Consort Lan’s action was unexpected by everyone, even Consort Shu was momentarily stunned.
How could Consort Lan…? She had always been proud and aloof, disdaining flattery and insincere behavior. Yet now she…
Only Consort Rou failed to read the situation, crawling forward on her knees: “Your Majesty, they’ve found this object in Lanwu Palace. You mustn’t believe Consort Lan’s words alone. Consort Lan, she—”
“Silence!” Emperor Cheng Kang snarled through gritted teeth.
Consort Rou trembled in fear, swallowing her words and instinctively glancing at Consort Shu.
But Consort Shu didn’t look at her.
Fool.
If even she had thought Consort Lan too proud for flattery and insincerity, how would the Emperor view her?
Imperial favor had always been a matter of the heart, and so was trust.
With Consort Lan going to such lengths today, even if they found a vial of moonlight powder in her palace, or if she admitted to harming the imperial offspring, the Emperor would only think she loved him too deeply to bear seeing other women bear his children. A light punishment would suffice.
She had underestimated her opponent in this game.
Emperor Cheng Kang seized the moment to order: “Someone escorts Consort Shu back to her palace. She’s suffered a miscarriage and is in great distress. It’s not suitable for her to remain here. I will personally investigate today’s events thoroughly!”
Consort Lan’s heartfelt confession had earned the Emperor’s complete trust. Trying to pin this on her now would only backfire. The two most crucial objectives had been achieved; let that fool take the blame for the rest.
With this in mind, Consort Shu merely played the part of a grieving, heartbroken woman, allowing her maids to help her up.
But as she reached the door, Jiang Xu suddenly spoke: “Consort Shu, please wait.”
Consort Shu paused, and Emperor Cheng Kang frowned at him.
“Imperial Physician Feng will be here shortly.”
“Why did you summon Physician Feng?” the Emperor asked.
Before Jiang Xu could answer, Physician Feng hurried in with his medicine box: “This humble servant greets Your Majesty.”
“Rise.”
Physician Feng stood respectfully, nodding to Jiang Xu in greeting.
Jiang Xu glanced at him: “Check Consort Shu’s pulse to see if she has indeed miscarried.”
At these words, Consort Shu’s face changed: “Your Highness, what do you mean by this?”
She was shocked. How could the Prince of Beiding know about this? It was impossible, absolutely impossible.
Jiang Xu didn’t even bother to look at her, simply ordering flatly: “Check her pulse.”
Consort Shu panicked, falling to her knees with a thud. Her eyes suddenly reddened, and in the next moment, she was sobbing uncontrollably: “Your Majesty, this concubine spoke rashly earlier, only because I was distraught over losing our child. The Prince holds great power and is deeply favored by you, but how can he be so overbearing? To humiliate this concubine in front of you! I’ve just lost the child in my womb and don’t want to live anymore. If I must suffer such humiliation, I’d rather die here and now!”
“…”
What a disgrace, with everyone threatening to die on this Lantern Festival! And Jiang Xu, causing trouble for him like this!
But Consort Shu was not Consort Lan. Though the Emperor felt annoyed, he trusted Jiang Xu far more than her.
He knew Jiang Xu wouldn’t act without reason. So despite Consort Shu’s dramatic tears and pleas, he merely deepened his voice: “The physician is already here. It won’t hurt to have your pulse checked before you return.”
Consort Shu’s eyes widened as she tried to back away. But with the Emperor’s order given, eunuchs held her in place on the bed for Physician Feng to check her pulse.
After a while, Physician Feng stood and cautiously reported: “Consort Shu does indeed show signs of miscarriage.”
Ming Tan was taken aback.
But Physician Feng quickly added: “However, these signs are false symptoms induced by medication, not an actual miscarriage.” He paused. “Upon careful examination of Consort Shu’s pulse, this humble servant believes that… Consort Shu was never pregnant at all.”
Everyone in the room except Ming Tan and Jiang Xu was shocked.
“What did you say? Consort Shu was never pregnant?” Emperor Cheng Kang asked in disbelief.
Physician Feng nodded: “Consort Shu’s pulse shows no signs of pregnancy. Today’s pulse reading could easily be mistaken for a miscarriage, but after careful examination, I can confirm it’s due to medication. If Your Majesty doubts this, you may summon other senior physicians for a second opinion.”
