Gao Yuexing did not have a deeply ingrained suspicion.
At times, she felt everyone seemed suspicious.
At other times, she felt everyone seemed trustworthy.
Before long, Li Lanyao also arrived. Consort Xian ordered sweet soup to be steamed and served to the two children to satisfy their cravings.
Gao Yuexing and Li Lanyao sat facing each other, eating while pricking up their ears to listen to the lively chatter.
Consort Xian and Aunt Wei discussed palace affairs without avoiding the children.
Aunt Wei said, “There’s another strange matter. When Imperial Physician Zhou fell ill, it’s said that as soon as the palace gates opened this morning, Consort Hui also fell ill.”
Upon hearing that Consort Hui was unwell, Consort Xian showed some concern. “Consort Hui’s health has always been managed by Imperial Physician Zhou.”
Aunt Wei added, “Imperial Physician Zhou is a seasoned and reliable veteran. Not only does Consort Hui rely on him, but even the late Empress Dowager’s health was entirely under his care.”
Listening to this, Gao Yuexing sighed regretfully over the late Empress Dowager’s fate. The palace was a dangerous place. The jealousy and fierceness of the former emperor’s consorts were widely known. That the late Empress Dowager managed to survive peacefully and even support her son in becoming emperor showed her remarkable cunning.
Even so, she still fell one step short, became a pawn in someone else’s game, and stumbled.
One wonders if, before her death, the late Empress Dowager realized this or if she remained oblivious all along.
Observing coldly from the sidelines in the palace, Gao Yuexing had learned a profound lesson: Trust is worthless.
Yet, in a lifetime, surrounded by close family, friends, partners, children, and even servants, who could truly live without trust?
Except for the one seated on that lonely throne.
Gao Yuexing thought of Li Fuxiang.
One day, he would ascend to the Eastern Palace as the Crown Prince.
Given his current intentions laid bare for all to see, the imperial throne would likely be his for the taking.
But if he ever reached that position, how lonely he would be.
What Gao Yuexing did not know was that loneliness or lack thereof is always a matter of comparison.
A child pampered from birth, immersed in a life of indulgence and surrounded by affection, would naturally struggle to adapt to the cold isolation of power.
However, for a child accustomed to solitude, such loneliness would be entirely bearable.
For Li Fuxiang, those ten years in the Xiaonan Pavilion were invaluable to him in every sense.
Consort Xian’s voice interrupted, “With Imperial Physician Zhou ill, we need the Imperial Medical Bureau to find a reliable replacement. Go to the small storeroom and select some nourishing medicines. Later, we’ll make a trip to Jingmen Palace.”
Hearing this, Gao Yuexing’s eyes flickered. She wanted to go too.
After finishing her sweet soup, Li Lanyao had the bowl taken away and said, “Mother Consort, bring me along. I’ve nothing else to do anyway.” Her gaze turned to Gao Yuexing, and she asked, “Are you coming?”
Gao Yuexing rinsed her hands with the clear water offered by a palace maid and nodded. “Of course, I’ll go with you.”
Li Lanyao glanced at her with a playful smile and teased, “How rare it is today.”
Over the past few days, Gao Yuexing had been spending time with Li Fuxiang, which clearly made Li Lanyao feel neglected. Though she did not say so outright, she subtly hinted at it.
Gao Yuexing was a clever person and naturally understood her meaning, nodding subtly.
—
Jingmen Palace.
Gao Yuexing was somewhat familiar with this place. During her early days in the palace, she temporarily stayed in the west wing of Jingmen Palace, opposite Li Fuqiu, who resided in the east wing.
At that time, Consort Hui had been quite attentive to her daily needs.
Now, stepping into this place once more, Gao Yuexing’s first glance was toward the east wing. To her surprise, it already showed signs of disrepair, as though it hadn’t been cleaned in a long time.
Though it belonged to Jingmen Palace, even if it wasn’t inhabited, it shouldn’t have been left to collect dust and resemble a cold palace.
Looking at the west wing, its condition was noticeably better than the east wing.
Li Lanyao noticed her gaze and said softly, “Ever since that… bastard child died, Consort Hui has wished she could tear down the east wing. She can’t stand the sight of it. Recently, Father Emperor agreed to have the wings of Jingmen Palace renovated in a few days.”
