Chapter 66: The Reinstatement of Noble Consort Chen’s Favor

Chapter 66: The Reinstatement of Noble Consort Chen’s Favor

Yonghe Palace.

A sudden cold wind whisked up the dry, yellow leaves of the courtyard's maple trees, swirling them down to the feet of Noble Consort Chen, leaning against the doorframe of her chamber.

She stood alone, gazing at the moon, letting the cool breeze tousle her hair.

Yingxiang draped a cloak over her shoulders, expressing concern,

“Your Highness has been standing at the palace gate for an hour. Your health has been delicate since the miscarriage, and the imperial physician advised against exposing yourself to the wind. Please, let’s go back inside and rest.”

Noble Consort Chen, still looking upwards, showed no intention of returning,

She asked Yingxiang, “The Emperor will come to see me, won’t he?”

Yingxiang was momentarily at a loss for words.

It was almost midnight,

And earlier, Zhang Jiugui had reported that he personally witnessed Song Zhao wearing the magnolia hairpin,

If Emperor Xiao Jingheng had intended to visit, he would have already done so...

After a brief silence, Yingxiang, trying to change the subject, urged again,

“Your Highness, perhaps it’s better to wait back in the palace? If you worsen your condition over this, the Emperor will be worried about you.”

Noble Consort Chen remained unmoved, still staring dreamily at the bright moon.

Strangely enough, she and Xiao Jingheng had admired the moon together countless times before,

Seeing its fullness like a silver platter, she used to feel that such perfect harmony was incredibly fulfilling.

But today, although the moon was still perfectly round, Noble Consort Chen saw it hanging alone in the sky, feeling an overwhelming sense of desolation.

She murmured, lost in thought,

“Yingxiang, do you think the Emperor doesn’t love me as much anymore?”

Yingxiang hastily reassured, “Your Highness is overthinking. The Emperor’s affection for you is so evident, even the Empress might envy it. How could he not love Your Highness?”

“But if he loved me, he would trust me. Although I dislike him favoring other women, the Phoenix Head Pipa belonged to the late Empress Dowager. How could I bear to destroy it and cause the Emperor grief?”

Noble Consort Chen was acutely aware of the reason behind Xiao Jingheng’s neglect,

He was holding her responsible for the broken strings of the pipa.

This only deepened her sense of injustice.

She couldn't understand when she had become such a disfavored woman in Emperor Xiao Jingheng's heart.

In the past, even when she made mistakes, Xiao Jingheng would stand by her side, unwaveringly.

As she thought, a sour feeling welled up in her heart, and her vision began to blur.

Warm tears slid down from the corners of her eyes,

She lifted her hand, palm upwards to brush away the tears, and with a bitter smile, she shook her head and sighed,

“Enough, enough.”

As Noble Consort Chen, supported by Yingxiang, turned to return to the palace, she suddenly heard a familiar male voice from behind:

“It’s cold outside, why are you standing alone in the corridor?”

That voice entered her ears, coursing through her bloodstream straight to her heart,

Her chilled heart instantly warmed.

Noble Consort Chen turned joyfully to see Xiao Jingheng striding towards her.

The silver moonlight cast upon his bright yellow imperial robe, with the embroidery's golden threads reflecting a subtle glow,

To Noble Consort Chen, that glow seemed dazzling.

Forgetting the decorum of a consort, she rushed towards Xiao Jingheng, wrapped her arms tightly around his lean waist, and buried her head in his chest, her voice breaking with sobs,

“I thought Your Majesty would never come to see me again..."

Xiao Jingheng embraced her in return,

His broad palm pressed firmly against her back, gently patting,

“I’ve been preoccupied with state affairs these past days and neglected you. Don’t take it to heart.”

Whether it was due to the busyness of state affairs or unintentional neglect, Noble Consort Chen knew the truth all too well.

Yet she could not afford to dwell on such matters,

Nor could she explain to Emperor Xiao Jingheng that the snapping of the Phoenix Head Pipa's strings had nothing to do with her.

