Chapter 1607: 1607 A Beauty Has a Date

Disaster falls from the sky!

Early in the morning, Consort Jing was summoned into the palace, verbally humiliated by Empress Dowager Sun, subjected to all manner of harassment and deliberate fault-finding, and punished by kneeling!

She was not allowed to leave the palace until dusk, when the palace gates were about to be locked.

Empress Dowager Sun had vented her fury and jealousy on Consort Jing, and was in a very good mood. Looking at Empress Chen, she also found her virtuous and sensible, especially pleasing to the eye.

When Consort Jing returned to Wang Fu, she lay down at once, without a shred of strength left.

Her knees were red and swollen terribly; even walking was difficult.

"What is that old witch Empress Dowager Sun trying to do? Is she trying to force you to death?"

Eunuch Shen was heartbroken beyond words; fear and rage made him restless and uneasy. He couldn't even spare the attention to ask about Consort Jing's injuries, only venting and cursing.

"We're already this miserable, stuck guarding a broken Wang Fu every day, barely scraping by — why won't she let us go? My lady, say something!"

"I won't die!" Consort Jing was very calm, and found him annoying. "Can you let me have a moment of quiet. I've been exhausted all day; I don't have the energy to argue with you right now."

"At least give me a straight answer, will you? My lady?!" Eunuch Shen's impatience was written all over his face, panic in his eyes. He lived each day in terror, constantly worried the Brocaded Guards would come charging in. The mere thought of the imperial prison made him shudder.

"I already told you I won't die — can't you understand plain speech?"

Eunuch Shen stood gape-mouthed, at a loss for words for the moment.

Consort Jing took a deep breath, suppressing her rising irritation. "She's only venting her anger. Today I went along with everything; she got it out of her system, and for quite a long time afterward she won't think of us. Just set your mind at ease."

"She wasn't trying to force you to death?" Eunuch Shen couldn't believe it.

Consort Jing shook her head. "She has no need to force me to death. While I live, I can amuse her. If I die, who will amuse her? As for Consort Xiao — heh… Consort Xiao has enjoyed the Emperor's favor for decades, her methods are formidable; Empress Dowager Sun may not necessarily get the better of her. You see how Consort Xiao deliberately feigned illness — did the Empress Dowager say anything? Clearly, the Empress Dowager still has her scruples. The late Emperor's final edict — the Emperor may refuse to honor it, but the Empress Dowager must honor it!"

That was the edict left by her own husband!

The Emperor, as a son, overturning his father's decision — fine, acceptable. Wait until his wings are full, until he has the ability to suppress the power of the chancellors, and no one will object.

The Empress Dowager overturning her husband's edict — sorry, not allowed! Not permitted! Dare to do such a thing, and the court officials will be the first to leap out and champion Prince Ning and the others.

The Empress Dowager is the Empress Dowager; the Emperor is the Emperor.

A weak, powerless Empress Dowager should knowingly put herself up on a shelf like a Bodhisattva — never open her precious mouth, never descend to the mortal world, never dream of meddling in state affairs.

"What if the Emperor refuses to honor it?"

"Death!" Consort Jing stated the fact calmly.

Eunuch Shen instantly gave a shudder.

"How long?"

"Depends on Chancellor Xie's ability."

"Chancellor Xie, as a powerful minister, certainly doesn't want to hand power back to the Emperor, right?" Eunuch Shen ventured boldly.

"Not necessarily! Xie Changling is a rather peculiar man; his thinking may not be the same as ordinary people's."

"He can't possibly take the initiative to return power to the Emperor." Eunuch Shen lowered his voice. "No one would do something that stupid. Once the Emperor holds power, the first person he'll want to kill is Xie Changling. I'm not wrong, am I?"

Consort Jing narrowed her eyes, resting them. "Chancellor Xie is very clever; things definitely won't be that crude and simple. Forget it, I don't want to think about this. Today I'm truly too exhausted. Don't come bothering me for the next few days — I need to recover properly."

This can't go on!

Consort Jing thought to herself.

