Chapter 159 The Emperor and Empress, A Grand Drama Unfolds
For the next month or so, Emperor Zhaoheng indeed rarely set foot in Lihe Palace.
Even when he occasionally inquired about Consort Jin's pregnancy, he would usually send a eunuch to relay the message or have the imperial physician reply, but he would no longer come to visit her in person.
In the inner palace, rumors began to quietly spread that the Emperor was showing more favor to his sister, Consort Yi, because of General Yi's triumphant return, while neglecting Consort Jin, who was at odds with Consort Yi.
Yi Guichun secretly kept a close eye on the movements of Lihe Palace and the Emperor's attitude. Seeing that Shuixian seemed to have truly lost the Emperor's favor, and that she rarely went for walks in the Imperial Garden and stayed indoors all day, her conviction grew stronger.
As expected, the emperor harbored resentment towards Narcissus because of the old story she "unintentionally" revealed that night!
The whispers that night were Yi Guichun's carefully considered plan to get rid of Shui Xian.
If she could convince Emperor Zhaoheng that Shui Xian still loved Yi Xingyao, she could prevent Yi Xingyao from being implicated.
Yi Guichun waited patiently for a full month, and just when she thought the time was ripe, an even more vicious plan began to take shape in her mind.
She wanted to take this opportunity to completely destroy Narcissus!
Yi Guichun sent someone to carefully disguise himself as a bodyguard of General Yi Xingyao and secretly contact a lowly palace maid in the Shuixian Palace who was responsible for sweeping the courtyard.
This young palace maid came from a poor family and had a gambling-addicted older brother. Yi Guichun had already figured out her weakness and secretly bribed her with a large sum of money and the promise of paying off her brother's debts.
That evening, when no one was around, the maidservant nervously slipped a folded note into the hand of Narcissus, who was watching the sunset from the corridor.
Her voice trembled with nervousness as she said in a panic, "Your Majesty... When I went out of the palace to visit my relatives today, a guard I didn't recognize asked me to give this to you... He said he was an old friend and wanted to return some old things to you..."
The young palace maid spoke haltingly, appearing extremely nervous, as if she had truly discovered her master's past and was afraid of being implicated.
Narcissus took the note; perhaps because of the strong wind, her fingertips were icy cold.
Unfold the note and you'll see that it contains only one line of slightly messy writing.
[At the third quarter of the hour of Xu (7:45 PM), at Wangshu Terrace, retrieve old belongings and meet old acquaintances; you must be there in person. —Xing]
Whether in her past life or this one, Shui Xian, who had served in the Yi family for many years, knew Yi Xingyao's handwriting.
Although the handwriting on this paper is somewhat unrestrained, it is indeed Yi Xingyao's handwriting.
A cool evening breeze swept through the corridor. Narcissus clutched the note tightly in her hand, her face cold as she whispered to the terrified palace maid who was nearly paralyzed with fear:
"I understand... Nothing happened, understand?"
The young palace maid nodded repeatedly and staggered away, her back view filled with fear as if she was afraid to stay any longer, lest Narcissus eliminate her to silence her!
Behind her, Narcissus's gaze turned cold, but she unfolded the note again, her eyes filled with complex emotions as she looked at each word.
At 3:45 PM, the night was growing darker.
The viewing platform, named Wangshu Terrace, is located in a remote area and is currently under renovation, so it is rarely visited. Under the dim moonlight, it appears even more desolate and quiet.
Narcissus was accompanied only by Riko. She wore a dark cloak, and her figure appeared thin and inconspicuous in the night wind.
She had just stood on the observation deck, looking around nervously as if waiting for someone, when suddenly, a series of noisy footsteps came from afar.
The light of the palace lanterns approached from afar, accompanied by a stern, cold shout, shattering the tranquility of the night.
"Who goes there?!"
Upon hearing the voice, Narcissus turned around and was shocked to see who it was. She hurriedly knelt down to pay her respects.
"emperor......"
Emperor Zhaoheng and Yi Guichun walked side by side, and they were surprised to find themselves in this remote Wangshu Terrace.
As soon as Shui Xian met Emperor Zhao Heng's icy gaze, she lowered her head in fear. Her body swayed, and her face was paler than the cold moon behind the clouds.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
She tried to explain urgently, but couldn't think of anything for a moment. When had she, who was usually so eloquent, become so flustered and speechless?
