Chapter 83 Zhenniang.
After the retired emperor raised his army, the empress dowager's attitude towards Qin Lie completely changed.
After Qin Xu's death at Shenwu Gate, the Empress Dowager regarded Qin Lie as an enemy. Initially, she cursed and threatened suicide, but finding this futile, she, like the Grand Empress Dowager, secluded herself in her palace and forbade Qin Lie from paying his respects, demonstrating her rejection of the new emperor. Lingyi could almost imagine how history would record this awkward period. After all, no matter how much they tried to cover it up, the fact that no one from either Kunning Palace or Cining Palace ever attended the annual festivals or the weddings of the two princes was undeniable. Even if it wasn't a case of illegitimate accession, it would at least cement Qin Lie's place on the pillar of shame for filial impiety.
However, when the retired emperor raised an army and the palace fell, the empress dowager discovered the difference between herself and the grand empress dowager.
Regardless of which of the Emperor Emeritus's sons becomes emperor, the Empress Dowager will always be the Empress Dowager. And now she only has Qin Lie as her son. If she does not acknowledge Qin Lie as emperor, she is denying her status as Empress Dowager.
Therefore, she immediately forgave Qin Lie and left Kunning Palace early.
She still couldn't let go of Qin Xu's death; those hatreds needed a target, and Ling Yi was the first to be targeted.
—If it weren't for the instigation and encouragement of this treacherous former dynasty princess, how could Qin Lie have done those things?!
Although she had forgiven Qin Lie, and Qin Lie was very respectful to her, she was still somewhat afraid of him. Therefore, apart from occasionally making sarcastic remarks to Ling Yi, she dared not do anything else. Ling Yi obviously had no reaction to this, which made her furious.
Now that Qin Lie is attending to her ailing father in Cining Palace, she's putting on airs like the Empress Dowager. Lingyi is now required to pay her respects at Kunning Palace twice a day, morning and evening. This is partly to vent the Empress Dowager's anger, and partly to show everyone who truly reigns supreme in the harem!
She was ultimately afraid of Qin Lie and dared not make things too difficult for him, only asking Lingyi to wait a little longer when she paid her respects.
Although Lingyi possessed a golden jewel and a golden book, she did not want to trouble Qin Lie in the Cining Palace with such a trivial matter. Therefore, she always accepted these minor difficulties passively and did not resist.
She had prepared herself for being "punished" today, but as soon as she arrived at Kunning Palace, news came from Cining Palace that the Empress Dowager could no longer bear to make things difficult for her and immediately rushed to Cining Palace, while Lingyi returned to Chonghua Palace.
—Although the Empress Dowager accepted Qin Lie's care during his illness, she did not accept her. She had declared early on that she was not allowed to enter Cining Palace, and that even if she were to pass away one day, she would not be allowed to attend the funeral.
When she returned to the palace, Huan'er was no longer there.
Less than half an hour later, the bells rang outside, followed by a great cry of grief in the palace, with all the palace servants weeping bitterly.
The imperial concubines came to Cining Palace from their respective palaces, knelt down, kowtowed, and wept.
Afterwards, the imperial relatives, ministers, and noblewomen outside the palace knelt in a line outside the palace gates, and the retired emperor, who had been imprisoned in the temporary palace, also rushed back to the palace on the third day.
Emperor Qin Lie was usually quite frugal, but the Empress Dowager's funeral was extremely grand.
He had a very close relationship with his grandmother, even though the Empress Dowager refused to see him in the last few years and made things difficult for him. But this time, whether it was caring for her during her illness or attending to her funeral, he never left her side for a moment. He not only kept vigil throughout the entire process, but he also did not entrust the encoffining to anyone else.
After the funeral, he arrived at Chonghua Palace. Lingyi could hardly recognize him; this emaciated man was none other than Qin Lie.
It was late at night. He had come from the imperial mausoleum, covered in dust and grime, his eyes bloodshot from not having slept for a long time.
After learning that the Empress Dowager had been buried, Lingyi stood alone outside the imperial mausoleum for a long time without eating or drinking anything. She thought of sending someone to bring her some white porridge, but before she could even speak, he wearily carried her back to bed.
His whole body was tense until he rested his head on her chest like a child, and then he spoke in a hoarse voice as if he had been burned by fire, "I killed my second brother, and I killed so many of her grandsons. She has always blamed me, and even hated me."
Lingyi thought of the Empress Dowager. Although she had only met her a few times a few years ago, she could still glimpse how wise and decisive she was. She sighed and comforted her, "Even if she blames you, she still cares about you. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let you take care of her when she was ill. She was afraid that you would have a lifelong regret."
Qin Lie paused for a moment, then slowly said as if in a dream, "Yes, my grandmother has always doted on me."
