Chapter 46: The Emperor's Favorite Consort

At the end of the letter, Mingyue did not see it, but for a fleeting moment, she wondered—what if she had? Whatever the ending, it could not change the present situation.

She was his favored consort, lavished with the utmost affection, yet still unable to reclaim the smile she had at the beginning.

Mingyue did not know when the Emperor of Que first developed feelings for Chuxue, but she was certain it was not as early as Chuxue herself. Mingyue also wondered: if he had foreseen the situation now, would this ambitious, resolute, and capable emperor have chosen to freeze his heart from the start?

“Master?”

Qinshi’s voice drew Mingyue from her reverie. She rubbed her head—she truly had become uncharacteristically sentimental of late. As she walked out of the library, she said, “During our stay at the Que palace, you and Madam should call me Mingyue, just as usual, to avoid raising suspicion.”

Qinshi nodded silently behind her. Soon after they returned, an unfamiliar guest arrived at Luoxue Palace.

At the first announcement, Mingyue was genuinely stunned. In her mind, she had never truly considered the existence of such a person—the Empress. A role present in every palace, yet Mingyue had never given her a thought. In no time, Qinshi pulled Mingyue down to kneel in greeting; thus, Mingyue could not see the legendary woman’s face, only the golden phoenix soaring in intricate embroidery along the hem of her skirt.

“Consort Qi, are you intent on being branded a seductive enchantress?”

The voice was not as shrill as Mingyue had expected, though it carried authority, lacking Chuxue’s gentleness.

“I would not dare.”

“A fine ‘not dare’! How many days has it been since His Majesty last visited any palace but yours? If not in the Scholar’s Study, he is here at Luoxue Palace—he doesn’t even set foot in his own chambers anymore. What a bold ‘not dare’!”

This time, Chuxue did not answer.

“Speak!”

“I do not know what to say.”

A sharp slap rang out. Mingyue instinctively tried to look up, but Qinshi pressed her head down firmly.

“Do not know what to say? If you do not wish to be called a seductress and accused before the whole court, then you must find a way to share His Majesty’s favor more evenly.”

Still, Chuxue remained silent.

“I will give you time to consider. I hope you will not disappoint me!”

Only when the golden phoenix swept away did Mingyue dare to raise her eyes to check on Chuxue. Fortunately, Zihua had already fetched the medicine chest to apply a cold compress to her face. But seeing how practiced Zihua was, Mingyue’s doubts deepened.

“Does the Empress do this often?”

This time, Zihua replied, “It’s about as frequent as when Miss goes to Tianguo Temple—once every ten days or two weeks.”

“And the Emperor does not know?” Mingyue could not help raising her voice.

“Miss always makes me treat her wounds before His Majesty arrives. The palace maids and eunuchs are ordered to keep silent, and those close to the Empress would never speak of it.”

Chuxue silently let Zihua tend to the slap on her left cheek. Unfortunately, this time, before the red mark faded, the Emperor appeared before them.

Once again, Mingyue was dragged down to kneel by Qinshi. All the maids and eunuchs in the room knelt at once, and a timid voice said, “Master, His Majesty forbade us to announce him.”

“So, you truly did not want me to find out?” The Emperor swept his wide sleeve, sending all the bottles and jars on the table crashing to the floor. Even though Mingyue could not see his face, the deep tone of his voice made clear just how furious this lofty ruler was. Moreover, he used “I” instead of the imperial “We”…

Chuxue answered, “It’s a trifling matter, not worth troubling Your Majesty.”

“A trifling matter, is it? Must I wait until you have been stripped of your title or lost an arm or leg before you will tell me?”

Again, Chuxue lapsed into stubborn silence.

“Very well. Since they all call you a bewitching consort who disrupts the harem, I might as well make that title true today—to at least give myself some relief.”

Only then did Mingyue sense a trace of panic in Chuxue’s voice: “Your Majesty…”

The voice was cut off, and Mingyue did not know how the Emperor took Chuxue away—she only heard the footsteps fading into the distance. When the innermost door slammed shut, Mingyue promptly got up and asked Zihua, “Make it true? Does that mean the Emperor and the consort have always lived separately?”

“Indeed. Miss has never allowed His Majesty to touch her, and he has never forced her.” Zihua, still kneeling on the cold floor, gathered the unbroken porcelain bottles.

A sudden thought struck Mingyue, and she asked, “Zihua, do you wish for your mistress and the Emperor to reconcile as they once were?”

Zihua hesitated for a long time before resuming her task. “I do not know. Can one truly forget everything from before? I cannot, and for Miss it is even harder. Yet even remembering clearly changes nothing. I only wish she could be happier. Those early days with His Majesty were the happiest of Miss’s life… I remember her smile then, even now.”

Zihua quietly put away the porcelain bottles in a side chamber.

The maids and eunuchs dispersed, and it was unlikely the two within would emerge soon. Mingyue sat on the threshold, chin in hand, gazing up at the blue sky half-veiled by distant branches. The entanglements of love and affection were indeed the most complicated things in the world, and so easily brought trouble. Mingyue thought, perhaps it is best to remain alone for a lifetime…

The Emperor stayed at Luoxue Palace for three whole days. When he left, his lips were still pressed in a line and his face solemn, but the light between his brows could not be concealed.

Unable to resist, Mingyue asked Zihua, “Is the Emperor planning for Madam to bear another prince for Que? As I recall, he has only one heir, the Crown Prince, whose mother is the Empress.”

“He will not,” Zihua shook her head. “His Majesty will not allow Miss to bear his child, nor would Miss agree.”

Mingyue’s brows shot up in confusion. “Why?”

“His Majesty would not risk tainting the Que bloodline with that of Qi—such a child would be a threat to Que. And Miss herself has not come to terms with this.”

Mingyue laughed in disbelief, never expecting such a reason. “Is there any bloodline in the world today that is truly pure? Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve heard of powerful alliances, but never such a rationale. Is the Emperor afraid his child would hate him? Would seek revenge? If so, that is his own failure. He is not strong enough if even his own child cannot be tamed. Neither you nor your mistress can deny that the world is moving towards unification—given Que’s strength, Qi will be swallowed sooner or later. It’s only a matter of time. Could your mistress really incite the Emperor’s son to overthrow Que? If the boy has even half the Emperor’s ambition and ability, all he will want is to claim the whole world—not remain confined to one corner.”

Only after Mingyue finished her tirade did she realize the hall had fallen silent. Knowing she had spoken out of turn, she quickly lowered her head and started to leave, never noticing the faint sounds coming from another direction outside the hall and from the innermost room.

Mingyue buried her face in her knees, full of regret. If the Emperor had heard her words, even ten heads would not be enough to save her. And if Chuxue had heard, it would only make her misery worse. Why couldn’t she control her mouth? Mingyue raised her hand, wanting to slap herself, only for Qinshi to grab her in time.

Seeing Qinshi, Mingyue pouted and muttered, “Wasn’t I just terribly cowardly?”

Qinshi shook his head and sat beside her.

Mingyue leaned her head over and whispered, “I know I can’t hold my tongue. If they overheard any of that, we’ll be in trouble. Even though we’re citizens of Luo, the Emperor could order our heads off in a word. What if the palace servants talk? Even with some protection from Chuxue, the Empress’s faction wouldn’t let us go easily. Should we ditch this job and escape in the night?”

“It’s alright.”

“Really?”

“Because the Emperor already heard you just now. And Madam, I’m afraid, did as well.”

“What?!” Mingyue shot to her feet, gathering her skirts as if to flee, but Qinshi caught her just in time.

Mingyue fell into Qinshi’s arms, dazed, clearly unable to process the news.