Ruan Rensui couldn’t help but tilt his head with difficulty to see the expression on his father’s face.
As expected, His Majesty looked quite helpless and spoke to her gently, “Consort De does have a rather simple nature, but she is not a bad person. You should try to—”
He lightly patted his precious son through the swaddling cloth and said, “You can leave after his full-month celebration. There’s still time.”
Lady Jia Zhen, having received a clear sentence, visibly breathed a sigh of relief and immediately bowed, saying, “Yes.”
His Majesty smiled and, seeing that his son was still awake, made a point of greeting him, “Your father is leaving now; I’ll come to see you again tomorrow!”
Ruan Rensui blinked and thought to himself: “Alright.”
But before His Majesty could return the next day, rumors had already spread.
When the news arrived, Ruan Rensui was still sleeping, but he was startled awake by Consort De’s sharp and frightened voice.
Infants seem to have a subtle sensitivity to their mother’s emotions, and he instinctively responded to her distress.
Consort De’s face was pale, and the little bit of rosiness she had regained completely disappeared.
She clutched the corner of her bedding tightly, her knuckles turning white from the pressure.
“Who is spreading these slanderous rumors outside? They deserve to be punished!”
Madam Xiahou also appeared anxious and doubtful.
“The Empress is in charge of the six palaces. How could she allow such rumors to spread?”
Lady Jia Zhen, who was present, immediately interrupted in a deep voice, “As soon as the Empress heard of it, she ordered a thorough investigation. Anyone involved has been sent to the Imperial Household Department for interrogation.”
When nothing was amiss, Consort De found Lady Jia Zhen irritating.
But now that a real crisis had emerged, she finally recognized the benefit of having such a steady presence beside her.
She looked at her in panic, unable to hide her unease.
Seeing this, Lady Jia Zhen felt both sympathy and exasperation.
However, she did not hesitate and instead instructed those around her, “Help the consort up and dress her. She must go to Fengyi Palace and plead guilty before the Empress!”
Consort De’s already pale face drained of all color.
Madam Xiahou, feeling protective of her daughter, held her close and spoke with a trembling voice, “She just gave birth and is still weak. How can she—”
Lady Jia Zhen met her gaze with a calm demeanor and stated, “Madam, once the Empress Dowager or His Majesty makes an official statement, Consort De might not even have the opportunity to plead her case.”
Madam Xiahou’s heart burned with indignation and grievance.
“These are all baseless lies! Why should she have to endure this and go apologize in such a weak state?!”
Lady Jia Zhen’s expression turned serious as she asked, “Was it not Consort De who showed great disrespect toward the Empress previously, allowing the entire inner palace and court officials to take notice?”
Madam Xiahou’s face turned ashen, and she was left speechless.
Consort De’s lips trembled, and silent tears fell from her eyes.
Lady Jia Zhen did not stop there; instead, she pressed further, “After that incident, did Consort De not frequently speak ill of the Empress within the palace, showing open disrespect and resentment? Is that true or not?”
Neither Consort De nor Madam Xiahou had a response.
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Lady Jia Zhen chose to lay things out plainly.
“Those slanderous words outside are indeed false and fabricated. They were not spoken by Consort De. However, are rumors always created from nothing? Can they truly be conjured out of thin air?”
“To be blunt, the rumors sound quite like something Consort De could have said. If she does not go now while the situation is still under control to plead guilty, is she planning to wait until the Empress Dowager and His Majesty take action?”
She ignored Madam Xiahou and looked directly at Consort De.
“Your Highness, you have already experienced the Empress’s temper once. Last time, it was your father who took the blame for you and lost his life. This time, what are you prepared to sacrifice?”
For as long as he could remember, Ruan Rensui had always felt complicated about Empress Zhu and her powerful maternal family, the House of the Duke of Dingguo.
However, since Empress Zhu passed away young and had little presence in his life, those complicated emotions had gradually faded.
But for the Xiahou family and his mother, Consort De, there was an unbridgeable blood feud between them.
Standing between them was the life of his maternal grandfather.
The marriage between His Majesty and Empress Zhu had been arranged by the Empress Dowager.
At that time, there were already two officially titled concubines in the palace.
The Empress Dowager’s niece, Lady Liu, held the title of Virtuous Consort, while his mother, Lady Xiahou, held the rank of Zhaoyi.
When the Emperor and Empress Zhu were married, she was only fourteen.
Following the Empress Dowager’s instructions, they performed the wedding ceremony but did not consummate the marriage.
His Majesty would occasionally visit Fengyi Palace to talk with Empress Zhu, but he never stayed overnight.
Despite her young age, Empress Zhu was composed and steady.
Apart from the required meetings with concubines and paying respects to the Empress Dowager, she rarely left her palace.
She even showed little interest in managing palace affairs, continuing the tradition of relying on the female officials who had served under the previous Empress Regent.
A young Empress who had not consummated her marriage with the Emperor and did not actively assert control over palace matters—this gave Consort De a sense of subtle arrogance.
Her confidence grew even more when she became pregnant and was promoted to the rank of Consort.
She had every reason to feel triumphant.
After all, even before giving birth, she had already been elevated to one of the Four Noble Consorts!
In the current dynasty, the Four Noble Consorts ranked in the order of Noble, Virtuous, Pure, and Worthy.
Though they were all first-rank consorts, her position placed her even above the Empress Dowager’s own niece, Virtuous Consort!
Virtuous Consort Liu, noticing her shift in attitude, tried to advise her out of old camaraderie.
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