Chapter 392

Chapter 392 Suddenly, the Emperor spoke: "I see that Chengqi is no longer young—it's time for him to take a wife. Today, I shall play matchmaker and bestow a marriage upon Chengqi." The Heir Apparent of Prince Ying, whose name had been called, was startled. He quickly stepped forward to bow and express gratitude. "This humble minister thanks Your Majesty. Long live the Emperor, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!" Prince Ying was a generation removed from the Emperor, being a brother of the Retired Emperor. The old Prince Ying had lived a life of mediocrity, spending his efforts only in his own courtyard, and only in his later years did he finally sire a son. That son was the current Heir Apparent of Prince Ying, Xiao Chengqi. Back when the Emperor and Prince An had been contending for the throne, the Heir Apparent of Prince Ying had secretly supported the Emperor, which was how he had come to enjoy a measure of honor today. By granting the title of County Lady to a member of the Empress Dowager's family and bestowing her in marriage, the Emperor was also elevating the Prince Ying estate. However, the Empress Dowager was far from pleased. In her eyes, the Prince Ying estate had long since declined. That good-for-nothing Xiao Chengqi—how could he be worthy of marrying someone she had carefully prepared for the Emperor?! The Empress Dowager's face darkened. "Emperor—" But when she met the Emperor's cold, chilling gaze, she suddenly felt a jolt of alarm. In that instant, she seemed to see the shadow of the Retired Emperor in the Emperor. So aloof, so calm and indifferent, yet already harboring a great deal of anger beneath the surface, brooking no defiance whatsoever. She also suddenly realized that the Emperor had distributed invitations to the imperial clan members for the Qixi Festival banquet long ago—he had already made preparations to marry Lü Yue off. The Emperor had never intended to take Lü Yue from the very beginning! The Empress Dowager was both furious and weary, and beneath it all, there was a strange sense of dread. The Emperor, however, wore a faint smile on his face, as if none of what had happened earlier bothered him in the least. "By decree, Lu Lüyue is hereby titled County Lady of Chang'an and betrothed to the Heir Apparent of Prince Ying. A date shall be chosen for the wedding." Below, Lü Yue, upon hearing that she had received the title of County Lady and would marry the Heir Apparent of Prince Ying, was overjoyed. She knelt and wept as she thanked the Emperor for his grace. The Emperor raised his cup, and the imperial clansmen and consorts seated on both sides rose to their feet. "Today is Qixi. It is my mother's and my heartfelt wish to unite a fine couple—a truly joyous occasion." "May we see such years and days as this, with blessings upon blessings, and may it protect our Great Yu Dynasty in everlasting prosperity!" Those below responded in unison, and the scene was one of great festivity. At last, the matter of the Empress Dowager's offering of a beauty had come to a conclusion. As soon as the banquet ended, Concubine Shen rushed to Zhaohua Palace. "The Emperor himself wouldn't dare show open displeasure, but Consort Hua was bold enough to directly mock the Empress Dowager's family. It's simply..." Concubine Shen found herself at a loss for words to describe Hua Yu, and finally could only say: "Utterly foolish and reckless!" Xie Run had been idle and bored, and upon suddenly hearing the news from the banquet, she too was startled. "Consort Hua... does she truly have such audacity?" Concubine Shen reminded her softly: "She is now Hua Baolin." "At least the Empress Dowager showed some mercy and didn't reduce her all the way to Lady-in-waiting." "But what I don't understand is, why does the Empress Dowager care so much about that Hua Lüyue?!" "She's not even a niece of the same surname—who knows how many branches removed she is. How can the Empress Dowager dote on her so?!" Xie Run said slowly: "The Empress Dowager is a woman of great ambition. People like us would never understand." Concubine Shen looked at Xie Run curiously. "Please, Sister Xie, do tell me?" Seeing her eager expression, Xie Run smiled. "What the Empress Dowager wants is not that girl Lüyue herself. What she wants is for Lüyue to enter the Emperor's harem and bear him a prince with her maternal clan's blood, so that she can raise the child by her side." Concubine Shen suddenly understood. "The