After being sent to the cold palace, the emperor’s heart was burned into ashes CHAPTER 6
Chapter 6: The Jeweled Gold Bracelet
The previous incident had been so embarrassing and humiliating that Zuo Lianzhi, supported by a maid, hurriedly fled the palace. Just as she was stepping onto the footstool to enter her carriage and had only poked her head inside, her wrist was suddenly seized and she was violently pulled into the carriage. Before she could react, she was thrown against the carriage wall with such force that her back ached.
Coming to her senses, she gritted her teeth and glared at the person in front of her: “Zhao Duanduan, what’s wrong with you?”
Zuo Lianzhi struggled several times but couldn’t break free. Her wrist was firmly clamped, the strength so great that she felt her wrist was about to be crushed. As the carriage started to move, her back rubbed against the wall.
Cold sweat poured down her face.
Zhao Duanduan held her wrist, pinning her against the wall, and sneered: “I should be asking what’s wrong with you? His Majesty wasn’t asking you, why were you so quick to answer?”
“But His Majesty asked who I was, I couldn’t…” Zuo Lianzhi wanted to retort, but the pain in her wrist prevented her from speaking.
Zhao Duanduan, usually timid and soft-spoken, unexpectedly possessed such strength. Zuo Lianzhi snorted: “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Father?”
Zhao Duanduan released her wrist and laughed: “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you to tell Father. Have you thought about what you’ll say?”
Seeing her confident expression, Zuo Lianzhi suddenly remembered that although her father favored her, Zhao Duanduan always acted demure at home and never caused trouble. Even the picky elders and old ladies praised her.
If she said Zhao Duanduan had hit her, no one would believe her.
Zhao Duanduan raised Zuo Lianzhi’s wrist, showing her the red marks: “Now you know what to say when you go home? Next time, I’ll break your arm.”
The two glared at each other for a long time. Zuo Lianzhi forcefully pulled her arm back, snorted coldly, and said nothing more.
Returning to the Marquis of Huai’an’s mansion, twilight had fallen, only a few traces of reddish-purple remained in the distance. Dinner was being served at the mansion.
The Marquis’s family dined together in one place every few days; otherwise, Zhao Weimin mostly dined with Lady Xu and the others. Today, they were all together in the main hall.
Zhao Weimin unusually paid attention to his children. When he turned to Zhao Duanduan, her heart leapt into her throat. She stiffly replied, holding her chopsticks: “Thank you, Father, for your concern. Everything has been fine recently.”
Sure enough, Zhao Weimin immediately asked: “In that case, what about the matter I instructed you on yesterday? Did you tell your elder sister today?”
Her heart beat faster and faster. Zhao Duanduan couldn’t hold her chopsticks steady, and the quail egg she had just picked up fell back into her bowl.
Zuo Lianzhi subtly glanced at her, a triumphant glint flashing in her eyes. Thinking of the scene in the carriage, a sense of satisfaction welled up in her chest.
She unconsciously touched her wrist. The red marks hadn’t faded, and it hurt when she touched them. She couldn’t understand where Zhao Duanduan, that little wretch, got such brute strength.
“I…” Zhao Duanduan quickly looked at Zhao Weimin, lowering her head, “I thought about it when I entered the palace, but later there were too many things, so…”
Zhao Weimin’s expression changed: “You didn’t tell your elder sister, or did you tell her and she refused?” He had sent his second daughter to the palace knowing that his elder daughter favored her and wanted her to tell the elder daughter to speak well of him to the Emperor.
Zhao Duanduan was on the verge of tears: “Father, I forgot to tell her. I kept remembering, but… but when I got to the palace, I forgot… Wuu… I’m sorry…”
Seeing Zhao Weimin’s increasingly unhappy expression, Zuo Lianzhi added fuel to the fire: “Duanduan, I reminded you several times in the palace today, why didn’t you remember?”
Zhao Duanduan was secretly furious but still sobbed: “Sister Lianzhi, your reminders were so subtle, how could I understand? Besides, since you knew, why didn’t you tell elder sister yourself?”
“Enough!” Zhao Weimin put down his chopsticks and slammed the table, saying in a deep voice, “You’re grown adults, you can’t even handle such a simple task?”
Lady Xu quickly persuaded: “My lord, please calm down. It’s fine if she didn’t say anything. His Majesty didn’t do anything today. Besides, Lianzhi is such a timid girl, how dare she talk and laugh in front of the Empress?”
These words seemed to comfort Zhao Weimin, but they actually absolved Zuo Lianzhi, pushing all the blame onto Zhao Duanduan.
Zhao Weimin lost his appetite. He said to Zhao Duanduan: “Go back to your courtyard and reflect on yourself!”
Zhao Duanduan dared not object, sobbing in agreement.
After dinner, she argued with Zuo Lianzhi at the corner of the corridor. Because Zuo Lianzhi said that neither of them were “Zhao family members, so neither should look down on the other,” Zhao Duanduan angrily pushed Zuo Lianzhi.
She didn’t use much force; even a young child would only stumble. Zuo Lianzhi, however, fell backward, looking at her pitifully.
“Duanduan, don’t be naughty!”
