Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 288 - 286. The Noble Consort Falls into Hardship
286. Noble Consort’s Misfortune
Noble Consort Liu had just returned to her palace, only to find that her normally empty palace was filled with people. Everyone from the Empress Dowager down to the lower-ranking concubines was present. Seated next to the Empress Dowager was Ms. Li, who was accorded the treatment of an Empress due to her connection with the Tenth Prince and was known as Her Highness Li by the palace staff. To the Empress Dowager’s left sat Consort Wise Zheng, the mother of the Sixth Prince. The moment Noble Consort Liu stepped into the hall, Consort Wise Zheng shot her a fierce glare, her no-longer-young face openly displaying schadenfreude. Noble Consort Liu frowned slightly, a vague sense of unease stirring in her heart.
"Empress Dowager, what is the meaning of you bringing so many people to my palace?" Noble Consort Liu demanded, staring at the Empress Dowager and defiantly lifting her chin.
The Empress Dowager sneered, "I should be asking you! The late Emperor’s body is barely cold, yet you, a consort, were not in the palace observing the mourning rites. Where did you run off to?"
Consort Wise Zheng scrutinized Noble Consort Liu, then, her eyes darting, she exclaimed with a theatrical gasp, "Empress Dowager, it seems Noble Consort Liu is injured! Look... even her clothes are torn!" All eyes instantly focused on Noble Consort Liu, who clutched her cloak tighter, her expression darkening. She should have changed her clothes before returning. But she had already broken ties with the Prime Minister’s Mansion, and with her pride, she certainly wouldn’t go back there. Prince Li’s Mansion wouldn’t offer her any garments either. Noble Consort Liu naturally disdained the clothes of commoners or servant girls, so she had simply draped the cloak over herself to hide the bloodstains and returned. She hadn’t expected to be cornered in the main hall like this.
A gratified, cruel smirk flashed across the Empress Dowager’s aged face. "Where exactly did you go, and what were you doing?" she demanded coldly. "Out with the truth, now!"
The assembled crowd looked at Noble Consort Liu with strange expressions. These women had spent half their lives in the depths of the palace; fawning over the favored and trampling on the fallen had long become second nature to them. They naturally harbored deep resentment for Noble Consort Liu, who had monopolized the Emperor’s favor for over a decade. If Mo Jingqi were still alive and she still favored, no one would dare utter a word. But now that Noble Consort Liu had fallen from grace, the number of those eager to kick her while she was down would be far greater than usual. A wife whose husband was still in deep mourning had secretly snuck out of the palace and returned, bloodstained and with torn clothes—everyone’s mind conjured up their own lurid scenarios.
Noble Consort Liu glanced contemptuously at these women. Of course, she knew what they were thinking. With a sneer, she lifted her chin and looked at the Empress Dowager. "What I do is none of the Empress Dowager’s concern."
"Vile creature!" the Empress Dowager shrieked. "I am the birth mother of the late Emperor and the paternal grandmother of the new Emperor! Do you think I cannot manage you? It was you, vile creature, who instigated discord between the late Emperor and Li’er, causing them to become estranged as brothers and thinning the affection between myself and my son! Do you think anyone will back you now? The late Emperor’s body is barely cold, and you, vile creature, couldn’t bear your solitude and ran off to Prince Ding’s Mansion! Truly... truly shameless! You have utterly disgraced our imperial family!"
The Empress Dowager continued to curse, glaring at Noble Consort Liu with eyes full of hatred. If Mo Jingqi hadn’t exclusively doted on Noble Consort Liu, even defying her, his own mother, why would she have turned to cultivating her younger son? Wasn’t it because she feared that if her eldest son was bewitched by this vile creature, there would be no place left for her in this palace? If not for this vile creature, how could they—mother and sons, brothers—have reached such a state?
A cold, mocking smile touched Noble Consort Liu’s lips. "You failed to raise your own son properly, and now you blame me for it?"
"Vile creature... If I don’t teach you a lesson today, you won’t know what you truly are!" the Empress Dowager sneered. Noble Consort Liu’s phoenix-like eyes flashed. "You dare touch me!" The Empress Dowager laughed. "Just try and see if I dare! Guards! Drag this shameless wretch away and give her thirty heavy strokes of the plank! Let everyone see that this is the fate of the shameless! Furthermore, demote Noble Consort Liu to the rank of Attendant!"
