Seeing this, Noble Lady Wei was better than she had imagined. She had thought that a woman who had lost her only son, whose grandson had also died at her husband's hands, would be far more extreme. Yet as the mother of a nation, the Empress was indeed the Empress, beyond comparison with ordinary people.
The Empress also smiled faintly as she studied Consort Wei, pondering the intent of the eunuch who had relayed the message earlier. She suddenly asked, "Consort Wei, why do you look a little unwell? Is there something wrong with your health?"
Consort Wei's heart jolted. She hurriedly rose and replied, "Thank you for Your Majesty's concern. This consort may have caught a slight chill, but it is nothing serious."
"That is good." The Empress nodded and said warmly, neither hurried nor slow, "Though it is already June and the weather has turned hot, you still must not indulge too much in the cool. Rest well, and never be careless."
"Consort Yang was perfectly well before. His Majesty favored her too, yet she craved the cool and fell ill. Once she did, she was finished."
"Your Majesty is right." Though the words were inauspicious, Consort Wei showed gratitude and replied respectfully, "This consort will certainly be more careful."
They were both old hands in the palace, so it was not as though they had nothing at all to say. But neither did they have many topics to discuss.
More than ten years ago, one had been the Empress, while the other had merely been Noble Lady Wei. After the Empress lost her son and shut herself away behind closed palace gates, Consort Wei had gradually risen to Imperial Concubine Wei, then, by virtue of her long seniority, attained the rank of consort.
The vast difference in