Chapter 72

Chapter 72: Zhen Huan Chronicles, An Ling Rong

In the blink of an eye, autumn arrived. The Emperor still did not seem to be planning to return to the palace. That day, after Nian Geng Yao came to the Garden to see the Emperor, he happened to run into Noble Consort Hua on her way to Qin Zheng Hall. The Emperor was unusually generous for once and gave the siblings a chance to speak in private.

Nian Geng Yao and Noble Consort Hua took their leave of the Emperor. The two of them strolled through the Garden, of course with a whole crowd of palace maids and eunuchs trailing behind them. Noble Consort Hua first asked about the family. Then they exchanged a few words of concern for each other.

“Eldest Brother, I want to discuss something with you,” Noble Consort Hua said, hesitating slightly, but still deciding to talk it over with her second brother.

“What is it, Little Sister?” Nian Geng Yao asked, a little surprised. He smiled. “How could anything in the palace give you trouble? Or is someone daring to bully you, the Noble Consort?”

“They do not dare.” Noble Consort Hua lifted her chin, looking proud and smug. “Other than that poisonous Empress, who would dare make me suffer?”

“The Empress?” At the mention of her, Nian Geng Yao’s smile vanished. He frowned. “I heard the Empress is pregnant?”

“Yes.” Noble Consort Hua’s face also turned gloomy. “Who knows what luck that vile woman has. She only served once two months ago, and she got pregnant.”

“I thought the Empress would never be able to bear children again.” An odd light flickered in Nian Geng Yao’s eyes. “For her to conceive at her age is indeed unexpected.” He glanced at the woman beside him. “Little Sister, do you want to make a move?”

“Second Brother, you do not need to do anything.” Noble Consort Hua shook her head. “You cannot interfere in harem matters. The harem is my battlefield. I am not here to talk to you about the Empress.”

“Then what do you want to talk about?” Nian Geng Yao was even more surprised. “Is there something I do not know?”

“I want to talk to you about Consort Xin and the twins.”

“Aren’t you raising the twins together with her?”

“Yes, together.” Noble Consort Hua nodded. “Wen Ning looks too much like my daughter, so I cannot help wanting to adopt her. When Consort Xin learned of it, she did not object. She suggested raising the twins together with me. Consort Xin has no great clan behind her, and she is not a clever person. For Wen Ning’s sake, I am willing to protect her a little.”

“If my little sister is willing to look after her, that is her blessing,” Nian Geng Yao said as if it were only natural. “Did she say something that put you in a difficult position?”

“Yes.” Noble Consort Hua let out a snort-laugh, her voice dropping without her noticing. “I never expected that fool Consort Xin to have such nerve. She said she hopes that one day, the Sixth Prince will call me Imperial Mother.”

“Hm?!” Nian Geng Yao narrowed his eyes.

He was the sort who had climbed to the seat of a powerful minister by backing a new ruler in his rise. How could he fail to hear what that meant? He turned to look at her. “Little Sister, what do you think?”

“Second Brother…” Noble Consort Hua looked a little downcast. “In this life, I will never have children again. Whether it was the little prince before, or the little princess last year, I had no mother-child bond with either of them. I have already stopped forcing it. Consort Xin’s child is not bad. He is also close to me. If it were the past, I naturally would not have thought about this. But…”

She paused.

“Now the Empress is pregnant!” Noble Consort Hua’s eyes flashed with hatred. “No matter what, I will never let the Empress’s child take the throne. Second Brother, will you help me?”

At the end, Noble Consort Hua looked at him with hopeful eyes. “If possible, I want it to be the Sixth Prince.”

“Little Sister, of course I will help you.” Nian Geng Yao nodded. “Choosing the Sixth Prince is fine. But that Consort Xin…” Murderous intent flickered in his eyes. “In the future, it would be better if you alone raised the twins. Our Nian clan is not going to sew someone else’s wedding dress.”

