Chapter 330

Chapter 330 The Empress's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Stay. I will plead your case before the Emperor." Cirui knelt before the Empress: "Sister, truth be told, when I first received word that I could come to Yu Dynasty and spend the rest of my life by your side, there was joy in my heart as well." "Sister is alone in Yu Dynasty, without a single relative to turn to—I cannot imagine how difficult your days have been... Now that we sisters can be together, at least we can find some comfort in each other." "As for attending to the Emperor and bearing children, your sister swears that I will never share his bed for the rest of my life, nor will I ever bear a child!" The Empress gripped her hand tightly. "Don't speak nonsense!" The Empress knew her own physical condition better than anyone, and she knew she could not protect Princess Cirui for much longer. Life in the Xia Dynasty Emperor's harem was difficult, and life in the Yu Dynasty Emperor's harem was no easier. This harem was filled with exceptional women, and one careless misstep could lead to a tragic end. If Cirui truly entered the harem and never shared the Emperor's bed for life, her circumstances would hardly be better than they were in Xia Dynasty. She lowered her eyes. "Let us speak of the future when it comes. Go rest for now." Cirui nodded and left with light footsteps. No sooner had Princess Cirui left Fengyi Palace than the Emperor arrived from Cining Palace. He showed the Empress the letter from Xia Dynasty without much reservation. "I know full well what Xia Dynasty intends." The Emperor's gaze was deep and restrained. "I plan to mobilize troops against Xia. Whether we accept these women or not will not affect my resolve. But I am mindful of your dignity, Empress, so I have come to ask your opinion." Xia Dynasty sending two princesses was a gesture of goodwill toward the new Emperor. They certainly had their own schemes, but they had also genuinely offered two princesses, showing a measure of sincerity. They believed that by sending these women, the Emperor would be constrained by diplomatic relations and face, and would continue to maintain peace. What they did not know was that the Emperor had long planned to secure his position through a decisive victory. Whether they sent two princesses or two princes, it would not change his decision. The Emperor had even privately scoffed that peaceful relations between nations could only be built on absolute strength. Now that Xia was weak and Yu was strong, what made Xia think two women could curb Yu's ambitions? He could accept the women and still march to war—who could say otherwise? The Empress's heart sank. From the Emperor's words alone, she could already guess his intentions. After nearly a decade as husband and wife, the Empress understood the Emperor's nature—if not completely, then at least seven or eight parts of it. The Empress spoke in a low voice: "Your Majesty, Xia Dynasty hopes to use my two sisters' wombs to bear a prince with both Yu and Xia imperial blood, then support that prince to the throne... all because I am the Empress." "I know." The Emperor's face showed little emotion, so calm it bordered on cold. "So what if they enter the harem?" "Whether they gain favor or bear children is entirely my whim. I care not whether the harem gains or loses two people. But Princess Cirui is your full sister by blood. If she were simply sent back, it would be an embarrassment to you." The Emperor truly did consider the Empress. If he did not, he could simply turn hostile right now, seize Princess Cirui as a pretext, and declare war on the grounds that Xia Dynasty had sent a widow for marriage alliance, intending humiliation. Then he would hold the moral high ground, and Xia would be left at a disadvantage. But doing so would destroy Princess Cirui's reputation. And if Xia Dynasty were ruthless, they might even take her life to curry favor with the Emperor. If things developed that way, the years of affection between the Emperor and Empress would develop a rift, and it would affect the situation in the harem. The Emperor did not care about harem intrigues, but he knew that an unstable harem could have considerable impact on the court and even the front lines. Especially with the Retired Emperor as a cautionary tale, the Emperor absolutely did not want the harem meddling in state affairs, nor did he want to lose his Empress at a young age. Hearing the confidence in the Emperor's words, the Empress stopped being coy. "Your Majesty, my sister's days in Xia Dynasty were difficult. Now she has been humiliated to this extent, sent for marriage alliance as a concubine-consort... If Your Majesty does not want her, she will likely lose her life upon returning to Xia." "I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of our years together, to give her a place to shelter." Seeing that the Empress had only pleaded for Princess Cirui and made no mention of Princess Chenghuan, the Emperor already understood. He patted the Empress's shoulder. "Take good care of your health. In a few days when Princess Cirui is made Fei, you will likely need to preside over the ceremony yourself." "My harem cannot do without you as Empress." The Empress let out a quiet breath of relief. "I dare not disappoint Your Majesty's high expectations." At this moment, the two of them were more like comrades fighting side by side. Using each other, supporting each other, moving forward step by step. Zhaohua Palace— When Xie Run woke, she heard that the Emperor had accepted Xia Dynasty's goodwill offering. Chunjuan knelt on the ground reporting to Xie Run: "My Lady, the Emperor has conferred upon Princess Cirui the title of Virtuous Consort, with the honorific name