Chapter 37 The Temptation of the Empress
The news of Consort Rong's death did not cause the slightest ripple in the peaceful inner palace.
On the contrary, the news that Shui Xian had moved to Yongle Palace in early spring attracted more attention.
The elaborate relocation of the palace by Emperor Zhaoheng for Shuixian was so extravagant it was astonishing.
The Imperial Household Department worked for several days, moving countless rare treasures, antiques, paintings, and valuable furniture into Yongle Palace in a continuous stream.
Even the number of palace servants serving her was more than double the standard number for a concubine!
This extremely extravagant display aroused envy and resentment among the women in the harem.
Consort Li was the most jealous of them.
Inside Zhaoyang Palace, Consort Li was trembling with anger. She grabbed a huge luminous pearl ornament from the table and smashed it hard on the ground!
The pearl didn't shatter that night; it simply rolled far away, reflecting the face of Consort Li, twisted with jealousy.
When Consort Li learned that Emperor Zhaoheng had bestowed upon Narcissus the entire set of nine incredibly rare South China Sea luminous pearls, which had been treasured in the treasury for many years and which she had repeatedly begged and pleaded to obtain but had failed, she was furious all morning in Zhaoyang Palace!
"Narcissus! You slut!"
Consort Li was furious, "So what if she's pregnant with a... a dragon's child? What's so great about that! I've served the Emperor for years, am I really inferior to a lowly maid who climbed up the ranks by getting pregnant?! The Emperor! The Emperor is so biased! He even gave her the luminous pearl that I've been begging for so long! Why?!"
Her chest heaved with rage, and all the treasures in the palace seemed to pale in comparison. What she wanted was now in Shui Xian's Yongle Palace?!
This realization drove Consort Li, who considered herself the most favored concubine in the harem, completely mad.
"Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your Majesty, please calm your anger!"
Fangfei quickly stepped forward to comfort her, gesturing for the palace maids to pick up the luminous pearl that had rolled away, while lowering her voice and whispering in Consort Li's ear:
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten what I said? A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan! She's only in a position of power because of the baby in her belly! As long as... as long as we can endure these ten months, until the child is born..."
Fangfei was afraid that Consort Li would ruin things in her impulsiveness, so she said, "After removing the mother and keeping the child, that child will be yours, Your Highness! At that time, with a prince by your side and the support of the Ruan family, the Empress's position... won't it be yours for the taking?"
"The Empress's position..." Consort Li's desire for the Empress's position calmed her down a little.
Now, in her eyes, that sickly empress was someone who would die sooner or later, and Consort Li no longer took that empress seriously!
Ambition flickered in her eyes, but she was immediately overwhelmed by the pent-up anger before her.
As a noble consort and the legitimate daughter of the Ruan family, how could she have ever suffered such humiliation? Being constantly overshadowed by a consort who came from a lowly servant background!
Just then, a young eunuch sent by Consort Li, who was on duty near Yongle Palace, rushed in to report:
"Reporting to Consort Li, Consort Jin's family has come to visit the palace today! They just passed Jingyun Gate and are heading towards Yongle Palace!"
"Family?" A fierce glint flashed in Consort Li's eyes.
If she can't deal with Narcissus now, surely she can deal with her family members who just escaped their lowly status?!
"Let's go!" Consort Li suddenly stood up, a look of pleasure on her face. "I want to see what kind of family could raise such a wonderful person as Consort Jin!"
Fangfei hesitated, wanting to dissuade her, but seeing Consort Li's determined look, she knew she couldn't stop her.
She could only wink at a clever little palace maid beside her and whisper, "Quickly, find out where the Emperor is right now!"
As long as the Emperor isn't nearby, it's good for the Empress to vent her anger, lest she harm her health by holding it in.
The Imperial Garden is a relatively secluded corridor on the only way to Yongle Palace.
Shui Xian's parents and her younger sister Shui Xiu, who had just turned fourteen, followed cautiously behind the eunuch leading the way.
All three were dressed in newly made fine cloth clothes, and their faces showed slight unease.
Having just escaped slavery and the suffocating cage of the Yi family, they now step into the palace with utmost caution, fearing that a misstep might bring trouble to Shui Xian.
Upon reaching a spacious flowerbed, the eunuch leading the way suddenly stopped and respectfully stepped aside.
A group of elegantly dressed palace maids surrounded a stunningly beautiful woman in a gold and red palace dress, who was admiring the flowers.
The woman's imposing presence and magnificent attire instantly created an invisible pressure on the three of them.
Fangfei stepped forward and whispered to Consort Li, "Your Majesty, those are Consort Jin's parents and sister. They were just removed from their lowly status and are now law-abiding citizens."
Consort Li made no attempt to conceal her gaze as she swept over the three men's cowering figures, a disdainful smile curving her lips.
She gently raised her chin, gesturing to the palace maid beside her who was carrying delicate pastries.
The palace maid understood, and carrying the plate of snacks, she deliberately stumbled!
"oops!"
With an exaggerated scream, the entire plate of pastries was spilled at Shui Xiu's feet, who was caught off guard!
"Ah!" Shui Xiu cried out in fright at the sudden turn of events, instinctively turning around and back to avoid the stains.
In the midst of the chaos, her delicate embroidered shoes landed squarely on Consort Li's magnificent, floor-length skirt!
It left a clear, small shoe print, even stained with dust!
Shui Xiu realized what was happening and her whole body froze.
