The sound of a shattering teacup and the Dowager Empress's angry shout reached his ears. Despite his hurried rush, he had arrived a moment too late.
Granny Gui, who had been standing beside the Dowager Empress, rushed forward when Jiang Xinyue went berserk. She intended to grab Jiang Xinyue's hands, fearing she might harm the Dowager Empress and Consort Shu.
However, just as she grasped Concubine Zhen's hand, a vicious kick struck her chest. The impact sent her flying, crashing into one of the great hall's pillars. It felt as if her internal organs had been rearranged, leaving her writhing in pain on the floor.
The Xuanwu Emperor's furious gaze swept past the Dowager Empress, who wanted to explain but didn't know where to begin, and landed on the stunned Consort Shu.
The disappointment in his eyes deeply wounded Consort Shu. She glared back at the Xuanwu Emperor, refusing to back down even an inch.
Jiang Xinyue, cradled in the emperor's arms, revealed half of her face marred by bloody scratches. Nestled in his embrace, she shook her head and pleaded, "Your Majesty, I'm fine. Please don't be angry, alright?"
Despite being the injured party, she was the one comforting the Xuanwu Emperor, not wanting to upset him further.
The Xuanwu Emperor held her tighter, drawing her closer to his chest. He addressed the Dowager Empress, "Mother, I've shown you leniency time and again out of filial respect. But don't forget, I am the Son of Heaven of Great Yan. Whom I choose to favor and honor is my prerogative. If you continue to stir up trouble in my harem, I'll have no choice but to send you to the summer palace."
The summer palace was far away in Qin Province. Though it boasted a pleasant climate year-round and the emperor led his officials and consorts there every other year to escape the heat, it was still just a temporary residence. How could it compare to the luxury of the true imperial palace?
The Dowager Empress stumbled back two steps, seemingly overcome with anger. Trembling with rage at both the Xuanwu Emperor and Jiang Xinyue, she pointed a shaking finger at the emperor. "Well... well done, Emperor... I gave birth to you, raised you, and this is how you repay me? Such filial impiety! Shouting at your own mother for the sake of a scheming consort – if word gets out, people will curse your name!"
The summer palace housed several deposed, childless, and mentally unstable imperial consorts from the previous emperor's reign, many of whom held grudges against the Dowager Empress. Who knew if those madwomen might take out their frustrations on her?
An emperor who disrespected his birth mother was morally deficient and unfit to rule Great Yan.
The Xuanwu Emperor's gaze turned sharp and cold as it fell on Consort Shu's belly. She instinctively cradled her stomach.
His Majesty had looked... terrifying just now!
Jiang Xinyue felt as if she had become the villainous white lotus character from a female-led novel.
She looked at the Xuanwu Emperor with concern, shaking her head slightly. Then, putting on an extremely pitiful expression, she addressed the Dowager Empress, "Your Imperial Highness, Consort Shu, all the blame lies with this humble concubine. Please don't fault His Majesty; he... he was merely worried about my frail health. This concubine begs forgiveness from Your Imperial Highness."
The more Jiang Xinyue acted this way, the more enraged the Dowager Empress became, her eyes reddening with anger.
Yet reason warned her not to lose her temper, lest she fall into that little hussy Concubine Zhen's trap.
The original plan had been to provoke her into a rage, but now Jiang Xinyue had turned the tables. Not only that, but the Dowager Empress now had to suppress her own emotions and take the way out that Jiang Xinyue had offered.
The Dowager Empress restrained herself, barely resisting the urge to rush over and tear out Jiang Xinyue's hair. With a cold laugh, she said, "Concubine Zhen's apology is more than I deserve. Since the emperor protects you, there's nothing I can do. I hope that in the future, you'll behave yourself and stop plotting against Consort Shu. She's nothing but a kind-hearted child, as you, Emperor, know better than I do."
The Dowager Empress, a veteran of palace intrigues, managed in just a few sentences to sow seeds of doubt in the Xuanwu Emperor's mind about Jiang Xinyue while evoking fond memories of Consort Shu.
The reason he had initially favored Consort Shu was because in his youth, neglected by the Dowager Empress, he often brooded alone. Only Consort Shu noticed his melancholy and always comforted him, doing everything she could to cheer him up.
When Wu Chengyi deliberately bullied him, flaunting the Dowager Empress's affection in front of him, it was only Consort Shu who would step in to rebuke Wu Chengyi, forbidding him from disrespecting the future emperor.
He had married the crown princess at thirteen, but the one who truly held his heart then was Consort Shu, still unmarried at the time.
The Wu family's refusal to marry Consort Shu into the Eastern Palace wasn't just because they felt the Dowager Empress's presence in the palace negated the need to sacrifice another daughter – wasn't it also because they looked down on him?
The passion of his youth, after years of persistence and effort, had finally been rewarded. Yet he discovered that Consort Shu didn't truly love him; she had only acquiesced for her family's sake.
That was why the Xuanwu Emperor had transferred his affections to Noble Consort Li.
For all these years, he had guarded this secret well. No one knew that Consort Shu had been the woman he loved most, yet the Dowager Empress had exposed it with a single remark.
He halted his steps, his expression barely changing, but Jiang Xinyue knew that at this moment, a fierce battle was raging in his heart.
On one side was Consort Shu, his first love; on the other, Concubine Zhen, his new favorite. Both were equally dear to him.
"Your Majesty..."
She struggled out of the emperor's arms of her own accord, and the Xuanwu Emperor didn't insist on holding her.
Jiang Xinyue covered her face with a handkerchief. "Your Majesty, Consort Shu has suffered a shock. She's with child – you should go check on her. This concubine is fine and can return to her palace on her own."
She smiled obediently, but the sorrow in her eyes was impossible to conceal. Before her tears could fall, she curtsied to the Dowager Empress and the emperor, then turned and ran out.
The tears fell too quickly; as she fled, the Xuanwu Emperor caught sight of teardrops rolling down her delicate chin.
Suddenly, his heart clenched painfully, as if gripped by an unseen hand.
The emperor looked at Consort Shu and finally sighed, extending his hand to her. "Wang Dequan, summon the imperial physician to Jingren Palace."
Consort Shu's anxious heart finally settled. Weeping, she grasped the Xuanwu Emperor's hand.
She hadn't lost...
Between her and Concubine Zhen, His Majesty would always choose her.
Xiao Xuanzi looked perplexed, glancing at Jiang Xinyue with an expression that suggested he had something to say but was hesitating.
Noticing his indecision, Jiang Xinyue sat up straight and said, "If you have a question, just ask. If I don't tell you, I fear you won't be able to sleep tonight."
Xiao Xuanzi finally let out a long breath and asked, "My Lady, we went to such lengths, even hurting yourself, to create this scene for His Majesty. Why didn't you strike while the iron was hot and invite him to Hexi Palace? Instead, you let Consort Shu seize the opportunity."
"So you think Consort Shu won as well?"
Jiang Xinyue looked at the nodding Xiao Xuanzi, her mood seemingly good as she smiled and said, "The Emperor must surely feel the same way."
If every time she faced off against Consort Shu, she had to compromise and retreat step by step, not only would it embolden Consort Shu's temperament, but in the future, should Jiang Xinyue fail to yield even once, Consort Shu would experience a psychological gap and inevitably harbor resentment towards Jiang Xinyue.
Moreover, relying on the Emperor's special treatment of her, Consort Shu would cause scenes with the Emperor. After several such incidents, the already diminishing rose-tinted glasses of first love would shatter completely.
