Chapter 20 The Grand Wedding
It was just past noon.
The late summer heat was oppressive, and Jialuo felt dizzy and lightheaded at this time.
So even if she realized who was standing outside the door, she didn't want to see them.
First, it's not the right time. Second, she's just lazy and doesn't want to move. Third, the best way for her to avoid getting involved in Fulin's emotional entanglement is to minimize contact with this young woman.
"Go and tell Princess Consort Bomubogor of Prince Xiangzhao that the weather is hot and I am feeling a little unwell, so there is no need for her to come and pay her respects."
"She looks frail; let her be carried out of the palace in a sedan chair."
Upon receiving the order, the young eunuch quickly ran out.
Jialuo turned slightly, covered her face with the book beside her, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
Just as Jialuo was sleeping soundly, someone suddenly pulled the book off her face.
"My lord, please get up quickly, the Emperor is here."
Jialuo was suddenly awakened, squinted, and said impatiently, "So what if they're here? Why make such a fuss?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the slightly heavy and clearly angry footsteps of the young man stepping into the palace gate could be heard.
As Jialuo turned her head, she saw the boy's icy gaze.
She was instantly jolted as if she had been stabbed, and all her laziness vanished.
Jialuo quickly got up and reviewed the events of the past few days in her mind, but found that she had not done anything wrong.
Fu Lin did not give her time to maneuver or speculate.
He stepped forward, his voice cold and full of sarcasm.
"Your Majesty the Empress has quite the airs."
Upon hearing this, Jialuo immediately knelt down, her gaze sweeping lightly over the boy's bright yellow dragon robe and his black cloud-stepping shoes.
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Forgive me?"
"Does Your Majesty the Empress know what she has done wrong?"
Jialuo was momentarily confused.
"Is the Empress still so noble and precious, only caring about enjoying worldly riches?"
The boy's voice suppressed his anger, and his aura seemed to devour everyone.
Jialuo wrung her hands, knowing that her Abu, Eji, and several brothers had all set off back to Horqin.
Why is the Emperor making such a fuss and getting so angry? Could it be that something has happened to Abu and his party?
She was extremely nervous. After calming herself down, she said, "Your Majesty, I do not know what wrong I have done, but it is my fault that I have angered Your Majesty so much."
"Hmm, what a sharp-tongued and eloquent person he is."
Fu Lin stood with his hands behind his back, the dappled sunlight filtering through the crabapple tree behind him, which was laden with honeysuckle and other fruits, making the man's silhouette appear exceptionally unpredictable.
Jialuo knelt on the ground with her head down, a spark of anger slowly rising in her heart. She didn't answer, just remained kneeling.
"how?"
"Speechless?"
Jialuo was pampered by Abu and her older brothers and sisters since childhood, and had never suffered such humiliation.
She bowed again and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I am foolish and do not know what crime I have committed to anger Your Majesty so much. If I were to speak so easily as I did just now, wouldn't I only make Your Majesty angrier?"
As soon as Jialuo finished speaking, a soft tapping sound was heard from the jade pendants.
Jialuo knew that it was the sound coming from the jade pendant hanging from the young emperor's waist.
He strode over to the recliner where Jialuo had been sitting and gently shook it with his hand.
The chair swayed gently with the force of the rock, but made no sound.
"The Empress is a woman of great wealth and status. She only stayed in Shou'an Palace for a few days before feeling unwell. But I think she is alright."
Jialuo was taken aback and didn't speak, but then she heard the little eunuch who often followed the emperor speak up: "The wife of Prince Xiangzhao, Bomubogor, has caught a heatstroke. She suddenly fainted before she even left the palace this afternoon, and the imperial physicians are still treating her."
"Now even Sumala personally goes to take care of the Fujin (wife of the deceased).
Jialuo didn't understand what this had to do with her.
"Your Majesty, although I did not meet with Princess Consort Bomubogor of Prince Xiangzhao, I did have my servants arrange a sedan chair for her."
"The Empress is an extremely intelligent person."
"But I ask you, I told you not to have to follow so many formalities with me, have you done so?"
"Since you still dare not disrespect her, then Empress, if you do not see her, how can she dare to ride in the sedan chair you bestowed upon her?"
"Do you really think you're the only smart one, and that nobody else knows what you're thinking?!"
"The Empress shows such contempt for the entire imperial family?"
"Just because I didn't grant your request?"
The words fell like a thousand pounds, striking everyone's hearts.
Instantly, all the servants in the courtyard knelt down, except for one boy who stood still, his face full of anger.
At this moment, Jialuo finally realized why, in history, Borjigit Mengguqing had broken with the emperor and was even demoted to Consort Jing.
She only slightly neglected Dong E Shi once, and this incurred the wrath of an emperor.
If the original owner of this body loved her husband, how could she be willing to watch him take his anger out on her for the sake of another woman who was still someone else's wife?
How can a princess who has been pampered and spoiled since childhood on the grasslands possibly submit?
