boyutpedia Chapter 220 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 33
Chapter 220 The Legend of Zhen Huan, Consort Qi 33
The sun was high in the sky, and although the Mid-Autumn Festival was approaching, the lingering heat of summer still made it hot.
Zhen Huan stood in the courtyard of Yongshou Palace, her brows furrowed, and anxiety surged through her heart like a tide.
She knew all too well that she could not allow Jinxi to remain imprisoned in the Imperial Prison; if anything were discovered, both she and Jinxi would be in grave danger.
Zhen Huan took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and hurriedly headed to the Hall of Mental Cultivation with Huan Bi.
Along the way, the towering palace walls seemed like cold shackles, trapping her in this deep palace.
Inside the Hall of Mental Cultivation, the fragrance of ambergris lingered, but it failed to dispel the oppressive atmosphere within.
Silence reigned all around. The emperor's face was grim, and the anger in his heart had not yet completely subsided.
He never imagined that Su Peisheng, the person he trusted most, would be involved with Cui Jinxi, who served Consort Xuan.
To put it mildly, this was an act of excessive concern for the emperor; to put it more seriously, it was spying on the emperor's whereabouts, a crime deserving of death.
Xiazi carefully carried the teacup and tiptoed in, breaking the silence.
He had barely put down his teacup when he hurriedly reported, "Your Majesty, Consort Xuan has arrived."
A flash of malice crossed the Emperor's eyes, but he quickly regained his composure and said gently, "Quickly, please come in."
Huanbi helped Zhen Huan into the hall. Zhen Huan bowed slightly and calmly said, "May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and peace."
Upon seeing that she was pregnant, the Emperor quickly said with concern, "Quickly, quickly, no need for formalities, please sit down."
After Zhen Huan sat down, the Emperor slowly picked up his teacup, gently inhaled the aroma emanating from it, and couldn't help but exclaim, "Not bad, you have some of your master's skill."
Xiazi immediately knelt down to express her gratitude: "Thank you, Your Majesty. It's all thanks to my master's excellent teaching."
"Su Peisheng is good, but it's a bit strange that he's not here now. Of the people under me, only one is truly useful; the others have all broken the rules." The Emperor mentioned Su Peisheng seemingly casually, but his hands continued to review the memorials.
“Even a herd of fine horses needs someone who knows them to lead them. Now that Su Peisheng has committed a crime and is detained, they are naturally running around like headless flies.” Seeing that the Emperor’s expression had softened slightly, Zhen Huan cautiously began the conversation.
The Emperor glanced at Zhen Huan, holding the memorial, and said, "The Empress has already told me about Su Peisheng and Cui Jinxi's affair. I was worried that you would be upset, so I planned to read these memorials before visiting you, but you came first."
He found it hard to believe that Zhen Huan was completely unaware of the affair between Cui Jinxi and Su Peisheng. However, Su Peisheng had followed him for many years, and he never expected him to make such a mistake.
"It is all my fault. I failed to properly manage the palace servants." Zhen Huan quickly admitted her guilt, her face full of remorse.
The Emperor chuckled self-deprecatingly and teased, "Su Peisheng has served me since childhood, so how could I possibly discipline or restrain him? If they do something wrong, neither you nor I can do anything about it."
Unable to fathom the Emperor's thoughts, Zhen Huan unconsciously gripped her handkerchief tightly with her right hand and continued to probe: "After such a thing happened, I am uneasy. Although Jinxi is at fault, she has served me for many years. I am both angry and heartbroken."
The Emperor was busy reviewing memorials and had no interest in listening to Zhen Huan plead for the two men.
He thought to himself: If the two of them make a mistake and are not punished, everyone in the harem will follow suit, and then things will fall into chaos.
"You are pregnant now, so everything should be based on your pregnancy. The Empress's health is gradually improving, so let her handle the affairs of the harem. If you really can't bear to part with Cui Jinxi, I will have the Imperial Household Department choose an even better one for you."
Having said all that, Zhen Huan knew that pleading any further would be futile. Helpless, she got up to take her leave and walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The sun was still blazing, but it offered no warmth. Zhen Huan, filled with worry and concerned for Jinxi, went to the Censorate again.
The Shenxing Division was dark and damp, filled with a pungent, putrid stench.
Zhen Huan covered her nose, enduring the discomfort, and found the nanny in charge. She gave the nanny a cold scolding before she was finally allowed to see Jinxi.
Seeing Jinxi's haggard face, Zhen Huan felt uneasy, especially since Jinxi had said something that subtly implied affection. Zhen Huan could only promise that she would definitely rescue the two of them.
……
Meanwhile, the scene inside Chuxiu Palace was quite different.
The wisteria has been transplanted to the greenhouse, and now the yard is full of osmanthus and Murraya paniculata.
A gentle breeze carries a rich fragrance, dispelling the lingering heat of summer. With Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, the weather is gradually cooling down.
Consort Xin and Consort Jing were both present, while Shuhe and Wenyi played and joked with Hongxu.
Hongxi went to study in the Imperial Study a few days ago. The Emperor, out of pity for his young age, granted him permission to move to the Princes' Residence next August.
Jingfu rushed in and whispered a few words in Wenyuan's ear.
After hearing this, Wen Yuan waved for Jing Fu to leave. Looking at the cards in her hand, she raised an eyebrow and said meaningfully, "It seems that I am going to win again."