"You dare! Guards!" Noble Consort Liu cried sharply. However, the trusted guards who usually stood watch in her palace did not respond. Instead, the Empress Dowager gave her a triumphant smile. The eunuchs from outside the hall were already entering to seize her. Noble Consort Liu struggled, shouting, "Old hag! If you touch me, I will not let you get away with this!"
The Empress Dowager completely disregarded her threat. "The Liu Family has already abandoned you. With what will you ’not let me get away with it’? Besides... do you think I still fear the Liu Family now?" Noble Consort Liu’s heart stuttered. Seeing the Empress Dowager’s victorious expression, so unlike her recent panic, she knew the Empress Dowager must have gained some new leverage. Otherwise, she wouldn’t dare be so discourteous. "You dare touch me..."
"Drag her away! Beat her!" the Empress Dowager commanded.
Soon, the SMACK, SMACK of the plank meeting flesh echoed from outside, sounding exceptionally clear in the vast, silent hall. The more timid concubines within had long since turned pale. The Empress Dowager calmly sipped her tea, listening to the sickening thuds from outside, a flicker of cruel satisfaction in her eyes.
"Empress Dowager... perhaps..." Ms. Li, seated beside her, was pale and trembling as she looked hesitantly at the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager said calmly, "You are to be an Empress Dowager yourself one day. Watch and learn. Some people, if not disciplined, will never learn their place or understand the immensity of heaven and earth." Ms. Li’s lips moved, but in the end, she merely nodded and whispered, "Yes, Empress Dowager."
Only then did the Empress Dowager nod with satisfaction.
Noble Consort Liu was already covered in wounds, and now, before even thirty strokes of the plank had landed, she fainted. The Empress Dowager harbored a deep-seated grudge against her and would not let her off so easily. Without batting an eye, she ordered her servants to splash water on Noble Consort Liu to revive her and continue the beating. They continued until all thirty strokes were delivered. By then, Noble Consort Liu had fainted from the excruciating pain multiple times, wishing she could just die and end the torment. After the final blow landed, she once again plunged into darkness.
「Inside Zhangde Palace」
The Empress Dowager dismissed the attendants by her side and entered her bedchamber alone. Inside the magnificent, resplendent bedchamber sat a palace maid of such ordinary appearance that she would be lost in any crowd. Seeing the Empress Dowager enter, the palace maid showed neither surprise nor did she rise. Instead, she smiled. "I am already aware of what just transpired. I imagine the Prince will be quite pleased."
The Empress Dowager lowered her eyes, her cautious demeanor quite unlike that of the mother of the nation. She asked in a low voice, "Then... Prince Ding’s promise?"
The palace maid smiled. "Empress Dowager, rest assured. Although our Prince bears some enmity towards Mo Jingqi, he believes one should answer for one’s own deeds and will definitely not make things difficult for Your Highness. As long as Your Highness handles the matters the Prince has entrusted to you, not only can the issue of your being buried alive with the late Emperor be resolved, but even the power within the palace that originally belonged to Her Highness Empress Hua can be handed over to you. At that time... Your Highness will have complete control over the entire imperial palace. What then would you have to fear?" Despite her ordinary appearance, the palace maid’s expression and words were remarkably persuasive. Especially the power previously wielded by Empress Hua—that was something the Empress Dowager had always coveted. To obtain it so easily now would be better than anything.
"Tell Prince Ding to rest assured. I will ’take good care’ of Noble Consort Liu. Even if Li’er... wants to protect her, I can make her die silently, without a trace!" As she said this, a murderous glint flashed in the Empress Dowager’s eyes. She couldn’t understand it. Her own biological son refused to save his mother, yet he would help a completely unrelated hussy. Could it be that this Noble Consort Liu was truly a fox spirit? Having bewitched her eldest son wasn’t enough; now she wanted to bewitch her younger son too?
The palace maid smiled. "I hope Your Highness can indeed achieve this. Also, regarding the matter of the Empress..."
"After the new Emperor ascends the throne, I will have it announced that the Empress died of grief following the late Emperor’s demise," the Empress Dowager pledged. The smile on the palace maid’s face grew wider with satisfaction. She stood up. "In that case, this servant shall disturb Your Highness no further. Additionally, our Prince asked me to remind Your Highness: if you wish for a peaceful life, you must protect the new Emperor. After all... Prince Li is a grown man now and, much like the late Emperor, probably dislikes being dictated to."
Perhaps in the past, the Empress Dowager might have wavered. But after experiencing her son’s heartless cruelty, she knew deep down that Mo Xiuyao was right. She nodded. "I understand what needs to be done."
"In that case, this servant takes her leave." The palace maid performed a proper curtsy to the Empress Dowager and then turned and departed.
