Chapter 15: Request for the Selection of Consorts
While Xiao Ning’an was probing the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion, the other princes were not idle either.
The First Prince, Xiao Ningyuan, was discussing with his wife, Zhou Chunjun, the matter of the fifth brother, Xiao Ning’an, being rejected at the gates of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion.
He was more than happy to see the fifth brother rebuffed.
The First Prince’s Consort, Zhou Chunjun, understood her husband’s mind well; he wanted to win over the County Princess of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion for his own use.
However, the County Princess was vigilant; she had not associated with any of the princes and was extremely careful about maintaining proper boundaries.
This time, after County Princess Mingzhu was injured by Princess Qing’an, aside from people from the palace, she had only seen members of the Prime Minister Cui’s Mansion once.
Since that was her maternal family, it was beyond reproach.
"Your Highness, is it possible that the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion is truly so impregnable?" Zhou Chunjun truly did not quite understand Yu Lingzhao’s intentions.
The First Prince shook his head. "Naturally not. Let us wait and see; this County Princess Mingzhu is not simple."
Emperor Jianyuan’s decree had already spread throughout the capital, granting County Princess Mingzhu the special privilege of not having to kneel when meeting others, a status even more unique than that of the princes themselves.
It was precisely this decree that made the First Prince unable to gauge Emperor Jianyuan’s thoughts: did he ultimately trust Yu Lingzhao, or did he not?
In reality, Emperor Jianyuan did not wish to spend much thought on this matter at all.
In the Emperor’s eyes, this was merely a spat between two young girls; there was no need to magnify it.
The First Prince did not understand this and kept trying to gain some advantage from the situation. If he could knock open the doors of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion, that would be for the best.
While the First Prince and his wife were pondering what the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion would do next, the Empress in the palace also heard her attendants mention the County Princess.
The several princes currently in the palace were not the Empress’s legitimate children; instead, they were born to various concubines.
Emperor Jianyuan and the Empress had been a couple since their youth and had once raised a son and a daughter, but unfortunately, neither lived to adulthood.
Furthermore, the Empress had damaged her health during childbirth and never became pregnant again.
Emperor Jianyuan treated the Empress with great respect, and the princes who had grown up also showed great deference to the Empress as their legal mother.
At the very least, on the surface, none dared to disobey her.
Having heard that the gates of the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion remained tightly closed and that County Princess Mingzhu had indeed not yet entered the palace to give thanks, the Empress asked an extra question, "The Head Physician of the Imperial Medical Institute went to see the County Princess; what is the situation?"
Hearing this, Yuechan, the Empress’s maid, curtsied and replied, "Reporting to Your Majesty, the Head Physician only prescribed some formulas to replenish blood and nourish Qi. It is unknown whether there are other remedies."
Looking at her aging reflection in the bronze mirror, the Empress reached up to touch the white hair at her temples and said in a low voice, "So be it. I cannot manage them one way or another; let them toss about as they please."
The Empress thought of her two children who had died young; if they had lived to adulthood, perhaps they would be getting married and having children of their own by now.
Yuechan had followed the Empress for many years.
Seeing the Empress lost in sorrowful reflection, she finally could not help but urge: "Your Majesty, do you truly not intend to strive for anything? You and His Majesty have been husband and wife for many years, and His Majesty treats you with such deep affection and weight..."
The Empress let out a cold laugh, a mocking smile appearing on her beautiful face. "Deep affection and weight? Yuechan, it is one thing for others to say it, but do not let such words blind your eyes."
The Empress knew exactly what kind of man Emperor Jianyuan was.
He was ruthless and skilled at pretense; he would sacrifice anything and utilize anyone for the sake of his throne.
What did it matter if she was his first wife?
She had still failed to protect even one of her two children.
Meanwhile, the children of those other women were born one by one, raised, and brought forth to fight for the position of Crown Prince that should have belonged to her legitimate son.
Emperor Jianyuan watched those children grow, cultivating their civil and military talents, but also cultivating their internal strife.
Emperor Jianyuan looked at his children, but her children had long since become white bones in the Yellow Springs, buried beneath the earth away from the light of day.
*The underworld of Chinese mythology which is the equivalent of Hades or Hell.
Realizing she had touched upon the Empress's hidden sorrow, Yuechan immediately knelt down and bowed her head. "It was this servant's transgression. Please punish me, Your Majesty."
