ng Sangyu continued to sleep until 1:45 pm before gradually waking up. Upon rembering her father and ABao, her heart ached again. She quickly took a deep breath and didnt dare to think of it any further. Turning her head to look at the hourglass sitting in the corner of the hall, her expression changed in a flash. She threw off the heavy comforters and sat up on the bed.
Nurse, why didnt you wake up? Ive missed the ti to nurse His Majesty! She donned her outer robe and walked to the dressing table with her embroidered shoes dangling from one hand. Yincui and Bishui imdiately ca forward to clean her face and hands and fix her hair.
This lowly maid acted of her own initiative and requested to take leave on your honoured selfs behalf. This servant begs for Your Ladyships forgiveness. My Lady, the Emperor ca to see you and he held you in his arms while he slept for a while. Nurse Feng hastily curtsied and apologized. When she said the last sentence, her face could not help but reveal a trace of happiness.
His Majesty ca by? The hand applying the moisturizing cream paused for a mont as ng Sangyu rembered the warm and safe embrace in her dream that she endlessly yearned for. What happened to the crazy Emperor? He couldnt have gone through an ordeal only to discover that she was his true love, could he?
Thinking until here, she shrugged her shoulders and banished the ridiculous thought from her mind. It was probably just a mans ego acting up. Whose fault was it that he lacked imperial concubines who had preserved their virtue? Once the newcors entered the palace, he would find a new true love againand wouldnt spare a thought for her.
With a mocking smile, ng Sangyu opened her dressing case and instructed Yincui and Bishui, Style my hair into a more elegant bun. I need to go pay my respects to the Empress Dowager.
Your Ladyship, your condition is already this poor. You might as well take a leave of absence. The Empress Dowager is rciful and would not bla your honoured self. Bishui eyed her masters ashen face through the mirror and expressed her concern.
Im fine. Taking advantage of the ti the Empress Dowager is still in the palace, I want to win my way into her venerable selfs good graces as much as possible. Perhaps her venerable self will be our salvation one day. Furthermore, His Majesty cannot slight her. Tomorrow, I still have to attend to the Emperor. Having fallen ill after barely serving him for two days, it cant be avoided that others would want topick on my faults. Since the ng family is in the middle of a great crisis, I cant afford to expose any weakness. ng Sangyu talked as she disguised her pale complexion with gorgeous makeup.
In just a few monts, the incomparably gorgeous and imposing Virtuous Consort appeared. She donned her purple court dress, mink fur cloak, and luxurious Manchu nail guards inlaid with jade and pearls, and boarded the palanquin for the Cining Palace. Nurse Feng and the others had no choice but to quickly follow with their umbrellas. Her Ladyship was too self-reliant and strong-willed. Even though this trait of hers was good, it couldnt help but distress the people around her constantly!
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A zen-like calming incense floated up and curled in the air in Cining Palace. A group of imperial concubines waitedin the side hall to pay their respects to the Empress Dowager. Having resided on Thousand Buddha Mountain for a long period of ti, the Empress Dowager had beco accustod to the peace that ca with not worrying about secular affairs. Except for the first day of her return, she never received the concubines who ca to pay their respects. The imperial concubines could only wait until 4 pm, kowtow to the Empress Dowager outside the hall and leave.
Even so, no one dared to be absent. Whether or not she decided to see them was one matter; whether or not they ca was another. The elder maids from Cining Palace and the Emperor were watching their behaviour.
Nurse Jin, these last few days have been rather cold. Is her venerable self, the Empress Dowager, in good health? Imperial Consort strolled to the door of the side hall and started a conversation with Nurse Jin.
The Empress Dowager is well. Thank you for your care and concern, Your Ladyship. Nurse Jins reply was neither humble nor arrogant.
Then thats good to hear. This ti, it was all thanks to the Empress Dowager otherwise this concubines Hongwen would have been As if overco with sorrow, Imperial Consort hung her head and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye.
