“Achu still hasn’t returned?” The Emperor was so distracted that he no longer had the heart even to read the memorials before him. She had said she was only going to pay her respects, so why had she not come back yet? If he had known, he should have insisted on going with her.
“Your Majesty, according to the reports from below, Consort Baochen went with Noble Consort Hui to the Palace of Universal Happiness,” Li Yu said with his head bowed.
Why had she gone to the Noble Consort’s palace for no reason? The Emperor set down his brush and asked in a deep voice, “What happened? Has someone bullied her?”
The Emperor, who had been utterly bewitched by Achu at their first meeting, was overflowing with tenderness and affection. He even wanted to give her the finest sleeping quarters in the palace. Unfortunately, bestowing a consort title on her in a single leap would have attracted too much attention. The Emperor, who still retained a little sense, had therefore not issued an edict to build her another palace. Instead, he had ordered the Imperial Household Department to renovate the Palace of Longevity and make it look entirely new, sparing no effort to make it perfect in every respect. Because of this, her investiture ceremony had also been postponed.
Although he had already instructed the Directorate of Astronomy to choose an auspicious date, there was no guarantee that some heedless person would not decide that Achu was easy to bully. After all, without the investiture ceremony, her title was not entirely legitimate. Besides, Achu was timid and cried easily. If someone bullied her, she probably would not dare to speak up.
The more the Emperor thought about it, the more anxious he became. Soon he could no longer sit still. His mind was filled with pitiful images of Achu being bullied by Noble Consort Hui. He did not hear a word of what Li Yu said afterward. He rose hurriedly and ordered,
“Prepare to leave for the Palace of Universal Happiness.”
Li Yu hurried after him, sighing helplessly inwardly. He had never seen His Majesty care so deeply about anyone before. It seemed unlikely that he would be able to grant Suoxin’s plea.
Within the Palace of Universal Happiness, everything was warm and harmonious.
The clear, lilting sound of a pipa drifted over, carrying a lively and joyful charm.
Noble Consort Hui clapped her hands. “You’re so clever, little sister. You understood it as soon as I explained it.”
Although it was early spring, braziers still filled the Palace of Universal Happiness from inside to out, making it unbearably hot.
Fine beads of sweat had already appeared at Achu’s temples. She handed the pipa to Wei Yingwan, who was standing nearby, and her eyes curved like rippling autumn waters. “It’s because you taught me so well, Elder Sister. And thank you for giving me this pipa. I like it very much.”
Noble Consort Hui’s delicate brows drew together. It was all because she had been chatting so happily with Achu that she had failed to notice her discomfort. She drew a stack of gold-threaded silk handkerchiefs embroidered with peonies from her sleeve, then gently wiped the sweat from Achu’s temples. From the corner of her eye, she glanced at Moxin and ordered, “Remove the braziers.”
Moxin’s eyes filled with unease. “Your Highness, how can we do that? Your health cannot do without them.”
Noble Consort Hui had suffered from a cold disorder since birth. She had always relied on medicine to keep her body from deteriorating, but ever since entering the palace, her health had grown worse with each passing day. Thus, in winter and early spring, the supply of charcoal could never be reduced.
Noble Consort Hui’s pretty face turned cold. She was just about to rebuke Moxin when Achu interrupted her. “Is Elder Sister unwell?”
“It’s an ailment I’ve had since childhood.” Noble Consort Hui tilted her head and sighed, unwilling to say more and needlessly trouble Achu. “Qi Ru of the Imperial Academy of Medicine told me to take good care of myself. Perhaps one day I’ll recover.”
But Noble Consort Hui knew in her heart that her health had declined greatly. She could not even say when her final day might come.
“Your Highness, it is time for your medicine.”
Shuangxi entered carrying a bowl of medicine on a tray. The bowl was decorated with blue-and-white branches of roses, and the bitter smell gradually spread through the air, quickly overwhelming the fragrance of the Palace of Universal Happiness.
“Elder Sister, wait.” When she saw Noble Consort Hui take the bowl and prepare to drink the bitter medicine without even blinking, Achu hurriedly stopped her.
So this was why Noble Consort Hui’s health was so poor and why she had never conceived despite all these years. Lingling Incense had been placed by the Empress, but who had ordered this medicine to be prepared? How vicious. Someone had added several herbs that depleted the body’s vital energy and blood to the original prescription. Taken over many years, it would leave a person neither fully alive nor fully dead.
Under Noble Consort Hui’s questioning gaze, Achu hesitated. “The medicine is still too hot. Elder Sister should wait a while before drinking it.” She lightly tapped Noble Consort Hui’s hand, signaling to her.
“All right. I’ll listen to you, little sister.” Without hesitation, Noble Consort Hui placed the warm medicine on the small table beside her. Understanding Achu’s meaning, she said, “You may all withdraw for now. It’s too hot with so many people here.”
Achu also nodded at Wei Yingwan. Before long, only the two of them remained in the sleeping quarters.
“Is there something you want to tell me?” Noble Consort Hui clasped Achu’s hand in return, her face full of concern. She assumed something had happened to Achu.
Achu shook her head. In truth, she did not know whether what she was doing was right. Could she bear the consequences? But watching a life being silently murdered before her eyes without saying anything would leave her conscience uneasy. Besides, she liked Noble Consort Hui very much. Some people were destined to become friends from the moment they first met, and Achu could not stand by and watch Noble Consort Hui walk toward her death.
After a moment of thought, Achu said, “Elder Sister, are the dregs from this medicine and the prescription still there?”
Noble Consort Hui’s beautiful eyes widened, and her heart jolted. Her hands and feet began to turn cold.
