Chapter 23 - 2#
Even when His Majesty went to Yongning Palace, he only went to the side hall to see Talented Lady Liu and never sought her out. This made Consort Kang feel immensely grateful.
Consort De felt Consort Kang’s gaze, opened her eyes to look, and Consort Kang smiled at her, cautiously saying, “Sister, in a few days, it will be the Empress Dowager’s birthday. What do you think…”
Consort De said calmly, “We’ll follow the usual practice.”
This meant that Consort De would still be in charge of organizing it.
Hearing this, Consort Kang couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
The only grand celebration in the palace was for the Empress Dowager’s birthday. As for Emperor Jingyuan… the emperor did not like to celebrate his birthday and never held a birthday banquet.
But even if the emperor didn’t want to celebrate, could the palace consorts really not send gifts?
The gifts still had to be sent to Qianming Palace.
Qianming Palace would accept them, but would also give gifts in return.
This was the only time, not during a festival or when Emperor Jingyuan was bestowing rewards, that the palace consorts could receive something from Qianqing Palace.
However, this did not mean it was a good thing.
At that time, if someone was celebrating a birthday, the host would invite guests, friends, and relatives to participate, and would also accept the gifts they brought.
This meant accepting the other party’s blessings.
But if a return gift was sent immediately after receiving a gift, it had another meaning.
Thinking of this, Consort Kang couldn’t help but get a headache.
Fortunately, Emperor Jingyuan’s birthday was still some time away, so there was no need to worry about it now.
Before long, the Noble Consort came out.
With a faint smile on her face, she said to Consort De and Consort Kang, “Sisters, I will go back to change my clothes first. I’ll have to trouble you two to look after the Empress Dowager.”
Consort Kang’s gaze fell on the Noble Consort. She saw a yellowish-brown stain on her sleeve, which must have been accidentally made while attending to the Empress Dowager just now.
Consort De nodded calmly and watched the Noble Consort leave.
After the Noble Consort got on her palanquin, the faint smile did not disappear. It was not until she entered Zhongcui Palace and dismissed everyone else, leaving only Yushi, that Huang Yijie showed a troubled expression.
Yushi stood behind Huang Yijie, carefully massaging her forehead.
“Your Highness, did the Empress Dowager propose something difficult again?”
Huang Yijie shook her head and said softly, “It’s not difficult. The Empress Dowager just asked me to suspend my actions for now.”
Yushi: “Why is that?”
Huang Yijie: “As for why, I don’t plan to bother with it anymore. It’s good to stop for a while. The security at Qianming Palace is too tight. Even if His Majesty comes to Zhongcui Palace, the distance is still a bit insufficient…” As she spoke, her voice faded.
Although Emperor Jingyuan had visited Zhongcui Palace a few times recently, Huang Yijie did not feel that the emperor was interested in her.
The way he looked at her was not like looking at a woman.
He had never even touched her.
After entering the palace, Huang Yijie was already clear about what she had to do, which included sleeping with Emperor Jingyuan.
To ensure things went smoothly, before entering the palace, the Empress Dowager had specially arranged for the Huang family to find someone to teach her. It was after learning these techniques that Huang Yijie became more sensitive to others’ gazes.
For a person as cold as Emperor Jingyuan, Huang Yijie found it hard to imagine him becoming passionate…
No matter how you looked at it, Emperor Jingyuan seemed to be insulated from such matters.
For so long in the harem, no one had given birth to a prince or princess, which was enough to show the emperor’s asceticism.
Naturally, the Empress Dowager was particularly satisfied with this.
Yushi: “Empress Dowager, could it be that when Old Madam Huang entered the palace, she said something to the Empress Dowager that caused a rift between you?”
When they were in the Huang family, Old Madam Huang did not like Huang Yijie very much.
Huang Yijie shook her head and said softly, “How could Old Madam Huang enter the palace for me?”
However, the Empress Dowager’s suspension of her actions must be related to Old Madam Huang.
But what did that have to do with her?
The death warrant would not disappear because of this. Her entire family was in the Empress Dowager’s hands, and the Empress Dowager would definitely not let such a useful card remain idle for long.
She probably didn’t have that much patience either.
…
Although the Empress Dowager’s health was not good, she still graced the birthday banquet organized for her by Consort De with her presence. Later, when Prince Rui entered the palace, the Empress Dowager was even happier, and her lingering illness was seventy to eighty percent cured.
As for Qianming Palace, it was not until near nightfall that the congratulatory gifts were sent.
It was the same every year, just maintaining a superficial peace.
After the palace banquet dispersed, Prince Rui personally supported the Empress Dowager back to Shoukang Palace. Along the way, the Empress Dowager held Prince Rui’s hand, seemingly never getting tired of looking at him. After all, this was the first time Prince Rui had entered the palace after the assassination attempt.
Prince Rui: “Mother, don’t worry, I’m fine.”
