Chapter 146 You are the Imperial Concubine Personally Appointed by Me
"It's all them!"
Shu'er was always cautious and timid, and she rarely showed such a resentful expression.
Emperor Zhaoheng looked in the direction she was pointing and saw several concubines sitting there.
Without Shu'er pointing it out, Emperor Zhaoheng immediately spotted Consort Wan, Consort Yun, and Yi Shuyao. Only they showed a look of horror, not confusion, when Shu'er pointed in their direction.
Yi Shuyao immediately noticed the disappointment in Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes. Her legs went weak, and if she hadn't been sitting on the embroidered stool, she would have definitely slipped off.
Having finally regained Emperor Zhaoheng's favor through diligent dance practice, she really didn't want to lose face in front of him.
"Your Majesty..."
Yi Shuyao's delicate, half-crying voice did not draw Emperor Zhaoheng's attention. He didn't even want to look at her, and only frowned at Shu'er.
"What they did, you must tell us everything, down to the last detail!"
Shu'er, who usually seemed slow-paced, now appeared to have been prepared all along, recounting everything that had happened in the Imperial Garden a few hours earlier, including who said what, to Emperor Zhaoheng word for word.
Upon hearing this, Emperor Zhaoheng let out a cold, angry sneer, his eyes sharp as blades. "You say she's got a big ego?! The one who ordered the Imperial Garden to be cleaned every time it rains or snows is me!"
Upon hearing this, a look of panic flashed across Consort Wan's face.
She dared to question Narcissus, but not the Emperor.
Consort Yun and Yi Shuyao knelt down on the floor tiles in front of them, while Consort Wan remained frozen in her chair, unable to understand why Emperor Zhaoheng still cared so much about Narcissus.
Did Emperor Zhaoheng not realize what a boring soul the lowly-born Narcissus possessed?!
Kneel down!
Emperor Zhaoheng looked at Consort Wan with a shocked expression; he had never had any particular feelings for her.
Since his ascension to the throne, his mother insisted that he take her own niece into his harem. Emperor Zhaoheng understood his mother's thoughts, but that did not mean he agreed.
Out of filial piety, and because the harem was not short of a concubine, Emperor Zhaoheng brought Consort Wan into the palace.
However, since it was forced upon him by his mother, Emperor Zhaoheng's heart was not stirred by Consort Wan.
He gave her the rank of concubine and bestowed upon her honors, which was already out of consideration for his mother.
Consort Wan was usually gentle and well-behaved, and quite obedient and docile.
I never imagined she would be so arrogant and domineering in private!
She even dared to criticize the imperial concubine he personally appointed!
Consort Wan had never seen Emperor Zhaoheng so violent. His dark eyes seemed to burn with the flames of hell, and just staring at her made her terrified!
Before Emperor Zhaoheng could say it a second time, Consort Wan's body slid off the armchair like a willow branch and knelt on the brick floor in front of her, her face ashen.
"Kneel here and reflect on your mistakes. All three of you will kneel in the outer room of Lihe Palace until Consort Jin is well!"
Emperor Zhaoheng no longer wanted to look at the three of them. He turned and left, his boots striking the brick floor with a crisp sound.
The sound wasn't loud, but it struck the hearts of the three people like a thunderbolt!
Everything was clearly heard by Narcissus in the inner room.
Before Emperor Zhaoheng entered, Shui Xian put away her smile.
Is she sick? She's faking it.
Even if the imperial physician who came wasn't Pei Jichuan, each of them was as shrewd as a human. She only needed to say a few words like "chest tightness and shortness of breath" and the physician would know what she meant.
Narcissus's mind was filled with the scene of the three people being scolded outside, but she couldn't laugh. She quickly adjusted her mood and put on a weak and frustrated expression.
This was the scene that Emperor Zhaoheng saw when he entered.
Narcissus leaned against the soft pillows on the couch, her nightgown soaked with sweat, and her dark hair was tangled and stuck to her cheeks.
"Your Majesty...you have arrived."
She seemed to be in deep pain, and after saying only a few words, she clutched her chest and gasped for breath for a while.
Emperor Zhaoheng had never seen her in such pain before. He felt his heart being torn apart, as if he were experiencing her suffering as well.
"Xian'er, I have already made Consort Wan, Consort Yun, Noble Lady Yao and others kneel outside your door to avenge you. You must relax and focus on getting better."
Emperor Zhaoheng lifted his robe and sat down beside Shui Xian's couch. He held Shui Xian's hand tightly, and unlike her pale face, Shui Xian's fingertips were slightly warm.
The moment the man grasped her hand, Narcissus's fingers instinctively curled up, but fortunately he didn't notice.
Before Emperor Zhaoheng entered, she applied powder to her face and then dampened it with water to make it appear as if she was sweating profusely and her clothes were soaked.
I just forgot I should have soaked my fingers in ice water first...
Fortunately, Emperor Zhaoheng was extremely worried about her and did not notice anything amiss.
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty... In truth, the three of them should not have been punished; it was all my fault..."
Narcissus pulled her hand away from his, turned her head away, and wiped the corner of her eye with her fingertips. In the distance, one could vaguely see tears glistening like scattered stars in the night.
This broke Emperor Zhaoheng's heart. He put his arm around Shui Xian's shoulder, ignoring her struggles, and turned her around so that she was facing him.
What Emperor Zhaoheng saw was her swollen, peach-shaped eyes from crying, with a faint pink blush on her nose and cheeks.
"What's wrong with you that you're talking nonsense?"
