Chapter 66 Those Who Are Jealous

Chapter 66 The Envious Ones

After becoming pregnant, A Wu could keenly sense her elevated status.

When she went to pay her respects to the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager actually stood up and personally helped her, telling her she needn’t come pay respects anymore and should rest well in her chambers.

She fussed over her, "Although firecrackers are banned in the palace, we can’t control those outside. What if the noise startles the baby? You must be extremely careful."

A Wu couldn’t believe it—the Empress Dowager had become kinder than a doting grandmother.

The old Empress Dowager couldn’t resist lecturing her about food and drink, though these matters were already meticulously handled by the imperial physicians. A Wu didn’t need to worry, but the Empress Dowager still felt compelled to remind her.

Finally, the Empress Dowager turned to the ladies around her and warned, "Be extremely careful. Noble Lady Ning has just conceived. Don’t let her suffer any fright or anger."

As if anyone would dare cross Noble Lady Ning, who was currently basking in imperial favor. The entire harem had maybe one or two who’d dare.

Princess De Ning, standing nearby stone-faced, had remained silent until now. Hearing this, she reluctantly muttered, "Understood."

Princess De Ning was unhappy. These past few days, her mother, Consort Kang, had been in a rage, smashing crockery in her room while making veiled accusations. It pained her.

Her mother had even brought up events from over a decade ago, complaining that when she was pregnant, she was only a mere attendant and wasn’t promoted to a beauty until after De Ning was born. It had taken her years to rise to the rank of Consort Kang.

Consort Kang blamed everyone, but in the end, she blamed De Ning—for not being a son, for failing to win the Jingxi Emperor’s favor.

She bitterly said, "If your father had even a little affection for you, I wouldn’t still be just Consort Kang, nor would I be outranked by Consort Zhuang!"

What could Princess De Ning say to that? It was true she didn’t know how to please her father. But the emperor was always busy with state affairs. Unless she waited for him at the Empress Dowager’s palace, she might not see him for months. How could she possibly curry his favor?

Now, hearing the Empress Dowager’s words, Princess De Ning felt even more sorrowful. She thought of her mother’s reproaches and how the Empress Dowager, anticipating new grandchildren, was now warning her. It filled her with despair, making her wish she were dead.

A Wu glanced over and immediately sensed Princess De Ning’s dislike—even resentment—toward her.

Baffled but aware that her pregnancy and newfound favor had made her enemies, she decided it was best to avoid trouble and made a hasty retreat.

She had come to understand: before, when she first gained the emperor’s favor, she had been like a beggar turned millionaire, itching to parade it at the temple to vent her grievances.

Back then, the emperor’s favor was unstable—who knew when it might vanish? She had wanted to make the most of it while it lasted.

But now, seeing how his favor continued unbroken and knowing she carried the imperial heir, she realized that as long as she gave birth safely, a lifetime of luxury awaited her. Why stoop to their level?

If people disliked her, she’d just leave. If they wanted to show off, she’d avoid them. Her sole focus was safeguarding her pregnancy!

Yet no matter how much A Wu tried to avoid trouble, some encounters were inevitable—especially during the New Year celebrations.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess actually came. When the Crown Prince saw A Wu, his expression flickered before he quickly averted his gaze.

Of course, he didn’t dare look too long. This was his father’s consort, carrying his own future sibling. What could he possibly think? At this moment, he dared not let his mind wander.

Only suppressed bitterness and melancholy remained.

Beside him, the Crown Princess naturally sensed her husband’s gloom. Her eyes lingered on A Wu’s belly for a long while before she unconsciously touched her own.

Her belly had already swelled—she had conceived months earlier than A Wu. At first, she had been overjoyed, feeling like the center of the universe. But suddenly, this joyous news from the harem had stolen her thunder completely.

A palace-wide fireworks ban? The finest obstetricians stationed at Langhua Palace? What a production!

As the Crown Princess, she too had imperial physicians and female palace officials attending to her pregnancy. But to her, it paled in comparison to A Wu’s treatment.

With just a glance, A Wu could practically taste the Crown Princess’s bitterness. [Historical Note: In the imperial harem hierarchy, an “attendant” is a lower-ranking concubine, while a “beauty” and “consort” denote higher ranks.]

The Crown Princess bore grandchildren for the Emperor, while she herself was bearing children for the Emperor. Once her child was born, it would be a generation apart, and the Crown Princess was likely quite resentful.

She must be absolutely livid.

