Consort Ning had served for many years, and her father was an important minister. Now that her mother was dying, Jiang Yuan showed mercy, allowing Consort Ning to leave the palace to see her mother one last time.
The carriage raced all the way to the Yang residence.
The gates of the Yang residence were wide open, and servants knelt everywhere to welcome Consort Ning. She didn't spare them a glance, hurrying towards the main chamber.
Inside the main chamber, Lady Yang's breathing was shallow, her pupils dull and grey.
"Mother!" Consort Ning's hand trembled, not daring to touch Lady Yang.
Hearing the voice, Lady Yang's eyes moved slightly, emitting a faint glimmer of light, but then, as if remembering something, it quickly faded.
Consort Ning's face was streaked with tears. "Mother, how could you be so cruel?"
The poison was potent, having eroded Lady Yang's throat, making her voice unbearably hoarse.
"Luoniang is dead."
Consort Ning: "Yes, Luoniang has passed, but you still have me!"
"She killed herself!" Lady Yang became agitated, grabbing Consort Ning's hand. Her pale hand was veined, her nails digging into Consort Ning's flesh.
"She took her own life! That Zeng Qiming is a monster. Luoniang couldn't bear it anymore. She despaired of us, do you understand? She sent Que'er back to find me. She told me: 'Mother, save me! Cough—'" Lady Yang, overly agitated, could hardly catch her breath. "But I told her to endure a little longer, to wait."
"She couldn't wait any longer. She couldn't wait!"
Lady Yang remembered three days ago when she heard the news and rushed to the Zeng residence. Her once so-docile daughter lay with closed eyes on a cold bed, never to wake again. Her precious daughter, cherished since childhood, didn't have a single unbruised spot on her body. In that moment, Lady Yang hated Zeng Qiming to the core.
For the first time in her life, she disregarded propriety and dignity to strike Zeng Qiming. But that beast in gentleman's clothing had his servants restrain her, blaming her for not teaching her daughter well, for daring to hang herself and bringing ill omen upon the Zeng family. Zeng Qiming even declared that Luoniang would not be allowed into the Zeng ancestral graves or the family ancestral hall.
In the end, it was Yang Heng who arrived. Zeng Qiming dared not act recklessly in front of Yang Heng and backed down. Finally, the two men reached an agreement: to announce publicly that Luoniang had died of illness.
Lady Yang could not accept this outcome. She wanted to report Zeng Qiming to the authorities for spousal abuse, but Yang Heng confined her to the residence. Yet whether her eyes were open or closed, all she could see in her mind was Luoniang's pleading gaze.
"Mother, save me!"
For three days it was like this. Lady Yang could bear it no longer and drank the poison.
She thought she must go to accompany Luoniang.
Thinking of this, Lady Yang released Consort Ning's hand and lay back calmly.
"Mother, are you blaming me?" Consort Ning asked, her eyes red. "Blaming me and Father for marrying Luoniang to Zeng Qiming? I didn't know, I truly didn't know Zeng Qiming was that kind of man."
"Yes, it is I who failed Luoniang. But Mother, I never imagined Luoniang would die. I only wanted her to endure a little longer. I would have saved her!"
Consort Ning admitted there was some complicated, strange feeling mixed into her emotions towards Luoniang—a feeling that could be called "jealousy" or perhaps "timidity." But she swore she never wished for Luoniang's death!
That was her own younger sister! They were so close, so happy in their childhood.
How could she have borne to watch Luoniang die?
"Mother, I was wrong. When Que'er came to the palace and told me, I should have found a way to rescue Luoniang from the Zeng family then. It's all my fault for being weak and incompetent, for not daring to beg His Majesty..." In fact, thinking about it now, even without begging the Emperor, she could have thought of other ways to save Luoniang from her misery. For example, bringing Luoniang to the palace as a companion, or claiming she was unwell and having Luoniang stay at the Green Bamboo Nunnery for a few months to pray for her.
Perhaps, away from Zeng Qiming and given a respite, Luoniang wouldn't have been driven to despair.
"It's all my fault..." This time, Consort Ning truly felt regret.
