Chapter 4 Trying to Escape
The once tranquil Guanju Palace has now become the busiest place in the entire Forbidden City. Craftsmen from the Imperial Household Department rush in and out, while palace maids and eunuchs carry all sorts of precious items, their steps hurried, barely daring to breathe. Every detail is required to be checked repeatedly to ensure absolute perfection, simply because of the Emperor's high regard for this matter.
After finishing his day's court affairs, Yuwen Che did not return to Sizheng Hall to rest, but went straight to Guanju Palace. He stood in the hall with his hands behind his back, his black dragon robe contrasting sharply with the bright and festive red decorations around him, yet strangely blending together, as if he himself were the most central footnote to this grand ceremony.
“The color of this carpet isn’t quite right.” His gaze swept over the crimson carpet on the floor. His voice wasn’t loud, but it startled the eunuch in charge, who fell to his knees with a thud.
"Your Majesty, please forgive me! This servant will go and change it immediately!"
“And these flowers,” Yuwen Che walked to the window and looked at the potted plants, “They must be the freshest, with dew still on them. I don’t want to see a single withered one.”
"Yes, yes! This servant will immediately send someone to the warm room to change it!" Another head eunuch hurriedly responded, cold sweat beading on his forehead.
Yuwen Che paced slowly, his fingertips brushing against the smooth rosewood tabletop, checking for dust. His gaze was focused, as if he were arranging not a concubine's palace, but a crucial strategic fortress. Li Dehai followed cautiously behind, inwardly sighing. When had His Majesty ever cared so much about the affairs of the harem? This Consort Chen, who had not yet entered the palace, probably held a much heavier place in His Majesty's heart than anyone imagined.
“Li Dehai.” Yuwen Che suddenly stopped in his tracks.
"Your servant is here."
"Is everything alright with the Su family?" he asked, his tone seemingly casual.
Li Dehai bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Su family... is naturally grateful. However, after the phoenix coronet and wedding gown were sent, Master Su seemed... quite apprehensive."
Yuwen Che's lips twitched almost imperceptibly, as if he had expected it: "It's normal to be afraid. Tell them to rest assured and wait for their marriage. I will take care of everything." His words carried an unquestionable domineering air, as if all obstacles in the world were insignificant in front of him.
However, the Su family was not at ease at this moment.
Su Wenyuan returned from outside, looking utterly dejected, his face even more ashen than when he left. The news he had gathered was like a series of cold stones, shattering his last shred of hope.
In the hall, Madam Liu, Su Jingxing, and the anxious Su Luoxue were all waiting for him.
"Father, what have you found out?" Su Jingxing spoke first, his voice low.
Su Wenyuan slumped into his chair, letting out a heavy sigh, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He looked at his daughter, his eyes filled with worry and sorrow: "Xue'er... this palace is probably a den of dragons and tigers..."
He spoke with difficulty: "Her Majesty the Empress... her surname is Shen, and she comes from the Duke of Huguo's mansion, a truly prestigious family. Moreover... I've heard that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is the Empress's direct cousin!"
"What?!" Liu exclaimed, nearly fainting. The Empress Dowager was the Empress's backer?! Then what if her Xue'er went in...?
Su Wenyuan continued, his voice trembling, "And... there's a rumor circulating in the palace that although the Empress holds a high position,... but His Majesty seems... to have never been with her... On their wedding night, His Majesty led his army to war... Over the years, His Majesty has rarely set foot in the inner palace, so... so the Empress has yet to bear any children..."
Su Jingxing's heart sank to the bottom. Although the Empress had the support of her powerful maternal clan and the Empress Dowager, she was out of favor. How much resentment must she have accumulated in her heart over the years? Now, her younger sister was entering the palace in such a way that it was almost a slap in her face, making herself a living target for all the Empress's resentment!
"Then... what about Consort De? Doesn't she have a first prince?" Lady Liu asked with a glimmer of hope.
Su Wenyuan shook his head with a wry smile: "Consort De? She was originally a palace maid. It's said that the Empress Dowager plotted to make her the Empress... but His Majesty left after drinking and unexpectedly favored the palace maid on night duty... which resulted in the birth of a prince. His Majesty doesn't seem to have much affection for her; she only gained her status because of her son. His Majesty granted her the title of Consort out of consideration for the prince. This harem... is incredibly cold!"
He looked at Su Luoxue one last time, tears streaming down his face: "Xue'er, this is all I've found out. The Empress... I'm afraid she already hates you! What will happen to you now that you're gone..."
Hearing her father's words, each one like a knife, Su Luoxue's face turned deathly pale, and her whole body went cold. The faint glimmer of hope she had held for the magnificent palace, fueled by the handsome emperor, was now shattered by the harsh reality. It was never the romantic setting of stories of talented scholars and beautiful women; it was a place that devoured people without spitting out their bones! That emperor, whom she had only met once, his favor—no… perhaps just a fleeting whim—was like the most exquisite poison; even before it touched her tongue, she already felt a deadly crisis.
“Brother…” she looked at Su Jingxing helplessly, her voice trembling with tears.
Su Jingxing looked at his sister's tearful face. He took a deep breath and brought up the old matter again, his tone even more resolute than before: "Luoxue! You heard everything! Now is not the time to hesitate! The Empress has the Empress Dowager's backing, and she must hate you now! His Majesty's so-called attention is simply your death warrant! If you don't leave now, once you enter the palace, you'll truly have no way to escape! What family, what responsibility, is more important than your life! Listen to your brother, leave tonight!"
Madam Liu rushed over and hugged her daughter: "Xue'er, how about... how about we go and beg His Majesty again? We can say that our Su family is of humble origin, and you are not fortunate enough to be worthy of the position of Imperial Concubine..."
“It’s no use.” Su Wenyuan shook his head helplessly. “The imperial decree has been issued, and the emperor’s word is law. Going to plead for mercy will only enrage His Majesty and hasten your death.”
All three eyes were fixed on Su Luoxue. Should she obey her brother's arrangement, risking the execution of her entire family to defy the imperial decree and flee, or should she knowingly face an abyss ahead, and for the sake of her family's lives, grit her teeth and go on?
Looking at her parents' despairing faces, at the desperate resolve in her brother's eyes, and then at the dazzling phoenix coronet and wedding robes, and the rumors of the Empress's cold hatred in the palace, Su Luoxue felt an immense pressure that almost suffocated her. The thought of escaping grew wildly, but the rumored ruthless and intolerant Emperor was like an invisible shackle, preventing her from moving.
What should she do?
Outside the window, the night was deep, as if foreshadowing her uncertain future. The Su family's small building was already in a precarious state.
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