CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER 64: I ARRIVED TOO LATE

"The ground of Jianzhang Palace is laid flat. The place where servants are usually punished to kneel, now that’s what real suffering is."

Nanny Mao said.

"Lady, with her kind heart, didn’t make the young mistress kneel outside, which would have subjected her to the ridicule of passing palace maids and eunuchs."

This tactic works well for those proud concubines.

But Yun Jiao didn’t take it to heart. She simply recalled that when she played "Deep Palace," she often saw random events in court logs where someone displeased Consort in the Imperial Garden and was punished to kneel or slapped, which bred resentment.

Soon, Yun Jiao felt a dull pain emanating from her knees.

She didn’t have a system to exchange for magical elixirs nor a chat group to consult with immortal demon concubines. She only had three save slots, and aside from that, just her mortal body, unshielded from swords and blades.

"The young mistress won’t say a word. Did she not listen to what this old servant said?"

"Straighten your back. Even when kneeling, you are still the Emperor’s concubine and should not lose your poise."

Nanny Mao seemingly adjusted her posture but stealthily pinched her waist.

Caught off guard, Yun Jiao cried out in pain, which prompted a rebuke: "How dare you complain of pain when punished? Yet you feel no pain when serving in bed?"

Through the ages, it’s a common trait for unkind elderly to shame young women over bed matters, finding joy in their embarrassed faces. Yun Jiao originally aimed to remain silent, but when she looked up, she noticed a hole through the paper window.

In this era without phones, and with no habit of sewing by lamplight, her eyesight was far better than in modern times, yet she could only see darkness.

In a fleeting moment, she reacted.

Behind the hole, was an eye.

Someone was watching her punishment for amusement.

Who in Jianzhang Palace hated her so? The answer was self-evident, and Yun Jiao found it ludicrous. The true mistress of the Central Palace, genuinely controlling the harem, possessing the position most coveted by concubines, yet could only spitefully watch through a window.

Yun Jiao said, "Nanny is joking. The Emperor is formidable and gentle, afraid I would suffer when in bed, always tender with me. I only feel at ease."

Behind the paper hole, the Empress’s face slightly twisted.

"You!"

Nanny Mao knew her master watched from the shadows, enraged, pinched Yun Jiao’s soft flesh again.

This time, she uttered not a word of pain, nor even glanced that way.

"You sure can endure."

Nanny Mao was astonished.

To others, once Consort Xi entered the Palace, she was favored by the Emperor. Even if her father held a minor office, Yun Jiao must have not suffered at home, being able to withstand punishment and fear, her personality changed greatly. They didn’t know, Yun Jiao was accustomed to pain.

Not to mention postoperative recovery, just the piercing examinations could daunt any patient.

In memory, Yun Jiao most dreaded the tracheoscopy.

People often choke red-faced when foreign matter enters their windpipe. She had to have a tracheoscope inserted deeply. The severe irritation was like a near-death experience. Instinctively, one would struggle, but to let the doctor see clearly, and to end the examination swiftly, she had to endure the pain and fear, drenched in sweat after the procedure, and her curled toes took a long time to relax.

Enduring pain to survive was as simple for Yun Jiao as breathing or eating.

But, what if life could be better?

"Silent now? Do you think the Emperor will come to save you? After attending morning court, the Emperor left the palace, he’ll return tomorrow at the earliest. You won’t see the Emperor."

Nanny Mao sneered.

This time, silent all along, Consort Xi looked up, her deer-like eyes reflecting the sun: "Not hoping."

"He will certainly come."

Load save, to thirty minutes earlier.

The Empress likewise detained her palace maids, preventing Xue Ya and Gong Mei from passing any message.

How many branches laid before Yun Jiao? Dozens? Hundreds? Maybe thousands... She knew the possibility of the Emperor returning was slim, but never zero. Yun Jiao didn’t care; she would force a future where the Emperor came to her rescue. She’d explore one future after another, with endless time at her disposal.

Rewind to the third time.

Heavy rain poured down, drenching Yun Jiao completely.

Rewind to the sixth time, skies cleared.

Facing subtle yet broadly similar environments, conversations, and developments, the river of time was severed by her at both ends, taking only a scoop from the middle. Ordinary people might find terror in such loops, but Yun Jiao, having long stayed in hospitals, was used to it.

Didn’t she undergo similar checks and surgeries, take medication, and live similar days in similar hospitals?

If stubbornness prevailed, no one in the harem was more persevering than her.

Meanwhile, the Emperor made his twentieth exit from the palace.

Xie Zhixing initially thought Consort Xi was dissatisfied over trivial matters again. He had errands outside the palace today, and by the tenth rewind, he felt a hint of collapse. Determined to leave, he persisted until the twentieth rewind, looking up at the gloomy sky, thinking to himself, "Enough."

"Ying Lu, I must return to the palace."

"Brother..."

Beside him, Prince Duan looked puzzled.

"See, the weather today doesn’t look promising; it’s likely to rain, so let’s postpone our outing," Xie Zhixing sighed, unable to resist complaining: "I feel deep anxiety, worried for troubles in the palace."

Seeing his brother’s poor complexion, Prince Duan indeed dissuaded no further.

Xie Zhixing reined his horse, turning it around, but leaving the palace and returning were grand events, not to be rushed. The return was slightly delayed, and time rewound again!

Couldn’t even a moment wait?

Xie Zhixing frowned tightly, this time directly commanding: "Let the carriage arrive slowly; I’ll return to the palace first."

Saying no more, ignoring any persuasion, he galloped urgently back to the harem.

"Emperor, Emperor!"

The eunuchs and palace maids saw His Majesty from afar, all kneeling: "Rise!"

Xie Zhixing instinctively sought out Ying Lu, only to remember his riding skill was far from his own, likely lagging far behind, panting for breath. He grabbed a random eunuch, asking: "Where is Consort Xi?"

"Replying to the Emperor, this servant does not know..."

He headed straight for Xianfu Palace, only to find it empty.

Concubine Li came out to greet him, just stating: "Emperor, Consort Xi is left in Jianzhang Palace, kneeling," when time rewound again!

But this time, Xie Zhixing finally knew her whereabouts.

The twenty-second time, he rode straight to Jianzhang Palace, stopping at its gates.

Palace maids at Jianzhang Palace had never seen a horse ridden to the mistress’s doorstep – what audacity!

But when it’s the Emperor, none dared to speak up.

Dong Hua turned pale, intending to inform the mistress but couldn’t rise without being summoned, so remained kneeling.

Xie Zhixing stormed into Jianzhang Palace’s inner court, finally spotting the slender figure kneeling in the open space.

To their bodies, it felt like the first time.

Yet Xie Zhixing felt profoundly fatigued. He walked to her, lifting her up:

"I am late."

Kept her waiting so long.

Yun Jiao looked up, her beautiful eyes tranquil as ever: "The Emperor arrived just in time."

She didn’t mind the wait; she wasn’t afraid of waiting.