ARTTEDSBGT Chapter 146

Before the curfew, the night deepens, and the new moon hangs in the sky like a woman’s arched eyebrows. A few cold stars scatter across the firmament, twinkling uncertainly. The streets have fewer pedestrians, with only a few hurrying along, their necks tucked in, heads down. At this moment, the sound of urgent hooves comes from a distance, catching the eye.

A snow-white horse gallops through the night, as if cloaked in silver moonlight. On its back are two riders, who swiftly vanish before one can get a clear look at them. The horse gallops past Zhuque Street, finally stopping in front of the Princess’s residence. As Xiao Yan dismounts, he sees the Grand Princess emerge from the gate, smiling as she says, “Back already?”

Li Zhizhi quickly dismounts, softly calling out, “Mother.” The Grand Princess takes her hand, strokes it, and reproaches gently, “Why are you running around with him in the evening? Did you get cold?” Saying this, she shoots a playful glare at Xiao Yan, takes a hand warmer from a maid, and places it in Li Zhizhi’s hand, saying kindly, “I had someone prepare a charcoal basin for you. Hurry inside and warm up.”

Li Zhizhi obediently agrees. Just as she is about to leave, she suddenly looks back, only to meet Xiao Yan’s gaze. The Grand Princess coughs lightly, and she seems to awaken from a dream, following her mother inside.

Once in the flower hall, a servant brings warm soup. As Li Zhizhi drinks it, feeling gradually warmer, she hears the Grand Princess suddenly ask, “Have you agreed to him?”

Li Zhizhi is taken aback, her hand holding the bowl trembling slightly as she hurriedly explains, “N-no, I haven’t.” The Grand Princess, seeing her nervous expression, quickly rea.s.sures her, “It’s fine, it’s fine. Mother meant no harm, just asking casually.”

After a pause, she continues, “If you really like Xiao Wu, Mother wouldn’t oppose it. Don’t be afraid.”

Li Zhizhi’s heart gradually settles back, but she still softly emphasizes, “No, such a big matter, how could I decide without discussing it with you first?”

“That’s good,” the Grand Princess responds, smiling, “Our Zhizhi is a good child, understanding and considerate.”

As she says this, she hands over a piece of dried apricot. Li Zhizhi takes it and eats it, hearing her mother ask, “Do you have feelings for him?”

Li Zhizhi hesitates slightly, recalling the vibrant and beautiful sunset, her ears turning slightly red as she whispers, “I…”

Seeing her shy demeanor, the Grand Princess understands and ponders, “Well, if you both feel the same way and share your feelings, that’s something one cannot seek for. However, Mother always believes that for a girl, marriage is a lifelong commitment, and it should be carefully considered. One must not decide impulsively.”

She pats Li Zhizhi’s hand with a smile, saying, “Although Xiao Wu has grown up under my watch, when it comes to marriage, I still stand by you. For now, he is the one pursuing you, so let him make the effort to please you. We can just sit back and take our time; there’s no rush.”

Li Zhizhi blinked and said, “I understand what Mother means.”

Several days pa.s.sed, and Emperor Jing Ming still did not attend court. The people in the Ganqing Palace only said the Emperor was still resting, and the officials in the court were becoming restless, with many seeking out Xiao Yan to ask the Crown Prince to visit the Emperor.

Xiao Yan replied lightly, “It’s not that I don’t want to fulfill this filial duty, but my father has not summoned me. Should I force my way into the Ganqing Palace? If my father punishes me for it, who will take responsibility?”

The official was momentarily taken aback and fell silent.

After another two days, it was time for the autumn hunt. Although the Emperor Jing Ming had not shown himself, the autumn hunt was not postponed and was to proceed as usual, which meant the Emperor would also go to Qingliang Mountain.

On October 1st, during the autumn hunt, according to the usual custom, officials of the fifth rank and above, regardless of civil or military status, accompanied the Emperor to Qingliang Mountain. Additionally, various princes, dukes, and earls brought their families along, resulting in a long procession stretching for two to three miles, bustling through the royal streets and drawing crowds of citizens to watch the Emperor’s departure, creating a scene of bustling activity.

By the time they arrived at the Qingliang Mountain palace, it was already evening, and the sky was darkening. Emperor Jing Ming still did not appear but sent someone to convey his decree, telling everyone to rest and that they would go to the hunting grounds the next day.

Li Zhizhi had just settled in when a palace maid came to inform her that Concubine Rong requested her presence. The Princess, upon hearing this, ordered a maid to accompany her and reminded her, “It’s getting late, and you’re not familiar with this place. It’s better to go and return early.”

Li Zhizhi agreed. When she arrived, Concubine Rong was sitting inside, happily eating a pot of food, steam rising as she greeted Li Zhizhi with a smile and ordered someone to bring chopsticks for her to join in the meal.

Seeing her in such high spirits, Li Zhizhi couldn’t help but ask curiously, “Your Highness, did you call me here to discuss something?”

“A joyful matter,” Concubine Rong said with a beaming smile. “A great joyful matter.”

As she spoke, she dismissed everyone around, closed the doors and windows tightly, and then lowered her voice to say to Li Zhizhi, “Do you know? Chun Fei is pregnant!”

Li Zhizhi was momentarily stunned, unsure if she had heard correctly, and asked, “Who is pregnant?”

“Chun Fei!”

This time, Li Zhizhi understood clearly, but she was at a loss and hesitated to respond, saying, “It is indeed a joyful event that Chun Fei is pregnant, but… why are you so happy, Your Highness?”

“It’s not you who’s pregnant, yet you seem delighted to eat!”

“This, you may not know,” Concubine Rong replied with a mysterious smile, lowering her voice further. “Outsiders say that both I and Chun Fei are favored, but the Emperor never stays overnight in Cui Nong Palace or Chonghua Hall. Do you know the reason?”