As he spoke, he hugged Lingyi tightly, buried his face in her neck, and his shoulders trembled uncontrollably.
Lingyi placed her hand on the back of his head and gently stroked it until he fell asleep from exhaustion, no one knew how much time had passed.
She then quietly got up and changed out of her clothes, which were soaked with his tears.
Qin Lie slept for a long time, and when he woke up it was already evening the next day, and the sun was already setting in the west.
Only then did he realize that his throat was dry and sore, and that his mourning clothes smelled sour.
Hearing the noise, Lingyi put down her needlework, sat on the edge of the bed, and took the tea handed to her by the palace servant. Qin Lie drank three cups before feeling a little better. "During these days of mourning, I can't take off my mourning clothes. I'm in this state. It's a pity that the princess, who is so clean, didn't mind last night."
She looked at him gently: "Your Majesty has not eaten properly for many days. Have a few sips of porridge before you wash up."
After Qin Lie finished washing up, she was still sitting by the window doing needlework.
Her slender and graceful profile was reflected in the gauze window, like the most delicate traditional Chinese painting. Qin Lie looked at her for a while before stepping forward. "What is the princess doing?"
After Huan'er and Lin'er grew up, she hadn't done these things for many years.
Lingyi said, "His Majesty has suddenly lost so much weight. I'm afraid the Imperial Household Department hasn't had time to prepare robes. I'll alter some of His Majesty's old everyday clothes to make them smaller."
She not only made clothes for him, but also tied up his hair.
This was the first time she had tied his hair up, but her technique was so skillful, naturally because she had tied Song Pingkou's hair up many times before.
Just thinking about it made him feel incredibly anxious, but he dared not show it, for fear of disturbing this moment of warmth and losing her rare tenderness and affection.
Lingyi put the crown on him, her gaze falling on a few strands of white hair at his temples.
Looking at the two people in the mirror, Qin Lie sighed, "The princess is still young and beautiful, but I have grown old."
If it were someone else, they might have said something flattering like "Your Majesty is in your prime," but Lingyi simply nestled beside him and whispered, "Let's grow old together, and die together."
He held her hand to his chest, saying, "Let's grow old together, and die together."
Li Shaobao, who was listening outside the door, was astonished. Only the Imperial Noble Consort would dare to say such a thing. Otherwise, wouldn't the Emperor be a king wherever he goes?
The court was already in turmoil, with memorials accusing the Imperial Noble Consort of forging imperial edicts piling up. No one could have imagined that this Imperial Noble Consort, instead of enjoying a peaceful life, would have the audacity to allow women to serve as officials in the court. If this was merely a chaotic and immoral act, disregarding ethics and moral principles, then forging an imperial edict was a crime punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one's family! This time, two officials were brought in; who knew what they would do in the future? Even more unsettling was that the Imperial Noble Consort had free access to the Qianqing Palace; who knew who would be responsible for any future imperial edicts issued from there?!
The Imperial Noble Consort's actions provoked public outrage, and ministers jointly submitted a memorial. The Emperor had been suppressing it for several days, but these ministers even brought in the Imperial Observatory, blaming the Empress Dowager's death on the Imperial Noble Consort. They even said that the Emperor's star had been dim recently because the Imperial Noble Consort was the root of the country's calamities, and that if this wicked concubine was not eliminated, the country would be in danger!
Li Shaobao clearly remembered that when the Emperor first heard about this matter, he was also furious.
No matter how favored a concubine may be, it is self-evident which is more important: the legacy of one's ancestors.
No matter how much the emperor indulges in other matters, forging an imperial edict is even worse than the crime of rebellion.
Furthermore, how could a woman hold an official position? There has been no precedent in thousands of years. How could those men, especially the scholars who took the imperial examinations, possibly agree to this? If a disturbance were to erupt, it might shake the very foundation of the imperial court.
But seeing this situation, the Emperor had become so lenient that he was unwilling to punish the Imperial Noble Consort.
Sure enough, after a short while, the Emperor said, "I know you care about those students. They often travel together to various places to open girls' schools, which is already quite outrageous. Even Princess Yinrong is running around everywhere. I've let all that go. But this time you've really gone too far, daring to forge an imperial edict. This is a crime punishable by the confiscation of your property and the extermination of your entire clan. Don't you really know that?"
Then came the gentle explanation from the Imperial Noble Consort: "It's my fault for thinking too simply. One of those women is the sole descendant of a family of historians, with a long and distinguished family tradition of learning. She has been immersed in literature since childhood, and the Emperor has read her historical writings and praised them. Wouldn't it be a waste if she didn't become a historian? Besides, what kind of official is a historian who only records and organizes information? The other woman is the granddaughter of the former Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. When the Emperor Emeritus raised his army, her grandfather refused to surrender to the rebels and was tragically killed. I only thought that since she is a descendant of a loyal and virtuous family and is determined to carry on her grandfather's legacy and thoroughly investigate long-standing cases in the Court of Judicial Review, I would just give her a minor official position of the sixth rank."
