Chapter 21: The Legend of Zhen Huan - Xia Dongchun 20
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#The Empress wanted to march up there and slap both the Empress Dowager and the Imperial Mother from both sides. Who did they think they were? The Imperial Mother had only one son: Honghui.
She quietly drew a deep breath and forcibly held herself back. “Of course, Imperial Mother. This is my duty. I will take good care of both younger sisters.”
As soon as she said this, the Empress Dowager noticed the two women sitting on the couch shrink back slightly.
The Empress Dowager’s expression immediately stiffened. What a disaster. An Empress who had lost the people’s support was no different from an Emperor who had lost the people’s hearts. Such a reign could never last.
She stroked the string of beads that Yunsi had given her two days earlier and thought, Forget family glory. A son’s glory is what truly matters.
The Empress Dowager sighed, gave a few more instructions, and left.
~
Inside the Palace of Gathered Blessings, Noble Consort Xiang had just sat down and was preparing to begin her usual brainwashing when Noble Consort Nian waved her off.
“Don’t say anything. I understand it all. I’m simply heartbroken.”
As she spoke, her gaze grew distant.
“So he is capable of loving someone after all—so carefully, protecting her in every possible way.”
What she did not know was that Consort Duan, who had just been released by the Emperor, was likewise sunk in depression and was currently carrying on even more desperately inside her chambers.
“Though the wind blows against me, it seems to understand my heart; may it not cruelly destroy me.”
Back then, Empress Chunyuan had been so favored that Consort Duan had believed it represented the entirety of the Emperor’s capacity for love. She had never imagined that, by comparison, everything Chunyuan had once possessed would prove so utterly fragile.
“Jixiang, how is that palace maid Zhen?”
After Jixiang handed her mistress the bowl of medicine, she replied, “Your Highness, her health is extremely poor, but she is still alive. Should we continue helping her?”
Consort Duan could not stop replaying the scene she had witnessed earlier that day.
“Continue. And tell Fangruo that I want an identical shadow.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Even though she already knew the answer, she still wanted to see it once more—to find out whether Chunyuan had ever truly occupied a place in the Emperor’s heart.
Consort Duan closed her eyes. If she had not, then everything she had once believed would become nothing but a joke.
~
“Sweetheart, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you. No matter how dangerous the harem becomes, none of it has anything to do with you. You only need to be happy.”
On the soft couch, Yinzhen held Xia Dongchun, who was drifting between wakefulness and sleep, and comforted her in a low voice. His little Nuo-nuo had been protected too well by her family. He was afraid that if he let his guard down for even a moment, something might happen to his girl.
Xia Dongchun did not know whether she had heard him, but she still murmured, “Mm.”
Once Xia Dongchun had fallen sound asleep, Yinzhen carried her to the bed and carefully tucked a light quilt around her.
When he came back out, his face was dark.
“Speak.”
Mukua emerged from the shadows and presented a box of scented powder. “Master, it was Ningxiang’s beast-taming powder… After the Empress Dowager left, she took the cat away.”
Ye Yun then appeared and filled him in on what had happened afterward.
Yinzhen tapped his fingers intermittently against the table, signaling Mukua to withdraw.
“Su Peisheng, issue the decree. Consort Chen is promoted to Noble Consort. Noble Consort Nian is granted the title ‘Hua’ and entrusted with assisting in the administration of the Six Palaces. Consort Jing is promoted to Noble Consort and likewise entrusted with assisting in the administration of the Six Palaces. Noble Lady Fuca is promoted to Consort and granted the title ‘Jin.’ Noble Lady Shen is promoted to Consort and granted the title ‘Shu.’”
Su Peisheng was first stunned himself, and then the entire inner palace was thrown into astonishment.
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Inside the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility, the Empress Dowager was sick to death of the woman kneeling before her. Every time, she had to clean up after her—and now it concerned the murder of her own grandson. No matter how she thought about it, there was nothing worthwhile in it. Even her fourteenth son had never caused her this much worry.
Seeing that Yixiu still dared to look resentful while kneeling on the floor, the Empress Dowager lost her temper and hurled her cup at her.
Bang!
“Ulanara Yixiu, this is the last time. If there is a next time, I will not interfere again. I still have my fourteenth son to protect.”
