, the better.
Her eyes were slightly red, and she said softly, "This concubine...this concubine understands. Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesty."
She hastily bowed and, amidst the laughter of the crowd, awkwardly withdrew from Changxin Palace.
Stepping out of the oppressive palace, Narcissus felt much more refreshed.
She took the silver beads and went to the Imperial Garden to relax.
The garden was somewhat desolate in the dead of winter, but the carefully maintained plum groves exuded a pleasant fragrance.
As they walked to a rockery, Narcissus's gaze inadvertently swept across the distant corridor.
Fangfei, Consort Li's personal maid, was standing there, facing the direction of Narcissus. She smoothed her hair, casually tapped her hair bun three times with her fingers, and then turned and left.
Narcissus paused almost imperceptibly; she had finally waited for this moment.
The meaning of 芳菲 is:
Consort Li has already presented the evidence she has gathered regarding the Yi family's forgery of the rare stones to Emperor Zhaoheng!
Narcissus remained calm and continued walking slowly along the lakeside, as if she hadn't seen anything at all.
In a very low voice, he told Yinzhu, "Notify Xiaochuanzi that we can begin."
A few days later, Shui Xian heard that Emperor Zhaoheng had gone to a small gathering held by Yi Guichun in the plum grove.
Narcissus carefully dressed herself up in front of the bronze mirror.
She deliberately chose a simple and elegant pale yellow palace dress, which made her recently thinner face look even more pitiful.
Narcissus wore minimal makeup, only a very light touch of rouge on her lips, which made her appear weak and pale.
The lively atmosphere inside the pavilion instantly froze when she appeared in the plum grove.
Most of the concubines present were subordinates of Consort Yi. When they saw her appear, they all showed a hint of disdain, assuming that she was there to compete for favor.
Emperor Zhaoheng, seated in the main seat, paused noticeably when his gaze swept over.
After not seeing her for more than a month, he felt that the narcissus in front of him seemed much thinner, her already slender figure looking as if she could be blown over by a gust of wind.
"Isn't this Consort Shuixian? What brings you here today?" Consort Rong spoke first, her tone laced with sarcasm.
Yi Guichun immediately put on a gentle and magnanimous smile, stood up to greet him, but her eyes held a hidden warning:
"Sister Narcissus is here? Please come in. It's cold outside, don't catch a cold. Sister, you haven't seen the Emperor for a long time, have you? Come, sit down next to the Emperor and warm up."
Shui Xian seemed startled by the warning in Yi Guichun's eyes, shrank back, and quickly lowered her head: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Highness, but I... I'll just sit in the last seat."
As she spoke, she silently walked to the lowest seat and sat down, her posture submissive.
Emperor Zhaoheng frowned almost imperceptibly as he looked at her cautious and timid demeanor.
He recalled the memorials from the court officials; perhaps neglecting her for a month had been a bit too much?
With no one to rely on, her days in the corrupt and oppressive harem must have been extremely difficult.
Granny Yan personally brought over a tray and poured hot tea for Narcissus.
Since Shui Xian fell out of favor, Granny Yan's attitude became even more unruly, and she still couldn't restrain herself even in front of Emperor Zhaoheng.
"My esteemed guest, please have some tea," said Granny Yan in a cold voice.
Narcissus carefully picked up the teacup and lowered her head to drink.
Emperor Zhaoheng's gaze would occasionally fall on her, and seeing her cautious and prudent manner, his pity for her grew stronger.
He thought to himself, now that the court officials have been appeased and the neglect has subsided, it's time to go see her.
Yi Guichun saw this and sneered inwardly, but became even more attentive on the surface, ordering people to bring out exquisite pastries and cut fruit.
Narcissus did as she was told and ate some fruit.
Just then, Yi Guichun spoke with a smile, intending to steer the conversation towards Narcissus and then put her down again:
"It's rare to see Sister Narcissus out today. Has she recovered? You always seemed so listless the other day..."
Before she could finish speaking...
Suddenly, Narcissus, who was sitting at the lower end of the table, turned deathly pale. Without warning, the silver fork in her hand fell into the white porcelain plate.
She seemed to be trying to stand up by supporting herself on the table, but her body suddenly swayed and she fell softly forward to the ground!
The most glaring thing was that the hem of her elegant pale yellow palace dress was rapidly spreading with a glaring red bloodstain at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The surrounding concubines gasped in surprise.
The pale red bloodstains spread out like red plum blossoms in the snow, yet it was a shocking sight.
Emperor Zhaoheng's pupils contracted sharply, and almost instinctively he rose from his seat and rushed over.
He disregarded his imperial dignity and scooped up the unconscious Narcissus, whose dress was stained with blood, from the ground. The light weight made his heart sink.
"Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician immediately!!"
He held the narcissus in his arms as if it were a rare treasure, and strode towards the nearest warm pavilion, leaving behind a group of concubines with varying expressions inside.
Yi Guichun vaguely sensed the impending storm, but he didn't know which direction it would come from.
She stared at the bloodstains on the ground, her cold armor digging into her palm. How could this be...?
Yi Guichun's sinister gaze swept over Granny Yan, who looked bewildered, having no idea why Shuixian had fainted.
Granny Yan didn't feel the same way about Yi Guichun; she just thought that Shui Xian was really delicate!
Inside the warm pavilion, the atmosphere was so heavy it seemed to drip water.
Shuixian was placed on a soft couch. Emperor Zhaoheng held her hand tightly, his face ashen, and the oppressive atmosphere emanating from him made the imperial physicians who arrived later dare not even breathe.
The imperial physician, who had rushed over, had barely taken Shui Xian's pulse when his expression changed, and cold sweat instantly broke out on his forehead.
Unsure, he quickly sent someone to fetch another, more senior imperial physician.
The two imperial physicians took turns taking the pulse, exchanging surprised and uncertain glances.
Emperor Zhaoheng's heart sank to the bottom.
"Go and summon them again! Bring all the Imperial Hospital staff on duty to me!"
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice was low as he looked at the bloodstains on the hem of Narcissus's skirt. He had a guess, but he couldn't believe it!
The warm pavilion was soon filled with five imperial physicians on duty.
They gathered around the narcissus, repeatedly taking its pulse and discussing it in hushed tones.
Finally, all five imperial physicians turned to Emperor Zhaoheng and knelt down.
The head of the Imperial Medical Academy, his voice filled with disbelief and excitement, kowtowed and said, "Your Majesty, we...congratulate you! Consort Shuixian...it's a happy pulse! Your Majesty has an heir!"
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