Xiao Wenyi originally intended to let her leave, but upon remembering the delirious muttering of Zhang Wanrou while she was comatose, he changed his mind and allowed her to enter.
Zhang Wanyin was dressed in a lotus-root pink, gold-woven, lotus-patterned long-sleeved gown, with an ornate cape adorned with eastern pearls and tassels. The hanging tassels swayed gently with her steps, neither hurried nor slow, fully displaying the elegance and dignity of a noblewoman from a prestigious family.
Her delicate eyebrows were arched, and upon seeing Xiao Wenyi, a hint of charm and tenderness tinted the depths of her eyes.
"Your subject Wanyin, greetings, Your Majesty."
Xiao Wenyi’s expression was indifferent: "Rise."
After Zhang Wanyin stood up, she immediately looked toward the area behind the screen, "Younger Sister, has she still not woken up since falling into a coma?"
This was the Warm Pavilion of the Qianqing Palace, the place where the Emperor resided most often; apart from the Empress, no one had ever stayed overnight here!
Yet Zhang Wanrou had been sleeping here for three days!
Xiao Wenyi gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment, leaning against the imperial chair while looking at a memorial.
Zhang Wanyin twisted her handkerchief, wiped the corners of her eyes—which were devoid of any tears—and choked out, "Younger Sister is truly pitiful. She has only been in the palace for a few days and almost lost her life... If Father and Mother knew, I don't know how much heartache they would feel..."
Xiao Wenyi moved the memorial aside and looked down, "Noble Consort, I heard that Consort Zhang grew up in the mountains before entering the palace?"
Zhang Wanyin was startled, and even her action of wiping her eyes came to a halt.
Why would the Emperor suddenly ask about this?
"A young woman, sent away from home at the age of five to live in the mountains—what, is your Pingxi Marquis Manor unable to afford to raise a little girl?"
Zhang Wanyin’s pupils shrank sharply, and she hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, you have misunderstood! Rou'er is my biological younger sister and also Father's own daughter; how could we possibly not want to raise her?"
"It was just that at the time, a wandering Taoist priest passed by our home and told Rou'er's fortune, saying she had a free-spirited nature and that if she grew up in a high-walled mansion, it would likely affect her lifespan! That is why Father made the painful decision to send her to the mountains to be fostered!"
"Moreover, she grew up at Grandmother's knees, and our Marquis's Estate did not mistreat her!"
Xiao Wenyi looked at her, his gaze deep, appearing to hold a slight smile, yet also appearing to hold doubt.
"Your Majesty, do you not believe your subject's words?"
Xiao Wenyi smiled faintly and set the memorial down, "Noble Consort, you worry too much. How could I not believe you? After all, besides that reason, I cannot think of why a grand Marquis's Estate would be unable to accommodate a five-year-old girl."
Zhang Wanyin hid both hands in her large sleeves, gripping them tightly; upon closer inspection, her expression actually revealed a sense of being unnatural.
Xiao Wenyi pretended not to see and continued, "Enough, let us not speak of this. I have another matter I wish to ask the Noble Consort's opinion on."
Zhang Wanyin suppressed all strange emotions and forced a smile onto her face: "What does Your Majesty wish to ask?"
Xiao Wenyi stood up and walked in front of her, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of his eyes, "If I wish to promote Consort Zhang to the rank of Pin, what do you think?"
"Pin?" Zhang Wanyin’s fingers, which had just relaxed, gripped together again. She asked uncertainly, "Your Majesty, you wish to promote Wanrou to Pin?"
Xiao Wenyi looked at her, "Why? Does the Noble Consort think it is not good?"
"Of, of course not!" Zhang Wanyin swallowed several times before she regained her steady voice, "It is just that, Your Majesty, Wanrou was only promoted to Jieyu a few days ago. To promote her to Pin so quickly... I fear it will invite gossip. And, as for the Empress Dowager..."
The Empress Dowager had just punished Zhang Wanrou; if the Emperor were to raise her rank at such a critical moment, would that not be a slap in the face to the Empress Dowager?
Xiao Wenyi humphed almost inaudibly, then turned around and sat back down on the imperial chair, his expression indifferent as he said, "So, you are saying the Noble Consort does not even have the ability to handle this small matter?"
Zhang Wanyin’s face turned pale. Meeting Xiao Wenyi’s sharp eyes, she could even guess what he wanted to say next: Then it would be better to return the Palace Authority to the Empress!