The Empress immediately panicked. The only people she could rely on were the Empress Dowager and her elder sister. She had dared to act so recklessly because the Empress Dowager had been contending with the Emperor on her behalf. Just like Noble Consort Nian, just like Noble Lady Fang, just like so many others—and even today, though the Emperor had clearly known everything, had he not compromised in the end?
Seeing that Yixiu still did not understand, the Empress Dowager could no longer be bothered to explain.
“Leave. From now on, conduct yourself wisely.”
The Empress’s face turned deathly pale, and she staggered out of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility.
Zhuxi asked, “Your Majesty, are you truly going to stop interfering?”
The Empress Dowager let out a long, heavy sigh.
“It is not that I refuse to interfere. It is that I can no longer do anything. The Emperor has truly fallen in love. Men of the Aisin Gioro clan become utterly reckless once they give their hearts away. Besides, Noble Consort Chen has a family background like that. Yixiu…”
“Send word to the family. Have all the girls married off as soon as possible. Those who are still young should be betrothed at once as well. This is the last thing I can do for the family.”
“Also, effective immediately, close the palace gates. Apart from the Emperor and the fourteenth prince, I will see no one.”
News from the Empress Dowager’s palace instantly overshadowed the great round of promotions throughout the inner palace.
In the Palace of Gathered Blessings, Noble Consort Nian burst into tears.
“My son, the Empress Dowager is no longer going to interfere. Your mother will soon be able to avenge you.”
After returning to the Palace of Universal Happiness, the Empress promptly fainted. Jianqiu summoned the imperial physicians, who conducted a thorough examination. The Empress had fallen ill again—only this time, she was genuinely sick. The Emperor immediately completed the entire process in one sweep: closing the palace and seizing power.
~
Two months later, beneath the blazing summer sun, Yinzhen brought a group of consorts to the Garden of Perfect Brightness.
Xia Dongchun was staying at Water and Sky in One, a place surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on the fourth.
Yinzhen went there with her. The moment Xia Dongchun entered, she rushed toward the freshly made swing chair. A thick blanket had been spread over it, and the armrests had been carved in the shape of wintersweet branches. It was exquisitely beautiful.
Seeing how recklessly she behaved, Yinzhen caught her in two or three strides and smacked her bottom twice.
Xia Dongchun: “…”
Her lips immediately turned downward.
Seeing this, Yinzhen hurried to soothe her. He scooped her into his arms, lowered his head to apologize, and offered an entire string of unequal terms and concessions.
Xia Dongchun was pacified at once.
Hehe.
Still, she knew that she would have to be more careful from now on. Xia Dongchun touched her belly. She was a woman carrying a baby now and could no longer afford to be willful.
Yinzhen smiled as well.
“What do you want to name our child?”
Without the slightest hesitation, Xia Dongchun replied, “Underpants!”
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Yinzhen: “…”
Unwilling to give up, he continued, “What about a daughter?”
“Little Underpants,” she answered matter-of-factly.
After confirming several times that she truly meant it, Yinzhen slowly released her and began searching through the books. His child was absolutely not going to be named Underpants—whether Big Underpants or Little Underpants.
Seeing this, Xia Dongchun awkwardly rubbed her nose and humbly sought the opinions of the few people nearby.
“Are underpants really such a bad name?”
The several innocent bystanders who had been dragged into the crossfire: “…”
They had no idea. She should not ask them.
Having received no answer, Xia Dongchun followed him inside and stood beside Yinzhen’s desk, her lips pursed.
“Am I more important, or is the child more important?”
Yinzhen: “?”
“Of course you are more important.” There were plenty of children in the inner palace; this one in her belly was hardly the only one.
Seeing that he did not even lift his head, Xia Dongchun fell into depression in an instant, a hundred dramatic scenarios unfolding in her mind.
It feels as though you are only humoring me.
Xia Dongchun felt that she was about to become unreasonable.
Perhaps she had been spoiled rotten.
But she could not help it.
She simply wanted him to pay attention to her feelings every moment of every day and then soothe her whenever she became upset.
But would there come a day when he grew tired of it?
Would he abandon her?
And what would she do then?
…
All right. She had made up her mind. If he abandoned her, she would run away with the child.
That was what Ye Yun’s book had said: If my lord becomes heartless, I shall leave him.
Ye Yun: “…”
That was not what she had meant at all!!