Chapter 188: Are You Willing?

Jingren Palace.

Wan Tang stepped through the palace gate again.

Unlike the exquisite splendor of the concubines' palaces in her memory, this place was suffused with an almost lethal silence.

The Guanren moved soundlessly, heads bowed, eyes lowered, even their breaths seemed deliberately softened, lest they disturb the master of the Main Hall.

Just as she entered the front courtyard, Li Pin emerged trembling from some corner.

She seized Wan Tang's sleeve, pulled her behind a column, and whispered in a very low voice:

"Virtuous Consort sister, how dare you still come here?"

Li Pin glanced around nervously, "Are you here to see Hui Guifei?"

"Take my sister's advice and go back quickly; under no circumstances invite trouble yourself."

She swallowed, her eyes filled with genuine fear: "This newly appointed Noble Consort is certainly not someone we can provoke."

"Look at what she brought when she moved into Jingren Palace."

"It's not silk brocades or gold and silver ornaments at all! It's all cold, icy weapons!"

Li Pin's voice trembled: "Swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks—rumor has it all eighteen weapon types are gathered, displayed glaringly in the Side Hall."

"Just looking at it is terrifying; this is no residence for harem concubines, it's clearly a training ground."

She clutched Wan Tang's hand tightly, earnestly pleading, "Dear sister, you must return quickly!"

Wan Tang saw Li Pin's pale, frightened face and knew she genuinely worried for her.

She lightly tapped Li Pin's back of the hand, gave a reassuring look, and whispered, "I appreciate Li Pin sister's kindness."

But her gaze remained firm, with no hint of retreat: "Only that Noble Consort herself invited me here. To leave now would be a breach of propriety."

Having said that, she adjusted her sleeves and ignored Li Pin's anxious stare.

She walked with steady steps straight toward the silent yet sharp Main Hall.

Ning Daying stepped forward, glared fiercely at Li Pin, "Mind your own business."

Li Pin's shoulders hunched from the rebuke, a clear fear flashing across her face, yet her gaze at Wan Tang grew even more worried.

She opened her mouth as if to urge further, but it ended as a helpless sigh.

She whispered low, "Sister, you must be careful yourself."

She dared not linger, hurriedly bowed to Ning Daying, then lowered her head and hurried away from this place of controversy.

Yet as she turned, that faint mutter still drifted into the wind, trembling with lingering dread:

"She truly is a hard person to deal with."

Main Hall.

Hui Guifei stood with her back to the hall doors, polishing a long sword that gleamed with chilling light; her movements were focused and practiced, as if the blade were not a killing weapon but part of her own body.

Hearing Wan Tang's footsteps, she did not turn, nor did she show any intention of sheathing the weapon.

The cold blade hummed faintly in the air, only a breath away from Wan Tang.

"Speak," Hui Guifei's voice, like the sword in her hand, bore unmasked sharpness, "What do you want me to do for you?"

Wan Tang's gaze swept over the blade that could almost reflect her own face, yet her expression remained unusually calm, showing no trace of fear.

She didn't even deliberately avoid it; she simply moved naturally around the sword's reach and, on her own, found a chair and sat down.

A faint smile spread on her face, her tone light: "Noble Consort, didn't you have Lady Xin summon me here?"

"Why does it sound as if I have some ulterior motive?"

Hui Guifei finally turned, the long sword still in hand, its tip angled toward the ground.

She sneered, eyes sharp as a hawk, and pierced the thin paper barrier: "Virtuous Consort, you labor before the Emperor to secure this Noble Consort position for me—do you have no ulterior purpose?"

"No need to beat around the bush. Speak plainly; I have no interest in this Noble Consort title at all."

Wan Tang met her gaze, smile unchanged: "Your Majesty jokes. The Noble Consort position is rightfully yours."

"Whether I have motives or not is irrelevant."

The atmosphere in the hall instantly grew tense, as if the very air had solidified.

