The Xuanwu Emperor felt that today was not starting well.
"Woo-woo-woo... Your Majesty, my face... it hurts so much... even my teeth are loose, Your Majesty... you must seek justice for me!"
The Emperor rubbed his temples and looked helplessly at Noble Lady Liu, who was kneeling at the entrance of the Nine Provinces Clear Evening Gate. "What's wrong with you now?"
He regretted not having the Imperial Astronomer calculate an auspicious time before leaving, as he was immediately caught by Noble Lady Liu upon arriving here.
"Your Majesty..."
Noble Lady Liu's face was swollen and her mouth was numb, making her speech unclear. With her face looking like a pig's head, it was difficult to feel sympathy for her.
Unfortunately, she hadn't realized this herself...
"Last night, I was walking in the garden with Concubine Cheng. I merely asked if her zither had been repaired, and she... she ordered her maids to beat me like this. Your Majesty, although my rank is below hers, she... she shouldn't be so cruel!"
She sobbed breathlessly: "She's just... just a Concubine. Even if... if I did something wrong, she should have reported it to the Imperial Noble Consort for punishment. What right does she have to take matters into her own hands?"
How annoying!
What did this have to do with him?
Indeed, the imperial harem couldn't function properly without an Empress – even such trivial matters were being brought to his attention.
The Xuanwu Emperor had gone out early this morning to prepare a surprise for Jiang Xinyue.
He nodded perfunctorily: "Tang Shiliang, go to Yueyue Pavilion and reprimand Concubine Cheng. The imperial concubines should follow the Imperial Noble Consort's example – be gentle, graceful, and magnanimous. They shouldn't resort to violence, as it goes against feminine virtues."
Noble Lady Liu's heart leaped with joy: "Thank you, Your Maj-"
Before she could finish her words, the Xuanwu Emperor had already slipped away, disappearing in an instant while she was kowtowing in gratitude.
The maid Yan'er helped her mistress up and asked puzzledly: "My Lady, why did you say Concubine Cheng beat you?"
It was clearly because her mistress had offended the Imperial Noble Consort with her loose tongue that she was beaten.
"Fool!"
Noble Lady Liu stood up, touching her aching cheeks. "If I had said the Imperial Noble Consort beat me, wouldn't His Majesty have beaten me again to appease her? His Majesty angered her last night, so he must be in a foul mood today, too irritated to even listen to what I was saying. Since Cheng Nianhe dared to scheme against me and cause me such humiliation, if she won't let me live in peace, I won't let her have peace either."
See? She only mentioned Concubine Cheng, and the Emperor, eager to leave, ordered his trusted eunuch to reprimand her without even investigating.
Hah!
Isn't she proud and arrogant, hiding her ambitions behind that gentle and kind facade?
She would deliberately expose her false mask.
"But My Lady, why did you bring up Concubine Cheng's zither..."
Wasn't it her mistress who had broken that zither?
When Concubine Cheng returned to Chuxiu Palace at that time, she had cried bitterly. Everyone in the palace knew that her mistress had been unreasonable, breaking the zither without showing any remorse.
Even the palace's most skilled zither craftsman said the instrument couldn't be repaired.
"Weren't you there that day?"
Noble Lady Liu grew irritated at the question: "I only struck it once. That pile of wood she brought back was clearly destroyed by her own hands before she blamed it on me. She was in such a hurry to destroy the zither – there must be something suspicious about it."
The maid dared not ask further and supported her mistress as they walked toward Yueyue Pavilion.
She had thought her mistress was foolish for always stirring up trouble with her mouth, yet she was clever enough to manipulate the Emperor's mood to get Concubine Cheng reprimanded.
Perhaps everyone has two sides to them?
Those who could enter the palace weren't really fools at all.
Perhaps stupidity was just their protective coloring.
After Tang Shiliang delivered the Emperor's reprimand to Concubine Cheng at Yueyue Pavilion, he noticed that her face also bore injuries.
This Noble Lady Liu was outrageous – she hadn't told the truth!
It wasn't Concubine Cheng who had ordered people to beat her; they had clearly fought each other!
Concubine Cheng's eyes were filled with tears, looking utterly wronged, her voice trembling: "His Majesty's teachings are right. In the future, I will certainly follow the Imperial Noble Consort's example, conduct myself with restraint, and avoid conflicts with anyone."
If Tang Shiliang were a normal man, he might have felt sorry for Concubine Cheng and spoken some "fair words" on her behalf to the Emperor.
But unfortunately, he wasn't a man.
So whether Concubine Cheng cried like a wilting flower or bore her grievances silently, he felt nothing.
He certainly wouldn't clarify things to the Emperor.
The Emperor hadn't asked, so why should he volunteer to offend Noble Lady Liu?
His godfather had said there was no need to keep mentioning people the Emperor didn't care about.
"It's wonderful that Concubine Cheng thinks this way."
Tang Shiliang wore a fake smile: "Then this servant shall take his leave."
"Pah!"
She deliberately spat at Tang Shiliang's disappearing figure, saying hatefully: "They're all discriminating servants, the Imperial Noble Consort's dogs."
Concubine Cheng stood up from the ground, her knees aching: "I underestimated Noble Lady Liu. She's even better than me at playing the game of striking first with false accusations."
She hadn't gone to complain to the Emperor because she didn't want to involve Jiang Xinyue and affect her image as a weak, innocent rabbit in the Emperor's eyes.
Noble Lady Liu had completely bypassed Jiang Xinyue, not mentioning her at all, and directed the conflict straight at her, making her take the blame for the beating.
Malice spread through Concubine Cheng's eyes: "Just wait and see, I won't let her off so easily."
The rules in the temporary palace weren't as strict as in the main palace. When Lady Ruan brought Jiang Xinyan to ChuangChun Pavilion to seek an audience, they were quickly led inside by Shuang Jiang.
Xi Que had exerted herself too much the day before, both beating someone and slamming doors. Her leg wound had started bleeding again, and after Yan the Imperial Physician rebandaged it, she had to rest in bed.
But her spirit lived on, becoming the idol of all servants in Hexi Palace.
As Xiao Xiangzi put it: she was their role model.
For their mistress, she disregarded life and death, considering the mistress's mood above all else. For their mistress, she would shed blood and sacrifice her life.
Everyone should learn from her.
Last night, she had fought while injured, but neither slapping Noble Lady Liu nor slamming the door in the Emperor's face had been hindered by her injured leg.
After Jiang Xinyue checked on Xi Que, she came to the main hall where Lady Ruan and Jiang Xinyan bowed together: "Greetings to the Imperial Noble Consort."
"Mother, Sister, there's no need for such formality."
Jiang Xinyue personally helped Lady Ruan up and looked with satisfaction at Jiang Xinyan, who had grown much taller: "Very good, you've grown taller. You're a young lady now."
Jiang Xinyan smiled shyly: "Sister has grown taller too. I still haven't caught up to you!"
Since entering the palace, Jiang Xinyue had indeed grown quite tall, with a statuesque figure and curves in all the right places. She had shed her girlish immaturity and fully embodied the enchanting beauty of a favored imperial consort.
