CHAPTER 246: CHAPTER 245: IS THE ELDER BROTHER A ROGUE?

Xia Ruqing seemed pensive. "Oh! I didn’t really take in much..." She let out a long sigh.

Indeed, she was in a passive situation! But she couldn’t just sit still and wait for doom; she had to think of something. If someone comes at you with a knife, can you afford not to dodge? Even if she were to be cut down, it would be considered self-defense! Her conscience wouldn’t trouble her at all.

「...」

This matter was widely discussed in the Harem for a good three to four days. There was no real evidence, just hearsay. In the end, everyone from top to bottom in the palace began to have their doubts.

A few Palace Maids gathered, buzzing with discussion.

"They say the Emperor denied it on the spot at Ningshou Palace, claiming he never said such words!"

"Really?"

"Absolutely!"

"In that case, Lady Xia is rather pitiable!"

"Yes, she might not live much longer!"

Just then, someone mentioned that the Steward was coming, and the Little Palace Maids scattered!

Once the Lantern Festival arrived, the palace buzzed with excitement for two days. After it calmed down, the issue seemed to fade considerably.

The Empress Dowager had Xia Ruqing thoroughly investigated. They found nothing, only a few insignificant details. Annoyed, the Empress Dowager had no inclination to delve further.

The Empress couldn’t be bothered; Lady Xia was the apple of the Emperor’s eye. Only a fool would trouble her at such a time.

Noble Concubine Shih wanted to intervene but had neither the right nor the status and was beside herself with frustration. Day after day, she pressed the few Palace Maids and eunuchs around her to think of a solution—to have Lady Xia fall ill and die, to wish death upon her!

"Such an ambitious woman should not be allowed to live!"

Ying Yue was frantic with worry but couldn’t dissuade her. Ying Yue was so aggravated that sores formed around the corners of her mouth.

"Even the Empress isn’t meddling, Your Ladyship, let’s not concern ourselves either!"

Noble Concubine Shih simply wouldn’t listen.

"HMPH! Besides fawning over the Emperor’s Favored Consorts, what else is the Empress good for? Useless creature!"

"The Empress fears her! But I certainly do not!"

Having lost her child, Noble Concubine Shih and the Empress had completely fallen out; there was nothing left to restrain her.

Ying Yue sighed and resignedly closed her mouth.

「Once the Lantern Festival passed, Zhao Junyao became even busier.」

The locust plague in the north remained unresolved, and now banditry had escalated. A stream of memorials was presented, and the young emperor was enraged. In a fit of anger, he mounted his horse, whip in hand, and set off for the north under imperial escort.

Before leaving, Zhao Junyao instructed Li Shengan, "While I am away, if anything happens to Lady Xia, you will answer with your head!"

Li Shengan was so frightened that he immediately knelt. "Your servant obeys the command!"

Zhao Junyao said no more.

He could turn a blind eye to the despicable schemes of those women in the Harem. But if anyone dared to harm Qingqing... HEH HEH!

「...」

The Imperial Forest Army Commander was stationed in the Capital and couldn’t be moved. There were two Deputy Commanders: one surnamed Xia, the other Xu. In the end, Zhao Junyao decided to take Vice Commander Xu with him.

"Your Majesty!" Xia Tingfeng knelt on one knee, fists clasped. "My duty is to protect Your Majesty’s safety. There’s no justification for Your Majesty to go personally while I remain in the Capital! Your Majesty, I am willing to go in your stead to suppress the bandits. I would lay down my life without a second thought!"

Zhao Junyao’s expression softened considerably. He walked over to Xia Tingfeng, personally helped him up, and patted his shoulder. "I have my own reasons for leaving you behind!"

Xia Tingfeng was somewhat confused.

Zhao Junyao continued, "There’s some unrest in the palace, concerning Qingqing... Keep a close watch; I’m somewhat uneasy!"

Having said that, and without waiting for Xia Tingfeng to react, Zhao Junyao strode away.

