History always repeats itself.
Zhao Shu walked along the long palace path, with towering palace walls on both sides, making the path seem even longer and deeper. If one were to walk alone, one would surely feel extremely gloomy and terrifying.
She was accompanied by Su Xiu, Chen Ran, and Wan Dong, just the three of them. There was no one else on the palace road, and everyone was silent. Only the sound of their feet on the ground was particularly clear.
Wan Dong supported her hand and followed quickly behind the little eunuch. Su Xiu and Chen Ran followed behind with their heads down. It was just as the sun was setting, and the glazed tiles were covered with a layer of gold, making them look even more magnificent.
As they passed by Consort Ning's Chuxiu Palace, they suddenly heard a palace maid rushing out, shouting, "Imperial Physician! Summon the Imperial Physician! Consort Wu is bleeding!"
"Quickly, go and invite the Emperor!"
The palace maid was so flustered that she didn't even have time to bow when she saw Zhao Shu before rushing out and running down the long palace road as if she were walking on the road to the underworld. The golden sunset stained the road with the color of blood.
Zhao Shu's eyes flickered, but she didn't stop walking, heading straight for Cining Palace.
Upon arriving at Cining Palace, Jiyun and the others were taken aback to see her and bowed, saying, "Princess, you have come at an inopportune time. The Empress Dowager is currently bathing, and you will likely have to wait for some time."
Zhao Shu knew the Empress Dowager was alright, but even knowing it was a trap, she still came, because that was her grandmother. Looking back, the little eunuch who had led her there was nowhere to be seen. She sneered softly, "Trying to scheme against her and trying to escape? I'll let you live a little longer."
With a smile, she told them to dispense with the formalities, "How has Grandmother been lately?"
"The Empress Dowager is doing well, practicing Tai Chi, but she keeps reminiscing about her days in Guanzhou, saying that the palace isn't as comfortable as Guanzhou," Ji Yun said with a smile.
The Empress Dowager is fine, but there is trouble at Chuxiu Palace.
Just after Zhao Shu left, another palace maid rushed out of Chuxiu Palace, shouting, "Imperial Physician! Consort Ning has fallen into the water! Imperial Physician!"
At this moment, Chuxiu Palace seemed to be in chaos. The palace maids and eunuchs were panicked and at a loss. Ningfei's head palace maid, Huanzi, and the chief eunuch, Xiao Liuzi, exchanged a glance. Huanzi said, "It wasn't Consort De who fell into the water, but Her Highness?"
"How would I know? Consort De walked by without incident, but our Lady slipped and fell into the pond. Fortunately, it was the height of summer, and she was fine after drinking some calming soup," Xiao Liu said with lingering fear. He felt uneasy and instinctively felt that something was about to happen.
"Who leaked the news? Could it be that Consort De discovered Her Majesty's plan?" Huanzi, like Xiao Liuzi, was extremely uneasy.
Before Xiao Liu could reply, a palace maid exclaimed with delight, "Her Majesty has woken up!"
The two rushed to the bedside and found that Consort Ning had indeed woken up, but was extremely weak, rubbing her lower abdomen and saying, "It hurts."
"Your Majesty, rest assured, the imperial physician will be here soon, and I have already sent someone to invite His Highness," Huanzi reported.
"Fool! Who told you to go looking for Bi'er?" Consort Ning was even more furious upon hearing this. With a shout, Huanzi, Xiao Liuzi, and a group of palace maids and eunuchs hurriedly knelt down.
"Go and bring him back right now!" Consort Ning endured the pain and grabbed a pillow to smash it, but she was in so much pain that her face was covered in a fine layer of sweat.
Huanzi hurriedly ordered someone to go down and bring back the messenger. She stood up, lifted the thin blanket, and wanted to rub the pain to ease it, but when she lifted the blanket, she was stunned.
Xiao Liu and the other palace maids and eunuchs also looked at the place where Consort Ning said it hurt. After seeing it, they were so shocked that they quickly lowered their heads. Huan Zi said blankly, "Your Highness, there is bleeding."
