readsfreenovel Chapter 346 "The Legend of Zhen Huan" - 4th Uncle 6
Chapter 346 "The Legend of Zhen Huan" - 4th Uncle 6
During this period, the sky over Beijing seemed to be heavily pressed down by a huge bluish-gray curtain, so oppressive that it was hard to breathe. The usual bustling and noisy scenes in the streets and alleys had disappeared, replaced by a deathly silence.
Patrolling soldiers moved back and forth through the streets and alleys, the sound of horses' hooves and the clanging of armor particularly jarring in the silent air. The people kept their doors tightly shut, peeking out through the cracks, afraid of getting into any trouble. The entire capital seemed shrouded in an invisible force, a solemnity that chilled the heart.
Every day, a chilling atmosphere permeated the execution grounds. With each stroke of the executioner's blade, heads rolled to the ground, blood splattering onto the bluestone slabs, quickly covered by the yellow earth. Insiders said the executioners went through countless blades.
The Empress sat upright in Jingren Palace, listening to Jianqiu report on the situation inside and outside the palace. She simply nodded slightly, her face remaining calm and composed.
"The affairs of the court are busy. Although the harem is not allowed to interfere in politics, we should not cause trouble for the emperor. Jianqiu, tell the concubines to keep their servants in check. They should all behave themselves recently and not go out to wander around unless necessary."
The Empress Dowager has recently been unwell. She is kind and has not allowed me to attend to her. Although I cannot be by her bedside, I still wish to do my part. Go and prepare some nourishing medicinal food and send it to the Empress Dowager's palace.
Yi Xiu spoke softly, her tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority. Jian Qiu accepted the order and left. Yi Xiu rose, slowly walked to the window, and frowned slightly as she gazed at the gloomy sky outside.
Suddenly, a young eunuch rushed over, knelt down, and reported, "Your Majesty, the Emperor urgently summons you to the Hall of Mental Cultivation." The Empress was startled, but remained calm on the surface. She quickly composed herself and hurried to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with her personal maid.
Upon entering the hall, one sees the Emperor looking exhausted, his desk piled high with memorials. Seeing Yixiu, the Emperor sighs and says, "The current situation in the court is complex, and I am under immense pressure. The Empress Dowager is unwell, and I am truly overwhelmed. Empress, I hope you can help me appease the harem and stabilize the situation."
Yi Xiu bowed gracefully and said softly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will handle the affairs of the inner palace properly and will never distract Your Majesty."
"Alright, you've always been intelligent, I believe you can do it well! Empress Dowager, please pay more attention to her. Your mother is getting old, so please go and comfort her more often."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Because the Wuya family's property was confiscated and they were demoted to commoners, the Empress Dowager has been throwing tantrums in Shou Kang Palace every day recently. As the one who issued the decree, the Emperor has naturally been disliked by the Empress Dowager these past few days.
She didn't want to provoke the Empress Dowager; if the Empress Dowager took her anger out on her, that would be terrible. To be honest, even if something happened to the Ulanara family, she wouldn't react much, let alone to the Uya family of Lianzong. However, since the Emperor had spoken, she still had to make a trip to Shou Kang Palace.
She ordered the accompanying eunuch to return to Jingren Palace to fetch the medicinal food, and then, accompanied by Jianqiu and Jiang Fuhai, headed straight for Shou Kang Palace. Upon arriving at Shou Kang Palace, Yixiu dismissed the palace maids and entered the inner hall alone. The Empress Dowager was sitting on her couch, her face gloomy. "Empress, you've arrived," the Empress Dowager said coldly.
"Your Majesty, I pay my respects. I heard that Your Majesty is not feeling well, so I have specially prepared some medicinal food in the hope that Your Majesty will recover soon," Yixiu said respectfully, presenting the medicinal food.
The Empress Dowager snorted coldly: "Hmph, you certainly know how to play the game. Now that the Wuya family has fallen to such a state, do you find it gratifying?"
Yixiu was startled and quickly knelt down: "Your Majesty, I have no such intention. The affairs of the court are left to His Majesty's wise decision. I only hope that the harem is peaceful so that His Majesty can concentrate on handling state affairs."
The Empress Dowager stared at her for a long time before slowly saying, "Enough, stop pretending. The situation is turbulent now. If you can manage the harem well, it will be a relief for the Emperor." Yixiu quickly thanked the Empress Dowager, secretly relieved.
"You've seen the Emperor's actions. I'm old and don't know how much longer I have to live. You'd better take care of yourself! You need to keep a close eye on Consort Fang and Consort Xin!"
Unable to get the Fourth Prince to retract his punishment of the Wuya family, the Empress Dowager was still seething with anger. Naturally, she couldn't stand seeing Yixiu remain uninvolved, and mentioning the two pregnant women was just to upset her.
Both of them are now forced to maintain the stability of the harem as ordered by the Emperor, due to their own concerns. However, it would be impossible for them not to have other thoughts in their hearts.
Yi Xiu remained outwardly calm and respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, rest assured, I will take good care of them." The Empress Dowager waved her hand, seemingly unwilling to look at her any longer, and said, "You may leave."
Yi Xiu took his leave after performing the proper etiquette. Just as he stepped out of Shou Kang Palace, he encountered Consort Fang and Consort Xin. Since they had received the Empress Dowager's favor, these two would come to pay their respects to her from time to time. It seemed that they knew the Empress Dowager was not in good health and came to visit her.
Upon seeing her, the two women quickly bowed and greeted her. Yixiu's gaze swept over them, and she said gently, "My two sisters, the Empress Dowager specifically instructed me to take good care of you. The situation in the palace has been unstable recently, so you must be careful in everything you do."
Consort Fang and Consort Xin readily agreed, and Yixiu added, "If you encounter any difficulties, feel free to come to Jingren Palace to find me." After saying this, she left with her maids.
The Fourth Prince now completely disregards the women in the harem. With the imperial edict stating that "no one may come to the Hall of Mental Cultivation without an imperial decree," he is not worried that those women will try to provoke him. With Empress Dowager Yixiu and the Empress Dowager above him, even Consort Hua cannot cause any trouble.
Thinking of the three sons of the fat orange, the scheming Consort Cao and the long-lasting Consort Duan in the harem, the Fourth Prince felt a little irritated.
Xia Yi had just reported some information to him. It seemed that Consort Duan was after Consort Fang's child. Compared to Consort Xin, who had given birth to the eldest princess, Consort Fang, even though she was one rank higher, was easier to deal with.
Of course, her actions were very subtle, so subtle that neither the Empress Dowager nor the Empress noticed. If the Fourth Prince hadn't placed people around the main characters in the harem, he wouldn't have known either.
He has too many things to attend to in the court now, and he simply doesn't have the energy to deal with the intricacies of the harem. But he can't stand idly by while Consort Duan does this; if she succeeds, the harem will be plunged into another bloody storm.
He pondered for a moment, then instructed Xia Yi: "Consort Duan's old illness has relapsed, and she has been bedridden for half a month before passing away." Xia Yi accepted the order and left.
It wasn't that the Fourth Prince was heartless; it was mainly because Consort Duan was always causing trouble behind the scenes, like a vicious venomous snake, always waiting for an opportunity to strike. If she wasn't eliminated, she would cause trouble sooner or later.
He didn't have the time or energy to deal with these people right now. Consort Cao was being kept in check by Wen Yi; as long as he made his point clear, he could suppress her. But Consort Duan had no such scruples. The Fourth Prince rubbed his temples and continued dealing with state affairs.