Jianqiu was taken aback. Wasn't this a bit too deliberate?
Moreover, letting Consort Wan know from the beginning, rather than waiting until Consort Wan has fallen deeply in love with the Emperor, has a completely different effect.
However, if Consort Hua were to use this matter as leverage to bring down Consort Wan, then it certainly couldn't wait any longer.
Jianqiu said, "This servant understands. I will arrange it perfectly. No one will find out that this matter is related to our Jingren Palace."
The Queen said, "Whether or not it is discovered is no longer important. I do not intend to harm them. If they resent me, then so be it."
"One reaps what one sows; that is the way of Heaven."
*
Yikun Palace
Consort Hua sat by the window, looking up at the bright moon in the sky, which was as bright as ever and seemed no different.
Soak your hands in a basin of rose dew; this will make your hands increasingly white and tender.
Even if it's not for someone to please, a woman should still dress up beautifully and be adorned with flowers.
“What’s the point of living like a nun when you’re not even old enough to be a vegetarian and chant Buddhist scriptures?”
Songzhi said, "Your Majesty is right. I heard that the Empress eats vegetarian food and chants Buddhist prayers all day long, and doesn't even eat meat."
"Even when cooking, she is only allowed to use vegetable oil, not animal oil. Although she was instructed to do this only, and that no one else needs to follow suit."
"But if the masters are vegetarian, how can the servants below eat meat and fish? After the Empress found out, she became more considerate of the servants than before."
"Have the small kitchen follow the rules from now on, except that vegetarian dishes should be cooked with vegetable oil. The Empress only eats those few dishes; the rest should be given to the servants."
Consort Hua raised her hand, picked up the neatly folded cotton cloth with gold-threaded auspicious cloud patterns embroidered on the four corners, and wiped the water droplets from her hands.
He said thoughtfully, "In that case, the Empress is indeed different from before. In the past, although she pretended to be compassionate, she would never care about the servants below her."
"She wants people to be loyal to her, but she's unwilling to spend a lot of money on them. Besides this pretentious hypocrisy, she offers nothing of substance."
"But it doesn't matter. As long as it doesn't interfere with our business, whether she drinks porridge or eats dry food is none of our concern. We don't need to pay attention to it."
"But in truth, she is the most secure. When the Emperor is alive, she is the Empress; when the Emperor is not alive... she is the Empress Dowager. What a blessing!"
Consort Hua suddenly felt a little envious of the Empress. In the past, she regarded the Empress as an enemy because she felt that the Empress was inferior to her in every way, but the Empress became the primary consort because she entered the palace earlier, while she could only be a secondary consort.
If she were the empress, she would be invincible. As long as she outlived the emperor, she would become the empress dowager. With filial piety as her guiding principle, no matter which prince became emperor, as long as she was alive, the Nian family would not be completely ruined.
Unfortunately, she was a member of the Han Banner Army, so she could only dream about it for the rest of her life...
However, although she could not have the title of Empress, she could not relinquish her power in the palace.
Consort Hua casually tossed the used cotton handkerchief aside and said calmly,
"The gold embroidery looks nice, but it feels a bit rough when you wipe your hands. It's not just these handkerchiefs, it's the same with other things."
"From now on, no such fancy things are allowed in my palace."
"Wealth comes from simplicity, and as the Empress in charge of the inner palace, I must set an example. Otherwise, the Emperor might think that our Nian family is extremely wealthy."
"Yes, ma'am."
Songzhi said with difficulty, "This servant is afraid of wronging Your Highness. When you were at your maiden home, you never had to worry about money."
Consort Hua felt a lump in her throat as she recalled the matter of the Joyful Fragrance. "It's just an external thing, nothing to worry about. When the time is right, I have plenty of ways to repay them for all these grievances."
Apart from Songzhi, no one else knew about Consort Hua's loves and hates.
The Emperor, completely unaware of the situation, was wearing the wedding attire he had worn years ago on his wedding day with Chun Yuan. He had even lit a pair of large red candles, using them as dragon and phoenix candles. He and Zhen Huan were deeply in love until dawn.
After the storm had passed, Zhen Huan wrapped her arms around the chest of the chubby orange-haired man, rested her head on his shoulder, and gazed into the distance with a cool and aloof expression.
A hot spring bath, a bright red wedding dress—it truly shows deep affection.
Unfortunately, the person beside her, who was clearly her husband, treated her as a substitute for another woman.
Such deep affection disgusted Zhen Huan. Ironically, her own and the Zhen family's honor and disgrace rested entirely on this man's whim.
She closed her eyes in disgust, but when she opened them again, they were filled with love. With a smile on her lips, she drifted off to sleep peacefully.
Since it's all a play, let's see who can act better.
*
Early the next morning,
The Empress exempted the concubines from paying their respects as usual, and only Zhen Huan went to Jingren Palace to pay her respects.
According to palace rules, after a concubine's first night with the emperor, she must perform the ritual of three kneelings and nine kowtows before the empress. If the empress does not accept this, it means she is not recognized.
During the ceremony, both men paid close attention to the other's words and actions.
The Empress felt that the Consort Wan before her looked more and more like the late Empress Chun Yuan. Every move she made was just like her sister back then.
Zhen Huan, however, thought that since the current Empress and the late Empress Chun Yuan were sisters, they should look somewhat alike.
But why do the two sisters look so different, while she, an outsider with no blood relation, resembles Empress Chun Yuan?
Although the world is full of wonders, isn't this too much of a coincidence that it happened to her?
Even with these thoughts in mind, it didn't stop Zhen Huan from bowing deeply to the Empress.
"Jianqiu, hurry up and help Consort Wan up."
"Please take a seat."
"Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
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