Chapter 16
This unexpected award came suddenly.
But Lower Concubine Liu knew exactly why it was given.
Lower Concubine Liu took a deep breath, looking at the young girl that Emperor Xiao Yunzhou was holding possessively in his arms.
Hasn't the Emperor had enough of holding her?
She wanted to hug her daughter too.
The eunuch Wei Zheng beside them couldn't help but cough, reminding her to kneel and thank the Emperor for his grace.
But before Lower Concubine Liu could kneel, Xiao Yunzhou made a gesture as if to assist her up.
"No need for formalities."
He looked at the stunned Lower Concubine Liu, or should she now be called Concubine Liu, with a smile in his eyes.
"These past few years, I have neglected you. You have given me two wonderful children."
As Xiao Yunzhou looked at Lower Concubine Liu now, he found her more and more appealing.
In fact, after his two or three years of Taoist cultivation, he had not been too interested in visiting the harem this year.
But the women of the harem would come to him, bringing him soup or handmade handkerchiefs and pouches, or saying that a prince or princess was ill, or that they themselves were unwell, asking him to visit them.
Lower Concubine Liu, however, had never done such things.
Xiao Yunzhou had not noticed it before, but after hearing the good deeds of the Imperial Noble, he felt a sense of wariness that the concubines might try to harm him.
Like the Imperial Noble, the more frequently they brought him soup, the more likely they were trying to harm him.
Lower Concubine Liu paid him no heed and showed no eagerness to please him, which made him feel exceptionally at ease.
Xiao Yunzhou glanced at Lower Concubine Liu, who showed no great delight on her face and did not even kneel, displaying a refreshing sense of honesty and lack of desire for status. He felt an immediate sense of admiration for her.
"Concubine Liu, do you have a diminutive name?"
A woman's diminutive name is not to be revealed to outsiders.
In the inner chambers, only her parents and close relatives could address her by it.
Xiao Yunzhou had never asked before. He might not have remembered the names and backgrounds of even the scholars and officials from the previous dynasty, let alone the women of the harem.
But today, Concubine Liu was different from the ordinary harem women in his heart.
"This humble servant's diminutive name is Chaniang."
"Then I shall call you Ah Chang from now on, is that acceptable?"
Concubine Liu, now Liu Chaniang, felt a twinge in her eyes.
Chu Chu was held in Xiao Yunzhou's arms, eating the metaphorical melon and giggling heartily, looking at her mother's seemingly shy lowered head one moment, and the handsome face of her Imperial Father Xiao Yunzhou the next.
"Your Majesty, the Imperial Noble Consort requests an audience."
"Hmph!" Xiao Yunzhou's good mood was instantly ruined.
Liu Chaniang immediately snatched her daughter from his arms, "This humble servant begs to take her leave."
Xiao Yunzhou glared, never having encountered a woman so bold as to defy him in this way before.
But little did he know that Liu Chaniang had already heard her daughter's thoughts a few days ago, and had come to see him as a 'husband' destined for an early demise.
When he died, he would just be a clod of dirt.
She was no longer afraid of him at all.
Xiao Yunzhou was startled by her audacity, but far from being angered, he even found it somewhat appealing.
Especially with the woman standing outside, who appeared gentle towards him on the surface but harbored a heart as venomous as a scorpion's, Xiao Yunzhou nodded immediately. "Ah Chang, take the princess and go rest in the side palace first."
"Wei Zheng, attend to the mother and princess."
Wei Zheng respectfully acknowledged the order, his eyes full of surprise.
Concubine Liu has truly taken flight!
But at this moment, Liu Chaniang held her daughter in her arms, her face devoid of any joyful expression.
[Woo, Mother, let me see what the heroine White Moonlight Imperial Noble Consort looks like in this book!]
[She was the empress of two dynasties, after all.]
Chu Chu was brimming with excitement, straining to turn her head, but she only caught a glimpse of the Imperial Noble Consort's - the heroine of the book - gorgeous pearl-colored robe hem and the jade-inlaid golden butterfly hairpin on her head before her mother carried her away.
Once they reached the side palace, Liu Chaniang couldn't help but tap her daughter's nose playfully.
"Chu Chu, be a good girl and take a nap, alright?"
She couldn't let her daughter become fixated on the vicious Imperial Noble Consort just yet.
But not long after, as she followed Wei Zheng through a white tiger screen and entered the study of the side palace, she heard a loud crash from the Emperor's bedchambers in Chonghua Palace, followed by Xiao Yunzhou's thunderous voice ringing out in rage.
"Imperial Noble Consort! The harem is not to meddle in governance. How dare you have the audacity to plead for Minister Chen!"
"Do you think he was wrongly punished for the elixir incident? Do you think I was mistaken in punishing him and have wronged him!?"
Chu Chu was so excited that she lost all sleepiness. [The heroine was actually scolded! How melodramatic!]
[Ah, how I wish I could have witnessed this scene in person! Such a prime melon-eating moment!]
Melon?
Liu Chaniang looked down at her daughter, who was still young yet straining to look over her shoulder, and couldn't help but smile.
[The White Moonlight heroine who was once the empress of two dynasties, and now I hear her being scolded like a dog!]
[If she becomes the Queen of the Crown Prince in the future, I bet my Imperial Father will be personally whipped by her to vent her anger!]
Chu Chu was thoroughly enjoying the metaphorical melon, even spending 2 system points to watch Xiao Yunzhou's outburst in real-time.
This was one of the system's functions - using points to view any character's live video feed.
It was like watching a live stream.
This function was extremely powerful, but with one limitation: the target being watched had to be someone Chu Chu had already encountered.
