“This…” Madam Tang hesitated somewhat. “This servant has only just entered the palace not long ago, I’m afraid…”
“What are you so nervous about? You’re not the only one in this palace to rise in rank rapidly right after arriving. While you’re still favored, ask His Majesty for more grace—once His Majesty grows cold toward you, you won’t get the chance even if you want it.” Rolling her eyes, Consort Shu said, “Just wait and see.”
“Yes.” Curtsying, Madam Tang said, “Thank you, my lady.”
Consort Shu was also the type to act the moment she thought of something, and went at once to plead before the Emperor on Madam Tang’s behalf.
“Grant her the rank of Zhaoyi, then,” the Emperor said casually.
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
No merit achieved, no children born either—getting a promotion at all was already fortunate. Consort Shu didn’t press further, satisfied that among those under her, only Madam Tang showed any real potential worth nurturing.
And so she began working behind the scenes to help Madam Tang win the Emperor’s favor. Madam Tang, for her part, didn’t disappoint—every time there was some success, she never failed to send gifts to Consort Shu’s quarters in return, seeming quite the grateful sort.
Before long, Consort Shu had come to trust her completely, treating her entirely as one of her own.
The situation at court was gradually shifting. Li Yue and the others, unfamiliar with state affairs and possessed besides of a lazy, pampered nature at heart, had gradually let real power concentrate in the hands of Tang Yue and Lü Sanbian and others. Li Yue hadn’t even noticed, spending his days cracking jokes and stalling, reassuring Li Jiyue that there was nothing to worry about.
By the time Li Jiyue realized something was wrong, the situation was already beyond salvaging.
“How could this happen?” General Meng and the others gathered together, utterly baffled. “Have you all noticed—somehow, without us realizing it, our words no longer carry weight. We can’t even get involved in court matters anymore.”
Wasn’t that obvious? They’d given up their official positions long ago—even if some lingering influence remained, it should have worn thin by now.
Li Jiyue closed his eyes. “His Majesty has played this game of boiling the frog in warm water rather beautifully. Before that pack of young upstarts could even grasp real power for themselves, we’d already lost our standing first—in effect, it’s weakened us all the same.”
He hadn’t foreseen this before, only thinking of the good of his children and grandchildren when he’d stepped back. Now they’d walked themselves into a dead end.
“What should we do? Just sit here waiting to be finished off?” General Meng frowned. “That can’t be right. This realm was built with the help of our ancestors’ generation, and it was we ourselves who helped seat the Emperor on his throne—there’s no reason it should come to this!”
Everyone fell silent. Someone waved a tired hand. “Let’s wait and see a while longer. We’re old now too—there’s no overturning the heavens for us anymore.”
Li Jiyue snorted coldly and rose at once, sweeping his sleeves, heading to his study to write a letter.
The Emperor probably assumed this group of old ministers had no way left to overturn the heavens either, which was why he dared treat them so recklessly. What a pity—water that carries a boat can also capsize it. This Emperor Yuwen Jie was, in the end, still too young.
At the Yangxin Hall.
“Is it time yet? Is it?” Hua Chun circled around the Emperor, smiling brightly. “Can I finally walk around freely now?”
Yuwen Jie pressed his lips together, a smile in his eyes. “You could have walked around freely all along.”
“Who says so?” Rolling her eyes, Hua Chun said, “Before the third month, the moment I got out of bed you’d watch me like a hawk—if I so much as stumbled, your face would go dark. How was that walking around freely? Now it’s fine, I can jump around a bit more.”
Now that her pregnancy had passed the three-month mark, and Imperial Physician Feng had examined her and confirmed there was no cause for concern, with the fetal position also normal, both of them finally relaxed. Once the third month arrived, the Emperor also planned to inform the Empress Dowager, so as to avoid her growing angry later if they kept it hidden too long.
Still, telling her required the right approach too, so as to keep the Empress Dowager calm on the surface while secretly protecting Hua Chun. If it spread through the whole harem, that would be the end of it.
After much deliberation, the Emperor settled on an auspicious day and took Hua Chun with him to Huiming Hall.
But the carriage had only gone halfway when someone outside called out a greeting.
“Is Your Majesty also going to pay respects to the Empress Dowager?” Madam Tang stood smiling beside the carriage. “How convenient—this servant and the others were just going to keep her company as well.”
Hua Chun’s mouth twitched. Today of all days had been specially chosen for the afternoon, when everyone’s morning respects should already be finished—who could have known this group would suddenly get the urge to go chat with the Empress Dowager instead? How were she and the Emperor supposed to confess now?
Yuwen Jie frowned and, after a moment’s silence, said, “I’m not going to the Empress Dowager’s quarters. Merely passing by. Go on ahead.”
“Yes.” Madam Tang raised an eyebrow and led the others onward.
“Perhaps today just isn’t the right day.” The Emperor said. “We can come again tomorrow—it’s not as if they’ll go keep the Empress Dowager company every single day.”
“All right.” Hua Chun agreed, then, after a moment’s thought, added, “I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that at first it was us wanting to hide it and not tell the Empress Dowager, and later it might turn into us wanting to tell her, but having no way to.”
Glancing at her, Yuwen Jie shook his head. “You’re overthinking this.”
They were both within the palace—the carriage ride took no time at all. How could there possibly be no way to tell her?
And yet, this time, Hua Chun’s guess turned out to be correct after all. In the days that followed, there always seemed to be someone at the Empress Dowager’s quarters, and the Emperor grew busier and busier as well.
