readytorunbook Chapter 20 The Imperial Concubine is dead!
Chapter 20 The Imperial Concubine is dead!
The news was like a joyous spring breeze, instantly dispelling the silence within the palace.
The palace maids' eyes sparkled with surprise, and the eunuchs straightened their backs. They had only been selected today, yet they were already being summoned by His Majesty. What an honor this was!
Chu Qingyin was also a little surprised, not expecting Pei Yuanling to be so impatient. However, she cooperated by putting on a shy and coquettish look, "Really? That's wonderful, thank you, Father-in-law."
As she spoke, she winked at Qiu Zhu, who immediately understood and hurriedly stuffed the prepared silver into the little eunuch's hand, saying, "Thank you for making this trip, sir."
The eunuch weighed the heavy purse in his sleeve. Seeing that the newly arrived Consort Qiao was so accommodating, his smile became even brighter: "Consort Qiao, you're too kind. Hurry up and get ready. The sedan chair is waiting outside."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiu Zhu gave an order, "Quickly dress up and do your mistress's makeup!"
The entire Diecui Pavilion immediately became busy.
Chu Qingyin sat in front of the mirror, letting the palace maids comb her long hair and apply rouge. Her gaze fell on her familiar yet unfamiliar face through the bronze mirror.
The sixteen-year-old girl had fair and delicate skin, red lips and white teeth, and her eyes still had a touch of childishness, but the cinnabar mole on her forehead was particularly eye-catching.
"Your Highness is truly blessed with natural beauty. Even without makeup, you are still radiant and captivating," Qiu Zhu exclaimed as she styled Chu Qingyin's hair.
Chu Qingyin remained noncommittal, simply closing her eyes gently.
Memories of her past life flooded back. She was also sixteen when she first married into the Sixth Prince's household. Back then, as a new wife, she was full of hope for the future.
Who could have imagined that just five years later, she would breathe her last in endless pain?
"Your Highness, what do you think of this gold hairpin?" another palace maid asked cautiously, holding up an exquisite gold hairpin inlaid with kingfisher feathers.
Chu Qingyin opened her eyes and glanced indifferently at the magnificent and dazzling hairpin. "No need, something simple will do."
The palace maids looked at each other, not daring to say anything.
In their view, when the emperor summons a master to serve him a meal, the master should at least dress up carefully.
But Chu Qingyin's attitude was surprisingly calm, as if she wasn't that excited.
Seeing this, Qiu Zhu quickly smoothed things over, saying, "What you say is true, mistress. Simplicity and elegance better highlight your temperament." As she spoke, she picked up a white jade hairpin and gently inserted it into Chu Qingyin's dark hair.
Soon, a palace maid came over carrying an exquisite long dress. "My lady, what do you think of this moon-white, wide-sleeved long dress?"
Chu Qingyin nodded: "This one will do."
The palace maids helped her put on the long dress and fastened the belt. The moon-white dress made her skin look as white as snow, and she looked even more beautiful and refined.
"Your Majesty is absolutely gorgeous," Qiu Zhu exclaimed sincerely. "When His Majesty sees you later, he will be unable to take his eyes off you."
Upon hearing this, Chu Qingyin gave a half-smile, neither confirming nor denying.
Pei Yuanling was not a lecherous man. If he really took a fancy to a beautiful woman, there were concubines in his harem in his previous life who were more beautiful than her, but he did not favor them.
As for why he was so eager to summon her tonight, it's probably because he suspected her identity.
After all, appearing in the palace with such a face would indeed be very eye-catching.
"It's getting late, we should get going," Chu Qingyin said calmly as she stood up.
At that moment, the moon rose above the willow branches, and the silvery moonlight shone through the carved window lattices of the corridor, casting a soft halo around Chu Qingyin.
The moment she left Diecui Pavilion, the news that the Emperor had summoned her to Zichen Palace spread like wildfire, instantly reaching every corner of the harem.
In the Phoenix Palace, even the usually composed Empress Wang couldn't maintain her composure upon hearing this news.