In the bedchamber, the Empress Dowager stared blankly at an exquisite, pure-white openwork incense burner on the table, lost in thought. After a long moment, she let out a cold laugh. So what if she had to cooperate with Mo Xiuyao? She only wanted to live—to live a life of dignity and comfort! For that, she was willing to do anything!
In a cold and desolate hall of the palace, Noble Consort Liu awoke from a stupor. Pain wracked her entire body, forcing an involuntary groan from her lips. She was still wearing the same tattered, bloodsoaked clothes she had returned in. The usual throng of attentive palace maids and eunuchs was nowhere to be seen. Forcing herself to sit up despite the agony, she discovered she was not in her own elegant and tranquil palace but lying in a small, dusty, dilapidated, and deserted room. A half-open door let out some of the room’s potential staleness, but it also allowed a faint, cool breeze to enter, making her shiver uncontrollably. It was the cold that had woken her.
It was already the third watch of the night. A gust of cold wind blew in, making her shiver involuntarily. She tried to move, to get off the bed, but the pain in her back sent her collapsing onto it again. The back of her garment could no longer be described as merely ’bloodstained’; more than half of it was soaked through, dyeing the original pristine white a dark crimson—a chilling sight to behold. Remembering the public humiliation she had endured that day, Noble Consort Liu gripped the bedding beneath her so tightly that her fingernails snapped, yet she felt nothing, not even the cuts digging into her palm. Her beautiful face was contorted with a savage fury. How dare she! How dare that old hag treat her like this!
And those wretches! Those wretches who kicked her when she was down! She would make every single one of them die a horrible death!
CREAK... The old, dilapidated door groaned open. Noble Consort Liu looked up to see a teenage girl staring at her, her face a mask of panic. Seeing Noble Consort Liu’s wretched state, prone on the bed, tears immediately streamed down the girl’s face. "Mother Consort... Mother Consort, how are you?" The girl hurried into the room, rushing to Noble Consort Liu’s side. Seeing her covered in blood, however, she dared not touch her.
Looking at her panic-stricken daughter, Noble Consort Liu narrowed her eyes slightly and asked coolly, "What is this place? And why are you here?"
Princess Zhenning sobbed. "This is Autumn Cool Hall. Imperial Grandmother forbade Zhenning and my younger brothers from visiting Mother Consort, so Zhenning could only come now... Mother Consort, you must be hungry..." Carefully, Princess Zhenning took a silk-wrapped parcel from her sleeve. Opening it, she revealed several delicate pastries, which she offered to Noble Consort Liu.
SMACK! Noble Consort Liu swatted the pastries to the ground. She stared coldly at Princess Zhenning. "Fool! What use are these worthless scraps? Go immediately and tell your maternal grandfather and your brothers to come to the palace and rescue me! And don’t you dare call that old hag ’Grandmother’!"
Princess Zhenning froze, a flicker of hurt in her eyes. Slowly, she lowered her head and whispered, "Maternal Grandfather... Maternal Grandfather and my brothers refuse to enter the palace. Grandfather said... Mother Consort offended someone she shouldn’t have, and the Liu Family... the Liu Family cannot risk the annihilation of our entire clan for Mother Consort’s sake. My elder brother... he refuses to see Mother Consort, and he won’t let Second Brother come either..." She had been in the palace all this time, unaware of what trouble Mother Consort had actually caused, or why her maternal grandfather and brothers were now ignoring her. But she hadn’t been able to persuade them, so she had braved crossing most of the imperial palace alone in the dead of night to see her. Yet Mother Consort...
Noble Consort Liu’s face turned a livid, grotesque mask in the dim, flickering candlelight of the deep night, resembling a fearsome specter. Princess Zhenning couldn’t help but recoil a few steps in terror.
"M-Mother Consort, who exactly did you offend? Tell me, your daughter. I will go beg Maternal Grandfather and Uncle Prince Li! I will go beg Imperial Grandmother..."
Noble Consort Liu lay on the bed, her eyes closed. Who had she offended? A name flashed through her mind. In the entire Capital City, apart from Mo Jingli, only one other person would dare to treat her like this. For now, Mo Jingli wouldn’t make a move against her, so that left only... The mere thought of this possibility sent sharp, twisting pains through her chest. All because she had uttered a single curse against Ye Li, he treated her thus! He had even gone so far as to prop up the Empress Dowager! If that old hag hadn’t had someone backing her, having already nearly torn all relations with Prince Li, she would never have dared to act so boldly against her!
