At that time, when she, this considerate and gentle flower of understanding, takes advantage of the situation, would she still fear Consort Shu's gray and faded moonlight obscured by dark clouds?
It may seem that Consort Shu has won for now, but the Emperor's thoughts may not necessarily be on her.
In Jingren Palace—
After examining Consort Shu and confirming her pregnancy was stable, the Imperial Physician worriedly said, "Consort Shu, your worries and melancholy are extremely harmful for a pregnant woman. Your fetus is still small, and if this continues, I fear it may harm the imperial child. I will prescribe some medicine to stabilize the pregnancy and help you sleep. Please try not to think too much in the future."
"Imperial Physician, please follow me. I will grind the ink for you."
Only Consort Shu lying on the bed, the Xuanwu Emperor sitting beside her, and Wang Dequan standing behind the Emperor remained in the bedchamber.
After the Imperial Physician finished reporting his diagnosis, the Xuanwu Emperor remained motionless, his gaze not on Consort Shu at all, but staring absent-mindedly at the pale blue bed curtains, his thoughts drifting somewhere unknown.
Seeing this, Consort Shu coughed lightly. The Xuanwu Emperor, coming back to his senses, blinked and pushed away the tearful face in his mind. He tucked the thin blanket around Consort Shu and said, "Did you hear what the Imperial Physician said? Don't overthink things. Give birth to a beautiful little princess for me soon."
He hoped Consort Shu would have a little princess because if it were a prince, things would become very complicated.
Consort Shu's eyes were gentle, her whole being radiating maternal light: "I also hope it's a little princess."
She was telling the Xuanwu Emperor that her heart was always with him.
"Just now..."
The Xuanwu Emperor wanted to ask Consort Shu what had happened in Kunning Palace earlier, why Concubine Zhen had been beaten.
But after some thought, he realized the Dowager Empress was taking revenge for Consort Shu, and Consort Shu had been present but didn't speak up to plead for Concubine Zhen.
It wouldn't be fair to Concubine Zhen to ask Consort Shu about this.
Consort Shu's eyes moved subtly as she reached out to hold the Xuanwu Emperor's hand: "Your Majesty, Concubine Zhen was injured today, but your aunt didn't mean to do it. You and she are still mother and son after all—blood is thicker than water! Concubine Zhen also wouldn't want you to be at odds with your aunt, inviting others' criticism. For the sake of me and Concubine Zhen, please don't be angry with your aunt, alright?"
She was clever enough not to defend the Dowager Empress or expose Jiang Xinyue's act.
Firstly, she had no evidence, and secondly, even if she said something, the Emperor wouldn't believe her.
In that moment of distraction, the Emperor must have been thinking of Concubine Zhen!
Had she truly... not lost?
These past few days, Empress Zhu had maintained an attitude of contentment with having a son, refusing to get involved no matter how Jiang Xinyue and Consort Shu fought.
One was protected by the Dowager Empress, the other was the Emperor's beloved consort. Helping either of them would only bring trouble to the Empress herself.
It was better to pretend not to know.
Every day when Fen Yun came to report, it was always Concubine Zhen at a disadvantage, with Consort Shu always managing to draw the Emperor away from Concubine Zhen.
Fen Yun sighed, "The Emperor never seemed to like Consort Shu this much before! How is it that since she became pregnant, the Emperor neglects even Concubine Zhen and shows such favor to Consort Shu? What is the Emperor thinking?"
Seeing the Empress close her eyes without speaking, Fen Yun continued, "This Consort Shu is truly formidable, quietly pushing Concubine Zhen down."
"You think Consort Shu is formidable?" Empress Zhu slowly opened her eyes, "I admire Concubine Zhen's tactics. She managed to force Consort Shu, who always hid behind the Emperor without competing, to come out and vie for favor, moving from the background to the forefront. Her days ahead won't be easy."
Concubine Li would be the first to make things difficult for her.
Come to think of it, she knew the Emperor liked Consort Shu.
Years ago, when she happily married the young man who had captivated her at first sight, that young man, drunk on their wedding night, called out Consort Shu's name.
Later, when the Wu family fell from power, Empress Zhu realized Consort Shu was no threat to her and stopped paying attention to her.
Now, with this new love and old flame, evenly matched, who would the Emperor favor in the end?
Empress Zhu hoped it would be Concubine Zhen, as she appeared to be on her side, at least on the surface.
At night—
The scar on Jiang Xinyue's face had already healed. After the Emperor was intercepted by Consort Shu several times, she was happy to relax and had been sleeping early these past few nights.
Tonight was no exception, but shortly after lying down, she felt someone caressing her face.
A surge of irritation welled up, and she swatted away the offending hand with a loud "smack."
"Ouch—"
The force was so great that the Xuanwu Emperor sucked in a sharp breath of pain, a large red mark appearing on the back of his hand.
Having vented her frustration, Jiang Xinyue's gaze turned cold, a flash of resentment in her eyes. As she sat up, she already wore a confused and innocent expression, as if just waking up.
In the dim candlelight, Jiang Xinyue's eyes widened in surprise. She was about to rise, but the Xuanwu Emperor pressed her down: "It's alright, I know you didn't mean it. No need to beg for forgiveness, I forgive you."
Hah!
Men!
She had clearly done it on purpose.
In this harem, besides the Emperor, who else would dare to caress a consort's face like that?
She had struck at the Xuanwu Emperor, this fickle, indecisive pig's trotter of a man.
While inwardly scoffing, her body obediently nestled into the Emperor's embrace: "Why has Your Majesty come? Earlier today in the Imperial Garden, didn't you say Consort Shu had a stomachache?"
At the mention of Consort Shu, the Xuanwu Emperor felt a moment of discomfort. He knew he owed Concubine Zhen a great deal, but for the sake of his youthful love, he had made Concubine Zhen suffer.
Consort Shu wasn't actually unwell; it was just that since becoming pregnant, her emotions were more volatile. Seeing him with Concubine Zhen made her jealous, and when jealous, she complained of discomfort everywhere, demanding his company.
This was the first time Consort Shu had openly expressed her love for him. He should have been happy.
But for some reason, his mind kept replaying images of Concubine Zhen's enchanting face.
If she knew he liked Consort Shu, if she knew Consort Shu liked him too...
That... that foolish woman, how heartbroken would she be?
So he hadn't responded to Consort Shu's confession, fleeing from Jingren Palace in a panic, unconsciously making his way to Hexi Palace.
At the palace gates, he hesitated, wavering for a long time before entering.
Concubine Zhen in his arms nestled into his embrace like a fledgling returning to its nest. This woman loved him deeply and singlemindedly from the bottom of her heart.
He shouldn't have hesitated! He shouldn't have been so indecisive!
He feared that his attitude had already hurt Jiang Xinyue, so he deliberately explained to her: "I became the crown prince at the age of thirteen, and throughout my life, anything I wanted was presented to me with both hands. But I understood from a young age that love alone cannot be forced. In my youth, my mother did not love me, nor did Consort Shu. After I ascended the throne and destroyed the Wu family, both my mother and Consort Shu had to rely on me. To this day, I can no longer distinguish between their true feelings and pretense."
The Xuanwu Emperor sighed, stroking Jiang Xinyue's long black hair: "Yue'er, only today have I truly seen my own heart clearly. The one I... the one I have feelings for... has always been you."
Has always been...
This "always" is very much worth pondering over.
