Chapter 494: Extra 9: Radiant Zhaozhao, Ripples on Still Water

Chapter 494: Chapter 490: Extra 9: Radiant Zhaozhao, Ripples on Still Water

The Empress was deliberately avoiding him. They hadn’t seen each other in half a month. Simply waiting was no longer an option.

Xiu Ningchuan set down the game piece in his hand and called out, “Bring Zhenzhen over.”

A eunuch was about to go, but in the blink of an eye, Xiu Ningchuan changed his mind.

“Never mind. You may go and rest as well.”

‘Using their child as a shield to solve the problem between them… he wasn’t that pathetic.’

That was what Xiu Ningchuan thought, but he walked to the door only to turn back, frowning as he looked down at his plain brocade robes.

He hadn’t lost his nerve; instead, he was going back to change his clothes.

After so many years as husband and wife, Xiu Ningchuan believed he still knew what Empress Chenzhao liked and what could capture her gaze.

He chose a Moon White Guangling Brocade Round Wide Sleeve Robe. At first glance, it looked no different from his usual attire, but a closer look revealed a world of difference.

Lapis-lazuli-colored seal script traced the edge of the collar, the ink marks faintly visible through the light gauze, exuding the elegant bearing of a renowned scholar.

After a moment’s thought, he also picked up a Raccoon Tail entwined with three peacock feathers and silver thread, adding even more radiance to his otherworldly, handsome features.

Xiu Ningchuan checked his reflection in the bronze mirror again and again. Only after confirming that everything was perfect did he walk out of Xingshu Hall with a sigh.

‘If someone had told him five years ago that he would one day have to rely on his looks to please another, he would have spat on them for spouting such nonsense.’

On the way, Xiu Ningchuan’s mind drifted through many memories: the day he entered the palace, learning the Empress was with child, the birth of Zhenzhen, the Empress’s victory in uniting the realm, and their recent arguments…

Scene after scene of the past replayed in his mind. He found he could remember every one of her expressions with perfect clarity.

When Xiu Ningchuan reached the steps of the Empress’s Purple Extreme Palace, he heard the sound of laughter from multiple people inside. It sounded especially lively in the quiet of the night.

Xiu Ningchuan paused.

“I heard the handsome men sent as tribute by Xijin are young and dashing. And the strangest thing? They all look just like that former hostage from the Hostage Mansion.”

He recognized the voice. It was Zhao Yunhuai, the legitimate son of Prince Yong.

His fingers tightened around the Raccoon Tail. He took a few more steps and heard another voice.

It was Wei Chi Tiningnan, the only son of Princess Hua Chang. His voice was soft and gentle.

“After Xijin surrendered, Yu Wen Tianqing became the King of Xijin. I’d say he still can’t forget about you, elder sister.”

Xiu Ningchuan had heard about this King of Xijin. The swift surrender of Xijin had been thanks to both the assistance provided by Yu Wen Tianqing and the silver hairpin held by the Empress Dowager, which could break the witchcraft of the Heavenly Moon Clan.

Before the war, the Empress had visited the Hostage Mansion late at night on multiple occasions, making no effort to be discreet. Her affair with the King of Xijin was the most widely circulated of her romantic escapades, due to its complex web of love and hate.

Xiu Ningchuan had never believed the rumors.

‘The King of Xijin was much older than her, not to mention he had once sent assassins to murder her father, the former emperor. The Empress was merely using him.’

But now, hearing it from the mouths of these Princes lent it a new air of credibility.

Xiu Ningchuan stopped at the palace entrance.

The palace lanterns cast a dim, yellow glow on his new moon-white, wide-sleeved robe.

There were no Palace Attendants outside, so no one inside knew he was there.

The joyous laughter inside continued. They were discussing the relationship between the King of Xijin and the Empress, yet Xiu Ningchuan never heard Empress Chenzhao speak.

She didn’t deny it.

A crack appeared on the Jade Handle of the Raccoon Tail in Xiu Ningchuan’s hand.

‘That’s right.’

‘Even amidst all the deception and manipulation, it’s hard to say there weren’t hidden, genuine feelings.’

‘And yet, it wasn’t just the King of Xijin.’

Xiu Ningchuan’s brows knitted together. ‘Just how many people does the Empress hold in her heart?’

