Chapter 27: What About the Empress? Part 1
The candlelight, filtering through the pores of the red silk bed curtains, cast a glow on Zhao Yiyi’s flawless, beautiful face, making her appear all the more captivating.
Her voice, though soft, held a sharp, decisive edge. Tears welled in her eyes and her words trembled, yet her expression was unshakeably firm.
A flicker of astonishment crossed Gu Zhen’s eyes. His hand, raised to touch her, froze in mid-air. He stared at her for a long moment before asking, his voice laced with disbelief, “What?”
He truly couldn’t believe that such words could come from his Empress.
When he finally collected himself, his expression turned cold. “Is the Empress still determined to be in a pique with Us?” he asked flatly.
So much time had passed. He had taken the initiative, sending gifts as a gesture of goodwill. He, the Emperor, had already lowered himself, and yet she refused to soften in the slightest, determined to continue this standoff.
Zhao Yiyi shook her head. “This consort has no intention of being in a pique with Your Majesty,” she said softly.
There was no handkerchief on the bed, so she wiped the tears from her cheeks with her fingertips. Her hands tightened on a corner of the brocade quilt, and as she spoke, her voice gradually steadied.
Hearing this, Gu Zhen’s expression softened slightly. His thumb gently stroked her face. “Then perhaps the Empress can explain what you meant by those words?”
He had always been a martial man. As Crown Prince, he had personally led the army to the northern deserts, annihilating over ten thousand enemy soldiers in a brutal battle just three years ago, right after their marriage. Since ascending the throne, he had not slacked in his training for a single day. His hands, accustomed to the bow and sword, were covered in a thin layer of calluses.
The rough texture of his thumb against her skin made Zhao Yiyi turn her head away. She pressed her lips together and replied softly, “This consort is truly not capable of being the Empress. I am not fit for this duty.”
“Does the Empress know what she is saying?” Gu Zhen’s hand moved to her neck, his fingers brushing against skin as delicate as white porcelain.
If he were to use just a little force, her fragile, slender neck would easily snap. Why did she have to have so many thoughts? Wasn’t it better to just be obedient?
Gu Zhen suddenly withdrew his hand, a knowing smile touching his lips. “Since the Empress dislikes those hairpins and rings, is there something else you desire?” He leaned down slightly. “Be good. Tell Us.”
The warm breath tickled her ear, causing the tips to flush red. Her eyes, once again, began to well up.
Why? she thought. Why, when he clearly dislikes me, when he finds me so annoying, does he still speak to me in such a gentle, bewitching tone?
Zhao Yiyi bit her lip and did not answer.
A flicker of irritation appeared in Gu Zhen’s eyes, but he managed to maintain his patience and asked again.
His mellow voice was an enticement, leading her step-by-step into an abyss. A sliver of hope rose in Zhao Yiyi’s heart again, but she only whispered, “This consort desires nothing.”
For a fleeting moment, she had wanted to beg him one more time.
But just as the words were about to form, the memories of that day flooded her mind, and a chilling fear stopped her from speaking.
The bedchamber window was slightly ajar. When he had been speaking to the palace attendants outside just moments before, their voices had carried into the room, every word clear. If she provoked his anger again now, and he reprimanded her, the attendants outside would hear everything.
That was a humiliation, a predicament, that she simply could not bear to experience a second time.
And so, she chose silence. It was a long while before she finally said, “This consort only wishes for Your Majesty’s health and well-being, for peace and safety, year after year.”
Her words did not please Gu Zhen. An undercurrent churned in his dark eyes. He stroked the hair at her temple, his face like stone. “We will ask this only once more. The Empress had best think carefully before she speaks.”
What did she want?
Zhao Yiyi tilted her head, thinking. She wanted A’Chen and Duanduan to be safe and sound. She wanted her elder brother to have a smooth official career. She wanted to grow old with her husband, and she wanted him to take no other consorts, to have only her for his entire life.
These were all things she had once dreamed of, her greatest wishes. But in a single night, that hope had been shattered, and now, none of it was within her reach. It had all become an illusion.
The things she wanted, he could not give. The things he was willing to give, she did not want. If that was the case, why continue to torment each other?
No, perhaps there was still one thing she could ask for.
After a long moment of contemplation, she knelt on the bed and met Gu Zhen’s dark, terrifying gaze, mustering all the courage she had ever possessed. “Your Majesty, rest assured. In the future, this consort will remain quietly in Jiaofang Palace. I will not trouble you at Zichen Palace again.”
With that, she lowered her trembling lashes, her eyes fixed on the bee-and-plum-blossom pattern on the quilt.
Gu Zhen was suddenly furious. He seized her chin, forcing her to look up at him, and demanded coldly, “We gave you days to reflect, and this is what you’ve come up with?”
Reflect? she thought. What was there for me to reflect on?
His grip was painful. Zhao Yiyi’s eyes reddened again, and tears began to gather. Her body trembled as she said in a choked voice, “Every word from this consort’s heart is true.”
So she was still in a pique with him.
It was a good thing he had thought she had become more obedient, that her temper was no longer so stubborn. He hadn’t expected her to still be throwing a tantrum, paying no heed to his words at all.
“As the Empress, are these the words you should be saying?” In the past, Gu Zhen had only found the Empress too soft and fragile, not a match for him in the slightest. Keeping her by his side was nothing but a burden.
But now, he found himself missing the docile, obedient Empress of before.
