Chapter 385

Chapter 385 She quickly put on a smile and asked the Emperor, "Has Your Majesty eaten before coming?" "The small kitchen has been keeping soup warm. If you're hungry, I can have them cook some noodles or wonton dumplings, and prepare a couple of side dishes?" The Emperor squeezed Xie Run's hand, his tone exceptionally gentle. "I did eat, but not well." The words sounded almost plaintive. The great Emperor, unable to even eat properly. "Now that I think about it, I must have been craving your small kitchen's late-night snacks." Seeing that he was still in the mood to joke with her, Xie Run calmed down. "I happen to be a bit peckish myself." The Emperor turned back to glance at Taotao following behind. Xie Run quickly said, "Taotao can't eat anymore. He ate far too much tonight. I was worried he might get indigestion, so I had someone keep him outside playing on purpose." The Emperor smiled. "If you don't let him eat, he'll throw a fuss when he smells the food." Xie Run said seriously, "Even if he fusses, I won't give in. As long as Your Majesty doesn't soften, he won't make a scene." The Emperor laughed. "I won't say a word tonight." Sure enough, when Taotao caught the aroma of the food, he grew restless, staring at Xie Run with pleading eyes. Xie Run had the nanny take him down to sleep. Taotao immediately ran to the Emperor's side to act spoiled. The Emperor said, "Your Imperial Father has to listen to your mother now too. I wouldn't dare plead on your behalf." Taotao looked at his Imperial Father, then at his mother who showed not the slightest sign of relenting, and immediately burst into tears of grievance. After crying for a while, seeing that no one felt sorry for him, he lay down on his little bed and fell asleep on his own. The Emperor laughed. "I thought you would soften." Xie Run looked at the Emperor with confusion. "I'm not the type to spoil children, am I?" "Taotao is getting older now. If we don't establish rules early, he'll be harder to teach later." The Emperor picked up a piece of goose meat with his chopsticks and placed it in Xie Run's bowl. "I heard you've been fond of this lately. I'll have the Imperial Kitchen prepare it carefully tomorrow." Xie Run smiled. Even without the Emperor's instruction, would the Imperial Kitchen dare to be careless? Still, she accepted it with a smile, her tone carrying a hint of teasing. "Then I thank Your Majesty." The Emperor looked at her for a long while before laughing. "Your temperament is getting more mischievous by the day!" Xie Run was utterly bewildered. And she couldn't shake the feeling that the Emperor's gaze tonight... was a bit lecherous. That evening, the Emperor was somewhat restless, his hand lingering on Xie Run's waist. "I heard that after three months, there's no need to restrain oneself so much." Xie Run: "..." She hadn't been wrong after all—the Emperor tonight was indeed a bit restless. There was a whole harem of beauties waiting for his favor, yet instead of attending to them, he came to her, a pregnant woman. Abnormal. Completely abnormal! In the dead of night, Xie Run had a dream. She dreamed she watched Bai Fu's entire life from a third-person perspective. In her youth, she had been the Emperor's childhood playmate, once a graceful and noble young lady of a prestigious family. But as Consort Ling fell from favor and the able-bodied men of the Marquis of Loyalty and Righteousness proved useless, their days grew harder and harder. The marriage arranged when the family was still prosperous nearly became a death warrant in their decline. Fortunately, she was lucky enough to endure until the Emperor ascended the throne, and she still fell within the age limit for the imperial beauty selection. Her family, hoping she would rise, spent considerable money on connections to send her into the palace. Unfortunately, by then the harem was turbulent and fraught with danger. Noble Consort Fang and Consort De, Lady Wan, were locked in fierce conflict. The consorts beneath them died or fell ill one after another. Only two princes survived in total, one of whom was sickly. After entering the palace, Bai Fu witnessed with her own eyes the ostentatious Lady of Beauty Ming being dragged outside Yongning Palace and beaten with rods. Her wailing cries, accompanied by the blur of blood, clouded Bai Fu's vision. Later, Lady of Beauty Ming fell gravely ill, then critical, then passed away. Bai Fu was shaken to the core. From then on, she