This scene, when seen by Emperor Zhaoheng, immediately became a symbol of her guilty conscience.
"I ask you, why are you not resting in the palace at night, but instead coming to this desolate place alone?"
Seeing her appear in this desolate place just as Yi Guichun had mentioned, Emperor Zhaoheng's voice calmed down completely.
Like the sky before a storm, his calm, unwavering voice contained a terrifying tranquility.
Shui Xian knelt on the ground, her head bowed low, appearing extremely guilty. She said haltingly, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty is just... feeling troubled."
"I came out for a walk... I had no other intentions..."
"Want to go for a walk?"
Emperor Zhaoheng sneered. He stood with his hands behind his back at the edge of the viewing platform, looking at the dark scenery around him, which was under renovation and had few palace lanterns.
"Have we come to this most desolate viewing platform in the West Garden?"
"Speak! Who have you come to see? What do you want?!"
He turned abruptly and strode up to Narcissus. The hem of his bright yellow robe fluttered with his movement, carrying with it the sharp edge of an emperor's wrath.
"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."
Narcissus seemed to have nowhere to escape the interrogation, her voice trembling with tears, yet she still gritted her teeth and refused to speak clearly, only vaguely saying:
"It is an old friend who asked me to come and retrieve an old item..."
Upon hearing the words "old friend," Emperor Zhaoheng's voice suddenly rose, his anger almost disrupting the peaceful night.
"In the dead of night, they secretly exchanged gifts!"
"As a Noble Consort, do you know what kind of crime this is... and with whom did you collude?"
Emperor Zhaoheng exhaled deeply, staring intently into Shui Xian's eyes, and asked in a hoarse voice, "Is it related to Yi Xingyao?!"
"Your Majesty is wise! Your concubine has absolutely no collusion with foreign officials!"
Shui Xian suddenly looked up, tears streaming down her face. She parted her lips slightly, but before she could speak, Yi Guichun, who had been watching quietly, interrupted her.
Yi Guichun knelt on the ground with a thud and said urgently, "Your Majesty, please understand! How could my brother have an affair with her? My brother's loyalty to Your Majesty is as clear as day and night, Your Majesty!"
Under the moonlight, tears slowly slid down Narcissus's cheeks. Ignoring her pregnancy, she crawled on her knees to Emperor Zhaoheng's side, trying to grasp the hem of his robe.
"Your Majesty, I know I was wrong..."
She didn't offer any explanation at all!
To admit you're wrong? That means you've already made a mistake!
Emperor Zhaoheng's eyes were bloodshot. He pointed at her and said angrily, "Fine! What a fine Consort Jin! I have treated you well, yet you are so shameless and disregard palace rules!"
He gritted his teeth, looking at Shui Xian's increasingly obvious pregnant belly, and with a flick of his sleeve, pushed Shui Xian to sit on the ground.
"I see that you are becoming increasingly reckless during this pregnancy!"
Narcissus covered her face with her sleeve and let out a heart-wrenching sob, but Emperor Zhaoheng didn't even glance at her again.
Under Yi Guichun's smug gaze, Emperor Zhaoheng coldly issued an edict:
"Consort Jin, Narcissus, has behaved improperly and has been secretly meeting with officials from outside the capital. She is highly suspected!"
"From this day forward, you are confined to the Lihe Palace. Without my decree, you are not to step outside the palace gates! All affairs of the palace will be temporarily handled by the Empress!"
As soon as the decree was issued, a eunuch immediately stepped forward.
Narcissus is now pregnant with twins, so the eunuchs dared not touch her and could only ask her to get up.
Shui Xian's face turned pale, and she glanced at Emperor Zhaoheng with teary eyes.
However, until the very end, Emperor Zhaoheng did not even glance at her, seemingly extremely disappointed, his sharply defined profile colder than the night wind.
Exhausted, Narcissus was eventually escorted, staggering, towards the Lihe Palace.
——
The news of Consort Jin's confinement spread throughout the entire harem in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Yi Guichun accompanied Emperor Zhaoheng back to the Qianqing Palace, offering him comfort and advice along the way.
Only after Emperor Zhaoheng, suffering from a splitting headache, told her to return to Changxin Palace first, did Yi Guichun board the imperial sedan chair with a smug smile on her lips.
