Chapter 388: Chapter 386: Since We are the Emperor and Empress, We Should Have an Heir
Shen Yinning simply sent someone to invite Xue Mianmian, and the three of them, along with Wen Liluo, organized a small banquet. They also brought in some acrobats and opera singers to perform, enjoying the lively entertainment.
Now pregnant, she could not drink but sat leaning against the armrest, smiling.
Wen Liluo, who appeared cold and aloof, had a streak of madness buried deep within her. By the end, she was hugging a wine jar and drinking wildly, complaining that Xue Mianmian was too restrained. She dragged Wei Yu to continue drinking with her.
Xue Mianmian, drunk and with a flushed face, swayed over to Shen Yinning’s side.
She held her wine cup, saying, "Zhaozhao, I might be leaving the Capital soon."
"Where to?"
"With the new emperor on the throne, my father submitted a memorial requesting retirement and a return to our hometown. It has already been approved. Qingqing is accompanying her husband to his new post in Jiangnan, so I will likely go back home with my father and mother."
Shen Yinning knew that Xue, the Chief of Staff, was a rigidly principled man to the point of pedantry.
Lu Ying had not ascended the throne through honorable means. That Xue would retire and refuse to serve under Lu Ying made perfect sense.
She took a handkerchief and gently wiped the thin sheen of sweat off Xue Mianmian’s flushed face. "Will Xue Ling let you go?"
"If my parents take me, whether he agrees or not doesn’t matter," Xue Mianmian replied with newfound confidence. "No matter how bold he is, would he defy my father and mother openly? Zhaozhao, it’s just that... just that I can’t stop worrying about you."
The girl was soft and tender.
Her clear eyes, like those of a startled deer, glistened with unshed tears, filled with concern for Shen Yinning.
Shen Yinning smiled faintly. "I’ll be fine."
After all, she had already endured the downfall of her household. What was this romantic ordeal compared to that?
"Zhaozhao..."
Xue Mianmian cradled her face with anguish, finally leaning her cheek against Shen Yinning’s shoulder and neck, sorrowful.
From the stage came the lilting tunes of an opera performance.
Shen Yinning gazed toward the horizon.
The evening clouds faded with the setting sun—night was falling.
The palace, most likely, was brimming with festivities.
Kunning Palace.
The new empress had taken her place, and the entire palace, inside and out, had been refreshed. Key positions had been handed to Huo Mingyan’s trusted maids brought from outside the border.
After enduring an entire day of cumbersome formalities, only Lu Ying and Huo Mingyan remained in the bedchamber.
Lu Ying was dressed in a bright red dragon robe, his hair bound with a dragon-shaped golden hairpin. In the flickering candlelight, his features—his handsome brow and straight nose—were coldly dignified, as lofty and untouchable as mountain snow and jade trees.
Huo Mingyan, sitting beside him, wore the Hundred Birds Phoenix Wedding Dress, making her appear more delicate and alluring than her usual commanding presence.
She blushed shyly, her vermilion lips curved in a smile. "When I was a child, climbing trees and stealing bird eggs with my cousin, we were as close as siblings. I never thought that one day, I would marry my cousin and become his empress..."
Lu Ying’s gaze drifted to the Dragon and Phoenix Wedding Candle not far away.
Never had he imagined that one day, neither his Crown Princess Consort nor his Empress would be Shen Yinning.
At the thought of that name, his brows tensed with coldness.
On this day of great celebration, he should not be thinking of her.
The candle’s light flickered.
Huo Mingyan suddenly looked toward him and said earnestly, "I know there’s someone in your heart, cousin. But cousin, I’m not like those young ladies of the inner chambers who think only of romance. I come from outside the border and have seen a broader world. I know there’s more to life than love between men and women. There are vast grasslands and snowy mountains, freedom and unrestrained journeys, common people, and the empire’s dominion. I have resolved to dedicate my life to the alliance between the borderlands and the Central Plains. I only need to be a competent empress. So even if cousin minds sharing a union with me, I will bear no resentment."
Her features were composed, presenting an image of utmost sensibility.
Lu Ying silently grasped her hand.
Growing up beyond the border, she had been hardened by the relentless wind and scorching sun on horseback. Her skin was far less delicate than Shen Yinning’s.
But her heart—a rarity.