"What?" Consort Ning was also shocked and looked over, but when she saw that her lower body was covered in blood, she screamed.
Huanzi, Xiao Liuzi, and the other palace maids and eunuchs were so frightened that they immediately lowered their heads, not daring to look. "Your Majesty, please forgive us, we did not see any bleeding just now," Xiao Liuzi explained.
"You vile woman, I will tear you to pieces!" Consort Ning said through gritted teeth, then clutched her lower abdomen and silently wept.
Consort Ning was almost forty years old. She never imagined that she would be pregnant at such an advanced age, and she was completely unaware of it. By the time she found out, the child was already gone.
The Empress Dowager conceived Prince Yong around the same age as her. After Prince Yong was born, he not only secured the Emperor's position as Crown Prince, but the Empress Dowager also used this opportunity to turn her life around.
The eldest son is now an adult. If she can give birth to a son and then have a younger son, her life will be complete. Consort Ning's eyes flashed coldly as she quietly made her plans in her heart.
The Empress has been living in seclusion in Fengqi Palace for many years. Most of the palace is controlled by her, Consort Hao, and Consort De. Consort Hao is secretly her person. Apart from Consort De, no one has the ability to set a trap for her!
She waved for the lowest-ranking palace maids and eunuchs to leave, leaving only Huanzi and Xiao Liuzi. "Hmph, I kept her around only to prevent the Emperor from supporting another one to oppose me. I never expected that she would have the opportunity to harm me!"
"Your Majesty, what are your plans?" Huanzi asked cautiously.
Consort Ning snorted coldly, "Go and invite the Emperor."
At this moment, Emperor Mingde took a sip of tea and his gaze fell on Sun Yun's face. He looked closely at Sun Yun's features. Her skin was as white as jade, flawless and pure. Her nose was high and straight, her red lips were delicate, and her eyebrows and eyes had the gentleness of a woman from Jiangnan. However, her expression was too cold, which greatly diminished this gentleness.
Even though she was expressionless and aloof, Emperor Mingde secretly admired her beauty. Among the concubines in the harem, Consort Hao was the most beautiful and charming, but no one had the otherworldly coldness of Sun Yun.
His heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "What brings you to see me?"
Sun Yun politely took out a roll of parchment from his wide sleeve and presented it to him. “Your Majesty, the Ma family has improved the iron smelting formula. With the same cost, three times the quantity can be forged, and it is more durable and harder than ordinary weapons. Please take a look, Your Majesty.”
She knelt down with a thud, held the parchment scroll high, and raised her voice.
Emperor Mingde did not accept the parchment scroll. The Ma family had never intended to hand over this technology to the court. It was only after Sun Yun lost his mother and was pressured by various parties that he had no choice but to present the parchment scroll.
"You have rendered a great service; how shall I reward you?"
Sun Yun raised the parchment scroll high, bowed her head, and said, "Serving the country is my duty. My grandfather is ill and unable to serve the country. As his granddaughter, I humbly request Your Majesty to allow my grandfather to retire." She then took out a memorial from her wide sleeve and raised it high as well.
Emperor Mingde took the memorial along with the memorial and placed it on the dragon table. He looked at Sun Yun and said, "Since you are unwell, I will grant you permission to retire. However, what I asked you just now was whether you would like any reward. This scroll was passed down from your maternal grandfather, and you gave it to me. Therefore, I should reward you handsomely."
Sun Yun knelt down and respectfully said, "This humble woman has no requests."
Emperor Mingde was not angry. He took a few steps forward and said, "Raise your head."
Sun Yun raised his head as instructed, meeting Emperor Mingde's gaze with neither humility nor arrogance. His eyes were clear and bright, full of spirit, yet extremely cold and proud, as if he were a god looking down upon all living beings.
Such arrogance is probably unparalleled.
For the first time, Emperor Mingde found it difficult to utter the words, but he still spoke them out, "I wish to grant you the title of Imperial Noble Consort, and you may return to the palace after the mourning period is over. What do you think?"
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