Emblem of the Phoenix

凤凰图腾

emblem-of-the-phoenix

Calm Before the Rain

The Qingzhen Palace was brightly lit from the inner halls to the outer halls, with layers of gauzy curtains cascading down from the sky, stretching out like a fairyland. From the outer halls to the inner halls, one could only feel the fragrant wind, jade mist, orchid beams, and carved rafters, as if even immortals could not compare.
The Qianwan Emperor did not like extravagance, and on normal days, the Qingzhen Palace was only overly solemn.
However, since that unspeakable little noble inside became unclear, he was especially afraid at night. Whenever he woke up at night, he would cry incessantly, sometimes saying he saw people, sometimes saying he saw swords, sometimes frantically calling out Consort Ding's name, sometimes calling out Prince Dongyang Jinyuan's name, and even calling out the names of many old people who had died before, as if he was being haunted.
The imperial physicians had also come to examine him, but they could not figure out the reason. Hu Zhicheng had been serving for a long time after all, and knew what the emperor needed to hear and what he didn't want to hear, so he only secretly advised, "Your Majesty, there is a saying that goes 'I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me'. The young master has committed too many killing sins, and is being haunted by those resentful spirits who refuse to pass on!"
The Qianwan Emperor was absolutely unwilling to admit that Mingde had been driven mad by his own actions. He was more willing to believe that the souls of the old people from before were haunting the Qingzhen Palace.
Therefore, every night, the Qingzhen Palace was inevitably brightly lit throughout the night, as if using the imperial family's regal aura to suppress the ghostly shadows.
Tonight, the Qianwan Emperor returned drunk, hastily ordering people to arrange accommodations for Prince Qiu Duo and his envoy within the palace, while he himself dragged Mingde all the way back to the Qingzhen Palace. It was rare for the emperor to be like this, and the palace servants did not know how to serve him for a moment. Even the eunuchs could not approach him. They only heard a loud bang, and the Qianwan Emperor had already slammed the door of the inner chamber.
The palace servants were at a loss, and the head palace maid Yu Qian from the former Xia Zhaoyi's palace secretly went over and stuffed silver to Zhang Kuo, smiling and asking, "Does His Majesty need us to arrange for service tonight? Why does it seem like he's angry? Eunuch, tell us a word early, lest we say the wrong thing tomorrow morning and touch a sore spot!"
Zhang Kuo smiled slightly and returned the silver, "Miss is a sensible person, it's good to have this respectful thought, how can we let the hardworking personal attendants spend money. But miss, why did you let the little noble run from the Qingzhen Palace to the Lianyi Palace today?"
Yu Qian sighed, "Eunuch has been serving for many years, do you still need to think about the little noble's words and actions, how can he be stopped!"
"That's how it is. His Majesty drank a bit too much and lost his composure, behaving improperly in public. Although no one noticed, the little noble... slapped His Majesty on the spot."
Yu Qian cried out in shock.
Zhang Kuo shook his head, obviously already used to such things, "-- If it were normal, His Majesty would just laugh it off with each other, but at that time, the Yuezhi prince's envoy was watching with their own eyes. His Majesty couldn't save face, so he angrily withdrew from the banquet and returned. Miss, take a few palace maids and serve carefully tomorrow morning, and don't mention tonight's incident at all."
Yu Qian hurriedly agreed and secretly withdrew.
That night, as expected, there was no flipping of name plaques, and no concubines were summoned. People from the Virtuous Consort Palace asked several times in succession, but were all blocked. Even that slap in front of everyone's eyes was deliberately treated as if nothing had happened in a tacit understanding.
The Qianwan Emperor himself did not expect to be slapped, and felt quite angry in his heart, but did not know how to punish in a way that would both vent his anger and not hurt that little thing whose hair could not be hurt. Mingde still did not know better, and cried as soon as he saw the Qianwan Emperor on the bed. When asked why he was crying, he heard him sobbing and saying, "...It hurts! It hurts!"
