In the grand hall, the imperial concubines were all dressed in their finest attire. As far as the eye could see, there was a sea of vibrant colors, each person more beautiful than a flower.
After Princess Zhaohua took her seat at the head, all the other concubines, except for Consort Hui and Consort Ning Wanshuang, rose and respectfully greeted Princess Zhaohua, saying in unison:
"We, the humble servants, pay our respects to the Empress. May the Empress live a thousand years in blessings and prosperity."
During the ceremony, Princess Zhaohua deliberately glanced at Consort Hui. Today, Consort Hui was dressed simply, wearing a light blue silk robe with minimal jewelry. Her hair was simply tied up with a wooden hairpin, and she wore a red coral ring on her right index finger, which she did not take off.
Xiao Jingheng practiced frugality, and Consort Hui followed suit, especially after becoming pregnant. Although she was one of the wealthiest consorts in the palace, she now lived a simple life to demonstrate her obedience to Xiao Jingheng.
Princess Zhaohua's lips curved into a gentle smile but she didn't say anything. She raised her hand to signal everyone to be seated and then spoke:
"Knowing that my sisters were coming today, I prepared gifts early in the morning to send you off."
As she finished speaking, Yun Shan, accompanied by two palace maids, presented each consort with a tray made of redwood, containing the gifts.
Some keen-eyed individuals noticed that these were the jewelry Princess Zhaohua had worn on previous occasions. However, they were well maintained and looked almost new, and each piece was extremely precious.
"This jade pendant was previously worn by the Empress. The Empress is giving her own jewelry to us. How fortunate we are!" exclaimed one of the consorts.
Princess Zhaohua smiled warmly and said, "Since we are like sisters, why should we adhere strictly to the rules? It would only create distance between us. I thought of using these gifts to show you all that regardless of my status, our sisterhood will remain unchanged."
As everyone expressed their gratitude, Consort Rongyue suddenly made a suggestion, "Since the Empress has been so kind to us and bestowed us with her personal accessories, it seems that we have all come empty-handed."
It was expected that the consorts would come empty-handed since the date of Princess Zhaohua's elevation to Empress had been moved up unexpectedly. Who would dare to be careless when giving gifts to the Empress?
Instead of giving something of lesser value, it would be better to wait until the formal ceremony and present more extravagant gifts.
However, Consort Rongyue's sudden mention of this matter caught everyone off guard.
With a smile, Consort Rongyue continued, "I was thinking, since the Empress has given us her personal accessories, why don't we choose something from our own belongings to present to her as a token of our friendship?"
Setting an example, she took off the jade bracelet on her wrist and respectfully offered it to Princess Zhaohua.
Princess Zhaohua received it with delight, and the other consorts followed suit, selecting personal items to present to her.
Even Consort Ning Wanshuang, who had remained aloof throughout, took off a jade hairpin from her hair and tossed it to Yun Shan, saying, "This emerald shade seems to suit the Empress. She can wear it."
Her words carried a sarcastic tone, but Princess Zhaohua was not offended. Instead, she smiled and said,
"Thank you, Noble Consort Chen, I really like this hairpin."
"Hmph." Ning Wanshuang snorted coldly, gave Consort Zhaohua a disdainful look, and ignored her.
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment, but then Consort Yin suddenly spoke up:
"It seems that Consort Hui hasn't presented a gift to the Empress yet, right?"
Consort Hui instinctively clenched her right hand, awkwardly resting it on her lap.
"I came in a hurry and didn't prepare anything. How about I have someone fetch it from the palace later and present it to the Empress?" she suggested.
"Is it because you weren't prepared, or because you're reluctant?" Ning Wanshuang interrupted Consort Hui's words with a derisive smile. She glanced at Consort Hui's clenched right hand and mockingly said, "Don't you always wear a red coral ring on your right index finger?"
Upon hearing this, Consort Hui's expression suddenly changed.
"I can't... This was given to me by the Emperor. How can I..."
"Hahaha!" Ning Wanshuang laughed brazenly, lazily touching her temple and said, "All the items worn by the concubines in this palace are bestowed by the Emperor. Why do you think you're so special?"
Consort Yin also spoke in a deep voice, "Consort Hui, are you deliberately trying to show dominance over the Empress?"
"I... I wouldn't dare," Consort Hui replied.
Consort Hui tightly pursed her lips, her eyes filled with reluctance and unwillingness.
But with so many pairs of eyes watching her, what else could she do?
She reluctantly took off the ring very slowly and had her maid, Ren Dong, present it to Consort Zhaohua.
As Consort Zhaohua accepted it, a smile appeared on her lips, and she immediately compared it to the one the Emperor had given Noble Consort Chen. She couldn't stop praising it, saying, "No wonder you're reluctant. Look at this red coral, as red as blood. Its quality is on par with the large coral the Emperor gave to Noble Consort Chen."
