News travels fastest within the palace walls. On this very day, the consorts in every palace were equally astonished as they received the news, one after another, that Xue Dongyu had first been promoted to Cairen and moved to Yanhui Hall.
Before they could even digest this, word came that Guanjia, who had not entered the rear palace for nearly half a month, had gone to dine with the newly promoted Cairen Xue. Li Lu from the imperial presence had gone to the imperial kitchens to give orders: because Cairen Xue loved shad fish, all the shad in this batch had to be reserved for her.
In Zhengyang Palace, Empress Cao ordered her hairpins and jewelry to be removed. As Matron Ping softly whispered by her ear that the Emperor had gone to Lady Xue at Pifang Hall, her expression seemed to freeze like wax.
"Promoted in the morning, rewarded by evening—this is the Guanjia of our great Song Dynasty. Everyone says he is gentle and benevolent, but in truth, he possesses the most imperial of hearts. For those he favors, he spares nothing; for those he dislikes, he cannot even be bothered to glance their way."
Matron Ping, concerned, tried to speak, but Empress Cao stopped her. "Matron, there is no need to persuade me. I have long understood: no matter how much Guanjia dotes on others, as long as I do not make mistakes, I will forever be his Empress. Only I am the woman who can truly stand shoulder to shoulder with him."
"Besides, compared to me, there are many more in this palace who will lie awake tonight. Not to mention others, that Consort Zhang—once so illustrious and arrogant—still fell out of favor just like that. Hearing the news about Cairen Xue, she must be going mad right now."
Matron Ping chimed in agreeably, "Your Majesty is right. Whenever Consort Zhang is displeased, she loves to smash things and punish palace maids and eunuchs, making a huge commotion every time. We will surely hear news from her side first thing tomorrow morning."
Over at Consort Zhang's Chengfang Hall, the lights were blazing brightly. As the residence of a favored consort, the hall was naturally grand and spacious, exquisitely furnished, displaying the aura of a favored consort in every detail.
But at this moment, Chengfang Hall was littered with shattered porcelain shards. All the palace servants knelt on the ground, heads bowed and eyes averted, afraid of being noticed. Only a few trusted attendants were trying to console the mistress of the hall.
Consort Zhang, whose beauty was beyond compare, had collapsed on the floor like a flower withering without the nourishment of love. Her eyes were dazed as she murmured to herself, "Guanjia hasn't come to see me for thirteen days, yet he went to see that Lady Xue. He has forgotten he once said he would never leave me alone."
"Aunt, I can't bear it anymore. Go and call Guanjia here now, please."
Aunt Jia looked at Consort Zhang on the floor, tears streaming down her face, her heart aching as if cut by a knife. Childless herself, she had treated Consort Zhang, who had been sent to her side at the age of eight, as her own daughter. She could not bear to see her suffer the slightest grievance. Seeing Consort Zhang like this now, how could she feel anything but pain?
Aunt Jia had spent half her life in the palace music bureau, accustomed to seeing lovesick women and fickle men. She was not unaware of Consort Zhang's stubborn obsession with Guanjia, yet she still held onto a sliver of hope—perhaps, just perhaps, she truly had such fortune.
Consort Zhang and Guanjia had been so tender and affectionate with each other. Who could have thought it would all come to nothing in the end?
Aunt Jia helped Consort Zhang up. "Meiren, Guanjia is not refusing to see you; he must be overwhelmed with state affairs. It's too late today; let's not disturb Guanjia's rest, alright? Tomorrow, Aunt will definitely invite Guanjia here."
"You must think not only of yourself but also of the child in your womb—Guanjia's child. That Lady Xue is just a passing fancy for Guanjia. Once you give birth to Guanjia's imperial son, Guanjia will surely be overjoyed." Aunt Jia completely ignored the fact that Xue Dongyu was also pregnant.
Consort Zhang listened in a daze, gripping Aunt Jia's hand as she said, "Really? Guanjia will be pleased? Alright, I'll go rest. Guanjia will definitely come to see me tomorrow." Aunt Jia nodded emphatically.
Seeing that Consort Zhang had been placated by Aunt Jia, everyone kneeling let out a sigh of relief. Their Meiren was nothing like the other consorts in the palace. The slightest neglect from Guanjia would send her into fits of anxiety, making a scene and tormenting all these unfortunate souls around her.
In the past, when Guanjia doted on her, it was manageable—just a bit of crying, fussing, or refusing to eat. With Guanjia there to coax her, they didn’t suffer too much.
