Consort Shu: Su Yunyan

Deep within the imperial palace, the palace paths stretched on and on.

Su Yunyan sat upright in her sedan chair, traveling along a palace path toward the Hall of Supreme Ultimate.

The autumn sun shone pleasantly, its light falling on the pure-gold, pearl-tipped dangling hairpin at her temple. Her eyes were closed, her expression indifferent.

As they rounded a corner of the palace wall, another sedan chair approached from the opposite direction.

The eunuchs on both sides failed to notice, and the chairs nearly collided. Fortunately, they managed to steady them at the last moment.

Su Yunyan opened her eyes and looked at the person in the chair opposite her.

Cui Yingshuang.

Once Noble Consort Cui, the legitimate daughter of a senior minister and the most dazzling woman at the consort selection.

Now her father had been demoted, and her own title of noble consort had been stripped from her, reducing her to the rank of jieyu.

In the space of only two years, she had fallen from the clouds into the mud.

Meeting on a palace path, they both had to descend from their chairs and exchange formal greetings.

Cui Yingshuang stepped down from her sedan chair and looked at Su Yunyan, hatred and resentment almost spilling from her eyes.

Over the past two years, she had fought the empress dowager, fought the empress dowager's niece Zhaoyi Zhu, fought Consort De Li, and fought those low-ranking consorts occasionally favored by His Majesty. They had fought as though their lives depended on it, until she was utterly exhausted.

But she had never taken Su Yunyan seriously.

What was there to fight over with a daughter born to a concubine, who had neither favor nor children and had not managed to get close to His Majesty in two years at court?

Yet after her demotion, the first to rise in rank and become Consort Shu was none other than Su Yunyan!

Cui Yingshuang dipped her knees slightly. "Your concubine pays her respects to Your Highness Consort Shu."

Su Yunyan looked down at her and spoke at an unhurried pace.

"Jieyu Cui, rise."

She reached out to straighten her cuff, her tone casual.

"I am on my way to the Hall of Supreme Ultimate to discuss the southern tour with His Majesty. I wonder which of our sisters His Majesty will take along this time. Would you like me to ask for you, Jieyu Cui?"

Cui Yingshuang tightened her grip on her handkerchief and lowered her eyes, though her voice remained fairly steady.

"There is no need. I still have the eldest princess to care for. She is young and cannot be without her mother. I will remain in the palace."

At the words "eldest princess," Su Yunyan's gaze darkened slightly.

The eldest princess. If Cui Yingshuang had not given birth to a princess, she would have been sent to the cold palace on the day her father was demoted.

"Jieyu Cui truly does... dote on the princess." She waved a hand. "Well, I must get to the Hall of Supreme Ultimate. I won't chat with you any longer."

The sedan chair was lifted again and moved slowly onward.

Seated in the chair, Su Yunyan found the events of the past two years churning through her mind.

She had clearly been so careful.

Yet in the end, things had turned out no differently for her than for the original owner of this body.

She could not openly compete for favor, and His Majesty could not openly show her favor either.

Cui Yingshuang was overbearing, Zhaoyi Zhu had the empress dowager's backing, and the first group of consorts to enter the palace were either noble ladies from the capital or daughters of prominent local clans. Even those of humble birth had hastened to seek the protection of higher-ranking consorts after entering.

Only she had no one she could rely on.

Before His Majesty, she had to pretend to be someone who neither competed nor contended. She had kept up the act so long that she had almost come to believe it herself.

But what good did pretending do?

Just like the original owner, she had fallen victim to a scheme that had damaged her health and made it difficult for her to bear children.

Still, Su Yunyan knew that once she took the empress's seat, she could become pregnant with proper care.

So she was in no hurry.

The most important thing right now was not a child, but His Majesty's heart.

No, that was not quite right. A man's heart could not be trusted.

She had stopped believing in that long ago.

On this southern trip, she had to get His Majesty to visit Wu Commandery and bring her elder brother back to the capital.

Only then would she truly have a backer of her own.

Her clan could not be relied upon, but her own elder brother, born of the same mother, was better than those clansmen from other branches.

At present, only two of the four consort positions were filled.

One by her, the other by Consort De.

She had been made Consort Shu because someone's scheme had left her with difficulty bearing children. It was the compensation His Majesty had given her after taking power, and the empress dowager knew the reason too, so she had not stopped it.

Consort De had received her rank thanks to the eldest prince.

Over the past two years, His Majesty had seldom visited the rear palace.

When he did come, it was either to maintain balance at court or because the empress dowager had pressed him so hard that he had no choice.

She wanted to gradually change his impression of her, but she had maintained her "innocent and harmless" persona for so long that she could not find a suitable pretext to change it at short notice.

Now she was a thorn in the eyes of the other consorts. Cui Yingshuang hated her, Zhaoyi Zhu was wary of her, and even Consort De regarded her with greater scrutiny.