Mo Xiuyao! You are truly ruthless...
"Mother Consort..."
Noble Consort Liu took a breath, her gaze lowered. "Mother Consort is not in a good mood," she said faintly. "Pick up the pastries and give them to me."
Princess Zhenning hesitated for a moment, then quickly picked up the few pastries that were still relatively clean and offered them to Noble Consort Liu. She also took an apple from her sleeve and presented it. "Mother Consort, please eat slowly. I’ll bring more for you tomorrow. Zhenning will go to Maternal Grandfather and Elder Brother again. I’ll definitely get them to rescue you soon."
"Mother Consort knows you are a good child," Noble Consort Liu said faintly.
Hearing praise from her mother for the first time in her life, a shy smile touched Princess Zhenning’s delicate features. "Then... I’ll leave now. Mother Consort, please rest well. Zhenning will come to see you again tomorrow."
"Bring some wound medicine next time," Noble Consort Liu reminded her. She was somewhat displeased with this daughter’s foolishness; knowing she was injured, yet she had only brought a few practically useless pastries.
"Yes! Your daughter understands." Princess Zhenning glanced at Noble Consort Liu’s injuries with a touch of remorse. She had been too nervous; she’d never snuck out alone so late at night before. That’s why she had forgotten to bring medicine for Mother Consort. She should hurry back and return quickly; Mother Consort seemed very badly hurt.
In the silent, gloomy depths of the imperial palace, the thirteen- or fourteen-year-old girl moved cautiously along narrow paths. The ornate pavilions and grand halls, the beautiful rockeries, peculiar stones, rare flowers, and exotic plants—all so magnificent in daylight—now seemed as terrifying as ghosts and monsters in the darkness. Finally, upon returning to her own palace quarters, the girl quietly breathed a sigh of relief. But a hand suddenly reached out from behind and clapped her on the shoulder, startling her so badly she almost cried out.
"It’s me!" The low male voice still carried the distinct clarity of youth, yet it also possessed a steady composure, like that of an adult.
Hearing the familiar voice, Princess Zhenning quickly clapped a hand over her mouth, patting her rapidly beating heart. She turned to her younger brother. "Xiaoyun, what are you doing here?" The newcomer was indeed Noble Consort Liu’s eldest son, Mo Xiaoyun, who had been demoted from Crown Prince to Prince Qin. Prince Qin frowned at his sister, his voice grave. "You went to see her!"
Princess Zhenning was somewhat intimidated by this younger brother she had largely raised. Twisting the corner of her sleeve nervously, she said, "Xiaoyun, that is our own birth Mother Consort."
Mo Xiaoyun snorted. "Birth Mother Consort? When has she ever treated us as her own children? Do you even realize your own situation in the palace right now? If you get implicated because of her, and our youngest brother too..." Prince Qin was actually very concerned about this elder sister who had cared for him since childhood. Noble Consort Liu had always been cold and indifferent to her own children. Most of the time, it was Princess Zhenning, two years his senior, who had looked after him and their other brother. Now that he had been ennobled as Prince Qin and had to live outside the palace, their eight-year-old youngest brother still in the palace depended entirely on Zhenning’s care.
"Then... can we truly not save her?" Princess Zhenning asked timidly.
Mo Xiaoyun sneered. "Do you even know what she did?"
"What?" Princess Zhenning was startled. Subconsciously, she didn’t believe Mother Consort would do anything truly unforgivable.
Mo Xiaoyun said coldly, "She rushed to Prince Ding’s Mansion, threatened Prince Ding to make her his consort, and even insulted Princess Consort Ding. If she actually married Prince Ding, whether as Consort Ping or a Secondary Consort, what would become of us siblings? Sister, have you ever considered that?" Having been tutored by Prime Minister Liu since childhood, Mo Xiaoyun was not foolish. He recalled how, as soon as Prince Ding had returned to the Capital City, their Mother Consort had hastily left the palace. Afterwards, their Father Emperor had successively promoted several princes and concubines. From this, he deduced that Noble Consort Liu had likely harbored such ambitions even before the Father Emperor’s passing.
Initially, he hadn’t believed it. But when he personally saw his beautiful, proud Mother Consort being ignominiously thrown out of Prince Ding’s Mansion, still refusing to give up, his heart had turned completely cold. His maternal grandfather was right: Mother Consort had never truly cared about them, her children. For his own sake, as well as for his sister and youngest brother, he could no longer have any association with her.