"Sigh, I've been playing for quite a while now, and I've already lost all of next month's allowance." Feng Ruozhao sighed helplessly as he put down his cards.
Yesterday, the Empress seized on Zhen Huan's weakness and immediately announced her recovery. Feng Ruozhao also took the opportunity to return the power in the palace to the Empress, feeling relieved and spending her time in Chuxiu Palace.
"Your Majesty, you are truly amazing. I can't possibly win." Consort Xin said with a smile, then helplessly spread out the cards in her hand, which were clearly lower than Wen Yuan's.
After Consort Xin was promoted to Imperial Concubine, she continued to live in Chuxiu Palace. There were two princes living there, who would at least become princes in the future. It would be beneficial for Shuhe to build good relationships with them in the future. Moreover, compared with other palaces, Chuxiu Palace had much less scheming.
Consort Xin, who loved gossip, immediately asked upon seeing this, "Your Highness, is something the matter?"
"The real show at Yongshou Palace is about to begin." Wen Yuan's eyes flashed, and the corners of her mouth curled slightly, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"A good show? If Your Highness calls it a good show, then it must be quite a show." Consort Xin replied curiously.
……
Zhen Huan, heavily pregnant, tried to help Jinxi in every way, but to no avail.
She originally intended to go to Consort Jing's Xianfu Palace, but learned that Consort Jing had gone to Chuxiu Palace, and Consort Jin had clashed with her many times, so she was afraid that Consort Jin would not help her. Helpless, she could only go to Consort Duan's Yanqing Palace.
At this moment, in Yanqing Palace, Consort Duan was sitting quietly by the incense burner, holding a book in her hand.
Wisps of smoke rose from the incense burner, releasing a comforting fragrance.
Jixiang rushed in to deliver a message: "Your Majesty, Consort Xuan has arrived."
Consort Duan put down the book in her hand, a barely perceptible dark glint flashing in her eyes, and thought to herself: As expected, they've come.
"Sister Consort Duan, you've been studying so diligently, I wonder if my arrival is too timely?" Zhen Huan entered Yanqing Palace, led by a young eunuch.
Since the Emperor took in Princess Longyue, the Yanqing Palace has been frequently visited and many new items have been added to it. Although it is located in a remote area, it is no less impressive than the original Suiyu Pavilion.
"Something quite serious has happened in my sister's palace. Did you come here just to chat with me?" Consort Duan's gaze was deep as she got straight to the point about Jinxi.
She was also worried that something might happen to Zhen Huan in Yanqing Palace, after all, Zhen Huan was pregnant with twins, and the Emperor valued Zhen Huan's pregnancy very much.
"I'm anxious to see my sister, but I don't know if she'll be willing to help me?" Zhen Huan asked anxiously, her eyes full of expectation.
"Tell me, sister, please sit down," Consort Duan said slowly and calmly, though her heart was in turmoil.
She had been planning this for a long time, waiting for this moment, but now she was also worried that things might change.
"I only want to save Jinxi and Su Peisheng, and naturally it's for the Emperor's sake. Su Peisheng has served the Emperor for many years and knows the Emperor's character best. Now that he's been detained, it damages the Emperor's reputation, and he has no one by his side who pleases him." Zhen Huan didn't directly mention Jinxi, but every word she said was a plea for the two of them.
Consort Duan chuckled softly, stood up, and said slowly, "Yes, Consort Xuan is right, but..."
"Sister Duanfei, is there anything you're worried about? The Emperor doesn't really want to blame Su Peisheng right now, but he's hesitant because of his pride." Zhen Huan tried to persuade Duanfei, after all, Duanfei was raising Princess Longyue, and the two had once allied against Nian Shilan, so their relationship was definitely deeper than that of Consort Jin and Consort Jing.
"Yanqing Palace has been desolate for so many years. Only when Princess Longyue was alive was there laughter and joy. Even the Emperor often came to Yanqing Palace to visit Princess Longyue." Consort Duan said some seemingly unrelated things.
Upon hearing this, Zhen Huan instantly understood what Consort Duan meant. She simply wanted custody of Princess Longyue as a bargaining chip.
Children were scarce in the harem, and most high-ranking concubines raised only one child. Naturally, Consort Duan did not want to lose Princess Longyue.
At this moment, Zhen Huan was flustered and dared not agree easily. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "It is getting late. I will visit Consort Duan again tomorrow."
Consort Duan picked up the book again, sat back in her original seat, a dark glint flashing in her eyes, but a smile remained on her lips. She thought to herself: Consort Xuan doesn't have many choices.
Huanbi helped Zhen Huan out of Yanqing Palace. Zhen Huan was in a daze and returned to Yongshou Palace in a daze.
Looking at Zhen Huan's state, Huanbi said indignantly, "This Consort Duan usually seems like a good person. I didn't expect that she would ask for the custody of Princess Longyue after helping you with a little thing. Your Highness, let's go and beg Consort Jing again tomorrow. Consort Jing is kind and will definitely help you."
"It doesn't matter who it is. Even if Consort Jing and Consort Jin are on good terms, they might not necessarily help me." Zhen Huan had now come to her senses and knew that she had fallen into a carefully orchestrated trap. Her heart was filled with confusion and helplessness.
"Sometimes I really feel tired," Zhen Huan murmured.