Emperor Zhaoheng rebuked her for her self-deprecating thoughts, and then gently wiped away the tears welling up in the corners of her eyes with the outside of his long, slender fingers.
Shui Xian stammered, "I know that I have risen to the position of Noble Consort because of His Majesty's favor. My status is originally very low, and this is naturally my fault... If I had not risen to the rank of Noble Consort, how could I be compared to Her Majesty the Empress..."
As she spoke, she burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably, her tears falling in a heart full of grievance.
Emperor Zhaoheng had been keeping his distance from Shui Xian for some time because he was wary of her. A couple of days ago, he realized how absurd it was that he had actually suspected Shui Xian.
All the gold and silver treasures I've given her lately were compensation. I finally felt like I had made up for everything I owed her, but I never expected that those three idiots would bring up her sad memories again in the Imperial Garden today!
"Xian'er, look at me."
Emperor Zhaoheng lifted her chin, meeting her broken, watery eyes.
Seeing her so touching and aggrieved, Emperor Zhaoheng said with conviction, "You are the Imperial Concubine personally appointed by me. If anyone questions your position, it is as if they are questioning me!"
These words were an immense imperial favor.
It almost linked her title of Consort Jin with the Emperor's title. Such honor had only been bestowed upon her since Emperor Zhaoheng ascended the throne.
The one who felt it most deeply was Shui Xian. Some time ago, the one who was most concerned about her identity was Emperor Zhao Heng.
Thanks to her careful calculations, it is now Emperor Zhaoheng who is eager to protect her.
Narcissus seemed deeply moved, and threw herself into Emperor Zhaoheng's arms, weeping uncontrollably as if she had found her home.
Emperor Zhaoheng gently stroked her back, feeling the trembling caused by her crying. He felt a pang of sadness, but also a deep sense of satisfaction at being relied upon by her.
Although Emperor Zhaoheng was still busy with state affairs, he still stayed with her at Lihe Palace until Shuixian cried herself to sleep.
After tucking her in, Emperor Zhaoheng called Shu'er, who had been guarding the inner room, aside and instructed her to take good care of Shui Xian before leaving the inner room.
Consort Wan and the other two had been kneeling in the hall for more than an hour. Their knees were already numb, and their legs, which had been sore and achy at the beginning, now felt like two stiff wooden sticks, with only occasional sharp pains.
Upon hearing Emperor Zhaoheng's footsteps as he emerged from the inner chamber, all three concubines straightened up with anticipation, their gazes half-avoiding as they looked in Emperor Zhaoheng's direction.
Having incurred the emperor's wrath, they naturally dared not openly look him in the eye.
But having knelt for so long, they looked towards Emperor Zhaoheng with a mixture of fear and hope, wishing to hear him say "Get up."
However, all that responded to them was Emperor Zhaoheng's cold profile.
He walked past the three women without glancing at them, the wind he stirred up ruffling their skirts, but he showed no interest whatsoever, as if they didn't exist.
Consort Wan, who had been slightly propped up, finally gave up in despair and slumped down on her lap.
The red hairpins in her hair swayed wildly, making a soft, rustling sound that was quite noticeable in the quiet night.
Consort Wan, who always aspired to be Empress and possessed extremely high self-esteem, felt extremely embarrassed at this moment and couldn't even care about her demeanor.
After Emperor Zhaoheng left, Consort De and others also left one after another.
Inside the Lihe Palace, apart from the palace servants, only Consort Wan, Consort Yun, and Noble Lady Wen remained.
The Emperor ordered them to kneel here, but now that they haven't received the imperial decree, they dare not get up and can only kneel here.
Before we knew it, another hour had passed.
The concubines, who had already arrived late, looked even more pale and disheveled.
Just then, Shu'er came out from the inner room, then turned around and lifted the curtain.
Warm candlelight shone through the gap in the curtain, dimmed slightly, and then a graceful figure emerged.
The three people kneeling in the hall were already drowsy, but the pain in their bodies kept them awake, and their bodies kept swaying.
The narcissus walked slowly, her long hair tied to one side, looking as if she had just woken up. Her skin was fair and her figure slender, clearly different from the three extremely disheveled people.
As soon as Narcissus arrived at the main hall, she noticed the resentful gazes cast at her by the three of them.
She gently touched her palm and sighed with a faint smile.
"This is the first time I've ever met people with such strong backbone; I've even met three of them at once."
Consort Wan opened her mouth, wanting to curse Narcissus, but when she opened her mouth, it pulled at her chapped lips, causing a faint pain.
This made her lose all strength, and she lowered her head unwillingly, staring intently at the ground in front of her.
As for the other two, they looked pretty much the same.
Seeing the three of them looking dejected like defeated roosters, Narcissus chuckled and gave them a way out.
"Alright then, I'm not one to be intolerant. Kneel down here and apologize to me, and you can return to the palace now."
"If we don't do it... then I'll go back to sleep. Perhaps the ladies and ladies can get up at tomorrow's morning meeting."
Kneeling?! Apologizing?!
The three of them suddenly looked up, disbelief flashing across their eyes.
This wretched maid is still relentlessly pursuing the matter!
Narcissus only said these few words, too lazy to say more. Now, seeing the resentment in the eyes of the three people, she slightly curled the corners of her lips, neither trying to persuade them nor continuing to insult them, and turned to go back to the inner room.
However, just as she turned around, she suddenly heard a clenched-teeth apology coming from behind her.
"Your Majesty, I admit my mistake!"
Then came the muffled thud of someone kowtowing.
Narcissus didn't turn her head, a faint hint of irony flashing in her eyes...
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