「On the seventeenth day of the first lunar month, the Emperor set off for the north.」

Because it was close to the Capital City, the journey wouldn’t be long—at most half a month, at least ten days.

The groundless rumors eventually dissipated, and the uproar over appointing a Crown Prince soon faded. Of course, Li Shengan’s discreet yet crucial support was indispensable in this. With the Emperor away from the palace, the women had little to contend for. Life finally began to quiet down.

However, just at that moment, another bombshell was dropped onto the gradually calming waters. A single stone cast a thousand ripples. This news once again stirred the already murky waters of the Harem until they were thoroughly muddied.

"To grant Xia Jieyu a legitimate promotion, the Emperor specifically summoned her brother to the palace."

"They say he’s even been given the coveted position of Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army!"

"Deputy Commander of the Imperial Forest Army? That’s one of the Emperor’s most trusted men!"

"No doubt! He’s destined to become a Great General in the future!"

"Once he becomes a Great General, Xia Jieyu will be truly honored. If she gives birth to a Prince, he might very well become the Crown Prince!"

A group of Palace Maids gossiped with ill intent, chattering away. In less than a day, the rumors had spread to every corner of the Harem. It was obvious someone wanted her dead.

Upon hearing these rumors, Xia Ruqing tore the book in her hands to shreds. She sneered, "These women! They won’t be satisfied until I’m dead!"

Zi Yue was also pale with rage but could only suppress it. "My lady! Please try to calm down for now!"

Xia Ruqing sneered, her eyes cold. "Calm down? If they want me to calm down, they’ll have to pay a price first. Only then might I feel calm!"

Zi Yue bowed her head. "But my lady, who could have such power to spread this so quickly, in just one day?"

Xia Ruqing gave a dark smile. "Need we even guess? Who holds the greatest power in the Harem? Who did my brother just arrest? She must be feeling indignant!"

Zi Yue ventured tentatively in a low voice, "Could it be... Qiu Tong is one of the Empress’s people?"

Xia Ruqing sneered without a word.

Qiu Tong had served her from the very beginning; she was one of the original lady’s entourage. Besides Hai Dasheng, only the Empress could assign Palace Attendants to the consorts in the Harem. So, if not the Empress, who else could it be?

Zi Yue looked somewhat disheartened. "It’s the Empress... My lady, but that’s the Empress!"

How could we dare to confront the Empress directly?

Xia Ruqing stood up, her gaze sharp, a cold sneer on her lips. "So what if she’s the Empress? She wants me dead! I’m dead if I fight, and I’m dead if I don’t. The barefoot aren’t afraid of those with shoes. If it comes to it, I’ll drag them all down with me; no one will get off easy!"

Xia Ruqing was resolved. If she wasn’t afraid of death, what did she have to fear from the living?

「...」

The rumors once again swirled within the palace walls, vivid and detailed.

"They say that Deputy Commander Xia isn’t very capable!"

"PFFT! From a minor family, and a ruffian at that. What could he possibly be capable of!"

"A ruffian, you say? Like a common street hoodlum?"

"SHH! Be careful someone doesn’t hear you!" they whispered, then deliberately raised their voices a little. "Deputy Commander Xia comes from a street thug background, you absolutely mustn’t spread this around!"

HA... So this was their way of ensuring the news *didn’t* spread, was it?

「Ningshou Palace」

The Empress Dowager’s face turned ashen with rage. "Absurd! Utterly absurd! My Imperial Son is being completely absurd!"

Her illness, only half-healed, flared up again, necessitating another round of bothersome medical consultations and treatments.

The Empress knelt before the Empress Dowager’s sickbed, crying ceaselessly. "Mother, I’ve lost all face! My own brother was arrested by that street hoodlum and thrown into the Ministry of Justice’s Prison! My brother might be somewhat unreliable, but isn’t Lady Xia’s brother just as bad? On what grounds? One is now imprisoned while the other is soaring to great heights! Mother, I can’t go on living like this!"