jdhmnovel Chapter 242 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 55
Chapter 242 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 55
Wen Yuan waited quietly for news in Chuxiu Palace, her expression showing a hint of leisure.
First, she had lunch with the Sixth Prince Hongxi and Hongxu. Hongxi was getting busier and busier, as the Emperor had high hopes for him. After lunch, she played with Hongxu for a while. Looking at the two children's innocent and carefree appearance, Wen Yuan's heart was filled with tenderness.
Afterwards, she handled the day's palace affairs in an orderly manner, displaying composure and competence in every gesture.
As dusk approached, and there was still no sign of the gathering ending at Jingren Palace, Wen Yuan thought to herself that something unexpected had truly happened.
She narrowed her eyes slightly, the image of Zhen Huan appearing in her mind. She thought to herself that the only thing that could trouble Zhen Huan was the "blood test." Let's see what happens tonight. If Zhen Huan is brought down, it will save her a lot of trouble.
It wasn't until 3:45 PM that the gates of Jingren Palace slowly opened.
Wen Yuan had intended to send Xiao Lengzi to gather information, but just then, an imperial edict arrived from the Hall of Mental Cultivation. Xia Zhongyi stepped into the Chuxiu Palace with a beaming smile, but there seemed to be a peculiar meaning hidden in that smile. Wen Yuan understood immediately and exchanged a knowing glance with him.
"Issue the Emperor's decree!" Xia Zhongyi shouted in his high-pitched voice.
Upon hearing this, Wen Yuan immediately led everyone in Chuxiu Palace to kneel respectfully to receive the imperial decree. She was secretly puzzled, unable to fathom why the Emperor had suddenly issued such a decree.
"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Lady Zhaerjia of the Chuxiu Palace, virtuous and refined, a lady of noble birth, gentle in nature, and exceptionally talented, has been of noble character since entering the palace, respectful and exemplary in conduct, and exemplary in etiquette. By the Empress Dowager's decree, she is hereby conferred the title of Noble Consort Jin. So be it!"
After Xia Zhongyi finished reading the imperial edict, his face was full of smiles as he respectfully said, "This servant congratulates Consort Jin! Congratulations, Consort Jin! His Majesty has bestowed upon you the title of Consort."
"Congratulations, congratulations!" Wen Yuan smiled, revealing a polite smile.
Recalling when she gave birth to the seventh prince Hongxu, the emperor intended to promote her to the rank of Consort, but unexpectedly, she was blocked by Yixiu and the Empress Dowager.
They made excuses, saying that she was not qualified enough and had not been in the palace for long, and even brought up the fact that the older women who entered the palace in the first year of Yongzheng's reign had not yet been promoted to the rank of concubine.
Now, this long-awaited promotion has finally come to fruition, and Wen Yuan knows in her heart that it is all thanks to Yi Xiu's "assistance".
If it weren't for Yixiu causing all these troubles in the harem and irritating the Emperor, I'm afraid I would have had to wait until after the Empress Dowager's death for the Emperor to promote me to a higher rank.
"Jingfu, give Eunuch Xia a proper send-off," Wen Yuan instructed gently.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Jingfu smiled broadly, like a blooming flower, and hurriedly led Xia Zhongyi out.
"Congratulations, Consort Jin! Congratulations, Consort Jin!" The palace maids and eunuchs of Chuxiu Palace knelt down in unison, their voices ringing out in unison as they offered their congratulations to Wen Yuan.
"Very well, Jingning, I am in a good mood today, so I will reward everyone with three months' salary." Wen Yuan said generously, in high spirits.
After everyone had left, the smile on Wen Yuan's face gradually faded. She quietly looked at the incense burner in front of her, the rising smoke seemingly reflecting her thoughts at that moment. She murmured softly, "It seems that what happened at Jingren Palace was quite significant."
Meanwhile, the Emperor returned to the Hall of Mental Cultivation, looking utterly exhausted. The moment he stepped inside, his anger could no longer be contained. He abruptly overturned all the memorials on the table, scattering them across the floor in a chaotic mess.
"Gao Wuyong!" the Emperor shouted coldly, his voice like a cold wind in winter, carrying a chill.
A figure quickly walked out of the hall. This person had an ordinary appearance and build, and was easily overlooked in the crowd. It was Gao Wuyong.
As soon as he came out, he felt the anger emanating from the emperor and was immediately terrified, breaking out in a cold sweat. He secretly lamented: He hadn't done anything to anger the emperor, so why was the emperor's face so grim?
"Go, investigate thoroughly, investigate Zhen Huan and Yunli thoroughly," the Emperor said through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly.
Gao Wuyong quickly responded and then retreated.
The Emperor's face was terribly grim, secretly relieved that the matter had at least been smoothed over. If he were to discover in front of Yunli that he had been fooled by Zhen Huan, what face would he have left?
Thinking of this, the Emperor's anger intensified. The Empress was truly a troublemaker. Didn't she know that doing this would damage her own reputation?
Xia Zhongyi entered respectfully and carefully offered the Emperor a cup of tea. The Emperor glanced at him and asked, "How is Consort Jin?"
"Your Majesty, when I arrived, Consort Jin was almost ready to rest," Xia Zhongyi replied respectfully, bowing his head.
