Unfortunately, the Imperial Noble Consort was already asleep. The palace maid didn't know what Geng had written, nor whether it was important or not. Fearing that it might be seen by others, she took the paper back.
"Asleep? How could she possibly sleep?" Madam Geng refused to believe it and angrily stood up. "I'm going to find her!"
"Your Highness, it's true, I've asked around. The Imperial Noble Consort's lamp was extinguished long ago. The Emperor hadn't even left the main palace yet when the Imperial Noble Consort went to sleep," the maid advised, clearly not wanting Lady Geng to get involved in this mess.
Whether the Imperial Noble Consort and the Emperor are on good terms or not, what business is it of theirs? Or to put it more bluntly, if the Emperor and the Imperial Noble Consort are at odds, then their mistress might actually have a chance to rise in status.
Lady Geng sneered, "Foolish! Come with me now!"
If even the Imperial Noble Consort is not well, how can these old women still leave any trace in the Emperor's heart?
Today there is Consort Ru, tomorrow there will be other Consorts, even Concubines, Imperial Concubines, and Noble Consorts. There are so many fresh girls in the world. In the past, the Emperor did not want them. But if the Emperor does want them, ha, will they just wait to live out their old age like the concubines of the late Emperor?
Where would the glory of being in charge of the Imperial Palace today be?
Geng let out a deep breath and crumpled the paper into a ball in her palm. Fortunately, Songhezhai was not far from Yanbo Zhishuang Hall. When Geng went inside, she saw that the lights in the bedroom were indeed off, and she couldn't help but sigh.
Qingxue was standing guard under the corridor. When she saw her coming, she bowed and said, "Your Highness, Consort Yu."
"Wake up your mistress, I have something important to tell her." Lady Geng exhaled a breath of stale air. "His Majesty... has gone to Suicheng Palace."
Qingxue's expression didn't change much. She pursed her lips and continued gently, "The entire palace belongs to the Emperor, and the Emperor has his own freedom."
Upon hearing this, Madam Geng couldn't help but chuckle, as if it were perfectly normal, but she was clearly somewhat angry.
If even her aunt is like this, one can only imagine how Qian Shengyan is doing.
Having enjoyed the emperor's favor for so many years, who would be willing to accept losing it all in one day? It's better to be like them, who never received it at all, so it doesn't matter.
Lady Geng smiled and said, "I didn't come here for this matter. I was at the banquet the whole time and saw that another Mongolian princess was getting along very well with our princess, even feeding her quite a bit of wine. I was just worried..."
"Please wait a moment, Your Highness, this servant will go and wake our mistress immediately," Qingxue said solemnly.
If it's just for the Emperor to favor a new concubine, then Qingxue feels there's nothing she can do and she feels helpless. But for the sake of the princess, Qingxue thinks the Imperial Noble Consort will definitely be willing to listen.
In Suicheng Hall, Yinzhen entered the main hall and sat down. Aruhan was originally waiting in the bedroom, but after a while, when no one came in, she was helped out by a palace maid to pay her respects to the emperor.
Yinzhen ignored her, sitting in his chair and staring at the door for a moment, seemingly waiting for something. But as time passed and the door remained quiet, Yinzhen became visibly impatient.
With a "click," the teacup was placed heavily on the small table, and a crack appeared on the surface of the fine blue and white porcelain. Su Peisheng did not utter a sound, but skillfully stepped forward to clean up the tea and cups, and then neatly replaced the teacup with a fresh cup for the Emperor.
Yinzhen closed his eyes briefly: "Su Peisheng, what time is it?"
"It's almost 11:45 PM, Your Majesty," Su Peisheng said cautiously.
Yinzhen frowned.
They arrived at Suicheng Hall at 11:45 PM. How come it took him so long to wait? Has only a little time passed?
Why hasn't anyone come looking for him yet at Yanbo Zhishuang Palace?
"Your Majesty..." Aruhan began timidly, "It's getting late, shall I... shall I serve Your Majesty to bed?"
Su Peisheng bent over, head down, and rolled his eyes in a way that no one could see. Yinzhen, however, didn't utter a sound, but sat there frowning, staring at the ground, seemingly encountering a problem he couldn't solve.
After waiting a while longer, seeing that the Emperor still showed no sign of wanting to rest, Aruhan cautiously sat down to the side, mustering her courage to try and speak to him: "Your Majesty..."
"Shut up and get out." Yinzhen was in a terrible mood, and this constant chatter was incredibly annoying. He glared at Su Peisheng, who immediately understood: "Consort Ru, it's getting late. Consort Ru should rest now. His Majesty has other matters to attend to..."
"Then, then this concubine will sit with Your Majesty for a while longer..." Aruhan was somewhat unwilling to give up. She bit her lip and sat to the side, wanting to say something from time to time, but she dared not make a sound because of Yinzhen's increasingly ugly expression and his merciless words just now.
After waiting for an unknown amount of time, Su Peisheng's eldest apprentice, Zhang Defu, ran in, carefully glancing at the Emperor's expression before looking at Su Peisheng.
He was the one Su Peisheng just sent out. What the Emperor meant, others might not understand, but surely Eunuch Su understood? Send Zhang Defu to see the reaction of Yanbo Zhishuang Palace. If all else fails, give Qingxue a few hints. Surely the other side will have to take some action!
Just as Zhang Defu returned, there was movement in Yanbo Zhishuang Palace. Su Peisheng breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a low voice, "What's going on? Why are you being so reckless in front of the Emperor?"
Zhang Defu glanced at the Emperor, then looked at his master and nodded slightly. He swallowed and lowered his head, saying, "This servant just came over and saw a group of people walking out of Yanbo Zhishuang Hall."
"Oh?" Su Peisheng's voice rose, "Didn't the Imperial Noble Consort retire for the night?"
"It seems he got up not long after resting; I noticed the lights were still on," Zhang Defu quickly said.
These two sentences seemed to possess some kind of magic, because everyone could feel that the air in the hall became more refreshing. However... as they waited and waited, there was still no sound at the entrance of Suicheng Hall.
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