Chapter 17: The Legend of Zhen Huan — Xia Dongchun, Part 16
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These past few months, the imperial harem had been a treacherous whirlpool of intrigue, yet Radiant Splendor Palace remained peaceful and idyllic. Ever since the commandery princess had paid them a visit, the trio had simply followed their mistress’s example and given up trying.
In any case, their days were comfortable enough. Still, after thinking it over, Baozhu asked casually, “Mistress, there’s a grand banquet for the entire palace tonight. All the princes, nobles, and honored families will be attending. Should we—”
“No,” Xia Dongchun refused without a second thought. “Whoever wants to go can go. Just thinking about that shameless face of the empress makes me sick.”
The trio fell silent.
Seeing that the air had grown somewhat still, Baozhu, the mistress of keeping conversations lively, immediately launched into a stream of witty remarks. Before long, Radiant Splendor Palace was once again filled with laughter and song.
~
That evening, at Luminous Jade Hall.
The hall was packed, with music and dancing filling the air.
The empress wore her customary auntie-like smile as she looked contentedly down at the assembled consorts. This was how things ought to be. Without that rule-breaking woman stirring up trouble, she could remain securely seated as empress of the central palace.
Unlike the radiant empress above her, Noble Consort Nian, seated to the lower left, was practically grinding her teeth. Ever since that woman had shut herself away, the empress had emerged for only a few short days—and in all that time, Noble Consort Nian had not won a single round. She was so furious that she wanted to march to Radiant Splendor Palace and smash down the doors.
As Noble Consort Nian watched everyone happily drink, chat, and flirt with the emperor, she felt inexplicably uncomfortable. Although Consort Jia was gone and her own favor had returned to what it had been before, she remained the emperor’s one and only favorite even with the arrival of new women. Yet something still felt wrong.
Especially after she had gone to Palace of Gathering Benevolence a few days earlier to pay her respects and seen the empress again—she had felt even worse. Once more, she had been seized by the urge to smash down the doors of Radiant Splendor Palace.
She certainly could not touch that old demon in the Palace of Longevity and Good Health. The woman had two sons and was the emperor’s own mother. Thus, Noble Consort Nian directed all her resentment toward the empress.
There was admittedly some suspicion of bullying the weak and fearing the strong, but so what? It was not as though she herself was innocent.
After restraining herself again and again, Noble Consort Nian finally snapped. “Eat, eat, eat. The two of you do nothing but eat. Can’t you see that woman up there is practically smiling like a chrysanthemum?”
Noble Lady Li, who had just lifted a cup of fruit wine, fell silent.
Consort Xiang, who was arranging her daughter’s little topknot, also fell silent.
What could she do? She did not even know the reason. Radiant Splendor Palace was guarded as tightly as an iron barrel; she could not find out a thing. Even when the emperor had gone there, he had not been allowed inside.
Unless someone broke into the palace.
Of course, she could not reply like that. Consort Xiang could only continue touching her daughter’s hair like a frightened quail. Then, as she glanced up absentmindedly, her eyes fell upon the red plum blossoms on the table. In a flash, she remembered some news she had managed to hear from the flower bureau a few days earlier.
“Your Highness, look at the red plums on the table.”
Noble Consort Nian glanced once more at the empress’s aged face. She was already furious enough to breathe more out than in, and impatiently tugged her robe back into place. “What about them? There are plenty of red plums in Plum-Scent Garden. If you want to look at them, go there yourself.”
Consort Xiang had no desire whatsoever to look at plum blossoms.
She sighed and continued, “They say red plums were Empress Chunyuan’s favorite flowers. If the empress has placed them on the table, she must have some ulterior motive. Your Highness, why not switch them for wintersweet while no one is paying attention? The flower bureau has plenty in bloom.”
The moment Noble Consort Nian heard that she could make things difficult for the empress, she stopped drinking and forgot her anger entirely. She sprang back to life, and before long, the red plums throughout the hall had quietly been replaced with wintersweet.
By the time the empress noticed, the emperor had noticed as well.
Yinzhen stared at the vibrant wintersweet on the table. In an instant, the image of the girl he had thought about day and night surged into his mind, and the restlessness he had forcibly suppressed for months erupted all at once.
The empress froze for a moment when she saw that the red plums had been replaced, but quickly recovered. Yet sitting beside the emperor, she immediately sensed that something was wrong with his mood.
