Chapter 34 Haha, our Ah Zhu is truly a treasure. ...
Kunning Palace
Because of Consort Zhang, even on ordinary rainy or snowy days, Empress Wang would not allow everyone to skip the greeting ceremony due to the weather.
Empress Wang was a noblewoman from the Langya Wang clan, born into a prestigious family and of high status. Moreover, she was betrothed by the late emperor, and from the moment she entered the Prince of Qin's residence, she rightfully entered the inner palace and became the empress, the mother of the nation.
She also had two sons, the Crown Prince and Prince Rui... Even though she was not favored by the Emperor, he still gave Empress Wang the respect she deserved.
Therefore, in this palace, apart from Consort Zhang, who relied on the emperor's favor and had a lot of confidence and dared to challenge Empress Wang, the other concubines all seemed to be very well-behaved.
Traveling in the rain is already difficult enough, and there was nothing of great importance happening in the palace at the moment. The concubines in the harem rushed to Kunning Palace in the sudden rain and strong wind.
Even though no one dared to complain, they were all somewhat unhappy, and the atmosphere in the hall was rather somber.
After a short while, seeing Empress Wang being helped out of the inner palace, the concubines below quickly stood up and bowed to greet her.
"Greetings to Her Majesty the Empress. May Your Majesty be blessed with good fortune and lasting happiness."
"Get up, everyone."
"Thank you, Your Majesty the Empress."
Empress Wang, seated at the head of the table, seemed to be in a good mood.
After all, she had just punished that infuriating fool Ah Zhu well last night to vent her anger, and then kicked him out to torment him this morning, leaving herself with nothing to do with. Naturally, she felt much better.
"Cough cough."
After exchanging a few casual words, Empress Wang heard Consort Xian cough twice more, and then asked her a few more questions with concern.
"Is Consort Xian still not feeling better?"
"Have you invited the imperial physician to take a closer look?"
Upon hearing Empress Wang's gentle and virtuous concern, Consort Xian quickly stood up and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I am much better now."
"I was copying scriptures last night and got a little chilly and stayed out in the wind for a while... that's why I had a cough this morning."
Seeing the virtuous concubine's submissive demeanor, Empress Wang was clearly very satisfied.
As she instructed Guanqi to help Consort Xian sit down, she looked at Consort Zhang and said meaningfully, "Of all the years I've been in the palace, Consort Xian is the most knowledgeable about etiquette and the most devout in filial piety."
"Even after the Empress Dowager left the palace to practice Buddhism and pray for blessings at Mount Futai, Consort Xian continued to copy scriptures and make offerings every day..."
Upon hearing Empress Wang's words, Consort Zhang, who was in the first seat on the left, laughed.
"Yes, Your Majesty's words make sense."
"Didn't the Empress Dowager herself say that in the entire palace, who can compare to Consort Xian's piety and filial piety?"
Although she kept referring to Consort Xian, Consort Zhang only raised her eyes to look at Empress Wang at the head of the table, her eyes filled with blatant mockery.
The Empress Dowager dislikes her, the Noble Consort, but how much better do you, the Empress, look in her eyes?
Suddenly remembering what kind of person Empress Dowager Shu was, Empress Wang choked on her own breath.
They exchanged a glance with Consort Zhang, and the two decisively stopped dwelling on this incredibly unsettling topic, tacitly agreeing to a temporary truce.
But once Empress Dowager Shu was mentioned, the other concubines in the palace, who had also suffered similar torment, became increasingly gloomy as they thought about the past, and even Empress Wang's mood was not so pleasant.
Soon, as the rain gradually subsided, the greetings for the day also came to an end.
Because of Consort Zhang's high rank and her flamboyant nature, she was always the first to come out of the inner palace.
This time was no exception, but as soon as she came out, she saw Yin Dong, soaking wet, waiting outside the palace.
"Your Majesty."
"How did you get so soaked?"
Consort Zhang frowned. "Even if something happened, you should have had time to go back and change your clothes."
Seeing Yin Dong's pale face, looking ashamed and wanting to say something, Consort Zhang waved her hand.
"Alright, let's head back now."
Yin Dong knew that Kun Ning Palace was not a place for idle talk, so naturally he didn't say anything.
Seeing that Consort Zhang had boarded the sedan chair and the group had moved a little further away from Kunning Palace, she told Consort Zhang about the matter of Azhu, who was supposedly "disrespectful to the Emperor," being taken away by the Emperor's men.