"Hmm, let Consort Jin keep a close eye on the harem. The Empress is really outrageous," the Emperor said casually.
As a servant, Xia Zhongyi naturally dared not reply casually, and the emperor did not really want to communicate with him.
In Jingren Palace, Yixiu slumped to the ground, her eyes vacant, staring blankly into the distance. Jianqiu watched from the side, her heart filled with pity, and softly advised, "Your Majesty, it's getting late, you should rest early."
"It's over, it's over." Yi Xiu kept repeating this phrase, as if he had fallen into endless despair.
"Your Majesty, no matter what, you are still the Empress, and you also have the Empress Dowager. The Emperor will certainly not blame you," Jianqiu continued to comfort her.
"Yes, I am the Empress, I am still the Empress who governs the world. I used to have my elder sister, Nian Shilan, but they have all fallen. I am still the Empress, as long as I have the Empress Mother..." When Yixiu heard Jianqiu's words, it was as if she had grasped a lifeline, and she gradually regained some of her spirits.
Zhen Huan returned to Yongshou Palace in a panic. As soon as she stepped into the palace gate, she collapsed onto the couch.
Hearing the commotion, Zhen Yurao quickly came out and said with concern, "Sister, why are you only coming back now? I was so worried."
Zhen Huan raised her hand and touched Zhen Yu Rao's head, gently comforting her, "It's alright, it's all over now."
Having said that, she told Zhen Yurao to go and rest. She was in no mood to comfort Zhen Yurao, nor could she tell her about this matter; she could only take this secret to her grave.
Zhen Huan recalled the Emperor's attitude just now, and a faint worry crept into her heart. It seemed that the Emperor did not fully trust her yet. If the Emperor truly believed her, he would allow her to deal with those who had framed her.
The Empress's scheme nearly dragged him into utter ruin, but unfortunately, her cleverness backfired. If it weren't for the tampered water, he would likely have died on the spot during his first blood test for kinship...
Zhen Huan was filled with disappointment and muttered absentmindedly to herself, "In the end, it was all for nothing. In the end, Consort Jin won."
Fu Jia looked at Zhen Huan with a worried expression and said, "Your Majesty, don't worry, the Emperor will definitely give you an explanation."
"Alright, I understand. Go and make your preparations, and then rest." Zhen Huan instructed.
Before she could even change her clothes, Xiao Yunzi announced loudly from outside, "Greetings, Consort Hui!"
Zhen Huan got up and saw Shen Meizhuang, who was heavily pregnant, walk in. Shen Meizhuang's pregnancy was not going well, and the Emperor had been telling her to rest and recuperate in Suiyu Pavilion.
Previously, when Shen Meizhuang heard about the incident at Jingren Palace, she wanted to go and see, but Caiyue stopped her. Now that Zhen Huan has returned to Yongshou Palace, Shen Meizhuang, who had finally been "coaxed" by Zhen Huan, naturally rushed to Yongshou Palace immediately, showing her heartfelt concern for Zhen Huan, as the two sisters were very close.
"Huan'er, I was so worried about you today. I couldn't get any information from Jingren Palace, and Caiyue stopped me, leaving me to worry alone in Suiyu Pavilion." Shen Meizhuang said anxiously as soon as she saw Zhen Huan.
"Sister Mei, be careful, it's alright." Zhen Huan quickly took Shen Meizhuang's hand and said softly.
Zhen Huan was startled, and her hands were still icy cold. Shen Meizhuang noticed this and quickly instructed Fu Jia, "Huan'er, why are your hands so cold? Fu Jia, quickly go and get a hot water bottle to warm your mistress's hands."
Zhen Huan briefly recounted what had happened at Jingren Palace to Shen Meizhuang. Upon hearing this, Shen Meizhuang was filled with anger and exclaimed, "The Empress is treacherous and extremely vicious! Fortunately, you were quick-witted, and nothing serious happened."
Zhen Huan sighed softly and said with emotion, "After today's commotion, the Emperor has lost all goodwill towards me and the Empress. Now that Consort Jin has been promoted to Imperial Noble Consort, the Emperor has even issued an edict to let her manage all affairs of the harem."
"Consort Jin? Consort Jin must be tired of the Empress's meddling, otherwise she wouldn't have asked to leave when the Emperor came to Jingren Palace," Shen Meizhuang sighed.
“Consort Jin is so lucky. She is pregnant with two princes and has now become a consort in the harem. She has been in the palace for a shorter time than any of us,” Shen Meizhuang continued.
Looking at Shen Meizhuang's belly, Zhen Huan said with a smile, "Sister Mei, if you're envious, you'll be made a concubine once you give birth to a little prince."
The two talked for a while longer before Shen Meizhuang left. It was already late, and fortunately, the other concubines were still confused by today's "blood test," otherwise, Shen Meizhuang, a pregnant woman seven months along, might have encountered some unexpected trouble returning to Suiyu Pavilion in the middle of the night.
That night, apart from Wen Yuan, few people in the harem were able to sleep peacefully.
Wen Yuan lay on the couch, a faint smile on her lips, pondering what was to come. Meanwhile, Zhen Huan, Yi Xiu, and the others were in their respective palaces, some worried, some regretful, and some contemplating the turbulent situation in the harem.