Chapter 81: A Choice Between Two

Chapter 81: A Choice Between Two

The phoenix-tail hairpin or the pomegranate bracelet?

Seeing the Empress's pale face, Yu He immediately guessed that the box likely contained something unpleasant. She closed the lid, stepped back to stand beside the Empress, curtsied, and said, "Thank you for the trouble, Grand Eunuch."

The jade pillow had been personally smashed by the Emperor in the Taiji Hall and then packed into the box by his orders. As someone who served closely by the Emperor's side, Cai Shan naturally knew what was inside.

But since it concerned the Emperor and Empress, he acted as if he hadn't seen anything and smiled calmly as he said, "Since the delivery is complete, this servant will not disturb the Empress any further."

Before leaving, he added, "By the way, the Emperor has asked this servant to relay a message to Your Majesty. He said that you have been working hard these days, so you need not oversee the Lantern Festival celebrations. Everything will be handled by Noble Consort Mi, allowing you to enjoy a peaceful New Year."

With that, Cai Shan led his entourage in a bow and withdrew, the once harmonious atmosphere of Fengyi Palace instantly turning icy.

The Empress stared in the direction Cai Shan had left, silent for a long time, her expression icy.

The maids Le He and Yu He, standing by her side, asked with concern, "Your Majesty..."

Though they could sense something was wrong, Yu He didn't know what exactly was in the box that could make the usually composed Empress so visibly shaken. Frowning, she opened the lid again and asked, "What could be so important that the Emperor had to send it to Your Majesty on the first day of the New Year—"

Before she could finish, she glanced down at the pile of fragments inside, and her face turned pale for a moment.

"This is..."

She didn't speak further but instead raised her head sharply, her gaze stern as she scanned the room. "All of you, leave!"

Once everyone in Fengyi Palace had dispersed, Yu He hurriedly said, "Your Majesty, isn't this the jade pillow you bestowed upon Noble Consort Zhen last time? How could the Emperor have..."

The Empress's gaze was icy, her crimson-painted nails digging into her palm as she clenched her fists tightly.

She let out a cold laugh. "The Emperor is warning me."

Yu He was still confused, frowning as she said, "Your Majesty has always been meticulous in your plans. The Emperor should be suspicious of Noble Consort Zhen. Why would he warn you? What exactly did Noble Consort Zhen do?"

"When you bestowed that jade pillow, the entire palace knew it was just an ordinary jade pillow. Only Noble Consort Zhen herself knew that you had told her it was once used by Consort Lian. Noble Consort Zhen is clever and cautious—she would surely investigate who Consort Lian was. Once she dug into the Emperor's people, the Emperor would immediately know who was behind it."

Le He sighed. "I remember last time, Noble Consort Zhen asked the Imperial Household Department to make a stand for the jade pillow and decorate it with pearls. Could it be that she deliberately placed the jade pillow in a conspicuous spot to arouse the Emperor's suspicion?"

The Empress glanced sideways, her voice low. "The jade pillow is just an ordinary jade pillow. Even if the Emperor saw it, he wouldn't connect it to Consort Lian."

"Unless..."

Yu He looked up in shock. "Unless Noble Consort Zhen was bold enough to tell the Emperor directly that you had told her it was the warm jade pillow once used by Consort Lian?"

The Empress slammed her hand on the table, her voice cold. "If it weren't for that, how could the Emperor possibly suspect me!"

This was truly strange.

Noble Consort Zhen was as cunning as a fox and extremely cautious in her actions. When the Crown Prince was poisoned, she had quickly uncovered the spy Luo Luo, whom the Empress had planted in her palace. The Empress was certain that from the moment she bestowed the warm jade pillow upon Noble Consort Zhen, Noble Consort Zhen had begun to guard against her. Given her careful nature, how could she not investigate thoroughly upon hearing the unfamiliar name of Consort Lian?

The Empress furrowed her brows, deep in thought as she tried to unravel the mystery. After a long while, she finally found the key to the puzzle, and her expression turned cold.

Indeed, if Su Jiaojiao had not taken the matter of Consort Lian seriously, she would not have so blatantly placed the jade pillow in a conspicuous spot, waiting for the Emperor to discover it. Nor would she have actively mentioned to the Emperor that it was the Empress who had told her about it.

Moreover, if Su Jiaojiao had no idea that Consort Lian was a taboo subject in the palace or that Consort Lian had any connection to the Emperor, how could she have thought to use this to arouse the Emperor's suspicion?

But the traces of Consort Lian had long since vanished from the palace. The only people who knew about her were the Emperor's loyalists. If Noble Consort Zhen had indeed learned about Consort Lian and used it against the Empress, how could the Emperor not know that Noble Consort Zhen had been secretly investigating? And how could he not become suspicious of her?