Her personal maid, Yunxiang, carefully stepped forward to massage her back and gently comforted her, "Your Highness, please don't take it to heart. She's just a newly arrived concubine. The Emperor only summoned her on a whim. She'll probably be neglected soon."
Empress Wang scoffed, "What do you know? The Emperor's feelings for her are more than just a passing fancy. Didn't you see the way the Emperor looked at her today? It was clearly..."
She suddenly stopped, a flash of fear crossing her eyes.
Yunxiang asked, puzzled, "Your Highness?"
Empress Wang took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "That look in his eyes is just like how he looked at that woman back then."
Yunxiang immediately understood what was going on and lowered her voice: "Your Majesty, please don't worry. There was only one Consort, and she is already dead. We all saw it with our own eyes."
Empress Wang naturally knew that the Imperial Concubine was dead.
It was she who led the people to the Cold Palace to collect the body. When the eunuchs carried Chu Qingyin out, her body was already stiff.
If someone could come back to life in this situation, it would truly be a ghost story!
After letting out a long sigh, Empress Wang said, "I only hope that after His Majesty comes into contact with her, he will realize in time that she is just a fake and not Chu Qingyin."
Empress Wang understood perfectly well that His Majesty's feelings for Chu Qingyin were not just about her looks, but more importantly... about the affection she held for her.
Meanwhile, in Shuhua Palace, Consort Shu also learned of this news.
She was getting ready at her dressing table when she heard the news, and the expensive rouge box from the north, worth a thousand or two, fell to the ground with a "thud".
"What? She was actually summoned by the Emperor today?" Consort Shu exclaimed shrilly, her eyes filled with disbelief.
The palace maid beside her said tremblingly, "Yes, I heard that the Emperor summoned her to serve him meals."
A hint of malice flashed in Consort Shu's eyes. She was about to say something when she suddenly remembered that the Empress had found many fakes to annoy Chu Qingyin, but those fakes still failed to win favor.
Thinking of this, the corners of her bright red lips curled up slightly, and she calmed down: "I want to see how long she can keep smiling and how far she can go with just that face."
When the Empress Dowager heard the news in the Cining Palace, she appeared unusually calm. She sat on the soft couch, gently stroking the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand, lost in thought.
"Qiao Qingyin, Chu Qingyin..." Empress Dowager Wang murmured the name softly, her relaxed eyelids drooping.
The old nanny beside her asked cautiously, "Your Majesty, isn't Qiao Qingyin's appearance too suspicious? Not to mention His Majesty, even this old servant was truly startled when I saw her in the palace today. She really looks too much like..."
Empress Dowager Wang raised her hand to stop the old nanny from speaking, and said calmly, "Let's wait and see. Having only a similar appearance is not enough. Whether she can truly gain favor depends on whether she has the ability."
While undercurrents surged within the inner palace, the Zichen Palace was brightly lit, with palace maids carrying delicacies and moving quietly through the hall to serve the meal.
Suddenly, a magnificently decorated palanquin quietly came to a stop on the jade steps in front of the palace, which were bathed in the soft moonlight.
The guards looked up and saw a young woman dressed in elaborate clothes slowly stepping down from the sedan chair, carefully supported by several palace maids.
The young woman was stunningly beautiful, with a delicate and refined air about her. Her every move exuded elegance and poise. The moment she appeared, even the moon and stars in the sky seemed to pale in comparison.
The guards only caught a fleeting glance before involuntarily holding their breath, then quickly lowered their heads, not daring to look any longer.
She was the emperor's woman, someone they absolutely could not afford to offend in the slightest.
"Consort Qiao, you've finally arrived."
Chief eunuch Chen Zhongliang, carrying a whisk, stepped forward with a smile: "His Majesty is inside the palace. Please come with me."
Chu Qingyin looked up at the plaque with the three large characters "Zichen Palace" written on it, took a deep breath, clenched her fingers, and walked towards the inner hall.