Volume One, Chapter 13: Why Must I Enter the Palace?
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“How I, Pei Yueshu, entered this imperial palace is something I know better than anyone. You keep accusing me of entering the palace to become a consort before my late husband’s mourning period was over. But tell me, was it honorable for the emperor to do the same? If you truly have the courage, then condemn the emperor as well. Tell the subjects of the realm that Xiao Xuanyu was in the wrong, and have him send me out of the palace. If you cannot do that, then you are nothing more than jealous of me!”
“Empress, is your Ji clan not the foremost of the great houses? I shall wait for you at Jingyang Palace. Whether I am sent out of the palace or given a cup of poison, I, Pei Yueshu, fear neither.”
With that, Pei Yueshu swept out, Ziyi and Haitang following close behind.
She looked utterly mad, as though she no longer feared life or death. The attendants in Kunning Palace did not dare step forward to stop her. Even Empress Ji stared after her for a long while, unable to utter a word.
Women of noble families such as themselves had never witnessed anything like this. In their hearts, they denounced Pei Yueshu as vulgar and ill-mannered, unable to understand what the emperor could possibly see in her.
“She really has gone mad!” Noble Consort Xiang said, clutching Idle Book’s hand, her heart still pounding.
Pei Yueshu had been sitting quietly only moments before. Who could have imagined that a few words would turn her into this?
After watching the spectacle for long enough, Empress Ji felt weary and dismissed them all, saying that she would seek His Majesty’s decision herself.
Yet both she and Noble Consort Xiang understood the situation perfectly. Pei Yueshu had been forced into the palace by the emperor. If they drove her out or killed her with a cup of poison, would that not amount to admitting that the emperor’s actions had indeed been dishonorable?
The emperor had also repeatedly ordered that no one in the palace mention Consort Chen’s past.
Thus, it was Lady Xue who had first spoken out of turn.
She was merely a bird thrust forward to take the blow. Empress Ji would not concern herself with her, and the Empress Dowager even less so.
News that Consort Chen had struck Lady Xue and caused a disturbance in Kunning Palace soon reached Xiao Xuanyu.
“She mentioned Yu Hechuan?” Xiao Xuanyu’s expression darkened, and he hurriedly dismissed the ministers.
Hu Guangfu wiped the cold sweat from his brow. Fortunately, His Majesty had not asked what Consort Chen had said. Otherwise, Hu Guangfu would not have dared repeat those treasonous words even if he had ten lives.
“Lady Xue did indeed mention the deceased…”
“That wretched woman! Have the people at Jingyang Palace keep a close watch on Consort Chen. Do not let her remain alone.”
“Yes. Zhang Shunlai has already gone to watch over her.”
Xiao Xuanyu dealt with the urgent affairs of state as quickly as possible, then immediately hurried to Jingyang Palace.
The doors of the bedchamber stood wide open, while the palace maids and eunuchs knelt in two rows outside.
The moment Xiao Xuanyu reached the entrance, he heard the heart-rending sound of sobbing from within.
Nanny Du was holding Pei Yueshu in her arms, tears streaming down her own face as well.
How had their young mistress come to suffer such a bitter fate?
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“Everyone out!”
Xiao Xuanyu felt a splitting headache. If he could not untie the knot in her heart this time, he feared he would have to keep watch over her forever.
It had taken him great effort to seize her and bring her into the palace. He could not allow her to die after only a few days.
He placed his hands on Pei Yueshu’s shoulders, taking Nanny Du’s place.
Once the emperor had spoken, Nanny Du and the others could only leave, no matter how reluctant they were.
Only Ziyi understood that everything had unfolded exactly as her mistress had anticipated, down to the smallest detail.
“Do not cry. It is all over now. I shall have them bring that insolent wretch here at once.”
Xiao Xuanyu patted her thin back, then shouted angrily toward the doorway.
“Hu Guangfu, bring that wretch here and make her kneel outside Jingyang Palace!”
He could have ordered it the moment he arrived, but he had wanted to put on the performance in front of Pei Yueshu.