Zhao Yiyi’s eyes grew redder. So, he does know I am the Empress?
Then has he ever, even once, given me the dignity an Empress deserves?
Zhao Yiyi let out a soft sob and asked in return, “Then what does Your Majesty think this consort should be saying?”
She lowered her head and wept, her soft voice breaking, the words barely forming a sentence.
As Empress, she was always composed and graceful, her speech measured, a faint smile always on her lips. She was a model of virtue, one who would be praised even in the annals of history.
It was rare for her to be so heartbroken, so utterly devastated.
Gu Zhen’s heart suddenly softened. He stared at her for a long time before his tone finally softened. “Alright, stop this.”
Stop this.
Those three simple words were enough to shatter the defenses she had so painstakingly built, leaving them in ruins.
This?
He still thinks I’m making a scene?
“It’s been so long. Hasn’t your anger cooled yet?” Gu Zhen asked gently.
Zhao Yiyi blinked, her eyes misty. “Does Your Majesty believe this consort is throwing a tantrum?”
Gu Zhen didn’t answer. He simply stared at her with his cold, placid eyes, which made it perfectly clear that yes, he did think she was throwing a tantrum, and he thought it had gone on long enough.
Zhao Yiyi suddenly remembered her aunt once telling her that a little pique now and then could win a husband’s affection. But if it went on for too long, it would only breed resentment.
He must feel she had crossed that line, that his patience was wearing thin.
A sourness welled up in her heart, but the resolve in her eyes only hardened. She looked up, a gentle smile on her lips. “Your Majesty, this consort is not throwing a tantrum with you. I am simply… tired.”
“This consort was ignorant before and has indeed caused Your Majesty much trouble.”
Such obedient, thoughtful words should have pleased him, but for some reason, he felt a rising sense of panic.
As he expected, after a brief pause, she continued, “This consort cannot manage the palace affairs well, nor can I fulfill my duties as Empress. In the future, I will remain in Jiaofang Palace. Unless summoned, I will not disturb Your Majesty or cause you any distress.”
Gu Zhen’s expression was calm, but his phoenix eyes were like a stormy sea. “Is this the Empress’s answer for Us?” he asked flatly.
His voice was as gentle as a spring breeze, but beneath it, one could hear the rumbling of an approaching storm.
His dark eyes held her fast. Zhao Yiyi’s heart trembled, but she met his gaze without flinching and pressed her lips together. “Yes. This is this consort’s answer for Your Majesty.”
“Good. Good. Good!” Gu Zhen repeated the word several times, clearly enraged to his limit. Through gritted teeth, he added, “Very good!”
He had wrestled with his thoughts in his study until late into the night before finally choosing to follow his heart and come to Jiaofang Palace to see her. It was the first time in his life he had taken the initiative to make peace with someone.
He had thought that as long as she admitted she was wrong—no, she didn’t even need to admit it, as long as she was obedient and stopped making a scene—he could let the past go.
But she refused to accept his goodwill.
Seeing his face turn thunderous, Zhao Yiyi had the sense to look away. She clenched her hands on her robes, her knuckles turning white from the force.
Gu Zhen sneered at her. Since the Empress refused his goodwill, there was no need for him to make a fool of himself by staying any longer.
“Since the Empress has thought it through and made her own decision, then We have nothing more to say.” Gu Zhen stood up from the bed, his icy gaze sweeping over her face, inch by inch, making her shrink back.
As he turned to leave, Zhao Yiyi said softly, “This consort respectfully sees Your Majesty off.”
She rose from the bed, wiped her tears haphazardly, and draped an outer robe over her shoulders before following him out, her slippered feet padding softly on the floor.
Hearing her footsteps behind him, Gu Zhen felt an inexplicable irritation. He quickened his pace, his face cold as he strode out of the bedchamber.
The palace attendants stood by, their heads bowed, not daring to look up. They had heard the faint sounds of an argument from within, and their hearts were already in their throats. Now, seeing the Emperor storm out of the hall, they were so terrified they buried their faces even lower.
It was the second time the Emperor had come to Jiaofang Palace only to leave in a rage.
The attendants were bewildered. Her Majesty loved the Emperor so much; his visits would make her happy for days. How could she have angered him?
At the door, Gu Zhen suddenly turned and met the Empress’s panicked, lost eyes.
Her hibiscus face was stained with tears, her smooth, dark hair unbound, a thin night robe covered only by a simple vest. Even the slippers on her feet were on wrong.
She looked utterly wretched.
Seeing him look at her, she took a helpless step back, her hands twisting the corners of her robes as she bit her lip.
She had always been impeccably composed, radiant and beautiful. When had she ever looked so pitiful?
For a fleeting moment, Gu Zhen’s heart softened. Then, he forced himself to harden it once more. “The Empress will remember her words today,” he said coldly. “Stay here in Jiaofang Palace and think things over. When you’ve come to your senses, you can come and tell Us.”
Countless palace servants stood in the hall. Though their heads were bowed low, they were still living, breathing people. The moment his cold words left his mouth, Zhao Yiyi wanted to find a place to hide.
Although she had resolved not to love him anymore, how could she so easily forget the person she had loved for so long, the person she had held in her heart for so long? Her emotions were still tied to him.
If she could hide, she wouldn’t have to hear these words.
She wouldn’t have to know how many people had heard his cold reprimand, how many had witnessed her, the Empress, lose all dignity.
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