Chapter 88: Relocation to Yaoxian Hall

Chapter 88: Relocation to Yaoxian Hall

"Your Majesty, something urgent has happened..."

When a critical situation arises, the actions of the Inner Palace Service are exceptionally swift. On the evening of the seventh day, Su Jiaojiao was swiftly relocated to her new residence, the grand main hall of Guanju Palace, Yaoxian Hall.

Pixiang Hall was vacated for her, and after being cleaned, it would be cleansed with Buddhist scriptures to dispel evil before further use.

Yaoxian Hall, the grand main hall of Guanju Palace, was even more magnificent and larger than the already elegant and spacious Pixiang Hall, with every detail exquisitely crafted.

The Southern Four Palaces are the closest to Taiji Hall, and Guanju Palace is the finest among them, second only to Fengyi Palace.

Now that Su Jiaojiao had officially taken residence, she was the rightful and highly favored mistress of Guanju Palace.

On the morning of the eighth day, the snow had finally melted away.

Although the weather was still bitterly cold, the sun had come out. The wide windows were slightly ajar, letting in bright sunlight that made everyone feel comfortably lazy.

Yaoxian Hall, being the main hall, had a hypocaust system lit daily, so there was no need for charcoal braziers inside.

Free from the smoky odor, the room no longer felt unevenly warm as before, and staying inside for too long no longer caused discomfort, so the windows were propped open.

The hall was stuffy, and letting in some cold air by opening a window made it feel refreshing.

The official holiday had ended, and the Emperor had resumed his usual court sessions at the Xuanzheng Hall. With time on her hands, Su Jiaojiao sat on a soft couch reading a book of chess strategies.

Yu Ying entered through the luxurious satin curtain and whispered, "Your Highness, the matter you inquired about yesterday has just been reported this morning. Coincidentally, the Emperor was in a rage at the Xuanzheng Hall today, so I will tell you about it together."

Su Jiaojiao nodded imperceptibly, and Yu Ying continued, "The messenger who contacted Lord Su said that Lord Su only hinted a few words to the officials of the Astronomical Bureau, and they eagerly took care of the matter for him. The Astronomical Bureau had already submitted a memorial to the Emperor a few days ago, discussing astronomical phenomena."

Astronomical phenomena?

Since ancient times, astronomical phenomena have been of great national importance. The Astronomical Bureau is responsible for observing astronomy, calculating seasonal calendars, and predicting the fate of the nation.

From the destiny of the country to choosing auspicious days for sacrifices, the opinions of the Astronomical Bureau are sought.

Although the Astronomical Bureau holds no real power, it has a significant position in the court.

Su Chang is truly remarkable, managing to get the Astronomical Bureau to act on his behalf with just a few words.

Su Jiaojiao sipped her tea and asked softly, "What did they say?"

"The Mars star is faintly glowing red, pointing to the Ziwei Star and the Tianfu Star. Recently, the Tianfu Star has been unusually bright while the surrounding stars have dimmed, which is an anomaly."

Putting down her porcelain cup, Su Jiaojiao lowered her eyelashes and said, "Mars has always been an omen of disaster, signifying rumors and calamities. Mars glowing red is not a good omen. The Ziwei Star symbolizes the Emperor, and the Tianfu Star symbolizes the Empress. Mars pointing to the Emperor and Empress suggests that there will be rumors between them, or that they will become estranged due to rumors."

"The Tianfu Star is unusually bright while the surrounding stars are dim—" Su Jiaojiao repeated softly and chuckled.

Yu Ying asked curiously, "Why is Your Highness laughing?"

Su Jiaojiao said, "The Tianfu Star is bright while the surrounding stars are dim. Such an obvious hint shows the Astronomical Bureau's 'thoughtfulness.'"

"The Crown Prince's affair has caused a major uproar. Although I have never sent any messages outside the palace, he must have found out on his own. Lord Su is as clever as a fox, so how could he not guess who is behind this? My favor has made me a target for many, and my greatest rival is the Empress."

Su Jiaojiao had never asked Su Chang for anything before. In all these years, this was the only request she had made.

Su Chang handled it beautifully, greatly limiting the Empress and deepening the Emperor's suspicion of her.

He has proven to be an invaluable ally.

Despite this unspoken understanding, there was little left to say between father and daughter.

Yu Ying nodded and said, "Indeed, that's why His Majesty was so furious during the court session today."

"I heard that several censors spoke up during the court session today, saying that rumors about Noble Consort Zhen have been spreading all over Chang'an. People everywhere are talking about how favored she is, how she captivates His Majesty, and how the harem has been in constant turmoil since she started serving the Emperor. But before they could finish, the officials from the Directorate of Astronomy stepped forward again, presenting the celestial omens to His Majesty, this time with even more detail."

Yu Ying glanced cautiously outside, wary of eavesdroppers, before continuing, "They said that the celestial omens had already indicated these rumors, but they didn't know what they referred to until today's court session. It turns out the rumors are about His Majesty's favoritism toward Noble Consort Zhen and the widespread gossip in Chang'an. They also mentioned that the Empress Star is unusually bright while the surrounding stars are dim, which, combined with the current situation in the palace, raises suspicions."

"The Directorate of Astronomy didn't say more than that, but the court officials understood the implications. No matter how bold the Directorate of Astronomy is, they wouldn't dare to directly accuse the Empress, so they only hinted at it, leaving His Majesty to draw his own conclusions. After the Directorate of Astronomy withdrew, the Palace Command stepped forward to report that they had been secretly investigating the source of the rumors in Chang'an on His Majesty's orders, and the source leads to the Chang family."