Su Jiaojiao had only been in favor for less than a year, and her influence in the harem was far inferior to her own. If she couldn't uncover something, how could Su Jiaojiao possibly have found out?

How did she manage to make the Emperor only suspicious of her, even publicly reprimanding her, the mistress of the harem, and stripping her of her authority over the Lantern Festival!

The Empress shot a cold glance at Yu He and Le He: "Go and find out if the Emperor showed any dissatisfaction towards Noble Consort Zhen when he left Pixiang Palace."

After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Yu He hurried back from outside, covered in snow.

She hurried towards the Empress upon entering the room, her face showing some indignation, and she knelt down to say: "Your Majesty, I heard that although the Emperor's expression softened when he left Pixiang Palace, he did not punish Noble Consort Zhen and even promised to visit her again soon."

The Empress exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

The Emperor was not suspicious of Noble Consort Zhen, nor did he punish her—how could this be!

Min Cairen was merely placed under house arrest and demoted to Cairen for singing a song, and she only mentioned the name of Consort Lian, which angered the Emperor greatly. What exactly is Su Jiaojiao's secret?!

The Empress took several deep breaths, struggling to suppress her resentment, and then said coldly: "Since the Emperor wants me to step back, let Noble Consort Mi take the stage."

"Noble Consort Zhen is favored, isn't she? Good, go and tell the people below to praise how Noble Consort Zhen is favored, how she rose to the position of a main consort in less than a year, and how the Emperor listened to her slander to suppress the Empress of the nation. I want to see if the court censors can tolerate a bewitching consort leading the country to ruin!"

New Year celebrations in the palace are less lively and simpler than those outside.

Back when Su Jiaojiao was just a selected rank in Junwu Pavilion, because of her low status and lack of influence, no one cared how she spent her New Year.

At most, when she went to the Shangshi Bureau to collect her meals, she could add some meat dishes, and her already scant salary was increased by ten percent.

Now that she's a main consort and a favorite, her food, clothing, and daily necessities are all of the best quality. The eunuchs from the Inner Service Bureau attend to her with diligence and care. Early in the morning, Yu Ying told her that the people from the Inner Service Bureau had come early to decorate the hall with red, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Later, when the Emperor arrived, Su Jiaojiao delayed until before dinner to burn incense and perform the rituals. After completing the tasks of the first day of the New Year, she lazily reclined on the chaise longue to read a book.

Yu Ying added a few more candles for her and softly said: "Your Majesty, I heard that shortly after the Emperor left Pixiang Palace, he had the Grand Eunuch send a gift to the Empress. After the people left, the Empress immediately had everyone in the hall cleared out. I wonder what was discussed inside."

"Do you think it's related to the Jade pillow the Emperor took earlier today?"

Su Jiaojiao gently turned a page of the book, and the sound of paper rustling echoed in the quiet hall: "Consort Lian's name is a potent weapon, the Emperor must be angry with the Empress."

She looked up at Yu Ying: "I merely employed a small trick to have Min Cairen sing a song, and the Emperor was so angry that he demoted her and placed her under house arrest, showing how important Consort Lian is in the Emperor's heart."

"I spoke directly, so the Emperor is not suspicious of me."

Su Jiaojiao lowered her eyes again, looking at the Book of Songs in her hand: "I previously asked Xiao Songzi to investigate the matter of Consort Lian, and fortunately, I didn't have much influence in the palace at that time, so Xiao Songzi couldn't find out anything."

"Regarding the matter of Consort Lian, you all must be careful and keep your mouths tight."

Yu Ying knelt and agreed, and Su Jiaojiao leisurely said: "Today is the first day of Min Cairen's house arrest, she must hate me to the core. Many of her palace servants have been withdrawn, and she is being closely watched, so the people serving her will have much less access. Have someone monitor Zuixia Palace, and if anyone contacts anything unusual, report it immediately."

After saying this, Su Jiaojiao rubbed her temples and said: "The first day of the New Year is hectic, but the second day is far more relaxed. After the grand conferment of titles in the harem, there will be another wave of social interactions in the palace. Starting from tomorrow, Pixiang Palace will be bustling with visitors. In terms of etiquette, you must also appropriately return the courtesies to the various palaces on my behalf."

She pondered for a moment: "Exercise great caution with Zhu Baolin, take Imperial Physician Liu with you, and have him check everything in front of her before handing it over, to avoid giving anyone a handle."

The next morning, the heavy overnight snow ceased, and everything in sight was covered in a vast expanse of white.

The palace servants of Pixiang Palace had already started clearing the snow in the courtyard early in the morning, and the long, drawn-out sound of sweeping snow could be heard through the wooden carved windows.

Su Jiaojiao, still drowsy, barely opened her eyes and lazily asked: "What time is it?"

Yu Ye came around from behind the screen, helped her up, and smiled: "It's almost Si hour."

