CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 95: IT’S JUST TO NEGLECT YOU

The Empress was so scared that she knelt with a THUD.

Xia Ruqing hurriedly dodged to the side in fright.

All that was heard was the Empress saying, "Emperor, this matter was all due to my momentary confusion. The craftsmen all said that a bed made from this kind of wood would be very sturdy once finished, and that it’s enough for one person to sleep on. At that time, I had just taken over the palace affairs...

"I’m not familiar with many things, and I didn’t dare to ask the Empress Dowager, so I had to grope in the dark on my own. Now I have caused a huge disaster and nearly injured the Emperor. I deserve death!"

Saying this, the Empress didn’t care if there were people present, nor did she care about her dignity anymore.

She just knelt there and kept kowtowing!

Zhao Junyao’s eyebrows were tightly furrowed as he coldly watched the Empress, not telling her to rise.

A cold light flashed in his eyes, and he sneered inwardly. The Empress truly understands my thoughts. She knows I dote on the Noble Consort, and she harbors resentment for it. She’s using this method to lodge her complaint against me.

Her actions are practically screaming: ’Both you, Emperor, and the Empress Dowager only dote on the Noble Consort. I’ve just taken over all these affairs, and the Empress Dowager refuses to teach me, so I can only muddle through on my own. Now that I’ve made a mistake, it’s not entirely my fault, is it? Wasn’t it all to please you, Emperor, to be frugal and save money? Who knew such a disaster would happen!’

The Empress continued kowtowing, an innocent expression on her face.

She was determined to do this in front of so many people, to leave the Emperor speechless.

Zhao Junyao took a deep breath and, after a pause, finally told her to rise.

Indeed! Sometimes, when it comes to women, he just feels helpless. Especially since this woman is the Empress, his lawfully wedded wife. He is even more at a loss.

"This incident cannot be entirely blamed on the Empress!" Zhao Junyao said, his voice icy, speaking against his conscience.

Joy surged in the Empress’s heart! Ha, she knew it! He neglects me, so he must feel guilty. Even if he doesn’t feel guilty, he doesn’t have the moral high ground. In the end, the Emperor can’t do anything to me about this!

With this thought, she spoke again, trying to ingratiate herself, "I feel ashamed. Now that this has happened, I know my mistake. I will have people replace all these things later. I guarantee that such an incident will never happen again!"

The Empress spoke with great earnestness.

Watching this, Xia Ruqing thought the Empress was just short of squeezing out a few tears.

Zhao Junyao waved his hand. "Go."

"Yes!"

The Empress bowed to the Emperor and then exited.

"Respectfully see off Her Majesty, the Empress..." the attendants called out.

Everyone dispersed.

This matter seemed to have concluded.

However, for Xia Ruqing, things were just beginning.

She had no bed. Zhao Junyao thought for a moment before ordering, "From today onwards, you will stay at Zhaochen Palace!"

Xia Ruqing was startled. "Emperor, this is inappropriate!"

Zhao Junyao chuckled coldly. "There’s nothing inappropriate. If I, the Emperor, say it’s fine, then it’s fine!"

His tone was very imperious.

Xia Ruqing had no room for resistance and could only comply.

An elaborate canopy bed, which would take commoners one to two years to complete, could be finished in about a month in the palace, with its numerous craftsmen.

Xia Ruqing indeed stayed in Zhaochen Palace for a month.

The Emperor also gave the Empress the cold shoulder for an entire month.

His helplessness regarding the Empress did not mean he had lost.

In a power struggle, sometimes you might appear victorious, basking in your pride, but in reality, you have lost—and lost miserably.

The Empress valued her dignity; she wanted to be on equal footing with the Emperor—she the mother of the nation, he the sovereign.

She always sought to stand shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor, to be at his level.

Consequently, over time, she lost her softer, wifely demeanor.

Gradually, she forgot that besides being the Empress, she was also a wife—a wife meant to support her husband and raise her children.

She forgot that a husband and wife should love and cherish each other, not compete like adversaries.

Having grown accustomed to being the Empress, she no longer knew how to be a wife.

In this respect, she was even inferior to the Noble Consort.

The Noble Consort’s heart was entirely filled with the Emperor; she thought of him while eating, while sleeping.

She wanted to monopolize his affection, dreaming of driving all other women away so the Emperor would be hers alone.

Such was the typical thinking of a woman consumed by love, but her methods were wrong, too domineering.

The Emperor was the ruler of a nation; it was normal for him to have a Harem of three thousand beauties.

How could he possibly have only her!

Zhao Junyao was, after all, a man. He liked beautiful women.

He especially liked those delicate and charming young women who, dressed beautifully, would stand vivaciously before him, their smiles like blossoms, lively and adorable.

The mere sight of them pleased him.

Even more so, in the intimacy of the bedchamber, making a delicate, pretty young beauty cry and beg him for mercy gave him an immense sense of satisfaction.

Gradually, he discovered that Xia Ruqing possessed all the qualities he admired. Since she was right there, why wouldn’t he dote on her? What was he waiting for?

Aside from paying her respects to the Empress, Xia Ruqing truly hadn’t left Zhaochen Palace for a whole month.

She didn’t dare! Between the Emperor and the Empress, she had to offend one. Whom should she choose? Wasn’t that obvious? Whether Zhao Junyao was using her to provoke the Empress or for some other purpose, she could only comply unconditionally. In truth, how could she be willing in her heart? She was also very worried. Having offended all the women in the Harem, how am I to live out my days from now on!

That afternoon, after attending to the Emperor as he rose from his midday nap, Xia Ruqing cautiously ventured, "Emperor, today is the fifteenth of the month. Aren’t you... going to see the Empress?"

Zhao Junyao, while casually dressing, responded indifferently, "I’m not going."

"Oh."

Xia Ruqing didn’t dare to say more.

On another occasion, Xia Ruqing tentatively asked, "Emperor, the Noble Consort is pregnant, over four months along now. Aren’t you going to see her?"

Zhao Junyao thought for a moment. That’s true. After all, she carries my child in her womb. The child... deserves some concern.

So, he went.

Half a Shi Chen later, he returned.

"Emperor, you..." Xia Ruqing was dumbfounded. "How did you come back so quickly?"

Zhao Junyao, however, was quite composed. "To pay a visit, how long does it need to take?"

Xia Ruqing was speechless. Emperor, you win.

In the evening, Zhao Junyao went to the Imperial Study Room, and Xia Ruqing stayed alone in her own chambers.

Living openly in Zhaochen Palace was different from when she used to sneak in. She could no longer stay in Zichen Hall; she had to reside in a side hall or wing, otherwise, it would be against regulations.

Despite this, she still had to attend to the Emperor at night, every single night.

At this moment, Xia Ruqing lay sprawled on her couch, her heart heavy with grievances.

"Zi Yue," she lamented, "do you think... everyone else in the palace must hate me to death!"

Zi Yue was also quite troubled. It was undeniably true.

However, she couldn’t say so outwardly and had to force herself to offer comfort. "My Lady, since the Emperor is acting this way, he will surely ensure your complete safety. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have acted as he did in the past."

Indeed, in the past, the Emperor had always protected her, summoning her only in the dead of night.

Xia Ruqing pondered for a moment. "That makes sense, but..."

"My Lady, you haven’t done anything wrong. As long as you and the Emperor maintain a good relationship, he won’t just abandon you!"

Xia Ruqing was still worried. The Emperor is the ruler of a nation. When he gets into one of his moods, it’s entirely possible he’ll disregard everything! I don’t want to be the sacrificial pawn in the struggle between the Emperor and Empress. You two can fight however you like, just leave me out of it, please!