Chapter 3
Chapter 3
I begged the Empress Dowager.
No matter what, she had to let me stay far away from Zhao Xun.
She was silent for a long while. “All under heaven is the sovereign’s land.”
“Besides, the emperor is cleverer than both you and me.”
“Even if you fled to the ends of the earth, as long as he wished it, he could have you dragged back.”
“Unless…”
She seemed to consider something, then slowly closed her eyes. “I know what to do.”
“You may withdraw. Have Eunuch Hong come in. I have instructions for him.”
Outside the hall, princes, ministers, consorts, and members of the imperial clan knelt in rows.
The Empress Dowager held on half an hour longer than she had in my previous life.
When the sun dipped westward, Eunuch Hong came out, his face stricken with grief. “The Empress Dowager has passed into immortality.”
The air froze for a heartbeat.
Zhao Xun lifted his head, his face expressionless. “Did Imperial Mother leave any words for me?”
Eunuch Hong shook his head. “She did not.”
His gaze passed over the rigid man and landed on me.
“Before she died, the Empress Dowager left only one last will for Miss Shen.”
“She instructed this servant to announce it after the funeral rites are complete.”
Zhao Xun’s eyes fell on my face, and he gave a soft scoff.
In a side hall of Cining Palace.
I bent at the waist and served tea to him and the Noble Consort.
The Noble Consort suddenly covered her lips and laughed.
“I suppose it won’t be long before I have to call Aunt Shen my elder sister, will it?”
Zhao Xun took a sip of tea, his tone indifferent. “She isn’t worthy.”
The Noble Consort chided him coyly, “How is she unworthy? Imperial Mother loved Aunt Shen best. Naturally, she would do everything she could to send her to Your Majesty’s side.”
So that was what they all thought.
They thought I would beg the Empress Dowager to send me into the palace.
I took one step back and knelt, neither servile nor overbearing. “Your Highness sees clearly.”
“This servant has never harbored any thought of climbing above my station.”
The moment the words left my mouth, someone knocked over a teacup.
Shards of porcelain flew, and scalding tea spilled down the front of my robes.
I lifted my eyes and met Zhao Xun’s dark, brooding gaze.
He said flatly, “You overstepped your station and contradicted the Noble Consort.”
“From this moment on, you will kneel before the Empress Dowager’s memorial tablet. You are not to leave for even an instant.”
I knelt before the Empress Dowager’s tablet for seven full days.
On the final night, all the mourners had gone.
Only I remained kneeling there in a daze.
In my haze, I heard two voices whispering.
“Is she our birth mother?”
“Imperial Father said it himself. Aunt Shen is our real mother, and she’ll be raising us in the future.”
“I don’t want to be raised by some lowly maid!”
It was the First Prince’s angry voice.
The Second Prince sounded hesitant. “But Aunt Shen has been quite good to us…”
“Last time, when we smashed Imperial Father’s favorite crabapple blossoms, she covered for us and took ten strokes of the paddle from Imperial Father.”
The First Prince stamped his foot in frustration. “We are imperial princes. If we are raised by such a base birth mother, won’t the whole world mock us?”
“Between the noble-born Noble Consort and a maid, do you really not know whom to choose?”
After a long while, the Second Prince muttered, “What you said… does make sense.”
…
The voices gradually faded.
I laughed at myself, forced my body up, and went to add oil to the lamps.
The instant I stood, my vision went black.
Someone caught me, his voice urgent.
“Ah Tao, Ah Tao?”
When I regained consciousness, I was in a bedchamber scented with ambergris.
Zhao Xun quietly released me and lowered his eyes.
“To gain my attention, you truly will stop at nothing.”
I froze.
Only after Eunuch Hong reminded me did I learn that last night, Zhao Xun had originally been going to dine with the Noble Consort.
But in the end, when he passed by the mourning hall and found me unconscious, he stayed with me for the entire night.
His expression was ice-cold. “Do not think that because you begged the Empress Dowager and became my consort, you may act so recklessly.”
“Once you enter the palace, if you fight for favor and stir up trouble like this again, I will not spare you lightly.”
At this point, I knew there was no use explaining.
I shook my head and looked weakly toward Eunuch Hong. “The funeral rites are over. Eunuch Hong, please read the testament.”
Zhao Xun gave a cold laugh. “You truly cannot wait.”
Eunuch Hong gave him a meaningful look, then took the Empress Dowager’s decree from his sleeve and read it word by word.
“Palace maid Lady Shen has served me for many years. She is respectful, diligent, and has greatly pleased me.”
“After my funeral procession departs, Lady Shen shall leave the imperial city and go to Ziling Mausoleum to keep mourning rites for me. She may not leave unless she dies.”
The moment those words fell, Zhao Xun’s eyes snapped up.
His face darkened for an instant, then quickly returned to calm.
I nodded thoughtfully.
Guarding the mausoleum.
That was excellent too.
Though it would be harsh and lonely, at least I would be far from this place of strife.
It must have been hard for the Empress Dowager. Even as her lamp ran dry, she still forced herself to find me this way out.
I kowtowed in gratitude. “This servant will obey the Empress Dowager’s final command.”
Eunuch Hong’s gaze fell on both of our faces.
He said, “Miss Shen, please pack your belongings and leave the palace with the Empress Dowager’s coffin at once.”
He stressed the words “at once” heavily.