Chapter 323

Chapter 323 The Empress was never one to let a grievance go unanswered—she always repaid debts without delay. The moment she stepped out of Cining Palace, she called out, "Consort Jing." Consort Jing's body tensed as she stepped forward to bow. "This concubine greets the Empress. May I ask what instructions Her Majesty has?" The Empress said, "Did you not just say that I only favor Bright and Pure Consort? Well, now I shall favor you as well." Consort Jing was taken aback, never expecting the Empress to suddenly strike at her. The Empress's expression was cold. "Next month is the Empress Dowager's birthday. I plan to embroider a screen for her." "Since Consort Jing wishes to receive my favor, why not join me? When the time comes, the two of us can offer our birthday congratulations together. I imagine the Empress Dowager will be very pleased." The Empress Dowager did not like the Empress. Even if the Empress presented a hundred screens, the Empress Dowager would not be pleased. In fact, there was a good chance that offering gifts alongside the Empress would only invite disdain and targeted hostility. Consort Jing did not want to agree at all. But the Empress's expression darkened slightly. "What? Is Consort Jing unwilling to join me in showing filial piety to the Empress Dowager?" Consort Jing grew anxious inwardly. "But this concubine has already prepared a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager." The Empress said dismissively, "The more gifts, the more it shows Consort Jing's filial devotion to the Empress Dowager. The gift you prepared yourself does not conflict with what I have prepared." Consort Jing gritted her teeth. "This concubine's embroidery skills are lacking..." The Empress gave a half-smile. "I recall receiving an embroidered piece from you before. Your needlework is not poor. Besides, when offering gifts to the Empress Dowager, technical skill is secondary—what matters most is sincerity." No matter how Consort Jing tried to decline, the Empress blocked every avenue of escape. In the end, the Empress imperiously settled the matter and brought Consort Jing to Fengyi Palace. Consort Jing's needlework was indeed passable. But she had been delicately raised in a great family—learning needlework was merely for polish, not to become an embroideress. Embroidering an entire screen would take at least a month. The Empress did not truly want to embroider a screen together to offer birthday congratulations to the Empress Dowager—she clearly wanted to torment Consort Jing through this pretext! Consort Jing knew this well, but constrained by the Empress's authority, she had no choice but to comply. It was only when she found herself trapped in Fengyi Palace day after day doing embroidery that Consort Jing regretted having spoken out of turn. This time, the Emperor had once again raised the matter of sending her to care for the Retired Emperor in front of the Empress Dowager, and had even personally sent people to pack her belongings. That had thoroughly frightened the Empress Dowager, who dared not stir up trouble for the time being. Half a month later, a matter of moderate significance suddenly arose in the imperial court. The Prefect of Yunzhou was dismissed for corruption, and the Emperor promoted Lady Hua's brother, General Hua, to temporarily assume the position of Prefect of Yunzhou. The corruption case of the Prefect of Yunzhou was not a major one—the Emperor simply handed it to the Court of Judicial Review, which ultimately stripped the Prefect of his position. However, the Emperor's decision to have General Hua temporarily serve as Prefect of Yunzhou carried deep implications, sparking discussion both inside and outside the court. As the imperial court churned with unrest, the harem could not help but be affected. The first to be impacted was Noble Lady Xian. The Empress Dowager had originally wanted to elevate Noble Lady Xian to contend with the Empress. But Noble Lady Xian had her own schemes—she wanted to borrow the Empress Dowager's influence without offending the Empress. The Empress Dowager was foolish, but those around her were not. They had long since analyzed Noble Lady Xian's calculations for her, and combined with her loss of power, the Empress Dowager's attitude changed abruptly—she no longer promoted Noble Lady Xian. It happened that at this very time, Noble Lady Xian's father, the Prefect of Yunzhou, was stripped of his position for corruption. Regardless of the actual relationship between Noble Lady Xian and the Yun family, in the eyes of everyone, she had instantly fallen from the legitimate daughter of a Prefect to the daughter of a criminal. With all these factors converging, Noble Lady Xian plummeted from the mountaintop to the valley floor overnight. During the morning greetings, she could not avoid some