C104 (2/2)
Ru Yan anxiously knelt in front of her and kowtowed to her, ”This servant thanks the Empress, if there is a next life, I will definitely be a horse for the Empress's family.”
”Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't even finished speaking,” Xue Liuhua smiled as if a poisoned blade was hidden within her smile, ”Death penalty can be avoided and the crime cannot be avoided. Since you like to talk at Changchun Palace, then I'll cut out your tongue.”
Ru Yan's body froze as she widened her eyes in disbelief, ”Empress … This servant hasn't done anything bad, how can you be so heartless! ”
”If you had really done something, I would have skinned you alive long ago, and even let you make such a ruckus,” Xue Liuhua raised her chin, ”Drag him down and make a move, don't dirty my blankets.”
”Empress, please don't!” Ru Yan let out a mournful cry, ”If this servant doesn't have a tongue, I won't be able to open my mouth anymore!”
”That's not good,” Xue Liuhua carelessly spread out her hands. ”I don't even know what kind of Liu Family is in Yuezhou, if you can't speak, the emperor won't think that I'm ignorant.”
Ru Yan struggled in fear in the hands of the guards, the blood dripping all over the ground, ”If you cut off my tongue, I will let the empress know that you covet the position of Noble Consort. You are ambitious.”
”What are you doing, Noble Consort?” Xue Liuhua smiled sweetly, and her eyes gradually turned dark and fierce, ”I want to become the empress of a motherly world.”
A dark yellow leaf floated down and fell right into Li Xiuse's palm. A cool breeze blew past her ears and she shivered as she bit her neck.
Recently, the Princess Poyang had returned to the palace from his Chiron. The emperor, who had stayed most of the time in her palace, also slowly disappeared without a trace, and the Joyous Union Hall returned to its former loneliness after losing the emperor's grace. Fortunately, she had never intended to fight for his favor, so he didn't feel sad at all without the emperor's figure.
”Empress Dowager,” Shouxiang took a long robe and draped it over her body, ”I can see the leaves on the ground from the trees, it's probably autumn already, Empress should be careful of your body.”
”The fall of the Great Qin Empire is always faster than the Great Qi by a lot,” Li Xiuse smiled lightly and pulled at the front of her robe. ”Has Your Majesty been to the Yongle Palace recently?”
”No,” Shouxiang shook her head, ”The emperor has always been together with the Princess Poyang, so he has spent the last few days of his lunch and dinner within the Changchun Palace.”
Li Xiuse said with a smile, ”Princess Poyang will only return after three years at the Chiron. The Emperor and Empress will definitely be very worried about him.”
”The Empress is really blessed to have a prince or princess under her wing,” Shouxiang sneaked a glance at her, ”The Empress must work hard too. Look at the dragon fetus in Consort Hua, it's about to be born.
Li Xiuse suddenly flushed red and said in annoyance, ”You're just worrying too. Don't tell me that without a dragon embryo, you can't live on anymore?”
Shouxiang smiled bitterly: ”Empress, even a spoiled concubine can live on in the palace. It's just that how well you live is another matter.”
The gentleness in Li Xiuse's eyes receded slightly as she said hesitatingly, ”Even if the Consort Hua is unable to sleep, the emperor still hasn't come to the Joyous Union Palace for a few nights.
”Esteemed Empress, as long as the emperor can come, there is still hope. Moreover, Consort Hua can only produce it when winter is near. There are many opportunities for Esteemed Empress to do so.”
Li Xiuse bit her lower lip in annoyance, ”But the emperor is still at the empress's place now, I can't possibly snatch him away from the Changchun Palace, right?”
”The reason the Emperor is staying at the Empress's place is not because he favors the Empress, but because the Princess Poyang is here,” Shouxiang said softly.
Li Xiuse was just a young miss from the Prince of Great Qi, she did not understand the struggles of the imperial harem at all.
Shouxiang sighed in disappointment, ”This servant will listen to whatever the Empress says.”
Li Xiuse watched as the people of the palace ruined the mood, and in her heart, she was blaming herself for not achieving anything, ”... ”You also said that as long as the emperor can come, there's still hope. Maybe if we sit there peacefully for a few days, we might have a dragon embryo.”
The palace maid was stunned, but still nodded her head.
The situation of a servant was always related to his master's honor and disgrace, so it was no wonder that the palace maid was so anxious. Li Xiuse rolled her eyes, and laughed: ”Anyways, the emperor is sleeping in the Changchun Palace tonight, why don't we go and take a look at the Consort Hua s.”
”The Empress just went there a few days ago, and the sun was still high up in the sky when she went there. However, she did not notice that the Consort Hua was paying any attention to her,” Shouxiang said as she pouted, ”Does the Empress still want to go?”
Li Xiuse tugged on her sleeve. ”If I don't go, and if I am pregnant with a dragon in the future, how would I know about the matters of pregnancy?”
Shouxiang's heart skipped a beat. Consort Fu was still thinking of making a good future, ”Then this servant will prepare a palanquin right now.”
Li Xiuse muttered to herself for a while, ”Sigh, we can't possibly go over empty-handed. Go and fetch that jade pendant of mine.”
Shouxiang was startled, ”Does the Empress want to give that Carp Begonia Jade Pendant to Consort Hua?”
”That's right,” Li Xiuse smiled gently. ”Carp and Begonia are auspicious symbols in Great Qi. I hope that Consort Hua can safely give birth to a dragon.”
”But that was a gift the Great Qi Emperor gave to the Empress before they parted. Does the Empress really want to give that to the Consort Hua?”
”What gift?” Li Xiuse's lips raised into a sad smile, ”It's just comforting me, Great Qi is a homeland that cannot be returned anyways, I might as well give this jade pendant to Consort Hua as a personal gift.”