Chapter 12

Chapter 12

In the blink of an eye, the Fourth Prince, the Second Princess, and the Third Princess had all learned to walk. With the autumn weather turning cool and pleasant, they could often be seen in the Imperial Garden. Though Lady Xue disliked the consorts who competed with her for His Majesty’s favor, she treated all the children equally.

Back when she had no children of her own, she had doted dearly on Tun’er. Whenever she obtained some delicate little trinket suitable for a child, she would send it to me. She had even sent things to Jieyu Kang as well.

Watching from afar, I truly felt it looked like a painting. How lovely. I loved beauties, and I loved seeing harmony in the palace, with every flower blooming in its own way. It showed off my virtue as empress while also satisfying my personal tastes. The only thing to fear was someone refusing to behave.

Only, His Majesty seemed rather unenthusiastic this year. It was already this late in the season, yet not a single consort had announced good news. Surely he could not have overexerted himself last year and decided to rest this year. Surely not. His Majesty was in the prime of health and vigor right now. How could he slack off?

After returning, I carefully went through the Tongshi and properly reflected on myself. Lately, I had not shown enough concern for His Majesty. As a result, I had only noticed that he was entering and leaving the harem frequently, but had failed to realize he rarely spent the night with the younger consorts. Most of the time, he was with Lady Xue.

Ever since the emperor bestowed a name upon the Fourth Prince, the child’s health had improved greatly. It was rather strange. Still, in His Majesty’s eyes, the Fourth Prince’s gradual recovery was due to the name he had given him, so he had naturally become more attentive to the boy.

That needed to change.

I sifted through the list of lower-ranked consorts and decided to have them come up with something on their own to draw His Majesty’s attention. Otherwise, wasting away their youth like this would be far too much of a pity.

My younger sister back home had reached marriageable age, and a suitable family had already been chosen for her. A few days ago, Mother entered the palace to tell me about it, hoping to request the grace of an imperial marriage decree. I thought it was only a small matter, so I agreed.

Today, His Majesty came over, and as we talked, the subject came up. His Majesty said, “Your family knows when to advance and when to retreat.”

Seeing that his expression was somewhat off, I thought of the Xue family.

A month ago, the Third Son of the Xue Family had been accused of a whole series of crimes, including abducting a commoner’s daughter by force, galloping his horse through the streets, and taking innocent lives. The matter caused an enormous uproar. Even as the emperor’s maternal relative, he still ended with his head on the execution block.

For such a scandal to happen, he was naturally a child spoiled by his family. Because of this, the Xue family had run themselves ragged, entering the palace several times to beg Lady Xue for help. I guessed Lady Xue probably had not spoken on their behalf. Her heart had always been set on His Majesty, and this matter was her third brother’s fault to begin with. Naturally, she would not make things difficult for His Majesty. However, the Xue family came to her again and again, and once the final verdict was set, Lady Xue fell ill for a time.

As for the Xue family, who knew what they were thinking? They actually used the excuse of attending to her illness to send Lady Xue’s younger sister, Little Lady Xue, into the palace to take care of her. I asked Lady Xue for her opinion, and in the end, she agreed.

There was no way Lady Xue did not know what Little Lady Xue-or rather, the Xue family-had in mind. Still, she had clung to a sliver of hope. In the end, however, she was disappointed. I heard that Little Lady Xue had repeatedly arranged chance encounters with His Majesty. Fortunately, His Majesty paid her no mind.

Wanyi Xiang had described this matter to me several times in vivid detail, like a storyteller performing a tale. I even asked her how she knew, and she said that whenever she went out with the Second Princess, they kept running into her.

“The Noble Consort has nearly recovered,” I said. “This consort was thinking it might be best to send her younger sister out of the palace in the next day or two.”

“Excellent.”