dkrc Chapter 294 Consort De
Chapter 294 Consort De
Li Yuanke had just finished dealing with the matter of opening a wharf in Quanzhou and was having a meal when he heard that Consort De was requesting an audience, so he let her in.
After bowing, Consort De rose to serve the Emperor food.
Li Yuanke found it annoying and said, "Get to the point. I'm having a meal and don't like being disturbed!"
Doesn't he have hands? Wouldn't it be better to just pick out whatever he wants to eat? Why not just hint at what he wants with your eyes? Isn't that exhausting?
Consort De's chopsticks paused in mid-air. She was always flexible and adaptable. She stood aside and said, "Yesterday, the eldest princess heard that Her Majesty the Empress had bestowed a name upon the third princess, so she came to me and said that she wanted Father Emperor to bestow a name upon her as well."
The eldest princess is getting on in years, and I think it's time to give her a name.
"Then you can choose one yourself, or have the Imperial Household Department send over a few names, and you can pick one!"
Li Yuanke was unimpressed. What interest did he have in naming a princess born out of wedlock? Consort De was also clueless.
Consort De refused, saying, "Your Majesty personally named Prince Min, and the eldest princess is hoping that her father will personally give her a nice name as well."
Li Yuanke looked up at her coldly and said, "The eldest princess is ignorant of etiquette and disrespectful to her stepmother. Is this how you usually spoil her? She is a royal princess. I may not say that there is nothing wrong with her demeanor and manners, but at the very least, she should not give people anything to criticize!"
Or is it that, as her mother, you taught her to be disrespectful to the Empress in this way on a daily basis?
Consort De knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, where did you get this idea? Even if I had ten thousand lives, I would never dare to disrespect Her Majesty the Empress. The eldest princess has never had any dealings with Her Majesty the Empress, so how could she have any disrespectful thoughts?"
"Your Majesty is probably referring to the events at the New Year's Eve palace banquet. The eldest princess is still young and may not have considered things thoroughly enough. As her stepmother, Your Majesty, I would be extremely grateful if you would offer some guidance. If Your Majesty has misunderstood anything, I would like to apologize to Your Majesty on behalf of the eldest princess!"
Li Yuanke sneered, thinking he couldn't understand the intricacies of the situation?
"Why should the Empress teach your eldest princess? Does the Empress have nothing better to do? Aren't there any governesses in the palace? As a princess, you have absolutely no manners or poise, you've completely disgraced me, and you still want to blame it on the Empress!"
Consort De was completely bewildered. How could she blame the Empress?
Such blatant favoritism is infuriating.
When Consort De saw that the Emperor was unwilling to name her daughter, in order not to lose face, she had no choice but to agree to let the Imperial Household Department help her choose a name.
It's better than taking it yourself!
The emperor disagreed again. His legitimate children didn't even have names yet, so he scolded Consort De, "What's the rush? Princesses aren't given names until they get married. The eldest princess is getting married tomorrow!"
How can someone talk about their daughter like that?!
Consort De was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. "Your Majesty, the eldest princess is your eldest daughter! She is still very young."
The Emperor said, "She may be young, but her heart is far from innocent! Go back and properly educate the princess. If she embarrasses me again, or if I see her disrespecting her stepmother, I will punish her severely!"
Consort De returned defeated!
Back at Huayin Palace, Consort De was so angry that her heart ached.
Of the people who accompanied her this time, several of her close friends did not come, leaving her with no one to consult.
Yinxing brought her a cup of tea and asked, "Your Highness, did the Emperor say something?"
Consort De's tears streamed down her face. "Ginkgo," she said, "tell me, is there still any hope for me?"
Yinxing couldn't explain either. "Your Majesty, the other day I went to the Imperial Hospital to get the medicinal materials for your balm. I overheard the imperial physicians discussing a prescription, and I heard it was a prescription for preventing miscarriage."
"Pregnancy protection?" Consort De was startled and sat bolt upright. "Who in the palace is pregnant again?"
