Part 2
At this point, no matter how she answered, it was wrong.
A moment later, she replied softly, “This subject wife privately thought it would be inappropriate to trouble Your Highness with such a trivial matter.”
Zhao Yiyi’s expression was calm, without a trace of displeasure, her voice as clear and moist as ever. “Knowing it was inappropriate, why did you speak it out just now, making everyone uncomfortable?”
The atmosphere in the hall was depressed. The musicians had stopped playing long before the silk was awarded. In this split second, one could hear a pin drop.
“Before the banquet just now, I heard the Grand Consort arguing with Aunt Runan. The Grand Consort prides herself on seniority and regards etiquette heavily. But have you considered that Aunt Runan is an Imperial Daughter? How could you speak so disrespectfully?” Zhao Yiyi sighed lightly and said warmly, “The Grand Consort is getting on in years and acts muddled. Since you remembered it just now, it is a good thing. Then return home immediately.”
Yunzhu immediately signaled to the side. Before Grand Consort Lujiang could react, two strong and sturdy palace servants surrounded her, making a gesture of invitation with smiles that didn’t reach their eyes.
“Grand Consort, do not make it difficult for us servants. Don’t you agree?”
Facing two such burly palace servants, Grand Consort Lujiang had no doubt that if she said no, she would probably be dragged out in the next moment.
Having lived for decades, she still cared about face. With a cold face, she stood up and left resentfully.
After she left, it was quiet for only a moment before the banquet became lively again. Only this time, the smiles directed at the Empress were several times more sincere. Some even added a trace of flattery.
After all, no one wanted to be ruthlessly humiliated by the Empress on such an occasion.
If that really happened, one would die of shame.
How could one still establish a footing in Luoyang?
After the silk bundles were bestowed one by one, everyone was told to rest and wait for the banquet later in the evening.
Zhao Yiyi removed the flower hairpins from her head and leaned on the low couch in the inner hall to rest her eyes. Qin Yanyin sat on a small stool nearby peeling an orange, smiling at her. “Then it’s settled. In a few days, we will go to the back of Bei Mang to view the plum blossoms together.”
“I already agreed, yet you keep talking about it. Your nagging gives me a headache. Are you afraid I’ll go back on my word?” Zhao Yiyi found it somewhat funny, glancing at her helplessly, a look of laziness in her expression.
Qin Yanyin put a segment of orange flesh into her mouth and hummed lightly. “Am I not afraid Your Highness will go back on your word? Last time I invited you to view the ginkgo trees, you agreed so well. But then what happened? You went on the autumn hunt with His Majesty and were gone for half a month. By the time Your Highness returned, the ginkgo leaves had all fallen.”
With this sentence, Zhao Yiyi’s thoughts drifted back to the past.
That was when she was still the Crown Princess. It was the first time she accompanied him on an autumn hunt. She wandered around the woods and caught nothing; in the end, it was Mancao who hunted a pheasant.
When he returned to the tent in the evening, although his face was still cold, he said he had hunted a black fox. He had no use for it himself, so he told her she could make a cloak out of it.
At that time, she only shyly said yes, but her heart was full of joy.
Still deep in thought, Qin Yanyin’s chatter came to her ears: “Don’t tell me this time, you’re going somewhere with His Majesty again?”
Zhao Yiyi glanced at her and chuckled. “If you don’t want me to go, just say so directly. You’re always imagining things.”
Qin Yanyin stopped talking. After muttering a few sentences, she said to her again, “My younger sister’s wedding with the Zhao Heir is imminent. Will Your Highness go?”
hearing this, Zhao Yiyi understood that she was asking for grace for her sister.
According to reason, when a direct elder was in prison, the younger generation was not allowed to marry. However, Zhao Yuan was about to be posted away immediately. Waiting to discuss marriage after returning to the capital wasn’t realistic. So they went directly to the prison and had Zhao Weimin write a document permitting him to marry, signed and fingerprinted as proof.
Zhao Yuan’s future was uncertain now. He had sent someone to ask the Qin family if the marriage should continue. After weighing the pros and cons, the Qin family expected that the Empress wouldn’t completely ignore her biological brother, so they allowed the marriage to proceed.
“I’ll see if I have free time then.” Zhao Yiyi leaned diagonally against the low couch and whispered, “Rest assured. Whether I go or not, the rewards won’t be lacking.”
With these words, Qin Yanyin undoubtedly took a reassurance pill. She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at her. “The Zhao Heir asked to let Yinyin stay in Luoyang after marriage so she can still serve his parents. My mother also thinks it’s good, but she insists on following him.”
In youth, one always does things regardless of personal safety. Moreover, separating right after marriage, she would worry about her husband having someone else while away.
Zhao Yiyi couldn’t help but smile.
“I heard from His Majesty that the place Elder Brother is going to is extremely harsh. You should persuade them again and describe the conditions there thoroughly. If they can’t be persuaded… they are grown adults; they should make their own decisions.”
Qin Yanyin said yes.
After resting for a long time, when the sun was setting in the west, Zhao Yiyi changed into light clothes and came out of the inner hall.
