novelraw Chapter 391
Chapter 391
As Chu Ruoyan walked out of the Hall of Mental Cultivation, she heard the resounding chants of "Long live, long live, long live his Majesty" echoing behind her.
Countless figures, both familiar and unfamiliar, knelt down, performing the grand ceremony of three kneelings and nine kowtows.
The palace lanterns bathed everything in a layer of soft light. She looked up at the night sky and found that the bright moon was exceptionally radiant tonight!
"This is wonderful, My Lady. After the Lord ascends the throne, you will be..."
Even someone as steady as Nanny Zhou could not hold back her excitement.
Who could have imagined it?
Her young lady, who had been frail and sickly since childhood, married a crippled general whose entire family had died in battle, yet through a twist of fate, she actually became the Empress!
The corners of Chu Ruoyan's lips curled up into a smile. Remembering something, she instructed, "By the way, Nanny Zhou, send a letter home to Yangzhou tomorrow. Ask Father to bring Aunt and Third Sister back together, will you?"
After all, the capital was their true roots.
Nanny Zhou complied. A clever eunuch nearby leaned in and asked, "Does Her Majesty the Empress have any other orders? We servants are also willing to share Your Majesty's burdens!"
Her Majesty the Empress?
Chu Ruoyan was still somewhat unaccustomed to hearing this title. "No, you may all step down for now..." Her voice suddenly stopped. Remembering something, she said, "Let's go, come with me to see two people."
Pixiang Palace.
After Yan Zheng took control of the imperial palace, he relocated all the imperial concubines of the inner court here.
Concubine Yan, Consort Rong, Consort Shu... including the Dowager Noble Consort who had previously been imprisoned in Ningshou Palace, were all brought over together.
"Speak up! Are you all mute? The Emperor is gone. Do you all want to spend the rest of your lives in this Pixiang Palace?" Gu Feiyan slammed her hand on the table with a loud smack, still putting on the airs of her noble consort status.
Consort Shu, the biological mother of Princess Jiahui, said timidly, "What else can we do? The Emperor has passed away, and now it is Chief Minister Yan who has the final say in this palace..."
Gu Feiyan snorted and strode over to Rong Su. "Second Sister Rong, don't you have some connection with Yan Zheng? Why don't you go and plead with him for everyone? At the very least, let us return to our respective homes instead of trapping us to die in this deep palace, alright?"
She had mentioned this to her grandfather before, but unfortunately, her grandfather was so grieved by the Emperor's tragic death that he didn't listen at all.
Now, she had to find a way out for herself!
However, Rong Su was like an old monk in deep meditation, keeping her eyes closed and remaining completely still.
Gu Feiyan angrily reached out to grab her, but was pushed away by the maid beside Rong Su. "Concubine Yan! If you want to leave the palace, go bring it up with Chief Minister Yan yourself. Why drag our lady into this? Oh, this servant understands. It's because you have offended Chief Minister Yan, and especially his wife!"
Hit right on her weak spot, Gu Feiyan flew into a rage. She raised her hand to strike the maid, but just then, a stern shout rang out: "Enough!"
It was the Dowager Noble Consort who spoke. Her scarred face bore an awe-inspiring expression. "We have already reached this point, and you still want to argue endlessly? Concubine Yan, although everyone is under house arrest here, we lack neither food nor clothing, and the palace servants have not been dismissed. What is there to be dissatisfied about? If you do not want to live here, go find someone to plead your case yourself. There is no need to shout and scream here!"
Gu Feiyan's anger rushed to her head. Pointing at her, she cursed, "You ugly monster! Do you think you are still some Dowager Noble Consort? We have all become prisoners now. What right do you have to lecture me? Hmph, at least I still have my grandfather and a hope of getting out. But as for the rest of you, you'll stay in this Pixiang Palace for the rest of your lives, waiting to die and rot—"
Before she could finish her sentence, there was a loud slap.
She was slapped to the ground.
Gu Feiyan was dazed for a moment before yelling, "Who? Who dares to hit this noble consort! My grandfather is Gu Sun!"
Slap!
Another slap landed, causing both sides of her face to swell up high. Then she heard a familiar, cold voice: "If your grandfather were not Gu Sun, you would already be buried with the late Emperor right now."