After saying that, she paid no attention to Consort Hui's reaction and, after hearing a thunderclap outside, she looked out the window and said, "It looks like it's going to rain heavily soon. Sisters, let's return to the palace early."
The other consorts all took their leave, but Consort Hui hesitated to leave.
When Consort Yun passed by her side, she called out to Consort Hui, but Consort Hui said she had something private to discuss with Consort Zhaohua and asked them to go ahead.
After everyone had dispersed, Consort Zhaohua relaxed her gaze and looked at Consort Hui, gently asking, "Is there something else, sister?"
Consort Hui's expression suddenly darkened. She no longer wanted to pretend in front of Consort Zhaohua.
She took two steps forward, stood in front of the hall, and suddenly reached out her hand towards Consort Zhaohua, saying, "Give me back the ring."
"So, sister, you're unwilling to part with this ring?" Consort Zhaohua slowly took the ring off her finger, held it in her hand, and played with it.
"I saw you wearing this ring every day, and perhaps you've grown attached to it. Well then, a gentleman doesn't take away what someone treasures. Since you're unwilling, I will return it to you."
As she spoke, she reached out her hand as if to give the red coral ring back to Consort Hui.
But just as Consort Hui was about to reach out and take it, Consort Zhaohua suddenly let go, allowing the ring to fall to the ground.
The coral was brittle and hard, and as it touched the equally hard marble floor, it instantly cracked in two.
"Oh dear."
Zhao Hua gently touched her chest and smiled somewhat sheepishly, "Look at me, being clumsy and careless."
As she spoke, she provocatively raised her eyebrows and long eyelashes at Consort Hui.
"Song Zhao! You..."
Consort Hui regarded the broken ring as more valuable than her own life. Ignoring her seven-month pregnancy, she hurriedly squatted down to pick up the shattered ring, clutching it tightly in her palm. Her eyes turned red instantly.
Ren Dong quickly helped her up and said, "What are you doing, Your Highness? You have to be careful with your condition! You're hurting yourself!"
Little did Consort Hui know that she would suddenly lose her temper. She stood up and forcefully pushed Ren Dong aside, then stared angrily at Zhao Hua, who was seated at the head.
She was furious, her delicate features contorted in a monstrous manner, resembling a mad beast.
"Do you think I don't know what you're planning?" Consort Hui approached Zhao Hua step by step, but was blocked by Xiao Fuzi and Yun Shan standing in front of her.
She squinted at Zhao Hua, lowered her voice, and said each word deliberately, "Do you really have amnesia? You know it deep down. How long can Zhang Imperial Physician hide in the Jing'an Marquis Mansion?
You better pray that he never returns to the palace in his lifetime. Otherwise, forget about becoming the Empress. You will be guilty of treason, mocking the Emperor like a monkey. Whether you can keep your life at that time is uncertain!"
After uttering these harsh words, Consort Hui forcefully pushed Xiao Fuzi aside and turned to leave.
She walked with great speed, approaching the entrance of the main hall, about to open the palace doors, when suddenly she heard Zhao Hua's soft and gentle voice from behind.
"Consort Hui, look at what this is?"
She was taken aback and reluctantly turned her head. However, without any defense, she received a heavy blow to her lower abdomen.
The pain made her black out for a moment, and she lost her balance and sat on the ground, unable to muster any strength.
After a short while, she regained her senses and saw Zhao Hua holding a curtain rod in her left hand, with a sinister smile on her face, looking down at her from a high position.
"Song Zhao! How dare you... how dare you plot against the Crown Prince... Ah!"
"Crack!"
Before Consort Hui could finish speaking, Zhao Hua raised the rod and struck her lower abdomen forcefully once again.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Zhao Hua said calmly.
She was about to strike again, and Ren Dong was also dumbfounded by the scene.
She rushed over and protected Consort Hui, crying out, "Empress, our Lord is pregnant. How can you treat her like this?"
Zhao Hua remained silent and stopped for the moment.
Only when Xiao Fuzi took Ren Dong away did she notice the bloodstains under Consort Hui, staining her light blue skirt a deep red.
Consort Hui clenched her teeth, covering her lower abdomen, her expression filled with extreme pain.
She stared at Zhao Hua fiercely, beads of sweat appearing on her forehead, unable to speak a word.
Zhao Hua calmly lowered her gaze, looking down at her from above as if she were observing an ant.
"Laugh. Don't you love to laugh at me?" she said with a sudden fierceness in her eyes.
With that, she struck Consort Hui's lower abdomen again with the rod, accompanied by Consort Hui's agonizing screams.
Zhao Hua glared at her with a vengeful look and scolded loudly:
"Why aren't you smiling? This palace demands your laughter!"
