Palace Intrigue?: I Make the Emperor Cry by Rewinding Time!-Chapter 166 - 140

Sending Yun Jiao back to Xianfu Palace, Xie Zhixing gave her the New Year’s money he had prepared in advance.

A fortune, prosperity, and longevity embroidered pouch, stuffed full, indicating how much was inside.

After glancing at her, Xie Zhixing said, "You can open it now."

Yun Jiao gave it a little shake, and a chubby golden ingot tumbled from it into her palm, gleaming brightly and splendidly joyous. Throughout the New Year, she received various gifts continuously, so many that she couldn’t even look at them all, sometimes having a eunuch read the list, and often falling asleep as he read, thus feeling no real sense of fortune. Holding a large golden ingot in hand brought a very tangible sense of satisfaction: "So auspicious, Your Majesty, I really like this."

"If you like it, keep it well. It’s cold outside; once you go inside, don’t come out again. Let Consort Ji accompany you," he paused, "Tonight I will go to Jianzhang Palace, it’s an ancestral tradition. Rest assured, I won’t touch her."

Whether he touches her or not, what does it really matter!

Yun Jiao wanted to say this, but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

As if guided by instinct, she tugged at his sleeve: "Your words are as good as gold, once spoken they cannot be taken back."

Xie Zhixing hadn’t expected her to have any response; her indifference was one thing, his explanation to her was another. How could he sincerely pursue a lady if he was fickle? Her sudden display of possessiveness towards him was truly a delightful surprise.

Yun Jiao was still waiting for a response when she saw the Emperor slightly startled.

After a moment, a smile blossomed in his handsome eyes, more dazzling than the fireworks she had seen four times that night. He curved his lips in a smile, bent down, and kissed her forehead lightly: "Alright, I promise you."

He really just wanted to stay with her.

He had never found it so difficult not to spend the night at a concubine’s place.

"Take good care of your mistress," he glanced sideways at her two palace maids: "Go inside."

"I take my leave, Your Majesty."

Yun Jiao finished her bow and turned back into the room.

Playful by nature, she was only slightly moved by the budding affection, and remembering that Consort Ji was still waiting for her inside, she felt no attachment for the Emperor behind her. On the contrary, Xie Zhixing found himself turning back to look after he walked a short distance, yet he saw only a happily bouncing back of her head.

Consort Ji hadn’t yet settled down, sitting in the room, questioning her life choices.

Why was she in Xianfu Palace during the New Year?

Did her sister really agree?

Yet her sister never refused anything the Emperor asked of her...

Consort Ji’s mind wandered far and wide; this was the first decent meal she’d had in a while. Lady knew just how to quietly torment people, often deliberately reprimanding her during meals, making her uneasy, unable to eat, and since moving into Yanxi Palace, she’d developed a stomachache.

"Hee hee hee hee!"

At that moment, Yun Jiao burst in like the wind, shaking off her palace maids, made a sharp turn indoors, and jumped into Consort Ji’s arms: "We’ll sleep together tonight!"

This was one of Yun Jiao’s wishes.

When she was in the hospital watching "Chibi Maruko-chan", she was very drawn to the scene where the schoolgirl protagonist stayed over at her friend’s house, the two of them talking freely under a small quilt until they fell asleep unwittingly.

"You’re already a mother, don’t be so impulsive, you might hurt the baby."

Consort Ji was shocked, quickly catching her.

Regardless, Yun Jiao gazed at her tenderly: "Consort Ji has treated me so well, surely you’ll catch me. It’s late, let’s rest."

Consort Ji wanted to say more, but Yun Jiao had already arranged the bedding, lying down under the covers.

"Alright, let’s go to sleep then."

Once Consort Ji lay down too, Xue Ya blew out the candle, plunging the surroundings into pitch darkness.

With her eyes closed, Yun Jiao’s voice immediately sounded next to her: "I can’t sleep, let’s chat for a while."

"Concubine Xi, I can sleep."

"No, you can’t sleep."

The Ji Family wasn’t asleep either, and they chatted late into the night.

...

Elsewhere, the Empress waited under the lamp, finally seeing the Emperor arrive, but he didn’t enter the bedroom.

Jianzhang Palace was large, with a study as well.

He stayed in the study, instructing Ying Lu to bring the unfinished memorials to Jianzhang Palace. The Empress hadn’t anticipated this at all and hit a soft nail when she tried to persuade him to rest and retire for the night. She leaned against the doorframe: "What important military or governmental affairs could keep Your Majesty busy over the New Year, unable to sleep?"

