The lights in Changxin Palace had been extinguished. Xiao Xuanzi thought that the palace maids there were as arrogant as their mistresses.
If he just went there himself, he feared he wouldn't be able to see the Emperor and would be driven out.
He gritted his teeth, stepped back a few paces, then charged forward with a loud shout: "Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Consort Rong has met with trouble. Consort Zhen encountered her on the way and is now escorting her to the Imperial Hospital! Your Majesty, please save Consort Rong's child!"
He couldn't say that his master had sent him to summon the Emperor, or it would bring trouble to his master.
After all, he was rescuing Consort Rong, so he had no qualms about letting her take the blame.
There was a moment of silence in the room, quickly followed by the sound of dressing and what seemed like shattering objects.
The Xuanwu Emperor rushed out in a flurry. Wang Dequan spotted Xiao Xuanzi at a glance, but before he could greet him, the little fellow kept his head down and swiftly followed the Emperor, running out.
Wang Dequan glanced at Concubine Li, who had come out after them, and immediately understood that Xiao Xuanzi was avoiding her, so he didn't say a word and followed the Emperor's footsteps as he departed.
"Mother..."
"Slap!"
The little eunuch saw that Concubine Li wasn't wearing shoes on this cold day, and he had meant well by reminding her that the cold starts from the feet, but before he could speak, he was struck senseless by a slap across the face.
After Concubine Li had vented her anger, Xia He approached and asked, "Who was the eunuch shouting loudly just now? Which palace is he from?"
Everyone knew that the Imperial Concubine had a bad temper and was favored by the Emperor. Who in the palace would dare ruin the relationship between her and the Emperor, unless they had a death wish?
If there was such a person, the Imperial Concubine had ways to make them regret being born into this world.
The eunuch who had reported the news crawled in, knelt down, and began shouting, keeping his head lowered and wearing a cap that covered half his face. In the dim light, his appearance was impossible to make out.
But Concubine Li was clearly in a foul mood, so the eunuch dared not feign ignorance. Without much thought, he blurted out, "He is Xiao Yizi, one of Consort Rong's attendants."
Xia He hesitated, glancing at Concubine Li. Upon hearing it was Xiao Yizi, her heaving chest gradually calmed. She shot a vicious glare at the palace maids guarding the door, then turned and went back to her own chambers.
Xia He instructed the eunuchs behind her, "Go find out what happened to Consort Rong."
"Ahhh..."
Jiang Xinyue stood guard outside the medicine room of the Imperial Hospital, listening to the piercing shrieks coming from within. She understood that Consort Rong would likely lose this child.
She had done everything she could and had a clear conscience, feeling no fear in her heart.
Only Shuang Jiang's expression showed anxiety as she said urgently, "Mistress, why don't you return to the palace first? This servant and Xi Que will stay here. When the Emperor arrives, we will return, all right?"
Why was Shuang Jiang in such a hurry for her to leave?
"The Dowager Empress has arrived—"
Before the Emperor's arrival, the legendary and overbearing Dowager Empress had come first.
Shuang Jiang's worries had materialized. She quickly pulled on Jiang Xinyue's sleeve, saying, "Mistress, the Dowager Empress will surely vent her anger on you. What should we do? Why hasn't the Emperor arrived yet?"
A crowd of people rushed into the Imperial Hospital, with a beautiful woman who appeared to be only thirty-five or thirty-six years old entering last, leaning on a eunuch's arm.
She wore a high-collared black outer robe with dark red embroidery. The patterns on her clothes seemed to come alive with movement, shimmering in dark hues like fireflies.
Her hair was gathered into an elaborate bun and adorned with strands of small pearls that emitted a soft glow. A golden crown in the shape of a twelve-petaled lotus flower encircled her bun, exuding an aura of grandeur.
This was the well-preserved Dowager Empress Wu, who looked youthful but was likely over forty-five years old.
Her icy gaze swept over them, making Jiang Xinyue feel as though she had been targeted by a venomous snake.
"This concubine greets the Dowager Empress..."
"Slap!"
"Kneel before this Empress!"
The stern voice accompanied a slap across the face. Jiang Xinyue did not dare defy the Dowager Empress' authority and immediately knelt down.
Xi Que opened her mouth, but Shuang Jiang pulled her back, and she too knelt on the ground.
The palace maids and eunuchs surrounded the Dowager Empress as she took a seat, leaving Jiang Xinyue and her servants looking like helpless lambs encircled by wolves.
The Xuanwu Emperor arrived shortly after the Dowager Empress, so he witnessed her slapping Jiang Xinyue.
"This prince greets the Mother Empress."
A strong fragrance of dragon's saliva wafted over as the Xuanwu Emperor stepped in front of the Dowager Empress, shielding her view. He extended his hand and pulled the pitiful Jiang Xinyue up, saying, "Thanks to you, Consort Rong's life was spared. You have no further business here, so return to Hexi Palace and rest."
His collar was stained with Concubine Li's lipstick, like a cunning vixen marking her territory against the official wife.
A crystalline tear fell onto the Xuanwu Emperor's sleeve and burst open. The poor, bullied Jiang Xinyue did not raise her head but simply curtseyed before being supported by Shuang Jiang and Xi Que as she fled unsteadily.
The Dowager Empress let out a cold snort. "This Empress has been absent for too long and did not realize when the Emperor's harem acquired such an exquisite beauty. But who knows what evil heart lies beneath that pretty face, daring to harm Consort Rong and threaten the Imperial Heir?"
The Xuanwu Emperor disliked how the Dowager Empress always acted so domineering and unwilling to listen to reason.
Seeing Jiang Xinyue's mistreatment reminded him of his own childhood.
But this was no longer childhood, and he was the sole ruler of the Great Yan Empire.
His cold, hard expression grew stern as the Emperor spoke dispassionately, "It was Consort Rong who sought her aid. She risked her own safety to escort Consort Rong and instructed her attendants to summon this prince from Changxin Palace. If the Mother Empress finds such a person to be evil, then perhaps no one in this entire harem is worthy of your approval."
That foolish woman probably didn't know about the tense relationship between him and the Dowager Empress, which was why she didn't let him see the mark on her face after being slapped, afraid it would cause a rift between them.
After returning to Hexi Palace, Xi Que immediately brought medicine and tended to the bloody scratches on Jiang Xinyue's face, shedding tears of sympathy. "The Dowager Empress was too unreasonable. Even if Consort Rong is her niece, she shouldn't hit people indiscriminately. If not for our mistress, Consort Rong would have..."
"Xi Que! Say no more."
With a slap mark evident on her face, Jiang Xinyue shook her head: "The Dowager Empress was merely acting out of concern, albeit misguided."
Being slapped for no apparent reason at the start of the new year, no one's mood would be pleasant.
But she wasn't the only one in a foul mood. Many in the palace were disheartened, and if grievances were tallied, perhaps the Empress would be the most unhappy of all.
On New Year's Eve, the Emperor should have spent the night in the Empress's palace, yet he was whisked away by Concubine Li. Wasn't this a blatant insult to the Empress?
Jiang Xinyue understood the Xuanwu Emperor to be a calm and composed ruler who held the world in his heart. Such a lack of regard for the Empress had never occurred before.
What was the reason this time?
