Chapter 18
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Light streamed in through the crack, falling into He Hui’s dark pupils with a scorching heat, much like the gaze of the man outside. He Hui slowly reached out and, with a creak, pushed open the cabinet door.
At that moment, she caught a flicker of surprise in the emperor’s eyes, as if he had never expected the person hiding inside to be her.
He Hui quickly withdrew her gaze and lowered her head. Even now, she remembered to kneel obediently, paying respects and greeting the emperor according to palace protocol.
“Your Majesty, may your sacred body be blessed with golden peace.”
A terrifying silence swiftly spread throughout the room. He Hui stared at the intertwined floral patterns embroidered on the carpet beneath her, faintly hearing the impatient chirping of cicadas outside.
After an uncertain amount of time, she finally heard the emperor speak from above her head: “What are you doing here?”
He Hui hesitated between telling the truth and lying but ultimately decided that preserving her life was paramount.
She bit the palm of her hand hard with her fingernails, striving to steady herself and speak without trembling.
“Your Majesty, this humble woman,” He Hui gathered her composure, “was outside for a long time and grew thirsty, so I came in to find water. I did not intend to fall asleep in the cabinet and disturb Your Majesty. I beg your forgiveness.”
She then bent forward, pressing her head against the floor.
The ground was cool, bringing a touch of clarity to He Hui’s nearly fainting mind.
The emperor lowered his eyes, observing her loose temple hair, trembling hands, and the dark green magpie-embroidered badge on her garment. His gaze darkened.
Her words were riddled with inconsistencies.
If she was thirsty, why not return to the Rain Flower Pavilion to find water? Why come here? And if she came for water, why hide in the cabinet after drinking it instead of leaving immediately?
If one lies, it must be flawless; such obvious mistakes reveal immaturity.
Yet the emperor did not expose her.
He turned and sat back on the kang bed, fiddling with the dice on the low table. “When did you come in?” he asked.
He Hui knew she had to answer carefully or risk her life. She thought a moment and said, “...an hour ago.”
An hour ago, she had just left the Rain Flower Pavilion, while the emperor was still there listening to the empress dowager and concubines enjoy the opera.
The emperor said, “You came in an hour ago, then hid in the cabinet?”
He Hui pressed her lips together. “...Yes, I have had the habit of sleeping in cabinets since I was a child. When I felt sleepy, I just... went in and slept.”
This was even more laughable—why sleep in a cabinet when there’s a bed?
“Did you fall asleep?”
“Yes, I did.”
The emperor stared at her in silence.
Fearing disbelief, He Hui hurriedly said, “Really, Your Majesty, I truly fell asleep and heard nothing.”
An unintentional confession.
With such poor skill, she still tried to lie. However, recalling how he had mistaken her for a palace candidate earlier, the slight smile that had just appeared on the emperor’s lips faded once more.
Seeing his expression, He Hui’s heart instantly sank halfway.
Did he not believe her?
Just as she was at a loss, the emperor’s demeanor softened and his tone became gentle, like that of an elder.
“In that case, you may leave.”
He Hui was stunned.
The emperor looked at her calmly. “What, do you want to stay here and talk with me some more?”
He Hui snapped out of it, quickly kowtowing and rising to leave as if fleeing.
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But after only a few steps, the emperor suddenly called her back. He Hui’s body stiffened, thinking he had changed his mind.
Yet after a pause, he slowly asked his final question, “Did you come out at any point during that time?”
Cold sweat trickled down He Hui’s back. She instinctively looked up and saw the emperor quietly watching her. His eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if a single misstep in her answer would doom her forever.
He Hui calmed herself and replied, “No, Your Majesty. I did not wake until you discovered me just now.”
Silence followed.
After a long while, the emperor finally looked at her and slowly uttered two words: “Very good.”
“Go.”
He Hui exhaled sharply and walked into the main room. Suddenly, she noticed her wrapped chest cloth tucked in a corner behind the door. Alarmed, she hurriedly picked it up and stuffed it into her wide sleeve.
At the corner outside, she saw Yao Zhu approaching with clothes in hand. Only then did her heart settle back into her chest. Yao Zhu hurried over and, seeing her disheveled state, looked surprised.
“Miss, what happened to you?”
Before she could answer, He Hui’s legs gave out; she lost all strength and collapsed into Yao Zhu’s arms.
“It’s nothing,” He Hui tightly gripped Yao Zhu’s hand. “Sister, let’s go back.”
Not far away, Wang Zhi, accompanied by a young eunuch, saw the two figures and was taken aback.
What was going on? Noble Consort Qing hadn’t managed to attend the emperor’s bedchamber, but how did Miss Shen come out of the room?
Given her status, it was improper for her to be alone with the emperor; if anyone found out, it would be disastrous.
Wang Zhi instructed the eunuch to keep quiet before entering the room.
Inside, the emperor sat upright on the eastern kang, lost in thought.
Wang Zhi called out to him.
The emperor turned his face and said, “Bring cold water.”
—
He Hui did not tell Yao Zhu what had just happened. After all, the fewer who knew, the less the risk.
Changing into the clothes Yao Zhu brought, He Hui pretended nothing had happened and returned to the Rain Flower Pavilion. Since she usually had a wooden and expressionless demeanor, no one noticed anything unusual even when she remained silent at her seat.
