abcnovels
Chapter 130
Chapter 130
"Your Majesty... please?"
The Xuanwu Emperor was seething with anger. His tightly clenched jaw tensed and relaxed repeatedly, his entire face flushed red with rage. Yet he restrained himself from kicking Xi Que out.
He knew how much Concubine Zhen loved this maid and didn't want to further inflame their relationship at this moment.
"Hmph!"
With a muffled grunt, the Xuanwu Emperor's figure had already exited Hexi Palace. The palace servants outside could hear Concubine Zhen's voice cursing the emperor. Now seeing the emperor emerge with a stern face, brimming with fury, they all knelt to the ground.
Before the emperor could even utter harsh words to warn that bold maid who was just like her mistress, the doors of Hexi Palace slammed shut with a loud "bang".
Wang Dequan had just obtained scar-removing gel from Noble Consort Liang's palace and was rushing back. He arrived just in time to witness the emperor being driven out of Hexi Palace.
The serving palace staff used terrified glances to warn him that the emperor was likely in a foul mood and must not be provoked.
Wang Dequan hesitated for a moment, but still approached with light steps, presenting the scar-removing gel with both hands: "Your Majesty, this scar-removing gel..."
The Xuanwu Emperor turned back, intending to knock on the door, but considering how Jiang Xinyue had shown him such disrespect in front of so many palace servants, he withdrew his hand. Looking at the bottle of scar-removing gel, he found it increasingly displeasing.
He grasped the cold bottle, making a motion as if to throw it.
"Ah, Your Maj-"
Wang Dequan cried out half a sentence in fright, swallowing the other half.
This mustn't happen!
Noble Consort Liang had only provided this scar-removing gel because she thought the emperor was injured. How wasteful it would be to squander it like this!
The fingers gripping the bottle had turned white. The Xuanwu Emperor cast an inscrutable glance at Hexi Palace, his violently heaving chest gradually calming. His bloodshot eyes closed tightly, then opened again.
In the end, only a small round-bellied, wide-mouthed cyan porcelain bottle remained on the steps of Hexi Palace's entrance. The emperor's procession had already departed.
"Is he gone? Is he gone?"
Xi Que leaned weakly against the door, while Jiang Chuan and Xiao Xuanzi supported her as they peeked outside. "It seems he's left."
"Good that he's gone, good that he's gone..."
Xi Que patted her chest as she opened the door a crack, swiftly retrieved the bottle of scar-removing gel, then had Xiao Xuanzi and Jiang Chuan quickly close the door. Only then did she heave a long sigh of relief. "That scared me to death. The emperor's gaze was so frightening. I didn't dare look up at him the whole time. Did the emperor want to kick me to death?"
Xi Que was the kind of person who would sharpen knives against the emperor if her mistress dared to hand her one.
"Xi Que, you were so brave just now. I admire you."
"Yes! Before we could even react, you had already gone over to ask the emperor to leave."
That wasn't asking the emperor to leave, it was clearly telling him to get lost.
And the swiftness with which she closed the door – she might as well have written "Get lost quick" on her face.
Jiang Chuan pondered honestly that he didn't have such courage.
Xi Que laughed awkwardly, "You're too kind..."
Heaven knows, she hadn't meant it that way. She was just afraid the emperor would vent his anger on her. If he suddenly lashed out with a dragon's tail and sent her flying, she didn't want to end up coughing blood like Nanny Gui. So she quickly closed the door.
This way, he couldn't kick her, right?
Inside the bedchamber, Nanny Li was still patiently advising Jiang Xinyue: "My lady, please don't blame this old servant for speaking out of turn. In this entire palace, the emperor treats you the best. He is the Son of Heaven, the ruler of this land. To demand that he be devoted to you alone is asking too much."
Even if the emperor himself were willing, the civil and military officials wouldn't allow it.
If it truly came to that, the emperor might be forced to personally execute Concubine Zhen.
"When did I ever demand that he be devoted to me alone?" Jiang Xinyue wiped her continuously falling tears. "From the day I entered the palace, I knew that for the rest of my life, I would have to share one husband with a group of women. But... but I never intended to give my true heart. It was the emperor who was too good to... to me, that's why I... I..."
She cried, her voice choked with sobs. "Nanny, you're a woman too. Do you think if a man truly loves you, he could still have room in his heart for other women? Would he constantly put you in dangerous situations? When you encounter danger, could a man who truly loves you still weigh the pros and cons? Does he really love you?"
Hearing it put this way, the emperor did sound quite despicable.
Nanny Li sighed, "My lady, for women who have entered the palace, true feelings are what they can least afford to entertain. It's enough that the emperor favors you. Which woman in the palace has survived on true feelings? They all rely on imperial favor."
Those who count on true feelings don't last more than a few years; they end up breaking their own hearts.
There is only one emperor, but so many consorts and concubines in the harem. Each wants the emperor's true heart – how can that one heart be divided among so many?
Concubine Zhen wanted the emperor's entire heart, unwilling to share even a bit with anyone else!
It was too greedy, too unrealistic.
"If I were relying on favor, why would I give my true heart?" Jiang Xinyue sniffled and sighed. "Perhaps I really am too greedy. At first, I thought just being by his side like this was good enough. Later, when he treated me well, I thought he must have some affection for me. Then when he showered me with favor, I wondered if I could ask for even more. He let me fall deeper and deeper, then shattered all my expectations. Nanny Li, I can't accept it. I thought there was love between us! Isn't love... supposed to be given to only one person?"
If everyone could love, what kind of love would that be?
Love that can be easily promised to anyone is too cheap.
The Xuanwu Emperor sat in the imperial study, preparing to review memorials as usual. But the emperor, who normally dealt with state affairs very quickly, had been sitting with the same memorial for nearly half an hour today, not even changing his posture. He seemed frozen in place.
His brows were tightly furrowed, his mind constantly echoing Jiang Xinyue's words scolding him... though it wasn't really scolding... "accusation" would be a more precise description.
"Wang Dequan, what kind of person do you think I am?"
"This..."
Wang Dequan knew what he wanted to ask, but answered evasively, "This servant dares not speak of other matters, but Your Majesty is certainly a diligent and benevolent ruler who loves his people. It is the people's good fortune to have such a monarch as yourself."
"I want you to speak of other matters. For instance, as a husband to women, am I a good one?"
Wang Dequan thought to himself: I already said I dare not speak of other matters, why are you still making me say it? Isn't this bullying?
He chuckled awkwardly, "This servant's body is incomplete and cannot be a woman's husband. Nor have I seen how other men treat their wives. I've only seen Your Majesty, so this..."
Without a basis for comparison!
No matter how he tried to explain, he couldn't get to the point. The Xuanwu Emperor waved his hand dismissively. "Go. Standing here irritates me. I can't even focus on the memorials."
Wang Dequan felt utterly wronged!
Surely the emperor couldn't concentrate on the memorials because of Concubine Zhen!
What did it have to do with him?