After a while, she raised her head with a resolute smile. Her voice was slightly expectant as she continued, Since that day, whenever he pays respects to the Empress Dowager, Hongwen always rembers the Empress Dowagers kindness. He always asks if he can co to Cining Palace to pay his respects to his Imperial Grandmother, but his body is weak and the weather is too cold at the mont, so this concubine cannot bring him here.
The Emperors eighth son, Gu Hongwen, was now two years old, the most innocent and lovely age for a child. The concubines were all gnashing their teeth as Imperial Consort used her son to curry favour with the Empress Dowager.
Imperial Consorts voice wasnt particularly quiet. Inside the hall, the Empress Dowager, who had finished chanting sutras, heard her speaking. Thinking of her poor imperial grandchildren, she instructed the palace maids by her side, Go and invite the imperial concubines in.
Hearing the Empress Dowagers announcent, the imperial concubines were overjoyed. Imperial Consorts lips curved into a smile and her downcast eyes shone brightly.
Rise, how are the imperial grandchildren? The Empress Dowager stroked the prayer beads in her hand and spoke lightly.
Several of the mother consorts stepped forward to reply, Replying to the Empress Dowager, they are doing much better than before. Thank you for your concern, Your Imperial Highness.
Mm, you all must look after them with care. One person should be responsible for their dicine and food every day so that nothing goes wrong. Before Aijia leaves the palace, bring them here so Aijia can see them. The Empress Dowagers face softened slightly. She glanced at a nearby seat and frowned, asking, Why didnt Virtuous Consort co?
Nurse Jin, who had received His Majestys order earlier, was about to step forward to answer, but who knew that Imperial Imperial Consort would be one step ahead of her?
Replying to the Empress Dowager, this concubine heard that Virtuous Consorts dog died. She fell ill from grieving too much and collapsed on her divan.
How could Virtuous Consort be so emotional? She didnt react like this when the Emperor was seriously wounded. How could she fall ill because of the death of a plaything? Younger sister Imperial Consort must have heard wrong! Worthy Consorts brow furrowed slightly. Her words seed to defend Virtuous Consort, but she was only stirring the pot.
The Empress Dowager was disgusted by their behaviour, and her eyes gradually turned cold. However, the two won thought that she was angry and were secretly pleased with themselves.
Imperial Duke ng has encountered trouble at the borderlands. It is unknown whether he is alive or dead, and Virtuous Consort fell ill because of this. How co when the words co out of your mouths, it was because of a dog? Buddha has said that those who commit verbal offences should be punished by having their tongues removed! A cold voice laced with anger rang out from the entrance of the hall, startling Imperial Consort and Worthy Consort to the point where their legs went weak and their faces paled.
This concubine greets Your Majesty! The crowd of concubines saluted in unison. Imperial Consort and Worthy Consorts reactions were a step behind. Their faces turned blue and white with embarrassed expressions after belatedly kneeling down.
A tall, handso man entered the palace with a chilly air, directly walking past the concubines. He sat beside the Empress Dowager and held her hand as he paid his respects.
Imperial Consort and Worthy Consort furtively gauged his dark expression and their hearts were thrown into a state of anxiousness. The rest of the concubines hung their heads to hide the glee in their eyes. Removing their tongues? Rather than waiting for the two to die, it would be more entertaining if the emperor personally carried out the sentence!
This concubine has spoken out of turn and begs Your Majestys forgiveness! All the other concubines stood up without exception. Only Imperial Consort and Worthy Consort remained on their knees, trembling with fear as they kowtowed and apologized.
Imperial Duke ng was a minister who had perford outstanding service for the country and had even sacrificed his life for the nation. The Emperor naturally treated the ng family and Virtuous Consort more generously. Since the disappearance of Imperial Duke ng, Virtuous Consort had been quiet, not crying nor making a fuss. All day, she appeared fine as though nothing had happened. After so ti had passed, they had unexpectedly forgotten about this detail and as a result, they directly faced the Emperors wrath. Now that the borderlands were left without Imperial Duke ng to hold the line, it seed that hostilities would remain unresolved for a long ti. It was precisely during this ti that the Emperor was troubled.
