These words were tantamount to a slap in Consort Xue's face.
The Emperor frowned. Consort Xue hastily said, "Don't you dare speak nonsense! Confess your crime honestly, and I may still plead for mercy on your behalf to His Majesty!"
Auntie Yang didn't believe her. The precedent of Yuru was right before her eyes, so she immediately spilled everything like pouring beans from a sack: "Your Majesty, it's true! Two days ago, Old Madam Xue entered the palace and spoke with Her Ladyship the Consort for an entire afternoon. When this servant entered to serve tea, I even heard her say that Mrs. Cao must never be allowed to give birth to this child! If I speak a single lie, may I be struck by lightning and die a wretched death!"
Consort Xue's body went limp and she collapsed. Old Madam Xue cried out, "No, no! This matter has nothing to do with Her Ladyship! It was this old woman who was possessed by greed, it's all this old woman's fault!"
Her one thought was to protect her daughter, but at this point, how could a few words possibly gloss things over?
The Emperor's face turned ashen. He closed his eyes and waved his hand. "Drag the Xue family criminals away. Have the Dali Temple punish them severely according to the law. As for Consort Xue..."
"Your Majesty!" Consort Xue called out, her voice full of grief and resentment.
The Emperor shuddered. Before the scandal broke open, he could have protected her.
But now, protecting her would mean losing two key ministers, Cao Yang and Chu Huaishan. He couldn't afford that!
He could only force himself not to look at her. "Strip her of her consort rank. Demote her to 'Answering Attendant,' move her out of Yaoguang Palace, and let her reflect carefully!"
Answering Attendant? That was the lowest rank in the harem!
She had thrown her weight around in the palace all these years and made many enemies. How was she supposed to survive demoted to an Answering Attendant?
Consort Xue's eyes rolled back, and she nearly fainted. Just then, a eunuch's announcement came from outside the hall: "Her Majesty the Empress Dowager has arrived!"
Everyone turned to see Empress Dowager Su entering with Princess Roumin. The Dowager said gently, "There are steps ahead. You can't see, be careful."
Princess Roumin assented, following her obediently. The Emperor stepped forward. "Mother? Why have you come? If it's regarding Consort Xue... now Attendant Xue's matter, there's no need to speak."
Consort Xue, as if clutching a lifeline, cried out, "Mother! I beg you, save me!"
Empress Dowager Su didn't even glance at her. "A mere consort. If you wish to depose her, then depose her. It's no great matter."
Her light, dismissive tone sent Consort Xue straight to the eighteenth layer of hell. She fainted on the spot.
The Emperor, after all, couldn't bear it and ordered her carried away for treatment. Unexpectedly, Empress Dowager Su then said, "Emperor, the Cao family has been wronged in this affair. Shouldn't you find a way to make amends?"
These words left everyone stunned.
What was going on with Empress Dowager Su? She had always favored Consort Xue before, even targeting the Cao and Chu families because they were related by marriage.
How had she suddenly changed her nature and was now helping them seek rewards?
The Emperor was stunned for a moment, then said, "Yes, Mother is right. Since Minister Cao has gained a son, let it be as I said earlier: he shall be enfeoffed as the Earl of Jinyang! As for you, Minister Cao..."
"Your Majesty! This subject's entire fortune was bestowed by Your Majesty. I dare not ask for further rewards!"
The Emperor nodded. What he appreciated most about Cao Yang was precisely his knowing his place. "Good. But it sounds improper for a father to be enfeoffed due to his son. We shall wait until your son comes of age to inherit the title."
Cao Yang bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Empress Dowager Su nodded. "Good. Rewards and punishments are both in order. This can be considered a satisfactory outcome for all. However, Emperor, with the consort position now vacant, have you considered promoting someone?"
The Emperor made an "ah" sound, then heard the Dowager say calmly, "There are many affairs in the rear palace. The Empress is currently recuperating from illness. You must promote two people to help manage the six palaces."
A trace of contempt flashed in Chu Ruoyan's eyes.
Helping to manage was just a pretext; the real aim was to guard against Empress Pei!