Consort Zhang, who had only decided to interfere on a whim, wasn't particularly angry, since she had already found out A-Zhu's identity very well.
As for the poor little girl left behind by the Jiang family, putting aside everything else, just the fact that she was a criminal slave personally designated by the late emperor in that terrifying "treason" incident, what kind of power could she possibly have?
For Consort Zhang, bringing Jiang Zhu to Nianfu Palace was more about irritating Empress Wang. Now that the Emperor had personally ordered the person to be taken away, wouldn't that be more satisfying than if she had done it herself?
"Since they've been taken away by the Emperor's men, so be it. It's not a big deal."
"Go back and ask the female doctor to prescribe some medicine for you. Take it well and then go to sleep to sweat it out."
Consort Zhang, leaning against the sedan chair, spoke with a smile in her voice.
"The way that old woman was so smug today disgusted me."
"Let's see if she can still smile now."
"Bang—!"
Just as Consort Zhang had predicted, upon hearing the news, Empress Wang, her face ashen, smashed the teacup in her hand.
"Bitch maid!"
"As expected of a lowly brat raised by the Jiang family!"
Empress Wang, still not satisfied with cursing, was so angry that her chest swelled and her hands trembled.
"Your Majesty..." Nianqin, who stepped forward to say something, was slapped to the ground by Empress Wang.
No wonder Empress Wang was so angry—
Tell me, tell me, how many troubles did Empress Wang go through to make this happen?
Just watching what Ah Zhu did made one both angry and anxious, so angry that one wanted to crack open her head and see what was inside.
Not to mention Empress Wang, who never took her seriously and was not exactly magnanimous.
She even endured the disgust and humiliation, retreating to a side hall...
Well, even so, A-Zhu didn't get promoted. Instead, he's disgusting people with his "loyal and oblivious" stupidity.
Fine, fine, she's so stupid. Arguing with her any further would only make me look like I have no brains.
Empress Wang decided not to bother with that stupid bastard A-Zhu, who was so stupid it was heartbreaking, and sent him away for the time being.
While thinking about venting his anger, he also wanted to thoroughly test her temper.
Before even a day had passed, the person turned around and went straight to the Emperor.
They were even willing to bear the charge of "disrespecting the imperial procession"!
Seeing that Empress Wang's face had changed as she leaned against the desk, the people from Kunning Palace rushed over in a panic.
Some were massaging the chest, others were helping the patient breathe, and still others were urging people to fetch the imperial physician.
And the imperial physician...
Geng, the unlucky chief physician of the Imperial Medical Academy, was still waiting outside the Hanyuan Hall.
Judge Geng heard the imperial summons amidst the pattering rain and rushed to the emperor's presence without daring to catch his breath.
As a result, he waited until the rain stopped, but he still couldn't enter the palace.
Concerned that their Emperor might be unwell after being caught in the rain, Judge Geng looked at Chen Delu with a mixture of anxiety and helplessness.
"Manager Chen."
Judge Geng couldn't help but urge him again.
"Your Majesty's health is of utmost importance."
"If, if you were to be caught in the wind and rain and suffer any harm to Your Majesty, it would be a grave sin... When, when may I go in to consult Your Majesty?"
Eunuch Chen: ...Ask him, he wants to know too!
Imagine the faint sobs and soft, whimpering pleas for mercy that filled the hall; Emperor Xuanpei didn't even listen to what he was trying to say, and simply shouted for him to get out.
Eunuch Chen grinned at Judge Geng, then told Fu Hai to help Judge Geng to rest in a side hall for the time being, awaiting his summons.
"This, this... Steward Chen, Steward Chen."
Seeing that he couldn't figure out what this "number one person in front of the emperor" was up to, he was forcibly "helped" to go to the side hall.
Physician Geng could only helplessly advise, "Even brewing some ginger soup beforehand would be good for dispelling the cold and inducing sweating..."
But... why use ginger soup to dispel cold and induce sweating?
Hanyuan Hall
Inside the embroidered tent in the rear hall, Ah Zhu, who had been drowsy and had fainted and woken up several times, was already covered in sweat.
At this moment, she rested her head on Emperor Xuanpei's arm with a dazed look in her eyes, staring blankly at the auspicious dragon and cloud patterns on the top of the tent.
Right next to her was a chest as hot as a furnace; she wasn't cold at all, she was hot.
No matter how hot it was, she couldn't move her body an inch.
