mesbooks Chapter 152: She is also worthy of the conspiracy (revised)
Chapter 152: She is also worthy of the conspiracy (revised)
In the inner room of Yongshou Palace, Concubine Nianhulu sat in front of the dressing mirror. After listening to the report, she held the armrest tightly and stared at Jingyan.
"You said that the Emperor asked for water yesterday and had someone deliver water this morning. He has been staying in the inner room of Chuxiu Palace with Concubine Xian and has not come out yet?"
Jingyan felt a chill down her spine when the empress looked at her. She didn't dare to lie and nodded reluctantly.
Then he looked at the empress hesitantly, not knowing whether to tell her the other piece of news he had just received.
As someone who had served the Empress since childhood, she knew that the Empress had fallen in love with the Emperor since she first saw him in the palace. At that time, Empress Xiaozhao was still alive. In order to enter the palace and become the Emperor's concubine, the Empress secretly killed her own sister, Empress Xiaozhao.
This matter was done very secretly, and no one suspected the Queen. After all, the Queen was still young at the time. Who could have thought that the Queen would kill her own sister.
Later, the empress entered the palace as she wished and became the emperor's concubine. She loved the emperor with all her heart and hoped to win his true heart.
But what kind of man is the emperor? He is a man of great talent and strategy. He only has the country in his heart. He treats all the concubines equally without exception. The queen can only suppress her feelings and be a perfect concubine.
However, there is an exception now. The Emperor actually ordered the Chuxiu Palace to be decorated as the Pepper Room. This is so special and different from the past that the Empress is afraid that she will not be able to bear it.
Concubine Nianhulu felt like the seasoning was overturned in her heart. The Emperor had not been close to her for a long time.
She was filled with jealousy, and the armor sank deeply into her palm, causing a stinging pain. At this moment, she noticed that Jing Yan was hesitant to speak, so she suppressed her surging emotions and said in a deep voice:
"Anything else? Tell me."
Upon hearing this, Jing Yan's clenched hands loosened and tightened again, and finally she bit her lip and told him the layout of the inner room of Chuxiu Palace.
There was deathly silence in the inner room, and everyone held their breath. Noble Concubine Nianhulu could no longer hold back, her face darkened, and every word she spoke seemed to be squeezed out of her throat.
"A happy marriage, a happy marriage. How can a mere concubine like Concubine Xian have such a happy marriage? That is something only the queen's wife can have. How can she deserve it?"
A sixteen-year-old girl, her family background was only that of a third-class earl, while her father was a first-class duke and her elder sister was the queen.
In terms of looks and talent, she thought that she was equally good as the other party except that she was older. In fact, the other party was just a wild girl who grew up on a farm and was not worthy of being compared with her.
Why was she the real Concubine Xian as soon as she entered the palace? She only entered the palace as a princess and enjoyed the same status as a concubine.
More importantly, she was only canonized into the palace after her sister's death in order to appease the Niuhulu family. She had to admit this even if she didn't want to. The other party was the one the emperor kept after he took a fancy to her privately.
Yes, ever since she received the news that the Emperor would appoint Shi Nanxi as Empress Xian after the selection, she had been secretly investigating and found out that she and the Emperor had actually been having an affair.
All the concubines in the harem were selected through formal selection to enter the palace. In the emperor's harem, Concubine Xian was the first one, which made her particularly different. So the emperor canonized her as Concubine Xian. She thought it was because of the novelty.
However, she never expected that the emperor would deliberately arrange a happy event for her. That was a happy event for her, which was more irritating to her than appointing Shi Nanxi as Empress Xian.
Because she knew that her elder sister, Nianhulu's family, had already produced a queen, the emperor would not enthrone her as queen, and at most she would become a royal concubine.
But now, a mere Concubine Xian has got the joy of the imperial concubine that she has always dreamed of. How could Concubine Nianhulu not be overwhelmed and lose her composure?
"Bitch!"
Her eyes instantly turned red, and she raised her head to sweep the things on the dressing table. Nanny Qin behind her came back to her senses from her shock and quickly stopped her.
"Your Highness, please calm down. The outer chamber is full of concubines now. You can't give them something to talk about."
"Yes, even if Concubine Xian is favored, she still has to come and pay her respects to you." Jing Yan knew that the queen would not be able to bear it, so she quickly followed and whispered:
"Besides, you have already made arrangements. Concubine Xian's glory will not last long. Once her true face is exposed and her reputation is ruined, the Empress Dowager will be the first one to not forgive her. Why bother to compare yourself with a concubine who has already lost her power?"
"What Jingyan said is right. When Concubine Xian loses power, you, as the Imperial Concubine, will be in charge of the six palaces, so you can deal with her however you want. Just let her enjoy the glory for two days." Nanny Qin felt sorry for the Empress and agreed.
