Chapter 80: First Snow and Wishes 1

Chapter 80: First Snow and Wishes 1

The next morning, the Ministry of Punishment indeed released news,

Yin Zhi couldn't withstand the torture and died a violent death last night.

The following day, the body of an official from the Ministry of Punishment was found in the Qianli Pond,

The death of a mere servant was the most trivial matter in the palace; the Ministry of Punishment didn't want to make a fuss, so they didn’t report it to the Household Department and dealt with the body quietly.

Thus, the snake encounter in the Plum Garden became an unresolved mystery,

Consort Xiao was doomed to be unable to prove her innocence.

But relying on the precious child in her womb, she could still enjoy Xiao Jingheng's 'imperial favor' for a good while.

In the following days, wasn’t she the most favored in the harem?

Xiao Jingheng showered her with affection, sending her all sorts of fine things first,

The Empress also knew how to act, noticing the cold weather, all palaces started using charcoal braziers,

Consort Xiao, merely a consort by rank, should have used silver charcoal, but the Empress replaced it with red-brick charcoal, reserved for higher-ranked consorts, to keep her warmer in winter.

Both Xiao Jingheng and the Empress's attitudes were very clear, so gradually, the snake incident in the Plum Garden ceased to be mentioned.

However, as a result of this incident, the Empress and Consort Chen had completely become enemies.

"Although Consort Chen used to be arrogant and domineering, she still regarded the status of the Empress, grudgingly attending the daily greetings. Even when she didn't come, she always had a plausible excuse for her absence."

"But lately, her excuses have become increasingly absurd,"

"Just yesterday, she had Yingxiang tell the Empress that her pet cat had died, leaving her too distressed to pay her respects."

"The Empress, hearing this reason, looked visibly upset, but she didn’t reprimand Consort Chen, letting it pass as a mere trifle."

"This morning, when Song Zhao went to greet the Empress, Consort Chen surprisingly wasn’t late."

"However, she appeared sorrowful and sighed continuously after taking her seat."

"Perhaps feeling that their mutual coldness was unproductive, the Empress took the initiative to extend an olive branch, saying with a smile:"

"'I heard about the death of your beloved Snowball, which is truly regrettable. Knowing how fond you were of it, I had someone find a white cat that closely resembles Snowball to give to you, sister. See if you like it.'"

"She raised her eyebrows towards Shuangruo, who immediately brought a snow-white cat from the inner chamber, presenting it to Consort Chen."

"Consort Chen managed a forced smile upon seeing the white cat, courteously taking it from Shuangruo's hands and politely saying, 'Thank you, Your Majesty.'"

"Later, during the concubines' idle chatter, the Empress mentioned, 'The weather is getting colder by the day. I’m thinking of suspending the morning greetings after the first snowfall, allowing everyone to move around their own quarters to avoid any accidents. That would be best.'"

"Everyone thanked the Empress for her consideration,"

"Consort Chen also remarked, 'Your Majesty's words are wise. Do you know how my Snowball in my palace died?'"

The Empress shook her head,

Consort Chen, while stroking the soft white fur of the cat in her arms, sighed and said:

"It seems the little creature was not destined for a long life. It always preferred to stay curled up, showing a lethargic demeanor. I had the servants from the Floral and Avian Department check it; they said its heartbeat was naturally slower than other cats', a congenital condition from birth, incurable. Now with the onset of winter, the cold was too much for it, and it didn't survive."

The atmosphere in the hall, previously harmonious, suddenly became tense with Consort Chen's words. The smiles on everyone's faces froze, and they resorted to sipping tea to hide their discomfort.

Her cat had a heart condition and couldn't survive the harsh winter; the insinuation in her words was a bit too obvious.

Apart from Consort Hui, who was only focused on eating, who else couldn't decipher that Consort Chen was using her deceased cat to metaphorically reference the Empress?

The Empress's expression turned particularly unpleasant.

Consort Chen, however, seemed oblivious to this,

She played with the cat in her arms for a moment and continued speaking carefreely:

"Speaking of which, only the Empress's palace is truly comfortable. In this palace, apart from the Emperor's Chaoyang Palace and the Dowager's Xianshou Palace, only your Fengluan Palace has underfloor heating. That's natural warmth. Unlike me, having to rely on red-brick charcoal for warmth in my palace, I can't even keep a frail cat alive."

Saying this, she casually dropped the white cat to the floor, letting it scamper away in fright,

"This cat should stay in the Empress's palace. When I am fortunate enough to have a palace as warm as yours, I might consider keeping a pet again."

She then stood up, covering her face with a handkerchief, yawning lazily and said:

"The Empress's palace is so warm, it makes me sleepy. I will take my leave now."

"Consort Chen has always been like this,"

"Throwing her weight around, infuriating the Empress, and then strutting away in triumph."

"However, this drama is something Song Zhao enjoys watching."

"After witnessing the day's entertainment, Song Zhao returned to her palace and sat on the heated seat, continuing her study of the musical scores."

"A servant from the Household Department had just brought in fresh charcoal, and Yunshan was adding it to the brazier next to the warm seat."

"The Emperor always has you in his thoughts, my lady. Look, the Household Department sent you red-brick charcoal, which is only for the use of consorts. In the entire harem, only Consort Xiao is treated this way. But that's because of her pregnancy. If we set aside these factors and talk only about favor, she certainly cannot compare with you."

Her voice lowered as she spoke, "Consort Yao is still using silver charcoal. Shall I select some of these and send them to her? We can say they were specially delivered to our Yaohua Palace by the Household Department."

"Do as you suggest," Song Zhao glanced at the red-brick charcoal in the brazier, then smiled at Yunshan,

"You seem much sharper lately. In the past, even if we were to send something to Consort Yao, you might have bluntly said that this red-brick charcoal was a special gift from the Emperor to me, and out of kindness, I'm sharing it with her, making it sound like she's taking undue advantage."

Yunshan, somewhat embarrassed, stuck out her tongue, "These are all Xiaofuzi's teachings. He says that being in the palace is not like being at home, and I should be more careful with my words to avoid offending anyone and causing trouble for you."

Song Zhao nodded with a hint of pride, "Xiaofuzi is astute. It's good for you to listen to him; it will only benefit you."

"Right!" Yunshan laughed in agreement, quickly selecting a basket of good charcoal to send to Consort Yao, who resided in the main hall.

Not long after, as she returned, her voice could be heard before she even entered the hall, brimming with joy:

"My lady, come and see, it's snowing!"

Hearing this, Song Zhao pushed open a slender crack in the diamond-patterned window,

"Outside the window, large snowflakes fluttered down like goose feathers, adorning the red walls and green tiles, creating a picturesque scene."

"She pushed the window open further, reaching out to catch a snowflake,"

"Watching as it gradually melted into a colorless droplet in the palm of her hand,"

"Somehow, her heart felt a chill as well."

"She always remembered, it was on a day of heavy snowfall like this, that her mother had closed her eyes forever..."