Chapter 4

Chapter 4

And then came this incident.

I knew how wronged she felt and how bitterly she was suffering. I also knew why she was crying.

Li Yi’s words-“Wearing it would only make you a laughingstock”-had struck her precisely where it hurt most, like a knife plunged into an open wound.

She had entered his household at sixteen and devoted the best years of her life to Li Yi. She was not exceptionally beautiful or talented, and her disposition was anything but gentle and docile. The only advantage she had was a respectable family background, but her father and brothers had been dead for so many years that those hollow distinctions were of little use now.

She had neither his favor nor any children. Her family had risked their lives to help Li Yi ascend the throne, yet now, for the sake of a low-ranking Concubine Zhen who had only just entered the palace, Li Yi had humiliated her in front of so many people. She might not have his favor, but her family had served him faithfully and made tremendous sacrifices over the years. Yet Li Yi would not grant her even this small measure of dignity.

She had been her family’s only daughter and had once been cherished like a priceless jewel. If her father and brothers were still alive, she never would have suffered such humiliation.

She was thinking of her family. That was the source of her grief.

Clutching the bowl of medicine, she began sobbing like a child. I put an arm around her, patted her back, and comforted her. “It’s all right now. You still have me.”

She cried freely for nearly half an hour.

I remained quietly by her side until she had released some of the anguish pent up within her. When she appeared to be feeling a little better, I finally relaxed.

I watched her finish the entire bowl of medicine, then had Dujuan help her mistress back to her palace to rest. There was no need for her to kneel any longer. I also ordered the imperial physician to prescribe two more calming remedies and told her to rest properly for the next few days.

Then I instructed Chunlan, my senior palace maid, “Have the Imperial Household Department notify everyone that I have recovered. Starting tomorrow, every palace is to resume paying morning respects.”

I added evenly, without the slightest emotion, “I merely rested for one month, yet the Six Palaces have grown increasingly unruly.”

By five the next morning, nearly every consort and concubine had arrived.

I did not enter the hall until almost seven. The women filling the hall knelt before me in several orderly rows and greeted me in unison. I swept my gaze over them but did not tell them to rise. Instead, I accepted the cup of tea Chunlan offered me and leisurely brushed aside the floating tea leaves with its lid.

I had always governed the harem with kindness and leniency. I had never deliberately made things difficult for any of the women, and when they occasionally committed some minor offense, I rarely held it against them.

This time, although I left them kneeling for a long while, none of them appeared surprised. They simply remained obediently on their knees. They likely all knew that I was angry, for each of them held her breath and kept silent beneath my scrutiny.

Li Yi’s harem was not particularly large. Since ascending the throne, he had held only one palace selection, from which he had chosen just twelve women. The families of all twelve newcomers were closely connected to the imperial court.

The most favored among them was naturally Concubine Zhen. Her family was not the most distinguished in that group of candidates. It was her eyes-especially the expression in them when she slightly lowered her lashes-that bore a striking resemblance to someone I had once known.

I looked at Concubine Zhen. She was kneeling obediently at the back with her head lowered, making her expression impossible to read. Her body, however, trembled faintly. She clearly knew I would not let the incident between her and Consort Shu a few days ago pass without consequence.

In truth, the moment I first saw her during the palace selection, I knew she was certain to win Li Yi’s favor.

Sure enough, Li Yi had faltered for a moment when he saw her. The very next night, he selected her name tablet and summoned her to his bedchamber.

After a pause, I shifted my gaze to the other women who had entered the palace at the same time as she had.

None of them was particularly remarkable. A few had yet to be summoned by Li Yi even once. The highest-ranking among them was Consort Hui. Her family was the most prominent of the entire group, as she was the granddaughter of the Minister of Works. She was also the woman Li Yi had favored on the first night.

The others were women who had accompanied Li Yi since his days in the Eastern Palace. Only the few before me had survived to this day.

Consort Shu, Song Jingying, had formerly been a Liangdi in the Eastern Palace. Since she was ill, I had excused her from attending today. Of the women who had once shared the rank of Liangdi with her, one had been made Consort Yuan after bearing a son, while another had been made Consort Qi because her family had contributed to Li Yi’s ascension. The remaining few were so inconspicuous that they were all merely granted the rank of Noble Lady, left to live out dreary lives in the harem whose endings could already be foreseen.