After all, Xiao Jingheng had never openly addressed the issue from beginning to end,

Speaking up now would only seem like a guilty admission.

"As long as Your Majesty still holds me in his heart, that’s all I need. I fear only that new love may make you forget the old."

Such bold words could only be spoken by Noble Consort Chen when she was playfully petulant with Xiao Jingheng.

Xiao Jingheng didn’t blame her but instead tenderly wiped away her tears, smiling brightly:

“Look at you, standing in the breeze, your nose has turned red from the cold.”

He sheltered Noble Consort Chen from the wind on his right side, holding her hand as they walked towards the sleeping chamber, saying:

“The Yang Zhi Gan Lu dessert in your palace is the best. I’m a bit hungry now, do you have any...”

“If Your Majesty likes it, I always have it prepared.”

Before Xiao Jingheng could finish speaking, Noble Consort Chen was already instructing Yingxiang to get it ready.

That night, Emperor Xiao Jingheng stayed in Noble Consort Chen's palace.

The confidentiality in Yonghe Palace was always tight, so this event didn’t reach the ears of the other consorts.

The next day, when Song Zhao went to pay her respects to the Empress,

She was surprised to see Xiao Chang’in, who had long been absent from public view, making a rare appearance.

The consorts, having not seen her for a while, extended their greetings, even if only out of courtesy.

Consort Shu said, “It’s good to see you moving about. Grieving has its time, but life must go on, right? I’ve recently experienced the pain of losing a child, so I understand your feelings.”

Consort Ying said, “You haven’t been around these days, and we’ve all been worried about you.”

Consort Yun also added, “Looking at the scar on your face, it doesn’t seem severe. It’s hardly noticeable unless one looks closely.”

Facing everyone's caring remarks, Xiao Chang’in expressed her gratitude and said,

“I am grateful to the Empress for not despising me. These days, she has been accompanying me in daily prayers and scripture recitations. Through understanding the teachings of Buddhism, many things have become clearer to me.”

The Empress responded with a gentle smile, “It’s also because you, Xiao Chang’in, have a connection with Buddhism. Others might find the incense too strong here and can't even sit still.”

The Empress’ reference to those ‘unable to sit still’ was obviously directed at Noble Consort Chen.

Today, as Noble Consort Chen was absent again, Consort Ying continued the Empress' thought,

“Why is Noble Consort Chen late again today? When she was favored, arriving late to serve the Emperor was one thing. But now that the Emperor hardly pays her any attention, who is she trying to impress by acting this way?”

Consort Yun chimed in sarcastically, “Some people are so used to breaking the rules, they need to be disciplined. Your Majesty, you can’t always indulge her. She needs to be taught a lesson, to remember her place.”

“Noble Consort Chen arrives to pay respects to the Empress.”

As they were speaking, suddenly the voice of a eunuch solemnly announced from outside,

Everyone turned to look, seeing Noble Consort Chen, surrounded by a throng of palace attendants, walking in slowly.

Her entourage stopped outside the palace gate, and only Yingxiang, supporting her, gracefully entered the hall.

Today, she wore a vermilion cloak with a hundred birds welcoming the phoenix pattern, adorned with cloud-like pearls resembling Dongzhu around her neck. She radiated a dazzling and luxurious splendor.

The pattern of 'hundred birds welcoming the phoenix' was imitated from 'hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix,' and the cloud pattern was imitated from Dongzhu.

Both items were exclusive to the empress.

Although the concubines were accustomed to Empress Chen's arrogance, her extravagant attire today clearly aimed to assert dominance over the empress. The concubines couldn't help but change their expressions.

Song Zhao sneakily glanced at the empress's expression.

The empress continued to smile, unperturbed.

Consort Chen walked towards her without acknowledging the concubines on both sides.

When she stood below the hall, she lazily bent her knees in a greeting.

Before the empress could ask her to rise, she boldly took her seat, drawing everyone's attention.