Even if they wanted to sche against Virtuous Consort, they shouldnt have used this thod to rob her of her chance to attend to the Emperor. They had miscalculated! The twos hearts were filled with remorse.
Emperor Zhouwu took a sip of the tea that Nurse Jin had handed him and continued to chat with the Empress Dowager about trivial family affairs. Unexpectedly, he ignored the two that were kneeling on the ground near his feet without the least bit of interest. This was even more embarrassing than if he had severely reprimanded them. Imperial Consort and Worthy Consorts expressions turned paler and paler as they crouched even lower to the ground. The other concubines eyes flickered with varying degrees of pleasure.
The Empress Dowager also ignored the two and listened to her sons words as they ca to her, her expression light. Having lived on Thousand Buddha Mountain for a long ti, she was most intolerant of the harem intrigue between the won in the palace.
When Imperial Consort and Worthy Consorts knees had stiffened and chilled with the cold, on the verge of collapse, a eunuchs announcent rang from outside the hall Her Ladyship Virtuous Consort seeks an audience!
Emperor Zhouwu strong brows wrinkled and he imdiately stopped speaking. The Empress Dowager stroked the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand and said in a warm voice, Grant her entry.
Why are you here? Without waiting for ng Sangyu to salute and give her greetings, Emperor Zhouwu spoke in a deep voice. His eyes were glued to her radiant and gorgeous face, unwilling to look away for a second. Her makeup was exquisite. At first glance she seed to be glowing with vitality, but a closer look revealed that her face was too thickly powdered and her lips too dry, exposing her sickly appearance in the smallest details.
Is this an interrogation? What did I do wrong? ng Sangyu frowned slightly.
Haa Zhen has already given you leave. Its freezing outside and youre not feeling well, so you ought to stay in your palace and recuperate. It wont be too late to co and pay your respects once youre fully recovered. The Empress Dowager wont bla you. When he saw her slightly knit brows, Emperor Zhouwus heart ached and he imdiately opened his mouth to explain, his low voice unable to hide his tenderness.
The concubines eyes were bloodshot as they stared at ng Sangyu while the Empress Dowager looked surprised and gave her son a aningful sideways glance. She had heard from Imperial Physician Du that her son seed to be particularly attached to Virtuous Consort.
This concubine has mostly recovered. It wasnt easy for Her Imperial Highness to return to the palace, so how can this concubine not co to Cining Palace to do my filial duty? ng Sangyus brows curved as she smiled slightly.
Good child, co here quickly. Co and sit beside Aijia. Catching sight of ng Sangyus sickly appearance hidden beneath her exquisite makeup, the Empress Dowagers heart was particularly saddened. This childs personality was similar to herself in her younger years, very strong-willed. Even their backgrounds were almost the sa, almost as if she was a reincarnation of herself. With just one look, she couldnt help herself from taking a great liking to this child. However, she was also afraid that ng Sangyu would repeat her own mistakes.
ng Sangyu shot a glance at Imperial Consort and Worthy Consort who were kneeling on the ground. She slowly stepped forward, preparing to take a seat on the Empress Dowagers other side, when Emperor Zhouwu put down his teacup and patted the seat beside him.
The other concubines eyes grew even redder and even Imperial Consort and Worthy Consort raised their heads with slightly grim expressions. In just a few short monts, they had seen how the Emperor treated Virtuous Consort differently. It wasnt re fondness; it was true affection. When the Emperor cared for soone, it ant that this person had already entered his heart.
ng Sangyu felt reluctant, but showed no sign of it on her face. She smiled gently and took a seat beside the man in a surefooted manner. He nonchalantly took her hand and squeezed it. Then he wrapped it tightly into his palm and said with satisfaction, Well, its not as cold as it was at noon.
ng Sangyus eyes were downcast as if she were overco with shyness, but the little person in her heart elegantly raised a middle finger: You bastard! Youre fueling their hate for again!
