The words caught in the Xuanwu Emperor's throat as he suddenly wondered if the third prince had misunderstood Consort De. How could Consort De possibly say something to the third prince that would damage his relationship with Concubine Zhen?
He didn't dwell on it too much, so he didn't think deeply about it. Instead, he answered the prince's previous question: "Both your eldest sister and second sister are Xuan'er's sisters. Xuan'er, you're a man, and you can't let small matters cause a rift between you and your sisters, understand? What happens between your mother and Consort Liang is adult business and doesn't concern you children. Go back and tell your sisters the same thing, and say it's from your father."
The third prince nodded vigorously. "Concubine Zhen is right. Father is truly wise and mighty. There's nothing that can stump Father."
Jiang Xinyue's flattery, delivered through the third prince, had circuitously made its way back to herself.
Human flatulence stinks because of molecular movement; flattery smells sweet for the same reason.
Rumors, gossip, and all sorts of hearsay circulated through the palace faster than molecular movement.
The discord between Consort De and Consort Liang was now an indisputable fact.
"What's wrong with you all? You can't even keep an eye on a child. What use are you to me?" Consort De had been rather short-tempered lately. Rumors had surfaced from somewhere about her falling out with Consort Liang.
The last time in Shunan Palace, she had indeed quarreled with Consort Liang. She had deliberately provoked Consort Liang, goading her into action. Then, she had conveniently fallen against the corner of a table, cutting her face.
Her actions were merely to show the Emperor and the Empress who was the best choice to lead the four consorts.
Later, after the Empress's mediation, Consort Liang had apologized to her. To maintain her image of a peaceful, non-confrontational person, she had made peace with Consort Liang.
However, someone had been stirring up trouble in front of the second princess, making the relationships between the children extremely awkward.
She had previously warned the second princess and the third prince to have less contact with Shunan Palace, fearing that Consort Liang might harm her children. The children didn't dare ask her directly, so they inevitably turned to the palace servants for answers.
Perhaps it was then, when she hadn't explained the situation promptly, that this mess had been created.
Faced with Consort De's fury, the palace servants all knelt down.
"Why is my beloved consort so angry?"
The familiar male voice startled Consort De. She hurriedly stood up, her heart pounding like muffled thunder: "Your... Your Majesty. This concubine pays her respects."
She glanced up at the third prince sleeping in the Xuanwu Emperor's arms, and tears instantly fell from her eyes. "This concubine thought... thought something had happened to Xuan'er. I was worried sick."
It was perfectly normal to be angry out of concern for the third prince's safety.
The Emperor comforted her, "Xuan'er snuck off to Hexi Palace. The servants there followed him to Chengqian Palace to find me."
Consort De placed her hand on her chest, appearing greatly relieved. "As long as he didn't go play by the water. I trust Concubine Zhen to look after him."
"Mm," the Emperor nodded, handing the sleeping third prince to the wet nurse. He then took Consort De's hand and sat down, patting her hand without letting go. "Xuan'er has been raised well. You've worked hard these many years."
Consort De's heart skipped a beat: A weasel paying New Year's respects to a chicken - he's up to no good. Unsolicited favors are either villainy or thievery.
She ran through all the misdeeds she had committed in her life, but before she could finish recounting them all, the Emperor spoke again: "So, I hope he can continue to be this good. Does Consort De understand my meaning?"
The man's gaze was intense, not filled with love, but with scrutiny and severity.
Concubine Zhen... Xuan'er... Consort Liang...
Thoughts flashed through Consort De's mind like lightning, but her face showed only confusion. "Xuan'er is my child. Of course, I'll do my utmost to care for him. Recently, I've been feeling unwell, so I may have been a bit lax in disciplining him. He's always running off to Concubine Zhen's place. I was afraid of passing my illness to Concubine Zhen, so I scared him a bit, saying that Concubine Zhen found him annoying and that he should disturb her less while she's with child. Did that little rascal go complain to Your Majesty that I was bullying him?"
So that's what happened.
The Xuanwu Emperor smiled again, his tone tinged with concern as he released her hand. "My beloved consort is ill? Have you seen the imperial physician?"
A cat crying over a dead mouse - false compassion.
Consort De smiled, "I've already sent Cui Yin to fetch medicine from the Imperial Hospital."
In Hexi Palace -
"The Emperor is having dinner in Yanqing Palace?"
Xique nodded. "My lady, it seems Consort De won't lose favor so easily."
Jiang Xinyue picked up a piece of her favorite ginger-fried chicken with her chopsticks and chewed slowly. "I never expected to bring her down in one go. It's just about planting seeds of doubt in the Emperor's heart. As long as we persist in watering and tending to this seed, one day it will grow into a towering tree, and Consort De's image will crumble in the Emperor's heart."
He would feel deeply betrayed and deceived. He would be furious and feel that he had been betrayed.
Could Consort De withstand the Emperor's wrath when that time came?
She had planted the seed. If the seed's owner dared to move against her rashly, she would start watering and fertilizing it.
Jiang Xinyue wasn't afraid of Empress Zhu, nor of Consort Li, and certainly not of Consort Liang. She only feared that when the time came for her to give birth, leaving her unable to attend to many matters, Consort De might strike from the shadows.
The day the Emperor dined in Yanqing Palace, Consort De claimed to be ill and didn't leave her quarters. The imperial physician merely said that Consort De had caught a chill from the cool breeze.
This worked out well; even the third prince was ordered not to visit Hexi Palace anymore.
A satisfied smile curved Jiang Xinyue's lips. It seemed their Consort De was quite clever; she had understood her warning and had backed down.
Consort De was indeed a worthy opponent, knowing when to advance and when to retreat.
Jiang Xinyue felt no guilt about using the third prince in this way. After all, trusting and relying on his father would only make the Xuanwu Emperor more fond and protective of the third prince.
This time, Consort De had suffered a silent defeat. Despite being a schemer with deep machinations herself, her son was an innocent, open-hearted simpleton who blurted out everything, both what should and shouldn't be said.
Yet she couldn't explain this to her son directly. If she did, the naive boy would go to his father for clarification, and then what would be the point of her scheming? She might as well pack her bags and retire to the Palace of Exile!
The more she thought about it, the more Consort De realized that Concubine Zhen was not to be underestimated. She called for the Chief Eunuch of her palace: "The people we arranged back then - are you certain they've all been taken care of?"
The Chief Eunuch nodded: "Rest assured, Your Highness. The great fire in Xihuo Palace didn't just claim the lives of the Empress's spies."
Before Concubine Zhen left the Palace of Exile, Xihuo Palace was struck by lightning and caught fire, killing two palace maids. One of them was from their Yanqing Palace.
It was Consort De who placed the saw under the magpie's bed, framing Concubine Zhen for sawing through the railing of the lotus pond.
To this day, everyone still believes it was a trap deliberately set by Concubine Li's faction to scheme against Concubine Zhen.