She paused, then continued, "It was my oversight that caused His Majesty such a predicament. In that case, His Majesty could simply remove that memorial and disregard it, wouldn't that solve the problem?"
Upon hearing this, Li Shaobao thought to himself that the Imperial Noble Consort was born a princess and had served as such for so many years; such childish words could only fool a three-year-old. However, the Emperor, having been given a way out, readily accepted it, preferring to play the role of that three-year-old child. "Imperial brushstrokes and vermilion ink—it's not as simple as you think! This time, I accept it. I'll consider those two as having been added by me. Remember, this is a one-time exception, or even I cannot protect you!"
Once the emperor approves, the matter can only be dropped.
Besides, he was just a historian and a lowly sixth-rank official from the Court of Judicial Review, so everyone just had to swallow their pride and bear it.
However, this only deepened the court officials' fear of the Imperial Noble Consort.
No matter how much the court officials feared her, the Imperial Noble Consort remained in the highest esteem, and no one could shake her position.
.
Originally, Qin Lie, as the grandson of the emperor, should have observed a month of mourning after the death of the Empress Dowager. However, he ordered the entire country to observe three months of mourning, and the palace was no exception. Because of the mourning for the Empress Dowager, the New Year was spent in a very quiet and desolate atmosphere.
When the mourning period ended, it was springtime and flowers were in bloom. It was also the Empress Dowager's birthday. Qin Lie ordered the Ministry of Rites to hold a grand celebration. Firstly, it was the first time he had celebrated the Empress Dowager's birthday since ascending the throne, and secondly, it was to wash away the somber atmosphere that had hung over the palace.
Officials came to offer their congratulations on the birthday, and the banquet was filled with flattery; everyone wanted to please the Empress Dowager.
After presenting her birthday gift, Lingyi only talked to Huan'er beside her.
After the Empress Dowager's funeral, Huan'er could no longer stay in the palace. The Prince Rui's mansion had already been built, and he was to leave the palace that very day.
Although she knew that princes could not live in the harem after the age of eight, and that these past few years had been like being stolen from the palace, Huan'er had not been raised by her side since childhood. Even though the bond between mother and son was deep now, some regrets could never be made up for in a lifetime.
Before Huan'er left the palace, Lingyi arranged for him to reside in Chonghua Palace. Although this was against the rules, everyone in the palace knew that the Imperial Noble Consort's word was law, and no one dared to be so tactless as to object. As for Qin Lie, after being looked at with tearful, pitiful eyes by Lingyi, he could only acquiesce despite his displeasure.
Huan'er will be leaving the palace tomorrow, and she feels that there are still many things she hasn't had time to say. Every moment spent together is precious, but now she has to come to celebrate the Empress Dowager's birthday because of her status, which is a waste of time.
Huan'er, always adept at making her happy, grinned and said, "Mother, I'm only living away from the palace, not leaving the capital. Just summon me whenever you miss me!"
Lingyi said worriedly, "In such a large palace, you live alone without any elders or relatives. I'm always worried about you."
Huan'er smiled and said, "Then Mother Consort should ask Father Emperor to bestow a marriage upon me as soon as possible, and appoint seventy or eighty princesses and concubines. Then the palace will be lively and bustling, and I can have more children as soon as possible. Mother Consort can keep whichever one she likes by her side and will not be lonely anymore."
His intention was to please his mother, but Lingyi said seriously, "Even if you have many more children in the future, they will still have their own mothers. How can I separate them from their own flesh and blood because of my own selfishness?"
With that, both of them fell silent. Huan'er's usual smile faded, and before she could say anything, a palace maid accidentally spilled wine on Lingyi. The Empress's personal maid rushed over to apologize, saying that Chonghua Palace was too far away, and that there were new clothes that had just been sent by the Imperial Household Department to the Empress's palace. She asked the Imperial Noble Consort to go to the side hall to change.
Such clumsy tactics left Lingyi speechless for a moment. Seeing that Huan'er was about to reprimand her, she remembered that he had lived in Cining Palace and was accustomed to such underhanded tricks. So she changed her mind and agreed to the request of her personal maid, taking Huan'er with her.
On the way, Lingyi allowed her personal maid to use various excuses to send all her personal maids away, but she refused to let Huan'er leave.
The personal maid, unwilling to leave empty-handed, led the two to a pavilion on the artificial hill and then left, making an excuse that she had forgotten to retrieve her clothes first.
As soon as she left, Lingyi and Huan'er heard a commotion below—through the gaps in the artificial hill, they could see Qin Lie and a woman below.