At this thought, A Wu turned on her heel and marched off, ignoring it all.

The child in her belly was pure gold, a royal heir. She avoided anyone who looked at her with disdain!

What if their resentment harmed her pregnancy?

**********

On the twelfth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Zhen'an Marquisate sent seasonal gifts. Lu Yunjian personally delivered them to the palace and took the opportunity to meet the Empress.

The Empress got right to it: "Had I known back then that this slut would catch the Emperor's eye, I should have wiped her out completely. She should never have been given such an opportunity!"

Lu Yunjian: "Oh?"

The Empress cast a mocking glance at him: "You should be pleased. Lady A Wu is pregnant."

Lu Yunjian's expression instantly turned strange: "She... is pregnant? The Emperor's?"

This news was still confined to the palace and had not yet spread outside.

The Empress: "Whose else could it be? Once in the palace, would she dare to play around?"

Lu Yunjian seemed visibly shaken: "She's actually pregnant?"

The Empress: "Indeed... Do you know why fireworks are banned in the palace this year?"

Lu Yunjian frowned: "Because... of her?"

The Empress sneered: "She's pregnant, too precious. The Emperor handles her like fragile porcelain, terrified of anything disturbing the pregnancy! Now, it's as if the entire palace caters to her."

Lu Yunjian turned pale, lowering his head with a dark, gloomy expression, lost in thought.

The Empress: "She's clearly fertile—blessed and capable. If this child is a prince, things will get interesting."

Though the nation's heir apparent was secure, once enfeoffed, unless absolutely necessary, any arbitrary removal would cause political turmoil. Still, if A Wu bore a prince, it would mean the Emperor's only son was no longer alone.

The Jingxi Emperor fathered a child young, only sixteen or seventeen years older than the Crown Prince. An expert rider and archer, he maintained rigorous daily exercise, in robust health. Who's to say whether he might outlive the Crown Prince?

Or perhaps, years later, when the young prince grew older, the Emperor might change his mind. Anything was possible.

In short, with a young prince, the Crown Prince's position wouldn't be secure.

Lu Yunjian remained silent for a long time before speaking with difficulty, his eyes downcast: "She's pregnant... From now on, the Emperor will surely spoil her rotten. She will climb fast in the imperial harem."

The Empress studied the gloom in his eyes: "Isn't that excellent?"

Though it deviated slightly from their original plan, this was still advantageous. There would be opportunities to exploit, to stir the court's murky waters—only then could the Zhen'an Marquisate find its chance.

She smiled at Lu Yunjian: "Is this good news for you, or does it eat at you?"

Lu Yunjian's sharp gaze suddenly snapped toward her: "Your Majesty, what do you mean? This subject doesn't follow."

His tone was steady, but the Empress noticed his fingertips trembling.

She had seen through him long ago. With a mocking curl of her lip, she averted her gaze irritably: "Let's drop it. Whether she bears a prince or princess remains to be seen. If it's a princess, no matter. If a prince, we’ll reconsider then."

The real concern now was that the Jingxi Emperor was still virile enough to father more children. If so, this might not be the only one.

In his thirties, in his prime, that young woman also looked fertile—they’ve got years ahead to keep having kids!

At this thought, the Empress gritted her teeth, fighting back the bitterness and jealousy rising in her heart.

She saw it clearly—the Jingxi Emperor’s gaze at the young woman was so full of tenderness it nearly spilled over, the way a man looks at a woman, the intimacy shared only between husband and wife.

Something she had never received!

She had always believed the Jingxi Emperor wasn’t human, not even a man. He didn’t have an ounce of human emotion or desire. He was simply the emperor on his golden throne, the ruler who wielded the imperial brush to govern the realm!

But now she knew—he could indeed be human, a man, a husband to a woman. He could dote on and indulge his wife, beaming like any ordinary man over his wife's pregnancy.

That kind of happiness was crass but intoxicating. You mock it, you sneer at it, but deep down, you long for a taste of it.

Yet she had never had it—never once!

Yong Tianze looked at her as if she were a stone dressed in imperial regalia—utterly devoid of warmth!

To him, the imperial consorts were just another set of officials!

The palace had a long, narrow corridor. In front lay the front halls, and behind it was the rear palace. For all emperors before the Jingxi Emperor, the front was governance, the back was family. Crossing it, he was the emperor; returning, he was a family man.

But the Jingxi Emperor was different—all the consorts were just servants to him!

In the front, his ministers assisted him in ruling the realm; in the back, his subjects managed his household and bore his children. All just servants to him!

