stjorthotic Chapter 217 The Palace, A Three-Way Standoff
Chapter 217 The Palace, A Three-Way Standoff
Zhu Shouchun hurriedly stood up and said, "Your Majesty, I learned to read at the age of three, and from the age of four onwards, my father hired learned scholars to teach me. I have read the Four Books, the Spring and Autumn Annals, and the Zuo Zhuan, and I have some knowledge of music!"
[He even speaks with a classical Chinese accent! Interesting!]
Shen Shixi smiled and said, "Indeed excellent! I thought Lord Zhu was refined and upright, so I assumed Miss Zhu would be quite good as well. And indeed, she is graceful and gentle!"
This girl is clearly ambitious, and Shen Shixi is willing to give her a boost, mainly because of Zhu Tao, who is a man of action.
Shen Shixi plucked a golden flower hairpin with beads from her hair and beckoned to her, "Come here!"
Zhu Shouchun was overjoyed and knelt before Shen Shixi. Shen Shixi placed the hairpin in her hair, saying, "Your face is as beautiful as a lotus, more lovely than any flower. You are a perfect match!"
Not everyone could wear a hairpin; only high-ranking imperial concubines and noblewomen were qualified to wear them, and the regulations for wearing hairpins varied depending on the rank.
Shen Shixi's hair ornament is the most high-end one; otherwise, Zhu Shouchun would be so happy he would cry.
After seeing the person off, Jin Chongrong and Lin Guiyou said, "Chenyuan, why are you so nice to this girl?"
Shen Shixi smiled, "Let's establish a good relationship first!"
She was just joking.
It was perfectly reasonable for Madam Zhu to come and pay her respects, but bringing her unmarried daughter along was something to consider.
Guo laughed and said, "Who knows, maybe we'll meet again in the future!"
Madam Yuan guessed as much and laughed, while Consort Jin was quite puzzled. She was usually quite forgiving of herself and wouldn't dwell on things she couldn't understand. "Let's go shopping!"
Shen Shixi liked it too. The four of them changed their clothes and dressed up as ordinary women. They went shopping together and each bought a lot of things. Shen Shixi bought a set of expensive jewelry for each of the three women at the largest jewelry store in the area.
Lin Guiyou was overjoyed to learn that she had received two sets of jewelry from Shen Shixi.
Guo and Yuan didn't have much money, so they were naturally overjoyed to receive such beautiful jewelry. This trip with the Imperial Noble Consort broadened their horizons, they ate, drank, played, and had fun, and they even received rewards. It was truly a worthwhile experience.
That evening, Li Yuanke returned in a huff. Li Fude told him that he hadn't even eaten. The last time Shen Shixi saw him so angry was when he was poisoned by Ping Chongyi, and the Empress Dowager was protecting Ping Chongyi.
"What's wrong? Who made His Majesty so angry?" Shen Shixi came over, sat down on his lap, and ordered, "Go tell the kitchen to make His Majesty a bowl of chicken noodle soup with two eggs, and also cook a bowl of fried dumplings in the soup. I'll eat with His Majesty."
She loves salty fried dough balls.
Li Yuanke put his arm around her waist and handed her two memorials. "Take a look for yourself!"
Shen Shixi skimmed through the text and was utterly speechless.
One memorial was sent by the Imperial Household Department, reporting the sudden death of Zheng Baolin. The other was a memorial submitted by Zheng Baolin's father, requesting that the cause of his daughter's death be made public. It is only natural for parents to want to know the details of their daughter's death at such a young age.
Zheng Baolin's framing of Xie Cai Ren and Li Yuan Yin for adultery was a disgrace to the imperial family.
After the affair was exposed, the emperor wanted to execute Zheng Baolin, which was perfectly reasonable, but the empress dowager stopped him.
That's exactly what we're talking about. Even if the emperor wants to kill someone, he can't do it for no reason; there has to be a legitimate reason!
The Empress Dowager was afraid that the affair between Li Yuanyin and Consort Xie would be publicized. The key point was that Li Yuanke was not afraid of being gossiped about as a cuckold, but the Empress Dowager did not want to tarnish her youngest son's reputation.
It's clear that Li Yuanyin and Consort Xie weren't exactly innocent.
Li Fude narrated, "This servant also received the news from the palace. Xie Cairen and the Prince had discussed this matter beforehand. After the Emperor left the capital, Zheng Baolin's life was particularly miserable. I heard that when she died, her body was rotten into puddles of water and her face was unrecognizable."
Shen Shixi had completely lost her appetite and asked, "What exactly happened?"
Li Fude said, "Zheng Baolin must have suffered severe abuse and couldn't go on living, so she killed herself by hitting her head against a wall. The Zheng family requested to see their daughter in the palace, and the old lady of the Zheng family came. The Empress did see her, but it was a rather undignified affair."
The Empress had received the Empress Dowager's decree beforehand, and sent the over seventy-year-old Lady Feng and Madam Zheng into the palace. She left them waiting for half an hour before finally arriving to see them. She immediately gave them a severe scolding, and in the end, they still couldn't understand what mistake their daughter had made in the palace.
It's true that the Empress couldn't speak openly, but things couldn't be handled this way.
Zheng Ruojin was clearly in the wrong, but now the emperor is the one in the wrong.
Shen Shixi also felt that the palace had acted very unfairly in this matter.
No wonder Li Yuanke was so angry.
The chicken noodle soup was served. Li Yuanke, a veteran of the battlefield, wasn't too fussy. He was hungry, so he started eating. His left arm was still around Shen Shixi. After a few bites, he asked her, "Want some more?"