With Physician Feng’s words so clear, Consort Shu’s face drained of all color, her previous grief and anger completely gone. Emperor Cheng Kang now understood everything.
Jiang Xu then timely added, without emotion: “On the day Shen Yu sent the Lingzhou accounts and bribery list into the palace, the cleaning eunuch Double Lu in Qinzheng Hall switched shifts with his roommate and secretly went to Qiyun Palace.”
Qiyun Palace was Consort Shu’s residence.
Hearing this, Emperor Cheng Kang slowly pieced it all together.
So this entire scheme was planned by Consort Shu?
She had acted preemptively before he could take action, using their years together and the supposed imperial child in her womb as bargaining chips to protect her father and brother.
But a fake pregnancy could only be hidden for so long. As months passed and her belly didn’t grow, the truth would eventually come out.
So she planned to use the Princess of Beiding to naturally lose this child, harm Noble Lady Jia’s unborn child in the process, pin everything on Consort Lan, and use the Princess of Beiding’s alleged crime and Consort Lan’s supposed affection to sow discord between him and Jiang Xu.
She must have calculated that given Jiang Xu’s power, even if the Emperor became suspicious of him, he wouldn’t immediately turn against him, so the Princess of Beiding wouldn’t be punished.
If the Princess of Beiding couldn’t be punished, then she, as the victim, would have to be compensated. Her father and brother would continue to be protected, and she might even be promoted—
Emperor Cheng Kang’s face turned ashen as he spat out through clenched teeth: “You poisonous woman!”
Consort Shu sat on the bed, all strength leaving her body. Tears fell one by one, which she wiped away forcefully. Her expression was calmer than ever before.
She was a smart woman who never engaged in futile struggles. At this point, any more excuses would be useless. The Prince of Beiding had come prepared. The physician, the eunuchs… all the traces that should have been perfectly hidden were now in his hands.
She seemed to think of something and suddenly let out a soft laugh: “This concubine is indeed a poisonous woman. You’re right.”
She turned her head, her gaze lingering on Consort Rou, Ming Tan, and Consort Lan in turn, before looking up to meet the furious eyes of Emperor Cheng Kang.
“But in this palace, who was born a poisonous woman? Everything that has happened, isn’t it all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace!”
She tilted her head back, tears sliding down her nose. As she cried, the corners of her lips curled up slightly.
“Consort Lan knew you from childhood, but this concubine entered the Eastern Palace at sixteen. My family was unremarkable, and when I first arrived, I was just a minor consort who knew nothing.
“I made a fool of myself when paying respects to the Empress. Afterward, I was too ashamed to leave my chambers. You came personally to comfort me, saying you chose me for my innocence and kindness. Do you remember, Your Majesty?
“Then, I thought your ‘choosing’ meant you truly valued me. But later I realized you could ‘choose’ me for my innocence, and also ‘choose’ other women for their grace, their talents in singing and dancing, their gentleness, their vivacity… You seemed to ‘choose’ far too much! So much that neither the Eastern Palace nor this harem could contain it all!
“I hoped and wished time and again, only to be disappointed each time. Finally, I understood that among all you ‘chose’, innocence and kindness were the least useful.
“If I had remained innocent and kind for ten years, my bones would have turned to ash long ago. How could I still stand before you to tell you how cheap your affection and intentions truly are?”
As she spoke, she looked up at him, her lips twisted in a cold, mocking smile.
Emperor Cheng Kang was furious beyond words, his face twitching.
But Consort Shu no longer feared anything and continued: “Sometimes I truly envy the Princess of Beiding and the Duchess of Yu. With their good family backgrounds, they don’t have to waste their lives in the palace.
“The flowers in this palace, no matter how precious or beautiful, are either pruned by others, left unappreciated, or wither away. They never come to a good end.”
As her words fell, the room once again sank into a deathly silence.
“Your Majesty! Noble Lady Jia is having a difficult labor. She’s hemorrhaging!”
Just then, someone rushed in with the urgent news.
Hearing this, Emperor Cheng Kang turned and strode towards Noble Lady Jia’s room. At the doorway, he paused: “Keep this poisonous woman under close watch for me!”
Behind him, Consort Shu let out a knowing and sarcastic laugh. Her gaze slowly moved, settling on Consort Lan as she said cryptically: “This consort underestimated you. Who would have thought that after all this effort, I ended up paving the way for you.”
