tkworld Chapter 10 Consort Zheng's Benevolence
Chapter 10 Consort Zheng's Benevolence
When Consort Hui entered, she saw the Emperor holding Consort Shen in his arms, the two of them tugging and flirting. Her face turned ashen, as if she had eaten shit.
"Your Majesty, I have something to say!" She was trembling with anger.
Li Yuange acted as if he were deaf, letting her kneel on the ground, and then grabbed Shen Shixi's rosy lips and kissed her. At first, Shen Shixi still had some pride and tried to struggle, but seeing that Li Yuange seemed to be doing it on purpose, she simply cooperated.
Even after all these years as an office worker, I'm still not immune to the urge to "complete all the tasks assigned by my boss."
It's just hugging and kissing, it's not that difficult!
Before she traveled through time, she would see two or three of them on the road every day.
For Hui Xiurong, this was a humiliation.
She was so angry she almost vomited blood. "Consort Shen, as an imperial concubine, not only do you not advise the emperor to be diligent in state affairs, but you even bewitched the monarch in broad daylight, causing him to neglect state affairs. You are simply a vixen who brings ruin to the country!"
Li Yuanke burst out laughing.
Shen Shixi was quite annoyed; she had originally wanted to see Li Yuanke make a fool of himself.
Good heavens, has Hui Xiurong gone mad? She actually fired at her!
She quickly realized that Li Yuanke, that heartless bastard, was using her!
Well, I never thought I had any other use besides what I did in bed.
"As the ancients said, 'Do not look at what is improper.' Hui Xiurong, you just watched me and His Majesty kiss without even blinking. Do you want to try it too? Or, shall I let you?"
Empress Hui trembled with rage and cried, "You...you...you are utterly unreasonable! Your Majesty, are you just going to stand by and watch Consort Shen humiliate me?"
Li Yuanke pinched Shen Shixi's chin and warned, "Don't talk nonsense!"
Shen Shixi slapped his hand away. "Hui Xiurong, do you have desires?"
Consort Hui, thinking she was referring to desire, bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes, and said, "Your Majesty, please grant me death!"
If it weren't for the fact that a concubine's suicide would bring disaster upon her family, she would definitely have killed herself by now.
Shen Shixi was a little confused.
[Is this woman crazy? She's allowed to insult others, but if someone retaliates, she threatens suicide. Isn't she afraid of dying?]
Li Yuanke chuckled and tapped her head. "Speak properly!"
If Shen Shixi couldn't figure it out, she wouldn't think about it anymore and would continue to work on it.
"Your desire is to be famous! Someone like you who thinks about fame all the time should first be strict with yourself, otherwise you're just seeking fame and fortune. You claim to be well-mannered and adhere to proper etiquette, but do you uphold traditional virtues?"
"You accuse me of seeking fame and fortune, of not upholding traditional virtues! You, you, you're slandering me!" Consort Hui could not accept it.
"The virtues of a woman are the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, which include obeying her husband after marriage. As His Majesty's concubine, you should think what His Majesty thinks and be anxious about what His Majesty is anxious about. Have you done so?"
"What did I fail to do?" Hui Xiurong retorted, her face flushed.
Shen Shixi said, "Before I entered the palace, your reputation in the court and among the people was excellent, even better than that of the Empress. As a concubine in the harem, you diligently advised His Majesty and offered him advice on everything. With you by His Majesty's side, it's as if Yao and Shun have been reincarnated, and there is hope that you will become a wise and prosperous ruler in the future."
"Consort Hui, congratulations! You'll definitely have a place in the biographies of the empresses and concubines of the Great Zhou Dynasty someday. If I were you, I'd die right now. Living too long might just ruin your public image."
Consort Hui's expression changed drastically. "Consort Shen, you're talking nonsense! I have no intention of going down in history; I'm just doing my duty as a concubine..."
