Chapter 109 The Vinegar Queen
After giving his orders, Yuwen Che ignored the matter and went straight back to Guanju Palace. Su Luoxue's due date was drawing near, and all his thoughts were focused on her, not daring to slack off in the slightest.
On the other side, following the emperor's will, Li Dehai invited all the concubines in the palace who held the ranks of Cai Ren and Xuan Shi, totaling more than ten people, to a side hall.
Most of these women were still young and had been like invisible people since entering the palace, never receiving the emperor's favor. Now that they were suddenly summoned, they all looked terrified, not knowing what had happened.
Li Dehai stood before the crowd, cleared his throat, and conveyed Yuwen Che's decree:
"Your Majesty, His Majesty has decreed that, in consideration of your youthful years and the difficulties of living in the deep palace, you are given two paths to choose from today."
His gaze swept over the tense and uneasy faces, and he slowly said:
"Firstly, if one wishes to pray for the Great Zhou, one may retain one's rank and go to a royal temple in the suburbs of the capital to practice asceticism while still keeping one's hair, and enjoy the same privileges as those in the palace, but... one may never return to the palace."
Upon hearing this, a suppressed gasp immediately rose from below.
Li Dehai continued, "Secondly, if anyone wishes to leave the palace and live the life of an ordinary citizen, His Majesty will bestow upon them a generous dowry and allow them to change their names and surnames, and return home or find another place to go."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly: "As for the outside world... we will only announce that the ladies suddenly fell ill in the palace and unfortunately passed away."
These words were like a boulder thrown into a calm lake. At first, everyone was so shocked that they couldn't speak. Then, their expressions varied. Some were confused, some were incredulous, and a few had a glimmer of hope in their eyes.
One of the bolder concubines asked in a trembling voice, "Chief Eunuch Li... Your Majesty... Is Your Majesty serious? Really... really letting us leave the palace?"
Li Dehai nodded: "His Majesty's mind is made up, there is no falsehood. Your Highnesses may consider it carefully and give this old servant an answer within three days."
After he finished speaking, he said no more, leaving the group of young women whose fates had been suddenly changed to digest this earth-shattering news in the side hall.
As Yuwen Che entered the inner hall of Guanju Palace, he saw Su Luoxue sitting upright on a soft couch, with Zhang Mama standing in front of her, speaking to her in detail.
"...Your Highness, you must follow the flow of your strength. When this old servant tells you to exert force, then exert force. Please don't exert force recklessly. Conserving your energy is the most important thing..."
"Even if it hurts, you have to bear it. Twin births are not easy. You must listen to the midwife and this old servant..."
"If it drags on for too long and the Empress can't give birth, she'll suffer too if she runs out of strength."
She dared not say anything that would endanger both the adults and the children; if she frightened the Empress, the Emperor would surely have her beheaded.
Su Luoxue listened intently, but her little face gradually scrunched up. She couldn't help but interrupt Zhang Mama, her voice filled with grievance and fear: "Mama... will it really... really hurt as much as you say?"
Seeing the Empress's delicate and timid appearance, Zhang Mama swallowed back the words she was about to say and could only say tactfully, "Your Majesty, childbirth is always... always painful for women, it's an inevitable process. But as long as you relax and do as this old servant says, it will pass quickly."
Su Luoxue imagined the unknown and terrifying pain, and her eyes turned red with fear. However, she forced herself not to cry and could only pout, her little hands unconsciously clutching the hem of her clothes. She looked extremely pitiful.
Upon seeing this, Yuwen Che's heart clenched. He quickly walked over, sat down beside her, naturally took her slightly cool hand, and said softly, "What's wrong? Were you frightened by what the old woman said?"
Upon seeing him, Su Luoxue felt as if she had found her pillar of support. She immediately nestled into his arms, buried her face in his chest, and said in a muffled, tearful voice, "A-Che... I'm scared..."
Yuwen Che hugged her tightly with heartache, gently patting her back to comfort her, while glancing at Zhang Mama.
Zhang Mama understood and quickly bowed, saying, "It was this old servant's fault for being so talkative and frightening Your Highness. In truth, Your Highness is blessed with great fortune and will surely live a peaceful and prosperous life."
Yuwen Che waved his hand: "You can go now."
"yes."
After Zhang Mama withdrew, Yuwen Che lowered his head and kissed the top of Su Luoxue's head, his voice extremely gentle: "Don't be afraid, Xue'er, I will always be with you. The best imperial physicians and the most experienced midwives from the Imperial Hospital are waiting outside, and I will be here to watch over you. You just need to think that you will soon see our child, okay?"
Under his gentle reassurance, Su Luoxue's emotions gradually calmed down. She nodded slightly, but her hand, which was gripping his clothes, never let go.
Li Dehai arrived outside the Guanju Palace to request an audience. After receiving permission, he entered, bowed, and reported, "Your Majesty, regarding the dismissal..."
He had barely begun to speak when Yuwen Che raised his hand to interrupt him, gesturing with his eyes that it was inappropriate to discuss the matter further with the Empress present.
Su Luoxue overheard a few words and curiously looked up to ask, "Dismissal? What dismissal? Eunuch Li, what did you just say...?"
Li Dehai's heart tightened, and he quickly looked at Yuwen Che. Yuwen Che had no choice but to gesture for him to give a brief explanation.
Li Dehai then carefully chose his words and said to Su Luoxue, "Your Majesty, it is His Majesty's benevolence that shows compassion for some of the lower-ranking concubines in the palace, who are in the prime of their lives and cannot bear to see them waste their time. He has granted them special permission to choose to leave the palace, either to go to a temple to pray for blessings or to return home and remarry, and has bestowed upon them generous rewards. To the outside world... it is uniformly announced that they died of a sudden illness, in order to preserve their reputation and future life."
After listening, Su Luoxue was stunned for a long while before slowly digesting the meaning of these words. She turned to look at Yuwen Che, her eyes filled with immense emotion and disbelief, but then a trace of grievance surfaced.
She gently nudged Yuwen Che, her voice muffled, tinged with a bitterness she herself didn't realize: "Then... what about Consort Xian and Consort Shu? Is it because A-Che... he can't bear to part with them? Is that why he only sent away those of lower rank..."
Yuwen Che, seeing her unusually jealous expression, was first taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle softly. He deliberately didn't answer her, instead turning to Li Dehai, his face serious, and asked in a solemn tone:
"Li Dehai..."
"This old servant is here."
"How did you become the head steward? How did your subordinates clean Guanju Palace today?" Yuwen Che wrinkled his nose and sniffed around with feigned seriousness. "Can you smell... a strong, sour smell of vinegar in Guanju Palace?"
Li Dehai was taken aback at first, then realized what was happening and couldn't help but chuckle. He quickly bowed and said, "Your Majesty, please forgive me. It was this old servant's oversight. This old servant will have someone clean it again carefully!"
Su Luoxue then realized that Yuwen Che was teasing her, and immediately blushed deeply, playfully punching his chest: "You...you're so annoying! Who's jealous!"
Yuwen Che laughed and pulled her back into his arms, holding her tightly. He whispered in her ear, his tone both doting and earnest: "Silly Xue'er, I have you, that's enough. Consort Xian and Consort Shu... are just decorations for the court officials to see. In my heart, from beginning to end, there is only room for you."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
