In Prince Cheng’s manor these recent days, the servants had all been doing their work with extreme caution, afraid that if they weren’t careful they would catch the eye of their easily angered master.
The reception hall had long been filled with many people—all officials from the Yanjing court. They appeared to be discussing something very important. Prince Cheng sat in the seat of honor, and below him on his left side sat Li Zhongnan.
“Everyone,” Prince Cheng said, “I’m afraid we must move up our timeline.”
These past days, Emperor Hongxiao seemed to somehow know of his plans and was targeting him at every turn. Prince Cheng was furious. He already had determination to act earlier, and on top of that, the matter with Princess Yongning had poured fuel on the fire, leaving him with a belly full of rage with nowhere to vent. He wished he could storm into the imperial palace right now, drag Emperor Hongxiao down from that position, and trample him fiercely underfoot.
After all, during this period, because of Princess Yongning, how much mockery and gossip had he endured? Though those people dared not say anything to his face, behind his back they had nearly worn through his spine with their pointing fingers. Prince Cheng had always cherished his reputation. He hoped that when the day came for him to sit in that position, he would be clean and pure, giving no one anything to criticize. But now it seemed impossible, so he might as well cast aside all concerns and go all in.
Prince Cheng looked at Li Zhongnan beside him and asked, “What does the Right Chancellor think?”
Li Zhongnan smiled and said, “It’s entirely up to Your Highness to decide.”
Prince Cheng felt somewhat displeased. Li Zhongnan was clearly being perfunctory. He knew Li Zhongnan had developed a grudge against him over the Princess Yongning affair and still wasn’t completely comfortable with him. Though Prince Cheng had already apologized, he didn’t really take it seriously—after all, he was the lord and Li Zhongnan was merely a minister. Right now he was holding Li Zhongnan up high and treating him with great courtesy. But if Li Zhongnan didn’t know how to appreciate this favor, he wouldn’t mind putting Li Zhongnan in his place.
Of course not now, but when he sat in that high position with power firmly in his grasp.
Li Zhongnan had a smile on his face but was also quite angry inside. The matter of Li Xian enjoying keeping young boys in his household could be said to have completely destroyed the Li family’s reputation and face. He had two sons—if his younger son Li Lian was worthless, so be it, but his eldest son, aside from this particular preference, had originally had an excellent reputation. In the future he would have taken over Li Zhongnan’s position as the Li family’s pillar. But because of Princess Yongning’s making such a scene, Li Xian had now become a stain on the Li family. Now when the Li family went to court, they had to be extra careful not to let people see it was the Li family’s carriage, lest people point and gossip behind their backs. Li Xian had even lost his official position—his perfectly good career path had been ruined just like that.
If this had all been Princess Yongning’s doing alone, Li Zhongnan would at most complain that Prince Cheng hadn’t properly controlled his sister. What made Li Zhongnan truly angry was that Princess Yongning, pregnant with Shen Yurun’s bastard child, had actually been married into the Li family. Prince Cheng claimed he didn’t know about Princess Yongning’s pregnancy—how was that possible? He clearly wanted the Li family to be the unlucky ones, inexplicably raising someone else’s son. Just thinking about this made Li Zhongnan’s anger rise—what did Prince Cheng take the Li family for? For fools?
Admittedly, right now Prince Cheng was the master and they were ministers, so they couldn’t do anything to Prince Cheng. But this anger was impossible to swallow—it was like a fishbone stuck in the throat. Li Zhongnan made up his mind that when Prince Cheng made his move this time, the Li family wouldn’t interfere because the Li family relied on Prince Cheng. But doing some minor sabotage from within wasn’t out of the question. He needed to make Prince Cheng understand that he wasn’t sleeping soundly—without the Li family, his position as Prince Cheng probably wouldn’t be as secure as Emperor Hongxiao’s seat.
He needed to make Prince Cheng not dare to move against the Li family, and make him treat them with utmost respect!
Prince Cheng turned to inquire of the other ministers, discussing with them the important matters of the uprising, intentionally or unintentionally snubbing Li Zhongnan, as if deliberately giving Li Zhongnan a warning.
Li Zhongnan was unconcerned and sneered inwardly. A warning? He would soon return it to Prince Cheng.
……
In the imperial palace of Yanjing, the spring flowers had bloomed much more abundantly.
The plants that had withered in winter were now, in this season, all urgently and eagerly competing to grow. The imperial palace always seemed to be the first place to become lively. The flowers in the flower beds bloomed earlier than elsewhere, lush and cheerful. Even the newly entered palace beauties intentionally or unintentionally went there to admire the flowers. They adorned themselves to be even more lovely than the flowers, hoping that when the emperor passed by this place, in an inadvertent glance, he would notice these fragrant, living beauties.
Every year the palace had beauties, every year had new people. Everyone anticipated the emperor’s favor, but it never lasted long. Just like the flower beds never lacked brilliant delicate flowers, but the one picking flowers wouldn’t pick every single one. The picked flowers could at least be placed in vases and carefully tended to beautify a summer. The flowers left in the beds that no one appreciated would still wither together when autumn came.
Time passes like a dream, beauty fades easily—flowers and people are the same.
Emperor Hongxiao was currently in Cining Palace, accompanying the Empress Dowager in reciting scriptures.
When the Empress Dowager recited scriptures, Emperor Hongxiao just sat to one side, opening the scripture book. Compared to the Empress Dowager’s devotion, Emperor Hongxiao appeared far less sincere. But the Empress Dowager, reciting with closed eyes, didn’t see this scene. She focused single-mindedly on chanting, as if nothing in the world was more important than what she was doing right now. And such days, day after day, year after year, seemed to have been this way ever since Emperor Hongxiao ascended the throne.