"You don't need to eat it, you can eat it yourself!" Shen Shixi touched his face. "Don't be sad, I'll handle this when we get back to Beijing."
"How will you handle this?" Li Yuanke felt much better.
"Matters in the court don't necessarily have to follow the court's rules. Taking the back door is also an option. Didn't the old Lady Zheng go to the palace to meet the Empress? If the matter wasn't settled, then let her come and talk to me."
If the Zheng family truly loved their daughter, they wouldn't have sent her to the palace in the first place. Once she was in the cold palace, they only submitted a memorial of apology and didn't inquire about her affairs once more; they had long been prepared for her death. Now they're questioning the Emperor; they must have heard rumors. What they want isn't justice, but rather personal gain.
Li Yuanke said irritably, "Hmph, what do you mean by 'If you love your daughter, why didn't you send her to the palace? Did she suffer a great injustice following me?'"
Shen Shixi laughed and kissed him on the cheek. "What good family's daughter would want to enter the palace as your concubine? With your dog-like temper, who would want to serve you?"
"So what are you doing?"
Li Yuanke hadn't even wiped his mouth before preparing to kiss her face, deliberately teasing her. Shen Shixi supported his chin with her hand, and the stubble that had sprouted that day made her palm itch, making her unable to help but laugh.
They both laughed, and the atmosphere became warm and cozy.
Li Fude breathed a sigh of relief. He could occasionally slack off and take a nap while serving the emperor, but the emperor couldn't. He had to use his brain all day long, which was incredibly tiring, and as a result, the harem was dragging him down.
Fortunately, there was Imperial Noble Consort Chenyuan.
They did not stop again on the way, and arrived in Shangjing smoothly on the morning of August 12. The six ministers led the officials who remained in the capital to greet them ten miles outside the city.
By the time they returned to the palace, it was past 3 PM. The Empress led the concubines to greet the Emperor. When they saw Shen Shixi being led down from the imperial carriage by the Emperor, everyone felt uncomfortable.
"Your Majesty, we, your humble servants, respectfully welcome you!"
"No need for formalities!"
The Empress said, "My dear sister Chenyuan, you have had a long and arduous journey accompanying His Majesty. You have served him with great care and attention!"
She has the air of a mature, domineering wife!
Shen Shixi laughed and said, "Your Majesty the Empress is certainly good at speaking. You always gloss over even the greatest favors with just a few words, never offering any real benefits. But I am the kind of person who won't act until I see a tangible result. If Your Majesty only offers a word of thanks in the future, please refrain from doing so!"
Consort De was delighted to see Shen Shixi and the Empress facing off, and said with a smile, "At the beginning of the year, Sister Chenyuan helped Her Majesty the Empress manage the six palaces. I wonder how Her Majesty thanked Sister Chenyuan?"
The Empress was momentarily embarrassed, but quickly said, "So that's why Sister Chenyuan has a problem with me. The Emperor and I are husband and wife. Didn't the Emperor reward you with some from his private treasury? If you feel it's not enough, I will reward you again!"
"Then I'll wait. I won't be interested in ordinary things!" Shen Shixi said with a smile.
Consort De flattered Shen Shixi, saying, "Everyone who sees it gets a share, so don't forget the good things I've done for you, Sister Chenyuan!"
Shen Shixi said, "What hasn't Consort De seen? Why is she still coveting what Her Majesty the Empress gave me? Honestly, she's making a fool of herself!"
She smiled sweetly and gave Consort De a flirtatious wink. Her starry eyes were slightly glared, her charm and grace were captivating. The other concubines saw the emperor staring at her, first stunned, then smiling. His eyes were full of indulgence and doting, which was truly heartbreaking.
After the exchange of witty remarks, the Empress was at a disadvantage again. She said to the Emperor, "Today Your Majesty returned to the palace, and the entire palace should have come to welcome you. However, Consort Xie was in labor, so I made the decision that she could not come."
The emperor didn't care who was missing, and the empress knew that she just wanted a chance to speak with the emperor alone.
"Well done, Empress!" Li Yuanke said perfunctorily, his gaze sweeping over his wives and concubines.
Consort Qiong, suddenly inspired, stepped forward first and bowed deeply to Shen Shixi, saying, "Your Majesty, we pay our respects to the Imperial Noble Consort. May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"
The others, including Consort De, quickly followed suit and bowed. The Empress, who was blocking the way, had no choice but to move aside, feeling extremely unhappy.
The emperor stood side by side with Shen Shixi, while she stood to the side, looking as if she were superfluous.
Although everyone knew that Shen would eventually rise to a high position after entering the palace, no one expected her to do so so quickly and so high.
For her sake, the emperor actually created a new rank.
"No need for formalities!" Shen Shixi said.
Although the emperor was weary from his journey, he was dressed in imperial robes, exuding an imposing and majestic aura, his countenance as pure as jade, captivating all who beheld him.
The concubines' eyes were glued to him, like a burly man starving to see a naked beauty; their eyes seemed to want to devour him.
Li Yuanke remained calm. "Go back, everyone. I still need to go with the Imperial Noble Consort to pay my respects to the Empress Dowager. Let's get together again for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Empress, remember to prepare a family banquet!"
"yes!"
Shen Shixi followed the emperor onto the imperial carriage again. In the past, when her rank was low, she could hide in Cining Palace, but now there was really no way to hide.
Moreover, even after being promoted, she still had to perform a grand ceremony for the Empress Dowager.