Chapter 17
During the season in which the emperor disliked visiting his concubines, he actually went to see Imperial Concubine Zhao twice . Though the first time, he had initially flipped Noble Imperial Concubine Yan’s name tag, before making for Taoyu Pavilion .
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The women in the imperial harem could not come to a consensus as to why, or how they felt about the matter . However, the one who had been the most unwilling to accept the situation was perhaps Noble Imperial Concubine Yan . She was one of the most favored women in the harem . Never had she thought that after the emperor left her Linyue Pavilion, he would seek another person .
Zhuang Luoyan understood that, at the moment, she had attracted the unblinking attention of the imperial harem . That said, compared to Noble Consort Shu and Noble Imperial Concubine Yan, she was insignificant . For this reason, she was not afraid of becoming the target of everyone . Not to mention that when an imperial concubine received the emperor’s favor, there wouldn’t be many people stupid enough to cause trouble for her . But if she lost the emperor’s affection, then that was a different story .
The temperature during the morning could not be considered cool . Yet as an emperor, Feng Jin needed to pay attention to his own appearance . The imperial robes were made from high-quality silk, but as Zhuang Luoyan stared at them, she couldn’t help but pity him . Look at that emperor . The layers upon layers he’s wearing . Who knew what kind of appearance he had under those clothes after all that sweating and heat?
Feng Jin turned around and saw the concern and worry in Zhuang Luoyan’s eyes . Then he smiled . “Beloved concubine, what is it?”
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“Reporting to Your Majesty, this concubine is just worried that the weather is hot outside . Although Your Majesty looks powerful and elegant in the imperial robes, it is still a bit too hot for this . ” The moment those words had left Zhuang Luoyan’s lips, she felt she had misspoken . In fact, these imperial robes were made of silk from the three large cities of Su, Hang, and Shu, and weaved by the most skilled weavers in said cities . Even if the imperial robes were actually uncomfortable, she as a member of the imperial harem had no right to give her opinion on it . Not only her, but perhaps even the empress did not have the right to interfere . Although she possessed the memories of someone from the ancient times, Zhuang Luoyan’s innermost nature lacked the ancient folk’s veneration and awe toward the imperial clan’s heavenly might .
“Beloved concubine’s words are reasonable . ” Feng Jin did not seem to act as if her words had been wrong, though . He lifted his arms to let the palace maids fix and adjust the accessories hanging from his waist . “It’s just that as the emperor, one cannot for the sake of temporary pleasure forget to exercise propriety . ” Especially since who knew how many people, even with their hands stained in blood, could not wear these imperial robes .
“It was this concubine that was ignorant . ” Zhuang Luoyan released a breath of relief in her heart . Whether the emperor truly had not realized her misspeak earlier or not, at least for now it seemed he would not fault her for that .
“Beloved concubine cares for Us deeply . We know your intentions . ” Feng Jin clasped his hands behind his back . He smiled as he stared at Zhuang Luoyan . “We will leave now . You don’t have to send me off . It is currently hot outside . After sleeping for a bit more, you should not sleep any longer . ”
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Zhuang Luoyan usually accepted the emperor’s good intentions . At times, she would show her reluctance in having him leave, aware it brought the emperor much joy to see this action of hers . Today she did not have to specially send off the emperor .
In her previous life, she had watched a television drama in which Huang Taiji, the founding emperor of the Qin Dynasty, extremely favored his Consort Chen¹ . The reason was because among so many women, Consort Chen was the only one who treated him as her husband and not the emperor . In Zhuang Luoyan’s eyes, an emperor was the most difficult type of man to wait upon . During the Han Dynasty, the way Chen Jiao had treated Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han, was also the way a wife would treat her husband . Unfortunately, she was eventually thrown into the Cold Palace, with the only things accompanying her her tears .
Therefore, someone like an emperor would want women to treat him like their husband the most . Not only that, but the women must obediently look to him in awe at times when they should be venerating him . This went to show that men were more fickle than women . In Zhuang Luoyan’s opinion, if anyone ever said that a woman’s heart was hard to understand, she would slap them in the face .
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After laying in bed for a while, Zhuang Luoyan went to pay respects to the empress . She still arrived at Jingyang Palace earlier than she had yesterday, and the moment she stepped foot within, there was only Consort Xian and two other imperial concubines present . Consort Xian did not have a glamorous appearance, but gave off a friendly aura . A glance, and others would feel that the title of “Xian²” suited her well .
“Imperial Concubine Zhao attended to His Majesty last night . Why have you arrived so early today?” The empress had He Yu pour tea for Zhuang Luoyan . She smiled gently . “Such an adorable person . This palace’s heart clenches with tender love while looking at you . ”
“It’s because this concubine could not sleep and so decided to come early and chat more with Your Majesty, the empress . ” Zhuang Luoyan smiled . “Could it be that this concubine disturbed Your Majesty’s peace?’
“This is not the case at all,” said the empress . “These days, the weather has grown hotter . This palace wakes earlier than usual . That you are able to come here earlier gives this palace another person to speak with at this time . ”
Both Consort Xian’s tone and smile were gentle as she looked at Imperial Concubine Zhao and said, “Your Majesty, the empress, Younger Sister Imperial Concubine Zhao is an intelligent person . Why don’t we tell her what we have been talking about before?”
Zhuang Luoyan’s hand that was holding the tea cup slightly trembled . She quickly brought a smile to her lips . “Why is Your Majesty, Consort Xian laughing at this concubine? This concubine has a low status and doesn’t know what matters this concubine can decide . ” She quickly threw her status out, so that if something bad occurred, she could avoid being trash talked for having such high ambitions with such a low status .
“It’s not really that big of a thing . It’s just that in a few days, Noble Consort Shu’s birthday will arrive . This palace is thinking of how to plan a good celebration for her . ” The empress smiled . “Noble Consort Shu is an honest person . She does not want something too extravagant and does not want to make arrangements . Tell me, what kind of words are those?”
Perhaps the empress felt worried that if she made the birthday celebration too big, others would say it was too sumptuous . That if she made the birthday celebration too simple, others would say it was inappropriate for Noble Consort Shu’s status, that she was wronging her . For this reason, the empress was discussing this topic with Consort Xian and the others . However, she was only trying to give the impression she was thoughtful toward Noble Consort Shu’s birthday celebration .