Chapter 200 Obediently submit to this king, and you'll be rewarded handsomely!
The Mid-Autumn Festival arrived quickly, and the moonlight was like a ribbon, enveloping the imperial city in a dreamlike, clear glow.
On Qiongzhen Island in the middle of Taihu Lake, the palace was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. The palace was spacious and elegant, with countless exquisite palace lanterns hanging between the carved beams and painted rafters. The flames of the lanterns intertwined with the bright moonlight brought in from outside, making the palace as bright as day.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat on the highest throne, with the Empress, dressed in a bright yellow phoenix robe, on his left, who had just recovered from her illness.
To his right was a concubine named Shui Xian, dressed in an apricot-yellow imperial concubine's auspicious robe.
Narcissus usually wears light makeup, but today she is dressed up in a bright and beautiful way, making her look even more delicate and beautiful, like a fairy in a painting. Her noble and elegant appearance makes it hard to believe that she was originally a servant girl raised by a high-ranking family.
Shui Xian's mother and younger sister Shui Xiu, according to the rank of the Imperial Noble Consort's relatives, sat in a relatively forward position in the noblewomen's seat, attracting much attention from all sides.
His father held no official position, and his mother was worried that he might do something inappropriate at the banquet if he got drunk, so she decided to let him stay at home.
Jiang's father didn't feel disappointed, after all, he was thinking of his daughter. He was also afraid that he, a rough man, would make a fool of himself at the palace banquet. He could only sigh that he would have to spend this Mid-Autumn Festival staring at Zhou Yan.
The Empress Dowager is also "recovering from a serious illness" and just came out of Cining Palace today for the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet.
She sat on her throne, coldly observing Emperor Zhaoheng's closeness to Shuixian during the banquet, and occasionally glancing at Jiang and Shuixiu, who were seated in the front row of the noblewomen's quarters because of their connection with the Imperial Noble Consort.
The thought that they had all been born into lowly circumstances made the Empress Dowager feel as if she had a stone in her mouth.
The Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, which Emperor Zhaoheng intended to hold after Consort Jin gave birth to a son, would not be affected by the Empress Dowager's displeasure.
The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus blossoms, freshly picked from the imperial garden, which mingled with the aroma of wine and food, weaving a rich and fragrant tapestry.
The palace maids, dressed in moon-white palace gowns, complemented the bright moon in the sky.
Their skirts trailed on the ground, and they carried gilded trays, serving food silently like butterflies flitting among flowers.
On the jade steps, because of her position as the head of the central palace, the empress's seat was closer to Emperor Zhaoheng.
However.
As a Noble Consort, Shui Xian's distance from the Empress was not very obvious. From certain angles, one might even feel that Shui Xian and the Empress, with Emperor Zhaoheng in the center, presented a symmetrical arrangement.
Furthermore, Emperor Zhaoheng would always subconsciously lean towards Shuixian, and would frequently have Feng Shunxiang pass the delicacies he thought Shuixian would like to his table to Shuixian's table.
If someone who didn't know better saw this, they would surely think that the food on the Imperial Noble Consort's table was just for show, which is why the Emperor cherished her so much.
This scene was witnessed by those below, and both court officials and noblewomen began to make their own calculations.
The news of Narcissus's special constitution was not spread, and the danger of her giving birth to twins was also concealed. Outsiders only heard that Consort Jin had a difficult childbirth.
If no one knew the inside story, no one would think it was due to a special physique.
After all, childbirth is inherently dangerous for women, and there is even a saying in folk tradition that childbirth is like walking through the gates of hell.
Narcissus's current weakness was taken by the noblewomen as evidence that she had not yet recovered from childbirth.
The Empress's frail health had been a long-standing issue. Any woman or young lady who was close to the royal family had heard that the Empress was naturally weak. Not only after she entered the palace, but even when she first became the Crown Princess, many people gossiped behind her back, wondering how the royal family could have chosen her with such a frail physique.
The frail empress and the rising imperial concubine who was promoted exceptionally... Even if they looked down on the noblewoman who came from a servant background, they couldn't help but take the initiative to talk to Jiang and Shuixiu, and even inquire about Shuixiu's current marriage.
Watching wave after wave of women and young ladies walk past their mother's and sister's table.
