I See the Noble Consort's Charm - Chapter 32:

Chapter 32:

Su Qingyao’s visit to the Palace of Compassionate Tranquility was like a wisp of smoke, vanishing into thin air in the blink of an eye, with no one being the wiser.

The following day, just after lunch, news reached their Azure Cloud Palace that the Empress Dowager had issued an Imperial Decree. Consort Yi was punished with one month of confinement and reflection for failing to properly manage her subordinates, resulting in Consort He’s injury, as a warning to others.

Liuqin naturally knew what had transpired and quietly asked Su Qingyao, Junior Mistress, did you truly anticipate the Empress Dowager’s intentions?

Su Qingyao smiled and said, Although Consort Yi’s family lacks influential court officials, she is a descendant of Prince Luo. In these times of dwindling imperial clansmen, no matter how foolish her father may be, he was still born into a good family.

Due to Emperor Liping’s ruthless extermination of imperial clansmen and loyal court officials back in the day, the Great Liang Dynasty now lacks particularly prominent noble families or imperial clans. By Emperor Shen’s reign, perhaps recognizing the importance of noble families and meritorious officials, and to maintain stability in the imperial court, Emperor Shen began reinstating some old noble families and enfeoffing many newly advanced meritorious officials.

Various noble titles temporarily became symbols of an official’s favor with the emperor. If a trusted aide didn’t have a noble title, they would be embarrassed to call themselves a pillar of the court.

By the time of the Jianyuan Emperor, many court officials’ single-generation titles had been reclaimed by the court following the passing of their predecessors. Nowadays, there are truly few lines of meritorious nobility left in the capital. Although Consort Yi’s father only inherited the reduced title of Earl of Loyalty and Courage, as an old noble family, they have subtly become leaders among the meritorious nobility.

The Earl of Loyalty and Courage himself is particularly charitable and friendly, getting along well with everyone and making friends wherever he goes. Although he holds no official position, he can still have a say in Chu Shaoyuan’s court.

Thinking this through, Su Qingyao felt that the Earl of Loyalty and Courage was truly no simple man.

With this guidance from Su Qingyao, Liuqin pondered for a moment before understanding: So that’s why Consort Yi, with her temperament, was still appointed as one of the Four Consorts, and why the Empress Dowager has always shown her considerable care.

The women in this palace—before our current Emperor—find favor and beauty unimportant. What truly matters is family background, Su Qingyao said calmly.

Useful women receive higher positions—it’s that simple.

In her previous life, because her maternal uncles were ineffective, she naturally became that marginalized figure, slowly climbing the ranks through annual festivals, eventually relying on her robust health to become the Imperial Noble Consort Dowager.

In this life, perhaps because she is somewhat unique, or maybe because the Emperor has some other plans, she has been brought before everyone, even receiving special summons for questioning from the Empress Dowager.

Su Qingyao lowered her gaze and pondered for a long time before finally saying, Since our maternal family is ineffective, we can only rely on ourselves.

Making oneself useful is stronger than relying on others.

Liuqin pursed her lips into a smile: Junior Mistress is naturally excellent. This servant believes you will eventually reach the very top.

Su Qingyao gently pinched her arm: You only know how to tease me.

While Su Qingyao in Azure Cloud Palace was setting new goals for herself, Chu Shaoyuan in the front Qian Yuan Palace was being caught red-handed by his mother.

For no other reason than that these past few days he had been planning to feign illness to avoid summoning consorts, but Lou Duzhou immediately reported him. The Empress Dowager couldn’t sit still and for the first time stormed into Qian Yuan Palace.

Chu Shaoyuan sat there obediently, as docile as a young child, while the Empress Dowager sat across from him with a stern face, silently drinking her tea.

Lou Duzhou, fearing His Majesty’s wrath, had hidden outside early on, sending Tingqin Gugu in his stead to attend upon the imperial mother and son.

Tingqin Gugu had served Chu Shaoyuan since his childhood, back when he was still a babbling toddler. Naturally, she had obeyed the commands of the young prince’s birth mother, the Empress, and over the years, she had developed a close bond with the Empress Dowager, able to speak freely in Her Ladyship’s presence.

