Chapter 182: Palace Intrigue X Ego X Protagonist Halo (15)

Chapter 182: Palace Intrigue X Ego X Protagonist Halo (15)

It was the Longevity Festival, and the palace was holding grand banquets for three days, with constant performances by opera troupes, making it as lively as the New Year celebrations.

The original author had stopped updating, leaving the plot open-ended, so the various imperial consorts were more focused on gossip than on the emperor himself.

The Heavenly Dao was still exerting its residual effects, and thus, among the harem, only the protagonist had spent a great deal of effort to personally make an embroidered fragrant sachet.

However, the gift was drowned out among the birthday presents from various royal relatives.

The emperor, Han Xunlie, was usually too lazy to listen to the eunuchs reading those gift lists, as they were always the same things like jade Ruyi and gold Buddhas. His interest was more concentrated on the opera stage.

The busier the consorts were with their schemes, the less he had to worry about state affairs.

The busier the consorts were, the more peaceful and uneventful the national affairs generally were.

When the consorts were all idle, troubles from various provinces and counties would all come up.

Although it was the Longevity Festival, the official reports were piled up like a small mountain, and despite working late into the night, he couldn't finish them.

Han Xunlie was so busy that he nearly missed both lunch and the start of the opera.

Although he came late, all the concubines and performers stood to greet and pay their respects to the emperor.

Han Xunlie casually responded and signaled the opera to continue, then slowly made his way to the main seat.

Once he sat down, everyone returned to their relaxed state of snacking and watching the opera, creating an unusually harmonious atmosphere.

The emperor himself watched for a quarter of an hour before belatedly feeling that something was off.

The atmosphere was pleasant—too pleasant. Something felt off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it.

Han Xunlie pretended to turn sideways to pick a piece of pastry and glanced at his consorts with his peripheral vision.

Everyone's posture was much more relaxed than before.

The usual tension between them was almost non-existent, and no one was affecting a sweet voice to talk to him.

He couldn't help but turn his head to look around and found that the seating arrangement had changed.

These days, the emperor had been inexplicably immersed in poetry and books, and during the day, he had to review memorials, so he hadn't set foot in the harem for more than half a month.

Once he returned, even the layout here had completely changed.

In the past, the factions of the empress and the imperial noble consort were clearly distinct, and even when they sat together, they were far apart, never mixing like now.

There was no hostility, no tension, and no one was suppressing their murderous intent to exchange sharp words.

After years of witnessing the harem's constant power struggles, the emperor now found himself in an unsettlingly peaceful environment. He had to stand up and look around several times, almost thinking he had entered the wrong door.

The opera left him feeling both disinterested and confused.

As the performance was about to end, the imperial noble consort caught sight of the concubine about to leave and smiled slightly.

The concubine, who usually pretended to be gentle and proper in front of the emperor, was visibly annoyed today. Half-grumbling and half-dissatisfied, she whispered to the imperial noble consort, "What are you smiling about?"

Then he turned around and left.

The emperor, completely out of the loop, stayed stunned for a few seconds.

“……?”

What’s going on? Why is the Imperial Noble Consort Yu, who’s always so image-conscious, not even trying to act refined and composed today?

Even though the heroine despised the emperor, she was compelled by the Heavenly Dao to come and pay her respects. Her heart full of complexity, she asked him whether he liked the scented sachet.

The emperor was distracted and took a moment to think.

A scented sachet? What sachet?

From the sidelines, observer Ke remarked, “At this point, the romantic plot between the main characters is already in tatters.”

The system: “A cause for celebration.”

Han Xunlie watched as the concubines came one by one to pay their respects and then left. After a long while, he turned to Yuan Biwei.

“Do you know the reason for the changes in the palace now?”

Yuan Biwei couldn’t find a response. “This…”

“How come the Imperial Noble Consort Yu seems to be on good terms with the Imperial Noble Consort Rong?”

He let his gaze drift away and muttered absentmindedly.

In the past, these two treated each other like air, or at most, they would exchange cold sarcasm. Occasionally, he had to play mediator to keep the peace.

Now, it’s like they are treating him as air instead. Although they still bicker, something deeper has changed.

Yuan Biwei had many things she wanted to say to him.

She resented him for his impulsive decision to spend a night with her and then never visit her again, leaving her alone in the deep palace with no way out.

At that moment, though they were very close, they had nothing to say to each other.

What mattered to him, she knew nothing about. They were strangers to each other.

The young girl bit her lip and stood for a long time, as if some hope quietly shattered, then turned and left.

She didn’t bid farewell with a formal bow, and the emperor didn’t pay attention, still lost in a daze.

These two outsiders had clearly missed a lot of explosive news.

Since the incident on the third day of the third month, the traditional festival of Shangsi, up until half a month ago when the Imperial Noble Consort Rong and Imperial Noble Consort Yu were paired up, the situation in the palace had become as complex as a kaleidoscope, filled with a sense of comedy.

Since that day when the Imperial Noble Consort Yu fled the Tianyi Palace with a flushed face, something about her persona started to crack.

Before this, everyone respected and feared her. Only a few high-born ladies dared to chat and laugh with her.

Although Imperial Noble Consort Yu had the protection of the empress dowager and was the only daughter of a general, she exuded a commanding presence. Her heroic spirit was intense, even if she didn’t carry an air of arrogance.

The more delicate and reserved girls would shrink back under her gaze, fearing they might have done something to offend the Imperial Noble Consort Yu. Their voices would weaken to a mosquito-like buzz.

For the first time, after years of maintaining her formidable presence, she fled from Imperial Noble Consort Rong, revealing a touch of vulnerability that made her seem more human.

Everyone knew there was no personal connection between them, but now people felt bold enough to pay their respects, offer gifts, and even sit down for a cup of tea.