Gao Yuexing opened her mouth but didn’t know what to say, so she sighed softly.
Consort Xian led them to wait at the palace gates for permission to enter.
Inside Jingmen Palace, the supposedly ailing Consort Hui was fully dressed, pacing anxiously by her bedside.
A trusted servant woman attended her carefully.
The servant said, “This servant inquired at the Imperial Medical Bureau. The incident last night happened in the medical storeroom.”
Consort Hui paused mid-step. “The medical storeroom? Was anything important lost?”
The servant shook her head. “I haven’t heard of anything missing.”
Consort Hui spoke with vigor, nothing like someone who was ill. Her face, twisted with rage, revealed a ferocious expression. “That Imperial Physician Zhou! I’ve warned him time and again not to act without my orders, yet he refuses to listen. Back then, when Concubine Mei was exposed because of the pulse case, he panicked and took it upon himself to manipulate the Empress Dowager’s pulse record. Wasn’t that as good as exposing the truth himself?”
The servant replied awkwardly, “Imperial Physician Zhou was also acting for your sake, Your Highness…”
Consort Hui gritted her teeth in hatred and spat, “He was doing it for himself! A spineless coward! How did I end up entrusting him with such responsibilities back then?”
Seeing Consort Hui’s fury, the servant dared not speak further.
The attendants outside, unaware of the situation, only knew that Consort Hui was unwell today and seemed even more irritable than usual. Carefully, one of them stepped inside to announce, “Your Highness, Consort Xian requests an audience. She is waiting at the gates.”
Consort Hui had no regard for Consort Xian, who had once been a concubine. She said dismissively, “I won’t see her. Send her back.”
Then, muttering under her breath, she added, “What use is her scheming against me… The emperor has taken a new concubine and now there’s a dragon fetus, yet he still refuses to touch her. And she’s not even worried…”
The servant woman echoed with a laugh, “What good would it do her to be anxious? Her personality doesn’t suit the emperor, and she’s getting older. There are so many young women around. Even if the emperor softened his heart, he wouldn’t favor an old maid again.”
Consort Hui took a deep breath, seemingly venting her pent-up frustration.
Outside, Consort Xian waited for quite a while. When the attendant emerged, she spoke with little respect, “Virtuous Consort, you should return. Consort Hui is unwell today and cannot receive guests.”
Though disappointed, Consort Xian still expressed concern. “How strange. How did Consort Hui suddenly fall ill? Could it be that she caught a chill?”
The palace maid grew impatient and said, “People eat grains; how could they not fall ill? With the autumn winds rising and the weather cooling, Virtuous Consort, you should take better care of your own health.”
This was clearly taking advantage of Consort Xian’s lack of education.
Between the lines, the words were full of mockery, essentially telling her to mind her own business.
Consort Xian, true to expectations, didn’t react immediately. However, her skill in reading faces and emotions was unparalleled in the palace. Even though she didn’t fully understand the words, she could tell that they were not kind.
Standing silently behind Consort Xian all this time, Li Lanyao suddenly let out a cold laugh.
This was the first time the princess had accompanied Consort Xian to visit Jingmen Palace.
Hearing this sharp and inappropriate laugh, the palace maid raised her eyebrows, looking over to see who it was. Upon realizing it was the Grand Princess, her face instantly twitched.
It was one thing to be cold toward Consort Xian, but who would have expected the Grand Princess to come along today?
The emperor had yet to appoint an empress or crown prince. In terms of rank within the imperial city, the Grand Princess Li Lanyao was one of the most distinguished women.
When a crown prince is eventually appointed and a crown princess is named, things might be different. But for now, that day seemed far off.
And what was Consort Hui, after all? To put it crudely, she was no more than a distant relative. The emperor’s respect for her was only out of regard for the late Empress Dowager, granting her some semblance of dignity.
Rank was rank.
No matter what Consort Hui had been to the late emperor, without any blood ties to the current emperor, she wasn’t truly noble.
The late emperor had plenty of consorts. Those who were driven out of the palace to become nuns in temples back in the day—when they refused to leave, the imperial guards had dragged them out by force.