Slowly, the Empress dug her nails into her palms. She thought bitterly—she, the Empress, was no exception, merely a servant managing the rear palace for him.

Used, manipulated, distrusted.

Meanwhile, in the bedchamber, incense coiled in the air. Lu Yunjian took a deep breath, fighting to keep his face neutral.

He lifted his gaze and said, "Your Majesty, something big’s come up."

The Empress: "What is it?"

Lu Yunjian's eyes were icy, yet his tone remained measured as he explained.

It turned out that, earlier in the year, the Vice Minister of Works had suddenly visited the Qingjiang Shipyard—a government-run shipyard under the Ministry of Works responsible for canal transport and shipbuilding. Lu Yunjian, having long monitored activities at various shipyards, sent spies to check. Sure enough, they discovered that Qingjiang Shipyard had produced a new type of warship, with at least three hundred in the first batch.

The Empress: "A new type?"

Lu Yunjian: "Warships equipped with double-decker gun decks."

The Empress’s eyelids twitched. "What does this mean?"

Lu Yunjian: "Your Majesty must be familiar with the Red Barbarian Cannons?"

The Empress frowned.

Lu Yunjian: "The warships they've built this time are armed with Red Barbarian Cannons, Portuguese cannons, and even arquebuses. A single warship can carry up to thirty-six cannons."

As he spoke, he handed a sheet of paper to the Empress. She unfolded it to see a sketch of a warship. Though lacking detailed blueprints, the rough outline suggested it was based on observations made by Lu Yunjian's agents.

Even in its vague form, the drawing revealed a vessel with an upper deck lined with gun emplacements, armored with iron plates and covered with leather screens. Vents for cannon crews were arranged in the middle, while the lower deck housed oars—roughly twenty or more in number.

Such a ship, if deployed in naval warfare, would dominate the seas.

The Empress stared at the warship diagram for a long moment before methodically ripping it apart.

Then, she narrowed her eyes: "His fingers are itching—he's about to strike."

Lu Yunjian lifted his long lashes, his gaze settling on the Empress's face: "Your Majesty, decide quickly."

The Empress: "What do you mean by that?"

Lu Yunjian's voice was low and cold: "You've been married for years—what love is left? If one day he decides to strike, why die here? It's better to plan ahead."

Hearing this, the Empress was taken aback. She gave Lu Yunjian a deep look, her expression gradually softening.

She pressed her lips together and let out a light laugh: "How rare—for you to say this now."

If the Emperor were to rage, the Zhen'an Marquisate had their own plans—after all, they possessed a thousand warships and occupied an island, making it possible for them to easily hold their ground. With all the island power struggles, they could surely find a way out.

But the Empress was different. Stuck deep in the palace, she would have nowhere to flee if things took a turn.

Lu Yunjian looked at the Empress and let out a bitter laugh: "Why say such things, elder sister? Have I failed you even once along the way? If not for considering you, how could I have ended up where I am today?"

Seeing the desolation in his eyes, the Empress understood his thoughts. Staring at him, she asked: "She’s pregnant with the Emperor’s child—does it matter so much to you?"

Lu Yunjian pressed his sharp lips together, his sharp features darkened slightly, his expression icy and resistant: "I won’t discuss this."

But the Empress suddenly flared up: "You won’t discuss this? Do you think I want to? Others get to bear children—I never could! Do you think I want to talk about it?"

Lu Yunjian's expression stiffened. His fists clenched stiffly, and he turned his face away.

The Empress: "Now you want me to leave? How? How can I possibly leave?"

She stared at Lu Yunjian, enunciating each word: "If I leave, he will immediately send troops. The Zhen'an Marquisate would be accused of rebellion—do you understand? Only if I stay here can he hold back, giving you time, giving you a chance!"

Lu Yunjian pressed his lips together tightly, having nothing to say in response.

The Empress: "So, I was sold off by my own father long ago—sold off to this prison!"

She was the hostage the Zhen'an Marquisate offered to the imperial family—their bargaining chip to prove loyalty!

And she was especially useful—because she couldn’t bear children, the imperial family would never fear her, never worry about maternal relatives controlling the future heir, never fear the Zhen'an Marquisate joining the succession struggle. In short, it was perfect!

The Empress spoke with near-hysteria: "You have her, you have Guanglan—you could never understand me. And yet you blame me—is this about me separating you two?"

Hearing this, Lu Yunjian gave her a deep look before replying slowly: "Elder sister, the path I’ve walked is my own doing. No one owes me—I owe them all."

