Chapter 65 He surrendered at this moment
Spring is gradually warming up, and half a month has passed. The nights in Yongle Palace are so stuffy that people feel uneasy.
Narcissus leaned against the bamboo mat on the couch, slowly fanning herself. Silver Pearl wrung out a damp cloth for the third time and handed it to her, her voice extremely low:
"Those heartless bastards in the Imperial Household Department are claiming that the key to the ice cellar was taken out of the palace by the steward. They are clearly disrespecting the Empress!"
Narcissus took the handkerchief and pressed it against her neck; the cool sensation briefly suppressed the heat.
She looked out the window; outside was a deep, dark expanse, without even a breath of wind.
“Let them be,” she said, her voice tinged with the weariness of pregnancy. “They’re just a bunch of sycophants who fawn over the powerful and bully the weak. I’m just pregnant and my body gets hot, so nothing will happen to me.”
Now, there are more important things than arguing with those lackeys of the Imperial Household Department...
"But they..."
Yinzhu's eyes reddened with anger; the mocking remarks she had heard from that group of people seemed to still echo in her ears.
"With Consort Yi's ascension to the throne and Consort Li currently enjoying favor, that other one will be moved to the Cold Palace once she gives birth to the emperor's child!"
"She thinks she's so precious, Ice? The water we gave her was just out of kindness!"
She bit her lip, lowered her head and wrung out her handkerchief, a wave of worry washing over her.
The obsequious and servile officials in the Imperial Household Department can sometimes reflect certain things.
Half a month has passed since Shui Xian was confined to Yongle Palace.
Although the Yongle Palace provided all the usual allowances due to Shuixian's pregnancy, they increasingly humiliated her in the smallest ways.
Could it be that... the Emperor has truly forgotten about the Empress?
The Empress is pregnant; if she truly falls out of favor, how much suffering will she endure in the future...?
Yinzhu's eyes welled up with tears; she felt wronged for Shuixian, but she dared not let Shuixian know, for fear that Shuixian would also become anxious.
Narcissus seemed to see through her thoughts, and got up to clench her hand that was soaking in the basin with silver beads.
"Yinzhu, I will lead you out of here, don't be afraid..."
Before the words were finished, some noise came from the direction of the Yongle Palace gate.
Yinzhu thought it was someone delivering ice, and a look of joy flashed across her face as she hurriedly went out to greet them.
However, what she saw was an uninvited guest...
Inside the room, Shui Xian heard Yin Zhu's cold voice trying to stop her, "Consort Yi, please wait! The Emperor has decreed that Consort Jin is under house arrest..."
"Get out of my way!" Yi Guichun sneered. "I've come to see my old maid, do you, you lowly servant, have a say in this?"
Yinzhu's expression changed drastically, and she clenched her fists at her sides, trying to stop Yi Guichun from forcing his way in.
Just then, Narcissus's cool voice came from the main hall behind them.
"It's alright, let her in."
The beaded curtain of the inner room was gently lifted by a pale white hand.
Narcissus stepped out slowly, wearing a moon-white inner robe with dark patterns, her black hair loosely tied up, her face without makeup, but her pregnancy added a touch of radiance.
She stood there in the bright light, calmly watching Yi Guichun, who had come uninvited.
The pale moonlight illuminated Yi Guichun's peacock blue and gold-embroidered palace gown, which trailed on the ground, making her appear adorned with jewels even in the dead of night.
Shui Xian's gaze did not linger on Yi Guichun; she glanced indifferently at Xue Mei behind him.
Compared to Yi Guichun, who lived a life of luxury as if he had never been to the cold palace, Xue Mei lowered her head, her hands, which had healed from frostbite, clenched tightly and hidden in her sleeves.
“Tsk,” Yi Guichun strolled around the main hall of Yongle Palace. “This Yongle Palace is even more spacious than my Changxin Palace.”
"To have a disgraced concubine living here now is truly a waste..."
At this point, Yi Guichun seemed to finally notice Shuixian, his gaze filled with undisguised malice as he looked the pregnant woman up and down.
"Look at your pampered appearance! Clothes make the man, and a saddle makes the horse! If I didn't tell you, who would have guessed that you were just a lowly servant girl who served tea and water in the Yi household?"
The candlelight flickered inside the hall, illuminating the narcissus's clear eyes.
Instead of being angry, she smiled and said, "Your Highness, Consort Yi, you flatter me. It is Your Highness who looks very well and radiant. Congratulations!"
"It seems that the trip to the Cold Palace did not leave any trace of madness on the Empress."
Yi Guichun was extremely concerned with his image and his status.
Upon hearing Narcissus mention her days in the Cold Palace and how she went mad for several days in her quest to escape, describing herself as disheveled and wretched, she couldn't help but take a deep breath.
Yi Guichun didn't want this lowly maid to laugh at her, so she subconsciously raised her hand to adjust the hairpin at her temple, showing it off to the disheveled Narcissus.
"His Majesty took pity on me for the injustice I had suffered, and that's why he bestowed upon me new jewelry so soon after my ascension to the throne. This hair ornament is a new style."
Narcissus's gaze swept lightly over the hairpin, her tone as indifferent as if she were commenting on an insignificant object:
"Oh? This one? The quality seems a little lacking, and the kingfisher feathers are not quite translucent enough. If Your Highness really needs some decent hairpins or ornaments, please feel free to say so."
She lowered her eyes slightly, as if recalling something, "I do have several boxes of jewelry bestowed by the Emperor here, many of which I haven't even had time to open yet."
