Chapter 67
Chapter 67
A box of gold beads was indeed unearthed beneath the tree at Qingzheng Hall!
The beads had been fashioned from pure gold and remained bright as new after two hundred years, but the wooden box was an ordinary object. By the time it was dug up, it had almost completely decayed.
Suppressing the shock in his heart, Zhao Yixing personally carried the objects to Chengyi Hall, the palace where Lady Yu now resided.
Lady Yu was still seated in the place of honor, her expression serene as she slowly savored a cup of tea.
His Majesty held a book and leisurely turned its pages.
The atmosphere appeared fairly harmonious.
Then Zhao Yixing entered, holding the dirt-stained wooden box high in both hands, and knelt before the emperor.
The young emperor seemed to freeze. He stared at the wooden box for a long moment.
A Black-Robed Guard behind him tried to step forward, but the emperor stopped the guard. He reached out himself and opened it, heedless of the wet earth and grime.
Golden light gleamed.
Zhao Yixing knew the emperor exceedingly well. Bowing low, he reported, “This servant watched the entire process from beginning to end. This wooden box was indeed dug from beneath the ground.”
Zhu Yin set down her teacup and asked with a smile, “Well?”
“Aside from me, no one else in this world should know of these gold beads.”
She had no idea who had actually buried them, but she did not care. From the moment she spoke of them, they had to have been buried by Emperor Gaozu’s youngest daughter, Princess Rongqing, with her own hands.
The emperor’s expression shifted unpredictably. After a long while, he suddenly ordered, “Everyone out!”
This time, the two of them were truly alone in the hall.
The emperor stood. Zhu Yin remained seated.
The emperor sighed. “I hope my ancestor will forgive me. This matter is simply too incredible.”
Zhu Yin could tell at a glance that the boy still did not fully trust her. He simply could not be certain she was an impostor, so he remained polite.
She said mildly, “No matter. It truly is shocking. I am surprised as well.”
The emperor froze. “You do not know why you have appeared here either?”
Zhu Yin glanced at him with disdain. “I labored my entire life for the realm of Great Yong. After finally earning my eternal rest, I opened my eyes to find myself alive again–as a Lady waiting for the emperor’s favor. Do you imagine I am pleased?”
Emperor Gaozu had died in his forties. The empire had only just been founded, countless matters awaited attention, and the young ruler was still a child. The empress governed from court for more than ten years. Though she did not bear the title of emperor, she wielded an emperor’s true authority.
That was why she also used the imperial “I.”
The emperor finally registered her current identity and, in a rare display of awkwardness, rubbed his nose.
If she was telling the truth, then his ancestor had become his consort. That was truly… Alas.
In any case, there could be no question of granting her his favor.
It was already late. Zhu Yin was not a person inclined toward courtesy, and with her current “identity,” she had no need for it.
She said bluntly, “I am going to bed. Emperor, do as you please.”
The emperor: “…”
He rose and coughed. “Rest well.”
He summoned attendants to help Lady Yu retire.
He had intended to return to his own palace. Then another thought occurred to him, and he turned toward Qingzheng Hall.
The empress, who had been awakened earlier, had only just prepared to sleep again when a palace attendant announced His Majesty’s arrival.
She had no choice but to loosely pin up her long hair once more and go out to welcome him.
The emperor took her hand and said apologetically, “This is my fault. I disturbed your rest.”
He and the empress had been married since youth and shared a deep, loving bond.
The empress was puzzled. “Your Majesty, did you not go to Lady Yu’s residence tonight?”
Her fine brows drew together, disapproval in her voice. “Lady Yu has only just entered the palace, and this is her first night attending you. If you come to Qingzheng Hall in the middle of the night, how is she supposed to face everyone afterward?”
At the mention of Lady Yu, the emperor’s brows tangled as if they might knot. Weary to his bones, he said, “I don’t think she cares about that in the slightest. I’m the one who no longer knows how to face anyone.”
He and the empress had a good relationship. In private, they did not fuss over formal modes of address and were very relaxed with each other.
The empress started. “What do you mean, Your Majesty?”
The emperor waved for all the palace attendants to withdraw. Only then did he lower his voice. “I have a secret to tell you.”
Lady Yu’s identity posed an enormous problem. Any attendants or guards who had heard even fragments tonight would have to be removed. The emperor would not take their lives over it, but they could no longer remain in the palace.
There were private thoughts the emperor could not share with Zhao Yixing, no matter how deeply he trusted him.
He told only the empress. In the entire world, this wedded wife was the person he trusted and loved most.
He gave her a detailed account of everything that had happened that night.
The empress was always composed. Even after hearing something so unbelievable without warning, she merely looked thoughtful. “No wonder Your Majesty suddenly sent people to dig at Qingzheng Hall tonight.”
She smiled. “You worried me for quite some time. I truly thought you had lost something terribly important.”
The emperor had come both to share the secret and to discuss a response with his wife. “So what should we do with her now?”
The empress considered it. “For now, we should treat her with respect. Tomorrow morning, I will issue a decree, and Your Majesty should issue one as well, lest the palace look down on Lady…”
At this point, even she found the form of address strange. She could only trail off vaguely. “Lest they look down on that person.”
Lady Yu had not received the emperor’s favor on the first night she was summoned, and the emperor had not stayed at Chengyi Hall.
Once the news spread, there was no telling how many people would speculate and mock her in secret.
The empress was intensely curious. “Is she truly Empress Wu?”
At the mention of Empress Wu, the empress’s clear, beautiful eyes shone. Among all the imperial consorts across Great Yong’s generations, who did not revere and admire that legendary woman?
The emperor hesitated and shook his head. “Who can know apart from the woman herself?”
Even so, when she named the gold beads buried underground for countless years, a balance had tipped in the emperor’s heart.
Whether she was Empress Wu or not, she was certainly no longer Lady Yu.
.
Chengyi Hall.
Barbara, stunned by the series of maneuvers its host had just performed, asked the same question. “Does the emperor believe you?”
Palace attendants helped Zhu Yin change into nightclothes, combed out her hair, and settled her comfortably beneath the bedding. She yawned.
“Not necessarily, but this is enough.”
Whether the emperor believed her or not, he now regarded her with sufficient wariness and respect.
At the very least, he would no longer treat her as an imperial consort.
More than favor, a competent emperor would probably care whether she sought even greater power.
After all, the identity she had borrowed belonged to the founding empress who had truly served as regent for more than a decade.
There were no secrets in the harem. Of all the palace candidates in this selection, Lady Yu had been the first the emperor summoned to his bed. Countless women had probably twisted their handkerchiefs to shreds in envy.
The female lead, Su Yiwan, who lived in a side hall somewhere, was not particularly surprised.
She sat quietly by the window and thought calmly, Just as in my previous life.
Lady Yu came from a good family and was lovely. After receiving the emperor’s favor, she had remained glorious for a long time.
Su Yiwan began considering how she might establish a connection with Lady Yu.
As she thought, fatigue overcame her, and she fell asleep.
Early the next morning, a palace attendant gently woke her.
Today, all the newly admitted imperial consorts were to visit Qingzheng Hall and pay their respects to Her Majesty the Empress.
While helping her wash and dress, her maid lowered her voice. “Attendant Su, this servant heard that Lady Yu of Chengyi Hall did not receive the emperor’s favor last night. For some unknown reason, she angered His Majesty. Many people saw the imperial procession leave in the night for Her Majesty the Empress’s Qingzheng Hall.”
A trace of schadenfreude colored the maid’s voice.
Su Yiwan froze. Lady Yu had lost favor and angered His Majesty?
Nothing like that had happened in her previous life!