“There’s something wrong with this medicine?” Though Noble Consort Hui phrased it as a question, she had already begun to sense the truth.
Achu nodded. “I don’t know who prescribed it for you, but whoever poisoned you must bear a deep grudge against you. Otherwise, they would not have added several herbs that drain away a person’s vital energy and blood. This medicine would not do much harm to someone else, but from your complexion, I can tell that your cold disorder has been present since birth. If you continue drinking it for this long, you have at most two years left to live.”
Noble Consort Hui’s hands and feet went icy cold, as though she had fallen into a block of ice. Her mind could no longer think normally.
Her medicine had been prescribed by Qi Ru of the Imperial Academy of Medicine, and Qi Ru was one of the Emperor’s men. But why would the Emperor try to harm her? Her A’ma served in the court and was deeply trusted by the Emperor. The Emperor had no reason to do such a thing. Then who wanted her dead?
Noble Consort Hui thought until her head hurt. One moment she suspected the Emperor, the next Consort Xian. She even suspected every dog by the roadside, but she never once suspected Achu’s words.
“If you don’t believe me, you can summon an imperial physician to examine you. But there are too many eyes and ears in the palace, so you’d better find a physician you truly trust.” Seeing that Noble Consort Hui was completely at a loss, Achu comforted her softly. “Elder Sister, don’t worry too much. I’ve studied some medicine. If you take proper care of yourself, extending your life won’t be a problem.”
That was, of course, provided that the physician was skilled and trustworthy.
Noble Consort Hui came back to herself. Her eyes were red as she said, “I believe you. I simply can’t think of who would want to harm me.” She had offended too many people during all her years in the palace. Every one of them was a suspect.
“The most urgent thing now is to nurse your health back to normal. We can deal with everything else slowly afterward.” Achu patted Noble Consort Hui’s hand soothingly.
Noble Consort Hui forced a smile and pulled herself together. “You’re right.” If she became so dispirited, would that not please the people who had harmed her? Noble Consort Hui composed herself, and before long her fighting spirit had returned. Gratitude shone in her eyes as she said, “Thank you for warning me, little sister. Otherwise, I would have died without ever knowing why.”
Counting today, the two of them had met only once. Noble Consort Hui might have been somewhat naïve, but she was still capable of thinking things through. She knew how great a risk Achu had taken to tell her this. There were so many physicians in the Imperial Academy of Medicine—Noble Consort Hui did not believe that not one of them had noticed what Qi Ru was doing. Yet every one of them had remained silent. Noble Consort Hui understood perfectly what that meant.
Noble Consort Hui was about to say something else when Shuangxi’s loud voice came from outside as he announced, “This servant pays his respects to His Majesty.”
“Damn servant, move aside!” a cold male voice commanded.
The moment Noble Consort Hui heard it, she knew who it was.
Aside from the Emperor, there was no one she wanted to see less at that moment. The person who shared her bed might be trying to kill her. Noble Consort Hui was both heartbroken and frightened. If she had not been afraid of implicating Achu, she would have confronted the Emperor on the spot and demanded to know why he was treating her this way.
Achu, meanwhile, fell silent for a moment. She had come all the way here, so how had the Emperor still managed to find her? Did he not have memorials to read?
Noble Consort Hui did not want to see the Emperor, and, as it happened, the Emperor did not want to see her either. Once again, he encountered a scene that felt strangely familiar, and he began to wonder: did the women in the palace really have to dismiss all their maids and eunuchs whenever they spoke? Ruyi had done the same thing last time, and now Noble Consort Hui was doing it too.
The scene before him, however, was different from what he had imagined. Timid Achu was not crying, while the spoiled and willful Noble Consort Hui’s eyes were faintly red. The Emperor’s gaze shifted, and he naturally pretended not to notice.
She had really grown bold enough to bully people.
That was what the Emperor, whose favoritism had gone completely overboard, was thinking at that moment.
“What are you two talking about?” Without the slightest hesitation, the Emperor took Achu’s hand out of Noble Consort Hui’s palm. Her little hand was hot. He enclosed it in his own and asked anxiously, “Why are you sweating so much? Are you feeling unwell?”
Achu tugged at her hand, but could not pull it free. Her clear, dark eyes held a trace of speechless exasperation. A man’s body temperature was naturally higher than an ordinary woman’s; being held by the Emperor was not nearly as comfortable as being held by Noble Consort Hui.
“Perhaps I was simply tired from playing the pipa. I’m not seriously unwell, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor’s lips pressed into a straight line. He had never even heard Achu play the pipa. He was unhappy, but he did not dare let his tone become too severe in case he frightened her. His irritation was mixed with five parts grievance.
“You’ve never played it for Me.”
She was the first person to receive such a remark from him. Noble Consort Hui’s brows rose with delight, and her gloomy mood vanished at once. Her eyes sparkled with smugness.
“What a pity that His Majesty didn’t hear her. Little sister’s playing was exceptionally pure and delightful, and she has a real talent for it.” As a master of the pipa, Noble Consort Hui rarely praised other people, which made her words all the more valuable.
The Emperor’s expression cooled. He said indifferently, “It is rare for the Noble Consort to praise anyone. Usually, apart from the Empress, there is no one in the palace who catches your eye.”
“Are Elder Sister and the Empress very close?” Ever since she had become a consort, Aunt Fang had tried to stuff every major and minor matter in the palace into her head, afraid that she would suffer for not understanding the palace’s power structure. Thus, Achu actually knew that Noble Consort Hui and the Empress were very close, but she still pretended to be surprised.
Meeting that pair of clear, beautiful eyes, Noble Consort Hui asked uncertainly, “W-We’re… fairly close, I suppose?”
Oh no. Why was she feeling guilty?