Ning Daying, who had been cowering nearby, couldn't help muttering softly upon seeing this.

She complained, "Sister, why are you like this? Just now you asked me to summon Virtuous Consort and said you quite admired her..."

Hui Guifei glared at her sharply, eyes like knives, causing Ning Daying to shiver.

"What would a child understand! This has nothing to do with you—go fetch two bowls of sweet soup!"

Ning Daying pouted aggrieved, reluctantly shuffling out in small steps.

The hall was left with only the two of them, a silent standoff spreading amid the cold weapons.

Hui Guifei stared at Wan Tang for a moment.

With a flick of her wrist, a crisp "clang" rang out as the gleaming long sword snapped precisely into its sheath on the nearby rack.

She walked to the main seat and sat, her bearing still bearing a general's crispness, her gaze no longer aggressive, merely cold.

"I dislike roundabout ways, and I despise owing favors," she began, her voice steady and unquestionable, "You secured this position for me; regardless of your original intent, I accept this favor."

She lifted her eyes, staring at Wan Tang: "Speak. This is a one-time chance. What do you want? As long as I can fulfill it, I will grant it."

Her words were concise and decisive, carrying a jianghu-like briskness and resolve.

Though at odds with the palace's convoluted subtleties, it perfectly matched Hui Guifei's nature.

Hui Guifei is of the Ning family; the Duke of Ning wields power that can accomplish many things.

One could say, as long as the Duke of Ning approves Xu Yanchuan to become a Grand General, it is not impossible.

【Hui Guifei is a straightforward person, the kind who always follows through on her words.】

【Is Wan Tang being foolish? If I were you, I'd ask about Bai Li. After all, she's Hui Guifei's own sister!】

【Unfortunately, Hui Guifei harbors extreme dislike for that sister. Were it not for her, Hui Guifei could still remain in the Northern Border, ride the battlefields, and live carefree.】

Indeed!

Hui Guifei and Bai Li are sisters.

Since you are restricted everywhere, why not ask directly?

Hui Guifei saw Wan Tang lowering her eyes in silence, as if lost in thought, and her patience ran out.

Coldly she spoke, her tone laced with unabashed sarcasm: "A scheming woman, my patience is limited."

Outdated, no waiting.

If you still can't think of it, it will be void.

Wan Tang suddenly lifted her gaze, eyes bright, without any hesitation, and asked directly: "Who is Bai Li?"

Hui Guifei's eyes suddenly chilled, a clear disgust bubbling up, then turning into a cold snort: "How could you know her?"

Wan Tang answered openly: "The Emperor mentioned her unintentionally after getting drunk."

"Heh," Hui Guifei's lip curled more sarcastically, "Since you asked, I will tell you."

"You now receive the Emperor's almost obsessive possession and favor; ultimately, you must 'thank' that woman."

She paused, her tone becoming complex and cold, bearing an indescribable hatred: "I am not clear on exactly what happened between her and the Emperor, nor do I bother to inquire."

"What's laughable," Hui Guifei's voice laced with icy shards, "is that, when you add it up, she is still a child of our Ning family."

"She is my half‑sister. Her mother is a concubine who cannot be presented publicly; she grew up with that woman, taking her mother's surname, Bai."

At this point, the disgust in Hui Guifei's eyes almost became tangible.

"Later, that mother and daughter somehow begged their way to the Capital and found my father."

Her tone was cold, as if recounting a disgraceful past: "My father must have grown old and softened his heart."

"He even felt guilty toward them, using his great military achievements to demand a title of Imperial Consort for that concubine woman."

"He also secured a Princess title for that Bai Li."

