Their family's young mistress had attracted the Emperor's attention with that zither. Now that the zither that could attract butterflies was smashed, how could she compete for favor?
Cheng Nianhe fiddled with the zither's body, smiling slightly, then suddenly smashed it forcefully on the ground. Unsatisfied with how broken it was, she stomped on it with her foot.
The maid pulled her back, distressed: "Young Mistress! Young Mistress! This was the last thing Madam left you before she died, how could you... how could you... At least keep it as a memento!"
Tears slid down the face of the fragile Cheng Nianhe: "From now on, I will no longer play the zither. Using this method will eventually give others something to use against me. I might as well take this opportunity to add another layer to Liu Xiaoxiao's reputation for tyranny. It won't be in vain of my mother's intentions."
Back then, her mother had gained her father's favor with this zither. Before dying, she left it to her, hoping she could use it to keep her husband's heart after marriage.
Whether the zither existed or not wouldn't affect her mother's place in her heart. To "die for a worthy cause" was the only way not to disappoint her mother's expectations.
Jiang Xinyue had sprained her ankle. She missed seeing the blooming silk trees and roses in full bloom, but she did see the Xuanwu Emperor, that fickle-hearted radish.
The Xuanwu Emperor also witnessed the "furiously blooming" peony, with its tremendous power.
This "peony" in the room would rather let Xi Que rub her ankle with medicinal wine than allow him, the Emperor, to enter.
Wang Dequan had his ear pressed against the door, while the Emperor stood beside him, anxiously inquiring: "Can you hear anything? Did they say anything?"
"Well..."
"Creak!"
The door was yanked open forcefully, and Wang Dequan nearly tumbled into Xi Que's arms. Frightened, Jiang Chuan quickly pulled Xi Que back. Wang Dequan fell forward with the momentum, landing weakly on the ground.
Jiang Chuan coughed twice, quietly releasing his hand from Xi Que, pretending as if nothing had happened.
How embarrassing!
How humiliating!
The dignified Chief Imperial Eunuch had fallen flat on his face.
Xi Que thought it was the Emperor eavesdropping and had planned to vent some anger for her mistress before kneeling and begging for forgiveness. Now she hurriedly went to help Wang Dequan up: "Lord Wang, are you alright? Why were you... why were you standing so close to the door?"
It was because the Emperor wanted to know if the Imperial Noble Consort had calmed down, so he had him eavesdrop.
The Xuanwu Emperor coughed lightly, covering his mouth with his fist: "All of you withdraw. I alone will suffice here."
He didn't want others present when he had to lower his face to explain to Jiang Xinyue.
Wang Dequan was also very perceptive, quickly pulling Jiang Chuan and Xi Que out, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
Jiang Xinyue had already removed her ornate golden crown and robes, wearing only a thin, translucent pink-white gauze gown. A warm breeze blew in through the open window of the bedchamber, gently stirring her gauze gown and loose hair, teasing his heart.
Jiang Xinyue had her back to him, exhaling an impatient breath through her nose.
Pretending to be jealous was really annoying. If the Emperor didn't explain himself clearly soon, she was going to leave him to his son.
She was now the Imperial Noble Consort, with money, power, and a son. Why should she keep a rotten radish that anyone could poke at to irritate herself?
She didn't love the Emperor, but she maintained the most basic loyalty to him. She knew this was a feudal dynasty, and it was normal for the Emperor to have many consorts, but all the education she had received was about monogamy!
Psychologically, she knew she should accept it, but it was too difficult to actually do so.
Before, when the Emperor didn't care for her, for the sake of survival and increasing her own bargaining chips, she had no choice but to share a cucumber with the other women in the harem. Even now, thinking about it sometimes drove her crazy.
Dirty!
It was filthy!
But she had no choice then.
Now that she held a place in the Emperor's heart and had a son to rely on, with the Jiang family's influence gradually growing in the court, she could finally stand a bit straighter. She didn't want to compromise herself anymore.
Call her fussy if you like, or affected, but she really couldn't accept the Emperor being intimate with other women one moment and then coming to her for her services the next.
Either give her the supreme glory and power of the Imperial Noble Consort and never touch her again, then she would accept the Xuanwu Emperor sleeping with other women.
"I don't like them," the Xuanwu Emperor said.
He walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, finally managing to embrace her, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Do you remember when I told you to have your eldest uncle investigate the corruption of officials in the Guangdong and Guangxi regions?"
Jiang Xinyue: ...
She didn't speak, so the Emperor had to continue: "Cheng Baolin's father is an official under Yu Liansheng. Because he couldn't stand Yu Liansheng's corruption and shielding of evil servants, he has been secretly helping your eldest uncle. This time, your eldest uncle was able to return with evidence, and Cheng Baolin's father contributed significantly."
Jiang Xinyue couldn't help but argue: "What does that have to do with you showing compassion to Cheng Baolin? Most of the concubines in the harem are daughters of officials. If you need to sell your body... for each one..."
Seeming to feel that her choice of words was too harsh, she immediately bit her lip, somewhat indignantly: "If you have to favor them all when their fathers achieve merit, then your treatment of me... is it also because... also because..."
As she spoke, her nose tingled, and large tears fell unexpectedly.
But she didn't want the Xuanwu Emperor to see her weakness, so she quickly wiped them away, looking at him with reddened eyes. It truly made the Emperor's heart ache and soften at the sight of her tears.
He held Jiang Xinyue: "What nonsense are you thinking? My feelings for you are known throughout the palace, only you don't know. I can summon Consort Liu to play the zither, and I can summon Cheng Baolin to accompany me on outings. I do all of this for others to see. Xinyue, anyone can misunderstand me, but not you. You are the one I want to grow old with, to spend my life with."
"Do you really not like Cheng Baolin? You haven't... haven't..."
Jiang Xinyue blushed, seemingly embarrassed by her own jealousy, looking at him shyly, anticipating his answer.
Her soft appearance made the Xuanwu Emperor want to meld her into his very bones.
"No," the Xuanwu Emperor answered frankly. "Since we confessed our feelings to each other, I have never favored anyone else. Before, my heart was big enough to hold the world and the harem. Now my heart is very small, just big enough for the world and you. There's no room left to talk of love with other concubines. Can you have a little more confidence in yourself and trust in me? I'm already head over heels for you."
Jiang Xinyue thought: This sounds like a Chiung Yao drama.
But her face still showed a deeply moved expression. She hugged the Xuanwu Emperor tightly: "Emperor, I regret it. I don't want to share you with anyone. Your heart and body can only belong to me alone. I can share all the gold and silver jewelry, the luxurious clothes with them, but not you... I... I can't be without jealousy. I'm so upset I'm going mad, Emperor... Will you think that I... that I'm too wicked like this?"
But truly loving someone means wanting them all to yourself!