"How... How could that be?" Princess Zhenning’s eyes widened in shock. She had lived in the deep palace her whole life, learning the rules and virtues for women taught by the palace nannies. What was ingrained in her heart were the principles of conduct for a woman, and by any of those standards, Mother Consort’s actions were undoubtedly despicable in the eyes of the world.
Mo Xiaoyun looked at her. "Understand now? If you understand, then don’t go to see her again."
"But... if I don’t go, she’ll..." She’ll die... Even if Princess Zhenning was naive about the ways of the world, she had still grown up in the imperial palace, that great ’dyeing vat.’ She naturally knew what fate awaited a woman consigned to the Cold Palace, especially when her Mother Consort was already so grievously injured.
Under her brother’s firm gaze, Princess Zhenning finally lowered her head, her voice so soft it was like the hum of a mosquito. "I... understand..."
Seeing her acquiesce, Mo Xiaoyun’s expression softened slightly. Knowing his sister was distressed, he said in a low, serious voice, "Sister, I’m doing this for our own good. It’s better for her to stay in the Cold Palace than to be out there causing endless trouble. Or would you rather people know we have a mother consort who is... like that?"
Mo Xiaoyun didn’t finish his sentence, but Princess Zhenning understood his unspoken meaning. She nodded. "I know."
"Good. Sister, rest early. I must leave the palace now," Mo Xiaoyun said softly. "Take good care of our youngest brother. Don’t let him run around and get into mischief."
"I will," Princess Zhenning nodded. She anxiously clutched Mo Xiaoyun’s sleeve. "It’s so late, how will you leave the palace?" It was already the fourth watch of the night, and the palace gates had long been locked. Mo Xiaoyun smiled. "Since I could get in, I can naturally get out. Don’t worry. Sister, take care of yourself."
Watching her brother depart, Princess Zhenning turned and entered her palace. She didn’t encounter a single servant girl on her way in. Because their birth mother had never valued them, the palace maids and eunuchs assigned to them had never been particularly attentive. Now that Noble Consort Liu had fallen from grace, these servants were openly and brazenly neglecting their duties. It was precisely because of this that Princess Zhenning had been gone for so long without anyone noticing.
Back in her own room, Princess Zhenning found the spare wound medicine she had put aside. She gritted her teeth and turned to leave once more.
She also didn’t want people to know she had such a shameless and dishonorable Mother Consort. She wasn’t an ignorant girl who understood nothing; she naturally knew what fate would await her and her two brothers if Noble Consort Liu actually succeeded in entering Prince Ding’s Mansion. Especially her... a princess approaching the age of hairpin initiation. Mother Consort couldn’t possibly take them to Prince Ding’s Mansion, and as an imperial prince and princesses, they couldn’t go there either. But even so... she couldn’t let Mother Consort die because her injuries went untreated.
I’ll deliver the medicine... and then come straight back, Princess Zhenning resolved silently.
"...afraid she won’t make it..." A hushed voice drifted into Princess Zhenning’s ears. Startled, she quickly ducked behind a flowering shrub by the path. It was the end of the month; the waning moon was dim and offered little light, allowing her to hide completely in the shadows of the bushes. A pair of eunuchs on night patrol slowly approached from a distance. Perhaps because the late hour made them drowsy, the two eunuchs began to wag their tongues as they walked.
"That’s a given. Don’t mind that she once held unparalleled favor in the Six Palaces. Now the late Emperor is gone, and she’s offended Her Highness Empress Dowager. Word from Zhangde Palace is that they’re determined to ensure that one... meets her end."
"HUSH, HUSH... Don’t speak so recklessly! If word of this gets out..."
"Eunuch Feng of Zhangde Palace is my adoptive father. Would news from him be false?"
"That’s true... Eunuch Feng is a highly capable and favored figure before the Empress Dowager. I hear Zhangde Palace is about to have its fortunes revived."
"Indeed... And I heard that one offended Prince Ding. Ai... have you heard about *that* incident?"
His companion gave a knowing smirk. "How could I not have heard? It’s probably spread throughout the entire Imperial City, inside and out. It’s just that, out of consideration for the imperial family’s dignity, no one dares to spread it openly. Everyone knows Prince Ding is completely devoted to his Princess Consort. In all these years, he hasn’t even taken a single secondary concubine. And now this business..."
"She always seemed as cold as ice and frost before, but who would have thought..." The rest of their words became too lewd to repeat. Fortunately, the two eunuchs gradually walked further away.
Under the dim moonlight, the delicate-featured girl stared at the now-empty path, her face pale as she trembled slightly.