A gentle voice came from behind them. Zhao Duanduan turned to see her elder brother, Zhao Yuan, and complained: “Brother, she bullied me!”
“Alright, I saw you push Miss Zuo. Don’t make a fuss, go back to bed.” Zhao Yuan patted her head helplessly.
Zhao Duanduan calculated the direction from which he had come, and suddenly turned to look at Zuo Lianzhi on the ground. The other girl was startled, then slowly returned a smile.
Zhao Yiyi was softly explaining tonight’s dishes when she heard the sound of leather boots. She looked up, and the tall and handsome man was already nearby.
A flash of joy appeared in her eyes. She stood up to greet him, softly scolding: “Your Majesty, why did you come in so quietly?”
“I saw you were busy, so I came in directly.” Gu Zhen’s mood was slightly better than usual, and his eyebrows were slightly relaxed.
After he sat down, Zhao Yiyi personally rolled up her sleeves to pour tea for him. A jeweled gold bracelet on her snow-white wrist was dazzling.
Gu Zhen naturally saw the bracelet. After taking the teacup, he asked: “Empress, have you changed your bracelet?”
Her heart skipped a beat. Zhao Yiyi gently held the gold bracelet, lowering her eyes, a slight smile playing on her lips: “Your Majesty noticed. It’s new.”
“I remember you were wearing a jade bracelet a few days ago.” Gu Zhen chuckled softly, politely saying, “This bracelet is beautiful. Is it newly made?”
Her mind went blank. The hand holding the bracelet tightened. Zhao Yiyi was stunned for a long time before saying in a daze: “This bracelet… was a gift from Your Majesty a few days ago.”
The craftsmanship of the bracelet was exquisite, and the gems and pearls were precious. However, as Empress, Zhao Yiyi had many jewels. The reason she treasured this bracelet and wore it was because it was a gift from him.
When she had Cloud Bamboo put it on for her, it was because of the joy she felt for him.
This joy had lasted for several days, only to receive a blow today. She bit her lip and sadly asked: “Your Majesty doesn’t remember?”
Zhao Yiyi’s face was already slightly charming, and when she bit her lip and spoke softly, she added a touch of pitiful beauty. Her eyes turned red, and she looked at Gu Zhen at a loss.
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu Zhen was visibly stunned.
The sky had already darkened, and at some point, the palace maids had quietly lit candles. Under the soft light, a pair of cold phoenix eyes stared at the gold bracelet for a long time before realizing what had happened.
Looking at the faint blush on her cheeks, Gu Zhen felt a strange irritation in his heart. He looked away and said lightly: “It’s been some time. I was busy when Wu Mao delivered it that day, so I forgot about it.”
It was a calm voice, yet it sounded like an explanation.
Zhao Yiyi was stunned, momentarily unable to react. She had only asked casually, hoping to get a response, but he had actually taken the initiative to explain.
After coming to her senses, her mood gradually calmed down. Although there was still a slight ache, it wasn’t a big deal.
She looked at Gu Zhen, then lowered her eyes and softly said: “Your Majesty has so much government business to attend to every day, it’s normal to forget these small things. I understand.”
She was so well-behaved and considerate that Gu Zhen should have felt comfortable and pleased, but somehow, he felt inexplicably uncomfortable.
He took Zhao Yiyi’s wrist. The sleeve embroidered with camellias slipped down, revealing a stretch of snow-white skin. A gold bracelet inlaid with many gems hung on her wrist, the two colors clashing, making her skin appear even whiter, or perhaps the bracelet even more dazzling.
Her heart pounded. After the grip on her wrist loosened, Zhao Yiyi heard him softly say: “This bracelet suits you very well.”
The low, pleasant voice, with a warm current brushing past her ear, made Zhao Yiyi’s face slightly blush, and she softly said: “Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Dinner was soon served. Zhao Yiyi suddenly remembered what she had heard from Lin Chuan today and wanted to ask him, but she didn’t know how to begin.
Then she remembered Gu Zhen had said that he would take her to the western suburbs to ride horses in a few days.
Several days had already passed.
“Empress.”
Noticing her absentmindedness, Gu Zhen gently called her name and said softly: “I brought some memorials. After dinner, please grind the ink for me.” Then, he didn’t know why, but suddenly picked up a piece of shad for her.
Zhao Yiyi looked down, and before she could react, a large piece of shad was in her bowl.
Zhao Yiyi didn’t dislike fish; on the contrary, she liked it, but she hated fish bones. Therefore, she either ate fish cakes or fish paste, or only boneless fish. Shad was delicious but full of bones. Normally, she wouldn’t touch it.
But Gu Zhen rarely served her food. The occasional act of picking up a piece of shad for her was a rare event.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhao Yiyi finally picked up the piece of shad and put it in her mouth.
She carefully avoided the small bones in the fish. Perhaps there were too many bones, or perhaps her skill wasn’t good enough, but when she swallowed, her throat was caught.
A sharp pain made her change color, and she turned and began to cough.
The coughing was heart-wrenching, making people feel anxious just hearing it. Gu Zhen, after a moment of bewilderment, realized she must have been choked by the shad bone he had given her.
