Chapter 48: Double Standards part 1
The evening breeze blew gently, causing the pear tree overhead to sway with the wind, sending down countless snow-white petals drifting through the air.
“Yes,” a cheerful voice said. “Things have come to this; am I really supposed to wait for him just for that flimsy, illusory promise?”
“Even if he truly fulfills that promise in the future, what meaning would it have? I don’t need it anymore, anyway.”
After a moment of silence, Gu Zhen heard Yiyi laugh suddenly, her voice warm as she spoke, “As long as you have a plan in your heart, that is good. I thought you couldn’t let it go. The Cui family is determined to tear up all decorum this time; even if we tried to salvage it, it would only be our family losing face.”
A few laughs drifted from the inner hall, followed by the sound of whispering, which he could no longer hear clearly.
But that single sentence just now was enough to nail him to the spot.
Once things have happened, trying to remedy them loses all meaning.
Suddenly plunging into a ringing silence, Gu Zhen felt a wave of dizziness. His throat tightened, and the blood in his entire body seemed to stagnate for an instant.
Yes.
His initial disgust, impatience, and disregard for Yiyi, his arrogant attitude, and the grievances he had let her suffer over these years, intentionally or not—how could they be easily written off? How could they be easily remedied?
Previously, it was indeed his own wishful thinking.
He had thought that making some compensation, treating her a bit better in the future, and keeping her matters in mind would be enough.
He had completely forgotten that perhaps Yiyi did not want his compensation, nor did she wish to be kept in his mind.
Listening to the voice of the person in the hall, a pain rose in his chest, and he almost wanted to flee in panic.
Yet, he could not resist the longing in his heart, and ultimately, he lifted his foot and walked in.
As the Emperor entered abruptly, the two people in the hall were momentarily stunned. Zhao Duanduan hurriedly withdrew from Zhao Yiyi’s embrace, bowing her body in greeting: “May Your Majesty have ten thousand peace.”
Gu Zhen nodded indifferently and told her to rise. Zhao Yiyi glanced at him and asked softly, “Why has Your Majesty come at this hour?”
Since returning from the Altar of Silkworms, the two had not seen each other for several days. At this moment, her cicada-like head was slightly bowed, standing there with lowered eyebrows and a submissive eye; there was not a trace of a smile on her face, nor any other gesture of intimacy.
Gu Zhen couldn’t help but think of the past.
If it were the past, Yiyi would inevitably have guided him to a seat first, or helped him remove his outer robe, or poured tea and peeled fruit for him, or perhaps massaged the acupoints on his head.
Things he hadn’t taken to heart and had taken for granted before—now that they were gone, he missed them more and more.
“Since the Silkworm Ceremony, Zhen hasn’t come to see you for a few days.” Gu Zhen sat down in the seat of honor, his voice deep and mellow. “Are you in a bad mood today? I heard you specifically issued an Empress’s decree.”
Since he knew she had issued a decree, did he not know the content within it?
Zhao Yiyi pursed her lips, not really wanting to answer. She closed her eyes briefly before saying, “There were indeed some matters today that annoyed this consort.”
“Alright, don’t be angry.” Gu Zhen gazed at her and let out a laugh, his expression appearing somewhat helpless. “What is your status, and what is theirs? Why get so angry over such trivial matters? It isn’t worth it.”
Zhao Yiyi sat by his side, while Zhao Duanduan stood with head bowed in attendance beside her, staring at the lotus patterns on the floor rug in a daze, her heart suddenly filled with surprise.
Why is His Majesty…
In her impression, although the Emperor’s temperament was gentle, he had always been unapproachable, faintly exuding a solitary and cold arrogance. He treated her Elder Sister with consistent respect fitting a guest, but it could hardly be called intimate.
But the Emperor’s appearance today was decidedly different from the past.
She looked up in confusion, stealing a glance at her Elder Sister, then at the Emperor, only to meet a pair of eyes as cold as water. She was startled, and quickly buried her head back down.
“Duanduan.” Zhao Yiyi’s expression remained as usual as she turned sideways to call her sister. “Didn’t you bring quite a few things into the palace? Why haven’t you let Yunzhu lead you to the rear hall to unpack? Do you plan to stay until bedtime?”
Zhao Duanduan was a bit flustered. After letting out an “Ah,” she hurriedly said, “Elder Sister, I’ll go right now. There isn’t that much stuff.”
Yunzhu understood and stepped forward to invite her: “Second Miss, let this slave take you down. Those two or three large chests of yours will need a good sorting out. Her Highness has ordered that you will stay in the side hall for these days…”
The voices of the two grew fainter until they could no longer be heard. Only then did Zhao Yiyi turn to Gu Zhen and say softly, “Then, Your Majesty, tell this consort, what should be done?”
Gu Zhen wanted to say that he could punish Zhao Weimin for the crime of adultery, but the image of her looking at him in despair that day, begging for the Zhao family, suddenly surfaced in his mind.
So, he silently swallowed those words back.
“Whoever makes you unhappy, you make them unhappy.” Gu Zhen’s voice carried a hint of his former gentleness, but it wasn’t the superficial kind from before. “Yiyi, you are the Empress. You have no need to have so many scruples.”
Looking at the sky outside the window, the setting sun reflected a fiery red sky. Zhao Yiyi wanted to go out and admire the sunset, but suddenly felt a bit impatient.
“This consort has already been bullied to my face; should I not be angry? If they bullied this consort, it wouldn’t be crucial; I could endure it. But how can I sit and watch my younger siblings be bullied by outsiders?”
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the person beside her, her expression faint, her tone also somewhat cold and hard.
Gu Zhen poured a cup of tea and handed it over, looking at her as he said, ” Zhen already knows about your sister’s matter. But you still have parents above you, and she herself is no longer a child. You don’t need to take everything upon yourself.”
“She is only in her teens; where has she experienced such things?” Zhao Yiyi’s face darkened a few shades. As she thought about it, her eyes felt a little sore. “Duanduan is indeed no longer a child. Linchuan is about the same age as her, yet she is still considered young and ignorant!”
These were words the Empress Dowager often said to her in the past. There were even a few times when he was present, yet he had said nothing.
Gu Zhen was momentarily speechless. He rubbed the space between his brows and said helplessly, “Didn’t Zhen already punish her that day? Don’t be angry, alright? Two bolts of cloth in three days—the silkworm women said she hardly slept for the last two nights, weaving day and night for two days just to barely finish it.”
His Mother was naturally unhappy about this and wanted to demand an explanation from him, sending people to Zichen Palace several times to ask, which disturbed him so much that he hadn’t gone to Wanchun Palace for these past few days.
“Regarding the past, it was Zhen ‘s fault. Will you stop blaming me, alright?”
Zhao Yiyi’s brow showed a trace of irritability. Actually, she wanted to be gentler, and she didn’t want to have any more discord with him. But recalling the things she had heard today, she couldn’t suppress the nameless fire in her heart.
“This consort understands.” After saying this, she apologized to him: “This consort lost her composure momentarily; I hope Your Majesty will forgive me.”
Gu Zhen paused, then said softly, “You and I are husband and wife; there is no need to be so distant.”
He wanted to reach out and rub her small, white-jade-like earlobe, just as he used to do often in the past, but he didn’t dare extend his hand. He only turned his head to look at the rear hall and said warmly, “In the future, Zhen will find a satisfactory match for your sister. Don’t worry.”
This time, Zhao Yiyi looked him squarely in the eye, and the smile on her face was much more sincere: “Many thanks, Your Majesty.”
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