Mo Xuetong was stunned. She did not understand what Emperor Zongwen meant. Was he really going to listen to Consort Zhao and send another woman to King Xuan’s Manor? She had never heard that Emperor Zongwen had such an intention. She blinked and knew that she had to answer the question now. However, what was she to say? Feng Yuran had already indicated that he did not want a Second Consort. She did not want a Second Consort to join them either. Furthermore, if she agreed, it would be disrespectful to her husband.
However, if she said that she did not want a Second Consort to join them, it would mean defying the Emperor’s edict. She could not behave as arrogantly as Feng Yuran.
However, Mo Xuetong was no fool. She immediately lowered her head and said, “Your Majesty, I will obey all orders from His Highness.”
She did not say that she was agreeable, and neither did she say that she wasn’t. Feng Yuran was in charge and she would go along with it. Nothing could go wrong like that. She would let Emperor Zongwen speak with his son if anything was the matter.
“Father, our manor doesn’t want a Second Consort.” Feng Yuran said in annoyance. “Father, don’t you know what happened in Eldest Brother and Third Brother’s manor? Their Second Consorts got into trouble. If they didn’t have their Second Consorts, nothing like that would have happened in their manor. Look at what happened to them. Do you want a Second Consort to come to my manor and cause so much trouble?”
Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly.
Emperor Zongwen could not come up with a retort. Feng Yuxuan’s and Feng Yulei’s manor had been thrown into chaos because of their Second Consorts. They had not only caused trouble throughout the city, but they had also completely embarrassed the royal family. If something similar happened again, the royal family would be totally embarrassed. It looked like it would not be right to arrange this girl as a Second Consort for Feng Yuran. They had to check her character first before doing anything.
“My dear Consort, what do you think…”
Seeing how this chance of placing a Second Consort in King Xuan’s manor was about to slip through her fingers, Consort Zhao felt that if she were to let go of this opportunity, the He family would not be able to get close to the royal family ever again. Consort Zhao was not willing to lose He Yufen, a chess piece of hers, just like that. She said to Emperor Zongwen, “Your Majesty, don’t be in such a hurry. King Xuan only said he did not want a Second Consort. He didn’t say he doesn’t want another concubine. Why don’t you make Yufen a noble consort? There has to be someone of status to help Consort Xuan. However, this will shortchange Fen’er.”
The noble consort title was lowly and easy to control. A noble consort would not be able to cause much trouble!
This reminded Emperor Zongwen of that and he immediately laughed. He said to Feng Yuran, “Good, that’s a good idea. Old Eight, since you’re not willing to let Anping down, then let that young lady from the He family be a noble consort. Anyway, you don’t have a proper concubine in your manor right now, it won’t be much of a hassle for you to take another.”
Having said that, the Emperor made it seem as if there was nothing they could say to object. No matter how arrogant Feng Yuran was, the man in front of him was his royal father. He was both Feng Yuran’s father and Emperor. There was no way Feng Yuran could defy him.
“Father, I have proper concubines in my manor. Don’t you remember Duke Wanping’s daughter? The one from the Qin family? She’s my concubine.” Feng Yuran refused to obey his father though. He raised his head up high, refusing to admit defeat. “Her status is not low either but is a concubine. Miss He is from a family of lowly officials but you are making her a noble consort. What will Duke Wanping think?”
King Xuan had a concubine who was the daughter of a duke? Consort Zhao was stunned.
Mo Xuetong cursed at Feng Yuran in her heart. This man was too much!
So he had been waiting to do this. No matter he was behaving so differently today. As such, Mo Xuetong pretended to shake and lower her head, looking frightened. She even tugged on Feng Yuran’s sleeves as if she wanted to persuade him but did not dare to.
She wanted to see how he was going to continue his performance!
“Your Highness, she is your cousin. You, you aren’t going to make her a common concubine, are you? If your mother in heaven finds out about this, she will not forgive you.” Consort Zhao said urgently. How long would it take for a lowly concubine to become a consort? This was practically impossible.