Wen; and Princess Chenghuan the title of Lady of Handsome Fairness, with the honorific name An." Xie Run listened and was silent for a long while. "Princess Cirui becomes Consort Wen, but Princess Chenghuan only gets Lady of Handsome Fairness..." She did not even make it into the Nine Concubines. Though Xie Run had not seen the diplomatic document from Xia Dynasty, she had vaguely heard some rumors. The Xia Dynasty's main purpose this time was to send Princess Chenghuan for a marriage alliance. Princess Cirui was merely an add-on, a means to control the Empress, as both were sent into the harem together. The Xia Dynasty's documents were extremely humble and friendly, specifically highlighting how favored Princess Chenghuan was in Xia and how beloved she was by the people. As for Princess Cirui, she was mentioned in passing, like a buy-one-get-one-free gift, with the hope that the Emperor would not disdain her and would graciously accept both. Who could have imagined that the Emperor did indeed accept them with a smile, but the ranks he bestowed were completely different from what Xia had anticipated. Dantao was also somewhat uncertain about the situation now. "My Lady, what do you think the Emperor means by this?" "I heard that Princess Cirui was originally a widow who lost her husband. Our dynasty does not place much importance on such matters and often encourages remarriage, but the Xia Dynasty is different—they are extremely strict with women and look down greatly upon women who remarry." "They sent Princess Cirui to the Yu Dynasty. I cannot tell whether this is flattery or an insult, yet the Emperor accepted them all without exception." Xie Run said, "I cannot quite guess either. Let us just wait and see over the next few days." Dantao and Xiaoshu both looked at her. Xie Run leaned back, lazily reclining in her chair to enjoy the breeze. "Let us see which palace the Emperor stays in over the next few days." The two exchanged a glance and immediately arranged for people to gather information. The Emperor did not value the three princesses offered by the two dynasties as much as expected, and had the Empress handle the arrangements casually. The edict of investiture was issued on the first day, and a banquet was held on the second day to confirm their titles. The burden on the Empress was by no means light. "With two Fei and one Lady of Handsome Fairness suddenly added to the palace, the residents of the Six Palaces will need to be relocated." "I already asked the Emperor yesterday, and he told me to handle it as I see fit. But such a major matter cannot be decided by me alone, so I have summoned you all here." Present in Fengyi Palace at this moment were Xie Run, Consort Jing, Ritualist Hui, Xiurong Gong, and Xiuyuan Hua—five people in total. These five each resided in their own palace. Now with the addition of Consort Li and Consort Wen, someone would certainly have to vacate a palace. It had been a rule since the founding of the dynasty that those of Fei rank must preside over a palace. This time, it was Ritualist Hui, Xiurong Gong, and Xiuyuan Hua who felt somewhat uneasy. The Emperor's original plan was to let them gradually rise to Fei rank and directly govern a palace. Now that change had come faster than planned—before they could reach Fei rank, two Fei had descended upon them out of nowhere, so naturally they would have to move. After speaking, the Empress had someone pass the register to Xie Run's hands, to be reviewed in turn. The Empress said, "I have drafted a few palace reassignments. Take a look, and if you have any objections, I will make changes." Although two Fei had descended out of nowhere, apart from the Empress, Xie Run still held the highest rank in the harem. Xie Run opened the register and looked, and many thoughts suddenly arose in her mind. The Emperor had privately told her before that he had first determined her title of Zhao, and only then named Zhaohua Palace after it. Therefore, under normal circumstances, Xie Run would continue to reside in Zhaohua Palace without any changes. On the register the Empress had passed over, she indeed remained in Zhaohua Palace without any change. The only thing that piqued Xie Run's curiosity was that the Empress had not placed anyone in Zhaohua Palace. Zhaohua Palace was not merely a single hall; it also had side halls and rear halls. During the Retired Emperor's era, there were many consorts in the Six Palaces, and the side and rear halls were almost entirely occupied—even then it was insufficient, so some side halls were split into two small chambers for people to live in. When she had first entered the palace, there were not many consorts, and the Empress had not arranged anyone into Zhaohua Palace—Xie Run could understand that. But now that the number of consorts had increased and the palaces were beginning to shift, it was inevitable that people would be placed into various palaces. The Empress still had not added anyone to Zhaohua Palace. The entire vast Zhaohua Palace remained solely for Xie Run to reside in alone. Xie Run felt some doubt in her heart but said nothing. Additionally, Ritualist Hui, who had originally resided in the main hall of Yongming Palace, was assigned to the side hall Fuzhe Hall, while Consort Wen took over Yongming Palace and became its principal resident. Fang Yuan'er had just moved into Chonghua Palace, and before she could even warm her seat, she was also moved to a side hall. Because Consort Li had become the principal resident of Chonghua Palace, Fang Yuan'er could only reside in the side hall Luohua Hall. But what was surprising was that among the three, Hua Yu—who held the lowest rank—still resided in Fanghua Palace! By all reasoning, even if Fang Yuan'er was not