Chapter 632 - 410: Then Let Her Have a Taste of It Herself
After Song Yunzhao left, Consort Shu and Wang Zhaorong didn’t just sit idly. Instead, they called Caiqin over for questioning.
It was Caiqin who had accompanied Noble Lady Xu to Shouci Palace the day before. They had to know what happened to make her fall ill—she couldn’t have suddenly become so sick for no reason.
Caiqin was too afraid to speak at first, but when Consort Shu threatened to have her thrown out of the palace if she didn’t tell the truth, she was terrified and immediately confessed everything.
Only after hearing Caiqin’s account did the two of them learn the truth. Xu Mingying had gone to Shouci Palace the previous day, but the Empress Dowager refused to see her. Instead, she forced her to stand beneath the eaves for over four hours.
In such cold weather, with no shelter, no stove, and no brazier for warmth, just left to stand in the freezing wind—even a person made of iron couldn’t have endured it.
Consort Shu could barely conceal the fury on her face. The Empress Dowager had acted as if Xu Mingying’s life was worthless.
’I’ve long heard that when the late Emperor was still alive, the Empress Dowager was often bullied by his favorite concubines. Having suffered herself, why would she inflict that same pain on someone else?’
’Xu Mingying is just so unlucky.’
While Consort Shu’s expression was grim, Wang Zhaorong—who had once danced with devils—looked even darker. She looked at Consort Shu and said, "We can’t keep this a secret. We have to report it to the Emperor."
In this harem, only the Emperor had authority over the Empress Dowager. If he didn’t intervene, Xu Mingying might not survive the next incident, even if she got through this one.
Consort Shu felt as though the Empress Dowager had slapped her across the face. She was one of the three concubines in charge of managing the harem; where did this leave her authority?
If she couldn’t vent this anger, she felt she would simply suffocate.
’My father is the Right Minister. I might not dare to defy the Empress Dowager, but am I supposed to be afraid of anyone else?’
"Was An Xiaoyi at Shouci Palace yesterday as well?" Consort Shu asked, looking at Caiqin.
Caiqin tearfully nodded. "Yes."
"Go and summon An Xiaoyi," Consort Shu ordered, her face grim.
Yun Dai heard the order, stepped forward to acknowledge it, and turned to head for Huayang Palace.
Huayang Palace was adjacent to Wang Zhaorong’s Zhaoyang Palace, so Yun Dai returned with the person in question very quickly.
Consort Shu didn’t invite An Xiaoyi inside, but simply left her standing beneath the eaves. The atmosphere inside Mingguang Palace instantly grew heavy.
Consort Shu refused to believe An Xiaoyi was innocent. ’If she had a shred of compassion, she would have pleaded with the Empress Dowager, said a few words on Noble Lady Xu’s behalf. She wouldn’t have let her be frozen for four hours.’
’Since she was an accomplice to such cruelty, she could have a taste of what it’s like to be frozen.’
Ever since entering the palace, An Xiaoyi had been under the Empress Dowager’s protection. Aside from failing to win the Emperor’s affection, her life in the harem had been far more comfortable than that of the other concubines who had entered at the same time.
Besides, the truth of her injury at Jincui Garden was still up for debate. Looking at her now, Consort Shu felt the woman’s heart was black.
Consort Shu never considered herself a good person. ’In this harem, there is only one Emperor. If you don’t fight, scheme, and snatch, it’s impossible to get what you want.’
’Of course, I fought and schemed, but in the end, I lost. And when I lost, I admitted it.’
’Even so, I never treated the lives of the people in the harem as worthless. I have never truly taken a life.’
Song Yunzhao winning his favor?
’That was her own doing. To be honest, if I were the favored one, I wouldn’t think of sharing the Emperor with anyone else either.’
’Why on earth should Song Yunzhao have to share him?’
’So, I’ve made my peace with the matter. A loss is a loss. My skills were not up to par; that’s my own failure.’