The Qianwan Emperor himself had already endured his anger to the point of being unbearable, and still had to be gentle and careful, afraid of hurting him. When he heard him still crying in pain, he couldn't help but bite down hard on Mingde's shoulder blade, "Try crying again!"
Others were afraid of him, this supreme emperor, but Mingde was not afraid. He immediately cried even more fiercely, tears rolling down like pearls. He cried with a voice that was both sharp and thin, like a little cat about to die.
He cried until the Qianwan Emperor was irritable and took another fierce bite, mumbling indistinctly, "Cry one more time and I'll beat you!"
Mingde gasped in pain again, afraid of being beaten, and forcibly held back his tears, choking several times.
After all, the Qianwan Emperor was burning with desire after being drunk, and it was difficult to restrain himself. He himself did not know how many times he had sought after Mingde throughout the night. In the end, he just fell asleep in a daze.
The next day, when it was time for the morning court, there was no summons from the inner palace. The people outside did not dare to enter, and the people inside did not dare to come out. They were at a stalemate for a while. Fortunately, Zhang Kuo had experienced this for a long time. He secretly entered the inner chamber and knelt outside the bed curtains, asking in a low voice, "Your Majesty, will you still hold court this morning?"
There was silence inside for a while, and only the Qianwan Emperor's low voice was heard, "No court today."
Zhang Kuo let out a sigh of relief and carefully got up to stand and serve outside the inner chamber.
The Qianwan Emperor turned to Mingde, but unexpectedly, when he looked, this little thing had already been startled awake. He had just woken up and yawned, and immediately had tears hanging, looking pitiful.
Generally, men's moods are especially good at this time. The Qianwan Emperor hugged Mingde and kissed him, asking in a low voice, "Why do you look so pitiful again?"
Mingde mumbled and grumbled, not knowing what he was complaining about. The Qianwan Emperor coaxed him for a long time before he heard him mumbling, "You want to beat me again!"
The Qianwan Emperor had only spoken rashly last night under the influence of alcohol and desire, and he couldn't bear to really beat him. When he heard this, he was about to comfort him with a few words.
But unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, a bright light flashed through his mind. He hurriedly pulled Mingde over, "What did you say? What do you mean I want to beat you again? I've beaten you before, and you still remember? I beat you in the Zhengtai Palace, do you still remember? You still remember some things, right? Mingde, Mingde, you haven't completely lost your mind, have you?"
His grip was too strong and his tone was too intense. Mingde had no idea what was happening, and only instinctively shrank back, terrified and flailing, rolling and crawling to hide in the corner of the bed.
The Qianwan Emperor pulled him back and hugged him tightly in his arms, "Good boy, be good, listen, tell me, where have I beaten you before?"
Mingde was so frightened that he struggled in a panic. The Qianwan Emperor held him in his arms and coaxed him for a long time before he could speak, mumbling, "...face..."
The Qianwan Emperor was completely stunned. Mingde quickly reached out and tightly covered his face, as if afraid of being slapped again.
However, the Qianwan Emperor only fiercely held him tightly in his arms, with such force that it seemed he wished he could strangle Mingde to death by his side right now. "You troublemaker, you troublemaker... If I had the heart to kill you now, that would be the end of it. But you're so muddled, what will you do in the future? What will you do when I'm dead? Who will protect you, who will take care of you? I might as well strangle you to death now. After we enter the imperial tomb together, I'll have peace of mind!"
Mingde was uncomfortable being held so tightly and angrily cried out. The Qianwan Emperor ignored this, hastily put on his clothes and got out of bed. After helping this little ancestor with a simple wash, he opened the door and ordered, "Summon Hu Zhicheng!"