lived with extreme caution. Not long after, Consort De, Lady Wan, fell from power and was ordered to commit suicide, leaving Noble Consort Fang's family dominant. The entire harem became Fang's domain. That night, the Emperor turned over her name plaque. She had just finished dinner when someone came from Noble Consort Fang's palace, saying the Second Prince refused to eat and was throwing a tantrum demanding to see the Emperor. By then, the First Prince had long since passed, the Second Prince was the eldest, the Third Prince's mother had just been ordered to die, and the Fourth Prince was sickly. The Second Prince was the most honored person in the palace besides the Emperor. Bai Fu instinctively rose, intending to play the virtuous consort and offer a few words of persuasion. But catching the Emperor's expression—half-smiling, half-something between pleasure and displeasure—the ambition she had buried deep suddenly stirred. She was a clever woman. Having spent some time in the palace, she had vaguely grasped the situation. The Emperor certainly doted on Noble Consort Fang, but he absolutely did not want to see her family become all-powerful. Moreover, Consort De, Lady Wan, had dirty hands. When the Emperor punished her, her fate was utterly miserable. And Noble Consort Fang's hands... were never clean either. If the Emperor so detested Lady Wan, how could he truly trust Noble Consort Fang? In that instant, Bai Fu saw her opportunity. She cast aside her usual timidity and incompetence, and with neither weakness nor harshness, she sent away the attendants from Yongning Palace. At the same moment, she noticed the Emperor's gaze upon her had changed. Perhaps it was curiosity, or perhaps surprise, but she caught the flicker of satisfaction in his eyes. In that instant, Bai Fu saw clearly the path she needed to take from then on. She would become the Emperor's blade, win his trust and favor, and help him do anything he wanted done! Bai Fu did not dare to clash head-on with Noble Consort Fang. She probed the Emperor's attitude while subtly maneuvering against Noble Consort Fang. During this period, her rank rose step by step. In just half a year, she advanced from Baolin to Cairen, then Lady of Beauty, then Imperial Concubine. Two months later, she discovered she was pregnant. The Emperor was overjoyed and promoted her to Lady of Handsome Fairness. Lady Fang panicked! Over those six months, Bai Fu had come to understand the Emperor's temperament thoroughly and had also learned the methods of Lady Fang. What Lady Fang feared most was a healthy prince threatening Second Prince's position. Whenever she sensed a threat, she would strike without hesitation. Yet the Emperor despised nothing more than the vicious scheming in the harem. Bai Fu was waiting for Lady Fang to make her move! Within half a month, Bai Fu miscarried. The culprit, Noble Consort Fang, was demoted to Fei and given the title "Gong." Bai Fu also seized the opportunity to rise to the Nine Concubines. Three months later, Gong Fei bribed palace attendants to push Bai Fu into the water and was demoted to Xiurong Gong. To compensate Bai Fu, the Emperor promoted her to Xiuyi, a rank just above Xiurong Gong. After that, every time Xiurong Gong made a mistake, she was demoted once more, and Bai Fu benefited with a promotion each time. Until later, Bai Fu became pregnant for the second time. She framed Lady Fang in the Emperor's name, ensuring all evidence proved Lady Fang intended to cause her miscarriage. The Emperor flew into a rage and directly demoted Fang Yuan'er to commoner, throwing her into the Imperial Prison. Fang Yuan'er believed the Emperor wanted her dead and raged in the Imperial Prison, cursing that the cunning hare was dead and the running hound was boiled, mentioning all she had done to help the Emperor ascend the throne. The Emperor, furious beyond measure, sent poisoned wine and took Fang Yuan'er's life. After Fang Yuan'er's death, Bai Fu replaced her as the new favored consort of the harem. After giving birth to the Fifth Prince, she was conferred the title of Noble Consort and enjoyed favor for several years. Unfortunately, Bai Fu's constitution was weak. One day she suddenly fell ill, and from then on she lay in bed recuperating, growing weaker by the day. Half a year later, before Bai Fu could enjoy much of her favored consort treatment, she died of illness in Changchun Palace. Changchun Palace—that is the Zhaohua Palace of today.