Chapter 153 The Emperor Returns The Xianfu Palace was silent. Lady Li sat…
The Xianfu Palace was silent. Li Jia sat on the kang (a heated brick bed) with a displeased expression. Although the opera stage was far away, she felt as if she could hear the sounds of gongs and drums, which disturbed her peace of mind.
Pearl carefully came over to serve tea and softly greeted Her Majesty.
Lady Li took a sip of tea, but couldn't suppress her anger, slamming the teacup down with a loud crack that startled the servants in the hall. After a long while, Lady Li asked, "Was it lively at the theater? Did all the imperial concubines go to watch the opera?"
Pearl didn't dare to reply and started stammering.
Li Jia closed her eyes, raised her hand to signal everyone else to leave and not get in her way. Pearl nodded towards the outside, while she stayed behind to carefully comfort Li Jia, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't worry."
Li Jia said indignantly, "How can you expect me to feel at ease? Everyone in the palace only knows the Imperial Concubine, but does anyone else know that she is Consort Ke?"
Consort Ke... Ha... Consort Ke. Li Jia felt that everyone had been laughing at her ever since the Emperor began bestowing titles upon his concubines. Despite being the mother of the eldest prince, she was only granted the title of Consort, and with such a lowly title at that. Even Lin Jia's "Jing" was better than hers. She couldn't help but wonder if the Emperor thought she was overstepping her bounds, or lacking in respect and caution, which was why he was subtly reminding her.
Lady Li immediately regretted going to Ning Shou Palace to comfort the Empress Dowager when the late Emperor passed away. She even suspected that the Empress and the Imperial Concubine had conspired against her in front of the Emperor. Helpless, the Emperor turned a blind eye, and she couldn't very well go against him. So, for the past few years, she had been hiding in Xian Fu Palace, only going out when there was a major event. Another reason was that she was afraid of seeing the mocking looks from others. Just thinking about how others would see her made her feel ashamed.
But now, she'd had enough of hiding. Her family told her that rumors were circulating that the Emperor intended to make the Imperial Concubine the new Empress!
When Li Jia heard the news, her heart nearly stopped beating. As the saying goes, the eldest son of the legitimate wife should be chosen. If there was no legitimate son, then her Hongxi, as the eldest son of the emperor, should be the crown prince. But if the Consort became empress, then the third and fourth princes would become legitimate sons. What would become of her Hongxi then?
As night fell, Lady Li Jia was inevitably awakened by a nightmare. She dreamt that Hongxi was imprisoned, and that she herself had been banished to the Cold Palace. Upon waking, Lady Li Jia's body trembled uncontrollably. She wondered, why? Why was the Imperial Concubine allowed to be so high and mighty? Why could the Imperial Concubine's son inherit the throne? She refused to accept it, even unto death!
Therefore, she could not remain confined to Xianfu Palace; she had to risk her reputation to fight for Hongxi.
But how could she compete? Lady Li Jia then thought of building up connections and good relationships for Hongxi. Then, Lady Li Jia secretly cursed the Consort for being so good-natured. After the Empress's death, the Consort took the eldest princess to Yongshou Palace, and when the princesses from outside entered the palace, the Consort did everything she could to win them over. It was clear that the Consort had ambitions to become Empress, but unfortunately, she hadn't realized it then and had unwittingly fallen into a difficult position.
However, if the Imperial Concubine makes a mistake on the first day, then she will make a mistake on the fifteenth. If the Imperial Concubine wins over the younger ones, then she will go and win over the older ones. The Dowager Concubines are still living in the palace.
Speaking of the imperial concubines in the palace, the most important one is Consort De, because both the Fourth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince are highly favored, and the Thirteenth Prince, who is on good terms with the Fourth Prince, also holds a high position. More importantly, the Fourth Prince and the others had served the Emperor since he was Crown Prince, demonstrating their strong brotherly bond. If the Fourth Prince and the others were willing to speak well of Hongxi, it would be far more effective than any other words. However, she didn't want the Imperial Concubine to interfere and ruin her plans; the Imperial Concubine must have used the pretext of watching the opera to reprimand the Consort De!
Li Jia felt a pang of unease and barely ate a few bites of lunch before ordering the meal to be taken away. Unable to sit still any longer, she went to the courtyard and looked towards the Ning Shou Palace, only to hear footsteps outside. She frowned and asked, "What's going on outside?"
Pearl was already afraid of Li Jia's anger, and now she dared not tell Li Jia the truth. Li Jia frowned, her anger suddenly flaring, and she said sharply, "How dare you hide it from me?!"
Having no other choice, Pearl hurriedly knelt down and replied, "Your Highness, it's...it's the Imperial Concubine delivering things to the Dowager Concubines outside."
Li Jia clenched her fists immediately, still clinging to a sliver of hope. But that hope quickly vanished, for when she sent someone to deliver gifts to Yongshou Palace, the Dowager Consort refused to accept them, and even more so, refused to see the person she sent. Li Jia was furious, gritting her teeth.
Imperial Concubine...
Pearl quickly comforted her, saying, "Your Majesty, please don't be angry. No matter how the Imperial Concubine is, the Third Prince and the Fourth Prince are still older than Prince Hongxi. By the time they grow up, Prince Hongxi will already be able to participate in politics and perform his duties. Our Prince Hongxi is a prince praised by the late Emperor, and not just anyone can compare to him."
Lady Li was not pleased by these words. After all, the Holy Ancestor Emperor had passed away, and the future depended on the Emperor. She wanted to provide support for Hongxi while he was away, but there was very little she could do from within the palace. However, while she couldn't control much, her family members could, especially her nephew, who could serve as a bridge between the palace and the outside world.
