Chapter 108 Reorganizing the Harem
Consort De returned to Chengqian Palace in a daze. Granny Zhou was carefully tidying her somewhat disheveled hair, while four-year-old Yuwen Hao was happily playing with a small wooden sword.
"Your Majesty, you..." Granny Zhou was about to ask if His Majesty had given his consent.
Just then, an announcement came from outside the hall: "Chief Steward Li has arrived—"
Li Dehai entered with several eunuchs and palace maids, his expression solemn.
A sense of foreboding washed over Consort De, and she abruptly stood up: "Chief Eunuch Li, what is this...?"
Li Dehai glanced at the bewildered Yuwen Hao beside him, hesitated for a moment, and decided to read part of the imperial edict first. He unfolded the edict and announced loudly: "His Majesty decrees: Prince An, Yuwen Hao, being intelligent and quick-witted, is hereby ordered to move to the West Garden immediately, to be raised by the Dowager Consort Duankang. This is the imperial decree—"
"What did you say?!" Consort De was struck dumb, her face turning deathly pale. "Impossible!...This is impossible!"
"Hao'er is my son! He's my child! You can't take him away!...No! You can't!"
As she shouted, she pulled Yuwen Hao tightly into her arms, as if that would keep him with her.
Li Dehai frowned slightly as he looked at Yuwen Hao, who was writhing uncomfortably under Consort De's restraint, and coldly reminded him, "Consort De, are you defying the imperial decree?"
"I won't give it to him! No one can take my Hao'er away! I am Consort De! I am Prince An's birth mother!" Consort De was on the verge of collapse and hugged him even tighter.
Without further hesitation, Li Dehai ordered the several robust eunuchs behind him, "What are you waiting for? Quickly pay your respects to His Highness the Prince!"
The eunuchs immediately stepped forward; two went to pull Consort De, while the other reached out to hug Yuwen Hao.
"Let go! Let go! Don't touch my Hao'er!" Consort De struggled desperately, her fingernails drawing blood from the eunuch's arm, but how could a weak woman like her possibly defeat several eunuchs?
"Mother... Mother..." Yuwen Hao was also frightened and burst into tears.
Her hands were forcibly pried open, and her arms went empty. The crying Yuwen Hao was steadily carried away by the eunuch, who exclaimed, "Mother..."
"Hao'er! Give me back my Hao'er! Give him back to me!" Consort De collapsed to the ground, crying out in anguish. She reached out to grab him, but was stopped by the other palace servants.
Li Dehai watched as Yuwen Hao was carried away and his cries faded into the distance, then glanced at the distraught Consort De on the ground. He sighed inwardly and read out the rest of the imperial decree with a blank expression: "Zhao, for her disrespectful conduct before the Emperor and her unruly behavior, and for condoning the evil deeds of her family, hereby stripped of her title of Consort De and demoted to the rank of Talented Lady, and exiled to the Yongxiang Palace. The number of palace servants shall be halved."
After saying that, he stopped looking at Zhao Cairen, who was slumped on the ground, and turned to leave with his men.
Inside Chengqian Palace, only Consort Zhao's desperate cries and Granny Zhou's powerless attempts to comfort her remained.
Watching Yuwen Hao being forcibly carried away and disappearing at the palace gate, and hearing her son's cries gradually fade into the distance, Consort Zhao felt as if her last bit of strength had been drained away.
She lay paralyzed on the cold ground, no longer struggling, but simply raised her head and let out a piercing wail:
"ah--!!!"
The sound, filled with endless pain and despair, echoed through the empty palace.
"Yuwen Che...why are you so cruel! Why...ah...!"
She clutched her chest tightly with both hands, as if trying to tear out her numb heart from the pain. Her tears had long since dried up, leaving only a hoarse accusation.
"Hao'er... my Hao'er... Mother is here..."
Granny Zhou knelt to the side, her heart aching at the sight of her mistress, tears streaming down her face. She didn't know how to comfort her, and could only repeatedly call out, "Your Highness... Your Highness, please take care..."
Consort Zhao suddenly grabbed Granny Zhou's arm, her nails almost digging into her flesh. Her eyes were unfocused as she murmured, "He took away my Hao'er... He took away my only hope... Granny, what's the point of me living? What's the point at all..."
Granny Zhou was so frightened that she quickly hugged her: "Your Highness! Don't talk nonsense! You still have this old servant! The First Prince... the First Prince is just going to stay with the Dowager Consort for a while. You are still his birth mother! You must live well so that you can see the First Prince again!"
"Goodbye?" Consort Zhao gave a bitter laugh, her eyes vacant. "He won't let me see Hao'er again... He won't..."
She let go, collapsed to the ground, staring blankly at the palace's magnificent dome, like a soulless shell.
The palace servants around were silent with fear. Although Chengqian Palace was not illustrious in the past, it had once been a place where princes laughed and played. Now, only deathly silence and despair remained.
Li Dehai returned to the Sizheng Hall and bowed to report: "Your Majesty, Prince An has been sent to the Western Garden to the Dowager Consort Duankang, who will surely take good care of him. As for Consort Zhao... she has also been settled."
Yuwen Che simply nodded, his gaze still fixed on the memorial: "Instruct the Dowager Consorts to take good care of Prince An."
"yes."
Yuwen Che put down his pen, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked, "Li Dehai, besides Consort Xian and Consort Shu, who else is there in the palace now?"
After a moment's thought, Li Dehai replied, "Your Majesty, the only consorts with the rank of Consort are the two Consorts Xianfei and Shufei, who were conferred the title when the Empress Dowager was still alive a few years ago. Consort De... Consort Zhao has now been demoted. The rest are just some Consorts or Selected Ladies, whose ranks are not high and who are well-behaved."
Yuwen Che pondered for a moment, then asked, "Whose daughters are Consort Xian and Consort Shu?"
Li Dehai recalled for a moment and replied, "The Virtuous Consort is the granddaughter of the late Grand Commandant Lin, and the Gentle Consort is the legitimate daughter of the former Minister of Rites, Lord Yang."
Yuwen Che nodded. These two came from respectable families and had been relatively well-behaved since entering the palace, causing no trouble. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, making his decision:
"By my decree, all the talented women and concubines in the palace...send them away."
Li Dehai subconsciously responded, "Yes..." Then he suddenly realized what he meant, looked up in astonishment, "Ah? Your Majesty...you, what did you say? Send him away?"
Yuwen Che's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness: "Send them away. Give them two choices."
He stated clearly: "First, if you are willing to pray for the country, you can retain your title and be sent to a royal temple in the suburbs of Beijing for spiritual cultivation. Your status will remain unchanged, but you will never return to the palace."
"Second," he paused, "if anyone wishes to leave the palace, change their name and live the life of an ordinary person, whether they go home or elsewhere, I will grant them a generous dowry, enough to ensure they have enough to eat and wear for the rest of their lives."
He added at the end: "The official statement was: 'They died suddenly of illness in the palace.'"
Li Dehai was completely stunned. He had served His Majesty for many years and knew that His Majesty did not associate with any other women except for the current Empress. However, he never expected that His Majesty would go to such lengths, which was almost like completely emptying the harem!
"Your Majesty...this...this might cause criticism from the court officials..." Li Dehai tried to advise against it.
Yuwen Che looked up at him, his gaze deep: "My mind is made up. Go and do it."
Looking into His Majesty's resolute eyes, Li Dehai knew there was no room for negotiation, so he could only bow and say, "This old servant... obeys the decree."
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