Chapter 2
Chapter 2
In my first year in the palace, the Emperor never once set foot in the inner court.
Aside from attending to affairs of state, all his remaining time was spent with the Empress.
In spring, he would break off sprays of locust blossoms and make buns with her. In summer, he would catch fish from the pond and slice them fresh for her. In autumn, he would pick osmanthus flowers and watch her brew wine…
And when winter came, the two of them would run through the vast imperial palace, chasing each other in snowball fights.
All because the Empress missed home, he indulged her in every act that defied palace rules.
He had promised the woman he loved exclusive favor.
Yet that did not stop him from bringing the daughters of noble clans into the palace, one after another.
Because he was the ruler of a nation. To ensure the peace of the realm for the next hundred years, he needed the support of the families behind them.
The consorts of the inner court were all daughters of illustrious houses capable of stabilizing the state, or daughters of military families who could command armies and shape the age.
Yet their grand investiture ceremonies had locked them away in the depths of the palace.
The Emperor paid them no mind, leaving those vibrant women to lose their radiance, like pearls buried beneath dust.
In Jinluan Hall, the ministers caused an uproar over this matter, kneeling one after another to plead:
His Majesty must think of heirs. He must allow the inner court to flourish and bear children.
The young Emperor flew into a rage on the spot, his voice sharp enough to strike fear into all who heard it.
“So long as the Empress has not conceived an imperial heir, the consorts of the inner court had better not even dream of it.”
With a single sentence, he protected the woman he loved once again.
The court officials who wished to raise their own daughters to favor were thrown into panic.
The consorts who had been planning to use certain means to harm the Empress were likewise frightened into stillness.
For a time, both the outer court and the inner palace became incomparably peaceful.
No one submitted memorials. No one fought for favor. Everyone prayed to the heavens for the same thing:
May the Empress conceive soon.
May the consorts filling this palace receive the Emperor’s favor soon.
It was not until early spring in the third year of Mingde that the inner court, silent as stagnant water, finally received joyful news.
After three years on the throne, the new Emperor was finally about to welcome his first little prince.
But on the day he learned of the good news, the Emperor flew into a rage and stormed off.
Because the one with child was not the Empress, who enjoyed his exclusive favor.
Nor was she any of the noble-born consorts who had already been granted titles.
She was a lowly maidservant who did rough work at the Laundry Bureau.
This was an absurd mistake the Emperor had made one drunken night, after spending half a month locked in a cold war with the woman he loved.
One night of favor, and she carried an imperial heir.
Such joyful news only provoked the dragon’s wrath. He smashed every porcelain vase in the hall.
When the news reached Qining Palace, I was playing chess with Worthy Consort Ye in the outer hall.
She was the daughter of Grand Princess Yanghua and the Emperor’s older cousin.
She acted as she pleased, and even the Emperor had to give her some leeway.
Just as the game reached a stalemate, the tabby cat nestled beside her sprang lightly onto the table, its tail sweeping across the board and scattering the pieces.
Worthy Consort Ye picked it up affectionately and smiled with bright, unrestrained amusement.
“You little beast. Shameless, aren’t you?”
After that unexpected night of favor with Palace Maid Shen, the usually steady Emperor completely lost his head.
But this was Great Zhou’s first child. It had to be protected.
Since the pregnancy could not be ended, all he could do was grant her the title of Consort Shen, then find a way to keep it from the Empress.
The Emperor, who had never been willing to set foot in the inner court, came to Qining Palace three times in a single day. His gaze was dark as he ordered the consorts present:
“Anyone who dares leak this will be beaten to death immediately.”
Yet Consort Shen, who had been fortunate enough to conceive an imperial heir, clutched tightly at my robe and knelt on the ground, sobbing as she refused to rise.
“I beg Your Highness, Noble Consort, grant this servant a bowl of abortion medicine.”
“This servant already has someone she loves. In just two more years, I could have left the palace and married him…”
Like a woman gone mad, she knocked her head to the floor again and again.
Her shattered grief was like the hopeless howl of a cornered beast with nowhere left to run.
But to harm an imperial heir was a crime punishable by the execution of nine clans.
Those who lived within the depths of the palace were never living for themselves.
They merely clung to a few threads of hope, living for the people waiting outside the palace walls.
If they could endure one more day, then they endured one more day.
After a long while, the hand clutching my skirt slowly loosened.
She rose quietly and allowed the palace maids to comb her hair, apply her makeup, and dress her in ornate palace robes.
As though she had been persuaded.
As though she had accepted her fate.
After Consort Shen became pregnant, the Emperor gave special instructions to the palace servants:
Not even a single bird was to be allowed to fly into Phoenix Brocade Palace.
He truly was afraid.
He had promised the Empress a lifetime of one husband and one wife, yet for the sake of the realm, he had no choice but to break his word.
He had promised the Empress exclusive favor and unwavering devotion, yet he still failed to control his lower half and robbed a palace maid of her innocence.
Although Empress Gu came from distant Dingzhou and had grown up among the countryside, her nature was unyielding. She would never tolerate the slightest deception or betrayal.
If someone with ulterior motives found a way to reveal the news of Consort Shen’s pregnancy to the Empress, it would undoubtedly lead to disaster.
But when one has sown the cause with one’s own hands, how can one stop it from bearing fruit?
Spring passed into autumn, and the wild geese cried overhead in endless waves.
When Consort Shen was six months pregnant, the Empress still discovered her.