The Empress slowly turned her gaze toward Yuechan, her eyes calm and rippleless, as if the previous cold laugh and self-deprecation had never happened.
The Empress picked up a red-gold filigree Nine-Phoenix hairpin inlaid with pearls and handed it to Yuechan, her voice somewhat cold: "I shall wear this pin today. Additionally, relay my decree to the Prince of Zhennan’s Mansion: tell County Princess Mingzhu to recover well and that there is no need to hurry into the palace to give thanks."
Yuechan respectfully complied and fastened the red-gold filigree Nine-Phoenix hairpin for the Empress, completing her grooming for the day.
When Yuechan assisted the Empress to the main hall, the various concubines who had come to pay their respects had already arrived.
Seeing the Empress's arrival, the concubines rose one after another to pay their respects.
The Empress was peaceful as usual and told everyone to rise.
Emperor Jianyuan’s current harem was filled with many beauties; aside from Noble Consort Xuan, there was also Noble Consort Chen, as well as Consort Xian, Consort Liang, Imperial Concubine Mei, and Imperial Concubine Jia, who were among the more prominent.
Noble Consort Xuan was currently under house arrest because of Princess Qing’an, so she was naturally absent from the morning audience.
Unlike the delicate and pretty Noble Consort Xuan, Noble Consort Chen was of a grand and dazzling type.
She had given birth to two princesses who were already married, and she was not on good terms with Noble Consort Xuan.
Imperial Concubine Jia was the biological mother of the First Prince, Xiao Ningyuan, and was a tribal sister to Noble Consort Chen.
Consort Xian was the biological mother of the Fifth Prince, Xiao Ning’an.
True to her title, she held a reputation for virtue within the palace and modeled herself after the Empress in every regard.
Consort Liang had a son and a daughter: the Fourth Prince, Xiao Ninghua, and the Sixth Princess, Baoyue.
Imperial Concubine Mei was still a newcomer and had been unrivaled in her momentum lately; since Noble Consort Xuan’s house arrest, she alone enjoyed great favor in the harem.
Today, emboldened by Emperor Jianyuan's favor, she mentioned Noble Consort Xuan in front of the Empress, hinting that Noble Consort Xuan had spoiled Princess Qing'an to the point that she dared to strike the County Princess of the Prince of Zhennan's Mansion, which had tarnished the reputation of the other princesses.
Imperial Concubine Mei’s intention was merely to mock Noble Consort Xuan, but she forgot that Noble Consort Chen also had two daughters.
Since Imperial Concubine Mei had implicated the upbringing of the princesses, Noble Consort Chen immediately launched an attack, showing her no leniency whatsoever.
"I think Sister Mei should worry more about herself. With His Majesty doting on you so much, I don't see any good news coming from you yet."
Noble Consort Chen looked at Imperial Concubine Mei with a cold sneer: "You don't worry about what you should, yet you dare to come here and stir up trouble regarding matters that are none of your business."
Noble Consort Chen's family was powerful, and Emperor Jianyuan liked her bright and vivid personality; her fiery temper was unique within the palace.
Imperial Concubine Mei was delicate, and being rebuked so bluntly by Noble Consort Chen, she immediately took out her handkerchief and looked aggrieved.
"Why must Sister Chen be so caustic? This concubine was merely concerned for the Princess and Sister Xuan. Your words make it seem as if I have some ulterior motive; I am truly wronged."
How could Noble Consort Chen not know what Imperial Concubine Mei meant?
She glanced at the Empress before saying to Imperial Concubine Mei, "Stop being so hypocritical here. If you dare to say those words in front of Noble Consort Xuan to show your 'sincerity,' then it won't be too late!"
Noble Consort Chen tore away Imperial Concubine Mei’s dignity and trampled it on the ground.
Imperial Concubine Mei, having a guilty conscience, only dared to provoke with a few words; she didn't truly dare to face two Noble Consorts at once and immediately fell silent.
The Empress watched Noble Consort Chen and Imperial Concubine Mei bickering and actually found it quite interesting.
Since Imperial Concubine Mei had conceded, Noble Consort Chen couldn't be bothered to chase her further with words, lest she seem like someone who refused to let a lowly concubine go.
Just as the Empress was about to dismiss the audience, Consort Liang took the initiative to mention asking the Empress to help select consorts for several of the princes.
Consort Xian’s eyes turned cold, and she shot a quiet look at Consort Liang.
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