"If Your Majesty is willing to lower yourself and say a few nice words, I wouldn't mind... lending you a few items to save face."
For several months, Shui Xian was showered with favors, and the gifts bestowed upon her as she was carried into Yongle Palace flowed like water.
Yi Guichun thinks he can humiliate her with such a broken hairpin? Dream on!
"You!" Yi Guichun had originally intended to show off to Shui Xian today.
She wanted Shui Xian to see for herself that after she came out of the Cold Palace, the Emperor didn't mind at all and even rewarded her with jewels.
Unexpectedly, during the time she was confined to the cold palace, Narcissus lived a very comfortable life!
Compared to the other woman, her smugness at receiving the hairpin bestowed upon her by the emperor made her seem petty and narrow-minded.
Yi Guichun suddenly raised his hand, seemingly wanting to slap her, but when his gaze fell on Shui Xian's swollen belly, he forcibly held back.
Finally, the hand slammed down hard on the rosewood table beside it, making a white porcelain teacup on it jump.
“Narcissus!” she practically spat out the name through gritted teeth. “How long do you think you can be so smug?”
"It's been half a month! A full half a month! Has the Emperor asked you even a single question? Has he even stepped into your Yongle Palace?"
She spoke each word with venom: "Open your eyes and look outside! Now it is Consort Li who has the Emperor's heart all to herself! What are you, Narcissus, to me?"
Yi Guichun stared intently into Shui Xian's eyes and sneered, "So what if you can conceive this dragon's child? After you painstakingly give birth to it, do you think you can raise it by your side? Dream on!"
"According to ancestral rules, once a prince is born, he will be raised by a noble consort! Consort Li has been waiting for this for a long time! When the time comes, you will be nothing more than a discarded pawn whose value has been squeezed dry!"
"Narcissus, oh narcissus, all your hard work has amounted to nothing more than a belly that can be used at will!"
Shui Xian listened quietly, watching Yi Guichun vent his anger. Her calm eyes were like ice, chilling Yi Guichun's anger inch by inch.
Only after Yi Guichun had finished venting, his chest still heaving violently, did she tilt her head slightly and whisper:
"Oh? So Consort Yi came tonight to deliver a message for Consort Li... What? Does Your Highness think that being Consort Li's servant is... more respectable?"
Her sarcasm, unlike Yi Guichun's flamboyance, was like the sharpest knife piercing straight into Yi Guichun's heart!
In order to escape the Cold Palace, Yi Guichun practically sold himself to Consort Li!
She is now under the control of Consort Li, which is extremely humiliating for Yi Guichun, who values his status the most!
Yi Guichun's exquisitely made-up face instantly turned bright red, then turned ashen.
She pointed at the daffodils, her fingertips trembling, her lips quivering, but she could no longer utter a single powerful word.
Finally, she flicked her sleeve, the wide, peacock-blue robe sleeve almost hitting Narcissus's face.
"Fine! I'll see how long you can keep up this stubbornness! Let's go!"
Her steps were heavy, filled with pent-up anger. She turned and rushed out of Yongle Palace as if fleeing. The heavy palace doors were hurriedly closed behind her by Xue Mei with a muffled thud.
Yongle Palace was restored to tranquility, with only the flickering candlelight inside.
Looking at her master's still calm profile, Yinzhu felt a tightness in her chest and couldn't help but whisper:
"Your Majesty, don't listen to that madwoman's nonsense! The Emperor... the Emperor must be..."
She tried to find some comforting words, but Yinzhu was never good with words and couldn't say anything for a moment.
Narcissus raised her hand, stopping her from speaking.
She slowly walked to the carved window facing the courtyard and pushed it open halfway.
The night breeze carried the slightly damp scent of grass and trees from the courtyard, slightly dispelling the stuffiness in the hall and the nauseating scent of perfume that had lingered on Yi Guichun's body.
She stood quietly by the window, wearing only a thin nightgown, gazing at the deep night outside.
“Go and rest, Silver Pearl,” Narcissus said softly. “I’ll go for a while and clear away the stagnant air in this hall.”
Yinzhu looked at her slender figure reflected in the window frame, her heart ached, but she didn't say anything more. She just responded softly and silently retreated to the outer room to keep watch.
Not long after, at the Qianqing Palace.
Emperor Zhaoheng sat upright behind his desk, his bright yellow dragon robe making his features appear even more profound and aloof.
Feng Shunxiang entered, bowing low, and reported in a low voice:
"Your Majesty, Consort Li used some tricks to distract the guards of Yongle Palace for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Consort Yi took advantage of the opportunity to go in and stayed for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea before coming out."
"Consort Jin... seems somewhat disappointed."
The pen tip paused slightly.
A drop of rich, dark ink, slipping out of control, landed heavily on the unfolded memorial.
Inside the hall, you could hear a pin drop.
Feng Shunxiang held his breath, observing the emperor's instantly somber profile, and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, would you... like to move to Yongle Palace to see..."
"I'm not going."
Emperor Zhaoheng's voice suddenly rang out, interrupting Feng Shunxiang's words, as cold and hard as jade striking each other.
He seemed unfazed by the news, his pen continuing to write down memorials, the candlelight flickering in his deep eyes, reflecting a dark and turbulent undercurrent.
Feng Shunxiang bowed and was about to leave.
Suddenly, the soft sound of Emperor Zhaoheng putting down his brush was heard again.
The man's voice was low and deep, like a soft sigh, as if he had surrendered at this moment.
"I will go...to see her."
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