Ginkgo shook her head. "This servant doesn't know either."
Consort De said, "After the Emperor returned, he never summoned any of his concubines again. He has been staying in Zhaoyang Palace, or the one in Zhaoyang Palace is staying in Qianyuan Palace... I really didn't expect that Lady Shen would still be like this."
In the past, the Emperor doted on her so much, but she never seemed to care. Whenever the Emperor summoned someone else, she would pretend not to care; it was all a facade.
Consort De grew increasingly angry as she spoke, "Didn't she say she couldn't have children?"
Yinxing said, "If it's just a case of cold uterus and irregular menstruation, the imperial physicians in the palace are experts at that. Her Majesty the Empress has been in the palace for several years now; there's no reason why she shouldn't be able to recover!"
Consort De was indignant. "What a... miscalculation! But it's alright, isn't she pregnant now? I just wonder if there's any way to help her?"
Ginkgo remained silent.
Consort De asked, "That woman in Zhaoyang Palace, has she always been using Imperial Physician Jiang?"
Yinxing bit her lip, nodded, and her hand holding the teacup trembled slightly.
Consort De observed this and said, "I remember you consulted Physician Jiang about pharmacology several times, and he patiently taught you each time?"
Yinxing was extremely reluctant, but she still nodded. "This servant didn't ask anything, just a few basic questions. I'm sure other imperial physicians wouldn't hold back either!"
After all, I am a servant of Your Highness's palace.
Consort De held her hand and said, "There's no one here now, yet you keep calling me 'this servant.' In the end, you're still my own sister. It was only because the family had no other choice that we sent you into the palace to help me."
I originally intended for you to serve the Emperor, but it turns out our Emperor has many strict rules. Don't worry, if you take a liking to Physician Jiang, I will definitely find a way to make your wish come true.
Ginkgo was terrified and knelt down with a thud. "Your Majesty, this servant has no such intentions. This servant has absolutely no feelings for Physician Jiang. This servant is willing to stay with Your Majesty forever. This servant does not want to leave the palace."
Tears streamed down her face.
Consort De held her hand and said, "Get up. Men should marry when they are of age and women should marry when they are of age. You are not young anymore. If you were in the Duke's mansion, a dowry would have been prepared for you long ago, and a suitable husband would have been chosen for you. In the end, it was I who delayed you."
"I've already delayed you for a while, how can I bear to delay your entire life! Jiang Lingyou is a good man; if you go with him, you'll be his legal wife no matter what. Although the palace seems luxurious and glamorous, as you've seen, what will happen if you make a mistake?"
Yinxing shook her head desperately, "This servant doesn't want to. This servant has never thought of leaving Your Highness. Please, Your Highness, don't send this servant away."
Consort De sighed, "What kind of girl are you? Why should I be the one chasing you away? Even if you're married, it doesn't mean you can't come to the palace to see me! Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Think about it carefully."
That night, Jin Tao asked, "Sister Yin Xing, since Her Majesty wants to find you a good husband, why are you still unwilling?"
Yinxing glanced at her, clearly displeased, but said nothing. She simply made the bed and went to sleep.
She touched a jade pendant on her chest, which her aunt had left her.
If it weren't for the Duchess, my aunt would have died in some stinking ditch, been dragged out and beheaded, or been sold into prostitution. Later, the Duchess recommended my aunt to the Duke, and she gave birth to her.
Before her death, her aunt told her to take good care of the Duchess.
Her whole life felt like she was there to pay off debts.
In the darkness, tears rolled down Ginkgo's cheeks. From the first moment she saw Jiang Lingyou, she was deeply infatuated with him. She knew that Jiang Lingyou only regarded her as an ordinary palace maid, but she still couldn't help but long to see him.
Normal people wouldn't take a fancy to a palace maid. If they were lucky, they could leave the palace at twenty-five; if they were unlucky, they would only be able to grow old and die in the palace for the rest of their lives.
Why did she have to drag a perfectly good person down with her?
The struggles within this deep palace are a man-eating swamp.