Chapter 78 How dare I, Your Majesty
Upon hearing this, the emotion in Yinzhen's gaze slowly subsided, replaced by a fleeting hint of weariness—"I have few children, and the Fifth Prince has been under my care for a long time... Now is the time when I need men, Huanhuan, you must understand me, I cannot ignore this."
He nodded slightly to Zhen Huan, indicating that he understood her grievances and hoped that Zhen Huan could also understand his helplessness. But how much rationality could a mother who had just tragically lost her child possess?
Zhen Huan straightened up, supported by Jinxi's hand. Perhaps the pain was aroused, and a look of pain flashed across her face. She still questioned her aggressively, "But she killed Your Majesty's own child. If he had grown up, he could have been as beloved as the Fifth Prince."
Yinzhen, unwilling to hear her words constantly mention Hongzhao, frowned and said instead, "Actually, you didn't need to obey Consort Nian's words today. Just because she told you to kneel doesn't mean you have to. Consort Jing is right there, and Yongshou Palace isn't far away. Why didn't you ask them for help earlier?"
Zhen Huan never expected that losing her child would be seen as her fault in the Emperor's eyes, and she felt even more aggrieved. "The Emperor knows Consort Nian's temperament. How could Consort Jing possibly stop her? I heard that even Consort Xian was once punished by him by kneeling. How could I possibly resist him?"
Even the summer nights couldn't dispel the daytime heat. Yet now she felt as if she were in the dead of winter; the physical pain was secondary, and the heartache was now harder to heal.
She was almost in tears as she spoke, word by word, through her tears: "Your Majesty, since you know that Lady Nian is ruthless, why did you give her so much power to assist in managing the six palaces? Why were you able to arrange so many things around the Fifth Prince, while leaving me to endure it all alone?"
Hearing this, Yinzhen frowned deeply and finally couldn't help but question, "You seem to know a lot about the Fifth Prince, and you also have some complaints about him. Huanhuan, are you blaming me?"
Although he was already displeased, he looked at Zhen Huan, whose face was covered in tears, and sighed as he explained, "Hongzhao is a prince, and he has just gone through a life-or-death experience and his body has not yet fully recovered. The affairs of the court are much more complicated than those of the harem. In addition, Consort Xian is pregnant and has no time to take care of so many children."
"Huanhuan, don't make things difficult for me."
He gazed into Zhen Huan's grief-stricken eyes. This "heart-to-heart talk," which was almost an imperial gesture, only earned him a disbelieving chuckle. Zhen Huan closed her eyes and stopped looking at him. She relaxed her grip on Jinxi's hand, turned her head to the side, and lay down flat, defiantly uttering, "How dare I, a concubine?"
Yinzhen frowned. As the emperor, he naturally wouldn't make a fool of himself. However, the physical and mental exhaustion from rushing back to the palace from the Temple of Heaven during the sacrificial ceremony had left him somewhat weary. "Back when we were in the Prince's residence, Consort Xian was just a less favored princess. When she was pregnant, Lady Nian punished her by making her kneel for half an hour. She said almost every possible way to appease me for the sake of the child, and afterwards she always thought of me in every way."
Zhen Huan had already closed her eyes, not intending to listen any longer, but the Emperor's presence was too strong, forcing her to open her eyes in disbelief and ask, "Is Your Majesty blaming me for being ungrateful? I thought we were different, but does Your Majesty have to compare me to others?"
Seeing her now prickly and unyielding, Yinzhen couldn't utter a single word. He remained silent for a long time, then slowly let out a sigh of relief, avoiding her sharp gaze, and left only with the words, "Rest well. I'll come to see you again when you're feeling better," before turning and walking away without looking back.
Zhen Huan stared angrily at his retreating figure, and after a long while, she turned her head away without saying a word.
After leaving the palace, Yinzhen did not ride in a sedan chair, but walked slowly along the palace road. Su Peisheng followed carefully beside him, glancing at the emperor's expression from time to time.
"I heard that Hongzhao and Hongshi are here today. Are you frightened?" He suddenly spoke after a long silence.
Su Peisheng was startled and quickly stepped forward to reply, "Your Majesty, everything is fine. Today, Consort Xian and Consort Jing both brought the princes to the palace and kept them there for quite some time. The two princes only returned to their quarters after dinner."
Seeing that the Emperor nodded slightly and did not speak again, Su Peisheng continued, "Today, the Thirteenth Prince accompanied the Fifth Prince to Shou Kang Palace to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager. They happened to encounter this incident. However, the Thirteenth Prince stayed by the Fifth Prince's side the whole time. Seeing that Consort Xian had handled the matter quite well, he did not ask any further questions. After settling the Fifth Prince in, he returned to his own residence."
Yinzhen paused. Su Peisheng had been by his side for many years and was the one who could best understand his thoughts. He had been thinking about how to deal with Prince Guo all the way. If it was punishment, then he was doing it for his imperial heir. But if it was reward, then he had trespassed into the inner palace, and the accident caused by Consort Wan's miscarriage was also a factor. It was not a reward at all.
“My thirteenth brother is the one who understands me best.” He sighed as he looked at the waning moon, paused for a moment, then continued walking forward with his hands behind his back. “Since that’s the case, let’s balance out the good and bad. Have Prince Guo submit a memorial to me apologizing for his mistakes. After that, he should visit the palace less often.”
As he was speaking, he remembered that there should be rewards as well as punishments—"The Consort Xian did a good job today. Let the power of the six palaces be temporarily managed by the Consort Xian. She is pregnant and her energy is not good, so let Consort Jing help her out. As for the Empress... let's discuss it again."
"Yes." Su Peisheng carefully replied, looking at the Emperor's obviously tired back, then glancing back at the still-lit Suiyu Pavilion, and sighed inwardly.
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