Lingyi recognized the woman as Cheng Jiazhenniang, the late Empress's younger sister. A few years ago, after failing to be selected, she was summoned to Cining Palace by the Empress Dowager.
During this period, I often heard the Empress Dowager mention her, praising her for how she served the Grand Empress Dowager diligently when she was seriously ill, and for being a person of utmost filial piety.
Because of her fondness for her, the Empress Dowager kept her in Kunning Palace.
Qin Yinrong had warned Lingyi more than once to be careful of her aunt.
Lingyi once visited the Qianqing Palace and met Zhenniang, whom the Cheng family had meticulously groomed. At that time, Zhenniang was sent by the Empress Dowager to deliver bird's nest to the Qianqing Palace. Even though she was blocked at the door by Li Shaobao, she still smiled and showed no sign of embarrassment. She was indeed dignified and beautiful, with graceful manners. However, she had a somewhat artificial air about her, as if every frown, smile, and movement was measured with a ruler.
At this moment, she had lost all her composure and knelt before Qin Lie, weeping bitterly. "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! If you are worried that the Imperial Noble Consort will be angry, just pretend that you didn't say those things in Cining Palace. Zhenniang may not be the Empress! Or even a concubine! But Zhenniang truly loves Your Majesty! Even without my sister or the Cheng family, Zhenniang truly loves you! Please let me stay in the palace as a lowly palace maid. I only ask to see Your Majesty occasionally, and I will be content!"
They were not close to each other, but her voice was so sad and longing that Lingyi and Huan'er could hear her cries clearly.
They could no longer hear what Qin Lie said, but it must have been extremely hurtful, because Cheng Zhen fell to the ground after hearing it, and Qin Lie coldly turned and left.
For others, this might seem like a sign of a heart of stone, but for Qin Lie, to meet with a woman privately was already unusual. Moreover, Cheng Zhen's words clearly implied that Qin Lie had promised her at the Cining Palace that he would make her empress.
This reminded Huan'er of the time when Cheng Zhen was attending to her ailing father in the Cining Palace, and how she always gazed at him with affection.
In the past, there were those who coveted the emperor's bed and dreamed of rising to power, but the emperor always punished them severely.
But why did he indulge this woman alone?
The Empress Dowager disliked my mother, so my mother was not allowed to enter Cining Palace. However, whenever my father was attending to his illness, she would always arrange for Cheng Zhen to stand by his side. So what exactly happened during that time that made my father make that promise?
He was still young, and immediately turned pale with anger, wanting to go down and argue with them.
Lingyi grabbed him, "What are you going to do?"
Huan'er said, "Father, he... he has wronged Mother!"
Lingyi asked, "Even the Empress couldn't stop the Emperor from having three thousand concubines, let alone me, who is just an Imperial Noble Consort. What has he done to wrong me?"
Huan'er couldn't explain it, and said resentfully, "The Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager plotted against my mother!"
Lingyi then asked, "Even if she plotted against me, she only lured me here. Does that mean your father can punish her for this?"
Huan'er clenched her fists and then loosened them, then clenched them again, unwilling to give up, and said, "But are we just going to let it go like this?"
Lingyi smiled and said, "They set up this whole thing to create a rift between me and your father, but I didn't care at all. It was all for nothing. But you are too impatient. You must remember that no matter how much you hate someone, if you can't strike them down in one fell swoop, you can only hide yourself in the shadows to avoid alerting them or even getting yourself killed."
Huan'er stared at her and asked, "Mother, are you really not sad or upset?"
Lingyi smiled and took his hand. "Over the years, my only wish has been for my loved ones to live well."
Huan'er gritted his teeth: "Mother, just wait. When I become successful in the future, I will make sure you never suffer again. Then, Mother, I, and...my younger brother will live together, and no one will be able to separate us!"
Lingyi couldn't help but let go of Huan'er and carefully examine him. She saw that although his features resembled hers, his expression was almost exactly the same as Qin Lie's—arrogant and profound, with an undeniable and resolute strength.
Lingyi had never told Huan'er those things, nor could the Empress Dowager. She hadn't expected him to be so perceptive. He seemed lazy and indifferent all day, but in reality, he knew everything, which was why he had said those words. She didn't answer, but continued to instruct, "Outside the palace, you won't be as restrained as inside. Whether it's snake charmers or other novelties, there will be everything. Your mother doesn't ask you to be diligent or outstanding, but only hopes that you will live a peaceful and smooth life. However, you must always remember not to let playthings distract you from your studies or lead you to decadence."
Huan'er said, "Your subject will not indulge in frivolous pursuits. They all look down on us, but I will strive to be the best, even better than Prince Gong and the Crown Prince!" He gripped her hand tightly, "Only in that way will Mother Consort no longer be left alone in this palace!"
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