Empress Dowager still hasn't given up?!" "If the Emperor had wanted to give her a prince to raise, he would have done so long ago. That's precisely why things turned so ugly back then." "Even if Lüyue were truly taken into the harem, the Emperor might not favor her. And even if he did favor her and she bore a son, the Emperor could simply refuse to let the Empress Dowager raise the child." "The Empress Dowager..." Concubine Shen said with some exasperation: "Why does she never learn her lesson?" As she spoke, Concubine Shen suddenly felt that Hua Yu and the Empress Dowager were actually quite similar in temperament. Xie Run's tone was calm, betraying no trace of emotion. "She is the Emperor's own mother. No matter how reckless she is, the Emperor must still show her respect." "These two are locked in a battle of wits. Hua Yu failed to see the situation clearly and charged in recklessly—that's why she suffered." Concubine Shen asked softly: "Has Hua Baolin thoroughly incurred the Emperor's displeasure?" Xie Run thought for a moment. "That wouldn't be the case." "Even if the Emperor no longer favors her, she still has the Ninth Prince to rely on." "There aren't many children in the palace who can be raised by their birth mothers. No matter how angry the Emperor is at her, he won't let the Ninth Prince lose his mother's presence at such a young age." "Her rank has been reduced, but it will be restored in time. The only question is what rank she'll end up with." Judging by the Emperor's attitude over this period, it was clear he had lost all patience with Hua Yu. If he were to elevate her for the sake of letting her raise her child, the rank of Chongyuan would be more than sufficient—there would be no need to restore her to the position of Zhaoyi, the head of the Nine Concubines, as before. Concubine Shen nodded repeatedly. "True. The Emperor currently needs Hua Baolin's brother in service, so he can't truly trample her into the mud." "If Hua Baolin is humiliated, General Hua on the front lines would likely be affected as well. If that impacts the war effort, that would be a truly grave matter." Xie Run thought to herself that if Hua Yu's brother were to lose a battle over such a trivial matter, the Emperor would only be even more displeased. The young general he had so carefully cultivated—how could he be so reckless? Only by showing even greater loyalty on the front lines and repeatedly earning merits could he satisfy the Emperor and win a sliver of hope for Hua Yu. Concubine Shen was about to continue discussing the newly enfeoffed County Lord of Chang'an, but Xie Run asked, "At today's banquet, did you take careful note of the Empress's expression?" Concubine Shen nodded eagerly. "Since you instructed me, Sister, I naturally wouldn't dare be negligent." "The Empress's health is terribly poor. She applied a good deal of powder today, yet one could still see how bloodless her face was." "Throughout the entire banquet, the Empress barely spoke two sentences—clearly she had no strength to spare." Concubine Shen lowered her voice. "When the Empress Dowager flew into a rage and the Empress rose to beg forgiveness, she had to be quietly supported by the palace maids beside her." Concubine Shen's heart had secretly clenched at the sight. Had the Empress's health really deteriorated to such a degree? Concubine Shen couldn't help but say, "Everyone knows the Empress is unwell, after all. On a day like today, she could easily have begged off and not attended—surely the Emperor would have understood." "To drag herself to the banquet like this, exhausting herself for nothing and gaining not a single benefit—why be so stubborn about it?" Even Xie Run's brow carried a rare trace of worry. "The people I sent to Fengyi Palace have also passed word that no outsiders are permitted in the main hall now—only Nanny Li and Lady Tinghe and a few others are allowed to tend to her." "The more that's the case, the more it proves the Empress's health is failing." Concubine Shen glanced covertly at Xie Run. "Sister Xie, isn't your elder sister personally attending to the Empress's health? Has she sent you any word?" Xie Run gave a bitter smile. "My elder sister is the most honest and rule-abiding person there is. When it comes to the health of others in the palace, she wouldn't breathe a single word to me." Concubine Shen looked somewhat disappointed. Xie Run let the matter drop. She had no desire to drag Xie Jiang into the intrigues of the harem.