Chapter 183 - 158: Coveting Beauty

Princess Consort Zhang was dumbfounded when she received the decree.

Although she wasn’t favored and had never dreamed of becoming a favored concubine, she still hoped to have a child or two. When accompanying the Emperor’s entourage, her rank as a concubine should have guaranteed her at least two of His Majesty’s nights per month. Even ruling out the possibility that the Noble Consort might suddenly take ill and steal the Emperor away, she would still have one night left.

If she could attend to him in his chambers, she would have a chance to get pregnant.

As long as she could conceive, Princess Consort Zhang would truly shut her doors, pet her cats, and ignore worldly affairs.

Who would have thought the Emperor would actually leave her behind in the palace?

When Princess Consort Zhang was summoned to Jianzhang Palace to transfer her palace duties, she couldn’t help but make a resentful, indirect remark. "Wasn’t I on the original list?"

"The Emperor trusts you. The harem still needs a high-ranking concubine to hold down the fort and prevent any trouble."

"I am unworthy of my rank as a concubine. I lack the long-established authority of the Noble Consort. The Palace Attendants of the Imperial Household all follow her lead. With her overseeing the harem, surely no one would dare cause trouble."

’All of the perks, none of the work.’

Princess Consort Zhang’s resentment was about to boil over. If she could trade her title of "Consort Xian" for "Noble Consort" and let Rong Xueshi be the virtuous one, she truly wouldn’t mind shouldering the responsibility of staying behind to manage the harem.

The Empress said, "If the Noble Consort were left to oversee the harem, *she* would be the trouble."

Princess Consort Zhang understood this.

But any trouble the Noble Consort caused in the harem was the Empress’s responsibility to handle. She wasn’t going to take the blame for it.

The Empress told her not to overthink it. "You are virtuous and dutiful. The Emperor, the Empress Dowager, and I all see it. Why bother competing with the younger Concubines? Whenever they see you, they must greet you with proper etiquette. Take Gu Zhaoyi, who is most favored these days. Has she ever failed to curtsy to you or treat you with respect? The eunuchs and palace maids you’ve managed know you are a mistress with real authority, which makes your life in the palace easier... Let me speak frankly. This trip to Xihua Garden is the Emperor’s way of making it up to Gu Zhaoyi. With the Noble Consort also at his side, he’s unlikely to have much time for any other Concubines."

Every time Gu Zhaoyi was mentioned, the Empress felt she was remarkably trouble-free.

’Gu Zhaoyi has favor and a son, yet she still follows the rules. What gives anyone else the right to get arrogant?’

This was the effect of having a model employee.

"Since Your Majesty the Empress has put it so plainly, I understand," Princess Consort Zhang said, lowering her head.

’It would be impolite not to understand at this point.’

After leaving Jianzhang Palace, the gloomy Princess Consort Zhang took a palanquin to the kennel and cattery. She picked out a newly bred little kitten, a Ta Xue. As the kitten’s wet little nose brushed against the back of her hand, her mood finally improved slightly. She then announced to the public, "It is inconvenient for Concubines to bring cats and dogs on a trip. Ta Xue cannot bear to be parted from me, so I have requested the Emperor’s permission to remain in the palace."

The Emperor was not displeased when he heard this.

Their relationship was as bland as a friendship between gentlemen. He understood the real situation and knew Princess Consort Zhang was just saving face. So, he went along with it and rewarded her with a pile of cat supplies developed by the Imperial Household. Then, upon learning her new pet was a small cat with a black body and white paws, he gifted her a puppy from the kennel, also with a black body and white paws and of excellent quality, named Silver Hoof.

But what the Emperor didn’t know was that Princess Consort Zhang only liked cats.

She wasn’t fond of dogs at all.

"Since it’s a gift from the Emperor, take it away and look after it well. Don’t let it scare my cat..."

Before she could finish, Silver Hoof went CHOMP and snatched Ta Xue’s little head into his mouth, making Princess Consort Zhang’s face drain of color in terror.

Fortunately, the pet dogs from the kennel were all professionally trained by eunuchs and had almost zero aggression. It had only held the kitten’s head in its mouth out of curiosity, without applying any force. Ta Xue wasn’t scared either, just meowing unhappily because its head was covered in slobber. After struggling free from the dog’s mouth, it licked its fur furiously, a look of utter disgust written all over its feline face.

