Noble Consort Chen had already lost her spirit and was sitting limply in the chair, her eyes blank as she murmured to herself.
The Empress was secretly delighted and pressed her advantage,
“What’s more, when you gave birth to twins, why did your daughter survive while your son died at birth? Did you not find it the least bit suspicious?
Have you never wondered why after your child died, rather than issuing an edict to investigate the matter thoroughly, His Majesty and the Dowager Empress quickly put an end to it, hastily killing all the imperial doctors and midwives who had attended your delivery? Was it because His Majesty loved you so much that the Son of Heaven vented his anger on them, or was it because he wanted to silence them and conceal the truth forever?
If the goal was to cover up the truth, then take a guess, what truth was His Majesty trying to hide?”
“Stop it!” Noble Consort Chen was on the verge of emotional collapse. She covered her ears and shook her head forcefully. “Don’t say anymore! I don’t believe you! I don’t believe any of this!”
The Empress calmly said, “If you don’t believe me, you can always go and ask His Majesty directly.”
After a pause, she shook her head with a cold laugh, “Tsk, even if you ask him, His Majesty will surely deny it. It would be a waste of words. Alright, I’ve said everything I wanted to say. I’m tired now. Shuang Ruo, show our guest out.”
When Noble Consort Chen left, she looked as though her soul had been shattered. She could barely stand up straight.
After seeing the guest out, Shuang Ruo came back apprehensively and said in a low voice,
“Your Majesty...the things you said to the Noble Consort, if she goes and confronts His Majesty about it all, revealing that she learned everything from you...then won’t His Majesty...”
“So what if he does?” The Empress said indifferently. “He’s already done those things, who says others can’t talk about it?”
She wrapped her phoenix robes tightly around herself, as if afraid someone would snatch her treasured possession away.
“He won’t depose me as Empress. Even if he finds out, what can he do to me? I don’t care how much more he comes to loathe me.” She shook her head sorrowfully. “Since he has already disregarded our marital bonds, how can I watch my husband favor his concubine and destroy his wife, forcing me to step down from my position as Empress?”
Shuang Ruo asked, “Then does Your Majesty think the Noble Consort will go ask His Majesty?”
“Of course. What she cares about most is His Majesty’s sincere feelings toward her. Now that I’ve made her realize that the sincerity she relied on all these years in the harem was nothing but an illusion, do you think she could restrain herself?”
The Empress leaned back slightly, seeming a bit mournful as she shook her head.
“Tsk, being used as a talisman against evil spirits by the man she loves so much, leading to the deaths of her own father and brothers and two sons. If I were her, I’d smash my head on the floor and end it all, rather than continue as Noble Consort. The higher you climb, the more laughable you become. Hahaha~”
*
That day after returning to her palace, Noble Consort Chen did not make a scene as the Empress had anticipated.
On the contrary, she was very calm. She personally went to the kitchen and prepared a table full of delicious delicacies.
Every dish was Xiao Jingheng's favorite and what Noble Consort Chen often made over the years.
That night, as usual, Xiao Jingheng came.
Seeing the table of food Noble Consort Chen had made with heartfelt care, he smiled and said,
“Wan'er's cooking skills have improved remarkably.”
Noble Consort Chen led Xiao Jingheng to his seat, also smiling, “Your Majesty, your consort thought you had forgotten that today is her birthday.”
“How could I forget? The first day of the fifth month is your birthday. Aside from your family, I alone know this date. No matter how big an event might delay me over the years, I always made sure to spend this day with you.”
Xiao Jingheng took out a fine pendant carved from blue stone jade, unpolished but naturally formed in the shape of daphne flowers. This made Noble Consort Chen exclaim in admiration,
“It’s not difficult to find good quality blue stone jade, but one with such a natural daphne blossom shape is one in ten thousand.”
Xiao Jingheng said, “Knowing you’d like it, even if it’s one in ten thousand, I would find it for you. Come, let me put it on for you.”
He hung the jade pendant around Noble Consort Chen's fair neck. The jade set off her snow-white skin, making it even more lustrous.
“Beautiful.”
As Noble Consort Chen fingered the pendant, she was also extremely delighted. “Thank you, Your Majesty. Today is my birthday. After everything that has happened recently, I often feel upset. Today, Your Majesty must drink several cups with me and get drunk. Afterwards, I should make a clean break with the past. As you said, life goes on, we must look forward.”
“Alright, I'll do as you say.”
After tasting some dishes, Noble Consort Chen began drinking cup after cup, pouring wine for Xiao Jingheng.
When it came to drinking, Noble Consort Chen had an unrestrained temperament, able to hold liquor like a man. Plus, she had taken sobering medicine beforehand. Thus, Xiao Jingheng was destined to lose to her.
After three rounds, a misty red flush crept up Xiao Jingheng’s handsome cheeks. Holding Noble Consort Chen's hand, he drunkenly asked:
“It’s your birthday today. Tell me if you have any wishes and I will grant them.”
Noble Consort Chen was silent for a moment, then looking into Xiao Jingheng's drunken eyes, said smiling:
“I don't really have any wishes. It's just that I've written a poem and hope Your Majesty can give me some pointers.”
“Oh?” Xiao Jingheng was quite surprised. “Wan'er has never been fond of frivolous arts and letters. It's rather unusual for you today. Let's hear it.”
The smile froze on Noble Consort Chen's face.
She was silent for a long while before finally reciting slowly under Xiao Jingheng’s urging:
“The son follows his late father's will, showing deference to the martial official, upholding the Ning family's honor. Forced to take Ning Wanshuang as a concubine. The Ning family are monsters, and by making Ning Wanshuang a concubine, she will be like a talisman against evil spirits. Although the son is unwilling, keeping her can solidify the nation's foundation. I only hope those in the underworld are aware and content in the afterlife. Assist the great endeavor, that prosperity may extend for ten thousand generations, and blessings last forever...”
As she recited, she kept her eyes fixed on Xiao Jingheng, clearly watching his changing expressions.
After listening, Xiao Jingheng couldn't conceal his emotions despite his drunken state, and reflexively asked:
“Where did you get all this from?”
“......”
Hearing his words, Noble Consort Chen let out the breath she had been holding in her chest.
She only felt icy winds piercing her pores and turning into swords, ruthlessly stirring her internal organs, as if wanting to completely shred her into pieces from the inside out.
She took a deep, trembling breath and asked in a tiny voice,
“Does Your Majesty asking where I saw these words mean they really exist somewhere? Is that right?”
Perhaps realizing he had said the wrong thing, Xiao Jingheng's eyes became evasive, clearly flustered.
Having lived with him day and night, Noble Consort Chen could discern his abnormality at a glance when Xiao Jingheng was drunk and unable to control his emotions.
Supporting herself on the table, she got up with great difficulty. Every breath was agonizing.
“A talisman against evil spirits? Hahaha?”
She laughed coldly, then questioned sharply,
“Then what does that make me to you!?”
Watching this young man she had been infatuated with for many years rendered speechless under questioning, Ning Wanshuang could no longer restrain her long-suppressed emotions.
She violently tore off the daphne jade pendant hanging on her chest, scraping the back of her neck until it bled.
But she felt no pain, only threw the pendant forcefully to the ground, shattering it into countless glittering fragments.
Her once soft and youthful face twisted in ironic laughter.
“What exactly am I to you!?”