She cannot be at others' mercy, cannot sit and wait for death!

She thought of Chen Chen Guanlou.

The key to breaking the deadlock lies with Chen Chen Guanlou.

Empress Chen is Chen Chen Guanlou's niece; the uncle and nephew are said to be on very good terms. As soon as Empress Chen entered the palace, she summoned Chen Chen Guanlou for an audience.

This means that Chen Chen Guanlou's words, Empress Chen will actually listen to.

Empress Chen is no ordinary talent; for such a long time, she has somehow kept Empress Dowager Sun from laying a finger on the inner palace's authority. Empress Dowager Sun is such a difficult person to deal with, yet Empress Chen handles her with ease — clearly she has her own calculations.

If Empress Chen were willing to help her a little — not asking for an alliance, only asking her to shield her from Empress Dowager Sun's malice — her days would immediately become much easier.

She had figured it out!

But she couldn't go see Chen Chen Guanlou in her current state — it would look like she was deliberately playing the victim.

Even though the other party might not mind her playing the victim, she still hoped for a pleasant beginning between them.

She patiently nursed her injuries, took care of her skin, determined to return to her most radiant, most beautiful state.

Once everything was properly prepared, she arranged for a trusted confidant to deliver an invitation to Chen Chen Guanlou, arranging to meet at a mountain villa outside the city.

The invitation was delivered straight to his home.

The invitation did not reveal the owner's identity or name, but at the bottom was painted a plum blossom — the same plum blossom as the snow-plum painting on Wang Fu's wall.

Chen Chen Guanlou looked at the invitation and instantly broke into a smile.

He said to the palace maid who had delivered it: "Tell your mistress I will arrive on time!"

"Yes, sir!"

A beauty's invitation — how could he fail to be gallant.

A widow, a beautiful widow, a woman of infinite charm, the Emperor's woman…

Multiple identities stacked together — any man would be unable to contain his excitement.

On the appointed day, Chen Chen Guanlou changed into a rather low-key silk robe and set out for the mountain villa outside the city. The location wasn't particularly good, and the surrounding land wasn't especially fertile either. This villa had once been an imperial estate — the most neglected of the imperial estates. On his deathbed, the late Emperor had bestowed this villa upon Prince Rui.

A small villa — compared to the wrangling inside the palace, it was nothing, and naturally no one paid it any attention.

After Consort Jing obtained this villa, she replaced all the people inside and recruited new tenant farmers.

In recent years the common people's burdens have been heavy, and many farmers have gone bankrupt. Becoming a tenant farmer for the nobility — many people fought for the chance.

For this meeting, Consort Jing had the villa secured airtight; every servant was someone she trusted and knew by face. Not a single unfamiliar person could set foot inside the villa.

Inside the palace she was the weak one; in Jingcheng she was the weak one.

But in this villa, a single word from her decided life or death! She was the strong one at the very top of the pyramid!

This feeling fascinated her!

She wanted to live long-term at the mountain villa, not return to Jingcheng.

However, she could only think about it. She had to behave properly and live in Wang Fu, guard the dilapidated residence, and work hard to raise her son.

When Chen Chen Guanlou appeared in the room, she immediately threw herself at him and held him tightly.

Partly out of lust, partly seeking a safe harbor!

She held him very tightly, her breath mingling with his.

"What's wrong?"

Being so agitated wasn't normal.

Chen Chen Guanlou keenly detected Consort Jing's abnormality.

Consort Jing took a deep breath—it was all Chen Chen Guanlou's scent. She carefully identified it: it seemed to be the smell of soapberry, so nice to smell.

She shook her head. "It's nothing!"

She finally pulled away from his embrace, raised her head, and gazed at his face with a lovesick look. "Why couldn't I have met you a few years earlier?"

Chen Chen Guanlou took her hand and chuckled lightly: "Because I never set foot in the Jiaofang Si!"

"Why?"

"When I thought that one day Hou Fu might fall into decline, and Chen clan women might also end up in the Jiaofang Si, how could you expect me to set foot there!"