“Prince Xi, citing excessive troop reductions, has begun recruiting soldiers again.” He Chang’an entered the palace, sitting beside Hua Chun, frowning. “The move is substantial—he claims it’s only fifty thousand troops, but who knows the real number? Last time, when troops were reduced, he reported ten thousand cut in his memorial, and there was probably padding in that figure too.”
Hua Chun frowned. “New Year is almost here, and he still won’t let people have any peace?”
“Every year at New Year, the princes of the various fiefs are supposed to return to the capital to dine with the Empress Dowager.” He Chang’an said, frowning. “So His Majesty has been anxious about this lately too, so busy he barely has time to sleep. He only sent this subject to inform my lady of the situation.”
“I know he’s busy.” Hua Chun nodded. “I won’t blame him. It’s just that this time there’s nothing I can do to help—lately I’ve been getting sleepier and sleepier, my head all muddled.”
He Chang’an was startled, glancing down at her belly beneath the blanket, a flicker of doubt in his eyes. “My lady… is there something seriously wrong with your health?”
Hua Chun paused, thought it over, and had Qing Niao shut the door, then told him honestly. “I’m pregnant. Three months along already, so I’ve just been staying put, not moving around much.”
He Chang’an was stunned, his pupils contracting sharply, staring blankly at her.
“Second Brother needn’t be so shocked.” Hua Chun said, a little embarrassed. “It was bound to happen sooner or later, only it came faster than expected. Since this harem is so complicated, His Majesty’s thinking was that the fewer people who knew, the better, so I didn’t even tell you.”
“…I see.” Lowering his eyes, He Chang’an’s lips curved. “Congratulations, my lady. With an imperial heir on the way, you and His Majesty will get along even better.”
He tried his best to keep his tone even, but no matter how he tried to conceal it, the ache in his heart couldn’t be hidden. He couldn’t even bring himself to stay in the Yangxin Hall any longer, and rose. “This subject still has other matters to attend to. I’ll take my leave now.”
Hua Chun pressed her lips together and smiled at him. “Take care, Second Brother.”
Nodding, He Chang’an turned and strode out, nearly stumbling, his moon-white robe framing a face gone pale, startling Rui’er outside. “My lord, are you all right?”
“I’m fine.” Brushing off her hand, He Chang’an smiled and quickly left the Yangxin Hall.
Rui’er stood there, stunned.
She didn’t understand any of it, only knowing that the Marquis of Gongyu was her own mistress’s older brother—but that smile of his just now had made her heart ache along with him, leaving her blank and, for some reason, a little sad.
Back when Hua Jinghua had first entered the palace, He Chang’an could still pretend nothing had happened, telling himself the Emperor had simply saved her life. Later, when she was summoned to his bed, he’d told himself this too was inevitable.
It was only now, with her three months pregnant, that he suddenly realized many things had long since become irreversible. What he hadn’t seized at the start, he would never again have the chance to.
Yuwen Jie truly was formidable, having taught him through action what it meant to strike first and gain the advantage. Even though he still couldn’t let her go, he’d now been forced to do so regardless.
Utterly and completely defeated, though not necessarily by his own willing heart.
Taking a deep breath, he leaned against the vermilion palace wall, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and felt exhausted beyond words.
“My lord?” A surprised voice sounded beside him.
He Chang’an startled, opened his eyes, and found it was Madam Tang.
The girl who once sold buns was now Consort Tang Zhaoyi. Since she had entered the palace, this was the first time they’d crossed paths.
Straightening up, He Chang’an inclined his head. “Greetings, Consort Zhaoyi.”
Madam Tang stared at him blankly, taking a long moment to be sure it wasn’t an illusion, then couldn’t help stepping toward him. “It really is you…”
His brow furrowing slightly, He Chang’an stepped back. “Consorts of the harem ought to keep their distance from outside officials. My lady, please stay where you are.”
Whatever remaining hope she’d held onto was crushed clean by that single sentence. Consort Tang Zhaoyi’s face fell, and she pressed her lips together. “The Marquis need not think too much of it. This palace meant nothing by it—simply seeing an old acquaintance, and offering a greeting.”
“Then this subject will take his leave.” He Chang’an inclined his head and walked past her toward the palace gate.
Madam Tang turned, staring at his retreating back for a long while, then took a deep breath and asked Ling’er, “Where did he come from just now?”
Ling’er answered, “If the Marquis comes to the harem, it can only be to see Consort De.”
Being siblings, Madam Tang felt this made sense—but still…
“There’s a question this servant has wanted to ask for a while now.” She said. “Why do some people call Consort De ‘Madam Hua’? Even going by surname, shouldn’t it be He instead?”
Ling’er shook her head. “Consort De is the Marquis’s adopted younger sister. Her household registration is under the He family, but in truth there is no blood relation between them.”
A slight tremor ran through her, and Madam Tang’s gaze wavered. After a long moment, she gave a soft, cold laugh and continued on her way.
“His Majesty has had no free time at all, Mistress—why not go to the Empress Dowager’s quarters yourself?” Qing Niao said. “We could go at a time in the evening, when it’s less busy.”
Looking down at her own belly, Hua Chun pursed her lips. “Setting aside the fact that it’s too late and the Empress Dowager would be resting, if you pick such an odd hour to go, people are bound to suspect something.”
“But Huiming Hall has been busy nonstop lately. Waiting like this doesn’t seem like a solution either.” Qing Niao said. “Why don’t this servant go discuss it with Sister Yuejian, and see if she can arrange a time when the Empress Dowager can see you alone?”