She took great pleasure in watching Imperial Noble Consort Yu struggle to maintain her dignity and composure.

Imperial Noble Consort Yu refused to admit that Yan Li had outwitted her, nor would she acknowledge that this irritating person could unsettle her so much. She still had to force a smile to deal with these so-called gossip mongers.

She half-joked about wanting to sneak soy sauce into the tea of these so-called 'sisters.'

Thankfully, the gossip columns changed daily.

The next day, it was Consort Yun and Lady He who were named.

Despite their low rank, they shared a deep bond, like kindred spirits who understood each other without words. Even brief festival encounters left them with lasting warmth.

The tabloids wrote extensively about them, from sharing lotus seeds while watching sandpipers fly together to the sudden turn of the head during the Lantern Festival, painting a rather romantic picture.

The same crowd that had been enjoying the drama yesterday was now completely smitten.

"What are you two waiting for?! Why are you still holding back?!"

Can't you visit each other more often?!

The two women, either feeling guilty or simply shy, kept their doors closed and didn't respond.

At noon, the Empress held a palace banquet and arranged for them to sit together.

Lady He, upon seeing Consort Yun, felt her eyes redden and quickly covered her face with her sleeve.

Consort Yun reached out to take her hand, and they sat down together, toasting with everyone.

The Empress, uncharacteristically, sipped some plum wine and winced at the sharpness.

"Lady He has been in the palace for a long time; it's about time she was promoted. From now on, she will be a Rank 6 Liangren, just half a rank below Consort Yun."

Everyone agreed and raised their cups again.

As people ate and laughed, Imperial Noble Consort Yu watched with twitching eyebrows.

What’s the point of all this pretentiousness? What are they even sympathizing over?

After a long while of eyebrow twitching, Imperial Noble Consort Yu finally turned her head and looked at the empty seat of Imperial Noble Consort Rong.

"Where is she?"

The young maid hesitated, finally realizing her mistress was asking about someone else.

"Imperial Noble Consort Rong caught a cold; it is said she caught a chill while appreciating the early summer lotuses."

Imperial Noble Consort Yu turned her face away.

"She deserves it."

Throughout the banquet, she hardly touched her chopsticks.

Afterward, the morning tabloids continued to change their stories, sometimes involving two people, sometimes four or five. The stories could be either fragrant and passionate or clear and elegant, with tales easily spun from nothing.

After half a month, the stories shifted to the two harmonious consorts.

The two consorts, holding high positions, had been old friends for nearly twenty years.

If anyone else had been teased like this, they would have blushed and felt embarrassed, maybe even stomped their feet in frustration.

The two longtime friends, both high-ranking concubines, met early in the morning to drink lotus root soup and discuss the intricacies of the situation, finding it all quite fascinating.

They were both from noble families, had flown kites together as children, and entered the palace at the proper age. After so many years, they knew each other as well as they knew themselves.

Reading these playful jibes again, they weren’t offended at all. In fact, they found them rather fresh and interesting.

The people of the palace were familiar with their temperaments, and since morning, they had come over to exchange pleasantries and joke around.

Imperial Noble Consort Yu harbored some mocking thoughts, thinking that it was finally the turn of the two who always put on airs. She wondered if they would feel embarrassed.

She brought a few gifts along and paid them a visit, only to see Consorts Shun and Rou welcoming and seeing off guests as if they were an old married couple. Her interest in watching the scene was mostly dampened.

Were they really so unconcerned about appearances? Weren’t they worried about raising suspicions?

Imperial Noble Consort Yu was torn between leaving and staying, and in her hesitation, Consort Rou spotted her.

“Sister, come quickly! The tea and food kitchen has just presented some fresh lychees and bayberries!”

Consort Shun also greeted her, speaking warmly.

“Yes, stay a little longer. Later on, I’ve prepared some lychee soup myself for you to try.”

Reluctantly, she took a seat, watching the two of them working together so closely, almost inseparably, as they busied themselves pouring tea and arranging dishes. She raised her eyebrows and said, “Have the two of you really become an old couple? Aren’t you afraid that the emperor will develop suspicions?”

“If he were to suspect us, he should have started wondering twenty years ago,” Consort Shun cleared her throat, allowing Consort Rou to pat her back. “She and I are as pure and clear as the wind and sky. What’s not to like?”

As soon as these words were spoken, the two of them laughed again.

Imperial Noble Consort Yu was left speechless, just about to say something unpleasant to ruin the mood when she suddenly saw a peeled lychee in front of her eyes.

The lychee’s flesh was plump and white, making the person’s fingertips look like jade.

Her words died on her lips, and she froze for a few seconds. When she turned her head, she saw Imperial Noble Consort Yu sitting next to her, her long eyebrows slightly raised.

“Open your mouth.”

Imperial Noble Consort Yu was startled and instinctively opened her mouth to receive it.

As soon as she bit down, the refreshing and fragrant juice burst open, the sweetness leaving her heart tingling in a way she couldn’t quite explain.

Imperial Noble Consort Yu didn’t think much of it and continued peeling lychees, chatting with Talent Xizi about trivial matters.

It was as if she considered Yu deeply as unimportant as any other person.

Imperial Noble Consort Yu chewed a couple of times, spat out the seed, and interrupted Talent Xizi’s conversation.

“Has your cold gotten better?”

Imperial Noble Consort Yu looked at her, blinking her eyes lightly.

Although Imperial Noble Consort Yu knew that this person had no hostility, she still felt an unnamable anger rise within her and left without saying goodbye to anyone.

She left quickly, without a word of farewell.

Consort Rou casually bid her farewell, showing a hint of regret.

“I thought she would stay a little longer.”

Imperial Noble Consort Yu continued peeling lychees and chuckled softly after a moment. “She’s not one to tease.”