Only Prince Ning asked, “Where have you been? Took so long to return.”
He Hui dared not tell the truth and made up an excuse, which Prince Ning barely paid attention to.
Lying on the couch, He Hui repeatedly pondered the emperor’s words and expression, tossing and turning.
The emperor... probably did not see, or perhaps he did but did not realize it was her; otherwise, he would not have let her leave so easily.
Yet nothing was certain. She did not know if he truly believed her words or planned to deal with her secretly after her return.
Days passed anxiously, awaiting the emperor’s orders; none came. Instead, new clothes arrived from the Department of Imperial Attire.
A female official from the department directed servants to carry boxes inside and respectfully told He Hui:
“Consort Shu said the previous batch of women’s clothing in the palace was too tight and constricting. It becomes unbearable in summer heat, so looser garments are cooler. She specially instructed the department to prepare a new batch for you, Miss.”
Without even pausing for tea, the official hurried to the next location.
He Hui stared at the clothes in the boxes, visibly much looser than before, stunned for a long moment. Slowly, she realized she no longer needed to bind her chest tightly with cloth, almost moved to tears.
“Consort Shu is truly kind.”
Yao Zhu organized the clothes and nodded, “Consort Shu is known as a virtuous consort; naturally, she is kind.”
Still, no one knew why she suddenly decided to replace the palace ladies’ clothing.
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But whatever the reason, at least the ladies would no longer suffer.
—
In Consort Shu’s chambers, Noble Consort Qing sat on the kang, unable to stop wiping tears, looking like a weeping soul.
Consort Shu, feeling a headache, massaged her temples and handed over a handkerchief gently, “Sister, don’t cry anymore.”
Noble Consort Qing took it, her sobbing gradually subsiding, sniffling, “Sister, I’ve truly been so stifled in my heart that I had to tell you. After all these years serving the emperor, I’ve never suffered such grievance.”
Upon entering, she had told Consort Shu about that day’s events. Consort Shu was shocked; after all, before the empress dowager, Noble Consort Qing had tacitly admitted to attending to the emperor’s bedchamber that day. Only now did she learn that the emperor had actually driven her out.
Consort Shu sighed, “Perhaps the emperor was in a bad mood; don’t take it to heart.”
Noble Consort Qing replied, “Though the emperor isn’t one to jest with others much, he’s always been gentle with us and seldom shows displeasure. Even if he were in a bad mood, he wouldn’t take it out on us.”
She paused, “Could it be that the emperor fancies some new woman and no longer cares for us?”
“Don’t speculate,” Consort Shu picked up her tea cup. “You know about the candidates selected last time.”
Speaking of which, even Noble Consort Qing found it strange. The emperor had agreed to the empress dowager’s selection of candidates, yet none had been granted titles. They still remained in the Shouming Palace, uncertain of their fate.
No one knew what the emperor was truly thinking.
Their conversation drifted to Prince Ning.
“The other day, when the empress dowager summoned that Miss Shen, I saw her. To be honest, she’s no match for Mistress Yao. I don’t understand the empress dowager’s thinking, bringing such a dull person into the palace and assigning her to Prince Ning. How can such a petty person become the future Empress Mother of our Great Zhou?”
Consort Shu said nothing, only advising caution, “What the empress dowager thinks is beyond our control.”
That left Noble Consort Qing unable to reply, so she changed the subject, pointing at her clothes, “It’s hot. It’s considerate of you to have us change into these loose garments.”
Though made of thin silver-threaded gauze, the old ones were too sheer to wear outside. Now, clad in round-collared robes of coarse cloth, they felt both comfortable and elegant.
Consort Shu smiled, “It wasn’t my idea. The other day when I went to pay respects to the emperor, he noticed my shirt was too tight and casually mentioned to instruct the Department of Imperial Attire to make a new batch for the palace ladies.”
That was odd. Noble Consort Qing frowned, “Why would the emperor suddenly care about such a trivial matter?”
Consort Shu found it strange too. For so many years, the palace ladies’ attire followed the old regulations from the late emperor’s time without change. Why had it suddenly caught the current emperor’s attention?
He wasn’t one to fuss over such things.
Lowering her eyes, Consort Shu sipped her tea and said, “Most likely, the emperor feels pity for us.”
After seeing Noble Consort Qing off, Consort Shu finally relaxed, leaning against a soft pillow. She asked a close maid, “Have you learned anything?”
The maid answered, “Your Highness, the emperor summoned Minister Wang to the palace. The two went to Wansui Mountain for leisure riding.”
Consort Shu withdrew her gaze.
Lately, the emperor had summoned Minister Wang more frequently than usual. She lowered her eyes, nodded, and said, “Understood.”
—
At the foot of Wansui Mountain, Minister Wang could no longer hold back. Flicking his horsewhip, he came alongside the emperor and asked, “Your Majesty, this is already the fifth time this month you’ve summoned me to the palace. Please don’t say nothing again. If you keep this up, I’ll stay home with my little beauty and stop coming.”
Each time, they raced horses, but the emperor remained silent, refusing to say why, which was maddening.
The emperor pursed his lips, sitting on his horse, gazing toward the Western Garden with lowered eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke.
“If you fancy a woman in your life whom you can never be with, what would you do?”
Minister Wang was drinking water and suddenly spit it out in surprise.