Emperor Zhouwu could imagine how she was cursing him in her heart. He found this kind of Sangyu particularly cute, so he couldnt help but smile dotingly. In the past, he thought that if he loved soone, then he should hide her far away from any danger; but after experiencing these five months of light and darkness, he suddenly understood that loving soone ant that he ought to let her stand beside him openly and give her everything she desired! Only by having her occupy the closest position to himself could he better protect the other party. Therefore, he decided to carry on with pampering Sangyu to the very end.
After stroking the womans fingers affectionately, Emperor Zhouwu reluctantly withdrew his hand and turned his head to chat with the Empress Dowager, Empress Mother, have you gotten used to living here over the last few days? Is there anything you need?
Its fine, except that with Nianci gone, theres no one to copy scriptures and chant sutras for Us, so its a bit inconvenient. Aijia is old and Our eyes are not as sharp as they were when We were young. The Empress Dowager gestured to the corners of her wrinkled eyes with a look of helplessness.
Empress Dowager, this concubine is willing to copy scriptures and chant sutras for your honoured self to atone for todays slip of the tongue. Imperial Consort was quick-witted and imdiately kowtowed. Seeing this, Worthy Consort hastily echoed her request.
Accompanying the Empress Dowager in copying scriptures and chanting sutras would not only increase the Empress Dowagers goodwill, but also enable her to see the Emperor who ca to pay his respects to the Empress Dowager everyday. The Empress Dowager had imnse influence over the Emperor and this opportunity was no worse than nursing his recovery!
Many concubines were inspired to show their most sincere expressions and knelt before the Empress Dowager to recomnd themselves.
This was what happened when you didnt have a single master to manage the six palaces. The concubines were difficult to control, caused disorder and their egos grew!
The Empress Dowager was sick of their behaviour and closed her eyes. She leaned back in her chair and spoke slowly, Fine, if anyone catches Aijias eye by copying scriptures and chanting sutras, Aijia will promote her rank and bring her to Thousand Buddha Mountain. Aijia is old and feels that the days are unbearably loneso when Aijia is by Ourselves. Aijia is precisely in need of soone to accompany Us and carry out their filial duties.
The jostling concubines were overjoyed to hear the first half of the sentence but went silent when they heard the second half. For a mont, the room was quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Being taken to Thousand Buddha Mountain to basically beco a nun?[1]That would be worse than being sent to the Cold Palace! What use would it be to rise in rank?
Emperor Zhouwu picked up his cup of tea and took a sip to conceal the sarcastic curve of his mouth. The hypocrisy of these won was truly disgusting.
ng Sangyus hand resting on her knee suddenly tightened. Before coming here, she had thought: Wouldnt it be a thousand tis better if she could win the Empress Dowagers favour and be taken to Thousand Buddha Mountain to dedicate herself Buddha rather than staying in this utterly vile palace? She wouldnt have to compete for favour, fight ruthlessly, or wait upon that scumbag. Her daily life would just be chanting sutras, abstaining from at and wine, cultivating her mind and spirit, and even going down the mountain to explore in her spare ti. On account of her earnest sincerity to accompany the Empress Dowager, the Emperor wouldnt treat her or the ng family badly either. Why, how simple and carefree her daily life would be!
Thinking until here, she stood up and knelt down at the Empress Dowagers feet. She resolutely said, This concubine wishes to carry out her filial duties on the Emperors behalf and accompany the Empress Dowager back to Thousand Buddha Mountain to worship Buddha. Begging Your Imperial Highness to consent to this concubines request.
The Empress Dowagers eyebrows rose in surprise. The teacup in Emperor Zhouwus hand fell to the ground with a thud and shattered into pieces.
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