She looked up in terror, only to see that the person who arrived was none other than Chu Ruoyan!!
She also recognized the person who had slapped her; it was Yin Li, the godson of Yin Shun.
In the past, she would always order him around, beating or scolding him. But at this moment, this young eunuch stood before her, bowing and scraping to Chu Ruoyan as he said, "Your Majesty the Empress, please do not get angry. This palace is very large. Besides Pixiang Palace, there are also the Ye Court and the Laundry Bureau. The former Concubine Yan can be invited to any of those places."
The implication was that she could be moved to another place and locked up in solitary confinement.
Gu Feiyan immediately covered her face and fell silent. The Dowager Noble Consort, however, raised her eyes and asked, "Your Majesty the Empress? Has Yan Zheng... really declared himself Emperor?"
Yin Li instinctively wanted to scold her for being insolent, but seeing that the Empress remained silent, he held it back.
After a good while, Chu Ruoyan finally replied, "Yes."
The Dowager Noble Consort's gaze dimmed. "The Emperor and the Empress Dowager... have they really passed away as well?"
Chu Ruoyan nodded slightly. The Dowager Noble Consort immediately clutched her chest. "The will of Heaven... Is this truly the will of Heaven? The late Emperor seized the throne from the Yun family, and now, barely two generations later, the throne has returned to the hands of the Yun family's son-in-law. This is the will of Heaven!!"
Her chest heaved violently a couple of times, looking as if she were about to lose her breath.
Chu Ruoyan quickly ordered, "Summon the imperial physician to treat the Dowager Noble Consort!"
The Dowager Noble Consort was helped into the adjacent hall. The remaining concubines looked at Chu Ruoyan as if mice seeing a cat.
Chu Ruoyan did not mind. Her gaze swept around the room and landed on Rong Su's face.
She walked up to her and suddenly bent her knees, offering a half-curtsy.
"Your Majesty the Empress!"
All the palace servants behind her were so frightened that they fell to their knees.
Rong Su opened her eyes, looking at her with a very calm expression. "I am unworthy of such a grand gesture from Your Majesty the Empress."
"No," Chu Ruoyan said. "Grand Tutor Rong sacrificed his life to admonish the state. As his only daughter, you deserve this respect."
Rong Su's entire body trembled violently, and tears streamed from her eyes. "My father... he really..."
Chu Ruoyan was slightly surprised. "You knew?"
Rong Su covered her face and wept bitterly. "How could I not know? Before going to court, my father specifically came to see me. He even said he had arranged an excellent way out for me. Father... it is I who have let you down!!"
Chu Ruoyan suddenly understood. No wonder Grand Tutor Rong's resolve to sacrifice himself was so firm. In doing so, he must have also hoped to use this merit to ensure that Yan Zheng would treat his daughter well, right?
But the person was already gone; saying anything more was meaningless.
Chu Ruoyan pursed her lips and said, "Second Miss Rong, whatever thoughts you have, you may raise them. I can make a promise on behalf of Yan Zheng."
As soon as these words came out, Nanny Zhou's eyelid twitched.
Her young lady was really something, making such a promise. What if the desperate Rong Su wanted to enter the Lord's inner court?
But Rong Su only looked at her sorrowfully and shook her head. "I have no thoughts. When I entered the palace back then, I only wanted to help him, but now..." She choked up. The current her was no longer worthy of him.
After a long silence, she finally said, "I want to go back to the Rong family to take a look."
Chu Ruoyan said, "Alright!" She turned her head and glanced at Yin Li. This clever young eunuch had already smartly dropped to one knee in a salute. "This servant will escort Consort Rong back to her residence!"
His attitude was extremely respectful, entirely different from how he treated Gu Feiyan.
Gu Feiyan was half-dead with anger. Watching Rong Su, who had nothing left, walk out of Pixiang Palace a step ahead of her, and then looking at Chu Ruoyan—she had once thought that by marrying high into the imperial family, she could suppress her. But now, the tables had turned, and Chu Ruoyan had actually become the high and mighty Empress!
In a flash of malicious courage, she viciously charged straight into Chu Ruoyan's stomach!