But Lady Yang shook her head. "It is my fault, all my fault!"
She stared blankly at the bed canopy. "I was wrong from the very beginning. Your father values only power; wives and daughters are merely tools for gaining power in his eyes... I resented that little tart for giving birth to a son, and in my pettiness, I was determined to raise you to be the finest young lady in the entire capital, no less valuable than any son."
Her tone was full of remorse: "Since you were little, I placed high hopes on you. No matter what you did, I demanded perfection. Minzhen, in your heart, do you also resent your mother?"
Consort Ning shook her head, tears streaming.
Lady Yang: "Cough. You should resent me. You should..."
In this life, she had fought only for a breath of vindication. Now, looking back, how laughable it was. For Yang Heng's sake, she vied for favor with the concubines in the residence, becoming twisted herself. To make Yang Heng think highly of their mother and daughters, she poured her heart and soul into cultivating her daughters, hoping one day their marriages would aid Yang Heng.
Later, Minzhen was betrothed to the Crown Prince as a secondary consort. Yang Heng indeed softened his attitude towards her. Those were rare moments of tenderness in their marriage. Lady Yang clung to that feeling too greedily, and so she placed her hopes on Luoniang.
Minzhen was dignified and virtuous, so Luoniang had to be pure and lively. And coincidentally, her younger daughter's appearance was so outstanding.
Yang Heng's expectations for Luoniang were even higher than for Minzhen, especially after the Crown Prince ascended the throne and reduced the Prime Minister's power. Yang Heng conceived the idea of sending his younger daughter into the palace as well.
To fulfill her husband's wish, Lady Yang specially entered the palace to discuss this with Consort Ning. She never expected her always-compliant eldest daughter to resist so fiercely, even joining forces with Yang Heng to marry Luoniang off to Zeng Qiming.
That was the first time Lady Yang realized she might have made a mistake.
But at that time, she still held hope for Yang Heng. She thought, perhaps as Yang Heng said, since Zeng Qiming had gone to great lengths to seek a noble wife, he would surely treat Luoniang well.
But no one could have imagined that Zeng Qiming would lay hands on Luoniang in private!
Her Luoniang, her Luoniang...
"Cough, cough, cough—"
Lady Yang's coughing suddenly became violent. The poison flowed through her veins, eroding her organs. Consort Ning anxiously called out, "The physician! Where is the physician!"
But her hand was grasped by Lady Yang. A faint light returned to Lady Yang's eyes. "Minzhen, cough... kill... cough, kill Zeng Qiming! Kill Zeng—"
As if strangled, Lady Yang's body suddenly stiffened, then collapsed. Her hand holding Consort Ning's fell away, powerless.
"Mother! Mother!" Consort Ning was like a panicked little girl. Decorum, dignity—all were forgotten in this moment. She cried out hysterically, "Summon the imperial physician from the palace! Beg His Majesty, bring Chief Physician Xia here, hurry!"
No one dared to move.
Finally, one person gathered the courage. "Your Ladyship, Madam... she has passed."
"Nonsense! How dare you speak such lies! I will have your life!" Consort Ning held Lady Yang, wailing loudly.
"Zeng... Qi... Ming!" She would definitely kill him!
After a long while, Consort Ning emerged from the main chamber. Seeing the white mourning drapes already hung in the residence, she let out a cold, mirthless laugh.
"Elder Sister." Outside the chamber, a young man in a blue robe bowed to Consort Ning.
Yang Jianhuai, the illegitimate son of the Yang family and the only male heir of his generation in the Yang household.
Yang Jianhuai's face was etched with sorrow. "Eldest sister, please accept my condolences."
Consort Ning did not even glance at him, walking straight towards Yang Heng's study.
Upon reaching the study, she did not wait for the servants to announce her. Pushing the door open, she found Yang Heng inside.
Seeing her, Yang Heng sighed. "Your mother was confused, but what's done is done..."
"I want to kill Zeng Qiming," Consort Ning interrupted him.
