Chapter 368 - 146: A Bad Thing Can Become a Good Thing

Chapter 368: Chapter 146: A Bad Thing Can Become a Good Thing

While Consort Shu was still trying to figure out what she had missed, Princess Consort Wan had fainted dead away from anger. It was a long while before she came to. She sat there in a daze, and after a long time, she still had no idea what she had been thinking about. Her mind was a complete blank; all the books she usually read had vanished without a trace.

All she could picture was Song Yunzhao’s face, which inevitably reminded her of the day she had seen the Emperor with her.

’I should have realized it that day. The Emperor treats Song Yunzhao differently than the rest of us.’

’The Emperor never holds our hands, but I saw it so clearly that day. He was holding Song Yunzhao’s hand, not the other way around.’

’And now she’s pregnant. Her future is probably going to be even more dazzling.’

"Your Highness, Rouge from Consort Zhuang’s side is here and wishes to see you," Le Chun said cautiously as she entered the hall.

Princess Consort Wan came back to her senses. "I won’t see her. Tell her to go back. Just say I’m not feeling well and have gone to lie down."

"Yes, this servant will go inform her now." Seeing the poor color on her mistress’s face, Le Chun didn’t dare press the matter and quickly bowed before backing out of the room.

Princess Consort Wan took a deep breath and headed toward her study. Recently, she had been spending most of her time there. Reading helped her relax and stop thinking about all her worries.

But the Empress Dowager’s return had made her uneasy, and now came the news of Song Yunzhao’s pregnancy. These back-to-back events had left her in a daze. The era when the three concubines were the most celebrated in the harem was over.

’I can’t let the last shred of my dignity crumble because of all this.’

Princess Consort Wan sat at her desk, a copy of the Heart Sutra lying on it. Even though she could recite it backward, just holding it in her hands brought her a measure of comfort.

While Princess Consort Wan struggled to calm her heart in Roufu Palace, Princess Consort Zhuang, upon learning that Wan had refused to see Rouge, sat on the large couch by the window with a grim face. After a long moment, she let out a cold laugh.

’Does Princess Consort Wan still think this is a few years ago, when she could act as willfully as she pleased? She needs to take a good look at the current situation. If she won’t join forces with me, who knows what will become of her on her own.’

’Fortunately, there’s still Qin Xiyue to make use of. She can help fend off this predicament.’

The very Qin Xiyue on Princess Consort Zhuang’s mind was also in a terrible mood. She had shut herself in her bedchamber for half a day before finally emerging, a letter clutched in her hand, which she had someone deliver to the Grand Tutor Mansion.

But if one were to name the least peaceful place, it would have to be Shouci Palace.

The Empress Dowager had ordered a room to be cleared out and made into a prayer hall. At this moment, Buddhist incense wafted through the air as the Empress Dowager knelt on a prayer mat, her eyes closed, chanting scriptures. The Buddha Beads in her hand turned ceaselessly.

An Shutong was attending to her at her side, holding a sutra and reading it aloud at a slow, unhurried pace. Her tone was gentle, her voice soft and delicate, enough to gradually soothe a restless heart.

After an unknown amount of time, the Buddha Beads in the Empress Dowager’s hand stopped turning, and she slowly opened her eyes.

An Shutong immediately set down the sutra, rose, and came over to help the Empress Dowager up. "Aunt, let me help you have a cup of tea and rest for a while."

The Empress Dowager was advanced in years and truly shouldn’t kneel for so long; her knees couldn’t take it.

An Shutong helped the Empress Dowager to a seat in the outer chamber, then went to the small tea room to brew some tea. She placed it gently before the Empress Dowager, then moved behind her to lightly massage her shoulders.

"You don’t need to do these things. You should sit down as well," the Empress Dowager said, waving her hand.

"You were kneeling to chant for longer than usual today. Let me massage your shoulders to help you relax. It’s not a tiring chore, so how could it possibly wear me out?" An Shutong’s voice was as crisp and clear as an oriole at dawn, laced with a laugh that was very pleasant to hear.

The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction. "You, ah, your disposition is just too soft, too considerate. In the future, I won’t feel at ease no matter who I betroth you to."

An Shutong’s face flushed, and she didn’t reply. The hands massaging the Empress Dowager’s shoulders applied a little more pressure, becoming even more attentive.

The Empress Dowager had brought An Shutong back to the palace but had made no promises. An Shutong, for her part, had a patient disposition and never took the initiative to ask, appearing content to do whatever the Empress Dowager asked of her.

Now that the topic had been raised, An Shutong faintly sensed that the Empress Dowager was about to make her intentions clear.

’My year of cautious and diligent service at the traveling palace was not in vain.’ Thinking this, she became even more silent, adopting the shy demeanor of a young maiden.

The Empress Dowager smiled lightly and beckoned for her to sit down.

An Shutong sat down, her head slightly lowered. She twisted her hands together tightly, her handkerchief balled up in a knot, presenting a very reserved and shy appearance. It was the same reaction any young woman would have upon hearing about matters of marriage, and the sight put the Empress Dowager in a fine mood.

"Shutong, you are my youngest niece. You have been by my side for over a year, and I am very fond of you."

"I understand, Aunt. It is my great fortune to be able to serve you. My sisters back home are all envious; they all wish they had the opportunity to show their filial devotion to you as well," An Shutong said with a smile.

The Empress Dowager nodded slightly. "I am aware of their filial piety, but the rules in this palace are strict, and not just anyone can enter. As you have seen, the wealth of the Royal Family is immense, but not everyone is capable of enjoying it."

Upon hearing this, An Shutong’s expression tightened slightly, and a look of nervousness appeared on her face as if she had been frightened.

"Naturally, I would hope you could stay by my side forever. Right now, an opportunity has presented itself. It all depends on whether you have the fortune for it," the Empress Dowager said, looking at An Shutong.

An Shutong looked at the Empress Dowager with some confusion, but her words came out quickly. "You have always doted on me, Aunt. Whatever you command, I will do."

"Good child. I wasn’t mistaken about you." The Empress Dowager nodded in satisfaction.

An Shutong pressed her lips into a smile, clutched her handkerchief, and lowered her head again.

The Empress Dowager was well aware that the mother-son bond between her and the Emperor was very thin. In her early years, she had indeed neglected her son in her fight for favor, but there had been no other choice. The late Emperor’s Empress, Highly Noble Princess Consort, Consort Li, and Consort Rong—not a single one of them had been easy to deal with.

She had been too naive in her early years and had lost favor due to their schemes. It was so difficult for a beautiful woman like her to simply survive. The Emperor never stopped to think: if she had died, how could he, a lone Prince, have survived on his own?

Recalling these things soured the Empress Dowager’s mood. However, her son had ascended the throne, and the Empress and Highly Noble Princess Consort had all been reduced to dust. The thought was naturally quite satisfying.

She wanted to mend her relationship with her son, which was why when he demanded she stay at the traveling palace for a full six years, she had gritted her teeth and agreed.

Now the Emperor had kept his promise and brought her back to the palace. If she betrothed her niece to the Emperor, with a considerate girl like Shutong by his side to persuade him, their mother-son relationship would surely improve greatly.

Unfortunately, things had not gone as planned. She never expected that upon her return to the palace, the Emperor’s most favored concubine, Song Jieyu, would turn out to be pregnant, throwing all her plans into disarray.

Still, a bad thing could be turned into a good one.

How could a pregnant concubine continue to serve the emperor in his bed? Back then, the late Emperor’s favored concubines had used this very trick to make her lose favor.