Zhang Kuo had already made preparations and had arranged an exquisite side hall in Qingzhen Palace specifically for Hu Zhicheng to stay. Therefore, as soon as he heard the order, in the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he saw Hu Zhicheng kneeling in a grand ceremony in front of the main gate of Qingzhen Palace, loudly saying, "Your subject pays respect to Your Majesty!"
The Qianwan Emperor hurriedly stepped forward, "Rise, beloved official!"
Hu Zhicheng had been an official for many years without success, but he happened to meet a superior, Mingde, a spoiled and pampered little ancestor who wouldn't take anyone's medicine except for Hu Zhicheng's. The Qianwan Emperor liked whoever Mingde liked, so Hu Zhicheng suddenly became the most favored and influential, not even needing to perform grand ceremonies when meeting the emperor.
Hu Zhicheng made a gesture of courtesy and respectfully asked, "Your Majesty summoned your subject--"
Before he could finish, the Qianwan Emperor anxiously asked, "Do you know if there are any signs of improvement in Mingde's condition?"
Hu Zhicheng was secretly puzzled because previously the Qianwan Emperor had been reluctant to let people say that Mingde had gone mad, avoiding the illness and being wary of treatment. The matter of treatment had never been brought up by anyone. The Imperial Physician Institute only provided medicine for pure nourishment.
He adjusted his posture and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, your subject believes that it's better to just let the young noble's illness be. Your subject dares to say that those people in the court may tolerate a... a madman, but they may not tolerate the General Mingde of the past!"
The Qianwan Emperor was silent for a moment. Hu Zhicheng looked at his expression and cautiously said, "Moreover, that person in Chunman Palace who has been in the palace for many years and was once favored by Your Majesty for a while, the power of the Ding family behind her cannot be ignored..."
The Qianwan Emperor's face showed a hint of embarrassment. The person living in Chunman Palace was Ding Zhaorong, and the past favor was merely to anger the empress. Now, with people in the palace either gone or scattered, that bit of past anger and hatred was not worth mentioning to outsiders.
Hu Zhicheng waited for a while and only heard the Qianwan Emperor sigh and say in a low voice, "It's not that I'm unwilling to take care of him for life, but I'm much older after all. If something happens to me, who will protect him? My desire to depose the crown prince over the years is known to almost everyone! In the past, I was constrained by the empress. Now that the empress is gone, I'm constrained by this muddleheaded little ancestor!"
Hu Zhicheng hurriedly lowered his head, "Your subject does not dare."
This was the first time the Qianwan Emperor had spoken so clearly to someone. He had imprisoned the crown prince for a year but had been slow to act. The princes born earlier had grown up and started to bare their fangs at each other.
Everyone thought deposing a crown prince who was no different from a commoner would be as easy as turning over one's hand, but unexpectedly, they all hit a nail in front of the Qianwan Emperor.
The only one who could protect Mingde after a thousand autumns was the crown prince alone. Although the crown prince was incompetent, he was kind-hearted and, after all, Mingde's blood relative. If another prince ascended the throne, there was no guarantee that something wouldn't happen in the future that would make the Qianwan Emperor turn in his grave.
"I also know that whether Mingde's condition can be cured is up to fate. Hu Zhicheng, you have been loyal and devoted these past few years. I can see that, and I won't treat you unfairly in the future."
Hu Zhicheng hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed, "Your subject does not dare! Your subject is fearful!"
"I only hope to seek out famous doctors to cure that child. If you say that the family of that person in Chunman Palace cannot be tolerated, I will eventually help Mingde remove this obstacle for him!"
Hu Zhicheng was startled and suddenly raised his eyes to see the Qianwan Emperor's expression, which was so gloomy that it made one's heart cold.
The emperor and the official chatted for a while. Just as Hu Zhicheng was about to take his leave, they suddenly heard Zhang Kuo come forward, bow at the door, and say, "Your Majesty, Ding Zhaorong from Chunman Palace has sent someone to deliver something!"
