Chapter 191 - 166: A Great Merit

The Emperor was a man of fine features. As a prince, he had been a dashing young man. After ascending the throne, power was a trial by fire that burned away all his arrogance and pride, leaving a firm core in their place.

Wherever the Emperor gazed, prosperity and abundance were sure to follow.

Countless people exhausted their minds and spent their fortunes, all just to capture the Emperor’s attention.

And at this moment, in those eyes that countless people admired, only her reflection could be seen clearly—an oval face, phoenix eyes, and upturned lips. Her lips were beautifully shaped, the corners slightly raised, as if she always carried a hint of a smile.

Xie Che loved the contradictions in her. She had seductive eyes but a cool temperament. Her lips were always curved in a faint smile, yet it was the hardest thing to truly please her and win one of those smiles.

"Have you gotten a good look?"

Jiang Xian hummed in affirmation. "Yes, Your Majesty, I have."

Hearing that her voice and breathing remained perfectly steady, Xie Che felt a bit exasperated. He knew he was handsome—there were no ugly members of the Royal Family—but he had never bothered to brandish his good looks to flirt with a woman. For the one rare time he tried, her complete lack of reaction was both discouraging and frustrating. "What did you see?"

The simplest and most direct answer was that she saw herself.

But Jiang Xian had a habit drilled into her by a fussy former boss. ’When answering the boss’s questions, I can’t just stick to the surface level. Simply stating the obvious without any real thought is unacceptable.’ So, she considered her response.

"I saw myself, with the Emperor reflected in my eyes."

Xie Che was speechless. "...And you say you don’t like me."

"When did I ever say that? Of course I like you, Your Majesty."

’It’s just that her affection probably isn’t the kind the Emperor is looking for.’

Clever as he was, Xie Che instantly understood her meaning, and his heart felt ensnared. To have her or not have her—both were simple outcomes. It was this ambiguous state of being given something that wasn’t truly given that was the most torturous. The greatest players are always the most heartless.

"Never mind. I’ve made things difficult for you."

Xie Che sat up straight.

Seeing his conflicted expression, as if he’d figured it out one moment only to be lost the next, Jiang Xian pulled him back. "I’m not good at appreciating beauty or indulging in fun. Your Majesty will have to be patient with me and teach me. After all, we have plenty of time ahead of us, don’t we, Your Majesty?"

Despite his nearly six-foot frame, her gentle tug was enough to make him lean into her.

This scene left Liang Yuyin absolutely stunned—

’Your Majesty, you’re far too easy to please!’

A soothed tiger is just a big cat, lazing in the sun and still wanting to curl up with its favorite human.

※

「Three years later.」

While the Emperor was away at Xihua Garden for the summer, Consort Guo gave birth to the Second Prince, Xie Sheng, in the palace. She expected to be promoted to the rank of Pin for this achievement, but in the end, she was only made a Little Yi. The Empress Dowager had to step in to persuade the Emperor. "Even if it’s just for the Second Prince’s sake, his mother’s rank cannot be too low. If the servants neglect him because of it, is that what you wish to see, Your Majesty?"

At first, Xie Che stubbornly insisted, "Sheng’er is my son. Who would dare neglect him?"

It was the Empress who tried to persuade him again. "Consort Guo has performed a great service by giving birth to a Prince. Her rank should be raised, even if not by much. We must grant her the appropriate dignity. Or, if Your Majesty truly feels Consort Guo is an unfit mother, then give the Second Prince to someone else to raise. Besides myself, Princess Consort Zhang would be a good candidate."

According to rank, he should have been given to Noble Princess Consort Rong.

But anyone could guess that Noble Princess Consort Rong would look down on a son who shared Consort Guo’s blood. "Princess Consort Zhang has always been very loving. She’s fond of raising kittens and puppies. I’m sure she would treat the Second Prince very well."

Xie Che’s brow furrowed. He understood the Empress’s underlying message.

Consort Guo’s rank was low, but her family’s was not—her father was a Second-rank Official. Princess Consort Zhang’s family was also powerful. If he gave the Second Prince to the latter, the two women would likely become enemies, and the Second Prince would suffer an unhappy childhood separated from his birth mother. However, upon growing up, he could potentially gain the support of both the Guo Family, through blood, and the Zhang family, through the bond of having been raised by them.

The Empress was subtly reminding him of the political complexities.

It was just a promotion. He shouldn’t be so stubborn; enough was enough.

"The Second Prince cannot be given to someone else," Xie Che declared. "When he is one month old, she will be promoted to Little Yi."