The expressions of everyone in the courtyard were strange. Just as she was about to ask, Yunzhu walked over quickly and whispered, “Your Highness, His Majesty just issued a decree stating that Grand Consort Lujiang’s words and deeds were improper and her behavior lacked virtue. He has demoted the Prince of Lujiang to a Duke in Zichen Palace.”
Zhao Yiyi was stunned at first, then nodded and whispered, “I know.”
The Emperor’s action today undoubtedly gave the Empress the confidence to issue orders. Everyone who had been watching from the sidelines was now in turmoil, feeling completely dazed.
The evening banquet was held on Kunlun Island in the Taiye Pool, requiring a boat ride to reach.
Neither the Emperor nor the Empress was to be trifled with today. Singing in harmony, they had disposed of the Lujiang Prince’s lineage just like that.
Coupled with the court officials who had been punished one by one recently, the remaining people saw this and dared not mention the matter of the Marquis of Huai’an today. Looking at the situation, if they spoiled His Majesty’s mood, ten heads wouldn’t be enough to chop off.
Therefore, the evening banquet went incredibly smoothly. If there was talk, it was about state affairs; no one dared to stare at the Emperor’s family matters.
“You see, if Zhen is slightly gentler, they try to push their luck.” Gu Zhen complained in a low voice. He quietly held Zhao Yiyi’s hand under the table, squeezed it gently, and smiled again. “Yiyi was quite assertive for Zhen today.”
Zhao Yiyi still sat upright, quietly withdrawing her hand, and said gravely, “Your Majesty pretended to be gentle too much in the past, making the officials believe it was true. Isn’t this all retribution?”
Gu Zhen laughed heartily and turned to look at her. “Are you unwilling to give even a single word of comfort?”
The warm candlelight shone on him, making his phoenix eyes seem to glow. Zhao Yiyi said, “En, they were indeed pushing their luck too much. Your Majesty should be tougher.”
Hearing the perfunctory tone in her words, a reflection of helplessness appeared in Gu Zhen’s eyes. He squeezed her fingertips resentfully and said helplessly, “Zhen will be angered to death by you sooner or later.”
Zhao Yiyi looked at him and said indifferently, “It’s New Year’s Day. What is this talk of death? Being such a grown man, you have no taboos.”
Blocked neither lightly nor heavily, Gu Zhen remembered that when they entered just now, there was some snow mixed with fallen leaves on the ground. She didn’t like it much, frowning and saying it was dirty to death, and was scolded by him a couple of times.
She was still holding a grudge.
“There is no one more vengeful than you. In that heart of yours, is there a place specially reserved for remembering Zhen’s faults?” Gu Zhen said somewhat annoyedly, but other than that, he couldn’t bear to say anything harsher.
Zhao Yiyi said with a smile, “It is good that Your Majesty knows. I am remembering them one by one.”
When the moon reached the middle of the sky, the banquet finally dispersed one by one.
Everyone left the hall successively. Some had already taken boats to leave, while those who hadn’t dispersed gathered in twos and threes under the courtyard lights to talk.
Zhao Yiyi had drunk a bit too much grape wine and was somewhat woozy. She sat in the hall for a while longer, supporting her head.
Allowing her to recover for a moment, Gu Zhen knew they couldn’t stay like this. He softened his voice and asked, “It is getting late. Will you go back with Zhen?”
The familiar voice entered her ears. Zhao Yiyi slowly turned her head to look, her expression a bit sluggish. She nodded blankly.
The people who hadn’t left yet saw the Emperor and Empress coming out arm in arm, stopping together outside the hall. Everyone saw His Majesty hand over a hand warmer, but the Empress refused to take it, even reaching out to push it away.
Stalemate for a moment, His Majesty lowered his head to coax her, but there was no improvement.
Unknown how long passed, perhaps His Majesty whispered something, the Empress’s complexion improved slightly, and she took the hand warmer.
Watching him take the place of the servant, supporting her hand step by step down the white marble stairs in front of the hall, a look of trance flashed across Zhao Yiyi’s face.
Quietly admiring him for several years, married for three years, how could Zhao Yiyi not know that he had always been the proudest person who cared about face? Yet today, he was willing to support her down like a servant in front of everyone.
She pursed her lips, trying to pull away. “This concubine is somewhat tired and should go back to rest.”
“En, Zhen will ride the boat out with you,” he said.
Bowing to see the Emperor and Empress off, everyone gasped sharply as if just coming back to their senses.
Someone nudged his colleague beside him and whispered, “Regarding the Marquis of Huai’an’s business, His Majesty is probably annoyed with it all. If you still want to impeach the Empress, you’d better save it.”
Today wasn’t cold, but there was still some wind on the pool surface at night. Zhao Yiyi leaned against the side of the light boat, leaning forward to look at the flowing water in the pool. The Taiye Pool had frozen some time ago. Now that the ice had thinned, people had been sent to break it open two days ago, but there were still some remnants of ice slag.
“Yiyi.”
A soft call came from beside her, causing her to turn her head slowly to look, only to meet a pair of phoenix eyes as deep as a cold pool.
“Hmm?” Zhao Yiyi tilted her head and asked what was wrong.
Her hand was held. She only heard Gu Zhen call her name again, then say softly, “Yiyi, it is the New Year. Let us start over too.”
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