The Xuanwu Emperor felt that today was not starting well
"Woo-woo-woo... Your Majesty, my face... it hurts so much... even my teeth are loose, Your Majesty... you must seek justice for me
The Emperor rubbed his temples and looked helplessly at Noble Lady Liu, who was kneeling at the entrance of the Nine Provinces Clear Evening Gate. "What's wrong with you now
He regretted not having the Imperial Astronomer calculate an auspicious time before leaving, as he was immediately caught by Noble Lady Liu upon arriving here
"Your Majesty...
Noble Lady Liu's face was swollen and her mouth was numb, making her speech unclear. With her face looking like a pig's head, it was difficult to feel sympathy for her
Unfortunately, she hadn't realized this herself
"Last night, I was walking in the garden with Concubine Cheng. I merely asked if her zither had been repaired, and she... she ordered her maids to beat me like this. Your Majesty, although my rank is below hers, she... she shouldn't be so cruel
She sobbed breathlessly: "She's just... just a Concubine. Even if... if I did something wrong, she should have reported it to the Imperial Noble Consort for punishment. What right does she have to take matters into her own hands
How annoying
What did this have to do with him
Indeed, the imperial harem couldn't function properly without an Empress – even such trivial matters were being brought to his attention
The Xuanwu Emperor had gone out early this morning to prepare a surprise for Jiang Xinyue
He nodded perfunctorily: "Tang Shiliang, go to Yueyue Pavilion and reprimand Concubine Cheng. The imperial concubines should follow the Imperial Noble Consort's example – be gentle, graceful, and magnanimous. They shouldn't resort to violence, as it goes against feminine virtues
Noble Lady Liu's heart leaped with joy: "Thank you, Your Maj-
Before she could finish her words, the Xuanwu Emperor had already slipped away, disappearing in an instant while she was kowtowing in gratitude.
The maid Yan'er helped her mistress up and asked puzzledly: "My Lady, why did you say Concubine Cheng beat you
It was clearly because her mistress had offended the Imperial Noble Consort with her loose tongue that she was beaten
"Fool
Noble Lady Liu stood up, touching her aching cheeks. "If I had said the Imperial Noble Consort beat me, wouldn't His Majesty have beaten me again to appease her? His Majesty angered her last night, so he must be in a foul mood today, too irritated to even listen to what I was saying. Since Cheng Nianhe dared to scheme against me and cause me such humiliation, if she won't let me live in peace, I won't let her have peace either.
See? She only mentioned Concubine Cheng, and the Emperor, eager to leave, ordered his trusted eunuch to reprimand her without even investigating
Hah
Isn't she proud and arrogant, hiding her ambitions behind that gentle and kind facade
She would deliberately expose her false mask
"But My Lady, why did you bring up Concubine Cheng's zither
Wasn't it her mistress who had broken that zither
When Concubine Cheng returned to Chuxiu Palace at that time, she had cried bitterly. Everyone in the palace knew that her mistress had been unreasonable, breaking the zither without showing any remorse
Even the palace's most skilled zither craftsman said the instrument couldn't be repaired
"Weren't you there that day
Noble Lady Liu grew irritated at the question: "I only struck it once. That pile of wood she brought back was clearly destroyed by her own hands before she blamed it on me. She was in such a hurry to destroy the zither – there must be something suspicious about it
The maid dared not ask further and supported her mistress as they walked toward Yueyue Pavilion
She had thought her mistress was foolish for always stirring up trouble with her mouth, yet she was clever enough to manipulate the Emperor's mood to get Concubine Cheng reprimanded
Perhaps everyone has two sides to them
Those who could enter the palace weren't really fools at all
Perhaps stupidity was just their protective coloring
After Tang Shiliang delivered the Emperor's reprimand to Concubine Cheng at Yueyue Pavilion, he noticed that her face also bore injuries
This Noble Lady Liu was outrageous – she hadn't told the truth
It wasn't Concubine Cheng who had ordered people to beat her; they had clearly fought each other
Concubine Cheng's eyes were filled with tears, looking utterly wronged, her voice trembling: "His Majesty's teachings are right. In the future, I will certainly follow the Imperial Noble Consort's example, conduct myself with restraint, and avoid conflicts with anyone.
If Tang Shiliang were a normal man, he might have felt sorry for Concubine Cheng and spoken some "fair words" on her behalf to the Emperor
But unfortunately, he wasn't a man
So whether Concubine Cheng cried like a wilting flower or bore her grievances silently, he felt nothing
He certainly wouldn't clarify things to the Emperor
The Emperor hadn't asked, so why should he volunteer to offend Noble Lady Liu?0
His godfather had said there was no need to keep mentioning people the Emperor didn't care about
"It's wonderful that Concubine Cheng thinks this way
Tang Shiliang wore a fake smile: "Then this servant shall take his leave
"Pah
She deliberately spat at Tang Shiliang's disappearing figure, saying hatefully: "They're all discriminating servants, the Imperial Noble Consort's dogs
Concubine Cheng stood up from the ground, her knees aching: "I underestimated Noble Lady Liu. She's even better than me at playing the game of striking first with false accusations
She hadn't gone to complain to the Emperor because she didn't want to involve Jiang Xinyue and affect her image as a weak, innocent rabbit in the Emperor's eyes
Noble Lady Liu had completely bypassed Jiang Xinyue, not mentioning her at all, and directed the conflict straight at her, making her take the blame for the beating
Malice spread through Concubine Cheng's eyes: "Just wait and see, I won't let her off so easily
The rules in the temporary palace weren't as strict as in the main palace. When Lady Ruan brought Jiang Xinyan to ChuangChun Pavilion to seek an audience, they were quickly led inside by Shuang Jiang
Xi Que had exerted herself too much the day before, both beating someone and slamming doors. Her leg wound had started bleeding again, and after Yan the Imperial Physician rebandaged it, she had to rest in bed
But her spirit lived on, becoming the idol of all servants in Hexi Palace
As Xiao Xiangzi put it: she was their role model
For their mistress, she disregarded life and death, considering the mistress's mood above all else. For their mistress, she would shed blood and sacrifice her life
Everyone should learn from her
Last night, she had fought while injured, but neither slapping Noble Lady Liu nor slamming the door in the Emperor's face had been hindered by her injured leg
After Jiang Xinyue checked on Xi Que, she came to the main hall where Lady Ruan and Jiang Xinyan bowed together: "Greetings to the Imperial Noble Consort
"Mother, Sister, there's no need for such formality
Jiang Xinyue personally helped Lady Ruan up and looked with satisfaction at Jiang Xinyan, who had grown much taller: "Very good, you've grown taller. You're a young lady now
Jiang Xinyan smiled shyly: "Sister has grown taller too. I still haven't caught up to you
Since entering the palace, Jiang Xinyue had indeed grown quite tall, with a statuesque figure and curves in all the right places. She had shed her girlish immaturity and fully embodied the enchanting beauty of a favored imperial consort