Right now, she could watch Emperor Xiao Yunzhou.
He was seen wearing a dragon robe embroidered with gold thread, glaring down at the woman kneeling before him - the beautiful Imperial Noble Consort Fu Cha.
Her delicate face was streaked with tears, and she was almost prostrate at Xiao Yunzhou's feet. "Cousin, how could I ever think you were wrong? I only came to see you after hearing you had angrily punished Minister Chen because you were injured last night, and I didn't want you to further harm your health in your rage."
"I was just worried about you, Cousin."
What a perfect embodiment of the pure lotus flower.
Chu Chu shook her head in amusement.
But in the system's live video feed, she humorously noticed that from Xiao Yunzhou's overhead view on the imperial couch, he could see the resentment and humiliation in the Imperial Noble Consort's eyes that she was trying to conceal.
It was as if a student's small restless movements could never escape a teacher's casual sweeping glance from the lectern.
"You truly have a serpent's tongue, Imperial Noble Consort. What a pity you did not become a court actress!"
Xiao Yunzhou looked at her with contempt from the dragon couch.
Reflecting on the past, he had been deceived by his cousin's affectionate and gentle words, truly believing that she had his best interests at heart.
Little did he know that it was all an act.
Before, he trusted her, and had no suspicions about the Fu Cha clan as long as there were no conflicts of interest. She never showed her hand.
But today, the resentment, annoyance, and restraint in the Imperial Noble Consort's eyes, though only momentary before she suppressed it, was clear as day to him!
She was indeed not single-minded!
And she indeed did not have his best interests as her cousin at heart!
Otherwise, why did the Imperial Noble Consort not inquire about the results of the physician's examination of his injured leg, but only cared about her brother-in-law, the Taoist priest, being punished?
Just as his daughter had said, she was an ambitious woman.
She had hidden it so well that now, when he saw her tear-stained face and heard her profess her love for him, he found it false and nauseating.
"Guards, escort the Imperial Noble Consort back."
"Since the Imperial Noble Consort is so concerned about my well-being, she can devote herself to Taoist cultivation on my behalf from this day forth."
The Imperial Noble Consort looked up in disbelief, her face still a pitiful, tear-streaked vision of beauty framed by her striking features.
"Cousin... are you angry with me? For what reason?"
"No... no, Cousin..."
"Imperial Noble Consort," Xiao Yunzhou opened his eyes, concealing his disappointment and shock behind an impassive expression. "Since Minister Chen praised the efficacy of that elixir so highly, you can try it on my behalf instead."
The Imperial Noble Consort Fu Cha suddenly collapsed to the ground.
How could this be happening?
It was impossible!
He couldn't have known!
Just yesterday, when the earth dragon shifted, she had momentarily harbored wicked thoughts... if her third prince could not prevail over the crown prince in the future, and her cousin insisted on establishing the crown prince as heir, she would have someone lace the Emperor's elixir with poison.
He frequently consumed elixirs, and no one would suspect her or her third prince.
Even if it was discovered, only the Taoist priest would be executed, not her.
But how could this be... she hadn't done anything yet, but her cousin was already acting as if he knew!
"What are you waiting for? Take the Imperial Noble Consort to the Palace Taoist Temple!"
Xiao Yunzhou roared furiously.
He had ruled for ten years and governed directly for six.
The Imperial Noble Consort's panic upon hearing him mention elixirs revealed everything.
His little princess's insights were indeed true!
The Imperial Noble Consort Fu Cha suddenly collapsed to the ground in a faint.
"Go and invite Concubine Liu and the little Imperial Consort back."
"No, help me over there instead."
[Hmm, it seems the Emperor has become smarter.]
After watching the second half of the livestream, Chu Chu closed the system, feeling a bit surprised.
[Could this be the butterfly effect of my rebirth?]
Lower Concubine Liu's heart was pounding with excitement.
Her little Imperial Consort has been reborn? No wonder she knows so much, the little Imperial Consort has already experienced all of this before?
Chu Chu misspoke, saying "rebirth" instead of "transmigration into a book."
But she didn't notice herself, and soon smiled at her Imperial Mother who was staring at her.
[By the way, the Emperor's face is quite handsome.]
[He cultivated for three years and rarely set foot in the harem. This year, he has been even more resolute, not even visiting the Noble Consort or the Empress, only going to sit and not engage in activities. Before he was poisoned, his health was always good. He seems skilled in staking techniques, after all, he had been on the battlefield before and could draw a bow with a force of ten stones.]
[If the Emperor maintains his masculine virtue in the future, Imperial Mother, would you like to give it a try?]
[Hehehe, it would be like a male escort at a nightclub...]
What try... what escort...
Lower Concubine Liu was shaken by her daughter's thoughts.
Soon after, Emperor Xiao Yunzhou was helped into the side hall by eunuchs and ordered them to set up a dining table.
"Chaniang, if you want anything, just tell them."
Lower Concubine Liu was still unsettled by her daughter's gaze, but Chu Chu had already begun unconsciously drooling.
[Woof, I want hot pot! Take the meat from the back of the neck and brain of a lamb, the tenderest of the tender, three parts fat and seven parts lean, just the right balance of fat and lean. Slice it thinly into pieces and put it in a pot of fragrant red oil, boil it briefly, then scoop it out once cooked and roll it in a blend of chopped scallions, garlic, and crushed peanuts in hot oil...]
Chu Chu slurped, swallowing some saliva.
[And also a plate of crispy duck intestines, just blanched...]
Xiao Yunzhou listened and, despite being the Emperor, couldn't help but swallow some saliva along with her.