After a moment of silence, Gu Zhen reached out and placed a cup of tea nearby.
After a long time, Zhao Yiyi’s coughing finally stopped. When she looked back, her eyes were still filled with tears.
“Your Majesty, I…” She had only said a few words when a cup of tea was suddenly offered.
Zhao Yiyi thanked him and drank half a cup before feeling slightly relieved. Earlier, in order to cough up the fish bone, she had used all her strength, feeling as if her internal organs were coming out.
After her strength left her, she looked weak and helpless, and with the tears in her eyes, she looked pitiful.
Gu Zhen felt a little guilty and looked away, softly coughing: “It’s my fault.”
Unexpectedly, he apologized to her. Zhao Yiyi blushed, shook her head, and said softly: “It’s my own fault for not finding the small bone. It has nothing to do with Your Majesty.”
After dinner, they went to the study. Gu Zhen reviewed the memorials, and Zhao Yiyi ground ink for him.
The ink stick rotated, the thick ink spreading in the inkstone, and the soft silk sleeves fluttered.
A fragrant scent filled the air, causing Gu Zhen’s hand holding the brush to pause slightly, then he looked at Zhao Yiyi without changing his expression.
The weather was a little warmer today, and they were inside, so the Empress was wearing a low-necked shirt, revealing a large expanse of fair skin. Seeing this, Gu Zhen’s eyes darkened.
Zhao Yiyi was unaware, attentively grinding the ink for him. Only when there was slightly more ink in the inkstone did she rest for a moment.
There were unusually few memorials today, and Gu Zhen had finished reviewing them in a short time. Zhao Yiyi didn’t call for a maid but tidied up the things on the table herself. She put the brush and other things in a water basin, waiting for the maids to take them away to clean.
Turning back, the table was completely empty, even the memorials, paperweights, and pen rests were gone.
What had just happened seemed like a delusion.
Unsure of what he was going to do, Zhao Yiyi timidly raised her eyes and called out, “Your Majesty.”
She was suddenly lifted by the waist and placed on the table. The cold touch of the table on her back made her shrink back unconsciously.
It turned out that the table had been cleared for her.
When his rough fingertips touched the jade button on her collar, Zhao Yiyi grabbed his hand and softly said: “Your Majesty, don’t… don’t do it here.”
Before she could finish, she was already so shy that her toes curled up.
Having his hand grasped, Gu Zhen didn’t seem angry, but he lightly scratched her palm before moving her hand away, patiently smiling: “Don’t worry, no one will see.”
Zhao Yiyi looked out the half-opened window. There were no figures outside, and a bright, round moon shone in her eyes, quietly emitting a gentle and soft light.
But the moon saw it.
It was her first time like this. Zhao Yiyi was extremely shy and even her body turned a pale pink. Her whole body was tense, and she couldn’t relax at all.
Having been away from the palace for so long, she missed going to the western suburbs to ride horses. In the calm after the rain, she nestled in Gu Zhen’s arms, clinging to his broad shoulders, timidly raising her eyes and softly saying: “Your Majesty, you said you would take me to the western suburbs to ride horses a few days ago. When are we going?”
Zhao Yiyi deliberately looked up at him, her eyes filled with anticipation.
This was Zhao Yiyi’s first time using these little tricks in front of him.
She was still unskilled, and Gu Zhen saw through her immediately.
Gu Zhen was not angry, but he had a rare interest. He gently pinched her earlobe and, after a long silence, Gu Zhen smiled: “I remember. I’ll take you in a few days.”
Zhao Yiyi had only asked to remind Gu Zhen, but he gave her a definite answer.
Thinking for a moment, she hurriedly said: “But in a few days, Your Majesty won’t be going to the Xiannong Altar…”
“Yes.” Gu Zhen suddenly wrapped a coat around her, hugged her and walked out, warning: “Next time you test me like this, just wait and see how I deal with you.”
The willow branches were hazy with smoke, the spring scenery was like a painting, and the glazed tiles shone dazzlingly under the bright sunlight.
As Lin Chuan had said that day, the Empress Dowager had indeed summoned two nieces from her maternal family into the palace. The older girl was called He Xunfang, the daughter of the Empress Dowager’s own brother; the younger one, He Xunling, was from the family of the Empress Dowager’s half-brother, He Taifei’s brother.
The two girls were of the most tender and delicate age, and their appearance was very beautiful. Standing there gracefully, they were like a cluster of jasmine covered in dew.
When the two girls entered the palace, Zhao Yiyi was paying her respects to the Empress Dowager. She saw the two girls in the Wanchun Palace.
Zhao Yiyi sat in a circle chair, watching the two girls bow gracefully to her, saying “Empress, ten thousand blessings.” Their sleeves slid up with their movements, revealing a section of their wrists.
He Xunling was wearing a jeweled gold bracelet, and on closer inspection, it was identical to the one on her arm.
Zhao Yiyi lowered her eyes to look at the bracelet, her heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Before she could speak, He Xunling smiled after sitting down: “Oh, Aunt, look, the jeweled gold bracelet on Your Majesty is exactly the same as mine!”
