Chapter 60

Chapter 60: The Emperor Becomes Suspicious But with Consort Hua lying ill before him, he couldn’t very well fix his gaze on another person. So he didn’t dwell on it further. [Is the vast Great Qing truly so idle that there’s nothing to attend to? Drawing salaries without doing any work—are all these ministers just freeloaders?] [Do they wish to watch the Great Qing fall with their own eyes?] Shen Meizhuang: Your words are most fitting, Your Highness! The Emperor cleared his throat: At this rate, it seems the Emperor might as well hand over the throne to her. Nian Shilan coughed twice and extended her hand. “Give it to This Consort.” The Emperor raised his hand and passed her the medicine bowl. “Let Zhen do it.” [Such a familiar scene—it feels vaguely, faintly, as if I’ve seen it somewhere before?] [In my past life, This Consort rushed to serve you, only to be met with disdain. Now you come to fawn over This Consort.] [Rest assured, even if you don’t come, Brother will still have to finish fighting your wars before he can learn of your ingratitude. It won’t hinder the Northwest Campaign.] Nian Shilan’s head felt heavy. She simply took the medicine bowl from his hands, shook it twice, tilted her head back, and drank it all in one go. Then she shoved the empty bowl back into the Emperor’s hands. Shen Meizhuang offered a tray. “Your Highness, have a piece of candied fruit to soothe the bitterness. Please try this concubine’s handiwork.” [Your skill is beyond reproach—even the Empress Dowager praised it after tasting it. That lotus root starch and osmanthus sugar cake is truly unforgettable!] Shen Meizhuang smiled gently. “If Your Highness enjoys it, this concubine will come often to prepare it for you.” Often? Hearing this cheerful voice, the Emperor did not consider it a good thing. Even though the Emperor could now hear Nian Shilan’s Xinsheng and felt somewhat at ease, he understood clearly: Nian Gengyao was Nian Gengyao, and Nian Shilan was Nian Shilan. Matters of the court—Shilan, as a woman, understood too little of them. Nor did he wish for her to understand. When the Emperor had Shen Meizhuang and Sun Miaoqing learn to assist in managing the affairs of the Six Palaces, it wasn’t so they could befriend Consort Hua. It was to divide power and maintain balance. If the two great military families of Nian and Shen were to form an alliance, it would bode ill for his empire. This Shen Meizhuang had initially seemed steady, but it turned out she lacked discernment as well. She was not as clever as Sun Miaoqing. The Emperor placed the empty medicine bowl into Shen Meizhuang’s hands and personally fed Nian Shilan a piece of candied fruit. Shen Meizhuang then took a handkerchief to wipe Consort Hua’s mouth, but the Emperor took it from her. Shen Meizhuang: “…” Wanting to serve Consort Hua without any sincerity, taking advantage of others’ efforts to benefit oneself. Truly shameless. Favoring palace maids to slight proper consorts, and now treating proper consorts like maids—confusing one’s own status and unworthy of others’ respect. Shen Meizhuang was straightforward by nature. She glanced at the Emperor, her eyes unable to conceal their sharpness: I’m not here to serve you! Fortunately, the Emperor’s attention remained entirely on Consort Hua. Nian Shilan wiped her mouth with the handkerchief. Thinking of her brother, her resentment toward the Emperor deepened. In her illness, her temper was hard to restrain, and she couldn’t help but crumple the handkerchief into a ball and toss it into the Emperor’s hands. After doing so, a thought flashed in her mind: [Oh no! How improper!] [If I say I mistook him for Shen Meizhuang, will he believe me?] Hearing is believing. The Emperor, thinking she was explaining in her heart, naturally believed it. Treating a Noble Lady like a maid and even throwing things into her hands—it showed Shilan looked down upon Meizhuang. And rightly so. Among the new consorts, aside from Miaoqing, Meizhuang enjoyed the most favor. It was perfectly normal for Shilan to act this way. Nian Shilan said nothing. Silently, she took the handkerchief from his hands and passed it to Shen Meizhuang, her tone unusually meek as she said: "The Emperor has just finished morning court and must be tired. You should return and rest earlier. Here we have..." [Here we have your Meimei. This Consort will just order your Meimei around.] Nian Shilan would never