svetikya Chapter 272 Please, Imperial Noble Consort, save me!
Chapter 272 Please, Imperial Noble Consort, save me!
Li Yuanke looked around and, relying on his intuition, located the wolf king. The location was a bit far, and he wasn't sure if he could hit it with one shot. If not, he would hardly have such an opportunity in the future.
After a moment's thought, Li Yuanke decided to go in.
"Your Majesty, there's an ambush!" Xu Chun reported.
"I know, come in!"
He also wanted to kill the wolf king.
Everyone knew there was an ambush, but when the Emperor ordered them to advance, no one was afraid, because everyone knew the Emperor had a powerful weapon. The one who should be worried was the Wolf King.
The wolf king was also stunned. As Li Yuanke entered and got closer and closer to him, he became increasingly uneasy. However, the momentum was unstoppable, and he still decisively lowered his hand. At this point, retreating would mean losing every chance of survival.
At that moment, Li Yuanke raised his hand and struck. A white light flashed, like a shooting star streaking across the sky, followed by a loud boom. A white light ripped through the air, and people, horses, trees, and stones all turned to dust.
The wolf king darted into a nearby cave, a spot he had scouted out long ago, specifically to guard against Li Yuanke's move.
He kept running inwards and escaped with his life, but was still hit in the back by flying stones and fell to the ground.
That area, within a hundred paces, was completely barren.
Seeing this, the soldiers in Beisha lost all will to fight and scattered in an instant.
"Chase!"
Li Yuanke spurred his horse forward, brandishing his silver spear. In the midday sun, the spear gleamed coldly, flowing across the valley like a silver ribbon, its fierce fighting spirit igniting the soldiers' morale.
Inside the palace, Shen Shixi was reviewing memorials when Li Fude entered and whispered, "Your Majesty, Consort Que requests an audience!"
"Who?" Shen Shixi took the opportunity to lean back in her chair. Caiying came over and rubbed her head. She cleared her mind for a moment, then came to her senses. "Oh, it's the beautiful lady. Please let her in!"
Not knowing what it was about, she casually added, "Eunuch Li, please send someone to deliver an imperial decree that the inner palace will be temporarily managed by Consort De, Consort Qiong, and Consort Jin. If there are any unresolved matters, report them to me."
It's so that these concubines won't come to her for the slightest thing, which is really troublesome.
Fortunately, she didn't need to summon them, otherwise she would never have peace day or night.
Shen Shixi admired Fatty Orange quite a bit at this moment. He had to settle disputes in the harem all day long, and his energy was truly boundless.
Consort Que entered, bowed, and said, "This concubine greets the Imperial Noble Consort, may the Imperial Noble Consort enjoy boundless blessings and peace!"
Knowing her purpose, Shen Shixi was curious to hear what she had to say, and said, "No need for formalities, please have a seat!"
"Thank you, Imperial Noble Consort!"
Consort Que carefully sat down, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness, my father is a high-ranking official. He told me before that he has information on the deeds of some officials in the court. If Your Highness wishes, he is willing to serve you!"
Shen Shixi smiled. Even if Que Meiren was a fence-sitter, and the Su family was wholeheartedly trying to get on her side, should she just accept it?
She simply couldn't accept that someone serving in the same court would collect information about their colleagues and use it as leverage against them.
No one is perfect, and even the most virtuous and benevolent person can make mistakes.
Many things happen, and once they're dealt with, that's it. But as time passes and the parties involved are no longer willing to pursue the matter, bringing it up again to use against others is like picking at excrement that doesn't stink when it already does.
"Consort Que, I appreciate your kindness. His Majesty is personally leading the expedition, and the princes are all still young. There is currently no crown prince. His Majesty trusts me and has entrusted me with state affairs. I will simply fulfill my duty and have no other intentions. If you have nothing else to say, you may return to the palace!"
Hearing this, Consort Que had no choice but to kneel down, tears streaming down her face, and pleaded, "Please, Imperial Noble Consort, save me!"
Shen Shixi picked up her teacup, took a casual sip, and asked, "What did you do?"