Consort Li abruptly pulled back her skirt, which had been stepped on, as if it had been stained with something extremely filthy, and said angrily:
"Where did this blind, lowly hussy come from! Can't you see where you're going?! This brocade robe I'm wearing is the finest tribute from the Jiangnan Imperial Textile Bureau! Only three bolts are produced each year! Even if you sold your whole family, you couldn't afford to pay for it! And you dare to step on it with your vile feet?! If you soil my clothes, even ten of your lowly lives wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"
The meaning behind her words instantly stunned the three of them.
The three of them collapsed to their knees, their foreheads slamming heavily against the cold, hard floor tiles.
Narcissus's parents begged for mercy repeatedly: "Honorable sir, spare our lives! Honorable sir, spare our lives! Our daughter was ignorant and offended the imperial carriage! We beg your mercy!"
The eunuch who led the way didn't introduce Consort Li; they only called her "Noble Lady." Since they were all in the palace, and all the ladies-in-waiting were "Noble Ladies," this only made Consort Li angrier.
"Noble Lady?! Open your lowly eyes and see clearly, I am a Noble Consort, I have never been a mere Noble Lady!"
Narcissus's parents hadn't expected to make another mistake. They humbly prostrated themselves, their bodies trembling like leaves.
Shui Xiu was so frightened that her face turned pale, and tears welled up in her eyes, almost falling down.
Looking at her parents' humble pleas for mercy, at the stains on her new shoes and dress, and at the harsh insults, a strong sense of humiliation welled up in her heart.
She bit her lower lip hard, using all her strength to keep the tears from falling, her small body trembling slightly with anger and fear.
Just then, a clear and melodious voice rang out:
"Your humble servant greets Your Highness, the Noble Consort!"
Narcissus arrived in haste, carrying silver beads.
She immediately saw her parents kneeling on the ground, trembling, her younger sister Shuixiu standing stubbornly, holding back her tears, and Consort Li's beautiful face, which was full of meanness.
Anger surged through her body in an instant, but years of restraint allowed her to control her emotions immediately.
Consort Li is, after all, a consort, and one cannot be in the right by directly confronting her.
A distant smile quickly appeared on Shui Xian's face as she stepped forward and gracefully bowed to Consort Li.
"I wonder how my family members offended Your Majesty's carriage? They are new to the palace and are unfamiliar with the rules of the imperial court. If they have done anything wrong, I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness on their behalf."
She adopted an extremely humble attitude and was impeccably polite, leaving no room for criticism.
Consort Li was already furious, and seeing Shui Xian's seemingly submissive but actually protective demeanor only fueled her anger.
She sneered, pointing to the clear shoe print on her skirt, her voice rising even higher: "Apologize? Consort Jin, you lowly servant, how dare you! You trampled on my imperial robes, offending the imperial carriage! According to palace rules..."
"Your Highness, please calm your anger." Before Consort Li could finish her fabricated accusations, Shui Xian spoke, her voice low but exceptionally clear:
"His Majesty's grace is boundless. In gratitude for my humble contribution in bearing the imperial heir, he has bestowed a decree to remove the lowly status of my parents and younger sister, granting them the status of good citizens. His Majesty's golden words still resonate in my ears."
She paused slightly, her gaze sweeping over Consort Li's face, which froze instantly.
"Your Majesty's words just now, 'a humble loan,'... are you questioning His Majesty's decree? Are you showing contempt for His Majesty's grace?"
"You...!" Consort Li did not expect Narcissus to react so quickly, directly seizing on the loophole in her words and using the Emperor's insistence to shut her up!
No matter how arrogant Consort Li was, she wouldn't dare to openly question the Emperor's decree in front of so many people! That would be tantamount to slapping the Emperor in the face!
She was trembling with rage, and even her carefully applied makeup couldn't conceal her fury.
I wanted to vent my anger, but instead I only accumulated more anger!
Narcissus gazed back quietly, her eyes showing no sign of retreat.
She was prepared for Consort Li to become enraged and lash out on the spot. Given Consort Li's temper, she would definitely not let it go, and might even take it to Emperor Zhaoheng.
But Shui Xian wasn't afraid. She was in the right, and more importantly, she had the trump card of bearing the emperor's child. At this moment, Emperor Zhaoheng's heart was definitely on her side.
However, to Narcissus's surprise...
After churning violently for a few breaths, Consort Li managed to suppress her overwhelming rage!
In the end, she only managed a cold snort through gritted teeth:
"Excellent! What a sharp-tongued Consort Jin! I... have truly witnessed her eloquence today!"
After saying that, she flung her gorgeous sleeves and, with a belly full of pent-up anger, turned around and, surrounded by palace servants, left the Imperial Garden without looking back!
Behind her, Fangfei glanced deeply at Shuixian, her expression complex and unreadable, before quickly following Consort Li.
As Shui Xian watched Consort Li and her entourage depart, her brows furrowed slightly.
wrong.
Consort Li's reaction... was too abnormal.
Given Consort Li's arrogant, domineering, and vindictive nature, how could she possibly swallow this insult so easily after being publicly contradicted and accused of disrespecting the Emperor's grace?
She merely snorted coldly and slunk away? This is not in keeping with Consort Li's usual style!
Unless... she has other plans?
Narcissus is incredibly meticulous; in a short time, she considered countless possibilities.
Finally, Narcissus raised her hand and gently covered her still flat stomach.
Consort Li's forbearance today did not make her feel at ease; instead, it made her sense an even more dangerous atmosphere...
"elder sister!"
At that moment, Shui Xiu, her voice trembling with tears, threw herself into her arms...
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