Su Yuewu feigned curiosity as she asked Zheng Tiande, “Since you served in the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Eunuch Zheng, you must have considerable seniority. Might you share with me who is currently most favored in the palace? I should be more cautious in the future, lest I inadvertently offend someone I shouldn’t.”
Zheng Tiande lowered his head, as if he had long anticipated this question, and replied without hesitation, “Your Highness, His Majesty shows no particular favoritism toward any of the consorts in the rear palace. If one must rank them, it is by their status. On the first and fifteenth days of each month, he visits the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, so he stays with Empress Tao the most. Next is Consort Zhang Xian, followed by Consort Lu, and then Consort Su. As for the other ladies who are not of the highest rank, I estimate each has only received His Majesty’s favor once or twice since serving him.”
Su Yuewu let out an understanding “oh” and nodded with a smile. “I see. Thank you for coming all this way to answer my questions, Eunuch Zheng.”
“You flatter me, Your Highness. This is merely my duty.”
Observing Zheng Tiande’s humble and respectful demeanor, Su Yuewu felt a mix of emotions—both joy and worry.
She was pleased that with Zheng Tiande and Qingwen by her side, she need not fear betrayal from those around her.
Yet she worried that these two clearly did not regard her as their true master. Their loyalty lay with the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
………
Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
Empress Tao wore a light yellow sleeping robe, her hair flowing smoothly down her back. With her makeup washed away, her delicate face appeared gentle and serene.
She knelt halfway by the low couch, trimming the red candles on the table, brightening the room slightly.
“You needn’t trouble yourself. Go and rest.”
A deep voice interrupted her as she was about to trim another candle.
Empress Tao paused, withdrew her hand, and turned her head to look.
A young emperor in a bright yellow sleeping robe embroidered with dragon patterns sat by the kang table, holding a scroll of a book. His slender fingers, distinct under the candlelight, and his handsome face, half-lit and half-shadowed, revealed no discernible emotion.
He didn’t even look up, as if deeply engrossed in reading, but Empress Tao, who had been watching him closely, knew the page had not been turned for a long time.
“Your Majesty is clearly here in body but absent in mind.”
Empress Tao said with a half-teasing smile, then obediently stepped down from the couch and walked to the bed to draw the curtains. Softly, she added, “On the day of the Imperial Selection, I was unable to attend due to mourning in my family. Was there anyone who caught your eye? Was it Consort Su, whom you personally assigned a residence?”
Shen Heng, caught off guard by these words, tightened his grip on the book and looked up at the empress, only to see her slender back as she raised her arms to adjust the silver hooks.
He watched her back and spoke evenly, “She is not someone who caught my eye. It was merely out of past affection that I gave her a place in the palace, so she would not suffer hardship for the rest of her life.”
After a brief pause, his tone suddenly shifted. “I heard you also assigned a Lady of the First Rank to the Palace of Earthly Honor?”
Empress Tao did not reply immediately. Only after lowering the brocade curtains embroidered with the “Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix” pattern did she turn around to meet her husband’s dark, scrutinizing gaze. Unable to help herself, she smiled.
“Your Majesty, rest assured. As long as I am here, no one in the rear palace will be mistreated. As for Agreeable Lady Chen, there is a reason I assigned her to the Palace of Earthly Honor.”
Shen Heng set down the scroll and gestured toward the embroidered stool nearby, indicating for her to sit. “Speak to me.”
Empress Tao obediently took her seat. The stool was rather low, forcing her to look up at the man on the couch.
“Your Majesty, among the twelve eastern and western palaces, only five currently have occupants of sufficient rank. Agreeable Lady Chen holds a low position—it would hardly be appropriate for her to occupy an entire palace alone. As for the other occupants, Consort Su is suffering from a high fever and must avoid contact, Consort Lu’s palace is already fully arranged, and the Virtuous Consort, still haunted by the incident involving the eldest princess, has become overly suspicious. She knelt before me, pleading that she absolutely refuses to share her palace with any newly entered consorts.”
Shen Heng looked at her and asked in a low voice, “Didn’t I also appoint a Consort Lin this time?”
Empress Tao shook her head with a smile. “Consort Lin has a difficult temperament. Although I was not present during the Imperial Selection, I heard from the attending matrons that she quarreled with several candidates, including Consort Su. Consort Su, being clever and sharp-witted, managed to avoid any disadvantage, but several other candidates from less prominent families suffered greatly.”
Shen Heng’s gaze turned cold as he absently rubbed the jade thumb ring on his finger.
He had paid little attention during the Imperial Selection and had not expected someone like this to enter the palace.
Su Yuewu, clever? What a joke. It was merely luck that she avoided trouble this time.
Empress Tao continued, “Your Majesty, you are the father of all people, bestowing grace upon the masses. As your wife, I naturally bear the responsibility of the central palace, setting an example for the world. The consorts in the rear palace are, after all, your subjects as well. I can discipline Consort Lin in the future, teaching her etiquette and rules, but before that, I do not wish for any consort to suffer torment or humiliation at her hands.”
After hearing this, Shen Heng stopped rubbing his jade thumb ring. His deep gaze fell upon the woman speaking so eloquently before him, unable to discern whether it held approval or reproach.
After a long pause, he lowered his eyes and said, “The Empress should have been born a man.”
Empress Tao laughed lightly. “Please, no. The sight of the Four Books and Five Classics gives me a headache. In my spare time, I’ve even thought that if Your Majesty and I have a legitimate heir in the future, I dare not teach him myself—I would have to seek a great scholar.”
Shen Heng’s gaze followed her words to her flat abdomen.
The Empress had been pregnant once before, but due to overwork and neglecting her health, she miscarried at three months and had not conceived since.
After a moment’s pause, Shen Heng withdrew his gaze and said, “Empress, the Duke of Loyalty has only recently passed away. Let us speak of this again in due time.”
The Duke of Loyalty was the Empress’s father.
Empress Tao smiled. “Your Majesty worries too much. I merely spoke casually. This matter cannot be rushed; what is destined will come in time.”
Shen Heng gave a soft “Mm” in response.
Empress Tao rose and went to the bed. The drawn curtains separated the Emperor and Empress, and after an unknown length of time, she heard her husband’s voice outside instructing the eunuch, “Prepare for rest.”
Footsteps approached, the curtains were drawn aside, and candlelight and shadows poured in, only to vanish again as the curtains fell back into place.
The bed shifted with added weight as Empress Tao saw her husband lie down. Without so much as a glance in her direction, he turned to face outward and fell asleep.
…
The next day.
Many had slept poorly the previous night, and as soon as dawn broke, they hurried early to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility.
With still half an hour before the newly entered consorts were to pay their respects to the central palace, the older members of the rear palace had already gathered. The outer hall buzzed with lively conversation and discussion.
“Oh? Wasn’t Consort Su running a high fever just the other day? How did she recover so quickly? Could it be that she’s overjoyed to see her cousin today?”
The speaker was Noble Lady Cheng, her gaze fixed on Su Yunshu with a malicious smile.
In the past, she wouldn’t have dared to be so bold as to provoke this niece of the Empress Dowager.
But now things were different. The Su family had sent another daughter into the palace, and she had even been directly elevated to the rank of concubine. What did this mean?
It clearly showed that Su Yunshu had fallen out of favor, and they had replaced her with another pawn!
Given this, who would still fear her as they once did?
In fact, it wasn’t just Noble Lady Cheng—most of the people present harbored the same suspicion.
Though they remained silent, their gazes toward Su Yunshu were uniformly filled with schadenfreude.