Consort Que remained silent. Li Fude waved his hand, preparing to dismiss the people in the hall, but Shen Shixi stopped him with a look. "The people here are either the Emperor's people or my people. If you don't trust them, you don't need to say it. I may not want to hear it."
Forced into a corner, Consort Que said, "In a moment of resentment, I did something I shouldn't have done. However, I did it for the Emperor's sake. Xie Shi and Li Yuanyin's relationship was already ambiguous."
"Imperial Noble Consort, do you still remember that one autumn when we were admiring chrysanthemums? Zheng, Xie, and Consort Ning were all there. You and the Emperor were there, and you recited a poem. Xie ground the ink, and Li Yuanyin wrote it down. That calligraphy was then collected by Xie."
How did you find out about this?
Lady Que said, "Before she died, Lady Zheng asked someone to find me, hoping that I could help her. I was powerless to do so. She told me about this and said that Lady Xie once said that if she married Li Yuanyin, she would only ever become a prince, but if she entered the palace, her future would be limitless."
The meaning of "limitless" is that she can become empress and rule the world.
Shen Shixi smiled. "A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier. It's not wrong for a woman who has entered the palace to have such ambitions. While these two may have their faults, whatever their thoughts, their actions haven't overstepped the bounds... Did you arrange for the drugs in the tea and incense to be added?"
Consort Que gritted her teeth and admitted, "Yes! I gave birth to the Third Princess and the Fourth Princess. The Emperor originally did not intend to entrust the two princesses to others for upbringing. If it weren't for Xie's jealousy and Li Yuanyin's advice, how could my princesses have left me?"
Does Lady Xie think that with Li Yuanyin's protection, she can do whatever she wants in the harem? If it were due to the Emperor's favor, I would have nothing to say. But her improper conduct and behavior have caused the Emperor to lose face. How can I tolerate that?
"You've come to me seeking how I can save you?"
"The Empress Dowager ordered someone to take Xiangcao away from the Censorate. She was originally from the Xie family's palace; the concubine's people were looking for her!"
Shen Shixi had previously sealed off the palace, and things were suspended for three months.
Shen Shixi smiled and asked, "Then who was with you who found Xiangcao?"
"It's swallow language!"
Shen Shixi said, "If I am not mistaken, Yan Yu should be dead by now, right?"
Consort Que, her face showing a hint of sorrow, nodded and said, "The Imperial Noble Consort is wise!"
Shen Shixi said, "You came here and Yan Yu died, making the Empress Dowager think that I and you were in cahoots to do this. You dragged me into this so that I would protect you?"
Consort Que said, "The Imperial Noble Consort was in the water from the beginning; it wasn't me who pulled her down. The decree that day wasn't His Majesty's will, but the Imperial Noble Consort's. The Imperial Noble Consort wanted to use me to get rid of Xie Shi. Didn't I do enough?"
Shen Shixi asked, "I'll ask you one last question: where did the medicine come from?"
Consort Que smiled and said, "Does the Imperial Noble Consort still remember Consort Ping? Don't worry, this kind of medicine might have been able to be obtained through certain channels when Consort Jing was in charge of the palace. Now, even if I had the greatest ability, I couldn't get it in."
"I was on good terms with Consort Ping back then. After she obtained some, she gave some to me, which I kept. I never imagined I would need them that day."
"Were you the one who gave Ping Meiren that idea?" Shen Shixi asked.
The beautiful lady couldn't help but reveal a hint of pride. "I dare not. I just told her a story. I said that there used to be a concubine in my family who offended the mistress and was sold to a brothel. At first, she refused, but later she was given some medicine and then she gave in. Two years later, she became a famous courtesan."
[It's a real pity that Li Yuanke didn't become the top courtesan even after taking the medicine!]
Shen Shixi then said, "By imperial decree, Consort Que is hereby promoted to the rank of Chongyi and granted residence in Xingle Palace for her diligent and modest performance of her duties. She is also known for her gentle and compliant nature, and for her meritorious service in maintaining order within the palace."
Consort Que could not manage a smile. Instead, she knelt down as if facing a formidable enemy. "This concubine dares not! This concubine begs the Imperial Noble Consort to rescind the decree! This concubine is willing to accept all punishment!"