Inside Shoukang Palace, Prince Rui sat below the Empress Dowager, kneading her knees to relax her muscles and bones.
The Empress Dowager pulled his arm, making him sit on the side, not wanting him to do these things.
“Fine? The imperial physician I sent told me everything, are you really fine?”
The Empress Dowager didn’t believe it.
Prince Rui smiled: “For me, this is actually a good thing.”
The Empress Dowager raised her head and frowned fiercely: “Are you mad?”
Prince Rui: “Mother, I had to stay in the capital before, and there were many things I couldn’t interfere with. I should have returned to my fiefdom after the emperor ascended the throne. Now, I finally have a suitable reason.”
The real culprit in the assassination case has not yet been found.
Prince Rui also knew there would be no result.
Precisely because there was no result, he could take this opportunity to return to his fiefdom.
Thinking of this, the Empress Dowager couldn’t help but ponder. Although she was reluctant to let Prince Rui leave, a prince only had complete power in his fiefdom. In the capital, he had to be subservient. That was one thing, but what if he continued to stay in the capital and was assassinated again?
All of Emperor Jingyuan’s brothers except Prince Rui had gone to their fiefdoms. Only Prince Rui had not moved for the past few years.
Although Emperor Jingyuan was a factor, it was more because of the Empress Dowager.
The Empress Dowager was unwilling to let Prince Rui leave. After all, if he left, it would be a long and arduous journey, making it difficult to meet.
She only had Prince Rui as a son.
But Prince Rui had to go. Even though the Empress Dowager was unwilling, he had already planned to find a suitable excuse, and now that this reason had presented itself, how could Prince Rui not seize it.
This was not only a reason for Emperor Jingyuan, but also for the Empress Dowager.
Empress Dowager: “But how do you know that fellow Helian Rong will let you go?”
Hearing this, Prince Rui smiled and shook his head with confidence.
“He will definitely let me go.”
Because, after leaving the capital, the chances of being assassinated on the road would only be much higher than in the capital.
As long as Emperor Jingyuan still wanted him dead, he would agree.
Just as Prince Rui had guessed, when his injuries had greatly improved and he requested to return to his fiefdom in the court, Emperor Jingyuan did not hold him back.
“Since Prince Rui is so eager to return, it would not be good for me to keep holding you back. I will naturally agree.” Emperor Jingyuan said with a half-smile, looking down at Prince Rui from above, “I hope Prince Rui has a safe journey.”
…
Prince Rui’s departure from the capital was both a major and a minor event.
For the officials of the Ministry of Rites and others, it was a major event that kept them extremely busy. But for others, it was just a piece of gossip for after-dinner conversation.
The common people on the streets and alleys just listened for a few sentences before bowing their heads and continuing to live their ordinary little lives.
On the roadside, a little girl of about ten years old was walking back with a bolt of cloth.
Hearing someone at the tea stall talking about Prince Rui, she couldn’t help but stop and listen carefully.
The common people outside loved to buy a cup of tea or a pot of wine at a teahouse or tavern in their spare time and listen to the storyteller. If there was any major event in the capital, many people would also gather here, each telling their own different versions of what they knew.
And this outdoor tea stall was a second-rate choice.
There were people from all walks of life, and when they started to brag, it was even more wild and imaginative, with few reliable words.
“I heard that Prince Rui was scared out of the capital this time. Hehe, there’s still no clue about that assassination!”
“If you ask me, it’s normal to be scared. Wouldn’t you be scared? I heard from my aunt’s grandson’s neighbor that Prince Rui’s mansion is heavily guarded, not even a bird can fly in!”
“Who on earth has it in for Prince Rui… This prince is usually a good person. I almost starved to death last year, and it was his family’s porridge that I ate…”
“Me too.”
“Right, right, Prince Rui is a good person. Maybe it’s the one above…”
“Go on, you dare to say anything. This one has a bad temper… but he’s better than the previous one!”
The crowd had different opinions, and the tea stall began to argue.
Emperor Jingyuan’s reputation among the common people was much better than among the civil and military officials. Although his reputation for cruelty was well-known and there were many rumors, these common people knew in their hearts whether their lives were good or not.
Well, it meant struggling, but still being able to live.
Not good, meant struggling and still not being able to live.
This required no thought at all.
As for the little girl who stopped to eavesdrop outside the tea stall, she had left long ago when the people at the tea stall started to praise Prince Rui, so she naturally didn’t hear the subsequent argument.
She lightly jumped over the sewage on the ground, then passed through a large area of dark alleys, walking further and further, and finally turned into a deep alley.
This alley was darker than other places, filled with a damp smell.
But the few households here were very clean. Outside each house, there were things hanging to dry. When they saw the little girl coming back, they would greet her from their open courtyards.
The little girl also responded with a smile and finally entered the house with the bolt of cloth.
Inside the house, there was an occasional cough.