Consort Xian turned back to give the princess a warning look and said, “You must not be disrespectful in the consort’s palace.”
If the palace maid had any sense, she should have taken the opportunity to de-escalate the situation, apologize to the princess, and resolve the matter for everyone’s sake.
But the courtyard fell into silence for a moment, and it was clear that this maid lacked such awareness.
This demonstrated how shallow her perspective was.
With today’s events taking place in the courtyard and upsetting the princess, even if the emperor did not inquire about it directly, word would inevitably reach his ears later.
The behavior of the servants reflected the disposition of their masters.
At this moment, Gao Yuexing stepped in to defuse the situation. She said, “At last night’s palace banquet, I heard that Consort Wen is pregnant. Unfortunately, she retired early, and we didn’t get a chance to congratulate her. I wonder if Her Highness would like to visit Mifei Palace. I’ve heard their osmanthus wine is sweet and rich, quite worth tasting.”
The princess wasn’t going to lower herself to argue with mere servants, as it would damage her dignity.
With a light sweep of her sleeve, she said, “Since that’s the case, we wouldn’t want to disturb Consort Hui’s peace. Miss, please convey my regards to Consort Hui and wish her good health.”
The palace maid, embarrassed, accepted the order.
The princess lightly held Consort Xian’s sleeve and said, “Mother Consort, A-Xing and I would like to visit Mifei Palace to try their osmanthus wine. Would you like to join us?”
Consort Xian thought for a moment, nodded, and said, “Since the palace banquet last night was poorly managed by me, I should go pay a visit. Let’s go.”
After watching them leave, the palace maid hesitated, then turned back to report to Consort Hui.
Consort Hui, already in a bad mood, immediately smashed a teapot. “The princess was here? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
The maid, her hand cut by shards of porcelain but too frightened to cry out, knelt and admitted her mistake, “This servant is blind. I truly didn’t think of it or notice earlier…”
Consort Hui angrily exclaimed, “You call that poor eyesight? What’s the point of keeping those eyes then!”
With a sharp “Get out!” the palace maid, holding back tears, ran out sobbing.
—
Last night, the emperor didn’t visit Consort Wen. However, as soon as court adjourned this morning, he went straight to Mifei Palace, bringing with him an endless stream of gifts and medicinal supplements.
Consort Wen didn’t greet him at the door, and the emperor wasn’t angry. He entered the palace on his own and found Consort Wen sitting by the railing, combing her hair.
The emperor asked, “Have you had breakfast?”
Consort Wen replied coolly, “I have.”
The emperor continued, “How are you feeling today?”
Consort Wen answered, “Fine.”
Sensing her indifference, the emperor paused and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you upset?”
Consort Wen finally smiled, though it was laced with sarcasm. “Your Majesty, your wisdom and might in the art of parenting are truly eye-opening. I must say, I’m thoroughly impressed.”
The emperor was taken aback, utterly confused. “Did one of my sons upset you?”
Among his sons, only Li Fuxiang wandered freely around the palace. Prince Xin rarely visited the palace now that he had his own estate.
The emperor, feeling uncertain, asked, “What did he do this time?”
Consort Wen raised her chin and pointed toward the inner chamber. “Take a look.”
The emperor personally lifted the curtain and looked inside. Sunlight streaming through the translucent paper on the windows bathed the room in a warm glow. Everything seemed quiet and ordinary.
Consort Wen strolled over and glanced under the bed.
The emperor followed her gaze and frowned. “Who hid something under there? Guards!”
Responding to the command, two imperial guards entered, crawled under the bed, and began searching.
From the outside, their movements visibly halted the moment they stuck their heads under the bed.
The emperor wondered what was hidden there.
To his shock, when the guards emerged, they were dragging a person.
The emperor stepped forward for a clearer look and felt his chest tighten as if his heart condition was about to flare up.
Li Fuxiang, with both arms gripped by the guards, was almost dragged out from under the bed. His hair was slightly disheveled. Fortunately, the palace staff at Consort Wen’s residence were diligent in their cleaning, so he didn’t look too filthy or wretched.
The emperor asked, “What were you doing under there?”
Li Fuxiang pulled his arms free, rolled on the floor, got up, and replied with innocent eyes, “I wanted to learn how you make babies!”