【This passage was described in detail; it is truly tragic.】

【I have also seen it; Hui Guifei's mother was originally the daughter of a General, fond of wielding swords and spears both large and small. She even disguised herself as a man to follow her brother into battle. Yet she fell in love with the Deputy Commander, the Duke of Ning. That day, heavy snow blocked the mountain, the enemy attacked, the Duke of Ning was gravely wounded, and it was Hui Guifei's mother who broke into the encirclement and rescued the unconscious Duke of Ning.】

【She prepared to cross mountains and valleys for him, fearing he would freeze to death, even taking off her clothes to keep close warmth. Afterwards she sent him to a peasant household for rescue. Hui Guifei's mother, worried about her brother's safety, could not wait for the Duke of Ning to awaken, and returned to the camp to report the news.】

【When they returned in triumph, Hui Guifei's mother pleaded with her brother to obtain an Imperial Decree for her and the Duke of Ning, granting them marriage. It seemed happy, but five years later, Bai Li and her mother appeared.】

【At that time, Hui Guifei's mother learned that, back then at the peasant household, the seemingly simple and honest peasant girl had already earned the credit for saving lives. She and the Duke of Ning performed the marriage rites and entered the bridal chamber.】

Wan Tang felt the hair on her head tremble upon hearing this.

She did not expect that Hui Guifei also bore such painful history.

Fortunately, she has a good uncle and a good mother; although her father is biased, he now also protects Hui Guifei with all his might.

"What happened next?" Wan Tang pressed, her heartbeat involuntarily quickening.

"Why did she marry Yan Wang?"

Hui Guifei clearly did not expect Wan Tang to already know the relationship between Bai Li and Yan Wang.

A hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, then was covered by cold sarcasm: "One favor, one question."

She lightly tapped the table with her fingertips, producing a regular soft sound: "You asked me who she is; I have already answered."

"The rest is none of my business."

Wan Tang, hearing this, let a bitter curve form at the corner of her lips and whispered: "Yes, Subject understands."

"To be honest," Hui Guifei's gaze fell again on Wan Tang's face, with unabashed scrutiny and disgust, "You all have grown a face that makes people loathe."

"However, you are even more detestable than her."

Wan Tang smiled, the smile carrying a strange self‑mockery and composure: "Is that so?"

"But I don't dislike my own face at all."

"How?" Hui Guifei raised an eyebrow, her sarcasm deepening, "Are you still grateful that you can be her substitute?"

"What's wrong with that?" Wan Tang lifted her eyes, her gaze clear and cold, containing no grievance, only a calculation almost cruelly calm.

"At least, compared to others before the Emperor, you have a slightly more pitiful chance, don't you?"

Her tone suddenly shifted, with a barely perceptible, almost mutual respect: "Noble Consort, what about you? Aren't you the same as well?"

"Your unique indulgence and special status before the Emperor—isn't that also because you and she are blood‑related sisters?"

Hui Guifei sat up abruptly, her complexion turning sour, her voice suddenly rising: "No! I am not like her!"

Those words slipped out, sharp as if striking a core issue.

She stared intently at Wan Tang, as if questioning her, yet also interrogating herself: "Living in another's shadow, relying on this ridiculous connection to garner a sliver of pity—are you truly content with that?!"

Wan Tang's smile turned bleak and weary; she whispered: "As long as I'm alive, that's enough, isn't it?"

"Step by step to today, who hasn't been forced by circumstances?"

Those words floated lightly, yet carried a weight of a thousand pounds, crashing between the two.

Hui Guifei was stunned; she looked at the hidden resignation and resilience in Wan Tang's eyes, a silent resonance exploding within her heart.

She suddenly seemed to understand something, her tense shoulders slowly relaxing.

She leaned back into the chair again, regaining her lazy, indifferent demeanor, though her eyes now held something complex and hard to read.

Wan Tang, seeing this, rose to take her leave: "If Noble Consort has no other orders, Subject will now take her leave."

She had just turned to leave when Hui Guifei's voice came again from behind, with a hint of playfulness and curiosity, abruptly asking:

"That day at the training ground, Xu Yanchuan rushed out recklessly."

"The person he wanted to save was actually you, not the Emperor at all, right?"