Chapter 307

Chapter 307 The Empress Dowager smiled and said, "Being able to raise the Fifth Prince is already a merit. If you can give the Emperor one or two more princes, I have further rewards in store, and your rank can be elevated as well." As the Empress Dowager spoke, she cast a sidelong glance at the Empress. Xie Run knew that the Empress Dowager was deliberately giving her face, elevating her to suppress the Empress's momentum and set her up against the Empress in a rivalry. Xie Run would never dare to meddle in matters between the Empress Dowager and the Empress. She accepted the hairpin and replied respectfully, "This concubine is thrice blessed to have the favor of the Emperor and Empress, and only through that was I able to give birth to Cong'er." "This matter, this concubine dare not claim credit for. Rather, I must plead a merit for Her Majesty the Empress. Back in the prince's residence, had it not been for the Empress's protection, how could there be the lively and adorable Cong'er of today?" The smile on the Empress Dowager's face immediately faltered. She had wanted to elevate Xie Run, this favored consort, to rival the Empress, but who would have thought Xie Run was actually the Empress's woman? Now she had lifted a rock only to drop it on her own feet. The Empress Dowager instantly felt some disdain toward her. Her tone turned flat: "You do protect the Empress quite fiercely." Xie Run smiled shyly, just as she had in the past: "How could this concubine protect Her Majesty the Empress? I was merely speaking the truth, and I do hope the Empress Dowager won't find this concubine too dull-witted." The Empress Dowager: "..." The Empress Dowager found Xie Run insipid. She played with Taotao for a few moments, then handed the child back to Nanny Xu. Her gaze swept across the assembly below and landed on Noble Lady Xian, who stood behind Consort Sun. She beckoned to Noble Lady Xian. "You are Noble Lady Xian, are you not?" Noble Lady Xian stepped forward slowly: "I am indeed Noble Lady Xian, honored by the Empress Dowager's notice." The Empress Dowager studied her for a moment, then could not help but praise, "What a clever girl, and truly fine-looking." "You presented the remedy for the Seasonal Plague and saved the Retired Emperor—a woman of great merit. Now that you enjoy the Emperor's favor, you should soon bear a child for the Emperor." Noble Lady Xian was, after all, a young and inexperienced girl. At the mention of bearing children, she lowered her head in shyness. "This concubine only hopes to receive a fraction of the Empress Dowager's good fortune, and to share the burdens of the Emperor and Empress." The Empress Dowager could not help but take her hand and pat it. "You are a good child." Her words were far more pleasing than Bright and Pure Consort's. She also had more tact than Bright and Pure Consort, knowing not to stand unwaveringly by the Emperor and Empress's side. The Empress Dowager was so pleased that she said to Nanny Liu, "Go and bring the cloisonné pomegranate bonsai that the Retired Emperor bestowed upon me last year, and give it to Noble Lady Xian." "May you, like that pomegranate, be blessed with many children and much good fortune." At the Empress Dowager's words, half of Noble Lady Xian's face flushed crimson, adding a touch of bashful charm to her ethereal and gentle bearing. The Emperor had seen through his own mother's little schemes all along. Seeing that the time was about right, he said, "Your son still has morning court to attend and would not dare delay Mother's rest. I shall take my leave together with the Empress." The Empress Dowager had wanted to say, "You may go, but why must you take the Empress along?" But seeing the Emperor's cold and stern face, she dared not utter such words. "Go then, and do not delay your important matters." The Emperor and Empress, along with all the consorts, bowed simultaneously to the Empress Dowager: "Your son, this concubine, takes our leave." Seeing that everyone was about to depart, the Empress Dowager was still unwilling to let go. She said to Noble Lady Xian, "Noble Lady Xian, I took great delight in you the moment I saw you. Won't you stay and keep me company for a while?" Noble Lady Xian was taken aback, but the Empress Dowager had already laughed and said, "I knew you were a good child—so happy you can't even speak." She waved Noble Lady Xian over. "Come, sit here beside me." Earlier, when the Emperor and Empress had come to pay their respects, the Empress Dowager had only allowed the Emperor to sit beside her, completely ignoring the Empress. Now she directly pulled Noble Lady Xian to sit at her side. Noble Lady Xian was at a loss, about to look to the Emperor for help, when she saw that the Emperor and Empress had already stepped out through the gates of Cining Palace. Once they had left Cining Palace, the Empress glanced at the consorts behind her. "You have all worked hard today. Return to your quarters and rest." "This concubine thanks Her Majesty the Empress for her consideration." Xie Run held the highest rank, so she walked at the front. Only when she made a move did the others dare to follow. Lady Lu had been assigned to Luoyue Pavilion, next to Zhaohua Palace, so she shared the same path as Xie Run. When there were many people around, she did not dare approach to curry favor. Only after they had walked some distance did she gradually catch up to Xie Run. Lady Lu: "Sister Xie, please wait a moment." Xie Run slowed her pace to wait for her, and said softly, "Everyone in the harem knows of our connection; there's no need to be so cautious." Lady Lu smiled. "It's not the people of the harem I'm avoiding—it's the Emperor." The forms of address in the Great Yu Dynasty were not overly strict. As long as one used "this concubine" or "your subject concubine" in formal settings, sisters could freely use "you" and "I" between themselves at other times. Lady Lu explained, "Back in the prince's residence, my reputation was ruined. The Emperor dislikes the sight of me. If I were seen standing beside you, I fear I would bring trouble upon you." Lady Lu knew she was not favored by the Emperor, and now she went out of her way to avoid even being seen by him. After all, whenever the Emperor happened to catch sight of her, either he couldn't remember who she was, or if he did manage to recall, the moment he thought of the stolen charcoal incident, his brow would furrow immediately. Having been frightened twice, Lady Lu had learned her lesson and no longer went out of her way to provoke the Emperor's displeasure. She spoke so plainly that Xie Run found it hard to offer any hollow words of comfort. It was simply because the Emperor was someone who viewed people through the lens of stereotypes. He believed Xie Run to be virtuous and gentle, and so long as Xie Run did nothing wicked that came to light, the Emperor would speak to her with a somewhat gentler tone, all for the sake of that virtue and gentleness. At the same time, he felt that Lady Lu's ability to commit theft and betray her mistress indicated a questionable character and low moral standing. If Lady Lu had no means to wash away these stereotypes, then every time the Emperor saw her from then on, he would recall the theft and betrayal, and his displeasure would only grow. Xie Run handed her a handkerchief. "Wipe the sweat from your brow quickly, lest the wind catch it and give you a headache." Lady Lu took the handkerchief and smiled. "I'm becoming more useless by the day. Back when I was a servant, I could haul water all day without so much as a heavy breath." "Today, I merely quickened my pace a little, and already I'm breaking into a sweat." She had never shied away from mentioning her origins. After wiping her sweat, Lady Lu could not suppress the excitement in her heart. "Sister Xie, what do you think the Empress Dowager means by this?" "At dawn, she had the Empress bring us all to wait outside the palace gates, refusing to open them until the Emperor arrived." "And then at Cining Palace, she found every fault she could with the Empress..."