Jiang Xinyue stumbled along, pushing away the palace maids trying to support her. Crying, she crawled up the steps of Taihe Hall. Just as she managed to stand steady, she fell into an embrace that carried the scent of dragon's saliva incense.
"Didn't I tell you to stay put in Hexi Palace? Why did you come out? Do you not value your life?"
"Clang!"
The long sword fell to the ground. Jiang Xinyue cradled the Xuanwu Emperor's head, turning it back and forth as she spoke through her sobs, "Your Majesty is alive, Your Majesty is alive, thank heavens... I was so scared... Someone came knocking at my palace door, saying Your Majesty had been shot by an arrow. I... I couldn't think of anything else... There were... there were dead bodies everywhere, I was terrified..."
On that sword, there were traces of dried blood, as well as fresh red droplets still falling.
In other words, Concubine Zhen, a weak woman with no martial arts skills, upon hearing that he had been shot, had single-handedly taken up a sword and fought her way from Hexi Palace to Taihe Hall.
Did she not fear death?
This moved and shocked him even more than Consort Rong taking an arrow for him.
Taking an arrow still left a slim chance of survival if one was lucky and it didn't hit a vital spot. It would only hurt for a moment.
But Concubine Zhen's actions truly disregarded her own safety and that of the child in her womb. It was just as she had said when they parted - if he didn't return safely, she would take their child and follow him in death.
He had grown tired of the sweet words from women in the harem long ago, but only Concubine Zhen had put herself in such danger for him.
The key point was, she could have guaranteed her absolute safety by simply staying in Hexi Palace. There wouldn't have been the slightest danger.
Yet she still came.
This gave the Xuanwu Emperor the feeling that she truly cared deeply and was terrified of losing him.
"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
The Xuanwu Emperor patted her back, comforting her like a child. "It's alright now, everything's fine."
Jiang Xinyue once read a piece of advice online that said when a man doesn't love you, you become his nanny, always worrying about him and having to be sensible to keep him happy. But when a man loves you, you don't need to be sensible - he'll spoil you like a child.
The Xuanwu Emperor was in that state now, wasn't he?
Seeing that the emperor had not come in for so long, Empress Zhu led the others out.
Who else could be embracing the emperor but Concubine Zhen?
"Where did Concubine Zhen go earlier?" Empress Zhu asked with a smile. "Ye Gaoliang came on so fiercely, and you have old grudges with Consort Ye. I was worried you might be held hostage by her, but I couldn't find you anywhere. I didn't dare send palace maids or eunuchs out to look for you..."
She meant to imply that Concubine Zhen was nowhere to be found during the crisis, but showed up as soon as the danger passed, didn't she?
Jiang Xinyue wiped away her tears, shrinking into the emperor's embrace. Her hand clutching his robes was still trembling slightly, whether from fear or exhaustion from fighting rebels on her way here.
For such a frail woman to run from Hexi Palace to here was already no easy feat. It was probably both.
The Xuanwu Emperor said with heartache, "She was in Hexi Palace. I entrusted the Fourth Prince to her care and arranged for several guards to protect them. I told her not to come out no matter what happened."
He knew that his favor towards Concubine Zhen was a death warrant for her. Someone would surely take advantage of the chaos to deal with Concubine Zhen, disguising themselves as rebels to kill her.
The emperor's words left Empress Zhu speechless.
She, as the Empress, could stay with the emperor in Taihe Hall. All the concubines in the harem were here. Only Concubine Zhen was different - she had to be protected. Wasn't it all because she was pregnant?
This was a sore spot for Empress Zhu. She shook her head, not pursuing the matter further.
"Concubine Zhen is truly brave, coming all the way here from Hexi Palace alone, and heavily pregnant too. Did you encounter any danger on the way?" Consort De's face showed concern. "You're almost due. We can't have anything go wrong at this critical time. The imperial physician who was tending to Consort Rong is still inside. You should quickly go and let him examine you."
Since becoming pregnant, only Yan the Imperial Physician had taken Jiang Xinyue's pulse and prescribed for her. Others couldn't find out a bit of information about her pregnancy.
Was the fetus in the right position? Was it healthy? Was it stable?
Most importantly, was it a boy or a girl?
They knew none of this. The emperor had assigned a guard to protect Yan the Imperial Physician closely, and no one dared to intercept him to their own palaces to inquire about the situation.
If it were other imperial physicians...
"This concubine thanks Consort De for her concern," Jiang Xinyue shook her head. "But when this concubine came, the guards Your Majesty sent to protect me had already killed the rebels. This concubine didn't encounter any danger. As long as Your Majesty is safe, this concubine is at ease."
This is why Consort De's level is high, isn't it?
There was so much contained in that one sentence.
She wasn't just asking for other imperial physicians to check her pulse and determine the gender of her child, but also indirectly telling her that someone had been injured for the emperor's sake, otherwise a Consort Rong wouldn't have appeared out of nowhere.
She wanted to make her jealous and cause a scene, displeasing the emperor.
How lacking in virtue. Is Consort De's surname Wu?
"Consort Wu De" must be her full title, right?
Jiang Xinyue, completely ignoring her bait, acted as if she hadn't heard the latter half of her words, her face full of joy that the emperor had survived the crisis.
"Your Majesty, perhaps we should go inside and see..."
"Ah!" Jiang Xinyue clutched her belly, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. "Your Majesty, this concubine... this concubine's belly hurts so much! Yan the Imperial Physician... Yan the Imperial Physician is in Hexi Palace..."
The Xuanwu Emperor scooped her up in one motion and, calling for Wang Dequan, ran towards Hexi Palace. He was so anxious he forgot about the sedan chair, let alone Consort Rong who had taken an arrow for him.
He didn't believe Concubine Zhen when she said she hadn't encountered any danger on the way. The blood on the sword didn't lie, and neither did Concubine Zhen's belly. Only Concubine Zhen's mouth would lie, fearing he would worry.
"Empress..."
Consort De, quick-eyed and swift-handed, supported Empress Zhu who nearly fainted. Her eyes showed timely concern.
Empress Zhu held back her tears with effort. "You see, even you know to care for me. I've been his wife for over a decade, yet he doesn't even ask if I'm afraid."
Consort De sighed, her expression sorrowful. "Concubine Zhen is blessed with great fortune, unlike someone with no luck like me. I only hope that after she gives birth to a prince in the future, she might remember our past friendship and not harm my third prince."
Being favored exclusively without a son was already much; with a son, it would be unimaginable.
Perhaps by then, even the Empress wouldn't be able to keep her in check.
Why did Consort De's words sound like she was saying that after Concubine Zhen gave birth to a prince, her own position would be threatened?
Empress Zhu withdrew her gaze from the emperor's retreating figure and turned to look at Consort De. "How do you know she will bear a son?"
Consort De smiled faintly. "Look at how the emperor protects her. Not allowing any physician but Yan to check her pulse - isn't it because he fears we'll find out she's carrying a healthy male child?"
Who exactly was the emperor guarding against?
