The He family was filled with anxiety.
Unexpectedly, two days later, He Su became a benefactor.
According to the news relayed by He Su, this title was personally bestowed by the Empress.
The Empress herself gave it to me.
Many people in the imperial court received these messages.
I wonder if the Empress was traumatized.
After returning to the palace, he showed great affection for all the concubines.
They even allocated time for the emperor to visit these concubines.
Of course, she didn't arrange for He Su to be included at first. Instead, it was the Empress Dowager who took the initiative to ask her to arrange for He Su to be angered as well.
"I don't care whether you listen or not, Su'er will be the emperor's woman in the future."
"yes."
Ning Changxi nodded obediently.
"I'm telling you, whether you agree or disagree, in short—wait, you agree?"
What happened?
Did she agree?
"Your Majesty, you agree?"
In previous years, whenever she bestowed a woman upon the Emperor, Ning Changxi would always make a fuss. Why was he so obedient this time? He agreed so easily.
"Mother, I agree." Ning Changxi nodded. "Here's what we'll do: I'll arrange for all the women in the palace to be served. It wouldn't be appropriate to deprive the other concubines of their time this month—"
"So?" The Empress Dowager sneered. Sure enough, she knew the Empress wouldn't compromise so easily.
After visiting the Cold Palace, his mind became much sharper, and he realized he couldn't go against them.
"How about this, the first and fifteenth of the month are the days when I serve the Emperor. For the sake of the Empress Dowager, I will give you these two days."
"What?"
He Su blinked and picked at her ear in disbelief.
Your Majesty, has she gone mad?
Ning Changxi's words choked the Empress Dowager from saying what she was about to say.
"What does the Empress Dowager think?"
"Are you really willing to give up both the first and fifteenth of the lunar month?"
"Of course." Ning Changxi nodded with a smile. "Tonight is the fifteenth, and Miss He can go and serve the Emperor today."
"And what about you?"
"Your Majesty, I may stay in the Empress Dowager's palace and serve her. I hope Your Majesty will not make things too difficult for me, considering how sensible I am."
"How could I? How could I possibly make things difficult for you? The Empress is so obedient, she pleases me greatly; I'm overjoyed." The Empress Dowager smiled and grasped Ning Changxi's hand—
"Thank you for your praise, Your Majesty!"
Ning Changxi lowered his head, as respectful as ever.
The next day, when Song Zhuo brought He Su to pay their respects, neither of them looked too happy.
He Su was pale and felt slightly unwell, while Song Zhuo's face was dark, and he glared at Ning Changxi with a frustrated expression.
Ning Changxi, however, sat down next to the Empress Dowager with a natural demeanor.
This is truly an extremely rare sight.
"Your Majesty, you—"
Song Zhuo really wanted to ask Ning Changxi why the Empress had arranged for He Su to serve her last night, when it was clearly the night she was supposed to be attending to him.
When he saw He Su, his face turned completely black. He was about to go find Ning Changxi to get an explanation when he heard He Su say that this was specially arranged by the Empress.
He suddenly felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head.
He abandoned himself and favored He Su.
Of course, the actions weren't gentle at all; it was purely a way to vent.
At this moment, he stared intently at Ning Changxi, trying to detect even the slightest hint of displeasure in her eyes, but to no avail.
“Your Majesty, now that Miss He Su has become your woman, shouldn’t you give her a title?” Ning Changxi picked up a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face.
There were too many charcoal braziers in the Empress Dowager's palace, making it quite hot.
"Alright, then let's give him the title of 'Noble Person'."
"Your Majesty, isn't this rank of Noble Lady a bit too low?" the Empress Dowager couldn't help but ask. "Mother, Noble Lady is already an exceptional rank."
"Your Majesty, I thank you."
He Su hurriedly knelt down to express his gratitude, interrupting the Empress Dowager's words.
To be honest, He Su sometimes couldn't understand the Empress Dowager's thoughts.
In her view, becoming the emperor's woman was more important than anything else.
Why bother with matters of rank?
She always manages to climb up.
While Song Zhuo was speaking, his eyes kept lingering on Ning Changxi.
In these short few years, Ning Changxi seems to have changed, yet he also seems to have remained the same.
Before entering the palace, she was the apple of the eye of the Duke of Wei.
After entering the palace, she spent her days mingling with the Empress Dowager and a group of women, and the smiles on her face became less frequent.
At first, she would smile at him, but now—that smile looks increasingly fake.
After returning to Fengyi Pavilion from the Empress Dowager's palace, Ning Changxi twisted his neck.
Xiao Xi gave a soft call, and the palace maids filed in and placed breakfast on the table.
But before she could even start eating, a heavy footstep sounded first.
A group of people outside knelt down.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"Empress." Song Zhuoren's voice came in before he even arrived.
The voice also carried a hint of suppressed anger.
Tell me, what happened last night?
"What?"
"What happened last night."
"Is Your Majesty confused? The person who served Your Majesty last night was not me. If Your Majesty wants to know what happened last night, you should go to Consort He."
Song Zhuo grabbed Ning Changxi's chin directly, "Don't play dumb with me."
"Your Majesty, you have wronged the Empress so badly."
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