Women were especially fragile at times like this. If he handled matters well, she would naturally become even more dependent on him.
“It is all right. It is over now. From this day forward, I will stay by your side and take good care of you.”
Pei Yueshu was sobbing so hard that she could scarcely breathe. She braced herself against Xiao Xuanyu’s chest and tried to rise, but he held her tightly, clasping her hand in his.
“It was my fault. I should not have treated you so coldly. But I am the emperor, and I have my pride as well as many difficulties I cannot avoid. The men of the court have been pressuring me without cease. I thought that if I did not come to see you for a while, you would be able to think things through clearly. I truly never imagined that wretch would dare humiliate you so.”
He gazed at Pei Yueshu’s tear-streaked face. When other women cried, tears and mucus ran freely, leaving them utterly undignified.
But when she cried, her delicate face merely flushed crimson. Her long lashes, dampened by tears and clinging together, made her appear even more vulnerable and deserving of pity.
Her sobs caused a faint ache in Xiao Xuanyu’s chest, an emotion he had never experienced before. Before he realized it, words of explanation had begun to spill from his lips.
“Why…”
“What is it?” Xiao Xuanyu asked patiently, wiping away her tears.
“Why…” Why had he killed him?
Pei Yueshu lifted her eyes, and a fierce hatred flashed through their reddened depths.
Then she began striking Xiao Xuanyu’s chest like a madwoman.
“Why did you make me enter the palace? Why?”
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Xiao Xuanyu seized both her hands and pulled her firmly into his embrace.
He kissed her smooth forehead again and again.
“Because I fell in love with you the first time I saw you. But you were betrothed to the Yu family, so I could only let you go. Now that he has left you, I only wish for us to live together here in the palace as an ordinary married couple.”
The person in his arms struggled desperately at first. When she found it useless, she clutched his imperial robes as though venting all her anger. In the end, however, she slowly calmed, leaving behind only heartbroken sobs.
Xiao Xuanyu let out a sigh of relief, the corners of his lips curving faintly upward.
“My darling, I am sincere about you. Whatever Yu Hechuan could do for you, I can do as well. I do not ask you to accept me so quickly. Will you give me a chance?”
The person in his arms did not answer for a long while. But to some people, a lack of refusal was as good as consent.
The smile on Xiao Xuanyu’s face deepened, and he held Pei Yueshu even more tightly.
After receiving permission from outside, Hu Guangfu entered carrying the calming decoction that Xiao Xuanyu had ordered the imperial physician to prepare in advance.
The tears on Pei Yueshu’s face had not yet dried. She lay weak and petite against his chest, and the sight melted Xiao Xuanyu’s heart.
He took the glazed bowl and, spoon by spoon, blew the medicine cool before gently feeding it to Pei Yueshu.
Hu Guangfu also breathed a sigh of relief. At last, Consort Chen was no longer quarreling with His Majesty.
During these past days, he had seen clearly that although His Majesty had deliberately kept Consort Chen at a distance, he still cared deeply about her. Every day, he had the palace attendants report everything she had done.
After she finished the calming decoction, Xiao Xuanyu ordered water brought in so that Pei Yueshu could wash and have her hair arranged.
He then sat beside the bed and watched her fall soundly asleep before finally leaving with his attendants.
Before departing, he did not forget to warn everyone serving at Jingyang Palace.
“Take good care of Consort Chen. If anything happens to her, you will all die without a place to be buried.”
“Your Majesty, this humble concubine has been wronged! I truly did not insult Consort Chen!”
Lady Xue, her face swollen beyond recognition and tears streaming down it, had almost crawled to Xiao Xuanyu’s feet. Before she could even touch his robes, however, two eunuchs seized her and dragged her back to where she had been kneeling.
“Your Majesty, this humble concubine has been wronged!”
A trace of disgust flickered through Xiao Xuanyu’s eyes. Paying no heed to Lady Xue’s miserable cries, he boarded the imperial carriage and departed.
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