Narcissus maintained her smile, not wanting her mother and sister to suffer mistreatment after entering the palace because of their status.
As for whether any of those people might have ulterior motives... Shui Xian smiled. In this palace, there are only a few truly innocent people. She believed that Shui Xiu's wisdom would be able to discern who was truly trustworthy.
Just then, the Queen, who was sitting opposite Narcissus, suddenly picked up her golden cup and smiled gently at Narcissus.
"Imperial Noble Consort Jin, I toast you. You have given birth to princes and princesses for the Emperor, and your hard work and education of the children are excellent. You are truly a model for the harem."
Narcissus picked up her cup, rose, and calmly responded.
"Your Majesty is too kind. I am unworthy of such praise. It is my duty to raise the imperial heir, and I dare not claim any credit."
She took a small sip and then prepared to sit down.
The Empress, however, seemed unwilling to let it go, turning her gaze to Shui Xiu in the ladies' quarters, her smile becoming increasingly veiled.
"That must be the younger sister of the Imperial Concubine, Miss Shuixiu, right? She's truly beautiful and charming..."
"I wonder how old she is this year, and whether she is betrothed to someone?"
Although Shui Xian did not know why the Empress suddenly brought up Shui Xiu, she remained calm and was about to speak when she was suddenly interrupted by Consort Wan, who was sitting below.
Consort Wan covered her lips with a gilded fan and chuckled as she replied, "Indeed, she seems quite clever. However, as a merchant family, she might lack manners. If she could receive some guidance from Her Majesty the Empress, that would be a great fortune for her."
Narcissus's eyes were slightly cold, but she still wore a polite smile and responded with neither arrogance nor servility.
"Your Majesty, I am very grateful for your concern. My younger sister is still young, and my mother would like to keep her by her side for another two years to personally teach her some principles of conduct, so that she will not be ignorant of etiquette and lose face when she goes out in the future."
"As for Consort Wan... you are too far away, and I can't quite hear what you are saying."
Narcissus slightly curled the corners of her lips. Her family background wasn't good to begin with, but does a bad background mean a bad person?
If she were to argue with Consort Wan, it would make her seem intolerant.
However, Shui Xian did not want her mother and sister to be wronged at the banquet, so she directly used her high position to suppress them, and brought up the fact that Shui Xian, who came from a servant background and was the one that Consort Wan hated the most, was in a higher position than her.
Sure enough, even though Consort Wan hadn't put down the fan she was holding, the fan couldn't hide her green face.
Emperor Zhaoheng spoke at the opportune moment, his voice steady and calm.
"I think Miss Shuixiu is very good. She is innocent and pure-hearted. Feng Shunxiang, bestow the newly presented Xiaying silk upon Miss Shuixiu. As for the marriage... If the Imperial Noble Consort is not in a hurry, why should others be?"
Although Emperor Zhaoheng did not name names, he was clearly refuting the Empress and Consort Wan.
Consort Wan lowered her head in embarrassment, but the Empress seemed oblivious, simply rising and saying, "It was I who overstepped my bounds."
Every move she made truly lived up to the Empress Dowager's praise of her as a model for the world.
The banquet was in full swing, and the atmosphere seemed to have returned to its usual lively and peaceful state.
However, Prince Duan's gaze always carried a cold, sticky quality as he repeatedly glanced at Shui Xiu.
He would seize the opportunity to approach her with a wine glass, intending to strike up a conversation, but Shui Xiu would always cleverly find an excuse to avoid him, or be blocked by Jiang's mother, who was exchanging pleasantries with the noblewoman.
Prince Duan has been harassing Shui Xiu more than once these days. Because of his repeated "chance encounters," Shui Xiu has reduced the number of times she leaves the Jiang family. She spends her days cooped up in her room reading, feeling like she's going to get moldy.
Shui Xiu had already mastered the art of dodging, and Feng Shunxiang noticed it too. He whispered an instruction to the eunuch beside him, who then stepped forward and, with much persuasion, led Prince Duan back to the temporary accommodations set up for guests in the palace under the pretext that the prince was drunk.
Before leaving, Prince Duan glanced angrily at the steps, only to see the Empress subtly wink at him, indicating that today was not the best time.
The palace banquet on the first day of the Mid-Autumn Festival came to an end without any unexpected incidents.
