"Achoo."
Wen Fuyue was kneeling below the dais when she suddenly couldn't help but sneeze.
The Empress Dowager sitting on the dais sneered when she saw this and gave a look to the granny beside her.
"The Noble Consort is here." Only then did the Empress Dowager act as if she had just noticed Wen Fuyue. She said indifferently to the person kneeling on the ground, "Offer a seat."
Wen Fuyue sighed deeply in her heart and suppressed the helplessness in her eyes.
When she woke up, she found that Wei Sinian had already gone to court. She was just about to return to her palace. Unexpectedly, halfway there, she was brought here by Nanny Wang, the Empress Dowager's attendant.
Most likely, there would be a tough battle next. In the original book, the Empress Dowager was a rather difficult person to get along with, even a bit mean. She was only gentle with her youngest son, the male lead, Wei Sijing.
Sure enough.
The next second, Nanny Wang ordered the maids and eunuchs to carry in a rather shabby small chair and a small table.
"I heard today that the Emperor finally summoned someone to accompany him last night." Seeing that Wen Fuyue didn't raise her head and looked submissive, the Empress Dowager thought she was scared. A hint of pride flashed in her eyes. "Now that there is no heir in the harem, and the Noble Consort has the highest rank, you should assist the Emperor and attend to his daily life."
At this point, the Empress Dowager's gaze towards Wen Fuyue became sharp. Displeased, she tapped her fingernails on the wooden chair, making a rhythmic sound that instantly dropped the already tense atmosphere in the hall to freezing point.
"However, the Noble Consort didn't get up until late this morning and didn't even come to pay respects to me. Could it be that I'm just an old woman now, and the Noble Consort, having gained the Emperor's favor, doesn't take me seriously anymore?"
Sure enough, she was looking for trouble. Wen Fuyue suddenly felt a headache. For some unknown reason, the Emperor had already abolished the rule of paying respects in the palace before Wen Fuyue entered the palace. But now the Empress Dowager brought it up again, pretending not to know. Obviously, she just wanted to put Wen Fuyue in her place.
She finally raised her head and looked at the Empress Dowager sitting on the dais.
The Empress Dowager was about forty years old and well - maintained. She was still a charming woman. However, there was a hint of meanness on her face, which ruined her beauty and made her look a bit petty.
"Nanny Wang." Seeing Wen Fuyue raise her head and look at her, but the expression on her face was different from what she had imagined. There was not a trace of fear. The Empress Dowager was instantly annoyed. "Bring some paper and writing brushes for the Noble Consort."
"Noble Consort, your words and deeds today are really inappropriate. I punish you to copy the Precepts for Women ten times. Do you accept this punishment?"
"… I accept." Could she say she didn't accept?
Wen Fuyue nodded and sat back on the chair. She wasn't in a hurry now. Before leaving the Emperor's bedroom, the little eunuch on duty, probably wanting to ingratiate himself with her, had revealed a piece of news about the Emperor to her.
Wei Sinian planned to summon her again after court.
Wen Fuyue got up late, so calculating the time, Wei Sinian should be getting off court soon. When he summoned her and found she wasn't there, he would most likely come to the Empress Dowager's place to look for her.
It wasn't that Wen Fuyue was over - confident and overestimated her position in Wei Sinian's heart. It was just that the relationship between the Empress Dowager and Wei Sinian was not good. If making a trip could make the Empress Dowager unhappy, Wei Sinian would surely be more than willing.
Wen Fuyue took the writing brush Nanny Wang handed her, dipped it in the ink that the Empress Dowager had prepared in advance, and started writing.
Her calligraphy was not very good, and her writing speed was slow. Wen Fuyue had considered this problem early on, worried that it would expose the fact that she had transmigrated into the book. Fortunately, she had chatted with her personal maid for a long time and finally found out that the original body was born into a military family. She had been in poor health since childhood, so she was especially doted on.
She didn't like practicing calligraphy, and naturally no one forced her. So Wen Fuyue wasn't worried about exposing herself in this regard.
Seeing her start writing obediently, the Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, and a smug smile appeared on her face.
So what if she was the Emperor's favorite consort? Remembering the days when she was bullied by that woman in the past, the Empress Dowager felt even more satisfied. No matter how favored Wen Fuyue was, wasn't she still at her mercy?
When she saw Wen Fuyue shaking her slightly sore wrist, she immediately said, "Nanny Wang, bring what the Noble Consort has copied to me."
"Yes."
Nanny Wang trotted over and picked up Wen Fuyue's writing. The shock in her eyes was hard to hide, and her hands were a bit shaky.
The Empress Dowager took a glance and turned livid.
Wen Fuyue sensed something was wrong and immediately adjusted her expression, lowering her head slightly.
