Chapter 24: Promoted to a Regular Consort

Chapter 24: Promoted to a Regular Consort

The night's thunderstorm seemed to favor Song Zhao.

Following the Empress and Chenfei, she became the third consort to stay overnight at Chaoyang Palace.

That night, Xiao Jingheng lavished all his affection on Song Zhao,

Only as the third watch of the night approached did they finally fall asleep, exhausted.

Typically, no matter how late he went to bed, Xiao Jingheng always woke up at the fourth watch.

However, today when he opened his eyes, he found that Song Zhao had risen even earlier,

She was busying herself at a desk not far away.

With her back to him, Song Zhao didn’t realize he was awake,

"Xiao Jingheng remained silent, simply observing quietly."

"He watched as Song Zhao carefully laid out his court robe on the desk and poured boiling water into a shallow bowl, using the bottom of the bowl to smooth out the minor creases in the robe."

"Xiao Jingheng curiously asked, 'What are you doing?'"

"'Has Your Majesty awakened?' Song Zhao turned to look at him, smiling sweetly, 'I am smoothing out the creases in Your Majesty’s court robe. Back at home, my mother always did this for my father’s official robe, so I thought to try it myself.'"

"Song Zhao continued speaking, but Xiao Jingheng had lost interest in listening."

"His gaze was fixed on Song Zhao's flawless face."

"He had seen both the Empress and Noble Consort Chen upon waking in the morning, having spent the night with him."

"Even with their beauty, without makeup and after a night’s sleep, they showed disheveled hair and visible oiliness, somewhat lacking in appeal."

"But Song Zhao was different,"

"This woman was simply too beautiful, even just upon waking without having washed, her face showed no trace of oiliness, only a healthy, rosy complexion."

It was provoking a restless curiosity.

He sat up from the bed, called Song Zhao to his side, and took her hand, saying:

"You worked hard attending to me last night. Didn't you sleep in a bit this morning? Let the servants handle these matters. When you do them, it pains my heart."

As he spoke, he tightened his grip on Song Zhao's hand.

Song Zhao smiled and shook her head, "I don’t find it hard."

She paused, her voice growing softer, "Serving my own husband only brings joy to my heart. How could it be hard?"

She had said more than once in front of Xiao Jingheng that she regarded him as her husband,

And such statements were, in essence, presumptuous.

In the vast harem, even the Empress wouldn't dare to address Xiao Jingheng as her husband in private.

But Song Zhao did,

And this audacity of hers was actually to Xiao Jingheng's liking.

Men prefer their women to be sensible and know when to advance or retreat, but also enjoy a different, more intimate side in private.

Therefore, far from reproaching her, Xiao Jingheng went along with her words,

"Your mother treated your father in this way, and you treat me similarly. I, too, shall not fail to appreciate your affection."

Later, after assisting Xiao Jingheng to change into his court attire, Song Zhao escorted him to the entrance of his sleeping chamber,

Xiao Jingheng affectionately teased her nose, smiling indulgently, "You've worked hard attending to me, so you don’t need to attend the Empress’s morning greeting today. Last night, you boasted about your cooking skills; I'll dine at your palace for lunch to see if you were just flattering me."

Song Zhao smiled and nodded, watching him board the palanquin until he was out of sight, then her forced smile faded.

Skipping the Empress’s morning greeting after receiving favor was something only a favored consort like Chenfei would dare to do.

Song Zhao was well aware of her current standing in Xiao Jingheng’s heart,

His kindness towards her was merely a fleeting fancy; bluntly put, it was superficial attraction.

Hence, she was cautious not to overstep. Especially at this critical juncture, she was determined to behave impeccably, giving no one a chance to find fault.

When she went to greet the Empress, the news of Xiao Jingheng staying overnight at Chaoyang Palace had not yet spread in the harem.

So, no one made things difficult for her,

As usual, a group of women chatted about trivial matters, while Chenfei threw a couple of barbs at the Empress, and the greeting was over.

Returning to Yaohua Palace, Song Zhao began preparations for lunch.

She had already inquired about Xiao Jingheng’s favorite dishes.

But she had to be subtle in catering to his preferences, lest he suspect her of secretly inquiring about his tastes.

Thus, for lunch, she prepared eight dishes, including two that Xiao Jingheng favored and six others she was skilled at making.

Once the dishes were ready and it was about time for Xiao Jingheng to arrive, Song Zhao did not rush to greet him. Instead, she turned her attention to a rosewood table in the western wing, instructing Zhihua and Xiying,

"The lacquer on this table is peeling. It won’t look good when the Emperor sees it. Move it out and keep it in your quarters for now."

However, the solid rosewood table was too heavy for Zhihua and Xiying, who struggled just to move it to the entrance of the sleeping chamber.

Seeing their slow progress, Song Zhao said, "Spruce, come help me with this."

It was unheard of for a servant to ask their master to assist in such tasks.

Spruce hesitated, but Song Zhao was already at the table, lifting the edge with effort.

It took the combined strength of four people to barely lift the heavy table.

As they moved it to the courtyard, they heard the eunuch at the palace gate announce:

"The Emperor has arrived~"

Caught off guard, Song Zhao's grip loosened, and the table dropped, striking her leg and causing immediate pain, bringing tears to her eyes.

Spruce and the others crowded around Song Zhao, fussing over her, just as Xiao Jingheng arrived and saw the scene.

He hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Song Zhao wiped away her tears, enduring the pain as she explained, "It's nothing, Your Majesty, just my carelessness. I was worried the peeling paint on this rosewood table might look inauspicious, so I asked them to move it out. But the table is too heavy for them, and in trying to help, I clumsily hurt myself."

Xiao Jingheng noticed a hint of blood seeping through the thin fabric of her summer dress at her calf,

He quickly scooped her up and laid her down on a couch inside the inner chamber, then lifted her trouser leg to examine.

He saw a crescent-shaped wound on Song Zhao’s smooth, fair calf, and his heart ached,

“Didn’t you just promise me to take good care of yourself? You seem intent on making me worry. How could you, a woman, lift such a heavy table?”

Song Zhao casually brushed it off with a joke,

“It’s fine, Your Majesty. It’s just a small cut, nothing serious. Besides, my palace is full of women; surely, I can’t expect the Emperor to help me move furniture, can I?”

Xiao Jingheng ordered someone to fetch wound medicine, and as he applied it, he said,

“I would help you move it if needed, but this reminds me that you lack capable attendants for heavy tasks. Let’s assign a competent eunuch from the Internal Affairs Department to attend to you for added support.”

Jiang Deshun interjected, “Your Majesty... Song Zhao is only a palace attendant. Palace rules dictate that eunuchs cannot serve women of her rank.”

Xiao Jingheng dismissed the concern, “That’s easily resolved. Issue an edict elevating Song Zhao of Yaohua Palace to the rank of a Regular Consort, effective immediately.”

This declaration left everyone present in shock.