Chapter 127: Volume 1, Chapter 127: Secretly Reading the Memorials

Consort Ming used to push the door open and walk straight in whenever she came to the Daoist temple, but this time she was stopped outside. Her expression was naturally displeased, and she suppressed her temper as she waited for His Majesty to summon her.

In the end, Consort Ming waited outside for half a shichen before receiving a single message: His Majesty has already retired, Lady Consort Ming, please come again tomorrow.

Consort Ming was so furious she could barely contain her anger. Fine, this Liu Yingying had some ability. She truly had not expected that she could actually make a comeback.

Liu Yingying's backer was the Empress. Could it be the Empress who had pulled strings behind the scenes?

Consort Ming left with a dark expression. Upon returning to Guanju Palace, she immediately sent someone to investigate the recent movements at Linglong Pavilion.

Bai Zhuo looked at Consort Ming and said softly, "Your Ladyship, His Majesty is merely taken by novelty for a moment. In a few days he will naturally remember your Ladyship's virtues. We are at a critical juncture right now—why should your Ladyship lose composure over Noble Consort Liu? Once your Ladyship holds great power in the future, Noble Consort Liu will be nothing but meat on a chopping board for your Ladyship to dispose of as you please. Right now, His Highness Prince Qi's matter is more urgent. Noble Consort Liu has the Empress backing her, so rather than dealing with Noble Consort Liu, it would be better to pull up the problem by the roots."

Consort Ming's patience had been increasingly difficult to maintain lately. She had already lowered herself enough to coax His Majesty, but she did not know what His Majesty was thinking. He had clearly agreed to support Prince Qi, yet at the final moment he always hesitated.

This frustrated Consort Ming greatly, but she had no choice but to continue maneuvering.

Fortunately, Xiao Shen and Yuhua were now married, so he would be one of her own people from now on. If His Majesty really went back on his word, then he could not blame her for being ruthless.

Only when she thought of this did Consort Ming's dark expression ease slightly. She looked at Bai Zhuo and said, "Liu Yingying's matter cannot be left unattended. If she is not dealt with, the people in the Hou Gong will follow her example. Wouldn't that mean anyone could climb on top of me?"

"But Noble Consort Liu is currently by His Majesty's side, making her difficult to target," Bai Zhuo said in a difficult tone. Their people could not get into the Daoist temple either.

Consort Ming considered her options and fell silent for a time.

At this time, in Fengyi Palace, the Empress was also pleasantly surprised. She had never expected that Noble Consort Liu would actually make a comeback. She looked at Yan Yin and said, "I knew from the start that she was not one to accept her fate. Sure enough."

Yan Yin felt that something was not quite right, but she could not pinpoint what. After a moment's thought, she said, "Noble Consort Liu has not come to pay her respects to Your Ladyship recently. We still do not know how she managed to regain favor this time, or what route Noble Consort Liu took."

The Empress nodded slightly. "When she returns from His Majesty's side, you shall go over there in person."

Yan Yin nodded. "Yes. Noble Consort Liu regaining favor is a good thing in any case. What do you think would be a suitable reward, Your Ladyship?"

The Empress was in a very good mood and said, "Give her that set of ruby hair ornaments from the storehouse. Dressed up beautifully, she can make His Majesty happy."

Yan Yin noted it down and first had the palace servants open the storehouse to find the items, then simply waited for Noble Consort Liu to return to Linglong Pavilion before making the trip.

Only, no one expected that one day, two days, three days passed, and Noble Consort Liu still had not returned to Linglong Pavilion.

Inside the Daoist temple, Liu Yingying knelt beside His Majesty grinding ink, quiet and still. Were it not for her wrist moving, she could have been a living painting of a court lady.

The Emperor felt in excellent spirits today. After all, he was still the master of this nation, so on a whim he began reviewing memorials.