Yang Heng was taken aback. "What?" He then frowned. "Minzhen, don't be foolish. Zeng Qiming is at fault, but now is not the time to move against him." Zeng Qiming had abused his daughter and shown disrespect towards him; Yang Heng was naturally furious. He had long planned to deal with Zeng Qiming once he entered the Grand Secretariat and no longer needed his support.
But Consort Ning suddenly asked him an unexpected question. "Did you grieve when Luoniang died?"
Yang Heng faltered, somewhat uncomfortable. "Of course, Luoniang was also my daughter..."
"And my mother? She just passed away, yet you can remain composed here! In your heart, is there only power, only that son of yours? Do we mean nothing to you? So you didn't care when Luoniang died, and you don't care now that mother is dead!"
"Yang Minzhen!" Yang Heng shouted sternly, deeply feeling his authority had been challenged, or perhaps because her words had struck a hidden nerve. His face darkened. "Don't forget, it was your idea to have Luoniang marry Zeng Qiming."
"Yes, it's all my fault..." Consort Ning let out a bitter laugh. It was all because she had lost her head back then, leading to the agony of losing loved ones today. How she regretted it!
Yang Heng threw down the book in his hand, his voice cold. "If you hadn't been merely a concubine back then, if you had been more capable, winning more of the Emperor's favor, or bearing a son or daughter, why would your younger sister have needed to marry Zeng Qiming?"
Look at the Earl of Chengen, how proud he is with the Empress as his daughter!
Staring coldly at Yang Heng, a surge of immense hatred rose in Consort Ning's heart. She hated this father of hers for his shamelessness.
But Yang Heng was right about one thing. If she had become the Crown Princess back then, would everything have been different?
His Majesty would have respected, honored, and loved her. Her position would have been unshakable. Naturally, she wouldn't have been jealous of Luoniang. Perhaps she might even have agreed to let Luoniang enter the palace to keep her company. That way, Luoniang wouldn't have had to marry Zeng Qiming, and her mother wouldn't have died.
The Empress... the Empress...
Never before had Consort Ning craved that position as intensely as she did at this moment.
Without another look at Yang Heng, Consort Ning turned and left.
Zeng Qiming—she would definitely kill him.
The position of Empress—she would also seize it.
Victorious reports from the border arrived one after another, and prosperity was evident both inside and outside the capital. Recently, the atmosphere within the rear palace was also quite favorable.
However, the Empress was in her confinement month, and Consort Zhuang was pregnant again. The Emperor often visited them but could not stay the night. Consequently, he ended up visiting Consort Hui, Consort Nie, and Consort Wei more frequently.
Indeed, since the Grand Princess's household had promptly pledged their allegiance, Consort Wei also managed to gain the Emperor's attention.
Zhaorong was spirited and flamboyant, but in front of the Emperor, she adopted more of a maidenly demeanor. That arrogance turned into a charming coquettishness, which happened to suit Jiang Yuan's preferences.
Once favored, Zhaorong inevitably reverted to her old ways. However, she knew the Empress's position was now secure and dared not be too presumptuous. She only occasionally boasted in front of the other consorts about how much the Emperor doted on her.
Neither Qi Daiyu nor Nie Zhiyu were the type to vie for supremacy. For a time, many in the rear palace genuinely believed Consort Wei was currently the Emperor's favorite.
As a result, more people began to gather around Zhaorong.
Zhaorong was immensely pleased.
Unfortunately, this satisfaction did not last long.
In the fifth month, the Emperor suddenly ennobled a dancing girl as a Beauty, bestowed upon her the title "Li" (Beautiful), granted her residence in the eastern side hall of Xianfu Palace, and provided her with eunuchs, palace maids, and various rewards. The fanfare was so grand it drew the attention of the entire rear palace.
For three consecutive days, it was Concubine Li who attended the Emperor. He even exempted her from the morning greetings to the Empress.
Such exceptional favor was rare indeed.
What kind of charm did this Concubine Li possess, to make the Emperor, who was never one for indulgence, summon her for three nights in a row?
On the morning Concubine Li came to pay her respects, all the consorts gathered at the Kunning Palace.