Su Jiaojiao lowered her long lashes and said softly, "The Empress is still the Empress, the mother of the realm. Even if there are suspicions, no one dares to directly point out her faults, only using vague terms like 'suspected.' But the Chang family is the Empress's maternal clan, and with the Directorate of Astronomy's hints, even if they didn't say it outright, those censors and court officials who wanted to label me as a seductive concubine had no choice but to keep quiet."

"Given that, it's no surprise that His Majesty reduced the Empress's power yesterday."

As she fiddled with the red plum blossoms in the vase, she said indifferently, "Beauty Xiao was punished by Noble Consort Mi with ten strokes of the cane a few days ago. Now that I think about it, she must resent Noble Consort Mi. You must carefully arrange trustworthy people to set up the network for me in the palace."

"Yes."

Min Cairen died at Su Jiaojiao's hands, and although Noble Consort Wang didn't make an appearance, it was clear that she harbored resentment.

But the Eldest Prince's life was in the hands of Imperial Physician Liu, who was loyal to Su Jiaojiao. No matter how unwilling Noble Consort Wang was, she had to hold back her resentment.

Noble Consort Wang wanted Liu Shuren to live, but she wanted her own son to live even more. She was a smart woman and knew which was more important.

Ever since the Eldest Prince was poisoned and failed to recover, Noble Consort Wang lost favor with His Majesty. She had to take care of the prince and had been staying quietly in Yutang Palace.

The Empress's and her current silence was only temporary. Once the Empress finished biding her time, Su Jiaojiao would release Noble Consort Wang's hands to deal with the Empress.

The situation was tense, and it would take several rounds of back-and-forth struggles to settle it.

A few days passed, and it was now the afternoon of the fourteenth day of the first lunar month.

Su Jiaojiao was having tea with Shu Jieyu in Yaoxian Palace when they heard noise outside.

Ling Xiao went out to investigate and found out that palace servants had been sent to summon a midwife on the Empress's orders to assist Zhu Baolin in entering labor at Huizhu Pavilion. Zhu Baolin was entering labor a few days early.

Su Jiaojiao's eyes widened, and her brows furrowed as she said, "Why didn't anyone inform me?"

She stood up and hurriedly headed toward Huizhu Pavilion. Shu Jieyu, understanding her thoughts, followed closely behind, her expression cold, and said, "They probably knew and deliberately didn't want you involved, to avoid any interference with their plans."

The two of them quickly entered a palanquin and rushed toward Huizhu Pavilion.

When they arrived, they found that His Majesty, the Empress, and Noble Consort Mi were already there, waiting within.

When the Empress saw Su Jiaojiao and Shu Jieyu arrive, a hint of displeasure flashed in her eyes.

Shen Huai, seeing Su Jiaojiao arrive, said gently, "Zhu Baolin is giving birth, and I was so preoccupied that I forgot to call for you."

When a concubine gives birth, it is customary for His Majesty, the Empress, and the senior concubines to be present. Other close concubines may visit if they wish. Su Jiaojiao and Zhu Baolin were not particularly close, so there was no reason for her to be there. What did His Majesty mean by saying he forgot to call for her?

The Empress's eyes flickered, and she tightened her grip on the silk handkerchief in her hand.

Could it be that His Majesty had promised Noble Consort Zhen that she could be present at Zhu Baolin's delivery...?

As this doubt arose, Noble Consort Zhen and Min Jieyu bowed together, and Noble Consort Zhen said with a worried expression, "Your Majesty, I apologize for being late. Please forgive me."

His Majesty showed no sign of blame and instead said, "I was so preoccupied that I nearly forgot my promise to you. Since you're here, go ahead."

Su Jiaojiao glanced at the Empress without a change in expression and said softly, "Yes."

The Empress quickly caught on to what was happening and frowned, saying, "Where is Noble Consort Zhen going?"

Su Jiaojiao smiled apologetically and replied, "Your Majesty, I had earlier sought His Majesty's permission to accompany Zhu Baolin in the room on the day of her delivery. It was originally a small matter, but I arrived late and disturbed Your Majesty."

The Empress was momentarily taken aback and glanced at the Emperor, who appeared calm, indicating that this was indeed true.

But how could Noble Consort Zhen just waltz into the delivery room? If she entered, wouldn't her plans be completely ruined!

"Absolutely not," the Empress said with a frown, "I know Noble Consort Zhen has a kind heart and previously helped Zhu Baolin out of a difficult situation, but you are, after all, a woman who has never given birth. The delivery room is bloody and not suitable for you to enter. If you were to encounter any ill omen, wouldn't it be a double loss?"

The Empress spoke as if offering heartfelt advice, "Even if you're anxious, it's better to sit and wait with His Majesty and me. I believe Zhu Baolin will surely have good news. If you go in, you might instead affect the midwives and physicians. If something goes wrong, how could you bear the responsibility?"

Tears instantly welled up in Su Jiaojiao's eyes as she bowed and said, "I have already discussed the matter with His Majesty and would never interfere with the decisions of the midwives and physicians. I only wish to say a few words to Sister Zhu and then stand far away by the screen to watch. I will turn my back, so Your Majesty can see where I am standing and feel at ease."

The Empress hadn't anticipated Su Jiaojiao devising such a clever plan.

She must have figured out her plan to wait for Zhu Baolin to give birth to a prince and then eliminate the mother, which is why she is trying so hard to obstruct it.

Standing by the screen sounds simple, but just standing there would allow her to clearly see what is happening inside. How could the midwife she planted take action then!

What's even more infuriating is that she came up with the idea of turning her back to prevent any attempts to harm her.

The Empress suppressed the cold glint in her eyes but hesitated on the surface, "Your Majesty..."

Shen Huai, already displeased with the Empress, was even less willing to listen to her. He frowned and said, "If Jiaojiao wants to go, let her go. The delivery room is bloody, but Noble Consort Zhen will one day bear a child for me. Will it not be bloody then?"