Chapter 152 He Steps In

**Chapter 152: He Came to Compensate**

**After the Quarrel**

If she was truly unwell and refused to see anyone, that would be one thing—but why refuse to see the Son of Heaven under such official pretenses while still receiving Noble Consort Lan despite her supposed illness?

This was undeniably just an excuse to avoid him!

Shen Huai’s expression grew agitated as he white-knuckled the armrests of the dragon carriage, preparing to rise and step down to confront Su Jiaojiao in person.

But the cutting wind outside proved too much. His agitation caused him to inhale sharply, choking on the cold air before he could even descend, sending him into a wracking cough.

Cai Shan, who had been standing nearby with a troubled expression, hurried forward in alarm. "Your Majesty! The weather is too harsh—if you harm your health, this lowly one cannot bear the blame!"

He pleaded earnestly, "Her Majesty has only been recuperating for a few days. She rarely leaves her chambers due to her weakened state, and the imperial physician has advised her to rest and replenish her vitality. Why must Your Majesty insist on this visit? Her refusal to see you is only out of concern for passing her illness to you—wouldn’t that be counterproductive? Would it not be more prudent to wait until Your Majesty has fully recovered before returning? That way, both parties benefit."

Noble Consort Lan watched the emperor quietly, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

Lately, rumors had spread through the palace that Consort Zhen might soon reclaim her former position as the most favored consort. She had initially found it strange, but now, seeing this, it seemed the rumors were not unfounded.

The realm's supreme sovereign—wherever he went, none dared deny him entry. Everywhere he stepped, people knelt in reverence. It was unheard of for him to be denied entry, reduced to waiting like a common petitioner at someone’s door.

In the past, Consort Zhen had been the epitome of gentleness and obedience. Whatever had transpired between her and the emperor, it was clear now that His Majesty cared deeply for her—so much so that even a simple visit was denied.

Yet protocol demanded deference to rank. Even if Consort Zhen had summoned her, with the emperor present, she could not enter first.

Yu Ling secured Noble Consort Lan’s cloak tighter around her shoulders, then cautiously glanced at the emperor before whispering, "My lady, it appears we won’t be received today. Perhaps we should return and try another day."

Before Noble Consort Lan could respond, the emperor, coughing until his face flushed crimson, his eyes burning with frustration, gritted his teeth and declared, "Since I have come, I will not be turned away so lightly."

As he stepped down from the dragon carriage and prepared to enter Guanju Palace, his gaze flickered briefly to Noble Consort Lan behind him.

Recalling Su Jiaojiao’s earlier words, Shen Huai drew a measured breath, reining in his temper before commanding in a low voice, "Wait in the side hall. You may enter only after I have left."

When Shen Huai pushed open the doors of Yaoxian Palace and strode in before the eyes of all, Su Jiaojiao was reclining on her bed, sipping a bowl of black chicken soup.

Seeing him, she betrayed no surprise—only faint derision, as if she had long anticipated his actions.

Her chill indifference doused the flames of his fury like a bucket of cold water, leaving him abruptly sobered.

Yet, despite this, anger still simmered within him—along with something else.

A pang of injustice.

Standing before her, he watched as she unhurriedly finished her soup and handed the bowl to Yu Ying beside her before she finally spoke, her voice cool, "Leave us."

Only when the room was emptied did Shen Huai draw a deep breath, suppressing his temper as he demanded, "Su Jiaojiao, do you truly despise seeing Your Majesty this much?"

She dabbed her lips with a handkerchief, then lifted her eyes to meet his. "I told you—I am unwell and unfit to receive the Son of Heaven."

"Unfit to see me, but fit to see Noble Consort Lan?"

Her icy detachment stung him deeply. His voice rose slightly as he pressed, "Do you even know that I exerted myself to come here before fully recovering—just to see you?"

"Have you ever spared a thought for the fact that I caught this illness because of you?"

"That day, I watched you kill a man with my own eyes—yet I said nothing. I concealed it all on your behalf."

His eyes reddened as he stepped closer to her, his voice husky with emotion, "Even if you resent me for neglecting you, even if you refuse to be close to me—how can you only remember the bad and not a single shred of the good?"

"Su Jiaojiao, must you always—"

Shen Huai’s words abruptly stopped mid-sentence, unwilling to continue.

A glint of mockery flashed in Su Jiaojiao’s eyes.

She sat upright, locking eyes with him, and countered, "So that day in the plum grove, when you called me ruthless and heartless, was it because of this?"

Her face twisted into a sneer: "What if I told you that person came to kill me?"

"If I hadn’t killed him, all you would have seen that day was a corpse. Backstabbing and schemes are a daily affair in the palace. If I’d shown mercy, I’d be dead ten times over by now."

She let out a cold laugh, her cold stare holding both pity and bitterness as she looked at him: "You think you merely neglected me for a few days? Everyone in the palace is opportunistic and self-serving. Do you have any idea what I’ve endured?"

"You’re the emperor. The entire empire bows to you, so of course you wouldn’t understand how hard it is for a woman in this deep palace, forced to scrape by on the emperor’s fleeting favor."

"Going hungry and threadbare was nothing. Being exploited was nothing. The palace whispers meant nothing. But because of your neglect, the whole palace knew Consort Zhen was cast aside by the emperor. Now, it’s the empress who deserves their attention—so much so that even Beauty Xiao dares to cross me now!"