He lowered his eyes wearily: "So I’m the one who deserves to die."

**************

Moving through the maze of palace halls, Lu Yunjian felt numb.

He was not the biological son of the Lu family, but they had raised him as their own and long ago decided to wed him to their legitimate daughter—the Empress.

Back then, the Lu family had not yet settled on sending her into the palace as Empress.

Later, on a winter day when he was ten, he got caught in a storm at sea. The Empress had nearly died saving him, and though she survived, she could never bear children.

The Empress was two years older than him. At the time, she was shattered, and he knew it was his fault. He swore he’d marry her someday.

They were still children then, too young to understand the future, but he owed her that promise.

Later, when the late Emperor fell ill, the Zhen'an Marquisate sent the Empress into the palace to secure her as Crown Princess, while also obtaining a jade token from the Emperor.

That jade token—it was given to him by the late Emperor, a token of apology and guilt.

As he grew older, though his heart was filled with dark thoughts and resentment, he still believed he would gradually move past it. But the Empress grew more and more stubborn.

When he married, she refused to let him touch her.

When he had A Wu, she loathed it with every fiber of her being.

Lu Yunjian wondered—maybe this wasn’t about love at all. After all, when she entered the palace as Empress, he was only twelve, still a child. What did he know about love?

What she needed more was a promise.

Back then, she had lost the ability to bear children to save him, and he had promised to marry her. Marrying her meant giving up any hope of heirs—he was bound to spend his life by her side.

Yet, she entered the palace. Once there, she clashed with the Jingxi Emperor and could never bear his children. Thus, she felt that the sacrifice she made at twelve had gone unrewarded, unatoned—she was left carrying that weight alone.

So in her bitterness, she was determined to take him down too.

Lu Yunjian held no resentment over this. He accepted it—he owed her, and he should repay it!

A Wu, of course, was innocent.

To ease his guilt, to quell the Empress’s fury, and because of his own dark thoughts, he offered up A Wu as a sacrifice.

Because he didn’t deserve her—didn’t deserve to keep the woman he loved!

He deserved a hopeless life, deserved to live in despair—only then could he begin to make amends.

But… when he learned that A Wu was carrying the Jingxi Emperor’s child, his heart twisted in fresh pain.

Before, he could have pretended not to care.

A Wu was heartless. Even if she had been intimate with the Jingxi Emperor, she probably felt nothing for him. She was cold, unfeeling.

Deep down, he’d always told himself that even if she had other men, he was different from the rest.

But now, she was going to bear another man’s child.

What did it mean—

Lu Yunjian couldn’t dwell on it. The thought alone was excruciating.

It meant another man had cherished her night after night, possessed her, filled her with his seed, where it took root and grew into a child!

She was supposed to be his—completely his. But now, she belonged to another.

And knowing that man was the Jingxi Emperor filled him with both jealousy and heartbreak!

He remembered A Wu’s taunting words from the past: *"Others are bigger, stronger. Only after leaving you did I realize how vast the world is, what a real man is like."*

So… was it the Jingxi Emperor?

A sick, wrenching pain tore through him like a sharp blade plunging into his chest. His body shook, and his hands clenched unconsciously beneath his sleeves.

He couldn’t control himself—he kept recalling delicate A Wu, tender A Wu, picturing the Jingxi Emperor taking her by force.

That exceptionally endowed man would erase all traces of him, wipe away the memories he had left in A Wu, and claim her completely.

Lu Yunjian thought bitterly—A Wu must be thrilled now, brimming with joy. She longed to bear that man’s child, for he was the supreme emperor, and she would cling to him with all her heart.

The hatred burned—how could she be so cruel? He remembered their past—they, too, had once shared sweetness. Yet she had abandoned him, for the sake of her childhood sweetheart.

He kept fooling himself into believing she would come to love him, but she never did!

At that time, he was in too much pain, his heart heavy and stifled, trapped, unable to move forward or retreat, choking on his own pain.

Trembling, he thought—if not for this, how could he have seethed with such hatred it clouded his judgment, even agreeing to the Empress's scheme?

A single mistake spiraled out of control, and now, there was no turning back.

He would be utterly forgotten by her, leaving not even a trace in her heart.

Devastated, he stared blankly at the distant clouds, standing numb beneath the palace walls, his eyes hollow, without even the strength to take a single step.

Never before had Lu Yunjian felt so utterly certain—A Wu was lost to him forever.