"Your duty is to serve His Majesty. All the civil officials are dead, so you're expected to keep an eye on him and offer advice every day," Shen Shixi sneered. "Your second uncle's Qinghe Academy is renowned throughout the north. Do you think your 'virtue of turning away the imperial carriage' contributed even a fraction to that? And as a result, all the daughters of your Song family have married into high-ranking families. Can you honestly say you haven't used His Majesty to gain fame for yourself?"
Did Emperor Taizong of Tang really like Wei Zheng?
Just kidding. If there were any other way, who would like someone nagging them every day? If Li Yuanke liked it, he wouldn't have kept her here just now.
If she didn't say something, Consort Hui would turn around and submit a memorial criticizing her and Li Yuanke together.
Then he would truly become famous throughout the government and the public.
"Your Majesty, I am innocent! I had no such thoughts. My love for Your Majesty is sincere, but Consort Shen keeps accusing me!"
Consort Hui wasn't stupid. She used the Emperor to gain fame, and the Emperor knew that, but she relied on the fact that even if he knew, he couldn't do anything about it.
This is a perfectly legitimate and open strategy.
Li Yuanke didn't look at her. "Consort Hui, please go back first. I still have some memorials to approve!"
Consort Hui dared not disobey, but she was unwilling to give up. Before leaving, she said to Shen Shixi, "If Grand Tutor Shen sees Sister Shen's behavior today, I wonder what he will think?"
Li Yuanke's brows furrowed, and his murderous aura surged.
Shen Shixi leaned against him, smiled sweetly, and said, "It is my duty to fulfill my responsibilities in this position, to serve His Majesty well, to obey His Majesty, and to uphold everything His Majesty has done! As for admonitions, let's talk about them when Consort Hui becomes Empress!"
Hui Xiurong swayed, looking at the Emperor with teary eyes, but the Emperor looked down at Shen Shixi, his strong arms encircling Shen Shixi's waist.
As they emerged from inside, the head palace maid, Qianyun, noticed her pale complexion and helped her walk away, saying, "Your Highness, from now on, perhaps you shouldn't concern yourself with His Majesty's affairs!"
She's tried to persuade him so many times: following a master like that, living in constant fear, is not worth it no matter how much salary he gets!
Who knows when they might be relegated to obscurity.
Consort Hui suppressed the bitterness in her heart, "His Majesty still listens to advice. Consort Shen has bewitched him, and he has forgotten to be a wise ruler. As His Majesty's concubine, how can I not advise him?"
In the past, whenever she said, "Your Majesty, I have something to say," the Emperor would listen. Every time she spoke, the Emperor would praise her and reward her.
It's all Shen Cairen's fault. She was still nestled in the Emperor's arms in broad daylight. She needs to find the Empress.
In Fengyi Palace, the Empress felt a headache coming on when she heard that Consort Hui was requesting an audience, but she couldn't refuse. "Let her in!"
When Consort Hui entered, she didn't even take a sip of tea before she began, "Your Majesty, I went to the Qian Yuan Palace to see the Emperor. I had a few words to say, but Consort Shen was bewitching the Emperor in broad daylight and engaging in some immoral behavior."
"She is utterly defiled and vile, a wicked woman who brings ruin to the country by indulging in debauchery within the palace. I beg Your Majesty, for the sake of the Great Zhou Dynasty, to order her execution!"
The empress was speechless for a long time.
As an empress, how could she not know that she had this power to order the death of the emperor's concubines at will?
"Consort Hui, can Her Majesty the Empress repeat every single word you said to the Emperor?" Granny Qu said irritably.
Just as Consort Hui was about to argue her point, the Empress said, "I will consider what you have to say. You may go back now!"
Consort Hui, oblivious to the Empress's perfunctory attitude, continued to embellish the situation, saying, "If Your Majesty does not stop this unhealthy trend, the concubines in the harem will follow suit, and wouldn't the world laugh at us!"
"What you said makes perfect sense. I will think about it carefully!" The Empress dismissed her.