Seeing the mother and son locked in a stiff silence, Tingqin Gugu thought for a moment and quickly interceded with a smile, Your Ladyship hasn’t visited Qian Yuan Palace in some time. The lotus blossoms in the pond by the Waterside Pavilion are in full bloom—would Your Ladyship care to take a look? Let His Majesty attend to state affairs first; that is what matters most.

Bo Empress Dowager glanced sideways at Chu Shaoyuan’s stern expression and noticed the piles of memorials weighing down his imperial desk. Her heart softened slightly. It has been a while since we last spoke. Today, I shall trouble you to accompany me in admiring the scenery.

Tingqin Gugu’s face flushed with delight. Oh, this is truly an honor for your servant. Thank you, Your Ladyship, for granting me this favor.

Bo Empress Dowager then turned to Chu Shaoyuan, snorted coldly at him, and allowed Tingqin to support her as they made their way toward the Waterside Pavilion.

Only after her figure vanished from sight did Chu Shaoyuan uneasily rub his nose.

No matter how old a son gets, he will always fear his mother—such is the eternal truth.

Seeing that the Empress Dowager had departed and no quarrel had erupted between the mother and son, Lou Duzhou cautiously peeked back into the imperial study, a relieved grin spreading across his face like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Your Majesty, shall I fan you? Lou Duzhou asked obsequiously.

Chu Shaoyuan shot him a glance and snorted coldly as well. Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on.

The fact that he was speaking meant he wasn’t truly angry.

Lou Duzhou finally breathed a sigh of relief, timidly entering the imperial study and promptly beginning to fan Chu Shaoyuan. Her Ladyship is only concerned about Your Majesty. Knowing you labor day and night in Qian Yuan Palace, her heart aches for you. That’s why she’s pressing the matter of the Imperial bedchamber service.

Had it been any other mother—even his birth mother—she would never interfere in her son’s private affairs.

But Chu Shaoyuan’s circumstances were far too unique. If Bo Empress Dowager didn’t urge him to summon consorts to his bedchamber, he would likely never think of those consorts—the women who nominally belonged to him.

As his mother, she understood him best.

She knew that because of his Solitary Fate, he lacked the joys that a man ought to enjoy. Precisely because of this, though he appeared to have a full harem as emperor, he had always been a solitary figure.

No matter how composed he seemed on the surface, deep down, he still carried a trace of insecurity.

When Chu Shaoyuan was in his teens, he particularly disliked palace maids. He had just ascended the throne then, and she had to force him to issue the edict for the consort selection. Otherwise, he would have delayed it for another twenty-seven months, putting it off until he absolutely couldn’t avoid it any longer.

After he took the throne and became engrossed in court affairs, the situation improved somewhat once the selected consorts entered the palace.

It seemed that once he realized these women could help balance the power between noble families and court officials, he became less resistant, throwing himself wholly into governance. Every now and then, he would summon a consort to stay overnight at Pomegranate Hall, merely going through the motions.

For Chu Shaoyuan, whether in his past life or this one, the Great Liang nation had always been his utmost priority.

As long as it benefited the country, he could endure any hardship, bear any suffering. Even if it meant remaining solitary for the rest of his life, he didn’t care.

But having been reborn, he now realized that no matter how hard he tried, the future of Great Liang would never be smooth sailing.

Otherwise, Daoist Master Qingxin, who should have lived a long life, would not have passed away so early.

Therefore, in this lifetime, he also followed the words of Daoist Master Qingxin and Jingchen Fashi, striving to focus his attention on the imperial harem in order to find the hidden Phoenix Star.

If he could truly find his rightful empress, perhaps not only his own fate could change, but the destiny of the Great Liang could also be altered.

It could be said that after understanding all this, he did not resist accepting Su Qingyao.

However, in his previous life, he had lived quite well on his own, never engaging in matters of romance. Now, wanting him to properly interact with a woman, he even… did not know how to do it.

Yes, though unwilling to admit it, he truly did not know how to get along with women.

He could only take one step at a time, sometimes acting on impulse, sometimes referring to the romantic novels Lou Duzhou gathered from the common folk, imitating the moonlit rendezvous described in them.

As for what Su Qingyao herself thought, it was not within his consideration.

After all, this young lady adored him so much and had always been loyal to him; surely she must be deeply moved by his kindness toward her?