At this moment, a large hand covered her bulging belly, the palm of which perfectly covered the red, bruised hickeys on her stomach.
Of course, the hickeys on her belly were covered up, but those elsewhere were not.
Her body was covered in hickeys and bite marks, but Ah Zhu, who was almost "chewed up" in the "storm," didn't seem to be in much pain... She was simply numb from being turned over and played with so much.
Completely exhausted, A-Zhu recovered a little, but her mind was only preoccupied with her own affairs—
That's why cults and pyramid schemes are universally condemned and resolutely eradicated.
Once a person's thoughts have been corrupted, it's very difficult to change them back.
And A-Zhu is such a twisted person who has persisted in self-deception and self-brainwashing for nearly ten years...
You can't help but deceive yourself.
Ah Zhu gradually came to understand what kind of identity she was actually holding.
If this matter is exposed, both the scapegoat and the person whose identity was stolen will be guilty of the same crime, but with the crime compounded three times, which would be a capital offense!
But if you keep it a secret for a lifetime... then it truly will be for a lifetime!
She was a sinner, and her sins were unforgivable.
They'd rather die in the palace, spending their whole lives there!
If she didn't coax herself into being "loyal" to the point of being dull, coax herself to think less, coax herself to avoid getting stuck in a rut, coax herself... to derive an almost distorted sense of "self-realization" pleasure from the title of "loyal servant," she would truly go insane.
Believe it or not, Ah Zhu actually managed to live happily for over a decade by relying on this "self-deception technique" and taking the "crooked path."
As for the cost... At this moment, A-Zhu was pondering whether it was worth it for her to leave now after obtaining the position of changing clothes.
Moreover, she was the most "loyal and devoted"—
Regardless of the title, whether others, cough cough, such as that Empress, acknowledge it or not... this is something that A-Zhu cherishes, protects, and strives to maintain wholeheartedly.
These days, people in the palace keep saying that she "climbed into the emperor's bed." Feeling wronged and angry, A-Zhu thought to herself, "Fine, since you all say so, if I don't actually climb into the emperor's bed, wouldn't I be suffering all this injustice for nothing?"
But then she thought, if word got out that she had "successfully climbed into the bedchamber," wouldn't the people in the palace point fingers at her again? They might even smugly say, "See? I told you A-Zhu was restless, and look what happened..."
Emperor Xuanpei also had his eyes open.
His dark gaze fell on A-Zhu, watching her as she alternated between happiness and grimaces, gritting her teeth and fuming as she thought about her own affairs.
What is Ah Zhu, whose "skin" has been peeled away and whose true thoughts have been laid bare, like?
When Emperor Xuanpei was on the frontier, he would catch a whole nest of gerbils whenever he had nothing to do.
Their fur, as white as yellow sand, is surprisingly soft to the touch. Their small, dark eyes seem incredibly shrewd, but in reality, they are timid, foolish, and vengeful.
During the day, they would cower and hide at the slightest disturbance, but once their hiding place was disturbed, they would bury their heads in the dirt and leave their bottoms sticking out, shivering pitifully.
But if you give in to its weakness and let it go, it will remember your scent, and no matter how difficult it is, it will go to great lengths to find you, and then... it will secretly bite your boots at night.
Lost in thought, Ah Zhu couldn't help but start biting her fingers.
Suddenly, a hand appeared beside her and grabbed her hand, forcefully pulling her fingers out of her mouth.
Annoying... huh?
Having finally remembered where she was, A-Zhu tilted her head slightly and met Emperor Xuanpei's gaze.
erotic!
Disgusting and vulgar!
Bullying the weak!
Bah! What a tyrant!
At this moment, while inwardly cursing Emperor Xuanpei from behind, Azhu tried her best to put on a pitiful and somewhat shy expression.
"Your Majesty..."
Emperor Xuanpei originally did not want to laugh.
After all, with a beautiful woman in one's arms, life is full of joy and pleasure.
Her eyes were moist, her face flushed, and she was trying very hard to look charming and alluring. You could say something nice while you're holding her, but laughing like that is really a bit of a mood killer.
But Ah Zhu... Emperor Xuanpei really couldn't resist.
He reached out and covered Ah Zhu's eyes, then chuckled softly.
Ah Zhu: ...Hmm?
......
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Author's note: Tsk tsk tsk, there's definitely some truth to the saying "you won't give up until you see the Yellow River." Let me touch it, struggle a little longer, and once the trap is off, I'll start at 6000.
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