Although the emperor still lounged lazily in his seat and continued sipping his wine with an indifferent air, an inexplicable panic began to rise in her heart.
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Just as expected.
She was preparing to ask him about it when the emperor rose and left without warning, leaving the entire hall staring blankly after him. One by one, they turned their eyes toward the empress, assuming that she had somehow displeased him.
The empress fell silent.
What on earth had happened?
Noble Consort Nian was equally bewildered. She had never imagined that a few unimpressive sprigs of wintersweet could have such power.
Beside her, Consort Xiang raised her cup and smiled faintly, quietly taking all the credit.
~
“Bang!”
…
“Bang, bang!”
…
“Bang, bang, bang!”
Inside Radiant Splendor Palace, a succession of thunderous crashes came from outside the doors. Xia Dongchun, who had been gnawing on a pig’s trotter, was so startled that she nearly choked on a mouthful of skin.
After finally recovering, she led the trio toward the entrance, weapons in hand, putting on a menacing show.
The sky had already darkened, and she could only make out, more or less, the silhouette of someone standing in the light beyond the doorway.
When the doors finally collapsed, Yinzhen casually straightened his cuffs and then walked calmly and self-possessed toward Xia Dongchun.
Still frozen in shock, Xia Dongchun had not even had time to figure out what had possessed the emperor—whom she had not seen in months—before he seized her and dragged her inside.
Ye Yun was stunned.
Good heavens…
How incredibly charming.
Was this not hundreds of times more impressive than those domineering CEOs from television dramas?
That bearing.
That presence.
That strength.
That face.
A perfect score in every category.
The other two girls were palace-born and bred. Seeing their mistress being carried inside, they hurried anxiously after her.
They had only just reached the doorway when they were surrounded by the guards brought by Su Peisheng. As if he would allow it! His master had finally acted on impulse for once; naturally, he had to deal with these little shrimp and crab soldiers properly for him.
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Naturally, there were certain private motives he would never admit to. He cast another sidelong glance at Ye Yun.
Then he walked over and, quite reasonably, took her into custody.
Ye Yun fell silent.
After a token struggle, she accepted her fate.
She admitted that she had her own selfish motives. She had started shipping this couple long ago.
A steady, calculating, dangerously unhinged man paired with an innocent, willful woman made of steel.
It was absolutely perfect.
Outside, Xia Dongchun knew nothing of what was happening. At that moment, she was being pressed onto a boat by a certain beast of a man, who was both gentle and domineering.
Without giving her any chance to object, he began stripping away her defenses.
The little boat rocked through the entire night without stopping.
She woke on the boat, fainted, and woke again.
This storm seemed more violent than any that had come before.
She was tossed about in the rain until she was utterly spent, weak and limp, every muscle aching unbearably.
Not once did Radiant Splendor Palace call for hot water, yet the sounds within never ceased throughout the night.
Outside, Ye Yun had long since stopped resisting. For some reason, however, she was still being held captive. She could only sigh helplessly. The other two girls had given up as well; by now, there was no point in going inside.
The winter wind outside cut to the bone. Inside, the two were burning with passion, while the group outside worked through the night, terrified that the slightest mistake might disturb the long-awaited downpour at Radiant Splendor Palace.
~
Yinzhen quietly gazed at the little creature obediently held in his arms. With infinite tenderness, he brushed the beads of moisture from her brow, the affection in his eyes seemingly overflowing.
Holding her tightly at last, he felt the irritation that had accumulated over the past several months finally ease. Yinzhen pressed a gentle kiss to her lips, then held her as he sank into a deep sleep.
~
The next day, outside Palace of Gathering Benevolence.
Noble Consort Nian arrived early to pay her respects, only to be told that the empress’s headache had flared up. She immediately burst out laughing right there before the palace gates, making certain that the laughter was loud enough for everyone inside to hear.
Consort Xiang watched Noble Consort Nian’s unrestrained delight, then glanced at the utterly silent Palace of Gathering Benevolence. She finally understood.
Even when the man one truly loved was involved, hatred could still matter more.
Besides, love that received no response would, within the lonely depths of the imperial palace, only be devoured completely by an ever-growing hatred for someone else.
Still, perhaps this situation was not entirely bad. Having hatred to sustain oneself was better than chasing after a love one had known from the very beginning could never be obtained.
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