He wouldn’t even grant her the rank of Pin.

The Empress Dowager fiddled with her Buddha Beads and sighed softly. "I know you favor Gu Zhaoyi, and that you are fond of the Eldest Prince. But don’t be so obviously partial, Your Majesty. In the eyes of others, this will make life very difficult for Guo Xiao Yi."

She was also worried about her grandson.

"This has nothing to do with Gu Zhaoyi. I have long known that when Consort Guo was in Chuxiu Palace, she used her family background to bully the other candidates. After entering the palace, she and Zhang Daying found an excuse to corporally punish Chen Changzai in the Imperial Garden. Am I particularly fond of Chen Changzai? No. Later, while Gu Zhaoyi was pregnant, she came to her door, also pregnant, to make snide remarks. I simply cannot stand her arrogant and domineering personality. If she weren’t like this, we wouldn’t be talking about a promotion from Noble Lady to Little Yi; she’d already be a Little Yi, and we’d be promoting her to the rank of Pin."

Once Xie Che made up his mind, there was no room for negotiation.

Guo Xiao Yi’s dream of reaching the rank of Pin was shattered, making her the laughingstock of the harem. And yet, the Second Prince was officially recorded as her son in the imperial registry. This made all the other concubines both envious and jealous. They said that she now had security for the rest of her life; even if she wasn’t favored, she had something to hope for.

But Guo Xiao Yi didn’t see it that way.

She desperately wanted to be favored. She desperately wanted a higher rank than Mrs. Jiang, so she wouldn’t have to bow every time she saw her. They had entered the palace together and been pregnant at the same time. Truly, Jiang Xian had become her obsession.

Even as much as Guo Xiao Yi wanted to be favored, she had to admit: ’Perhaps I’m just not the Emperor’s type.’

’If he was going to favor me, it would have happened by now.’

If she hadn’t safely given birth to the Second Prince, the Guo Family would have been considering sending another daughter from a side branch into the palace to test the waters. ’If the mother can’t win the competition for favor, then she’ll compete through her son!’ Guo Xiao Yi suppressed her resentment and resolved to raise Xie Sheng to be so outstanding that he would outshine the Eldest Prince.

He had to roll over a day earlier, walk a day earlier, say "Father Emperor" a day earlier...

However, because Guo Xiao Yi had been so fraught with anxiety during her pregnancy, Xie Sheng was born somewhat frail. Forced by his mother to learn to roll over, walk, and please his Father Emperor, he couldn’t sleep well. After a couple of crying fits, he fell ill. When the Empress Dowager learned of this, she summoned Guo Xiao Yi and gave her a harsh scolding. Guo Xiao Yi wept and admitted her faults, but in her heart, she was convinced that bitch Mrs. Jiang had ratted her out.

And so, a grudge was formed between them.

Meanwhile, Jiang Xian had no idea how deeply Guo Xiao Yi hated her, not even by the time her own son was three years old, walking, talking, and bowing properly.

For the sake of Zhaomao’s quality of life and safety, she knew she had to make a move.

First came the method of using cowpox to prevent smallpox.

When Xie Che asked how she had come up with it, she answered directly, "It was an idea born from constant study and reflection. Your Majesty is welcome to try it. If it fails, then you may punish me."

Had it been anyone else, Xie Che truly would not have believed them.

But Gu Zhaoyi? Even the officials who served in the imperial court at Qingliu Hall believed in her. Gu Zhaoyi was an incredible scholar; the scrolls never seemed to leave her hands.

Jiang Xian continued to persuade him. "If it works, it will be a great achievement. If it doesn’t, then just consider it me wanting to play with some cows and commoners. Didn’t you say you most wanted to see me indulge in some fun, Your Majesty? Well then, I wish to share my joy with the people."

Xie Che did as she said, and the result, naturally, was confirmation that the cowpox inoculation worked.

Jiang Xian wanted to give the "first author" credit for the Smallpox Vaccine to her boss, but Xie Che announced directly in court that the achievement belonged to Gu Zhaoyi. Guo Xiao Yi’s father stepped forward to admonish him. "Your Majesty, summoning Gu Zhaoyi to Qingliu Hall to accompany you daily is already highly unconventional. How can you now listen to the words of a mere woman? If the cowpox inoculation truly works, the credit should belong to Your Majesty’s sagacity, not to one of the concubines."

He wasn’t denying the inoculation’s effectiveness; he simply felt the credit should go to the Emperor.