“My mother had never been close with the He family. The He family never once asked about me after Mother died. Consort Zhao, however, is especially close with the He family. Does Consort Zhao want He Yufen to become my noble consort with her current status and rank even higher than Duke Wanping’s daughter? Noble families have always paid great attention to their status. Even if you are not afraid of interfering in politics from the back of the palace, I do not wish to have the Censor come after me.”
Feng Yuran flung the sleeves of his robe behind him. The mocking smirk on his handsome lips was obvious to all. He made it sound as if Consort Zhao was stomping all over a noble family.
Interfering with politics? That was a great crime. Emperor Zongwen had once set up signs saying that the women of the palace were not to interfere with politics!
Emperor Zongwen’s expression darkened and he looked at Consort Zhao suspiciously. There was a hint of darkness in his thoughtful eyes.
“Your Majesty… I, no… I, I was just worried…” Consort Zhao grew worried and knew that she had been rushing things earlier. She immediately picked up a handkerchief to wipe her tears. She started to cry. “Your Majesty, I was just worried that Yufen would suffer in the manor; that’s why I…”
“Consort Zhao is really nice to the He family. You’ve left the He family for so many years, but you are still so loyal to them. Have you ever considered that I will suffer if He Yufen enters my manor? Could it be that my suffering is not as worthy as First Miss He’s suffering?” Feng Yuran harrumphed coldly, interrupting Consort Zhao. Then, he said rather impatiently to Emperor Zongwen, “Father, you do what you will. If she enters my manor, she will be a concubine. Otherwise, she doesn’t have to enter my manor. Look, she’s caused so much trouble even before she enters the manor.”
This statement pointed out that He Yufen was someone who would not be contented with her lot.
Emperor Zongwen naturally knew what his son was up to. He glanced at his son and daughter-in-law who were beautiful and handsome. They pleased him very much so. However, his daughter-in-law was too young and she would not be able to have children now. Yet, his son was not getting any younger and his son not having any descendants was a problem. Furthermore, he had other considerations as well. Having descendants was very important.
It was necessary for more women to enter the manor. The Emperor knew what kind of person Old Eight was. If he did not agree, the Emperor would not be able to do anything about it. Even though the girl from the He family might not be a good match, but at least Old Eight had agreed to the match. Otherwise, they wouldn’t even know what the cause of death was for the girl if she were sent to the manor without Old Eight’s agreement. Furthermore, the Emperor had already promised Consort Zhao this earlier. As such, the Emperor made the decision and said, “Alright, then this is considered a done deal. Send First Miss He to King Xuan’s Manor as a concubine. I will send the orders down later.”
“Your Majesty…” Consort Zhao said worriedly.
The Emperor had promised her that he would send an edict earlier. Consort Zhao had planned to ensure that He Yufen would be able to challenge Mo Xuetong in the future since this was a marriage bestowed by the Emperor. However, He Yufen was now a concubine, and she was just an ordinary concubine at that. She would not even be listed in the royal genealogy and would not have any status.
“Alright then, Father. I still have something on, so I shan’t accompany you. I will take my leave.” Feng Yuran did not even glance at Consort Zhao. He pulled Mo Xuetong away and said, “Let’s go. If we stay here any longer, someone is going to want to steal away your title as Legal Consort.”
He made it sound as if Consort Zhao was going to get rid of Mo Xuetong. Consort Zhao was so furious that she ground her teeth and almost vomited blood.
However, she smiled at Mo Xuetong and said, “Anping, I was just being considerate for your health. After all, you are still young and recuperating. When Yufen enters the manor, you can just leave her to handle things and focus on getting better. Then, you will be able to bear His Highness a healthy little prince in the future.”
Consort Zhao knew that she had been too hasty earlier and must have raised the Emperor’s suspicions. As such, she took the opportunity to speak with Mo Xuetong warmly and try to smooth the situation. What Feng Yuran said earlier had been jarring and almost brought disaster upon her. As such, Consort Zhao tried to salvage the situation after a short pause to catch her breath.
Mo Xuetong smiled but did not reply to what Consort Zhao said. Instead, she curtsied slightly. Since Consort Zhao bore ill will towards her, she felt that she did not need to pretend to be close to her in front of Emperor Zongwen.