Lou Duzhou, unaware that His Majesty’s thoughts had drifted far away, continued to persuade earnestly: Empress Dowager also wishes for you to interact more with Junior Mistress Su. If the two of you become familiar and develop feelings for each other, life would become much more comfortable.

Chu Shaoyuan pondered for a moment and asked, What does it mean to have feelings?

Hearing this, Lou Duzhou was also stumped. After a long silence, he cautiously replied, It means… you like her, and she likes you?

Chu Shaoyuan nodded thoughtfully and added, Then how does one become familiar? Those things written in the novels are all nonsense and seem very foolish.

Lou Duzhou felt a bitter taste in his mouth. As a eunuch who had been castrated, where would he know how to interact with women or develop feelings for them? In ordinary families, aren’t marriages arranged by parents and matchmakers? Wouldn’t a long-lasting relationship naturally lead to a harmonious union?

But the emperor’s question had to be answered no matter what.

Lou Duzhou thought for a while and suddenly recalled an old matter: Your Majesty, to be honest with you, before I entered the palace, my parents were also very harmonious.

Chu Shaoyuan had long known Lou Duzhou’s story. He came from an ordinary farming family with only parents and a younger brother. Unfortunately, when he was ten, his parents fell seriously ill and passed away one after another. His uncle’s family helped pay off the debts but was left impoverished, and raising two half-grown boys only added to their hardship.

To treat his parents’ illnesses, his uncle’s family had done their best, exhausting their savings.

Not wanting to make things difficult for his uncle, and unable to watch his cousins starve, Lou Duzhou gritted his teeth and sold himself into the palace. He gave the money from selling his life to his uncle, entrusting him to provide for his younger brother.

In this era of peace and prosperity, eunuchs were harder to find than palace maids. Unless struck by natural disasters or man-made calamities, no family would willingly subject their child to such suffering, turning them into neither man nor woman.

Thus, Lou Duzhou received a full thirty taels of silver at that time, enough to support his brother for six or seven years. By then, his brother would be in his teens and could work for his uncle’s family, no longer needing that bit of silver for food.

Both Chu Shaoyuan and Bo Empress Dowager knew this story of Lou Duzhou, but over the years, they had never brought it up with him.

In this deep palace, everyone had their own sorrows. That Lou Duzhou could reach his current position, becoming a fifth-rank eunuch, was entirely due to his own willingness to endure hardship and his daring to strive.

For him, those matters were perhaps just old dreams that surfaced in the midnight hours, no longer capable of stirring any ripples when mentioned now.

Chu Shaoyuan set down his brush and looked seriously at Lou Duzhou.

Lou Duzhou carefully recalled and said, At that time, my parents were deeply devoted to each other. The farm work was arduous, but my father never allowed my mother to toil in the fields, always silently bearing the burden alone. I remember how, after dinner each evening, under the glow of the setting sun, my mother would sit in the courtyard embroidering, while my father brewed tea and kept her company, chatting with her.

As Lou Duzhou spoke of this, his eyes still reddened involuntarily: My mother would often sigh and say that my father’s companionship was the greatest happiness in her life, and she considered herself fortunate to have married him.

Hearing this, Chu Shaoyuan nodded thoughtfully.

Meanwhile, at the Waterside Pavilion, Tingqin was comforting Bo Empress Dowager: Your Majesty, there’s no need to be overly anxious. His Majesty is still young—it’s only natural that he doesn’t yet know how to interact with young ladies.

The Empress Dowager sighed: It would have been fine before, but now with Su Qingyao as a variable, I simply cannot resign myself to it. That’s why I’m growing impatient.

Tingqin smiled faintly: This matter is quite simple to resolve.

The Empress Dowager turned to look at her, and Tingqin continued: Junior Mistress Su is a clever and astute person. From what I’ve observed, His Majesty doesn’t seem particularly annoyed by her and can even exchange a few words with her.

In matters between men and women, it’s all about spending time together. Given enough time, everything will naturally fall into place.

Bo Empress Dowager finally broke into a smile: Exactly. If my son truly finds summoning consorts for Imperial bedchamber service too bothersome, having that girl come in the afternoon to keep him company for conversation would suffice as well.

Tingqin nodded vigorously: Your Majesty is most wise.

Author’s Note:

Empress Dowager: Son, this is all the help your mother can give you!

Tomorrow, His Majesty will make an appearance with a full day of scenes—it’s going to be exhausting!