Jialuo closed her eyes slightly, forcibly swallowing the sarcasm that had risen to her throat. She pursed her lips and said, "It was my oversight that caused Princess Consort Bomubogor of Prince Xiangzhao to faint and fall seriously ill. I beg Your Majesty to punish me." "I would rather die than question Your Majesty's decision. I had no other intentions. I beg Your Majesty to see the truth!"
After she finished speaking, she kowtowed and performed a grand ceremony.
But she still couldn't control her tone, revealing a hint of sarcasm in her words.
The courtyard fell silent once again, but this time the silent pressure seemed to be devouring the surrounding air, making it extremely difficult to breathe.
His actions, however, greatly angered Galo.
"The Empress is feeling unwell today due to the heat. It must be because this servant was unruly, arrogant, and disrespectful to his mistress. He shall be given fifty strokes of the cane."
Upon hearing this, Jialuo tensed up and abruptly looked up at the emperor, whose face was full of anger.
"emperor!"
"Your Majesty, after fifty strokes of the rod, how can they possibly survive?"
Fu Lin remained silent, simply looking at her coldly.
The eunuch behind him had already stood up and walked over to the jade and agate.
If she swallows this humiliation once, how will she be able to protect the people around her in the future?
Is there still a chance for jade and agate to survive?!
And this Dong E clan member hasn't even entered the palace yet, and she's already causing her such a big problem.
If she enters the palace, even if Jialuo doesn't cause trouble, she will definitely face a lot of problems.
This won't do!
Since some things and troubles are unavoidable, Jialuo thought, let's just deal with them.
"Your Majesty, your concubine and maidservant have not done anything wrong. On the contrary, I have something to report."
After speaking, Jialuo slowly raised her eyes and looked directly into Fulin's eyes.
The man's eyelashes drooped slightly, and the corners of his eyes, which were somewhat rounded and upturned, were now tinged with a faint blush.
What a waste of such a beautiful face.
Jialu thought to herself.
The situation remained tense in the courtyard until the young man raised his right hand, his fingers slightly bent, and the eunuchs and palace maids filed out.
Only Jialuo and Fulin remained in the courtyard.
This time, Galo was very direct.
"Your Majesty, that night I was walking at night and felt a little unwell. I couldn't find the Qianqing Palace, so I sent two maids to scout the way, while I rested against a rockery."
Her gaze was fixed on Fu Lin, so she did not miss the astonishment and murderous intent in his eyes.
But she still didn't look away, and instead continued to speak: "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager will not tolerate your punishment of me today because of your sister-in-law."
"It is not that I presume to hold such an important position in the Empress Dowager's heart, but rather that Your Majesty has publicly punished an Empress for the sake of such a sensitive woman."
"This is probably a major taboo."
Jialu was on high alert, constantly observing the man's expression.
"Your Majesty, my actions today were unintentional. I did not intend to embarrass that young woman, but I should not have seen her at this time."
"You are the Son of Heaven, all things in the world are under your control, all things belong to you."
"As for the so-called Fujin, I think that although she will not be selected in this selection, she will probably be a gentle and beautiful young woman when she is granted the title of Consort."
She paused here, her gaze slowly descending, resuming her usual composure.
They only looked at the area above and below the boy's nose.
After a long pause without receiving a reply, Secretary Yu continued, "Since you care so much for that young woman, how can you let her suffer any injustice?"
"But the Empress Dowager will not like her, Your Majesty, you must be well aware of that."
"But I can mediate and reconcile the relationship between the Empress Dowager and that young woman."
Jialu bowed again and said, "Therefore, it is inconvenient for me to see that young woman today. Her status is not such that I should see her, lest she feel uncomfortable in the future."
"Your Majesty, I only ask to sit securely in the position of Empress, and I ask for nothing else."
After speaking, she knelt down properly, awaiting the Emperor's final decision.
"What if I don't agree?"
Jialu smiled slightly, a genuine smile from the heart. Her beautiful face seemed to have stepped out of a painting, shedding its stiff mask, and her expression became vibrant and radiant.
In that instant, all the flowers in the garden became mere foils to her beauty.
"There's nothing I can do but wait until Your Majesty is so disgusted with me that you depose me, and then I'll be moved to the Cold Palace."
"At that time, I might not have to call myself 'I' anymore, and I would become the new Sari on the grassland, able to ride freely under the snow-capped mountains, drinking mare's milk wine."
As soon as he finished speaking, the boy's already tense lips became even colder.
"The Empress is so young, yet she is truly intelligent and broad-minded."
He clapped his hands, seemingly in praise of Gallo.
"The women of the Borjigit clan are indeed all exceptionally beautiful and intelligent."
"How can I feel at ease letting a woman like you return to the grasslands?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he casually tossed the jade red string of eighteen beads that he had been playing with in his hand onto Jialuo's lap.
"Remember what you said, or I will make you wish you were dead."
A note from the author:
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The emperor is really annoying, just like a temperamental and unreasonable teenager in puberty...
Hehe, even though that's how I see it, it doesn't stop me from finding him annoying too.
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