But that was not necessarily a bad thing.

After being harmed so often, it was only natural for a person's temperament to change.

When the time came, she would no longer have to pretend to be frail, and she might even win a little of His Majesty's sympathy.

Fortunately, after two years, Zongzheng Heng had gathered most of the court's power into his hands, just as the book had described.

She had no clan to back her, but no one in the rear palace could compare to her in His Majesty's heart.

The one advantage of her "innocent" persona was that His Majesty trusted her.

More than he trusted anyone else.

But... there was that extra chapter.

The book had described it in the barest terms, saying only that Zongzheng Heng traveled south and brought a woman from Jiangnan back to the capital.

A few brief strokes, without even mentioning her name.

Was it this trip? She did not know.

She knew only that on this southern trip, she could not let any woman come within half a step of His Majesty.

Still, she had watched coolly these past two years. The rear palace had no shortage of beautiful, seductive women, but when had His Majesty ever given any of them a second glance?

He disliked those who deliberately competed for his favor all the more.

Cui Yingshuang had once enjoyed more favor than anyone in the rear palace, but on one occasion she had gone to the Hall of Supreme Ultimate without permission, against the rules. His Majesty's face had turned cold on the spot, and he had confined her to her quarters for three days.

No matter how favored Cui Yingshuang became afterward, she never dared behave presumptuously before him again.

His Majesty valued rules above all else.

If anyone broke them, he turned hostile faster than one could turn the pages of a book.

It was not that Su Yunyan had never thought of testing him.

The woman from Jiangnan in the extra chapter was presumably not one to follow the rules.

But whenever she showed the slightest sign of stepping out of line, Zongzheng Heng's face darkened, so much that her heart quailed.

After trying a few times, she no longer dared try again.

She truly could not understand what method the woman in that extra chapter had used to make His Majesty grant her an exception.

Or was it that Zongzheng Heng could not possibly act out of character, and the author had simply written the extra chapter at random?

While she was lost in thought, the sedan chair arrived before the Hall of Supreme Ultimate.

Su Yunyan gathered her thoughts, lifted her skirts, and walked gracefully inside.

Agarwood incense burned in the hall, wisps of smoke curling upward.

Zongzheng Heng sat upright behind the imperial desk, reviewing memorials.

Su Yunyan approached the emperor and bowed gracefully. "Your concubine respectfully wishes Your Majesty peace."

"Rise."

Su Yunyan stood and naturally began grinding ink at his side.

"Your Majesty has summoned me to the Hall of Supreme Ultimate to keep you company for several days running. I fear the sisters in the rear palace may begin to gossip."

Zongzheng Heng's expression did not change. "What if they do? I want the rear palace to know that you have my protection. If anyone dares scheme against you or reach out a hand again, they had best first weigh their own worth."

Su Yunyan's heart stirred slightly.

His words were blunt and forceful.

She naturally understood what he meant-

He was the one who had told her to wait for him at Brahma Sound Temple, and he was also the one who had selected her for the rear palace.

But over the past two years, he had been occupied with affairs of state, leaving her alone in the depths of the palace to fall victim to schemes that had harmed her health and made it difficult for her to bear children.

He felt guilty.

Now that he held power firmly in his hands, he no longer needed to heed his ministers' expressions. He could bestow his favor on whomever he wished.

This was his compensation.

She was silent for a moment, then said, "I am only worried about the empress dowager... I have difficulty bearing children, yet I alone receive Your Majesty's favor. If the empress dowager asks about it, I will not know how to answer."

"You need not concern yourself with the empress dowager. I know what I intend to do. From now on, no one in the rear palace will dare bully you again. You need only focus on regaining your health. As for children..." He paused, his voice dropping a little. "We have plenty of time."

Su Yunyan felt a little relieved, and a gentle smile rose to her face. "I thank Your Majesty for your great kindness."

She lowered her head, her fingers gently twisting her handkerchief, as though she wanted to speak but hesitated.

Zongzheng Heng glanced at her. "If you have something to say, say it plainly. There is no need to hide it."

"Your Majesty, when I entered the palace, my elder brother was sent to a post in Wu Commandery. Counting the years on my fingers, it has been five years since we last saw each other. On Your Majesty's southern tour, might we pass through Wu Commandery? I have been closest to my brother since childhood, and after so many years apart, I miss him terribly."

Zongzheng Heng was slightly taken aback.

Only when she reminded him did he recall Su Jingyun.

Years ago, he had personally arranged for him to be sent to an outside post, supposedly to gain experience, but had forgotten about him afterward.

He did not know how the man was doing in Wu Commandery.

"Wu Commandery is the only major prefecture in Jiangnan. I shall naturally visit it on this southern trip."

The hope in Su Yunyan's eyes suddenly brightened, and she bowed. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"

"Rise. There is no need for such ceremony."

Su Yunyan assented, rose, and continued grinding ink, quiet and saying nothing more.