It seemed that there would be some trouble next.
…
As soon as Wei Sinian got off court, he saw Anfu hurrying over in small steps, his forehead covered in sweat. As soon as he saw Wei Sinian, he said in a hurry, "Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager has just summoned the Noble Consort."
"Useless!" Wei Sinian was furious when he heard this. Looking at the group of eunuchs and maids trembling like quails in front of him, his anger soared. "Why didn't you stop her?"
Anfu didn't dare to say a word and knelt on the ground pretending to be dead. He knew that His Majesty would definitely be angry. But when the Empress Dowager summoned someone, who among them, the servants, dared to stop her?
Seeing the different expressions on the people around him, Wei Sinian's face became increasingly gloomy. He strode towards the Empress Dowager's bedroom.
Anfu heaved a sigh of relief. He hoped the Noble Consort would be okay. Otherwise, it would be hard to say what would happen next. It was not easy for the Emperor to get close to a woman, but the Empress Dowager had to come and cause trouble for him at this time. Why bother?
The palace servants at the Empress Dowager's door didn't have time to announce his arrival before they were pushed aside by the guards beside the Emperor.
As soon as Wei Sinian stepped into the hall, he saw his Noble Consort standing in front of a shabby small table, with her head down, not daring to look at the Empress Dowager on the dais.
However, judging from her thoughts, she wasn't really scared.
The Empress Dowager's face was livid. When she saw him, there was a hint of panic in her eyes. Then she said angrily, "Your Majesty, come and see what the Noble Consort has written!"
Not bad. It seemed she hadn't suffered. Wei Sinian's mood inexplicably improved a bit. He walked towards the Empress Dowager slowly. When passing by Wen Fuyue, he heard her thoughts.
[Finally! The Emperor has finally come. Oh my god, the Empress Dowager is just... She might as well write on her face that she's going to cause trouble for me. Well, fortunately, the Emperor is here.]
Hearing this, a faint, imperceptible smile curled up on Wei Sinian's lips. It seemed the Noble Consort still knew he was the Emperor.
"Look!" The Empress Dowager pointed at the paper in her hand and said to Wei Sinian, "The Noble Consort has been writing for so long and produced such rubbish! This clearly shows that she looks down on me!"
Wei Sinian took a closer look, took the paper from the Empress Dowager's hand, and said to her, "Mother, why do you have to make things difficult for the Noble Consort? The Noble Consort is my consort, not a palace maid who copies books."
At this point, Wei Sinian's face darkened. He sneered at the Empress Dowager, and his voice carried a hint of chilling coldness. "Or is it that Mother is using the Noble Consort to admonish me?"
The Empress Dowager didn't expect Wei Sinian to directly expose her intention. She was so flustered that she almost stood up. Full of anger but not daring to vent it, she could only cast a resentful look at Wen Fuyue.
Wen Fuyue: [Sure enough, pick on the weak. As soon as the dog Emperor came, he made me the target of hatred. It seems that life will be tough in the future. I hate it!]
Regardless of what the Empress Dowager thought, Wei Sinian turned around and left, warning lightly, "Mother, if you have nothing to do, you might consider going to Qingyun Temple to pray for Father. Instead of punishing the Noble Consort here and making a fool of yourself."
"Noble Consort, aren't you coming?"
Not hearing Wen Fuyue's footsteps, Wei Sinian turned around impatiently.
"I'm coming!"
[Woohoo, the Emperor! So handsome! It seems that the Empress Dowager probably won't dare to make things difficult for me in the future. That's great!]
Hearing her thoughts, a smile flashed in Wei Sinian's eyes. His expression softened a bit, and he unconsciously slowed down his steps to wait for Wen Fuyue to catch up.
"Scared?"
As soon as Wen Fuyue caught up with Wei Sinian, she heard him suddenly ask.
Was she scared? She thought for a while and still answered honestly, "I'm still a bit scared." After all, the Empress Dowager clearly wanted to put pressure on the Emperor through her. She was just a sad tool. Although with the prestige of the Wen family, the Empress Dowager didn't dare to be too harsh, but if she played some underhanded tricks, it would surely cause her a lot of trouble.
Hearing her answer, the smile on Wei Sinian's face deepened. It was hard to imagine that the Noble Consort trusted him so much. He turned his head and looked at Wen Fuyue. Wen Fuyue happened to look up at him. When their eyes met, she was a bit at a loss and subconsciously reached out to rub the bridge of her nose.
[Why is he looking at me? Well, I've survived another disaster. Anyway, I should still thank him. I wonder what to eat today?]
Hearing the last sentence, Wei Sinian couldn't help but put his hand on his forehead, with a faint smile in his eyes.
It seemed that his decision to keep the Noble Consort was right. She was really interesting.