Chapter 443

Chapter 443 Inside Zhaohua Palace, Xiaoshu and Dantao were also somewhat puzzled. Although Consort Jingshu had already asked the same question, Consort Jingshu was ultimately an outsider—there were some things that were not easy to say. "Doesn't mistress want to suppress Lady-in-waiting Bai in one go, so that she can never make trouble again?" "But this punishment seems a bit too light?" "She's afraid she won't give up easily." In the past, she might still have had some scruples, but now that she has fallen to rock bottom, who knows what she might do. Dantao said softly, "This servant doesn't understand much reasoning, but even I know that driving a dog into a dead-end alley invites retaliation." Even the usually gentle Dantao felt that Xie Run should use harsher measures and not give Bai Fu a chance to fight back. Since she had made her move, she might as well eliminate her completely. If you don't pull out the roots when cutting the weeds, they will grow again with the spring breeze. Xie Run glanced at Baozhen, who was sleeping soundly, and reached out to gently stroke his soft hair. There was not a trace of the ferocity of one engaged in palace strife in her brows and eyes—only a woman's gentleness and a mother's kindness. "You're wrong. From the moment I had her demoted, she could never rise again." "If I truly killed her, that would be wounding the enemy by a thousand while losing eight hundred of our own." "A single Bai Fu is not worth me resorting to such means." Looking back across both her past and present life, Bai Fu's miserable death was hardly surprising at all. From beginning to end, she never seemed to understand the Emperor's mind, nor what the Emperor wanted. At first, Xie Run thought that in her previous life, the Emperor had Bai Fu die of illness because Bai Fu had deliberately miscarried and schemed against Fang Yuan'er. But looking more carefully, Bai Fu had already shown signs of falling out of favor after she was promoted to Fei rank. The Emperor had elevated Bai Fu to Fei rank to make her a rival to Fang Yuan'er, and at the time, he had also given Bai Fu the authority of Management of the Six Palaces. But Bai Fu, in order to maintain her persona of being weak and innocent, never once exercised the power to manage the Six Palaces. At the time, Fang Yuan'er was wary of her and schemed against her time and again, but Bai Fu merely responded to each move as it came, which made Fang Yuan'er seem detestable and earned the Emperor's pity for Bai Fu. Yet while the Emperor pitied her, he also grew dissatisfied with her. When she was a Lady of Beauty or Lady of Handsome Fairness, she naturally only needed to please the Emperor and keep him satisfied. But once she reached Fei rank, she bore responsibilities. To spend her days solely focused on currying favor and seeking affection was somewhat unworthy of her position. In the later stages of the struggle between Fang Yuan'er and Bai Fu, it was almost entirely Fang Yuan'er attacking while Bai Fu unilaterally played the victim, with the Emperor coming to the harem every few days to adjudicate disputes. In truth, at that time, the Emperor was dissatisfied not only with Fang Yuan'er but also with Bai Fu. Perhaps because the persona Bai Fu had crafted was too perfect, even so, in the Emperor's eyes she had no faults and was still worthy of his affection. But then Fang Yuan'er died, and the Emperor discovered that Bai Fu had been involved. It was like a sheet of white paper stained with ink—glaringly conspicuous. It troubled the Emperor far more than if the paper had been black from the very start. The persona she had crafted was too flawless, which was why its collapse was so complete, leaving her with such a miserable end. The more she pondered it, the more Xie Run realized that she and Bai Fu were different—completely different. Bai Fu was terrified of the Emperor seeing even the slightest flaw in her, afraid he would grow disgusted. From the moment she entered the palace, she obediently played the role of a clever and sensible favored consort. Considerate, perceptive, and never causing trouble. When her rank was low, this approach worked well. At the very least, it suited the Emperor's tastes. But as her rank rose, the Emperor's requirements for a favored consort changed as well. To sit securely in a high position, you not only needed to serve the Emperor well, but also help manage the affairs of the harem. Otherwise, why would you sit in a Fei rank? Wouldn't it be the same to sit among the Nine Concubines or as a Lady of Handsome Fairness or Lady of Beauty? Bai Fu never saw this clearly. But Xie Run was never afraid, nor did she ever conceal too much. She had won favor through gentleness and innocence, yet she never hid her