“What are you waiting for?” Feng Yuran reached out to pull Mo Xuetong away.
Mo Xuetong pursed her lips and glanced at Emperor Zongwen. There was a hint of sadness in her eyes. However, she did not object and left, following behind Feng Yuran obediently.
Emperor Zongwen was furious at the sight. His daughter-in-law seemed like a sensible girl. However, his son was a little disobedient!
“Your Majesty, what will happen to Yufen?” Consort Zhao asked with eyes tinged with redness. She sighed as she watched the two leave.
“The He family’s status is a little now. We cannot make Old Eight suffer because of this. There are some concubines in King Xuan’s manor who have better family status than He Yufen and they did not come to me to complain.” Emperor Zongwen said disapprovingly. Then, he said lightly, “I am a little tired today; you can leave!”
Was she being thrown out?
Consort Zhao paled and the tears in her eyes slid down her cheeks. She uttered softly to Emperor Zongwen. “Your Majesty…”
“Alright, leave!” Emperor Zongwen waved his hand. It was as if he could not see the tearful look on the woman in front of him.
Consort Zhao was as pale as a sheet. She was so shocked and frightened that her lips trembled.
She had never been so shocked and frightened since entering the palace. The Emperor had always been kind and tolerating toward her no matter what she said. Even when she brought up the Empress intentionally and gossiped about her, the Emperor would just smile at her. Even though Consort Yu was favored by the Emperor, the number of times the Emperor visited Consort Yu could be counted on one hand. Furthermore, he only went there to enquire about the child in Consort Yu’s belly.
Instead, he came to Mingyue Palace the most often.
Yet, this time, because of the insinuations Feng Yuran made, the Emperor had thrown her out of Qianqing Palace uncaringly.
She still did not understand if this had happened because Feng Yuran had accused her of making use of Consort Xian, or if it was because Feng Yuran said that she was interfering in politics. Or was it because she had been too hasty in sending He Yufen to King Xuan’s Manor, causing the Emperor to be displeased? However, no matter what, she now knew that leaving now was the only way to avoid even more suspicion from the Emperor.
She glanced at Emperor Zongwen’s face and could only see a cold and stern look on it. There was no hint of the usual warmth he showed her.
She said fearfully, “Yes, I will obey.”
Consort Zhao did not dare to say anything else when she saw that the Emperor was displeased. She bit her lips and walked out of the doors of Qianqing Palace slowly.
The sun was bright outside. Consort Zhao took a deep breath of the fresh air and exhaled the gloominess she felt. A smile gradually grew on her face. Indeed, she had been too hasty earlier and had made Feng Yuran angry. Fortunately, while Yufen’s current ranking was low, if she gained the favor of Feng Yuran, they would still have a chance.
Didn’t Consort Xian use to be the only one who had the Emperor’s favor! So what now? The grass on her grave had already grown and wilted through many seasons!
Consort Zhao’s palanquin was parked at a side. She got on with the help of the palace maids and eunuchs and began heading for the back of the palace.
She had only left Qianqing Palace when she saw Lian An approaching with wide strides.
He saw that a palanquin belonging to a consort approaching and immediately stood to the side with his head lowered.
The palanquin suddenly stopped and a face that seemed both annoyed and pleased appeared at the window. She looked at Lian An curiously and asked the eunuch beside her, “Who is this sir?”
“He is the Minister of Works!” The eunuch standing beside her recognized Lian An and immediately reported that respectfully.
“Why is the Minister of Works, Minister Lain, doing inside the palace?” A smile appeared on Consort Zhao’s beautiful face. She asked Lian An with interest, as if she were just curious.
“It has been many years since Qiming Pavilion was fixed. I am in charge of the repairs of Qiming Pavilion recently.” Lian An did not raise his head as he replied Consort Zhao who was seated in the palanquin.
“Shouldn’t matters like these be under the charge of Princes?” Consort Zhao asked casually.
Even though the Ministry of Works dealt with the repairs of structures in the back of the palace, they were usually managed by Princes. That was why Consort Zhao was asking this question.