She didn’t interfere in court politics, nor was she domineering in the palace like Consort Dowager Liu, to the point that people almost forgot there was such an Empress Dowager. It was said she had been this way when she was young too—gentle and virtuous, never competing for favor with others in the harem. Instead she had raised a child who wasn’t her own and watched him ascend to become emperor. Without the Empress Dowager, the young Emperor Hongxiao of those days would probably have long been completely devoured by the ambitious Consort Dowager Liu and her son.
But to say Emperor Hongxiao and the Empress Dowager had a particularly close relationship wouldn’t be accurate either—it was nothing more than superficial peace.
After accompanying the Empress Dowager in reciting scriptures for a while, Emperor Hongxiao walked out of Cining Palace. He didn’t return to the imperial study. Last night he had looked at memorials all night, and this morning there was the morning court session—in total he had slept less than a few hours. He was going back to his sleeping quarters to rest. Just as he reached the entrance to the sleeping quarters, Eunuch Su came forward and said, “Your Majesty, Consort Li has come.”
Consort Li walked out from behind the door. Among the many beauties in the palace, she appeared to be the most unhurried one. Even though many beauties had entered the palace again this spring—those young, full-bodied beauties like flower buds that adorned the entire palace with exceptional beauty, making the former beauties feel threatened and dress themselves up even more—for Consort Li, it all seemed to make no difference. She never felt endangered, nor feared the emperor falling in love with other beauties. She just gently did her own things. Like now, standing at the entrance, she smiled at Emperor Hongxiao and said, “This concubine made some pastries using this year’s new locust honey. Would Your Majesty like to taste some?”
No one could refuse such a gentle request. Emperor Hongxiao smiled lightly and said, “Alright.”
His tense expression relaxed in this moment.
Consort Li smiled as she helped Emperor Hongxiao to the table. On the table sat exquisite pastries and hot tea. Consort Li’s fingertips seemed to still carry the sweet scent of honey sugar. She was different from the other beauties. When other beauties sent over pastries claiming they made them themselves, their hands were clean and their nail polish was fresh and intact, making one suspect they had probably just stood nearby directing the servants. But the pastries Consort Li made were truly made by her own hands. It was said others couldn’t replicate the taste she achieved.
She was a thoughtful person.
Emperor Hongxiao smiled as he picked up a piece of pastry and put it in his mouth. Consort Li timely handed him a cup of hot tea. After eating, Emperor Hongxiao took a sip of tea and sighed, “You’re still the most thoughtful.”
“Your Majesty is busy with affairs of state. This is all this concubine can do,” Consort Li smiled.
Emperor Hongxiao also smiled. “Speaking of which, yesterday I heard from the Empress Dowager that among the beauties newly entered into the palace this year, there’s your cousin. Why didn’t you tell me? So I could look after her?”
Consort Li’s smile froze slightly. Though the emperor’s face still wore a smile, her heart felt extremely uneasy.
She had no children. Previously, the Ji family people had constantly prayed to gods and Buddhas, made her eat all sorts of strange medicines, hoping she would conceive a child and secure her position in the harem. But as time passed and her belly showed no signs, the Ji family gradually became disappointed and turned their attention elsewhere.
The Ji family had never stopped planning to send another beauty into the palace to win the emperor’s favor. Consort Li knew what they meant—they wanted her to help, to look after that beauty, to help that young beauty win the emperor’s favor. To be her shield, to strategize for her, and finally to become a discarded pawn, drained of every last drop of blood, sacrificed for the Ji family.
Why should she? Consort Li absolutely refused. She had worked so hard to reach her current position—why should she hand everything over to someone else? Especially when that person had done nothing, could easily possess everything merely by being young and beautiful. It was too unfair!
So Consort Li did nothing. She pretended not to know about that cousin the Ji family had sent in. Consort Li even refused to meet with the Ji family members. She was angry at the Ji family, and gradually hatred grew. So much so that after Jiang Youyao’s incident, Consort Li didn’t even want to inquire. She was unwilling to run errands for the Ji family anymore. Of course, she also knew well that given the Ji family’s nature, they wouldn’t seek revenge for Jiang Youyao or anything like that.
Consort Li’s thoughts churned, but her face showed a sorrowful smile. She lowered her head, suddenly kneeling down, and said, “This concubine knows her crime.”
Her graceful eyebrows curved gently, her voice mournful, her pitiful appearance inspiring sympathy. Emperor Hongxiao was slightly startled, then pulled her hand to sit beside him, smiling, “You’re afraid I’ll favor others and are feeling jealous.”
“Your Majesty can have many beauties at your side. This concubine is just one insignificant person among them. When Your Majesty favors other beauties, this concubine can do nothing. The only thing this concubine can do is hope to keep Your Majesty’s favor a little longer. This concubine knows this is overstepping, please punish this concubine, Your Majesty.”
She spoke so mournfully and pitifully, all because of love. What man could remain unmoved when faced with such a beauty pouring out her feelings?
“I won’t abandon you,” Emperor Hongxiao laughed heartily. “As long as you don’t betray me, I won’t abandon you.”
Consort Li’s heart jumped. She vaguely felt there seemed to be some deeper meaning in Emperor Hongxiao’s words. But the embrace of the man beside her was so warm, his tone so doting, that her doubts gradually dissipated like smoke.
It wouldn’t happen. Emperor Hongxiao wouldn’t know. She had done it very secretly—no one would know.
At the same time, she sneered inwardly. She didn’t long for the emperor’s favor. After all, without children, the emperor’s favor was only temporary. One day she would surely be replaced by younger, lovelier beauties. She would become one of those faded women in the harem, those withered flowers, become in spring a handful of fresh, beautiful mud.
She would make it to the end, no matter what price she had to pay, no matter whom she had to sacrifice.
A flash of ruthlessness crossed Consort Li’s eyes.