After the flower - viewing banquet at the Qingyun Terrace, first, Lady Ling Shan, who was in favor in front of the emperor, had a miscarriage. Then, the former virtuous imperial concubine, who used to lord it over others, was demoted to a commoner and given a cup of poisoned wine to end her life.
The entire imperial palace suddenly fell into a deathly silence. While the imperial court was in constant turmoil, the harem seemed calm as a still lake.
It wasn't until an imperial edict from the Queen Mother in the Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace was followed by another.
The emperor's intention in the edict was crystal - clear. Lady Ling was promoted to the rank of Xiurong, one of the nine high - ranking concubines, and was specially given the title "Zhao".
As soon as this edict was issued, it shook countless court officials and concubines in the harem.
Fortunately, Jun Wuyuan showed some restraint. Otherwise, if he had promoted her to the rank of Zhaoyi or even a princess, the Yuhua Palace would have been in an uproar!
No one had expected that Jun Wuyuan, that tyrannical and cold - hearted mad emperor, would one day treat a woman so attentively.
But why was it Lady Ling Shan, just a low - ranking palace maid?
As soon as she appeared, she trampled all the noble ladies of the great families under her feet.
Looking at the entire harem now, except for a very few, no one ranked higher than Xiurong Zhao.
How could the noble ladies of the great families not feel jealous and resentful?
When the Queen Mother in the Yaotai Golden Phoenix Hall received this news, she casually smashed another bowl of medicine.
That dog Jun Wuyuan had taken so many advantages and still wasn't satisfied. He even deliberately slapped her in the face with this promotion.
What was more, in the eyes of the world, Lady Ling Shan had come from her Cining Palace.
Even though Jun Wuyuan doted on her excessively, it could still be regarded as a story of "filial piety" and "harmony between mother and son".
The Queen Mother had never suffered such humiliation in her life!
In less than half a month, she had been filled with so much pent - up anger, annoyance, depression, and rage... It was simply overwhelming.
Her illness, which had never fully recovered, flared up again and again.
She rolled her eyes and rummaged through the harem, then summoned two people to attend to her illness.
Although there were occasional discontents in the imperial court, most of the officials were focusing their attention on the situation in Jiangzhou.
News from Jiangzhou reported that since June, the rain had not stopped. If it continued like this, there was a risk of a flood disaster.
Compared with the concubines' struggle for the emperor's favor in the harem, the court officials were more concerned about the overall situation of the country and the livelihood of the people.
The ripples caused by Lady Ling, now Xiurong Zhao, in the harem lake gradually subsided.
Even though Lady Ling had been promoted to Xiurong after her "miscarriage", she had been staying in the Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace to recuperate.
Even if the concubines in the harem wanted to visit, show concern, or try to find out her situation, they had no way to do so.
Most importantly, if a low - ranking palace maid could rise to fame, win the emperor's favor, and even conceive a dragon son, why couldn't they?
After the big obstacle was removed, the concubines seemed to relax a lot.
They dressed up beautifully and showed the elegance of the noble ladies of the great families. Even when vying for the emperor's favor, they still remembered to be refined and proper.
In fact, Lady Ling had been obediently recuperating in the Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace these days, watching all the ripples in the palace.
Unfortunately, the concubines were half - right but misjudged Jun Wuyuan's character.
If he were weak and indecisive, he would have died in the cold and desolate palace long ago. How could he have ascended the throne?
Not to mention Lady Ling, who knew him like the back of her hand, even the servants in front of the emperor didn't dare to accept gifts from the other palaces.
Coincidentally, Jun Wuyuan had been busy recently.
Even if the concubines had the intention to vie for his favor, they couldn't do anything if they couldn't see him.
"Your Majesty, did you stay in the front hall again last night?"
Banchun watched her mistress lying comfortably on the beauty's couch, eating grapes while flipping through a storybook. She looked extremely carefree.
"Yes, mistress. It seems that something very important has happened in the imperial court. Eunuch Liang specially sent someone to inform you that His Majesty may not have time to visit you in the next few days. He told you to recuperate well."
Lady Ling twitched the corner of her mouth.
The original words must have been Jun Wuyuan half - threatening and half - coaxing her to be good and take care of herself.
"By the way, Eunuch Liang also sent someone to bring some small trinkets. His Majesty specially had them bought from outside the palace."
When Lady Ling heard this, her eyes immediately brightened.
She quickly slipped on her shoes and ran to the table in the outer room. Sure enough, there were several gift boxes.
Lady Ling opened them. They were all kinds of folk snacks and small toys.
Kaleidoscopes, Luban locks, Chinese rings, clay dolls, and a pot - throwing game...
All of them were things Lady Ling had casually mentioned while lying in Jun Wuyuan's arms out of boredom during her recuperation. She didn't expect that he really had them found.
"Mistress, this is the first time I've seen His Majesty so considerate."
Banchun looked playfully at Lady Ling, whose face was smiling and eyes were as clear as autumn water, and teased her.
"His Majesty has always treated me very well. The small kitchen has just made some lotus - flavored summer drinks to relieve the heat. Help me change my clothes. His Majesty has been tired dealing with state affairs. I should go and visit him."
When Banchun heard this, she immediately got excited and full of energy.
She called the maids to dress her mistress up carefully. Lady Ling looked like a lotus emerging from the water, pure and gorgeous, easily outshining the concubines who had been dressing up beautifully these days.
Banchun had been worried for several days. Finally, she had the opportunity to make her mistress make a stunning appearance.
"Your Highness Xiurong Zhao, why have you come?"
In the Xuanzheng Hall, the memorials and tea had just been smashed all over the place. Liang Jiusi had just had someone clean it up when he saw the savior as soon as he came out.
No matter what the identity of this person in front of him was, miraculously, she could always defuse the emperor's anger.
Here she comes again.
Lady Ling twitched the corner of her mouth. She was not quite used to her rather grand dress today.
As soon as she reached the door of the hall, she saw Liang Jiusi's shining eyes, clearly looking for a savior, and he trotted over.
"Eunuch Liang, you're still so enthusiastic. Is His Majesty angry again?"
The half - smile on Lady Ling's face was too obvious. Liang Jiusi smiled awkwardly and wiped the non - existent cold sweat on his forehead.
"Your Highness Xiurong Zhao is extremely intelligent. You guessed it right. His Majesty has a poor appetite today. With the food you've brought, His Majesty will surely be overjoyed."
It was hot, and Lady Ling didn't want to make things difficult for him. After joking a bit, she carried the food box in by herself.
Jun Wuyuan was sitting high on the imperial desk in a flamboyant purple robe, exuding an unfathomable majesty.
His handsome and cold face, carved like a god, was awe - inspiring even without anger. Every gesture showed his overbearing power.
Compared to the first time she saw him, Lady Ling could now detect a faint softness in his deep and cold peach - blossom eyes.
"Come here."
[It's only been two days since we last saw each other properly, yet Shan Shan can be so lost in looking at me. I can only imagine how much she misses me in her heart.]
Lady Ling: "..."
She was indeed lost in thought.
There was an eyelash in His Majesty's peach - blossom eyes. The red bloodshot and the black eyelashes made him look enchanting.
"Your Majesty, Shan Shan misses you so much."