Thick memorials covered the entire desk. The Emperor picked one up, glanced through it quickly—nothing of importance—and too lazy to annotate, tossed it aside and picked up another.

Liu Yingying watched the memorial His Majesty had tossed back fall to the floor, so she bent down and picked it up, neatly placing it on another desk and arranging it properly.

Meanwhile, in the rear hall of the Daoist temple, several Daoist priests were quietly discussing matters.

They had gathered by the Emperor's side to refine immortality elixirs, all for the sake of wealth and glory. Of course they could not actually produce any real elixir of immortality. They had merely used certain folk substances to make His Majesty feel euphoric.

By their methods, they should have been able to drag things out for a year or two at least. But recently they had sensed something was wrong. His Majesty was already advanced in age and was carousing night after night. Let alone someone of His Majesty's age, even a younger man could not withstand it.

"Eldest Brother, what do we do now?" a slightly shorter Daoist priest said anxiously.

"Yes, Eldest Brother, you must make a decision soon. We need to find an escape route quickly," another tall and thin Daoist priest urged. "If His Majesty continues like this, he won't last half a year."

"What's the rush? There's still half a year, isn't there?" the plump, pale Daoist priest sitting in the head seat said in a deep voice.

"Eldest Brother, how can we not be anxious about something like this? We can't really wait until the very end to run, can we?"

"If not Prince Qi, then the Crown Prince. We can only choose one of them to pledge allegiance to. I see that His Majesty dotes on Consort Ming greatly, while his attitude toward the Crown Prince is comparatively distant. Why don't we side with Prince Qi?"

"I wouldn't be so sure. It was precisely from when Consort Ming began clinging to His Majesty that His Majesty became even more indulgent in sensual pleasures. I fear it is Consort Ming who has been pulling strings. Such a ruthless woman—do you truly believe she would cooperate with us in good faith? Don't let her grind the mill and kill the donkey, pushing us brothers out to take the blame when the time comes!"

"Then we choose the Crown Prince? But the Crown Prince never comes to the Daoist temple. He's not easy to approach."

"There will always be opportunities. Let's watch and see a bit longer."

"These past two days, Noble Consort Liu, whom His Majesty has been doting on greatly—I heard she was originally the Empress's person. Do you think we could use Noble Consort Liu to establish a connection with His Highness the Crown Prince?"

The three exchanged glances, all feeling somewhat tempted. They could give it a try.

After reviewing several dozen memorials, the Emperor could no longer hold on. His eyes narrowed slightly and he grew drowsy.

Liu Yingying walked over and supported His Majesty, saying in a soft, gentle voice, "Your Majesty, it is getting late. You should rest."

The Emperor opened his eyes at these words, his mind still somewhat hazy. He held Liu Yingying's hand and rose. "My beloved consort, stay with me."

Liu Yingying smiled and agreed. She supported the Emperor to the bed, reached out and lowered the curtains. She lit the aloeswood incense at the bedside, and the fragrance slowly spread as the Emperor slept ever more soundly.

Once His Majesty was deeply asleep, Liu Yingying gently nudged him and called out several times. After confirming that the Emperor had no response, she quietly got off the bed and returned to the desk to quickly flip through the memorials.

After finishing, she restored everything to its original state and quietly returned to the bedchamber. Seeing that the Emperor was still fast asleep, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. Only then did she take out the paper and brush she had hidden and transcribed what she had memorized, then sealed them into a sachet. Early the next morning, when the palace servant beside her changed shifts, the message would be taken out to Good Lady Rong.

Only after Liu Yingying had done all this did she lie down beside His Majesty. These past few days she had not dared to sleep a peaceful night. She knew Consort Ming would certainly not let the matter rest, and she could not let His Majesty grow tired of her. She had to firmly grasp His Majesty's preferences.

The next day, Rong Luoge received the sachet from Liu Yingying. After opening it, she took out a roll of paper from inside. Looking at the somewhat hastily written letter on it, her expression gradually darkened.