Chapter Twenty: Words Like Knives
Consort Xie woke up early in the morning feeling very anxious and having difficulty breathing. She summoned the imperial physician to take her pulse, who said that as the fetus grew larger each day, the burden on the mother's body was too heavy, and the rapid heartbeat was normal. The consort should not worry too much and should rest more and move less.
After lying on the couch for a while, her condition still did not improve. Aunt Wan was worried when she saw that her breathing was rapid and her cheeks were flushed, so she sent a eunuch to inform the steward. Half an hour later, the eunuch returned and said, "Aunt, Eunuch Yu said that the Emperor left court early today and went to the Empress Dowager's palace."
Aunt Wan asked, "Then why didn't you go to the Empress Dowager's palace to report this?"
"I went there, but was stopped outside and not allowed to enter. They said that the steward, the Empress Dowager, Princess Huiwen, and Madam Gu were discussing important matters, and that no unauthorized personnel were allowed to enter."
"Are the Grand Princess and Madam Gu in the palace?" Consort Xie looked up from her couch and asked curiously.
"Yes, Your Majesty. They said they entered the palace at dawn and have been staying in the Empress Dowager's palace ever since."
Consort Xie waved her hand, signaling the eunuch to leave, and then sat up. Aunt Wan hurriedly stepped forward, stuffed a large pillow behind her back, and said, "The Grand Princess and Madam Gu have always been at odds. The fact that they came to the palace together today to see the Empress Dowager and the Emperor must mean something urgent."
"The only reason they could all enter the palace together is because of Gu Xiaobai." Consort Xie shifted her position to make herself more comfortable. "The Emperor told me last night that Gu Xiaobai left a letter a couple of days ago, heading south to join the army in Qingyuan. The Grand Princess wanted to send someone to bring him back, but the Duke of Dingguo firmly refused, and the two had a huge argument. The Grand Princess even hit the Duke of Dingguo on the forehead with a teacup, causing a cut. In a fit of anger, the Duke of Dingguo declared that if the Grand Princess prevented Gu Xiaobai from joining the army, he would disobey the imperial decree and divorce his wife..." Consort Xie smiled, seeing Aunt Wan's surprised wide eyes, and said, "I found it quite amusing. At their age, they still manage to pull off such absurd things."
"And then what?"
"The Grand Princess was naturally unwilling to accept this. She declared she would divorce his wife and went to the Emperor. The Emperor had no choice but to invite both of them to the palace, offering gentle words of comfort. He also said that Prince Jin would keep an eye on Gu Xiaobai, who was only training in the central military tent and was therefore safe. Only then did the Grand Princess calm down and stop talking about pursuing Gu Xiaobai, and the Duke of Dingguo also stopped mentioning the divorce..."
Before he could finish speaking, a voice came from outside: "Her Majesty the Empress has arrived."
Consort Xie frowned, and instead of standing up, she leaned back onto the couch.
A moment later, palace maids and eunuchs escorted the Empress in. Aunt Wan and the other eunuchs and maids all knelt to pay their respects, while Consort Xie remained lying on the couch, unmoved. A flash of anger crossed Empress Zhao's eyes, but her face remained impassive. Instead, she smiled, sat down beside the couch, and affectionately took Consort Xie's hand, saying, "Sister, the imperial physician just said you're not feeling well. Is it serious?"
Consort Xie said languidly, "It's nothing serious, but I'm quite anxious. The imperial physician said that it's normal for a woman to have a faster heartbeat after seven months of pregnancy. I just remembered that I felt the same way when I was pregnant with Ji'er two years ago. I'm truly sorry to have bothered you with such a trivial matter, and I hope you won't take offense." After saying this, she even bowed slightly in a pretentious manner.
"You are carrying His Majesty's child, which is the smallest matter, yet also a major matter, and cannot be neglected." Empress Zhao said this insincerely, staring at Consort Xie's round belly.
Consort Xie not only did not avoid her gaze, but also proudly puffed out her belly.
Empress Zhao looked away as if her eyes had been pierced by swords, and said, "Sister, I have come today to discuss something with you."
"Please speak, sister."