Su Jiaojiao stepped forward to stand before Shen Huai, tears brimming but held stubbornly at bay as she declared with conviction: "If not for everyone knowing I had fallen out of favor, if not for everyone believing you despised me, those who once saw me as a thorn in their side wouldn’t have been so eager to eliminate me."

"The New Year’s Eve banquet—what a joyous occasion for the palace. They guessed my pride would keep me from attending, so they deliberately chose that day to quietly dispose of me. On such a grand occasion, no one would miss one discarded consort. Besides, there was even greater news to overshadow it."

Her eyes locked onto Shen Huai’s as tears streamed down: "The empress is pregnant, isn’t she?"

"How *timely* that her pregnancy came to light that very day."

"Did you even know Yu Ye was a strong swimmer?"

"She’d still be alive if she hadn’t saved me! Without Yu Ye, the one who should have died in Mirror Shadow Lake on New Year’s Eve would have been me! Me!"

Weeks of bottled-up fury and grief burst free. Su Jiaojiao’s tears fell freely, yet she stubbornly refused to show even a hint of vulnerability.

She took a few steps back, wiping her tears with the back of her hand, and said coldly, "Don’t you love the empress? She’s carrying your child. Why come and provoke me? You—"

"The place you should be is Phoenix Palace, not Yaoxian Hall."

Faced with her accusations, Shen Huai’s hands trembled slightly, the flush from his illness growing more pronounced.

He opened his mouth to speak but was seized by a coughing fit.

Watching Su Jiaojiao turn away as if to dismiss him, his heart quivered with panic. He rushed forward to grab her hand.

Su Jiaojiao raised her arm, shaking him off. "Your Majesty! Show some dignity!"

Shen Huai’s voice wavered: "Jiaojiao..."

She turned to look at him, her gaze empty, stripped of all feeling. "What do I mean to you in your heart? Is this what you call love?"

"Before, you hated me for not loving you, for failing to feel for you what you felt for me. But after all this, do you still not understand? You’re the emperor. I’m an Imperial Consort. We were never meant to be equals."

After the emperor left, Noble Consort Lan came too late.

Their argument had not been quiet. Though Cai Shan had driven everyone far away to prevent eavesdropping, the echoes of their fight still lingered.

In all the empire, only Su Jiaojiao had the gall to speak to the emperor this way.

Noble Consort Lan, wracked with guilt over her servants’ betrayal, had come specifically to make amends.

But loyalty was a rare commodity in the palace. Even Su Jiaojiao had been stabbed in the back by her own. Naturally, she couldn’t blame Noble Consort Lan for it.

Su Jiaojiao was still recuperating, and Noble Consort Lan had also just recovered from a prolonged illness, making it unsuitable for her to stay out too long. After exchanging a few more words, they had Ling Yun personally escort her out.

When Noble Consort Lan’s figure disappeared from Yaoxian Hall, Yu Ying entered carrying medicine.

She watched as Noble Consort Lan coughed a few times while leaving, then casually remarked, “I don’t know if it’s the season or the palace’s unlucky energy, but it seems like Noble Consort Lan has been falling ill on and off lately. She’s become much frailer than before.”

Listening to Yu Ying’s words, Su Jiaojiao gazed thoughtfully at the medicine bowl in her hands, and a sudden thought crossed her mind.

Could it be—

Before she could ponder further, Yu Ying’s next words diverted her attention.

“Your Highness.”

She cautiously raised her eyes and asked, “You and His Majesty…”

“I know you hold resentment toward His Majesty and hatred toward the Empress, but Your Highness…”

Yu Ying whispered softly, her eyes filled with unease. “His Majesty has bent over backward for you already—why must you keep pushing him away? I fear that if this continues, he might accuse you of lese-majesty, which is a crime punishable by death. Please think ahead.”

“Besides… if you continue to distance yourself from His Majesty, how will you ever regain favor and influence to get justice for Yu Ye?”

Su Jiaojiao remained silent for a long time before murmuring softly, “I understand.”

“Even if it’s just for Yu Ye’s sake, I will plan for the future.”

“But not now.”

After their argument at Yaoxian Hall, Shen Huai did not visit Su Jiaojiao for a full half-month.

It wasn’t for lack of wanting to—it was because guilt weighed heavily on him, keeping him from facing her.

He was even more afraid that seeing him would only upset her and aggravate her condition, making her recovery even harder.

Shen Zhang’s words from New Year’s Eve and Su Jiaojiao’s accusations echoed endlessly in his mind. Only after all this time did he finally understand.

The root of love that withers untimely lies not only in incompatibility, but in inequality.

He and Su Jiaojiao had been unequal from the start.

The palace’s inner courts, the system of imperial power—for a vulnerable woman, these were nothing but heavy chains and constraints.

So to yearn for love was foolish. Even a death sentence.

If that was the case…

Then he would mend these inequalities that made her uneasy.

Two months later, winter thawed into spring, and flowers bloomed once again.

The imperial garden was adorned with newly blossomed petals, a breathtaking sight.

Su Jiaojiao’s health had greatly improved, and she looked as radiant as ever.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Consort Shu beneath the corridor, admiring the flowers, she wore a soft, fleeting smile on her lips.

Out of nowhere, a palace maid came rushing over in panic, her face a mask of horror. “Your Highness! The Empress was poisoned!”