Chapter 144 The Emperor and Empress's Discord Cheng Qianyue has been in a bad mood lately, to be precise...
Cheng Qianyue has been in a bad mood lately, or rather, she's been unhappy ever since she learned about the upcoming talent selection before the Lunar New Year. Actually, if she didn't know about it or pretended not to know, it wouldn't have been so bad; she could have just turned a blind eye. But the problem is, she's a Noble Consort, and she has to take responsibility for the selection of the young women.
At that time, the Empress gently said to her, "Consort Yi, the Emperor bestowed upon you the title of Yi in the hope that you would be a role model for women. As a wife or concubine, you should be gentle, virtuous, and not jealous or envious."
Cheng Qianyue: ......
She thought to herself, "I've been ostrich-like for so many years, I've been magnanimous enough. Let her keep pretending, don't pull her head out of the sand and tell her, 'Heh heh, another beautiful young lady is coming into the palace, and you, the old wave, are going to be washed ashore by the new wave.'"
Of course, Cheng Qianyue understood that the harem couldn't remain secluded forever. Although Yinreng hadn't visited anyone else in recent years—she hadn't bothered to inquire before, but now that she managed the affairs of the Western Six Palaces, she inevitably knew about Yinreng's movements. For instance, in the past few years, Yinreng had never kept anyone in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, nor had he stayed overnight in any other palace, except for her Yongshou Palace. But he was the Emperor; were the three palaces and six courtyards truly just for show? Sometimes she even wondered if he truly loved her and only visited her. But now she realized that true love has its limits, and this label was rapidly expiring.
She couldn't help but recall a line from "A Chinese Odyssey": "When I used to watch the stars and the moon with her, I called her 'Sweetie,' but now that someone new has come along, I call her 'Old Cow.'"
Cheng Qianyue, who is about to become a shrew: I beg for the Moonlight Box, thank you!
Fortunately, the Empress did not ask her to participate too much in the selection process. Whether it was choosing the nannies and eunuchs in charge of the initial selection or repairing the places where the candidates would live, the Empress did not ask her to interfere. She only asked her to keep an eye on the things to be given to the candidates.
Cheng Qianyue breathed a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, at least she won't have to lament her own youth that's gone forever after seeing so many beautiful girls.
Afterwards, the samples of items sent by the Imperial Household Department to the candidates for the imperial concubines were delivered to her. Cheng Qianyue was familiar with these things, after all, she had been a candidate for the imperial concubines herself. The blue-green cheongsam, the bright red hair tie for her braids, and the floral-scented hair oil. She couldn't help but recall the past. Back when she was a candidate for the imperial concubines, she was very reserved in front of the palace stewards. One reason was that she knew she was just there to make up the numbers, so the more honest and inconspicuous she was during the selection process, the better. Another reason was out of respect for the palace stewards. It's like a job-seeking novice meeting a junior manager at a large company. Even though she couldn't get in, she would still be respectful to the person in charge of interviewing her. But she didn't know what sins she had committed in her past life, because she didn't even get to participate in the second round of selection and was directly led into Xian'an Palace.
well.
Lost in thought, Cheng Qianyue didn't realize for a while that the chief eunuch of the Guangchu Department and the nanny from the sewing room were waiting for her instructions. She slowly smiled and said, "Let's do it this way."
After the servants bowed and took their leave, Cheng Qianyue sighed and silently thought to herself: She was a complete idiot, and Yinreng was a complete idiot too. This idiot was preparing things for her idiot husband's concubine. Damn it!
After the New Year, the selected young ladies entered the palace, and the second round of selections ended not long after. Only then did Cheng Qianyue learn that Yinreng had no intention of taking any new concubines.
Yinreng gazed at her with exceptional tenderness: "I only long for one true love, are you happy?"
Happy? Cheng Qianyue's happiness lasted less than three seconds before a surge of anger welled up inside her. No, from before the New Year to after, while she wasn't exactly depressed, she'd at least thrown occasional little tantrums in front of him, and he just stood by and watched? Why didn't you say so earlier if you weren't planning on taking in a new woman? Oh, are you smug seeing her so unhappy?
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but feel resentful and angry at him, "You've already made up your mind, haven't you?"
Yinreng had expected her to be pleased and happy, and he was even preparing for her to throw herself into his arms. Instead, he was met with a question that left him bewildered. However, after a moment's thought, he understood and said with a smile, "It's my fault for not telling you sooner." It was a bit of a mischievous quirk of his, because sometimes seeing her show a hint of displeasure or resentment made him extremely happy. He put his arm around her waist and teased, "I can see you've been thoroughly soaked in vinegar lately."
Cheng Qianyue snorted, thinking to herself, "Why didn't the stench kill you?"
Yinreng cupped her face in his hands and kissed her lips. After a while, he said, "Don't worry, I have said I will never betray you." He was the emperor, and no one dared to question who he favored.
Cheng Qianyue's anger subsided considerably, and she wondered if she had truly become Yinreng's true love. Upon further reflection, she realized he was probably experiencing some unfulfilled desires. What desires? Certainly not the desire for power; that was likely satisfied after his ascension to the throne. What he lacked was probably the desire to be loved. After all, no one could give him that kind of intense affection anymore.