Granny Qu said worriedly, "Your Majesty, please don't listen to what she says. No matter what you do, if the Emperor is not happy, no one can force him."
The Empress said, "I understand. It seems His Majesty is also getting tired of Consort Hui. I thought His Majesty enjoyed listening to her high-sounding and righteous words!"
This Lady Shen is quite interesting. It seems that Consort Hui has gotten quite a bit of attention from her.
Hui Xiurong always kept a dignified air about her, like a Buddha statue on a shrine. When had she ever behaved so inappropriately?
Inside the Qian Yuan Palace, Shen Shixi glanced sideways at Li Yuanke and said irritably, "What will Your Majesty offer in gratitude?"
[You bastard, you're using me as a pawn! Humph, next time I'll just scratch that little face until it's bruised and battered, then see if you feel any pity!]
Li Yuanke laughed loudly, pressing Shen Shixi down onto the chaise longue. "Seeing her like that, wasn't Xi'er quite angry too?"
"Ha, I don't understand the romance between you emperors and empresses, and it's not my place to be angry." She pushed him away.
"I ate dumplings this morning, why do I smell such a strong sour smell?" Li Yuanke pinched her chin, his gaze piercing.
Shen Shixi struggled to get up. "You're overthinking it! I should go back, I'm sleepy!"
She yawned, tears welling in the corners of her eyes, her peach blossom eyes shimmering. Li Yuanke couldn't help but think of the scene at night, when she was crying and begging him to be gentler, and then complaining that it was too fast, making him run around in circles.
Just as Li Yuanke was about to rebuke, Li Fude shouted from outside, "Your Majesty, an urgent battle report from the northwest, eight hundred li away, reveals that the Northern Sands are invading!"
Li Yuanke had no choice but to release her. "Go back. I'll come see you later. Don't wait for my dinner."
Today is the fifteenth!
However, Shen Shixi was too lazy to remind him.
Li Yuanke read the memorial and ordered, "Summon Lin Junji, General of the Right Guard; Qin Zhenye, Commander of the Northern Imperial Guards; Xue Baicheng, Commander of the Southern Imperial Guards; and the Ministers of Revenue and War to appear before me!"
As soon as Shen Shixi returned, he saw the Imperial Household Department helping people move, and they were even moving things into his own palace.
Chao En came up and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Chen is moving to our palace and will live in the West Annex."
Shen Shixi was a little annoyed, but what could she do?
"Let her be. Keep a close eye on our people and don't let them interact with her people. Just stay away from them."
There's no such thing as a thousand days of guarding against thieves, only a thousand days of being a thief. Shen Shixi was too lazy to guard against thieves all the time. He would just be cautious. If something really happened, he would deal with it as it came.
Shen Shixi had just finished sleeping when she heard that Chen Yuxi had come to visit. She sat up and said, "Please let her in!"
"Greetings, Consort Shen!" Chen Yuxi entered and bowed. "Hearing of your entry into the palace, I've been wanting to pay my respects and reconcile with you. Fortunately, Her Majesty the Empress has been kind and granted me this favor. I hope you will continue to look after me in the future!"
I moved here with the Empress's permission.
She gestured for her maid to present the gift.
Shen Shixi said, "No need. We are both His Majesty's concubines. Serving His Majesty well is the most important thing. Whether or not we repair it is irrelevant."
You serve your husband in bed, I'll serve mine; we'll keep to ourselves.
"This is a small gift, please accept it, sister!" Chen Yuxi said.
How could Shen Shixi possibly accept her gift? "No need, you can go back!"
Chen Yuxi hadn't expected her to be so stubborn, so she had no choice but to say, "Sister Shen, what are planted in the courtyard? May I transplant some flowers and plants?"
"No, His Majesty wants them planted," Shen Shixi said.
She's already made it official, at least.
Later, Shen Shixi heard that Beisha, in alliance with Xiling, had invaded Da Zhou. The emperor summoned civil and military officials to discuss how to repel the enemy, but did not come to the inner palace.