The Qianwan Emperor was slightly stunned, "Deliver something? Deliver what?"
Zhang Kuo said, "This servant has brought it for Your Majesty to take a look."
With that, he stepped in, leading a line of palace maids, each holding a golden box in their hands. There were so many of them that some were even lined up outside the hall.
Hu Zhicheng followed the Qianwan Emperor to take a look and saw that the boxes contained various toys, paintings, mostly exquisite and interesting, as well as some ginseng, deer antlers, and other precious medicinal materials.
Hu Zhicheng had sharp eyes and sniffed the medicinal materials. He whispered in the Qianwan Emperor's ear, "Your Majesty, these are all genuine treasures, not something to fool people with!"
"Oh? Then what does Ding Zhaorong mean by this?"
A personal palace maid beside Ding Zhaorong knelt down and said in a clear voice, "This servant pays respect to Your Majesty. Long live Your Majesty, long live, long live! Madam said that these are not gifts for Your Majesty, but for the young master in Qingzhen Palace. The young master has a weak constitution and may not live long, causing the emperor to grieve.
"These medicinal materials and tonics were saved by Madam when she was a young lady. She originally brought them into the palace for nourishment, but unexpectedly, they would be wasted in the palace with its brocade garments and jade meals. Using medicinal materials to treat people, even if it can only treat one person, is still worthwhile. We only hope that the young master can recover soon, so as not to let the thousand-year-old ginseng go to waste!"
Her first few words hit the hidden worries in the Qianwan Emperor's heart, and her later words were very pleasing to the ear. Even someone like the Qianwan Emperor who looked down on concubines smiled and said, "It's rare for her to be so thoughtful. That child can't use so much, lest it makes him sick. Take some back for Ding Zhaorong, and we'll keep some."
The palace maid immediately prostrated herself in gratitude: "Your Majesty's words alone are enough for our consort to cherish! There's no need for these medicinal supplements anymore!"
Hu Zhicheng laughed: "This girl is quite interesting."
The Qianwan Emperor nodded: "Indeed. Reward her with some gold and silk, and let her return to properly thank Ding Zhaorong."
The trusted palace maid returned to see Ding Zhaorong. After carefully relaying the message and seeing Ding Zhaorong remain silent for a while, she ordered everyone around to withdraw and knelt at Ding Zhaorong's feet.
Suddenly, a crisp sound was heard. She looked up in surprise and saw that one of the teeth of the ivory comb in Ding Zhaorong's hand had been twisted off.
"What a 'we'! What an emperor!"
The palace maid hurriedly rushed over: "Consort, do you not want to live! Rumors are frightening!"
"Did you hear what kind of words the emperor said? A person who has been cold and cruel to others, confining himself in the inner palace for several years in a row, I merely sent some things over, and immediately there's concern and favor from the emperor!"
Although the palace maid knew there was no one else around at this time, she still felt fearful and said with tears: "Consort, why bother getting angry at the emperor? Previously, General Mingde was forced into madness because he got angry at the empress once! He has the emperor's support, if something happens to the consort, who will speak up for you!"
After a while, Ding Zhaorong said fiercely: "I just can't accept it. Do I have to serve the one in Qingzhen Palace in order to have a future?"
"Oh consort! Isn't this how Hu Zhicheng rose to power? Back then, when his nephew caused trouble outside and it reached the emperor, didn't the emperor punish him lightly because he had merit in treating illnesses? Consort, have you forgotten how the senior palace maid Wan'er was beaten to death back then, and why Dechun from the Virtuous Consort's Palace ran into the spear?"
Ding Zhaorong felt as if a basin of ice and snow had been poured over her head, and she was stunned for a while before laughing bitterly: "Forget it! Forget it!"
The consort and maid just looked at each other with tears for a while. Suddenly, they heard someone outside say softly: "Consort, there is now a reply regarding the items you instructed this servant to send to the Yuezhi Prince. Should it be passed in?"

Emblem of the Phoenix

Emblem of the Phoenix

Chapter 56 - Calm Before the Rain

Leafy