Consort Shu took a deep breath, but she couldn’t suppress her anger. She turned to Hu Momo and said, “This is outrageous!”
With that, she threw the letter to Hu Momo.
Hu Momo carefully picked up the letter and read it. By the time she finished, she was just as unsettled.
“Niang Niang, what should we do now?” Hu Momo was anxious. How could the Eastern Palace act so despicably?
Consort Shu immediately stood up. “Dress me. I must seek an audience with His Majesty.”
With her son away, she had to protect her future daughter-in-law!
Consort Shu hurried to Chongzheng Hall, where the emperor was meeting with court officials. Upon hearing her request for an audience, he frowned slightly and ordered Chief Eunuch Ding Zhao to lead her to the side hall to wait.
Ding Zhao guided Consort Shu to the side hall with a smile. “Niang Niang, please rest for a while. His Majesty is busy and will see you once he’s finished.”
Consort Shu took a seat and looked at Ding Zhao. “I appreciate your trouble, Chief Eunuch. Has His Majesty been this busy lately?”
Ding Zhao carefully considered his response before saying, “Yes, His Majesty is diligent in governance and personally handles all matters.”
Consort Shu appeared thoughtful and then said casually, “His Majesty loves his people as his own children, but he should also take care of his health. Chief Eunuch, you must take good care of him.”
Ding Zhao smiled and nodded before bowing and leaving.
Consort Shu waited for more than an hour before the emperor finally strode into the side hall. She immediately rose to greet him.
“This consort greets Your Majesty.”
The emperor reached out to help her up. “No need for formalities, Ai Fei. What brings you here at this hour?”
Consort Shu had always been someone who followed proper decorum.
After the emperor took his seat, Consort Shu also sat down, her expression tinged with concern. “I did not wish to disturb Your Majesty, but I truly have no idea how to handle this matter, so I came seeking Your Majesty’s guidance.”
Hearing this, the emperor became intrigued and chuckled. “It’s rare for something to trouble you. Speak, I’d like to hear it.”
“It’s about Mingxi, that child.” Consort Shu hesitated, looking conflicted.
The emperor, upon hearing the name Duan Mingxi, immediately thought of those four hundred thousand taels of silver. He smiled and said, “What, has she upset you? She’s still young. A little guidance should set her straight.”
Hearing the emperor’s tone, Consort Shu realized that the empress hadn’t yet spoken ill of Mingxi to him. She immediately felt relieved.
“I only wish she would cause more trouble. But this child is too sensible, and that makes my heart ache.”
“Oh?” The emperor was surprised. “What has she done now?”
It had to be something significant if even Consort Shu, who rarely interfered, was concerned. Had she given away more silver? But to whom?
“It’s about the Dragon Boat Festival race,” Consort Shu said.
The emperor had been so busy that he had almost forgotten about it, though he did recall eating zongzi. As he grew older, he found it harder to keep track of everything as he once had.
“What about it? Did Duan Mingxi compete again this year? Don’t tell me she won first place?” The emperor chuckled. She hadn’t won last year, so he doubted she had this year.
Consort Shu looked at him in surprise.
The emperor: …
Wait a minute. He had only been joking. Could it have come true?
“She really took first place?”
Consort Shu nodded with a conflicted expression. “Yes.”
“Then you should be happy.”
Why did she look so troubled?
“I was happy at first, but later I heard that the Dingyuan Marquis Manor didn’t even intend to win this year. They just wanted to participate for fun, yet they somehow ended up taking first place.”
“How could it be ‘somehow’?” The Emperor frowned. You either win or you don’t—how could it be vague?
“Exactly. I didn’t understand it either, so I had someone look into it. That’s when I found out there was more to this.”
The Emperor furrowed his brows. “Explain it to me in detail.”
“You remember the betting board for the dragon boat race last year? It was set up again early this year…”
Consort Shu subtly described the dirty dealings between the Eastern Palace and Xingan Marquis, explaining in an indirect manner how Mingxi was inexplicably dragged into the matter.
“…So, I just don’t understand. Winning first place could earn a lot of money—how did the Dingyuan Marquis Manor end up with it? Mingxi wasn’t even trying to win.”
Consort Shu added, “Several prominent families in the capital even spent money to hire professionals for the race this year. They were obviously aiming for the championship. But in the end, the results were unexpected.”
“Mingxi said that this sudden windfall felt too strange, and she felt uneasy keeping it. So, she decided to donate all the winnings to the court to support the war effort in Qinan. Furthermore, she declared that anyone who participated in betting on this year’s dragon boat race, if they were willing to contribute to the court and help boost our nation’s prestige, would receive a 50% discount on purchases from any business under her name, regardless of the donation amount.”
Consort Shu sighed softly. “This child… I don’t even know what to say anymore. She had already emptied her family’s savings and hadn’t recovered yet, and now she’s giving away more money. I just don’t understand how things reached this point—Mingxi never intended to spend money on this in the first place.”
The Emperor glanced at Consort Shu. Whether she was truly confused or only pretending to be didn’t matter anymore.
What mattered was that Consort Shu was telling him that someone out there was scheming against Mingxi.
Why target her?
At the root of it, this had to be related to those 400,000 taels of silver.
The Emperor’s expression darkened slightly, but he concealed it in front of Consort Shu. He merely said, “She’s a good child. Old Four didn’t misjudge her. You don’t need to worry too much—if she dared to give away that money, she has the ability to earn it back.”
Consort Shu pondered over the Emperor’s words, her expression softening into a smile. “With Your Majesty’s reassurance, I feel much more at ease.”
All she needed was for the Emperor to understand that Mingxi had never intended to profit from the dragon boat race in the first place—that was enough.
Now, not only had she failed to make money, but she had also been set up and ended up losing a large sum. Even if someone tried to slander her in front of the Emperor in the future, he wouldn’t be so easily deceived.
The Emperor patted Consort Shu’s hand. “I know you’re worried about Old Four, who’s leading troops outside. But don’t worry—things are going well in Yuxiang City. He’ll be back soon.”
“Really?” Consort Shu’s eyes lit up. She grasped the Emperor’s hand tightly. “This makes me so happy—thank you, Your Majesty!”
The Emperor gently held her hand in return and sighed softly. “Alright, you should go back now.”
“Yes, I won’t disturb Your Majesty any further. Your Majesty, while state affairs are important, your health is even more important in my heart,” Consort Shu said gently.
“Alright, I understand.” A smile appeared on the Emperor’s face. “Once I have some free time, I’ll go to Cuiwei Palace and have a meal with you.”
“Very well. I will be eagerly awaiting Your Majesty’s visit.”
As Consort Shu stepped out of Chongzheng Hall, the smile on her face disappeared. Wearing a troubled expression, she strode away quickly.
In the distance, a young eunuch’s figure flickered and disappeared around the corner.
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