After Nanny Qin and Jing Yan persuaded her back and forth, Concubine Niuhulu gradually calmed down from her anger. She looked at herself in the mirror and asked expressionlessly:
"arranged?"
Seeing that the queen had regained her usual calmness, Nanny Qin and Jing Yan breathed a sigh of relief, and then Nanny Qin said:
"Don't worry, Madam. I have arranged everything well. Today, Lan promised that she would accidentally discover the truth about her demotion. She lost her "reason" and accidentally exposed the affair between Concubine Xian and the Emperor. Everything is a coincidence and has nothing to do with anyone. It can only be said that the truth will come out sooner or later. There is no wall that can't leak."
After hearing what Nanny Qin said, a smile finally appeared on Concubine Nianhulu's expressionless face.
At the same time, the outer room of Yongshou Palace.
Today happened to be the fifth day of every month for paying respects to the emperor. Knowing that Empress Xian, who had just entered the palace yesterday, would come, the concubines who stayed in the palace came early. At this moment, except for Shi Nanxi, only the main concubine, Noble Concubine Niu Hulu, had not come out yet. Everyone lowered their heads and whispered to each other.
"Tsk tsk tsk, as soon as I entered the palace, I was named Empress Xian. I've been in the palace for six years and I'm still just a noble."
The person who spoke had a sour tone.
"You are lucky. Haven't you seen someone give birth to a princess for the emperor and still be a noble?"
As this man spoke, he looked towards Tong Guiren who was standing diagonally in front of him.
The person being complimented looked in the direction of the voice, his expression instantly improved a lot, he covered his mouth with a handkerchief and said modestly:
"No, no, Mr. Tong is a noble like me, but it is different because he has a princess as his child."
The nobleman Tong, who was being watched, looked over and was startled by the person who was complimenting him. He quickly raised his voice and said:
"I heard that the emperor went to Chuxiu Palace early yesterday. It seems that the new Concubine Xian is very favored by the emperor."
Tong Guiren's expression remained unchanged, but her hands on her knees clenched the handkerchief. Even though she didn't hear it clearly just now, she roughly knew what the other person was saying about her.
Yes, she had given birth to a healthy princess for the emperor, but she was still just a noble. The strength in her hands became stronger and stronger, and she was unwilling to accept this. Now she had a chance. Thinking of the Concubine Xian mentioned above, her eyes flashed slightly, and she spoke.
"Yes, Empress Xian is young and beautiful. I heard that the emperor ordered Chief Steward Liang to decorate her bedroom. This is the first one in the harem, which shows how important it is to her!" After saying that, he glanced casually at Lan Da Ying in the corner.
When others heard what Concubine Tong said, they also started talking, until they heard the eunuchs singing a salute outside the door.
"Empress Xian is here." The next moment, Shi Nanxi, who was outside the door, walked in slowly with Hongying and Nanny Yang.
The bright light shone on her, and she was seen wearing a rouge-colored lotus-branched dress with her hair in a small bun. An exquisite golden hairpin with two crabapple petals was inserted on the top of the banner, with tassels hanging on one side, which swayed gently with every step she took, looking delicate and precious.
Feeling everyone's gaze, Shi Nanxi clenched her handkerchief and pursed her lips to reveal a shy smile. Other people in the hall quickly stood up and saluted.
"Greetings to Her Majesty, Empress Xian. May Your Majesty be blessed with good health."
"Everyone, get up."
Shi Nanxi awkwardly stood up and walked towards the first seat on the left.
The reason why she is the first position on the left is that most of the concubines in the harem went to Changchun Garden to escape the summer heat. Among the concubines who stayed behind, she had the highest rank except Concubine Nianhulu and Concubine Ping, while Concubine Ping was still confined in the palace and had not left.
When she arrived, she turned around and sat down. Seeing her sit down, the others followed suit. Shi Nanxi looked around and was about to speak when a meow was heard. The next moment, a white kitten rushed out from the inner room, and someone in the hall immediately recognized it.
"Hey, isn't this the lion cat that Concubine Niuhulu brought back at the beginning of the month?"
"Lion cat? I heard this cat is very rare, but it's really beautiful!"
Most women like small animals. This lion cat is small and cute. For a moment, everyone's attention was diverted from Shi Nanxi and everyone started talking about it in a low voice.
Shi Nanxi looked at this lion cat, which was the same as the Persian cat "Xixi", with a snow-white body and fluffy hair like a waterfall. She narrowed her eyes slightly, but her expression remained unchanged. She knew in her heart that it was definitely not simple.
Just as she was speculating in her mind, she suddenly heard someone curiously ask in a low voice:
"I heard that the emperor also has a cat that he likes very much. I think its name is "Xixi". I wonder what the imperial concubine's cat is called?"
Hearing this, Shi Nanxi's heart moved, but before she could think about it further, she heard the voice of Concubine Niu Hulu coming from the corridor leading to the outer room:
"Nana, I call it Nana."