Part 2
Linchuan opened her mouth, wanting to say yes, but a thought flashed in her mind, telling her not to speak.
Gu Zhen lowered his eyes, staring at this sister for a long time, and said in a deep voice, “Since you wanted to go with the Empress, you should have been the one waiting for the Empress! How is there any logic in the Empress waiting for you, a titled lady?”
He hadn’t mentioned coming to the Altar of Agriculture in advance, so Linchuan’s plan had been to make the Empress wait for her.
Thinking of Yiyi’s weak nature, she certainly wouldn’t have refused. Gu Zhen’s chest twitched slightly, and his gaze grew colder.
Linchuan gradually realized where the problem lay. She said gently, “Imperial Brother, I accidentally woke up late. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
Gu Zhen nodded: “So that is how it is.”
Linchuan’s eyes brightened, but she heard him say, “Regarding today’s matter, go back to your residence and reflect on it properly. Since you don’t care about this Sericulture Rite, then you don’t need to go to the sacrifice to the First Silkworm tomorrow either.”
“Imperial Brother!” Linchuan’s expression changed, her face full of shock, and she subconsciously cried out.
Not all titled ladies had the qualification to accompany the Empress in the Sericulture Rite. Usually, only those of the fifth rank and above could follow. However, this was the Empress’s first time performing the rite, so the titled ladies in the capital who could come had all come.
Countless eyes were watching.
She had already arrived at the Altar and even played with everyone in the afternoon. If Imperial Brother told her not to accompany the sacrifice, wouldn’t that tear her face to shreds?
Not only torn to shreds, but also thrown on the ground and stomped on twice.
But Gu Zhen was already somewhat tired and didn’t wish to say more to her. He just waved his hand and said indifferently, “Your handwriting is unsightly, and Zhen can’t be bothered to make you copy books. It just so happens there is plenty of silk thread at this Altar. For the next few days, follow the silkworm women and learn to weave cloth. In these three days at the Altar, weave at least two bolts of cloth for Zhen.”
Linchuan had only played with a spinning wheel once or twice in her life; where had she ever learned to weave? She called out in disbelief, “Imperial Brother?”
He gave Linchuan a warning look: “Don’t think of outwardly agreeing but inwardly disobeying.”
Although he was accompanying the Empress for the rite, Gu Zhen still had many government affairs to handle, and he had brought all the memorials with him.
After discussing matters in the evening, he got up and went to Yanjia Hall.
The lights in the hall had long been extinguished, with only a lamp lit under the corridor emitting a faint light.
Without letting the palace attendants announce him, Gu Zhen quietly entered the inner chamber. The madder-red curtains before the couch draped to the floor, swaying gently with the night breeze. A softness welled up in Gu Zhen’s eyes as he approached the bed.
“Yunzhu.” The person in the curtains seemed to sense something and suddenly called out in a low voice, “Pour me a cup of tea.”
Although established as Crown Prince shortly after birth, Gu Zhen wasn’t spoiled growing up; in the army, he handled many things himself. Though he had never served anyone, he naturally knew how to do something simple like pouring tea.
Without time to think much, he poured a cup of tea, walked with large strides to the couch, lifted the curtain, and while holding the tea cup in one hand, supported her shoulder with the other to help her up slightly.
The warm breath beside her and the somewhat tall figure made Zhao Yiyi freeze abruptly. Turning her head blankly, she realized the person wasn’t Yunzhu, but him.
Zhao Yiyi felt a bit panicked and subconsciously shrank towards the inside of the bed. Sensing her fear and resistance, Gu Zhen silently fed her the water and explained somewhat stiffly, “Zhen just came over to see you.”
Zhao Yiyi blinked. After barely adapting to the darkness in the hall, she whispered, “The night is deep; Your Majesty should rest.”
“Alright,” he responded lightly. Watching her finish that cup of tea, he said softly, “Linchuan was disrespectful to you today. Zhen has already ordered that she need not attend the sacrifice tomorrow and must reflect alone in her residence.”
Zhao Yiyi’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She gently shifted her gaze away, staring blankly at the inside of the bed.
“In the future, if such things happen again, remember to tell Zhen. Don’t keep it bottled up in your heart,” he said softly. “As long as you speak, Zhen will certainly not ignore it.”
If it were in the past, Zhao Yiyi would certainly have been overwhelmed with favor, wearing a smile of thirty percent as she thanked him.
But hearing it now, she only felt annoyed.
To say these words to her at this point in time—aside from sounding noisy, was there any use? Thinking of this, Zhao Yiyi pursed her lips and did not answer.
Gu Zhen smiled. In the darkness, his fingertips nearly pinched a bloody mark into his palm, but he said nothing. He only urged her to rest early, then slowly withdrew from the curtains and let them down.
Though he had long expected this result, the tip of his heart still inevitably trembled a few times.
His Empress, his Yiyi, had truly decided she didn’t want him anymore.
The second day, Zhao Yiyi got up before dawn. After bathing and changing, she put on the Juyi for the Sericulture Rite.
While dressing her, Yunzhu straightened the wide sleeves and whispered, “Your Ladyship, last night… His Majesty slept on the couch in the outer room for the whole night.”
Zhao Yiyi acknowledged it, her expression unchanged. She simply looked at the bronze mirror and whispered, “The flower crown is tilting a bit to the left.”
Yunzhu buried her head, daring not to speak.
Her Ladyship truly didn’t care about His Majesty anymore.
If she had known before that His Majesty slept on the couch in the outer hall, she would certainly have felt distressed and sad. But today, Her Ladyship didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
“Let this servant see.” She let out a long sigh, knowing her mistress’s mind was made up and couldn’t be changed. She craned her neck to look and reached out to straighten the flower crown for the Empress.
Besides, Her Ladyship had indeed suffered too much in the past. Even she, a servant, felt heart-ache watching it. Her Ladyship was so good and had done so much for His Majesty behind the scenes, but His Majesty just couldn’t see it.
No wonder Her Ladyship’s heart had turned cold.
If it were her, she might have had the heart to bash her head against a wall.
“It is a bit crooked. Let this servant gather the hair towards the right,” Yunzhu smiled.
Zhao Yiyi said, “Mhm, adjust it again. It is not time yet, no rush.”
Yunzhu served the Empress tremblingly as she finished dressing, and together with the female officials, sent the Empress out.
The titled ladies were already waiting outside Yanjia Hall. As soon as the Empress came out, everyone bowed. Then they clustered around, escorting the Empress towards the altar for the sacrifice to the First Silkworm.
After the Empress performed the primary sacrifice, the Grand Princesses, headed by the external titled ladies, followed. Grand Princess Runan performed the secondary sacrifice immediately after the Empress. After the Grand Princesses finished, it was the turn of the Princesses.
By right, Grand Princess Linchuan, as the biological daughter of the Empress Dowager and the full sister of the Emperor, should have been at the head of the Princesses. Yet, after all the Princesses had sacrificed to the First Silkworm, no one saw Grand Princess Linchuan’s figure.
They had seen her yesterday and joked with her, but today she was nowhere to be found. At this, everyone couldn’t help muttering in their hearts.
After the morning’s Sericulture Rite ended, the titled ladies gathered in twos and threes to chat and laugh. As they spoke, the topic of the Grand Princess today came up.
“Grand Princess Linchuan has always had a flamboyant nature, and the Empress Dowager spoils her boundlessly. The Empress’s first Sericulture Rite and she dares not to come—could it be she’s deliberately giving the Empress a slight?”
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I just live seeing her indifference to his regret ~
feels great, right? LOL.