directly say "Meimei" out loud. "Here we have Noble Lady Shen. Your Majesty has always known her to be reliable, so there's no need to worry." The Emperor knew Consort Hua was adept at harboring sarcastic thoughts in her heart. His earlier concern dissipated somewhat due to the sour words like "Meimei" and "order around." In the entire harem, she was the most petty. Even when ill, her heart refused to relent. Meizhuang, ah, was still too young, too much like Consort Jing. Enduring Consort Hua's daily torment—whether copying account books or being burdened with trivial tasks—she simply bore it all, not daring to resist. Fortunately, there was still a Sun Miaoqing in the palace. Thinking of Sun Miaoqing... the Emperor remembered visiting her some days ago. She seemed much more dispirited than before. He should find an opportunity to raise her rank. He must keep this useful one around. Unlike the Emperor's thoughts, Shen Meizhuang was actually pleased to hear "Meimei," feeling it was like an elder sister calling a younger sister. Intimate. Shen Meizhuang curtsied: "Your Majesty, rest assured, this concubine will do her utmost to serve Consort Hua." Hurry and leave, I'm here. The Emperor faintly sensed something off in Shen Meizhuang's words but couldn't pinpoint the error. He pondered and said: "I naturally trust you in handling matters..." Unexpectedly, before he could finish, it ignited the little firecracker in Consort Hua's heart. [Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, "I naturally trust you in handling matters." I know you dote on her and love her. This Consort orders her around and you feel heartache, but this Consort is still ill. Could you find another place to display your affectionate doting?] [At your age, aren't you disgusted?] Nian Shilan's mind inexplicably conjured the image of him pretending to be Prince Guo to flirt with Zhen Huan. The disdain between her brows was impossible to hide. The Emperor could hear the voice but not see the image, assuming she was jealous. He took her hand and said: "Even with Meier and the others attending to you, if I didn't come see you myself, I would still be uneasy." [Then that little heart of yours can just stay uneasy. A minor cold won't take this Consort down.] [This Consort won't die anytime soon.] Such jealousy—which of my words implied I wished for her death? The Emperor was both amused and exasperated. [I'm also baffled. Shouldn't he be the one getting sick? Why did it land on this Consort's head?] [Wasn't it just standing at the door for a while in that heavy rain, mocking the Dog Emperor for not being able to withstand a bit of wind and rain? How did I catch a cold?] Nian Shilan gritted her teeth inwardly: [Does this blasted illness absolutely have to afflict someone?] So, in the previous life, the one who caught the cold was himself. The Emperor had agreed with Zhen Huan to meet again on the Day of Flute Appreciation. The Empress had schemed relentlessly, even seeing the Emperor fidgeting uncomfortably, yet persisted in urging the Empress Dowager to keep the Emperor for a meal at Shoukang Palace. They didn't return until the rain had temporarily stopped. When he went to the Imperial Garden again, he didn't catch a chill, get drenched, nor see the beauty. Back then, he had blamed the Empress for lacking tact. Little did he know it was a fortunate coincidence that spared him from suffering a cold. The Day of Flute Appreciation... a flash of insight struck the Emperor. Could it be that in his previous life, he caught a cold from going to see Huanhuan? Even though he had changed everything in this lifetime, and it was Heaven's will that Wanwan and he met, why was he still walking the path of his previous life? The bold declarations he had made in his heart during the selection were nowhere to be found. The emperor, in the throes of passion, was torn between his old love and his empire. He wanted both the beauty and the kingdom. When a person is ill, their guard is naturally low. The emperor decided to change his approach, to carefully probe Nian Shilan's words and see what exactly was going on between her and Zhen Huan. If one knows the trajectory of the past, the present can serve as a reference, and one can discern what has changed and what has not. The emperor spoke up to send Shen Meizhuang away, "Meizhuang, you've been caring for me for a long time and must be tired. Go back and rest first."