"His Majesty told me yesterday that he wants to promote Consort Ruan to the rank of Zhaoyi. What do you think is the best course of action?" Zhaoyi and Consort Ruan are both among the Nine Concubines, with the same rank, but Zhaoyi is the head of the Nine Concubines.
Consort Xie's face paled slightly. She said, "Whatever Your Majesty says, goes without saying. But Consort Zhao and Consort Xiu are both of the second rank. Why go through all that trouble? Wouldn't it be better to just make them consorts directly in the future? Speaking of which, the four consorts are lacking the favor of two others." Besides her, the other consort was Consort De, who had given birth to the eldest princess.
"Sister, you don't know, His Majesty really wanted to make her a Consort Shu, but I said that she has only been in the palace for half a year and has not yet made any achievements. How could he accept making her a consort all at once? That's why he proposed to promote her to Zhaoyi instead." Empress Zhao was very pleased to see Consort Xie's face turn even paler. "Young and beautiful women are easier to manage. There have been quite a few concubines who have entered the palace over the years, twenty or thirty in total. Which one has the Emperor taken such good care of? I thought back yesterday, and only when you entered the palace, sister, can you compare."
Even the usually composed Consort Xie paled upon hearing this. She and the Emperor were deeply in love, their relationship intimate and exceptional for ten years—how could a newly arrived Consort Ruan compare? Empress Zhao, satisfied with her goal achieved, but fearing further discussion might upset Consort Xie's pregnancy and put her in the wrong, smiled and said, "Sister, please rest well. I'm returning to the palace." She resolved that in a few days she would relay Consort Xie's words to the Emperor: "Consorts of the same rank are equal; why bother with such a complicated arrangement?"
As soon as Empress Zhao left, Consort Xie angrily threw a large pillow on the ground.
Aunt Wan gave a wink, dismissed the eunuchs and maids, picked up the large pillow from the ground, dusted it off, and put it back on the couch. She said softly, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. If you are angry, you will fall into her trap. She is only provoking you to deal with Consort Ruan. The Emperor is currently infatuated with Consort Ruan and won't listen to anyone else. If you rashly target her, it will only provoke his resentment."
Consort Xie pressed her hand to her chest, her eyes lowered, half angry and half heartbroken, and said, "Aunt, it has been twelve years, and those words still echo in my ears."
"Your Majesty," Aunt Wan said carefully and sternly, "I've been in the palace for over thirty years and have seen many concubines rise to prominence overnight, but most of them fall hardest the higher they fly. Your Majesty's unwavering devotion over the past twelve years is rare indeed. While His Majesty currently favors Consort Ruan, the seasonal fruits, perfumes, rouges, silks, and gold and jade headdresses from various regions are all chosen by Your Majesty first, before she receives anything. This shows that His Majesty still puts Your Majesty first. His affections for Consort Ruan are merely a fleeting infatuation. Therefore, Your Majesty should focus on giving birth and recovering before making further plans."
These words pleased Consort Xie greatly, and her expression softened slightly.
Aunt Wan secretly sighed. Lately, due to her growing weight and the Emperor's diminished attention to her, Consort Xie's emotions had become volatile, losing her former intelligence and composure, and she was unwilling to listen to any dissenting opinions. A couple of days ago, she had hinted that Consort Xie should learn from the former Consort Rui, now the Empress Dowager, and not take the Emperor's favor to heart, which earned her a glare.