"Where is Yu Ying?"

Yu Ye teased with a playful smile, "Yu Ying got up early, saying that you had instructed her to deliver gifts to the various palaces today. She has probably already delivered to several by now. If you don't get up soon, and if other ladies come to deliver their congratulations only to find you still in bed, your reputation for laziness might spread all over the palace."

In the Huizhu Hall.

Noble Lady Zhu, heavily pregnant, was being helped up to sit on the soft chair given by the Emperor.

She was now over nine months pregnant, with only a short half-month left until her due date.

Carrying a child to term was no easy feat for women in the palace, and she had managed to care for it until now, with the child soon to be born. However, her anxiety increased with each passing day.

She knew that the Empress had been eyeing her unborn child with malice, and she had been doing everything in her power to protect her child.

But ever since she accidentally slipped from the palanquin, the Emperor had been furious and no longer permitted her to leave her quarters freely. For the sake of the fetus, he also severed her connections with others in the palace.

Originally, she had placed all her hopes on Noble Lady Yun, but who could have expected so many incidents at the New Year's Eve banquet? Although Noble Lady Yun was well-prepared, she never got the chance to perform and thus failed to gain the Emperor's favor.

It was a pity that she had put so much effort into Noble Lady Yun at the summer resort and even gave her those body-regulating medicines, but in the end, it all came to nothing.

If it were just an ordinary time, it wouldn't matter, but at such a crucial time, she couldn't count on her!

Now, with no options left, Noble Lady Zhu grew increasingly despondent, and the more she worried, the more uneasy she became.

Cui Mei, noticing her mistress's despondency, also knew what she was worried about and could only try to comfort her, saying, "Mistress, don't worry. I could send someone to seek help..."

Noble Lady Zhu lifted her eyelids and looked at her coldly, "Seek help from whom?"

"I have few allies in the palace, and I became pregnant early. Now, I can't count on Noble Lady Ji, and Noble Lady Yun has fallen out of favor. Who else can I rely on!"

Seeing her mistress being so aggressive, Cui Mei didn't know whether to speak or not, so she reluctantly lowered her head and said, "I was considering Noble Consort Zhen... She has recently been promoted to a higher rank and is in favor. She has helped you before, and if push comes to shove, perhaps... perhaps it could be a solution."

"Noble Consort Zhen?" Hearing the name of Noble Consort Zhen, Noble Lady Zhu hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Although Noble Consort Zhen has helped me before, we are not close. At the summer resort, she kept her distance from me. Besides, helping me would mean offending the Empress, and she is currently in favor. Why would she want to get involved in this mess?"

Cui Mei hadn't thought of this and stammered, "This..."

She quickly knelt down and bowed her head, afraid of displeasing her mistress, "I didn't think this through, please forgive me, Mistress."

Noble Lady Zhu glanced at her, not in the mood to be angry with a maid, and said, "Get up."

At this moment, the duty eunuch entered and bowed, saying, "Mistress, Yu Ying, the head maid of Noble Consort Zhen, is here."

Noble Lady Zhu suddenly looked over, "You mean Yu Ying, the head maid of Noble Consort Zhen?"

"Quick, invite her in!"

She glanced at Cui Mei, who had just spoken, and said, "Your timing was perfect."

Cui Mei was only relieved that Yu Ying had arrived in time to save her from her mistress's scolding. As the pregnancy progressed, her mistress's temper became increasingly strange, and she had to be very careful every day, afraid of displeasing her.

She carefully attended to Noble Lady Zhu, watching as Yu Ying came in with her entourage.

Yu Ying walked at the front, and upon seeing Noble Lady Zhu, she smiled appropriately, "I greet the Mistress."

Noble Lady Zhu smiled politely and said, "It's freezing outside, why trouble you to come all this way, Miss Yu Ying? Please sit down and rest."

She was being polite, but Yu Ying knew the rules, "You are too kind, Mistress. My lady instructed me to personally deliver New Year's gifts to you. To ensure your peace of mind, she also asked Imperial Physician Liu to come and inspect the gifts in front of you."

The palace servants lined up and opened the gifts for Noble Lady Zhu and Imperial Physician Liu to see. Imperial Physician Liu bowed to Noble Lady Zhu before inspecting each gift one by one, saying, "Everything is fine."

Noble Lady Zhu's eyes flickered, knowing that Noble Consort Zhen was being cautious, but she didn't show it on her face, only saying, "The lady is truly thoughtful."

Yu Ying waved her hand, and the palace servants put down the gift boxes. Then she smiled meaningfully and said, "The lady is kind-hearted, fearing that you might be bored and troubled during your pregnancy. She specially sent me to ask if you prefer pomegranate bracelets or phoenix-tail hairpins. Please choose, and the lady will find them for you to amuse yourself with."