The emperor had arrived just as in her previous life. He was here to rescue Mu Hanyan.
A figure in bright imperial yellow stepped into the hall, tall and straight-backed, his features cold and stern it was Li Qianche. At once, the gazes of the assembled consorts rippled with longing, their eyes clinging to that figure. Since entering the palace, none of them had truly received favor. In the past, Noble Consort Su had blocked the way at every turn; now that she had been demoted to Attendant, who wouldn’t want to seize the moment and become the next one to reign supreme in the harem?
Li Qianche, however, seemed not to notice them at all. He walked straight to the Empress Dowager. After paying his respects, he spoke in a calm voice that brooked no argument: “Mother, Consort Wan is unwell. Let her rise.” Before his words had even finished, he personally helped Mu Hanyan to her feet and ordered a seat prepared. The Empress Dowager’s fingers trembled slightly, but in the end she said nothing more. The consorts, seeing this, could not hide the jealousy and disappointment in their eyes.
Suppressing her anger, the Empress Dowager said coldly, “I truly do not know what extraordinary qualities Consort Wan possesses, that His Majesty would confer the rank of consort without first consulting me. Moreover, she is so frail how will she bear heirs for the imperial house in the future?”
A faint curve touched Li Qianche’s lips, his voice cool and clear. “During my tour, I was poisoned and attacked. Consort Wan comes from a family of physicians and cured the poison and treated my wounds. Her family is gone; she stands alone. So I brought her back to the palace. After returning, affairs were many and pressing, and I did not have time to report to Mother. Would Mother truly have the heart to punish me for this?”
The Empress Dowager’s expression softened somewhat. In the end, she was unwilling to argue with the emperor. “If that is the case, then Consort Wan did merit the reward for saving the emperor. Granting her the rank of consort is fitting. Still, palace rules and etiquette must be taught with care.”
Li Qianche took a light sip of tea and replied evenly, “There’s no hurry. Consort Wan’s health is weak of late. Let her recuperate first; she can learn later.”
The Empress Dowager said no more. Her gaze swept over the hall and finally settled on the quiet figure seated at the far end. Su Su sat with her eyes lowered, as though everything around her had nothing to do with her. Seeing this, the Empress Dowager’s lips curved slightly, her words carrying an unspoken meaning. “Since Consort Wan has rendered great service to His Majesty, she should be richly rewarded.” She then ordered attendants to bring the finest ginseng, a ruyi hairpin of red gold, and more than ten bolts of Jiangnan cloud brocade, all bestowed upon Mu Hanyan.
“As Mother sees fit,” Li Qianche nodded in assent, yet his gaze drifted like passing clouds through the hall and finally came to rest on Su Su in the corner.
She had grown much thinner. The plain palace robes hung loosely on her frame, outlining narrow shoulders. Her head was bowed; long lashes like raven feathers cast shadows, concealing her expression. She was quiet like a porcelain doll forgotten by others.
Such docility was, instead, unsettling.
The Su Su he remembered had always been bright and bold she would smash a teacup over a single cold glance from him, redden her eyes if he spared another woman a look. But now she lowered her head and eyes, as though all her sharp edges had been folded back into her bones.
Had she truly learned to behave? Or… was this merely a new tactic retreating in order to advance?
Yet this sudden, complete meekness felt like a blunt knife, silently sawing at his heart.
Su Su kept her eyes downcast, her fingers unconsciously rubbing the few simple lotus petals embroidered at her cuff with plain silver thread. Every word spoken in the hall reached her clearly breaking even palace rules for her sake. This, perhaps, was the difference between love and indifference.
Scenes from her previous life surged like a tide: the cup of poisoned wine in the Cold Palace; her father and brother thrown into prison; the piercing composure on Mu Hanyan’s face when she conceived his child. She closed her eyes lightly, bitterness rising in her throat, hard to swallow. So this was the end of a misplaced devotion.
Consort Wan rose gracefully to give thanks, her waist bending like a willow in the breeze, her gaze calm and composed. Following the emperor’s line of sight, she looked toward the corner with a trace of puzzlement. After bestowing gold and jade, the Empress Dowager took Mu Hanyan’s hand and earnestly reminded her of the duty to bear heirs. Jealous fire burned in the eyes of the assembled consorts; only Su Su seemed detached, as though outside it all.
After paying respects to the Empress Dowager, the emperor departed first, leading Mu Hanyan away. The consorts withdrew in order, the sound of ornaments and soft laughter fading into the distance. Su Su, lowest in rank, waited quietly to the side as etiquette required. Only after the noise and fragrance had fully dispersed did she follow silently at the very back, walking calmly along the long palace road back to the remote Changxin Palace.
The Empress Dowager watched Su Su’s retreating figure, her fingers slowly turning the Buddhist beads at her wrist, as though lost in thought.
Beside her, Madam Duan, her trusted attendant, reported softly, “Your Majesty, Attendant Su seems like a different person. She did not speak a word in the hall just now; even when Consort Zhuang mocked her, she merely listened with proper courtesy.”