After all, with Consort Xue fallen, there was no one left in the palace to check the Empress's power. Pitifully, the Empress was wholeheartedly devoted to the Murong Family, yet the mother and son pair didn't take her seriously at all.
The Emperor also gave a bitter smile, not for other reasons, but because he had exclusively favored Consort Xue all these years. Apart from the Empress, there were only a few like the Virtuous Consort and the Noble Consort left. His mother suddenly proposing promotions left him with few candidates to choose from.
Empress Dowager Su saw his difficulty and said, "The Emperor need not trouble himself over this. If there are none suitable within the palace, there are always those outside. I've heard that the third daughter of the Duke of Chu is innocent, forthright, bright, and charming. She would be the perfect candidate."
Her words shocked everyone present.
Chu Ruoyan clenched her fingers. Wonderful, so this was where the trap had been laid all along!
She glanced sideways at Princess Roumin, only to see the young girl standing by with a smile, looking completely detached from the affair!
Chu Huaishan's face abruptly changed color. "Your Majesty! My third daughter's nature is spoiled, willful, and utterly unworthy. She truly cannot bear such an important duty from Her Majesty!"
The Emperor also said awkwardly, "Mother, that third daughter of the Chu family is about the same age as Jiahui. I could almost be her..."
Before the words "father" could leave his mouth, the Empress Dowager raised her voice. "Emperor, you are the ruler of a nation. What kind of woman is not a match for you? As for the third young lady of the Chu family—"
She looked at Chu Huaishan with a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "The Duke of Chu need not be so modest. Who doesn't know that your two daughters, one married the Chief Grand Secretary, and the other nearly married the Prince of Qin? How could such a family raise a willful daughter? Or are you saying, Duke of Chu, that you do not wish to marry your daughter into the imperial family?"
How could Chu Huaishan say yes? Saying yes would be showing contempt for the imperial family!
He gritted his teeth. "In reply to Your Majesty, my third daughter is already betrothed, therefore she cannot enter the palace!"
Empress Dowager Su raised an eyebrow. The Emperor asked with interest, "Oh? I was not aware of this. To which family is she betrothed?"
Chu Huaishan remembered what Lady Jiang the Younger had told him about Yan Xiuan. "It's the Yan family..."
"Your Majesty!" Chu Ruoyan interrupted, bowing slightly. "Your Majesty, Empress Dowager, Chang Le remembers that among the unmarried noble ladies in the capital, it seems my third sister is not the only one. Grand Secretary Gu's granddaughter, Gu Feiyan, and Grand Tutor Rong's second daughter, Rong Su, are also unmarried. Both come from prestigious families and should also be ideal candidates for the consort position."
A shadow passed through the Empress Dowager's eyes. The Emperor frowned and said, "No, no. That second daughter of the Rong family already went through that fake marriage with the Chief Grand Secretary once. And if I were to marry Gu Sun's precious granddaughter, he'd surely jump up and fight me with his old life! Mother, perhaps we should just let this matter drop?"
"Emperor! This concerns the stability of the state. It cannot be dropped!" Empress Dowager Su said forcefully. "Then order the Ministry of Revenue to compile a list. All unmarried daughters from noble families in the capital are to be listed. In three days, summon them to the palace. I and the Emperor will make the selection personally!"
Back at the Duke of Chu's residence, when the news was relayed that the Emperor was selecting consorts and had taken a liking to Chu Ruolan, Lady Jiang the Younger nearly fainted dead away.
She grabbed her daughter's hand. "No, no! You must marry the Yan family's young master immediately!"
Chu Ruolan shook her off. "No, I won't marry!!"
"If you won't marry, then do you want to enter the palace as a consort? The Emperor's age is even greater than your father's! And with your temperament, you wouldn't even know how you died once you entered the palace. How could your father and mother send you into that pit of fire?"
Chu Huaishan also said with a choked voice, "Your mother is right. Moreover, to decline, I already told His Majesty you were betrothed to the Yan family. Things have come to this. The Yan family is surely better than the palace!"
Chu Ruolan's vision went dark. Clutching her head, she wept bitterly, "No—I've said it before. I love Yan Xiaoliu. I will marry no one but him. I... I..." She looked at her parents and hardened her heart. "We have already been intimate. I cannot marry another!"