Originally, the servants around Hongxi were all chosen by the Holy Ancestor Emperor, and few of them came from prominent families. However, after the Emperor ascended the throne, Hongxi herself decided to transfer her nephew, Li Changning, to her side. She planned to take the opportunity to have a serious talk with her nephew after Hongxi returned from accompanying the Emperor to the Mount Tai ceremony. She refused to believe that no one outside was willing to support the eldest prince!
She absolutely could not stand by and watch the Emperor become infatuated with the Imperial Concubine. She was currently without favor and could not become Empress, so the Imperial Concubine could forget about it either!
Thinking of this, Li Jia smiled confidently, and even immediately had a plan in mind. She said softly, "Find a way to send a message to my brother and ask him to do something for me."
Pearl quickly leaned in to listen, and after a moment her eyes widened.
Li Jia asked, "Did you understand?"
Pearl immediately nodded and said, "This servant heard clearly." She then flattered Li Jia, saying, "As expected, Your Highness has a good idea."
Li Jia smiled faintly, feeling her spirits rise again. She looked around at the palace maids serving her and casually said, "A bunch of clumsy fools, let them all go another day."
Cheng Qianyue, of course, was unaware of Li Jia's inner thoughts. She only felt relieved that she had mended the facade of brotherly harmony for Yinreng in front of the Dowager Consorts. A few days later, upon hearing that Li Jia seemed to have quieted down, she felt even more at ease. For the next period, she continued to show kindness to the Dowager Consorts, striving to solidify the Emperor's attitude of valuing his brothers and respecting the Dowager Consorts equally.
The earlier gifts of brightly colored satin to various households were just one example. She also sent other gifts to the Dowager Consorts, such as suggestions for changing the potted plants in the palace, given that it was springtime and the flowers were in full bloom. She also suggested that Princesses Hui and Ning visit the Dowager Consorts after their studies and perhaps suggest a card game. After all, Emperor Kangxi had been dead for several years, so it was understandable that the Dowager Consorts could enjoy their lives. Although the Empress had only passed away a year ago, she and the concubines dressed simply and offered incense regularly, which seemed sufficient. There was no reason for elders to observe mourning for younger generations.
As a result, the effects were immediately apparent. The atmosphere in the Eastern Six Palaces and the five northern palaces of Cining Palace gradually became more harmonious, and news of the imperial concubines going out to visit each other could be heard.
Cheng Qianyue thought to herself, if Yinreng came back and saw the Forbidden City in this state, she would be able to give him a satisfactory answer.
About half a month later, in late April, news finally arrived from outside that Yinreng was only a hundred or two li away from the capital. Yinreng also instructed someone to tell her that the Emperor would not return to the Forbidden City but would go directly to Changchun Garden, and that she should wait for him there. Since he had given such instructions, Cheng Qianyue immediately began packing her things and setting off.
Unfortunately, it rained the day after Cheng Qianyue arrived at Changchun Garden. A light breeze blew and drizzled outside the pavilion, reminding her of the legend of the White Snake.
"The West Lake is beautiful in March, the spring rain is like wine, and the willows are like smoke."
Of course, there's no West Lake here, only an artificial lake, and it's April, not March, but that's about right; it's all about the atmosphere. She felt that in some ways she could be compared to the White Snake Lady, waiting for Xu Xian here.
However, Xu Xian never arrived, as it had been raining for several days in a row. Cheng Qianyue remarked on how strange the weather was, and thought that with the rain outside, the imperial entourage would probably be setting up camp and wouldn't be setting off. She estimated that Yinreng's return would be a few days later.
Then she would just keep waiting, estimating that Yinreng would return when the sun was shining brightly.
However, rainy days do have their advantages, namely, they're perfect for sleeping. Imagine a light drizzle outside, a faint fragrance wafting through the air, and you're curled up in a warm bed—how cozy! So, after dinner, Cheng Qianyue went to bed. She snuggled closer to the soft blankets, listening to the gentle patter of rain falling from the window, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
However, her sleep seemed restless; she vaguely heard footsteps outside. Cheng Qianyue had a persistent feeling that she was dreaming. After a while, she felt someone watching her; the feeling was so real that she groggily opened her eyes, then slowly yawned, tears welling in her eyes. In her blurry vision, she suddenly realized that there really seemed to be someone sitting beside her bed.
Cheng Qianyue: "Ah!" Damn, it can't be an assassin, can it? After hearing her voice, someone quickly lit a lamp, and she then noticed that the person sitting by the bed was wearing a robe embroidered with a five-clawed golden dragon.
Cheng Qianyue was still as shocked as before. She immediately got up and said in disbelief, "Master?!" Really? She glanced outside. The night was dark. Why was he back at this time? The imperial carriage usually returned during the day, and it had been raining these past few days. Did he come back in the rain?
Yinreng reached out and cupped her face, looking at her tenderly as he asked, "Awake?"
Cheng Qianyue was still in a daze: "Why did Master come back so quickly? Why didn't anyone send a message from outside?"
Yinreng paused, then answered her, "I was stationed outside for two days. I thought the rain would stop soon, but the people from the Imperial Observatory said it might rain for the next few days, so I decided not to wait any longer and didn't even send anyone to greet me. By the time I arrived at Changchun Garden, it was already evening. I was thinking of not disturbing you." He had only intended to come and see her briefly before returning to Danning Residence to bathe, but he had become so captivated by her beauty. He smiled and opened his arms to her.
Cheng Qianyue had already figured it out and immediately threw herself into his arms.
Yinreng hugged the person tightly and felt comfortable. He said softly, "Are you happy that I came back so early?"
"I'm so happy." Cheng Qianyue felt the dampness on his body and said heavily, "I'm extremely happy!"
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