The Empress asked under the guise of concern for the dragon body.

"There aren’t any particularly important matters."

The Emperor didn’t even look up.

She was rendered speechless.

Sleeping with her didn’t count as important?

The Empress felt grievances that she couldn’t voice, a bit resentful. She hadn’t expected the Emperor to be so heartless!

She was the Empress of the Central Palace, holding the orthodox position, and the Emperor always tolerated her, no matter how displeased he was. On important days, he would always stay at her Jianzhang Palace without exception, at most turning away not wanting to speak with her. Such outright refusal to even share the bed had never happened before!

"With the Emperor not resting, how can I sleep at ease? I will accompany His Majesty here."

She stood waiting for him.

"Do not let your mistress leave, the Emperor still not looking up: "There are noblewomen’s visits tomorrow morning, if the Empress looks tired, you need not attend."

"..."

If she were absent from the noblewomen’s visits, the previous dynasty would surely speculate about her unstable position as Empress.

The Empress lowered her eyes, forced a smile, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I shall retire to rest now, please don’t overexert yourself either."

"Mm."

As the Empress withdrew, she could barely stand, relying on the support of her attendants, her heart filled with grief.

If not for the fact that some formalities were still observed, he probably would have stayed at Xianfu Palace by now!

As for that Attendant Lady Zhen who constantly gained favor, she underestimated her at first, but then she charmed the Emperor immediately upon showing her face... Could it be that the Emperor favored women of lowly origin? The swirling snow outside fell layer upon layer on her heart.

...

The next morning, preparations for the New Year’s ceremonial court visit began.

This event was a joyful occasion for the high-ranking noblewomen, whereas ordinary concubines were focused on something else, namely, the year’s end promotions in the Six Palaces.

Those like Attendant Lady Lan and Consort Jiang, who felt temporarily relegated to lower positions, hoped for a promotion back to their former status.

In light of this, Consort Jiang even visited Jianzhang Palace to pay respects to the Empress.

However, she did not receive a warm welcome.

The Emperor hadn’t even shown the list of promotions to the Empress, and Consort Jiang’s attempt to please her with flattering words backfired severely.

After being kicked out of Jianzhang Palace, a frustrated Consort Jiang went to seek the Empress Dowager, only to be left picking up Buddha Beans for the better part of the day.

Ultimately, she received no definite answer.

In truth, even the Empress Dowager was unsure of the Emperor’s intentions; the Emperor’s mind was as deep as the sea, who could fathom it?

The result left the entire harem astonished.

Most ranks above Consort remained unchanged. Instead, a batch of Servant Consorts were promoted to Attendant Ladies, thereby improving their living standards.

The only real news was that Concubine Wei finally achieved her wish, rising from Concubine Wei to Princess Wei.

Perhaps the Emperor wasn’t particularly satisfied with her, and her promotion factored more on her father’s consistent support of the Emperor against the Ji Wei Faction in the previous dynasty, accomplishing many concrete deeds this year. With her deep service to the Emperor, and Princess Ruyi greatly in favor, her mother earned a bit of elevation by association, achieving the saying, "love for the house extends even to the crows upon it," finally coming to fruition.

Princess Wei, elated by the unexpected boon, soon went to visit Yanxi Palace.

Even after the New Year, the Emperor showed no sign of returning the palace authority to the Empress.

Even with the Baohe Palace tea banquet preparations underway in January, the Empress had no say.

Tea, replacing alcohol, was the new regulation.

Since the Emperor didn’t fancy drinking to the point of drunkenness and found no particular elegance in it, underlings gauged the imperial preference and similarly grew to love tea.

The number of attendees usually symbolized "the twenty-eight lunar mansions," set at twenty-eight, though it was not fixed, adjusted according to the Emperor’s preference. During the banquet, Emperor would propose topics, and Imperial Princes and ministers composed poetry in response.

Literary brilliance was the least of it; those invited were surely favored and could gain fame for their poetic prowess.

Typically, candidates held one of three qualities.

First, they were sons, brothers, or uncles of the Emperor.

Second, they were high-ranking officials with substantial power.

Third, they possessed notable literary talent.

...When "Yun Yuan" was among them, it was ruled out being the first two, suggesting that he must have been extraordinarily talented to win the Emperor’s favor.

But Yun Yuan himself was ready to pack up and flee back home overnight.

Halfway through packing, he remembered he was local to the Capital City, with nowhere to escape.