She had never intended to harm Noble Lady Jia’s child. At seven months, the baby was already fully formed. If Noble Lady Jia were to die in childbirth now, the prince or princess born would need a foster mother. And who in the harem would be more suitable than a high-ranking consort who had lost her child and could no longer bear children?
With another royal child under her care, the position of Noble Consort would be within reach. If it were a prince, even better. Noble Lady Jia was from the Du family of Longxi. To support the prince, she could easily rally the Du family as her backing. This would also provide stronger support for her father and brother.
Such a brilliant scheme, yet it had unexpectedly benefited Consort Lan instead. How ironic.
Consort Lan stood up, looking at her calmly without a word.
–
During the first hour of the Hai period (9-11 pm), Noble Lady Jia gave birth to a little prince but fell into a coma due to excessive blood loss. The imperial physicians said that the hemorrhaging had severely damaged her body, and even if she woke up, she wouldn’t live much longer.
Hearing this, Emperor Cheng Kang remained silent for a long time before issuing a decree to promote Noble Lady Jia to Worthy Consort Jia, advancing her two ranks at once.
Consort Shu was taken back to Qiyun Palace under strict guard to await punishment. Consort Rou didn’t even get a chance to defend herself before being sent to the Cold Palace.
The full moon of the fifteenth day of the first month hung high, cold and bright. Fireworks should be lighting up the Xian River, with a spectacular display of lanterns along both banks. Yet within the deep palace, all was cold and silent.
Leaving Ruyan Pavilion, Ming Tan stood on the steps and said softly, “Thank you.”
Consort Lan stood beside her, her voice faint and ethereal: “No need. I was just… telling the truth.”
She could never admit that she admired Jiang Xu. Not before, not now, not ever, to anyone.
She couldn’t afford the pride of a moment’s lapse. That single lapse would ruin herself, her family, and possibly Jiang Xu as well. The price was too heavy to bear.
In the end, she was just an ordinary person.
Consort Shu thought she had won, but only Consort Lan knew how painful it was to pour out insincere feelings for another man in front of the one she truly admired. More tragically, she would have to endure this pain for the rest of her life.
Perhaps as she endured, she would slowly get used to it. After all, they were never meant to be together.
–
The palace gates were already locked, so they were destined to spend the night in the palace.
As Ming Tan and Jiang Xu walked slowly towards Huayin Tower where they would rest, she asked about many things she hadn’t known before. For instance, what connection does the bribery list have with Consort Shu, and when he discovered that her pregnancy was suspicious?
Learning that the eunuch in Qinzheng Hall had been uncovered by Empress Zhang, Ming Tan was shocked again.
The Empress? The Empress had a hand in this too?
So the Empress had known about Consort Shu’s fake pregnancy all along? Yet she hadn’t been involved at all, and even during tonight’s events, she had stayed by Noble Lady Jia’s side…
Thinking of this, Ming Tan suddenly understood – this was the Empress’s brilliance. As the mother figure of the nation and a role model, often she didn’t need to do anything. She only needed to remove herself from conflicts and avoid moments that might embarrass the Emperor, and she would always be the virtuous and benevolent Empress praised by all and deeply respected by the Emperor. Perfect and flawless.
However, after hearing Consort Shu’s words tonight, she felt somewhat emotional and curious. Had the always flawless Empress ever had a moment of youthful passion?
Unfortunately, she would never know. And even if there had been such a moment, it was likely long gone now.
Looking at the cold moonlight, Ming Tan couldn’t help but say softly, “Counting like this, the Emperor has disappointed so many women.”
“It was mutual consent. How can you speak of disappointment?” Jiang Xu, unmoved, attempted to correct her. “The harem is a balance and exchange between court factions and families. If they were unwilling, the Emperor wouldn’t force them to enter the palace. In this world, gain always comes with loss. To want both family glory and the Emperor’s undivided heart – even novels wouldn’t dare to write such a thing. On the day they entered the palace, they should have known that the ruler of a nation couldn’t spend all his time indulging in love affairs.”
Ming Tan was silent for a moment. She understood the logic, but still couldn’t help retorting quietly, “Novels do dare. I’ve read several like that.”
“…”
“The novels you read are certainly unique. They dare to write anything, even about seven rounds in one night.”
“…?”
Ming Tan’s eyes widened, suddenly bristling!