Chapter 256: A Mother's Heartache

Seeing the Pure Consort basking in imperial favor—summoned daily to accompany the Emperor and even meddling in court affairs—the Chu Family grew worried. Their anxiety eased slightly only when they saw that the Empress continued to preside over major state functions, such as the Double Ninth Festival ceremony. To that end, Madam Chu submitted a request to enter the palace, hoping to speak with her daughter face-to-face and reassure the family back home.

Madam Chu, dressed in navy blue robes, was led by Fu Jin to Jianzhang Palace. As she stepped over the threshold, she frowned almost imperceptibly.

She asked, “Fu Jin, how is Her Majesty’s health?”

“To answer Madam’s question, Her Majesty had caught a cold during the change of seasons but has since made a full recovery. It’s just that the Emperor is concerned for her, so he has instructed Song Yuanzheng to check her pulse every day to confirm she is well.”

Madam Chu hummed softly. “That’s good, then.”

Upon entering the room, she saw the Empress giving instructions to a palace maid. When the Empress saw her mother, she turned her head, and unconcealed joy lit up her eyes. The movement was so abrupt that the Sunrise Five Phoenix Pearl Hairpin in her chignon swayed. “Mother, there’s no need for such ceremony.”

The Palace Attendants standing by immediately withdrew, leaving only the mother and daughter alone with Fu Jin.

“You’ve lost weight, Mother.”

“I’m as healthy as ever. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“I knew it. You didn’t believe my letters, did you, Mother? Now that you’ve seen me for yourself, you can finally be at ease, can’t you?”

Before her mother, the Empress no longer used the formal ‘I’ of her station, and her smile was relaxed.

She was dressed with exceptional grandeur today. The most valuable furniture and ornaments from her storerooms had been brought out, giving Jianzhang Palace an air reminiscent of Zhaoyang Palace. As the Empress, mother of the nation, and respected by the Emperor, she had never wanted for precious gifts. She simply disliked displaying them, finding them too garish.

Madam Chu smiled, then changed the subject to the marriages of the younger generation in the family.

After they had chatted for a while about family matters, she said softly, “You have always been so considerate. Otherwise, why would you have stopped boiling your medicine and started burning incense ahead of my visit? Why display all these furnishings and trinkets you dislike? Was it all to put your mother’s mind at ease?”

As she spoke, tears fell from Madam Chu’s eyes.

A mother knows her daughter best. Since childhood, the Empress had never cared for material possessions. She disliked the heavy perfumes women favored, preferring a clean, fresh scent. But Jianzhang Palace was steeped year-round in the smell of brewing medicine and discarded herbs, like an apothecary’s jar. Even if the brewing stopped for a few days, the medicinal odor lingered and could only be masked by a stronger fragrance.

The Empress had deliberately dressed up and gotten plenty of sleep for her mother’s visit. But no amount of careful makeup could hide a body ravaged by illness and medicine. Up close, the truth was plain to see. The magnificent robes only highlighted how frail her frame had become. So, the Empress wasn’t surprised by her mother’s tears. She just gave a weary smile. “It is unfilial of me to make you worry so.” She paused. “But the Emperor truly has not treated me poorly. There may be rumors outside the palace, but I am still the one to handle all the major official duties that uphold my status… This is also why the Pure Consort has not been promoted to Noble Consort. He doesn’t want to put me in an awkward position. Otherwise, she would have been promoted long ago.”

In the past, no matter how favored Noble Princess Consort Rong became, she only ever held the authority to help manage the Six Palaces. The Emperor never discussed state affairs with her, and the privileges she requested remained within the bounds of a favored concubine. But Jiang Xian has broken out of those bounds. If she were to be promoted to Noble Consort, people would begin speculating about when she would be made Imperial Concubine… which would imply that I, the Empress, am no longer capable of fulfilling my duties.

As it stands, the Pure Consort is merely a Pure Consort. The most people wonder is when she will be promoted to Noble Consort.

“The Silkworm Ceremony and the major sacrificial rites are still mine to lead. As long as the power of the palace remains firmly in my hands, it prevents unrest among the court.”

After she finished speaking with such conviction, the Empress began to cough uncontrollably.

The palace maids waiting outside heard the violent coughing and immediately filed back in. They attended to the Empress, helping her clear her phlegm and rinse her mouth, before presenting her with medicine pills to swallow. Her brow remained furrowed, and her skin, already so thin, stretched taut over her features, making her eyes and brow look like deep ravines.

The sight broke Madam Chu’s heart.

Her Yunyun… since she was a little girl, she had always been a generous, open-hearted child. She would clean her bowl at every meal, and her eyes, her nose, her little face—everything about her was round and full. Everyone who saw her praised her fortunate looks. It was for this very reason that the Empress Dowager had taken a liking to her, choosing her to be the Princess Consort, which eventually led to her residing in the Central Palace…

After the Empress had recovered, the palace maids withdrew silently again.

“If I had known it would come to this, it would have been better if you had never become the Princess Consort.”

Madam Chu’s shoulders slumped, and tears streamed from her stinging eyes as she spoke these treasonous words. The Empress, however, just laughed upon hearing them. “Countless people pray for such a position and never attain it. Let’s not talk about such unhappy things. I’ll have Fu Jin bring Taihua over for you to see, Mother.”