cold mockery and sarcastic remarks. Noble Lady Xian initially managed to maintain her composure, pretending not to care. But as day after day passed without the Emperor entering her palace, Noble Lady Xian grew anxious. One day, just after the Emperor had finished court, he encountered Noble Lady Xian standing beneath the crabapple blossoms, holding a jade-handled umbrella. Her eyes, brimming with tender affection, half-concealed sorrow and longing. "Your Majesty..." The Emperor's expression was indifferent. "What are you doing here?" Noble Lady Xian naturally dared not say she had come to intercept the Emperor. She merely performed a graceful bow and said softly, "Last night there was a heavy rain, and I heard the palace attendants say the crabapple blossoms in the courtyard had all fallen. I thought I might come pick some crabapple blossoms to make crabapple cakes." Summer had already arrived, and after days of relentless sun, a sudden downpour was a relief for countless common folk. Noble Lady Xian thought the Emperor's mood would be improved, and so dared to come seek his favor. The Emperor stood at a distance and said flatly, "Such trivial matters can be left to the palace attendants. Why trouble yourself?" Noble Lady Xian lowered her head. "This concubine wished to personally make some crabapple cakes to offer Your Majesty a taste..." The Emperor was silent for a moment before saying, "I do not care for crabapple cakes." Noble Lady Xian's body stiffened. The crabapple blossoms held in her palm upon the handkerchief seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, their vivid colors mocking her. After a long while, she said, "This concubine is foolish—I do not even know Your Majesty's preferences." The Emperor added, "Prying into my preferences is a grave offense." Each word from the Emperor blocked her advances, nearly driving Noble Lady Xian to tears. "This concubine would not dare..." The Emperor lowered his voice. "Go back and rest well. Do not let your mind wander. I will not take out matters of the court on you." Noble Lady Xian suddenly lifted her gaze, a flicker of astonishment passing through her eyes like a fleeting bloom, quickly transforming into gratitude. When she bowed again, her movements were more relaxed: "This concubine thanks the Emperor." The Emperor nodded slightly: "When I have time, I will come to see you." The tears in Noble Lady Xian's eyes instantly turned into a smile. When she returned to her own palace, she happily dressed and adorned herself, waiting for the Emperor's arrival. As night fell, Noble Lady Xian waited for a long time. Suddenly, she heard a servant report: "Noble Lady, the Emperor has gone to Chan Yun Pavilion to see Lady Hua today." The jade comb in Noble Lady Xian's hand fell to the ground, cracking into two pieces. This jade comb was a special gift from the Emperor when he praised her raven-black hair, and he had personally placed it in her locks. Noble Lady Xian treasured it dearly, only secretly admiring it on ordinary days, never wearing it out for others to see. Now, looking at the jade comb shattered in two on the ground, Noble Lady Xian felt as though her heart had broken just like the comb. She murmured softly: "Anywhere but there—why did he have to go see Lady Hua?" Her father had been stripped of his position, and the one who took over his post governing Yunzhou was none other than Lady Hua's elder brother. Even if Noble Lady Xian had a strained relationship with her family, she could still discern that the Emperor's arrangement clearly favored the Hua family while slighting the Yun family and herself. No matter how many times she told herself that the Emperor cherished her, that the Yun family was the Yun family and she was herself, with no connection between the two— In the end, she could not suppress the ache and sorrow within her heart. Noble Lady Xian whispered: "Isn't the Emperor's doing this... a little too..." cold-hearted? But these words of complaint she could not voice. Not only could she not voice them, she had to put on a happy face, waiting for the Emperor to grace her with his presence again. Fortunately, Lady Hua had injured her stomach and intestines due to the poison worm incident and had been recuperating in Chan Yun Pavilion, rarely leaving her quarters. Otherwise, with Lady Hua's temperament, Noble Lady Xian's days would have been even harder. The Emperor stayed the night in Fanghua Palace. Early the next morning, he suddenly issued two decrees. One ordered Xiurong Gong to move to the side hall of Chonghua Palace; the other promoted Lady Hua to Xiuyuan Hua, granting her residence in the main hall of Fanghua Palace. Xie Run had risen late today and only heard this news on the way from Xiaoshu. She leaned back in her chair, pondering the reason the Emperor had promoted Hua Yu.