Empress?
Gu Jiangli thought for a moment, recalling the things about the Empress.
The empress was the crown princess when the emperor ascended the throne, and she became the empress.
In my memory, she was a gentle and dignified woman who treated the emperor with the utmost respect.
However, because of his poor health, he rarely served the emperor in bed.
Over the years, the emperor has almost never stayed overnight in her palace, but on the surface, he has always treated the empress very well.
On the Empress's birthday, the Emperor would always hold a grand banquet to celebrate and present her with rare and valuable gifts.
This shows that the emperor valued the empress highly.
Since Gu Jiangli came into this world, she has never seen the Empress, because the Empress is always ill and has exempted all the concubines in the harem from paying their respects.
Today, the Empress is feeling better and came to see her in person at Guangming Palace.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects."
The Empress wore no ornate ornaments, appearing extremely simple and plain, and walked towards Gu Jiangli with a warm and gentle smile on her face.
"Consort Gu, you are pregnant, so there's no need for such formalities."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
The Empress was a bit older than her, and her smile was very approachable.
She took Gu Jiangli's hand and led her to sit down together.
"I knew you were pregnant and should have come to congratulate you long ago. However, I'm not feeling well and was only able to get out of bed and walk around today. I brought you a little trinket as a congratulatory gift."
"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. Actually, it should be me who goes to your palace to pay my respects."
The Empress smiled and shook her head nonchalantly, then waved her hand behind her with a gentle and graceful gesture.
A palace maid brought in something.
"Consort Gu, I have never liked those palace etiquette rules for greeting and paying respects, so you don't need to take them to heart."
Then, pointing to the object being carried by the palace maid behind him, he said, "This is a jade gourd pendant, symbolizing many children and blessings, and good fortune and fulfillment."
"This was originally a gift from a friend when I became the Crown Princess. However, I am in poor health and I am afraid that I will not be able to bear children for His Majesty in this lifetime. It is a waste of the beautiful meaning of this jade pendant to have it with me."
"After much consideration, I think it would be more appropriate to give it to Consort Gu."
Gu Jiangli looked at the jade pendant. It was a clear, green color with a delicate and lustrous texture, without any impurities. It was an excellent piece of jade.
The Empress so readily offered such a treasure that Gu Jiangli felt somewhat embarrassed to accept it.
"Your Majesty, this is a gift from your friend, and it carries such a symbolic meaning. I cannot take what belongs to someone else."
The Empress picked up the jade pendant and stuffed it into Gu Jiangli's hand, saying, "It's yours, so just accept it. I won't take it back."
After hesitating for a long time, Gu Jiangli saw the Empress's resolute attitude and finally did not refuse, accepting the gift.
Before the two women could exchange more than a few words, the emperor returned.
The two hurriedly rose and bowed, and the emperor went straight to Gu Jiangli and helped her up.
"Since you are pregnant, all formalities are unnecessary."
Gu Jiangli shook his head and looked at the Empress, indicating that the Empress was still there. Only then did the Emperor add a comment.
"The Empress has just recovered, so she may dispense with the formalities."
The emperor's order of precedence over them was really inappropriate.
But the Empress wasn't angry at all. She looked at Gu Jiangli and smiled, saying:
"There are rumors in the palace that His Majesty dotes on Consort Gu. Seeing him today, the rumors are indeed true."
The emperor said, "I have only come to deliver something and will not stay long. There are still ministers waiting for me to discuss important matters."
As the emperor spoke, a eunuch behind him brought over something.
"This is a luminous pearl newly presented as tribute from a foreign land. It can illuminate the entire Guangming Hall as if it were daytime at night. There is only one of its kind in the world, so let's give it to Consort Gu."
Gu Jiangli was flattered and said, "This is a gift from a foreign country to Your Majesty. I am humbled and dare not accept such a precious gift."
The emperor was about to speak when the empress spoke first.
"Consort Gu, there's no need to refuse. His Majesty loves you dearly and is willing to give you this incomparably precious gift, which is unique in the world. This is your good fortune; please accept it."
The Emperor nodded, "The Empress is right. In any case, it is yours. I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
The eunuch held the luminous pearl with his head down, not daring to speak, as if waiting for Gu Jiangli's instructions.
The emperor hurriedly left the palace.
As the empress watched his departing figure, a subtle change occurred in the expression on her face.
She said, almost as if in a murmur, "He came all the way here just to give you this luminous pearl... He truly loves you. I've been by his side since he was the crown prince, and I've never seen him care about a woman so much."
Gu Jiangli turned his head and noticed that the Empress's expression was filled with a sense of loneliness.
"I am merely fortunate to have gained His Majesty's favor. In His Majesty's heart, the Empress must hold far greater weight than I do."
The Empress turned around, her smiling eyes seemingly scrutinizing Gu Jiangli from head to toe, and then said:
"The emperor likes you so much, but unfortunately, you don't like him."
Gu Jiangli paused slightly, looking at the Empress with questioning eyes.
"Your Majesty, what do you mean by that?"
The Empress's smile deepened. "It means you don't love the Emperor, Consort Gu. The Emperor has never been loved, so he doesn't understand these things. But I'm different. The way I look when I love someone isn't like yours."
Gu Jiangli looked at the Empress in silence.
In that instant, all the gentleness and virtue in the Empress's demeanor changed.
Even though she still had that same expression, even though she still had that same look in her eyes.
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