favored, Ritualist Hui not only outranked Hua Yu but also had a princess in her care—surely she carried more weight than Hua Yu, right? Yet the Empress had arranged it just so. Xie Run increasingly felt that her earlier guess was correct. The Emperor was going to wage war against the Xia Dynasty and also wanted to support Hua Yu's brother. During this period, he would likely treat Hua Yu with exceptional distinction. She only glanced at it briefly before passing the register to Consort Jing behind her. Consort Jing held the register and looked, seeing that her Yongning Palace had no changes, and passed it to Ritualist Hui behind her. Concubine Yang had always resided in the side hall of Yongning Palace, and Lady Lu lived in a small chamber in the rear hall. The two were relatively well-behaved, and Consort Jing did not make things difficult for them. When the register reached Ritualist Hui's hands, her expression turned rather unpleasant. After all, moving from the main position of Yongming Palace to a side hall could hardly be called a happy occasion. After staring at it for a long while, Ritualist Hui could not help but ask, "Fanghua Palace of Xiuyuan Hua is still empty—why not arrange a few people to move in?" The Empress's brow twitched slightly. "You must not have seen clearly. Jieyu An has been placed in the Moonlight Hall, the side palace of Fanghua Palace." The Empress also knew what Ritualist Hui truly wanted to ask, and said slowly, "The Emperor said that Xiuyuan Hua's health is not good, so there was no need to move her about and disturb her recovery. Hence, Consort Wen was arranged into Yongming Palace." Since the Emperor had left specific instructions, that was a sign of his favor toward Xiuyuan Hua, and no one dared to raise the slightest doubt. Consort Jing's mind turned. "I was just wondering earlier—every palace has been assigned quite a few people, yet the entire Zhaohua Palace stands empty with only Bright and Pure Consort alone. It seems too vast. Could it be that the Emperor also pities Bright and Pure Consort?" The Empress glanced at her. "Since you already know, why bother asking?" That remark was as good as saying Consort Jing was humiliating herself. Both the Empress and Xie Run saw through her intentions. It was nothing more than deliberately bringing up the Emperor's favor toward Xie Run, hoping to stir resentment against her among the others. The Empress's single sentence silenced Consort Jing, and she could say no more. After these two questions, everyone realized that the Empress had already settled the palace arrangements with the Emperor. Calling them here was merely a formality, to go through the motions. As they were leaving, the Empress kept Ritualist Hui behind to speak. When leaving Fengyi Palace, Fang Yuan'er quickened her steps to walk beside Xie Run. "Ritualist Hui was originally the Empress's person, but now the Empress's own sister has taken Ritualist Hui's Yongming Palace. She's probably keeping her behind to soothe her feelings." Xie Run smiled. "A Fei rank governs a palace—that is a rule set down by our ancestors." "The Emperor considered Sister Hua's health, so Xiurong Gong and Ritualist Hui had to move. If Consort Wen hadn't gone to Yongming Palace, she would have gone to your Chonghua Palace, Xiurong Gong. There's no difference." Fang Yuan'er's gaze dimmed slightly. "After all this time, Bright and Pure Consort remains so cautious, and her words grow ever more watertight." Xie Run smiled. "Ben Gong is not cautious or watertight—I simply don't dwell on calculations. The more one calculates gains and losses, the more one becomes trapped by them." "When one stops calculating, there are no more worries." Fang Yuan'er curved her lips in a smile that didn't reach her eyes, saying nothing more. But in her heart, she thought Xie Run was speaking from a position of comfort—easy to say when one had never suffered. Xie Run had always been on the gaining side, so of course she didn't need to worry about losses. Xie Run could guess what Fang Yuan'er was thinking, but since she didn't dwell on such matters, she simply turned and walked away. Fang Yuan'er was too shrewd, too calculating. Xie Run didn't care to speak with her at length. The Empress settled the palace arrangements in the morning, and by afternoon, the people of the Six Palaces began moving. Besides the moving, everyone was watching one other matter. Three new people had entered the palace, all with high ranks—where would the Emperor spend his first night? Inside Zhaohua Palace, Dantao and Xiaoshu had long since sent people to gather information, but their hearts remained unsettled. "Your Ladyship, Consort Wen can be set aside, but I've heard that Jieyu An was born to the Ru Consort, the most favored consort of the Xia Dynasty's emperor. She has inherited Ru Consort's beauty and intelligence, utterly exquisite and clever—she may well win the Emperor's favor." "And there's Consort Li, the little princess of the Luosha Kingdom..." Xiaoshu said softly. "I've learned that during the Retired Emperor's reign, princesses offered by these small kingdoms could at most attain the rank of Imperial Concubine. But this princess sent by the Luosha Kingdom—the Emperor directly granted her the rank of Fei." "That day at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, her dance was quite captivating, and many tales about her have spread among the people. It's hard to say the Emperor hasn't taken an interest." Such words would ordinarily be spoken by an older nanny to remind Xie Run. But Xie Run had no such person by her side, and even Nanny Xu was not close enough for such matters, so it fell to her two maidservants to offer the reminder. Xie Run was embroidering, though not with much attention.