She hurriedly composed herself and immediately replied, "This harem is Your Majesty's harem. Since your subject has accepted the responsibility of Palace Authority, I should resolve problems and share the burden for Your Majesty! Your Majesty need only give the order; I will handle the rest!"
Xiao Wenyi nodded, "If that is the case, then I will trouble the Noble Consort."
A stiff smile spread across the corners of Zhang Wanyin’s mouth: "Your Majesty is too kind; your subject does not find it troublesome."
She couldn't end up like the Empress, losing the hard-won Palace Authority over such a matter, could she?
...
When Zhang Wanrou woke up again, her emotions and breathing were calm. Beside her, Qing Ning was slumped over, fast asleep.
The swelling on her face had subsided, but some red marks remained, and her eyes were puffy, suggesting she had cried quite a bit.
It was already deep night outside, and it was quiet, with the occasional rustling sound of a brush moving across paper.
She moved, and a needle-like pain shot through her buttocks and lower back.
She recognized this place; it was Xiao Wenyi’s Qianqing Palace. In her previous life, she had been here a few times.
So, after she was injured, did Xiao Wenyi bring her to the Qianqing Palace?
She had thought she overestimated the degree to which he cared about her, but now it seemed she hadn't overestimated it after all.
Qing Ning had likely stayed up for a long time and was sleeping very soundly, so much so that she did not wake up even when Zhang Wanrou slowly got out of bed.
She walked barefoot, step by step, toward the outside.
After crossing the screen, she saw Xiao Wenyi’s stern profile. The hard, clear contours of his face actually appeared much softer under the reflection of the candlelight.
She was stunned as she watched.
In her previous life, she had been completely infatuated by this face and those deep, bottomless eyes, to the point where she was played in the palm of Zhang Wanyin’s hand without even realizing it.
Later, she discovered that a newly promoted concubine intended to assassinate him, and in order to save him, she had almost lost her own child!
And him? Upon learning that he had been saved by her, he felt extreme disgust toward her instead!
She still remembered that before she gave birth, they had a chance encounter, and she had questioned him with all her might: "Your Majesty, could it be that you have never loved your subject?"
She still remembered his expression at the time—disdain and disgust! The words he spoke were sharper and more piercing than a blade!
"What I hate most is a woman like you who is ignorant and plays with schemes and tricks! If it weren't for the sake of the Noble Consort, I should have strangled you to death!"
He hadn't even said he would spare her life for the sake of the child in her womb, but only for the sake of Zhang Wanyin!
Heh, what ironic words! What a heartless Emperor!
He loathed her, so he loathed the child in her womb as well!
She felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, her whole body cold, unable to breathe. In the end, she suffered fetal distress, went into premature labor, and ultimately met the end of her life...
Xiao Wenyi did not know what he saw in a memorial, but his face turned gloomy, and unable to suppress his anger, he threw the memorial away.
With a "whoosh," it slid a long way and landed at Zhang Wanrou’s feet.
Zhang Wanrou regained her senses and bent down to pick up the memorial, inadvertently glimpsing a few words.
She closed the memorial, slowly stood up, and said in a hoarse and weak voice: "Your Majesty."
Hearing the voice, Xiao Wenyi’s tightly furrowed brows instantly smoothed out, and a hint of surprise appeared in his eyes, "Yatou, you are awake?"
He stepped down from the imperial chair and supported her as she swayed, and seeing that she was barefoot and not wearing shoes, he hurriedly picked her up horizontally.
"Why did you get out of bed?" He looked at her with a chiding tone, his eyes filled with a hint of tenderness.
Zhang Wanrou looked up, meeting his soft gaze. Her heart stirred slightly, but she suppressed those emotions that should not exist and smiled slightly: "After I opened my eyes, I found this place very unfamiliar and felt a bit afraid, so I came out to take a look."
Xiao Wenyi carried her to the imperial chair and placed her on his lap, careful to avoid touching her wounds.
He knew that this Yatou was most afraid of pain.
"This is my sleeping quarters. That you were injured like this is my fault; I have wronged you."
If he hadn't failed to rush over immediately after hearing the news, she might not have been so severely injured and almost lost her life.
Zhang Wanrou endured the pain, placing both hands on his shoulders and applying slight pressure to minimize the pressure on her wounds.
"It is not Your Majesty's fault. Your subject committed a mistake, and it was right to be punished!" She lowered her head, her eyes filled with self-reproach and grievance, her voice delicate and weak: "It does not matter if your subject was beaten; I only fear that I have caused Your Majesty's reputation to be damaged..."
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