20demayo Chapter 23
Chapter 23
chapter 23
jiang xinyue sat in front of a copper mirror, with xi que and shuang jiang kneeling at her feet. xi que held a tray with the pigeon soup she had mentioned.
on the other side, shuang jiang's chin rested on jiang xinyue's hand, which lifted her face to inspect the red marks on her cheeks.
some areas had even started to bleed with dark crimson beads.
what had layue used to strike shuang jiang's face so severely during this lunar month? was she being heavy-handed?
"your majesty!"
jiang xinyue didn't expect the xuanwu emperor to visit. she hurriedly knelt on the ground, not in formal attire but in a simple sleeping robe with her hair loose, looking rather unkempt.
yet a beauty remains a beauty; even wrapped in rags, she could carry the aura of haute couture gowns worth tens of thousands.
though appearing unadorned, each strand of her hair was styled with minimal makeup to highlight her beauty to the utmost.
her eyes were as red as a rabbit's, adding a touch of fragility.
jiang xinyue had arranged with the eunuch guards to shake a lantern whenever the emperor arrived.
this lord was fond of eavesdropping.
"what happened here?"
the xuanwu emperor helped her up from the ground. "were you mistreated?"
he needn't have asked, for the question alone brought tears streaming down jiang xinyue's face.
afraid her voice would break into sobs, she stubbornly bit her lip, large teardrops rolling unceasingly as she shook her head, unwilling to speak.
shuang jiang kept her head lowered until the emperor addressed her, "you tell me."
shuang jiang glanced at jiang xinyue, who turned away. "the emperor asks you a question. what are you looking at me for?"
she seemed intent on seeking justice for shuang jiang.
the xuanwu emperor had never seen her so angry before.
jiang xinyue lowered her eyes. she knew that if she spoke words of understanding now, the emperor would only feel sorrier for her. but her mood was foul, as if she had fed her previous two meals to the dogs.
she remained silent with downcast eyes, tears flowing, a sight that truly pained the xuanwu emperor. he could only gently soothe her as jiang xinyue pouted, "concubine li may be noble, but how dare her maid take advantage of her status to act so audaciously? layue is but a palace maid, yet she presumes herself equal to concubine li, truly outrageous. if she ever disrespects this concubine again, i shall not spare her."
she was preemptively warning the emperor, lest he defend concubine li the next time she struck layue.
she could not reprimand the esteemed concubine li, but was she to fear a mere maid?
she did not believe in tolerating mistreatment for temporary peace, nor did she subscribe to the notion of "a gentleman avenges insults after ten years."
as the saying goes, "tolerate once and risk ovarian cysts; retreat a step and invite breast tumors."
if wronged, she would retaliate immediately.
if her palace maids were struck, she would strike back, devising ways to return the blows.
in concubine li's changxin palace, when word spread that the emperor had visited the hexi palace that night, the guilt-ridden layue revealed that she had struck shuang jiang. "i knew that pig's stomach soup was made on your orders for the emperor, yet she insisted on adding angelica sinensis, clearly mocking you for monopolizing the emperor's favor. ten slaps were merciful. i only feared... feared they would complain to the emperor... bringing trouble upon you, my lady."
concubine li paid no mind, lazily lifting her eyelids before blowing on her fingernails, tinted with fengxianhua juice. "she's just a servant. so what if she was struck? do you really think the emperor would make an issue over zhenji?"
reassured by concubine li's words, layue's arrogance grew unchecked.
any concubine disliked by their mistress could be struck, for their mistress would protect them.
only after the xuanwu emperor doted on jiang xinyue again did the palace realize that during concubine li's illness of half a month, the emperor had not visited any other concubines, except the empress on the fifteenth.
as soon as concubine li recovered, the emperor went to the hexi palace.
how dare they mock zhenji?
they were the true laughingstocks.
concubine li had not come to pay respects to empress zhu for a long time, but this did not prevent her from learning about layue's whereabouts.
the hibiscus mutabilis was concubine li's favorite flower. at present, the hanging hibiscus mutabilis specially planted for the concubine in the imperial garden was blooming vibrantly, and layue would come every day to pick a bouquet to cheer up concubine li.
jiang xinyue held the hand of xi que, carrying the potted plant steadily. she turned to shuang jiang, whose face was covered with a veil, and said, "don't hesitate later. when i order you to strike, you strike. understand?"