The grand banquet lasted for three days to show Emperor Zhaoheng's joy at having a son and to express his deep respect and favor to Consort Jin.
By the afternoon of the third day, the singing and dancing had become increasingly frivolous, the alcohol was intoxicating, and the atmosphere was at its most relaxed.
The people arranged by the Empress began to act discreetly.
First, at the ladies' table, for some reason, an old lady accidentally knocked over a wine cup, and the wine splashed onto the skirt of the nearby Jiang family. The palace servants rushed forward to deal with it, which distracted Jiang's mother for a moment.
Immediately afterward, an unfamiliar palace maid hurriedly approached Shui Xiu and whispered anxiously, "Miss Shui Xiu, Consort Jin suddenly felt unwell while changing clothes in the side hall and would like to ask you to come over immediately."
Shui Xiu's heart skipped a beat. She looked in the direction of her sister and, through the crowd, saw that the place where her sister had been sitting was now empty.
She became wary. The palace maid was unfamiliar, and if her sister was really unwell, why didn't she send Tinglu or Yinzhu instead?
However, the other party spoke earnestly, fearing that Shui Xiu would not go, and even lamented that Shui Xian had vomited blood, and that Sister Yin Zhu and Sister Ting Lu were now protecting the Imperial Noble Consort and could not leave for the time being.
Upon hearing that Shui Xian had vomited blood, knowing the truth about Shui Xian's constitution, and even having witnessed Shui Xian's near-death state after giving birth, Shui Xiu, out of concern, ultimately let her worries outweigh her doubts.
She stood up and said to the only remaining palace maid beside her, "I'll be right back. You wait here for Mother."
After hesitating for a moment, she quietly tossed a purse that her mother had sewn for the two sisters onto the palace path where she had followed the maid, seemingly casually dropping it into the shadows beside the bushes.
However, not long after she left, a eunuch from the Empress's side, who had been hiding in the shadows, quickly stepped forward, silently picked up the purse, and put it into his sleeve, thus eliminating the last clue that Shui Xiu had left behind.
Shui Xiu followed the palace maid who was leading the way, and the path became increasingly secluded, not heading towards Lihe Palace.
Her unease intensified, and just as she was about to stop questioning him, the palace maid pointed to a simple palace in front of her: "Miss, Her Majesty is waiting inside."
Inside the palace, some lights could be faintly seen, and Shui Xiu hesitantly stepped inside.
After all, she didn't often walk around in the palace, and what she studied were classic books and literature; she had no knowledge of the rules of the inner palace.
As a Noble Consort, why would Narcissus change her clothes in such a simple place? The people guarding her were also scattered, which was not like the ceremonial procession that a Noble Consort should have when she went out.
Sure enough, when Shui Xiu pushed open the door to the inner room, she found the hall empty and cold, with no sign of her sister.
"not good!"
Realizing she had fallen into a trap, she turned to flee, but a tall figure blocked the doorway.
It was none other than Prince Duan, Xiao Yirui, who was beaming with pride and reeking of alcohol.
"Miss Shui Xiu, where are you going?"
Prince Duan approached step by step, "I have been waiting here for a long time... On such a beautiful day, why is the young lady in such a hurry to leave?"
Shui Xiu's face turned deathly pale, and she rebuked sharply, "Prince Duan, please have some self-respect! I am the Imperial Noble Consort's younger sister, how dare you be so disrespectful!"
"The Imperial Noble Consort?"
Prince Duan scoffed, seemingly looking down on Shui Xian's title of Imperial Noble Consort.
"Obey me obediently, and you'll be well rewarded!"
"Get out of my way!"
Shui Xiu struggled desperately, trying to escape, but the doorway was already completely blocked by Prince Duan.
All she could do was scream with all her might, "Help!"
Prince Duan's face darkened. He stepped forward abruptly and covered her mouth with his cold, alcohol-smelling hand. With his other hand, he roughly grabbed her waist and, ignoring her kicks, dragged her deeper into the darkness of the palace with a sinister grin.
"Mmm...mmm..."
Shui Xiu's cries for help were choked in her throat, her eyes filled with terror.
The next moment, she was thrown onto the bed in the inner room, and Prince Duan's hand expertly reached for her front of her dress...
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