The little girl put down the cloth and said happily, “Mother, today Manager Xu said that our batch of female workers are learning very quickly. Everyone got a bolt of cloth. Although it was dyed badly, it can still be used. I’ll make you a new set of clothes when I have time in a few days.”
The woman called Mother was a woman in her forties.
She was walking out of the room. One of her legs was a little lame, and she walked slowly. She touched the little girl’s head and said softly, “You can make clothes for yourself. Why get some for me? I’m not one for new things.”
The little girl shook her head: “But Mother hasn’t had new clothes for a long time. I can always save more scraps of cloth at the shop. Mother, I’m the one making the clothes anyway, I won’t listen to you.”
She giggled and covered her ears.
The woman was very beautiful, but she looked older due to overwork. However, her eyes were still bright and looked at her daughter warmly.
“It’s because your mother is useless that my Liang’er has to go to work at such a young age.”
Liang’er quickly shook her head and hugged the woman’s arm affectionately.
The woman had a sweet and savory smell of sauce on her, which was a common smell in the kitchen where she worked every day. Liang’er sighed with satisfaction, “I wouldn’t trade it for a hundred taels of silver. I want to be with Mother forever.”
The woman patted Liang’er’s little head: “What forever together? When you grow up a little more, you have to get married.”
Liang’er: “Mother, I don’t want to get married.”
She pouted and told the woman what she had heard at the tea stall.
“Just thinking that they are still alive and living so well, I… I just can’t stand it.” Liang’er lowered her head. Thinking of her deceased father and her brother who was forced to enter the palace, the hatred could not be suppressed. “I don’t want to get married.”
Madam Liu sighed.
How fortunate to be alive, and how unfortunate to be alive.
How could she not have hatred in her heart?
…
“Achoo, achoo, achoo—”
For some reason, recently, Jingzhe would sneeze from time to time. He didn’t know if he had caught a cold somewhere.
He rubbed his red nose.
However, by tomorrow, he would have successfully entered the Zhidian Si (Palace Halls Office) and would have his own position there.
In the future, he would not have to walk through such a long palace path to rest in the North Wing.
After Jingzhe officially left, Chen Mingde did not immediately ask for more people. Firstly, the personnel changes in the North Wing had been a bit frequent recently. Secondly, Sanshun had told Jingzhe privately.
He felt that Chen Mingde’s health was not very good.
The serious illness Chen Mingde had a few years ago had affected his health. It was very difficult for him to get through every autumn and winter.
Hearing this, Jingzhe didn’t know what to say to comfort Sanshun.
Compared to the others in the North Wing, Sanshun treated Chen Mingde with the filial piety of a half-father. The more honest and loyal a person was, the more they cherished this friendship.
Jingzhe: “Don’t worry, Grandpa De is a good person and will always be safe and sound. When the weather is cold, you should look after him more. If there is anything, feel free to come to me.”
Sanshun nodded vigorously.
Then, this honest man hesitated for a moment, not knowing what he wanted to say, but it seemed inappropriate. He stammered for a while before saying softly, “Be careful, Nanny Ming seems to dislike you very much.”
Jingzhe raised his eyebrows. Nanny Ming disliked him?
It was a well-known fact that Nanny Ming disliked the North Wing, but it was rare for her to single someone out and dislike them specifically…
When did he offend Nanny Ming that even he himself didn’t know?
Speaking of Nanny Ming, she had been quiet for a long time. Since the death of Heye, the palace maids had also become estranged from her. Even though her power was greater than the palace maids’, this was still the North Wing.
No matter how she flaunted her power, there were many things the palace maids could turn a blind eye to and be lazy about.
And the reason for Nanny Ming’s behavior was… because of Talented Lady Liu’s matter?
That was last year’s matter, Jingzhe had almost forgotten about it.
But thinking about it carefully, Talented Lady Liu had an accident, the head of the Imperial Kitchen was killed and replaced by Zhu Erxi, and then Nanny Ming fainted. It was Heye at the time who came to find Jingzhe that let everyone know.
Jingzhe didn’t know what relationship Nanny Ming had with Talented Lady Liu, but Nanny Ming had almost offered Jingzhe as a pawn back then, which must be related to Talented Lady Liu’s matter.
She was a person who would not do anything without benefit. If this matter was not beneficial to her, she would definitely not have done it, which also meant… at that time, she wanted to use this matter to curry favor with Talented Lady Liu?
But Talented Lady Liu died, and Jingzhe didn’t go to the Imperial Kitchen, so her network was broken?
Jingzhe pondered for a moment and guessed Nanny Ming’s resentment seven or eight times out of ten.
But this was purely Nanny Ming’s own doing, trying to be clever but ending up with egg on her face. Later, she even forced Heye to her death. Now, was it not enough to vent her anger on the people of the North Wing, but she also had to target him?
Jingzhe: “I’m no longer part of the North Wing. Even if she wants to order me around, I can refuse to listen. You can rest assured.”
He comforted Sanshun and turned to ask Mingyu.