little temper. When it was time to lose her temper, she never held it in. When it was time to seek justice for herself, she never wronged herself. The Emperor had known from the start that she wasn't truly that pure and harmless, so when she suddenly severely punished Bai Fu— Once the Emperor understood the reason, he wouldn't think her ruthless; he would only think it was only natural. Xie Run thought that she too had been too fixated on that dream, actually believing Bai Fu was all that clever. Now that she thought about it, Bai Fu had only ruined herself. If Xie Run, having been reborn, still acted with the same mindset and understanding from her previous life, she would only dig herself into an even deeper pit. Bai Fu waited in Fanghua Palace for news that Xie Run was gradually losing the Emperor's favor. But she waited from spring to summer, and from summer to autumn. By the time Lady of Beauty Kong's princess celebrated her hundred-day banquet and the Emperor specially promoted her to Lady of Handsome Fairness, allowing her to personally raise the Fourth Princess— Xie Run remained as favored as ever. There were even faint rumors in the palace that the Emperor intended to make her Empress. Bai Fu was trapped in confusion, anxiety, and hesitation. After countless sleepless nights, she belatedly realized that she might have underestimated Xie Run. And she hadn't understood the Emperor as well as she had thought. In this palace, no matter how capable you were on your own, it was useless. In the end, what mattered was the Emperor's favor. In the eighth month, the war between the Xia Dynasty and the Yu Dynasty became increasingly clear. With General Hua on the front lines and the aid of the fire god's powder, the Yu Dynasty was defeating the Xia Dynasty in battle after battle, leaving them with only a final breath to cling to life. Yet even that single breath could keep the Xia Dynasty hanging on for quite some time. If the Yu Dynasty wanted to wipe out the Xia Dynasty in one fell swoop, it would likely take a long while yet, and by then the national treasury would not permit it. In the imperial court, two factions had emerged—one advocating war, the other advocating peace. After much clamor and debate, word somehow spread that the Emperor intended to personally lead the campaign. All were shocked and submitted memorials one after another urging him to reconsider. At first, they assumed it was merely a rumor, but unexpectedly, the Emperor kept the memorials urging war and sent back all those urging peace. Once the imperial court stirred, the harem could not rest easy. Concubine Shen was the first to rush to Zhaohua Palace to find Xie Run: "Sister Xie, if the Emperor personally leads the campaign, what are we to do?!" Xie Run asked in confusion: "If the Emperor personally leads the campaign, we simply stay put in the harem—what else is there to do?!" Concubine Shen waved her hand: "That's not what I mean." She leaned close to Xie Run and whispered: "When the Emperor goes off to war, who knows how long it'll be before he returns. Just like back in the prince's residence, he'd go out and come back bringing along the daughters of some lifesavers... Wouldn't that threaten your position?" Xie Run looked utterly exasperated: "If those words got out, the Emperor would likely charge you with a grave offense of disrespect." "With 'Shen' (caution) as part of your title, you still show not a shred of prudence." Wasn't that cursing the Emperor to encounter danger on the front lines? Xie Run wasn't worried about the Emperor bringing someone back from the front—she was worried about the danger at the front. If anything were to happen, the turmoil in both court and harem would be unimaginably dreadful. Concubine Shen covered her mouth and fell silent. Just as they were speaking, a servant came to announce: "Your Highness, today the Emperor encountered Lady-in-waiting Bai in the imperial garden and invited her to admire the flowers together." Concubine Shen's face scrunched up: "How long has she been behaving herself? She's already stirring trouble again?!" "I thought she was clever, but now it seems she's nothing special." Xie Run: "...She is a consort of the harem; pleasing the Emperor is her duty. How can that be called stirring trouble?" Concubine Shen: "But she holds a grudge against you, Sister. If she gains the Emperor's favor, she might come back to scheme against you." Xie Run: "When have I ever feared her scheming?" "Besides, the Emperor is not one to be swayed by one-sided words, nor would he punish a Noble Consort over a Lady-in-waiting." Concubine Shen thought for a moment and nodded: "True. Even if she gains favor, she can never surpass you, Sister." After Concubine Shen left, Consort Jingshu arrived.