Li Zhizhi had heard of this too, as rumors circulated that Emperor Jing Ming was suspicious and that the guards were never more than ten feet away, even sleeping with knives hidden under their pillows, and he never stayed overnight in the chambers of his concubines.

However, from Li Zhizhi’s perspective, these rumors seemed exaggerated. While the Emperor Jing Ming favored his guards, he wasn’t always on guard; he just a.s.signed many tasks that should have been done by eunuchs to the guards instead. As for other matters, she was unaware.

Hearing Concubine Rong speak of it now, Li Zhizhi became curious and asked, “Why?”

Rong Fei picked up a piece of lamb and said, “Naturally, it’s because the Emperor hasn’t allowed us to serve him at night.”

Li Zhizhi was taken aback. Seeing her wide-eyed expression, Rong Fei couldn’t help but laugh, saying, “Are you that surprised?”

Li Zhizhi hesitated, saying, “I often see the Emperor treating you very well, teaching you characters and painting, fulfilling your every request…”

Rong Fei fell silent for a moment and then said, “It’s true that he treats me well, but the Emperor has no romantic feelings for me. I’m able to enter the harem only because I told him I wanted to be a consort, to enjoy wealth and honor, to be among the high-ranking. That’s why he agreed.”

At this point, she suddenly laughed and asked Li Zhizhi, “Don’t you think that his usual behavior toward me is less like that of a consort and more like he’s raising a daughter?”

Once Rong Fei said this, Li Zhizhi indeed felt it resembled that. Throughout history, how could a husband spend all day quizzing his bed partner? Their interactions, while affectionate, lacked the intimacy of lovers, especially because of their age difference.

Rong Fei fished a slice of lamb out of the pot, blew on it, and put it in her mouth. She chewed casually, without the elegant demeanor she usually had; in fact, it was somewhat crude. With a m.u.f.fled voice, she said, “Now that his legitimate daughter is back in the palace, enjoying his favor, the Emperor no longer needs me, this fake daughter, to satisfy his desires.”

As she chewed on the lamb, her manner was very relaxed, without the usual poise, and she said with a m.u.f.fled voice, “But the Emperor is still very kind; he indulges my every wish, just never allows me to serve him at night. Later, when Chun Fei was brought into the palace, because she resembled the late Empress Xiao Yuan, the Emperor decided to keep her. However, even after all this time in the palace, she hasn’t been able to sleep with the Emperor. Can you guess why?”

There was a hint of cunning in her eyes, and Li Zhizhi speculated, “It must be related to you?”

“How clever! No wonder the Emperor likes you,” Rong Fei said with a smile, then proudly added, “Because I told the Emperor that if he favored Chun Fei even once, he would have to stay a night in my Cui Nong Palace. I can’t let a newcomer climb over me; otherwise, wouldn’t I lose face?”

Her tone was filled with joy as she said, “Since Chun Fei hasn’t been with him, where do you think the child in her belly came from?”

Li Zhizhi was momentarily speechless after hearing this insider information, and then suddenly remembered something.

“Speaking of which, the last time I entered the palace, I ran into Chun Fei on the road. She did seem a bit off…”

She recounted what she had seen to Rong Fei. Rong Fei clapped her hands and confidently said, “It’s said that women experience morning sickness when pregnant; Chun Fei is definitely pregnant.”

Li Zhizhi asked, “What do you plan to do?”

Rong Fei smiled, “Of course, I’ll think of a way to expose her.”

…

After leaving Rong Fei’s quarters, Li Zhizhi walked back with her attendants. The palace was quite large and exquisitely built, but at night, it couldn’t be appreciated; from afar, one could only see the dim palace lights casting a hazy glow, creating a lonely and desolate atmosphere.

A maid carried a lantern ahead, occasionally reminding Li Zhizhi to watch her step. The night wind was slightly chilly, making one’s face numb, so Li Zhizhi had to hold tightly onto the hand warmer and quicken her pace.

As she pa.s.sed by the rockery in the garden, a hand suddenly reached out from the side, grabbing her arm and pulling her into the rocks. Li Zhizhi was startled and was about to scream when a hand covered her mouth, “It’s me.”

A faint scent of sandalwood lingered in the air as Li Zhizhi relaxed her mind, yet she felt both angry and annoyed. Unable to resist, she bit down on his hand. Xiao Yan winced and drew in a breath of cool air but couldn’t help laughing, “Are you a cat? My cat used to bite me like this too.”

Li Zhizhi shot him an annoyed glance and snapped, “What’s wrong with you at this hour?”

“Love sickness.”

Li Zhizhi was momentarily taken aback; how had she never noticed before that he was so shameless?

Outside, a maid’s panicked calls could be heard, likely having discovered her absence. Li Zhizhi quickly raised her voice to respond, “I’m here.”

“Master!”

The maid breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly asked, “Are you alright?”

Li Zhizhi stepped on Xiao Yan’s foot hard but replied, “I’m fine. I’m just tired and resting for a bit.”

“Then I’ll wait for you here.”

“No need,” Li Zhizhi said. “I’ll go back by myself later.”

The maid hesitated for a moment, feeling uneasy, and asked, “Are you really sure you don’t need me to wait?”

“It’s fine, you can go back,” she insisted.

“Yes.”

The maid picked up the palace lamp and walked a few steps before suddenly hearing a sound from that direction, like a soft gasp. She immediately grew suspicious and asked, “Master? What’s wrong?”

After a moment, Li Zhizhi’s voice came through, sounding a bit fl.u.s.tered, “It’s nothing, I’m just swatting mosquitoes.”

The maid was confused; it was already late autumn, and there were still mosquitoes in the palace?

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