“No.” Noble Consort Hua refused at once. “Whether it is Consort Xin or the An family, they are not worth us guarding against like that. They have no ability, no power, no influence. She and the An family both need to rely on our Nian clan. Besides, the children are still so young. They need their birth mother. If there is no Consort Xin, the Empress Dowager will never allow me to raise the twins. The Empress Dowager has always protected the Empress. Now that the Empress has a child, if she gives birth to a son, the Empress Dowager will be even less willing to let the twins come to me.”

“Then, in your view…”

“For now, we keep it as it is.”

“Keep it as it is?” Nian Geng Yao sounded troubled. “That decision you just made – is it real?”

“Yes.” Noble Consort Hua sneered. “I will not let that poisonous Empress get what she wants. I would rather let that fool Consort Xin benefit from it. Besides, she is willing to offer up the seat of Empress Dowager.”

“If you have decided, Second Brother will support you.” Nian Geng Yao thought for a moment, then said, “No matter whether the Empress gives birth to a princess or a prince, the next emperor must be decided by our Nian clan. The Sixth Prince of the twins is indeed a good choice. Little Sister, spend more time building affection with the twins. I do not want to push an ungrateful wolf onto the throne.”

“Second Brother, do not worry.” Noble Consort Hua looked full of pride. “Consort Xin and the An family are nothing. Other than obeying our arrangements, she has no other choice.”

“Good.”

… Noble Consort Hua accompanied General Nian around the Garden once. It was not long, and not short either. It did not draw much attention. But Li Si Qi knew what the Nian siblings had said.

“Master, I told you Nian Geng Yao is a ruthless man,” Xiao Hu Zi said bluntly. “When he heard Noble Consort Hua wanted to push the Sixth Prince to the top, his first reaction was to kill you. He is no different from the Empress Dowager.”

“That is normal.” Li Si Qi was not surprised at all. “If he did not think that way, it would not suit his status as General Nian. So when we move against him after he wins his battles, we will not have to feel guilty.”

“Understood!”

“We should be about ready to return to the palace,” Li Si Qi changed the subject. “I wonder when the Emperor will decree it.”

“Probably at the end of this month,” Xiao Hu Zi guessed. “The Emperor should return to celebrate the Bestowal of Gold Festival.”

“The Bestowal of Gold Festival is a major holiday,” Li Si Qi replied. “The royal house has no reason not to hold it. By the way, Princess Wen Yi’s first birthday seems to have already passed. Why was there no birthday banquet? Wouldn’t Zhen Huan’s Flying Swan Dance have no chance to appear?”

“Not necessarily.” Xiao Hu Zi grinned. “Those famous scenes will definitely happen. It just depends on when they arrange them.”

“That is true.” Li Si Qi smiled. “How are things between Zhen Huan and the Fruit Raccoon now?”

“You could call them inseparable,” Xiao Hu Zi said with a smile. “As long as Prince Guo comes to the Garden, Zhen Huan will definitely meet him in secret. The two of them spend the whole night staring at the stars and the moon, all lovey-dovey under the flowers. I forgot to tell you something, Master. When Noble Lady Cao heard Prince Guo had entered the Garden, she went to catch Zhen Huan again. She saw the two of them together again, and after that she stopped going to catch them.”

“Zhen Huan is completely trapped in the Fruit Raccoon’s hands.” Li Si Qi could not help shaking her head. “With her weakness in Noble Lady Cao’s hands, she will not come to a good end in the future. That is fine too. We will not need to lift a finger against her.”

“We just push from behind, and that counts as revenge for An Ling Rong.”

“Right. If we can avoid acting, we should avoid acting.”

… As the Bestowal of Gold Festival drew closer, the Emperor finally decreed that they would return to the Forbidden City. After returning to the palace, the consorts did not need to go to Jing Ren Palace to pay their respects. But the Empress Dowager personally summoned the consorts. Noble Consort Hua and Li Si Qi were both among them.

The Empress Dowager, who looked gentle and kind, held herself with dignity. After she spoke a few words to the consorts, she began dismissing everyone.

“Noble Consort Hua and Consort Xin, stay!”

With that one sentence from the Empress Dowager, the two who were about to leave had no choice but to remain.