The Imperial Study
Consort Jian placed a bowl of bird's nest soup on the desk. "Your Majesty, you've been working hard. Please rest for a while."
Emperor Changwu put down his vermilion brush and took a bite of the bird's nest, as if humoring her. "My beloved concubine has worked hard."
"Compared to Your Majesty, how can I claim to have worked hard?" She skillfully massaged his shoulders, emanating a captivating fragrance.
Emperor Changwu rubbed his nose. "My beloved concubine's perfume is a bit overpowering."
Consort Jian: ...
Her delicate hand paused for a long moment before she quickly knelt down. "This concubine deserves death."
"My beloved concubine need not be so. It's merely a matter of preference. If you like this scent, you may use it in your Chunfang Palace."
"This concubine will never use it again."
Damn Jian Yuyan! She had claimed this was a secret Western Xinjiang fragrance that would make the Emperor inseparable from her. But now...
If she had actually used it in Chunfang Palace, the Emperor would probably never set foot there again.
Consort Jian gritted her teeth in hatred, yet she still had to put in a good word for Jian Yuyan, nearly making herself sick.
But she had no choice. Only by doing so could she get Jue'er out of confinement. She couldn't just stand by and watch Situ Yan win over the court officials. With tears in her eyes, she said, "Your Majesty, this concubine has something to request. Shall I stand further away to speak?"
Emperor Changwu was accommodating. "Then step back another five paces."
Consort Jian: ...
A profound humiliation.
Still, she obediently retreated five steps. "Your Majesty, Yu Zi's child was unfortunate and could not accompany Jue'er to the end. But the dead are gone, and the living must carry on. I implore Your Majesty to be merciful and allow Jue'er to take Yan'er as a consort."
Taking her as the main consort was out of the question, but since she hailed from the Marquis of Qiying's manor, she had to be granted the position of a secondary consort.
Otherwise, it would be too great an insult to her family.
Emperor Changwu quietly ate his bird's nest. After leaving her in silence for a while, he asked, "How is that girl?"
"She weeps day and night. Your Majesty knows that she recently miscarried. If this continues, she might not survive. What the child did was indeed reckless, but considering her deep affection for Jue'er, Your Majesty, please grant her a way to live."
"Very well. If you decide so, then so be it."
He was this agreeable?
Consort Jian looked up in astonishment, only to see Emperor Changwu pushing the bowl aside and wiping his mouth with a silk cloth.
He was as indifferent as if he weren't discussing his own son's marriage.
Swallowing her dissatisfaction, she cautiously asked, "Since a wedding is to be held, what about Jue'er's confinement..."
"To take such a woman into the manor, must we beat gongs and drums? However, continuous confinement is not ideal. How about this: he will be fined half a year's salary. After his release, he shall diligently attend to his duties."
As for the death of the Ning King's Consort, it was ultimately a matter between Situ Jue and the Marquis of Qiying's manor. He was too lazy to intervene.
He believed Consort Jian would handle the matter herself.
In the end, he rather hoped that the Marquis of Qiying's manor would fall out with the fifth prince because of this, though it seemed unlikely at present.
Consort Jian, having achieved her goal, happily kowtowed to Emperor Changwu and quickly took her leave.
Emperor Changwu beckoned Xiao Fuzi to take away the bird's nest bowl and picked up his vermilion brush again.
The grand drama at the Ning King's manor was still the talk of the town, yet the Marquis of Qiying's manor was preparing a dowry.
However, with the Emperor's oral decree and the fact that the Ning King's Consort's remains were still unburied, they naturally dared not hold a grand ceremony. Ten days later, a small pink sedan chair carried Jian Yuyan into the Ning King's manor through a side gate. Even the total value of the dowry was kept exceedingly low-key.
The only difference from the previous life was that Jian Yuyan became a secondary consort.
Lu Nianfu was surprised for a long time, thinking that Situ Jue's situation was indeed much worse than in her previous life. Otherwise, Jian Yuyan, with her tarnished reputation, would not have managed to secure the position of a secondary consort.
She instructed Qingmiao, "Prepare a gift and send it over."
Although they weren't hosting a banquet, it was still a matter of taking a concubine. It would be improper for a brother not to offer congratulations on such a happy occasion. Lu Nianfu certainly wouldn't be impolite in this regard, leaving them no excuse to find fault.
The Ning King's manor was desolate. Even the courtyard designated as the bridal chamber held no trace of festivity. Forget red, not even pink was in sight. White banners were even hung at the main courtyard and entrance.
Jian Yuyan, wearing her pink veil, sat by the bedside. By midnight, Situ Jue's figure had still not appeared.
Tears rolled down, soaking the pink wedding dress. This was not the wedding she had imagined, but what could she do? Not long ago, she had mocked Jian Yuzi for being unable to keep a man, yet in the blink of an eye, she herself was left to spend her wedding night alone.
She suddenly agreed with her mother's words: "Heaven's retribution is swift and sure; it's not that there is no retribution, but that the time has not yet come."
And now, her retribution had arrived.