He said softly, "She has faded like a passing cloud. From now on, I will not mention her. You and I, as emperor and empress, should have an heir."
The bed curtain fell.
In the silence of the bedchamber, the Dragon and Phoenix Wedding Candle burned steadily.
Elsewhere.
Chengle Palace.
Shen Yunxi suddenly overturned the table. "I was the Crown Princess Consort! How dare that Huo Mingyan become empress in the end, while I am reduced to just a concubine?!"
Lianxin and Lian Ye, along with the palace maids, knelt in panic.
Shen Xinya, among them, wore an equally grim expression.
With the ascension of the new emperor, not only had Huo Mingyan been named empress, but Shen Yunxi had been conferred the title of Consort Rong, and Wen Kuixiang the title of Consort Hui. The former concubines of the Eastern Palace had all been granted titles—some high, some low. Even those who had never served the emperor had been given ranks, yet Shen Xinya remained without distinction or status!
At least Shen Yunxi had the title of Consort Rong. Shen Xinya, however, had accompanied the emperor from the Cold Palace to Shen Garden, and yet she wasn’t even awarded the lowest rank of concubine!
Lianxin tried to console her. "Your Highness, please don’t be angry. Back then, because of your fake pregnancy, the Empress Dowager personally ordered your removal as Crown Princess Consort. Now, though you didn’t become empress, you’ve still been made a consort. In time, you may achieve your goals."
"I can’t stand it!" Shen Yunxi roared in fury. "What is Huo Mingyan but an outsider? Neither beautiful nor versed in the court’s etiquette! If not for her father’s military power, would she have deserved the queen’s throne? I fought and battled Shen Yinning for so long, only to have the gains snatched by an outsider!"
Lianxin, pleased, watched her rant.
After all the events, her mistress had finally learned to use idioms.
Pouring her a cup of hot tea, she said, "Your Highness knows well that Huo Mingyan’s ordinary looks make her a lesser threat compared to Shen Yinning. Perhaps one day, she might anger His Majesty with her lack of etiquette and be demoted. As for Shen Yinning, she has openly broken ties with His Majesty and is about to become Cui Ji’s concubine. And what is a concubine but a mere plaything for aristocrats? Meanwhile, Your Highness is a noble Consort Rong, with the power to decide her life and death. Clearly, this round of the game belongs to you."
Shen Yunxi, hearing these words of comfort, found her anger subsiding gradually.
Sitting down, she took a measured sip of tea and sneered. "You’re right. I may not have become the empress, but Shen Yinning is beneath even me now. The once-spoiled eldest daughter of the Shen Guogong Mansion, reduced to a concubine of a mere third-rank official. How disgraceful!"
Feeling much appeased, she waved her hand dismissively, signaling those kneeling below her to leave.
Lianxin added, "Yesterday, the eldest young master sent someone to the palace with an important message: for now, it’s best to keep a low profile. Try to build good relations with the empress and Consort Hui. Moreover, seek to mend ties with the Empress Dowager. Over the past year, due to Shen Yinning’s actions, our Shen family has sustained heavy losses. We cannot afford to make more enemies."
Shen Yunxi glanced at her crippled hand.
The bitter losses she had suffered at Shen Yinning’s hands made her realize how correct her brother had been all along.
She nodded seriously. "Lianxin, I finally understand now. You and my brother were right all along. Tell him not to worry—I will no longer drag the Shen Family down. Shen Yinning killed my father; this blood feud will never be forgiven. I will follow my brother’s lead and make sure she is utterly destroyed!"
Lianxin, even more reassured, leaned in and whispered, "The eldest young master also instructed me to tell you that in the harem, being without an heir is ultimately unwise. Since Your Highness can no longer bear children, it might be worth arranging for Miss Xinya to share His Majesty’s bed. No matter what, our Shen Guogong Mansion must secure an imperial heir."
Shen Yunxi’s nose stung with an acrid pain.
Through the window, she looked out at the palace, illuminated as if in broad daylight.
At this hour, surely that wretched Huo Mingyan was already enjoying the emperor’s favor in bed.
Soon, that wretched Wen Kuixiang would, too, gain his favor.
She touched her flat stomach.
Would she truly have to deliver Shen Xinya to the emperor’s bed herself?
How unwillingly her heart ached!