Who could have known that Consort Zhang, now heavily pregnant and nearing her due date, would suddenly face the rise of Lady Xue, who gained favor just as quickly and also became pregnant? Stricken with jealousy and with Guanjia no longer visiting, Consort Zhang had been driven to near madness every day.
Aunt Jia was busy settling Consort Zhang and failed to notice the uneasy expressions on several faces, as if they were scheming something.
In other palaces, Consort Yu received the news without changing her expression, calmly continuing to write poetry. "What does Lady Xue have to do with me?" she said, silencing those around her before turning to instruct the palace maids to prepare the small flower whisks and ceramic bottles for collecting dew. A late-blooming cherry blossom had opened that night, and she planned to gather flower dew at dawn.
In Consort Miao’s Ningcui Palace, every table corner was padded with thick, soft cloth, and children’s toys were scattered about, making it clear at a glance that a child lived there.
In the main hall, Consort Miao sat with her hair loose, gazing at the flickering candle flame, its warm orange glow casting light over her delicate, gentle features.
A palace maid behind her combed her hair over and over with a horn comb. Petite in stature, even Consort Miao’s speech was soft and gentle.
"Guanjia has shown Lady Xue such great favor. I only hope she does not let him down." Though she spoke these words, her face involuntarily betrayed a trace of melancholy.
She too had once experienced such treasured times, but now they were forever out of reach.
Caixin spoke up indignantly for her Zhaorong, "Zhaorong, you are always so kind-hearted. It’s one thing for Guanjia to favor Lady Xue, but why must all the shad fish be given to her? Has Guanjia forgotten that the Princess and you suffer in the summer heat and can only eat a little of the shad fish?"
Because Consort Miao’s mother had been Zhao Zhen’s wet nurse, she had extensive connections and deep roots in the palace, often receiving news a step ahead of others. The matter of the shad fish had been relayed from the imperial kitchens.
Consort Miao scolded, "What nonsense are you talking? Everything under heaven belongs to Guanjia. He may give to whomever he pleases; it is not our place to demand anything. Besides, didn’t Guanjia leave two fish for Fukang?"
Caixin, still resentful, wanted to say more but was cut off by Consort Miao. "I cannot dwell on such things anymore. Now, all I wish for is Fukang to grow up safe and sound, without breaking my heart like her brother Zui Xinglai did. That would be enough for me."
Speaking of her prematurely deceased son, Consort Miao seemed to feel the pain anew, tears welling in her eyes.
Caixin and Caihe, who was combing her hair, grew anxious. Whenever Consort Miao mentioned the late Prince Yong Zhao Xin, she could not control her emotions.
Suddenly, a palace maid of about seventeen or eighteen rushed into the hall, her face full of urgency. She addressed Consort Miao directly, "Zhaorong, please go to the Princess’s quarters at once. Today, for some reason, the Princess refuses to sleep and keeps fussing, insisting on seeing you."
Hearing this, Consort Miao had no time left for sorrow. Without a moment’s delay, she hurried toward the side hall.
Pushing aside the curtain, inside the bed canopy embroidered with scattered gold and five blessings, a little girl was throwing a tantrum. Several palace maids were gently coaxing her—some holding dolls, others telling jokes or making funny faces.
The little girl ignored them all, burying her face in the quilt and kicking her feet wildly. Consort Miao anxiously rushed to the bedside, pulling the girl out from under the covers and carefully observing her expression while checking her over with both hands.
Finding her complexion rosy and her spirits good, with no injuries on her body, Consort Miao breathed a sigh of relief. "What's wrong, Fukang? Why aren't you resting so late?"
Princess Fukang blinked her big eyes, snuggling affectionately into Consort Miao's arms. "I missed my sister. It's been so long since she slept with me."
That wasn't really it. She knew that when her sister heard the news about Cairen Xue, she would say it was nothing on the surface, but her heart would surely be deeply hurt. So, she had to divert her sister's attention.
Hearing her daughter's words, Consort Miao looked at her lovingly. "If you missed your sister, you could have sent someone to say so. Why torment yourself like this?"
Princess Fukang wriggled and whined like sticky candy until Consort Miao couldn't hold out any longer, holding her as they both went to sleep.
Consort Zhou had already gone to bed early, and as for Shi Shuyi, no one even paid attention to the news there. They were all people who had long stopped caring about the Emperor. After all, the palace would never treat them poorly.