’But I would never harm someone just to vie for the Emperor’s favor. And yet, what have the Empress Dowager and An Xiaoyi done?’
’They tormented Noble Lady Xu just to make the Marquis Wuxin Mansion support An Xiaoyi. They’re using Xu Mingying’s life to blackmail her family into submission!’
’Pah!’
’I’m still in charge of this harem. I may not be a good person, but even I can’t just stand by and watch this happen.’
’An Xiaoyi doesn’t care about the lives of others, does she?’
’Then let her have a taste of it herself.’
’She’s just a Xiaoyi. I, on the other hand, am one of the three concubines. If I want her to stand out in the wind, just as the Empress Dowager made Noble Lady Xu do, she won’t be able to utter a single complaint. She’ll have to stand there under the eaves and be as still as a statue.’
Consort Shu ordered the gates of Zhaoyang Palace closed under the pretext of investigating the cause of Noble Lady Xu’s illness, forbidding anyone from leaving without her permission. This cut off any chance for the palace attendants who had accompanied An Xiaoyi to report back to the Empress Dowager.
Wang Zhaorong felt a bit uneasy. After an hour had passed, she couldn’t hold back any longer. "Are we really going to make her stand out there?" she asked Consort Shu.
’What if the Empress Dowager decides to make trouble for us later?’
Consort Shu looked at Wang Zhaorong. "I must say, when did you become so timid? You never used to be. I simply want An Xiaoyi to experience what Noble Lady Xu endured yesterday. If she truly had a kind heart, she would have spoken up for Noble Lady Xu. Since she lacks that kindness, I will have to teach her that in the harem, we are all sisters. I’ll show her what it means to ’share both joys and sorrows’!"
Wang Zhaorong was speechless.
’Ever since Consort Shu became close with Ming Fei, she’s become just as thick-skinned.’
She found herself unable to refute Consort Shu’s words, so she silently acquiesced.
Ever since she was no longer one of the three concubines, she naturally lacked the confidence she once had. It was inevitable that she would become cautious and hesitant; there was nothing to be done about it.
When a person has no confidence in this world, they can’t help but be timid.
At any rate, she no longer dared to face the Empress Dowager as fearlessly as Consort Shu and Ming Fei did. If she had managed to win the Emperor’s favor and give birth to a child before Ming Fei’s arrival, she wouldn’t be living so timidly now.
But alas, she simply didn’t have Ming Fei’s skills.
She hadn’t been convinced before, but some of the new concubines were just as beautiful as Ming Fei, yet the Emperor wouldn’t give them a second glance. He just left them to languish, running to Yaohua Palace whenever he had a free moment.
In any case, she had given up all ambition. After the fall of the Wang Family, her life would have been far more difficult if Ming Fei hadn’t been there to support her.
Wang Zhaorong had only offered a perfunctory word of caution. Since Consort Shu had made up her mind, she wouldn’t drag her down. After all, they were all in the same boat now.
Meanwhile, Song Yunzhao had sent a message to Taixi Hall, but Feng Yi was busy in continuous meetings with his courtiers. Meng Jiuchang couldn’t get a reply for her, so he had Zhang Maoquan return to convey his apologies.
Song Yunzhao knew a little about the situation from Feng Yi. Beiming was making moves at the border city again, their intentions clearly hostile. He was likely considering launching a campaign, and having just reorganized the military, he was probably eager to strike while the iron was hot and establish his authority as Emperor.
A winter campaign was certainly not ideal, but war paid no mind to seasons. When the enemy came, you had to be ready.
She waited until sunset, not expecting Feng Yi to come in person. Seeing his pale face, she hurried to have a meal prepared.
Feng Ze leaped up from the warm couch. He first gave a proper greeting to his Father Emperor, then immediately threw himself into his arms.
Feng Yi laughed and lifted his son high into the air, and the hall filled with the sound of father and son’s laughter.