After enduring the pain all the way back to the main hall of Changxin Palace, Yi Guichun finally couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahaha...Good! Excellent!"
She clapped her hands and laughed, her eyes flashing with malicious pleasure. "Narcissus, Narcissus, no matter how you bewitched the emperor, you still fell into my hands in the end!"
"Confined to your quarters? Hmph, this is just the beginning! Once your brother's side... you can expect to be executed by imperial decree, and suffer eternal damnation!"
She could almost imagine how panicked Shui Xian must be in the Lihe Palace right now, feeling that her plan was flawless and overjoyed, thinking that she had finally and completely eliminated this major threat.
However, the scene inside the main hall of the Reiwa Palace was completely different at this moment.
Shui Xian was sent to Lihe Palace by Feng Shunxiang, who sighed softly and then ordered the palace to be sealed off.
The palace gates slammed shut, cutting off all outside prying eyes.
Narcissus, who had been crying outside with tears streaming down her face, slowly straightened her back after dismissing the palace servants from the main hall.
Tears still clung to her reddened face.
But the panic and despair in Narcissus's eyes had long since vanished, replaced by a bottomless calm.
She sat in front of her dressing table, picked up a clean handkerchief, and slowly wiped away the tear stains on her cheeks.
Shui Xian waited in Lihe Palace for no more than an hour when she heard the outer door open and close again. A tall figure, who should have been furious at this moment, lifted the curtain and walked in.
The bright yellow hem of his robe brushed past the threshold. Emperor Zhaoheng stood with his hands behind his back, his face showing no trace of the thunderous rage he had displayed before.
He even had a playful smile on his lips as he looked at Narcissus, who had just finished her makeover.
"Xian'er's acting skills are becoming more and more refined."
Emperor Zhaoheng chuckled and stepped forward, extending his hand to her quite naturally. "Those tears just now, even I almost believed them."
Shui Xian stood up with his help, tilting her head back and curving her lips into a sly smile: "Your Majesty, my humble skills are no match for yours."
"His Majesty's angry shout just now was truly awe-inspiring."
Emperor Zhaoheng put his arm around her waist, then, remembering something, pulled away slightly, his tone becoming somewhat tense.
"Didn't we agree before? Why did Xian'er suddenly kneel down? I'll brush you aside... or I'll have Physician Pei come and take a look at Xian'er."
He was so afraid of hurting her when he flicked his sleeve just now that he almost couldn't keep up the act and revealed his weakness.
Narcissus didn't think anything of it; if she didn't kneel down, it would look too fake.
"There's no need to summon Physician Pei... I know my own body."
Emperor Zhaoheng asked her a few more questions to confirm that she was really alright. Only then did he slowly breathe a sigh of relief and completely relax, pulling her back into his arms.
"If it weren't for Xian'er's quick thinking, noticing Yi's strange behavior early on, and then turning the tables by secretly reporting this to me through Physician Pei, I'm afraid I would have really fallen into Yi's trap and become suspicious of you for no reason."
It turns out that Shui Xian had already seen through everything from Yi Guichun's verbal probing and framing to his bribery of palace maids to spread false information.
She feigned weakness, deliberately causing Emperor Zhaoheng to neglect her and creating the illusion of falling out of favor. This lured Yi Guichun into believing that the time was ripe, prompting him to unleash this most vicious move.
She secretly passed all of these plans to the emperor through Pei Jichuan.
The emperor and empress, tacitly in agreement, jointly staged this grand performance for the Yi family.
"Now, I am under house arrest."
Narcissus leaned against Emperor Zhaoheng's chest, her voice soft, "Yi Guichun must be overjoyed, thinking his scheme has succeeded. Yi Xingyao will likely lower his guard as a result..."
Emperor Zhaoheng looked over her shoulder, his gaze fixed on the distance with a cold expression.
"Let them be smug for a few more days."
"Yi Xingyao's military achievements? Hmph, the irrefutable evidence of his treason and collusion with foreign powers has already been dispatched by my secret guards to the border to gather evidence. Once the evidence is conclusive, it will be presented before me..."
He paused, his imperial ruthlessness fully revealed: "That will be the day his entire Yi family is wiped out!"
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