Thinking this way, Cheng Qianyue's last bit of anger subsided. Her gaze towards Yinreng slowly changed; she looked at him as if he were a tiger sulking, a dangerous yet alluring thrill. Then, before long, she was devoured by this tiger, her neck bitten. The next day, Cheng Qianyue crawled out of bed, her back aching, thinking, "If I still feel sorry for you, I'm a complete idiot!"
In early March, the sun shone brightly, and the grass was lush and green. Cheng Qianyue felt that it was a waste to wander around the Forbidden City in such weather. Then, a few days later, Yinreng announced that they would go to Changchun Garden. Cheng Qianyue happily packed her things. However, she didn't expect that the Empress wouldn't go with her, because the Empress was ill, saying that she had caught a cold and needed to recuperate.
Cheng Qianyue initially didn't take it seriously, since people are most susceptible to colds in spring and autumn. She thought that perhaps the Empress would come over after recovering from her illness in a few days. However, she had been staying in the garden for more than ten days, and by now, a minor illness like a cold should have gotten better, but there was still no news from outside that the Empress was coming.
Cheng Qianyue couldn't help but worry: Is the Empress very ill?
Later, Cheng Qianyue discovered something else: it seemed that Yinreng and the Empress were having a fight.
The story begins this afternoon, when Cheng Qianyue was summoned to Danning Residence to admire the flowers. It was said that the flower room had cultivated several precious camellias this year, and Yinreng wanted her to come and enjoy them together.
Cheng Qianyue didn't know much about flowers, nor did she know what rare or precious varieties meant; she only judged whether a flower was beautiful. It was indeed beautiful. Firstly, the buds were huge, almost half the size of a person's palm. Secondly, the petals were numerous, layer upon layer, making it quite stunning.
Yinreng said, "How is it? This flower is called the Eighteen Scholars. It has just bloomed these past two days, and I can't wait to admire it with you."
Cheng Qianyue sincerely said, "They're beautiful." As for why she thought they were beautiful, she didn't need to embarrass herself by speaking plainly, but she had another way to coax him. She said softly, "Would you be interested in composing a poem or painting if you saw these flowers, Master?" In this way, she only needed to praise him from the side.
Yinreng smiled slightly at her: "Now that you mention it, I'm really intrigued." He promptly ordered someone to fetch pen and ink. However, before the pen and ink arrived, a memorial from the Imperial Medical Academy was delivered first.
Upon hearing that the memorial was from the Imperial Hospital, Cheng Qianyue immediately looked at it. Since it had been presented to Yinreng, it must be the Empress's medical record. But to her surprise, Yinreng only glanced at it and casually tossed it aside: "Instruct the Imperial Hospital to treat the Empress properly."
Cheng Qianyue didn't go to get the memorial, but she was very concerned about the Empress's illness, so after thinking it over, she simply asked directly: "Your Highness, has the Empress's illness worsened?"
“In my opinion, there’s nothing wrong with the Empress,” Yinreng said with his eyes lowered. “She has a mental illness. Just have the imperial physicians prescribe more remedies to relieve her depression.”
Cheng Qianyue immediately noticed Yinreng's displeasure, but she was also puzzled. The Empress had always been very respectful, so why did the two of them suddenly become at odds?
Yinreng slowly exhaled. He felt the Empress harbored resentment towards him, but what was the reason? He had just bestowed the marriage upon Wulinzhu, and the next day she fell ill; the imperial physician's medical records indicated the Empress was emotionally distressed. Was there even a need to ask why? He couldn't help but feel annoyed, after all, he had stated from the beginning that Wulinzhu would marry into the Fucha family, and the Empress had agreed. Yet, after he actually bestowed the marriage, the Empress acted this way. Did she suspect he wasn't good to Wulinzhu?
Wulinzhu is his daughter, a fully grown legitimate daughter; how could he treat her badly? Fu Qing is the consort he carefully selected, destined to be the pillar of the Fucha family. He bestowed this marriage with considerable thought, if not meticulous planning. But he's too lazy to explain the reasons to the Empress now!
Not wanting to spoil the mood, Yinreng continued, "Alright, stop worrying about these things and grind the ink for me."
After leaving Danning Residence, Cheng Qianyue felt a heavy weight in her heart, especially after hearing a few days later that the eldest princess, Wulinzhu, had requested to return to the palace to attend to the ailing empress. No sooner had the eldest princess left than Cheng Qianyue summoned one of the imperial physicians in charge of the empress's illness for questioning. From him, she learned that the empress was indeed not well; she had heard that the empress was unwilling to eat or drink medicine.
Cheng Qianyue: Huh? Why is that? In the end, she thought that since the Empress was in this state, she, as a Noble Consort, could no longer stay in the garden. She had to go back and check on her.
Would Yinreng agree to let her go back?
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, "Yes, he will. As long as it's not excessive, Yinreng will agree to whatever she wants. Besides, she's going back to make amends for him, because it's not good to spread rumors of discord between the Emperor and Empress. She's going back to visit the Empress on his behalf."
As expected, when Cheng Qianyue told Yinreng what she had said that evening, he thought about it for a while and finally agreed. Cheng Qianyue breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that she would go back first thing the next morning.
Empress...
In Cheng Qianyue's eyes, the Empress has always been a good person, and she sincerely doesn't want anything to happen to her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com