Among those who had died was Jiang Wanyi, formerly the Crown Prince’s Side Consort. After Li Yi ascended the throne, he made her Imperial Noble Consort and granted her the title Chen. In the second year of his reign, however, she was convicted, and her entire clan was sentenced to death. In gratitude for the support Consort Chen’s natal family had once given him, Li Yi made an exception and spared her life. But Consort Chen was proud and unyielding. The day after her entire clan was executed, she hanged herself with a length of white silk in the Cold Palace. She left behind only one daughter-Princess Pingyang, for whom Consort Shu had intended to make the hairpin as a gift.

Of those who remained, Shen Jieyu had caused me to miscarry in the third year of Fuyuan and was executed along with her entire clan. Li Baolin died of illness before Li Yi ascended the throne, and the Second Prince she bore contracted smallpox after her death and did not survive. The last, Zhao Baolin, was stabbed to death amid the chaos when the Third Prince launched his palace coup that year.

That was the current state of Li Yi’s imperial harem.

The consorts were a mixed lot, with few promising newcomers, and the imperial bloodline was dangerously thin. To this day, there was only one prince in the palace, and he was timid by nature. No wonder the court officials submitted memorials day after day, urging Li Yi to hold a large-scale selection of young women to replenish the harem.

I looked at the rows of women kneeling before me, sighed, and said softly, “You may all rise.”

They silently breathed sighs of relief, then rose respectfully. Those of sufficient rank took their seats on the chairs to either side, while those who were not remained standing.

Lowering my eyes, I took a sip of tea before saying, “The head steward of the Imperial Workshops has already been dealt with. I presume you are all aware of that. Ordinarily, I would never become so angry over such a trivial matter. But a person must fulfill the duties of their position. He could not even properly carry out such a simple order from his masters, yet dared to be perfunctory, defy his superiors, and disregard every rule. There was no reason to keep such a man.”

I paused, then looked up at Concubine Zhen, who sat anxiously at the very end. With a gentle smile, I asked, “Wouldn’t you agree, Concubine Zhen?”

Her face went deathly pale. She slid from her chair and collapsed to her knees, her lips trembling as she said, “I beg Her Ladyship’s forgiveness.”

I set down my teacup and asked calmly, “What crime have you committed?”

She looked ready to burst into tears as she whispered, “I should not have taken Consort Shu’s possession. But… but I liked it so very much. I thought Consort Shu wasn’t like me, born into a humble family and unaccustomed to fine things, so surely she wouldn’t quibble with me over it. I was wrong.”

I watched the tears trail down her face. In truth, her personality bore no resemblance whatsoever to Li Lingshu’s. The woman in my memories had always kept her eyes lowered and conducted herself with respectful composure, standing quietly behind Li Yi. Back then, Jiang Wanyi and Shen Zhinian had fought tooth and nail in the Eastern Palace. Neither of them had imagined that the most inconspicuous maid at Li Yi’s side was the one he truly cherished-the unforgettable love engraved upon his heart.

Li Lingshu never showed her hand. She was discreet and steady, and even someone as calculating as Jiang Wanyi had suffered quite a few losses at her hands. That was what true intelligence looked like.

The only thing Concubine Zhen shared with Li Lingshu was her eyes.

Still, that slight resemblance alone was enough to ensure that, so long as she did not court her own destruction, she would continue to receive some measure of imperial favor.

I turned my head and coughed twice. Consort Yuan, seated just below me, looked over with concern and said, “Her Ladyship mustn’t become angry. Please take care of your health.”

I waved a hand, then turned back to Concubine Zhen and said coolly, “Since you know you were wrong, I needn’t waste any more words. I presume you will accept your punishment willingly.”

“You showed no respect for rank and grew arrogant because of the favor you received. The Emperor may indulge you, but the rules of the harem cannot be allowed to fall into disorder. If everyone followed your example, this palace would be turned upside down before long.”

“Consort Shu outranks you. Though she should not have acted impulsively, you were still the cause of this incident, and she has already been punished. You will kneel outside Yuanqing Palace each day and reflect upon your actions-eight hours a day for one full month. Learn this lesson well, and let the rest of the harem take warning from your example.”

“You will begin today.”

Tears pooled in her eyes, but a trace of defiance crossed her face. She instinctively protested, “But… but The Emperor already said the hairpin should be given to me. Even if I was at fault, my offense surely doesn’t warrant this. Her Imperial Majesty the Empress, you-”

She stopped herself. I smiled and asked, “Are you saying my punishment is too severe? In that case, you may kneel for three full months instead.” I paused, taking in her increasingly bloodless face and delicate, pitiable appearance, then added with a faint, mocking smile, “If you have any objections, send The Emperor to speak to me.”

With that, I closed my eyes. My body had yet to fully recover, and weariness was setting in.

“That will be all for today. You may leave.”