Whenever these men visited the palace, the Empress always dismissed the Palace Attendants and allowed no one to wait on them. This had given rise to gossip in the palace before.

But after Xiu Ningchuan entered the palace, he had managed his subordinates with a firm hand. Once he publicly punished over a dozen gossiping eunuchs, no one dared to spread such groundless rumors again.

Furthermore, after he had brought order to the inner court, Empress Chenzhao’s own conduct had become more restrained. She had never again summoned them after nightfall.

But this time, not only was the Empress giving him the cold shoulder, she had also summoned Wei Chi Tiningnan and Zhao Yunhuai to the palace.

A chill crept over Xiu Ningchuan’s heart, growing colder by the second.

「Inside Purple Extreme Palace.」

Zhao Yunhuai continued, “Tiningnan has a point. It’s likely that King of Xijin wants Your Majesty to keep him in mind and reminisce about old times.”

‘Keep him in mind… old times…’

Since Xiu Ningchuan had come all this way, there was no sense in turning back. Even if a brick wall stood before him, he would have to smash into it first.

He raised his hand and knocked. “I have matters to discuss with Your Majesty,” he said, his voice chillingly cold.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Astonished, Zhao Yunhuai and Wei Chi Tiningnan put down their wine cups and looked toward Empress Chenzhao. But she seemed not to have heard, her expression focused and absorbed as she used her chopsticks to trace something on the table.

Zhao Yunhuai prompted, “Elder sister, someone’s here.”

Without even looking up, Empress Chenzhao said listlessly, “I already said no one was to disturb us.”

The man seated to the Empress’s right spoke up. “It’s Xiu Ningchuan.”

Hearing that name, Empress Chenzhao’s back stiffened for a moment. She looked out into the hall, but her eyes didn’t find him.

“Where is the Imperial Consort?”

Lu Songwen inclined his head and asked with a smile, “He’s at the door. Does Your Majesty wish to see him?”

On the other side of the door, Xiu Ningchuan pushed it open directly. “I have been presumptuous,” he said, “and disturbed Your Majesty’s pleasant evening!”

The others all turned to look at him, their expressions varied.

They had all seen this Imperial Consort before, more than once. The first time was before the imperial wedding, when they had secretly climbed the walls of the Xiu Family estate to see if he was worthy of the Empress.

Their conclusion was that he was unsatisfactory in every way.

He was nowhere near the standard the three of them felt was worthy of the Empress.

Xiu Ningchuan was as his name suggested—as elegant and tranquil as slender bamboo by still water. He was warm, modest, and polite to everyone he met.

But right now, the expression on Xiu Ningchuan’s face was terrifyingly cold. It felt as if his gaze alone could freeze anything it touched.

Wei Chi Tiningnan was familiar with that expression.

His own mother, a woman like a celestial fairy, wore the very same look whenever his thick-skinned father managed to provoke her. In those moments, if Wei Chi Tiningnan said a single word too many, he’d find himself bundled up and thrown out of the mansion along with his father.

Wei Chi Tiningnan hunched his shoulders and ducked behind Zhao Yunhuai.

The two were around the same age, but Zhao Yunhuai was clearly the bolder one.

Happy to stir the pot, he let out a “tsk.” “Imperial Consort, since you know you’re being presumptuous, why do you insist on interrupting our reunion with our elder sister? Are you deliberately showing insubordination?”

Xiu Ningchuan raised an eyebrow and let out a soft “Oh?” “I didn’t realize a Commandery Prince was present. It seems I must add another crime to my list.”

He said slowly, word by word, “For having eyes yet seeing nothing.”

Zhao Yunhuai caught the sarcastic barb in his words. He rolled up his sleeves and was about to charge forward.

Wei Chi Tiningnan wanted to stop him, but also didn’t want to get involved. Zhao Yunhuai, who was a few months his senior and had recently come of age, had just been permitted to drink and had indulged quite a bit. He reeked of alcohol, and if Wei Chi Tiningnan got the smell on him, his mother would surely give him an earful when he got home.

He said urgently, “Song Wen, quick, stop him!”

Lu Songwen, a man of few words, was even less inclined to get involved in such matters. He remained seated quietly beside the Empress.

With a sharp CLATTER, the Empress, her eyes still downcast, slammed her chopsticks onto the table.