Her beauty hadn't faded before her favor waned. In her thirty-plus years in the palace, she had witnessed too many rises and falls; a monarch's affections rarely lasted. Take, for example, Emperor Xuanzong. When Consort Rui first entered the palace, she was his favorite, enjoying unparalleled favor. Even a slight breeze would prompt him to send eunuchs to remind her to put on more clothes. Less than a year later, a new beauty entered the palace, graceful and alluring, and Emperor Xuanzong immediately transferred his affections. Fortunately, Consort Rui became pregnant with the Emperor's son. When the son reached five, he was intelligent and studious, praised by renowned scholars. Emperor Xuanzong then remembered Consort Rui and resumed his favor. However, this happy period was short-lived. When Prince Jin was three, another beauty was sent from the provinces—the future Consort Shu, who gave birth to the seventh prince. Upon seeing her, Emperor Xuanzong was astonished, neglecting his morning court for half a month. Once, she casually mentioned wanting to see a sky full of stars at any time, so he summoned artisans from across the country to the capital to design the roof of the east hall of her residence, Qionghua Palace, to resemble a celestial dome. Lanterns were placed in the out-of-seey corners, with gold and silver stars inlaid in the center, their shimmering light almost indistinguishable from the real thing… Even with such favor, what good was it? On his deathbed, he still issued an imperial edict ordering her to enter the Yuxu Temple for cultivation…
Just as her thoughts were swirling, a eunuch outside the palace announced, "Your Majesty, the Lady of Yanping Marquis is requesting an audience outside the palace gates." Aunt Wan confirmed that yesterday was the day when concubines could visit their families, and the Lady of Yanping Marquis had come with Xie Mingzhu. Why was she here again today? She exchanged a glance with Consort Xie, who also looked surprised.
"Quickly invite her in."
About half an hour later, Lady Yanping hurriedly walked in, her expression grave, and said in a low voice, "Mingke is in trouble."
"What is it?" Consort Xie sat up straight and asked, puzzled.
"A message came back from Haozhou that they ambushed Ruan Wuya on the way on the third day of the month, but failed to do anything to her. Instead, they accidentally injured the eldest son of the Duke of Dingguo's mansion."
No wonder Grand Princess Huiwen and Madam Gu entered the palace early in the morning. Consort Xie suddenly realized, and her expression also became serious. She asked, "Is there any danger to their lives?"
"I don't know," said Lady Yanping, wiping the sweat from her brow. "I heard that the hidden weapon he was hit with was coated with a deadly poison that would kill him in two hours. If he dies, how will Grand Princess Huiwen and Duke Dingguo let it go? They'll definitely cause a huge uproar. What should we do?"
“Mother, there’s no need to worry. Even if he dies, Grand Princess Huiwen will still have the energy to enter the palace.” Consort Xie stood up, paced back and forth a few times, and turned to look at Lady Yanping. “Mother, didn’t I tell you last time to wait until Prince Jin arrived in Jiaozhi before taking action? Why are you so impatient?”
“Mingke, it wasn’t us who did it, it was…” Lady Yanping pointed to the west, Cining Palace was to the west of the palace. “Later, the fifth daughter of the Ruan family got separated from her, and our people thought they had an opportunity to take advantage of the situation. They wanted to fish in troubled waters, but they didn’t expect to hurt Young Master Gu. They were really unlucky. They didn’t get to eat the fish, but they got covered in fishy smells.”
Consort Xie pondered for a moment and said, "Since it was she who did it, we don't need to worry. Just let Father deal with the people involved."
"Don't worry about that. Your father didn't show up. It was Steward Liu from the old Yulin residence who handled it. This morning, your father received a letter from Haozhou and asked your seventh uncle to return to Yulin to deal with him properly," the Lady of Yanping Marquis emphasized the last four words.
Consort Xie was relieved and sat back on the couch, saying reassuringly, "Mother, you don't need to worry. Since they've taken action, it will most likely fizzle out."
"Is it possible?" Lady Yanping asked hesitantly.
"We'll know the outcome in a day or two," Consort Xie said confidently.
Within a day or two, around noon, news arrived that Princess Huiwen, the Duke of Dingguo, her husband, Madam Gu, and Gu Jingyi, a family of five, were traveling south by boat, passing through Sizhou to Haozhou. As for the assassination attempt on Xiaobai, it was said to have been carried out by bandits from Qingniu Mountain, which borders Sizhou and Haozhou. The Emperor was furious and ordered the governors of both Haozhou and Sizhou to annihilate the bandits within a month, with those who resisted to be killed without exception.
If there was anything else, it was that on the evening of the eighth day, the army that was conquering the barbarians sent a letter by express courier, which was delivered directly to the Empress Dowager. No one knew what was written in the letter, but after reading it, the Empress Dowager clutched her chest for a long time.
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