Looking at her little kitten, which had been pampered to be soft and fragrant, now covered in dog slobber, Princess Consort Zhang was having an internal breakdown.

She now truly, absolutely did not want to see the Emperor!!!

Because she was in postpartum confinement, the Six Palaces hadn’t seen Jiang Xian for quite some time.

Xie Che wanted to pamper her like a child, forbidding her from any work and even banning her from Qingliu Hall. Since he had previously summoned Gu Zhaoyi to accompany him at Qingliu Hall every day, the ministers had tacitly accepted it as a place for the Emperor’s romantic dalliances and paid it no mind.

The great King Juan, reduced to an idler.

Jiang Xian had to settle for the next best thing and focus on exercising.

Even with her system’s Golden Finger, which had spared her from some of the suffering of pregnancy symptoms, the extra weight she’d gained was very real. The weight-loss drugs in the system’s store weren’t cheap, so she much preferred the idea that being active herself was better than anything else.

And so, the palace maids of Bihua Palace watched as their Lady Zhaoyi, who had been lying around like a log before her delivery, now ran ten laps around her own palace every day after giving birth.

Whoever tried to stop her had to run with her.

Zhenqiu’s heart ached for her. "Your Ladyship is just a little fuller. You don’t look bad at all."

’Why must she torture herself like this?’

Jiang Xian said, "Those who serve a man with their beauty must keep up their appearance."

’She honestly didn’t think a little exercise was any trouble at all.’

But when Zhenqiu heard this, she was on the verge of tears.

That evening, Xie Che came to Bihua Palace and told her, "You bore me a child. I wouldn’t stop liking you just because you’ve put on a little weight. Am I the kind of person who judges by looks and lusts after beauty?"

Jiang Xian replied, "Actually, I think it’s a good thing that the Emperor appreciates beauty."

"I am not... Forget it. Tell me, how is it a good thing?"

"I am widely acknowledged as the number one Beauty in the harem. If the Emperor lusts after beauty, it means he likes me."

Jiang Xian stated calmly.

Xie Che choked on his words, still trying to be stubborn. "My feelings for you are a case of beauty being in the eye of the beholder..." He stopped mid-sentence, feeling that wasn’t right. "Alright, Xian’er truly deserves the title of the number one Beauty of Yan Chi."

She had only called herself the number one Beauty of the harem, but he had upgraded it to all of Yan Chi.

Looking across the four seas, there could be no woman more beautiful than his Immortal Concubine. "When I first saw you in the Plum Garden, it’s true I paid more attention to you because of your outstanding looks. But if you gain weight from childbirth, my affection for you will not diminish one bit."

Jiang Xian just smiled.

’She didn’t believe a single word.’

Not only did she not believe him, but it didn’t stop her from saying pleasant things. "I believe in the Emperor’s sincerity toward me. It’s just that I also wish to maintain my beauty before the man I admire."

"You’re just trying to get a promotion."

Xie Che snorted lightly, still remembering what she had said while attending the sick. "Fine. If exercising is too strenuous, you don’t have to keep doing it."

Jiang Xian said it wasn’t strenuous, but childbirth had indeed brought about some changes for her.

For example...

"I feel that my chest has grown quite a bit since giving birth to Zhao’er. It’s rather... bouncy when I exercise."

Jiang Xian was dressed in a prim and proper manner, but her dress was stretched taut by her burgeoning bust, which often caused an aching tightness. ’I need a wired undergarment to contain this figure,’ she thought, genuinely vexed by the problem. Unexpectedly, when Xie Che heard her words and glanced over, he lost his composure.

But she had just finished her postpartum confinement; her nameplate hadn’t even been put back up for selection yet.

Xie Che had only come to Bihua Palace today with the intention of platonically sleeping beside her.

Jiang Xian quickly noticed the Emperor’s gaze. She took his hand to let him inspect the changes to her body.

"Does the Emperor covet this as well?"

"I am not that kind of person."

Xie Che said stubbornly.

Jiang Xian still didn’t believe him. She also felt that the Emperor had told her far more lies today than usual—this was not a good sign, as he was usually very honest with her. She raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Whether you covet it or not, let me inspect you a little, and we’ll find out."