20demayo Chapter 106
Chapter 106
jiang xinyue didn't concern herself with the conflict in the wardrobe department, unless fang rumeng came to her for help.
everyone has their own destiny. if fang rumeng wanted to advance, she needed to have the ability to handle such situations. otherwise, even if jiang xinyue helped her repeatedly, there would come a day when she would be unseated.
moreover, the hexi palace was facing a major problem!
empress zhu arrived with consort de and consort liang. the three of them sat in the main seat and the two seats to its left and right, making jiang xinyue, the actual hostess, seem more like an outsider.
her face betrayed no emotion, but in her heart, she thought: what's meant to come will always find its way.
it was likely that the person behind the scenes who knew about her pregnancy had spread the news of her secluded confinement.
empress zhu silently observed jiang xinyue, who was kneeling on the ground. she wore a loose sleeping gown with a sheer, flower-and-bird embroidered robe over it. without any makeup, she still looked charming and delightful, a sight for sore eyes.
consort liang and consort de exchanged glances, wanting to speak but hesitating because empress zhu hadn't yet opened her mouth. they dared not rashly ask jiang xinyue to rise.
jiang xinyue secretly raised her head to look at empress zhu, furrowing her brow with eyes full of grievance.
this furtive glance was well-timed. empress zhu, as if just noticing, gestured to her: "why is concubine zhen still kneeling? i heard you're with child. quickly, take a seat. if something were to happen to you from kneeling, i wouldn't know how to explain it to the emperor."
getting straight to the point without any pleasantries showed that empress zhu was truly anxious.
this was understandable. typically, when a palace consort became pregnant, it was registered with the palace eunuch office and then reported to the empress. the empress would choose an opportune moment to inform the emperor, who would then bestow rewards based on his favor towards the consort.
others might be excused, as some concealed their pregnancies to avoid harm. but concubine zhen was supposed to be on her side, yet the empress had to learn of her pregnancy from others.
empress zhu's lips began to tremble. after more than a decade of marriage, he didn't even have this much trust in her.
"your majesty has misunder-"
"your majesty has misunderstood."
jiang xinyue cut off consort de's words, peeking out from behind the emperor with a smile. "empress zhu brought sister de and sister liang to see me. i was just joking with the empress when you happened to arrive, your majesty."
consort liang, knowing to give empress zhu a way out, quickly added, "yes, your majesty. concubine zhen's pregnancy is such wonderful news, and she just told us. we were saying we should punish her. she's always been good at acting coy, and knowing the empress is softhearted, she was just being playful with her majesty!"
the four women presented a united front, leaving the xuanwu emperor embarrassed. seeing this, jiang xinyue squeezed his hand and whispered in his ear, "but your majesty's concern for me is deeply felt. i'm very touched. tonight before bed, i'll tell our baby in my womb how much their father loves them."
the xuanwu emperor had invested more emotion in jiang xinyue's unborn child than in all the children in the harem combined. he was pleased to hear her praising him to the child, even though it wasn't born yet.
empress zhu and the others watched as the emperor, who had been angry and embarrassed and might have taken it out on concubine zhen, was easily placated by a few words, his eyes now full of tender affection for her.
then, concubine zhen effectively dismissed him, sending the emperor away.
amazingly, not only did the emperor not get angry, he even kissed concubine zhen on the top of her head and said to empress zhu, "empress, i was simply too worried about concubine zhen. please don't take offense. things have been unsettled in hexi palace lately, and i've been quite anxious. have the lamps lit in yikun palace tonight. i'll go see the fifth prince."
after saying this, he glanced at concubine zhen again, as if to say: "i've done everything as you suggested. are you satisfied now?"
concubine zhen pressed her palm to her lips and kissed it, then waved her hand towards the emperor. the emperor made a grabbing motion in the air, as if catching the kiss, and tucked it into his chest pocket, patting it gently to show he would keep the flying kiss safe.
such a presumptuous act, and yet the emperor indulged it. it seemed the winds of change were indeed blowing through the palace.
concubine li had once mocked jiang xinyue as yesterday's news, a fleeting beauty. but now, it appeared that those words applied to concubine li herself.