The Empress Dowager’s gaze did not shift, but her tone carried meaning. “In the past, seeing the emperor favor another so openly, she would have smashed cups and made a scene. Today she was quiet like a clay statue.”
She paused, a note of puzzlement in her voice. “It’s almost as if… her soul had been drawn out.”
Madam Duan stepped half a pace closer and agreed softly. “After such turmoil, Attendant Su has likely learned when to advance and when to retreat, and how to restrain herself. If she can become steady from now on, it will be her fortune.”
The Empress Dowager nodded faintly. A trace of hard-to-detect pity flickered in her eyes, though her voice remained calm. “Send word to the Su family: postpone selecting someone to enter the palace. If we are to temper her disposition, then let her have some more quiet days.”
“Yes,” Madam Duan acknowledged and withdrew, knowing well that the Empress Dowager still cared for this niece this so-called tempering was, in truth, meant to protect her.
She was paving the way for her future.
By the time Su Su returned to Changxin Palace, she was so exhausted she could barely lift the hem of her skirt. Leaning against a corridor pillar, she gently massaged her sore, swollen legs and asked Qiuju, “Has there been any reply from home? The letter I asked Xiao Anzi to take out earlier have Father and Brother received it?” She had even specifically instructed that no matter what, her affairs must not disrupt the family’s overall plans.
Qiuju quickly responded, “This servant will go to the Imperial Kitchen to ask Xiao Anzi right away.” The winter stone-brick paths still held a chill. She jogged all the way there, and when she returned carrying a food box, the sun was already high in the sky. “My lady, Xiao Anzi said it’s time for you to eat.” She gently placed a letter on the table; her fingertips were reddened from the cold.
Su Su unfolded the letter, and her father’s familiar handwriting leapt into view. But as she read on, her fingers gradually tightened, creasing fine lines into the edges of the paper. During the period of her confinement, the clan elders had already begun searching for a replacement. That cousin from the second branch, Su Linyue who had never gotten along with her had actually been regarded as the candidate to take her place. The letter rustled softly in her hands, the faint sound like the silent tearing apart of the old, unspoken pact between the Empress Dowager and the Su family’s main branch.
Spring Orchid could not help but protest angrily, “What do they take our lady for? Back when our lady was favored, they all flocked over one by one. Now that she’s temporarily in trouble, they’re already rushing to push someone from the second branch up to cling to a higher perch!”
Qiuju was even angrier, pounding the table. “This is utterly outrageous! Aren’t they afraid the Empress Dowager will blame them…?”
“If the Empress Dowager did not agree, how would they dare act so rashly?” Su Su slowly folded the letter and slipped it back into the envelope, her fingers lightly rubbing the seal.
Qiuju’s voice choked with emotion. “But the Empress Dowager… she watched our lady grow up…”
“The Emperor is gradually taking power into his own hands, and life in the palace is not easy for the Empress Dowager either. Even if she feels reluctant, the clan elders will push her into this decision for the sake of preserving their interests.” Su Su’s tone was calm. “We only need to guard ourselves well. Other matters are not worth our concern.”
She paused slightly, a faint smile brushing her lips. “It doesn’t matter whom they choose, as long as they don’t come disturb my peace.” She then handed the letter to Spring Orchid. “Burn it.”
The flames flared up, gradually devouring the paper and turning it into a wisp of green smoke, as if also burning away all the obsessions of the past.
Su Su opened the food box, and rich aromas filled the room. The glossy Dongpo pork gleamed with an amber sheen; pale shrimp curled among tender asparagus; Kung Pao chicken soaked in clear red oil. This spread far exceeded what a mere daying rank should receive. Seeing her lady’s puzzlement, Qiuju quickly explained, “Xiao Anzi passed on word just now victory reports keep coming in from the front lines. The Emperor is in high spirits and has specially granted a feast to celebrate throughout the six palaces.”
That made sense. With Mu Hanyan’s beauty by his side and the war on the front lines going so smoothly, the Emperor would naturally be in a splendid mood. Seeing how enticing the dishes looked, Su Su called over the still-indignant Qiuju and Spring Orchid to sit down and eat together. Faced with the delicacies on the table, the two finally set aside their worries, exchanged a smile, and picked up their chopsticks.
The trembling piece of Dongpo pork melted on her tongue. The richness and fragrance of the fat were like a key that suddenly unlocked the prison of memory.
In her previous life, in order to gain even a shred of imperial favor, she had starved herself until she felt weightless; eating meat had been a luxury to be calculated. In the Cold Palace, even grass roots had become life-saving food. Thinking of this, she nearly laughed in disbelief.
Now, though she was of low status, being able to freely enjoy such delicious food was already heaven’s mercy how could she fail to cherish it? With the knot in her heart undone, she bent her head and ate together with those beside her, the room filled only with the soft clink of bowls and chopsticks.