The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 39: The Beloved

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》Yanxi Gonglue

   The Story of Yanxi Palace, Chapter 39: The Beloved

   “You have gone to plow the snow again.” Just after returning to the Changchun Palace, Wei Yingluo was called to her by the Empress, who lovingly said, “I have told you that you don’t have to do this work anymore, let Zhenzhu and the others do it and when you have time, read some more, or come to me and help me with my ink and take care of things for me.”

   The Empress is obviously sincere about training her as a member of her inner circle, otherwise she would have preferred her to be blind, instead of making her read and write, understand things and even discuss with her the sale of the internal treasury stock.

   Wei Yingluo listened with trepidation, worried about whether she was climbing too high and too fast and touched by the other’s regard, so she knew what she was talking about.

   “A moment of inattention and it’s that time.” Two hours passed and the Empress put down the quill in her hand, a hint of fatigue showing on her face.

   Wei Yingluo immediately came up behind her and gently pressed her hands to her temples, saying under her breath: “Her Highness, take a break, I’ll talk with you.”

   “Hmm.” the Empress closed her eyes and, leaving her busy schedule behind for the moment, chatted with her about her family, “By the way, the Royal Physician reported some time ago that Noble Lady Yu had been waking up in the middle of the night and that she was so thin and bony that she was unrecognizable. The Royal Physician said ... It’s a heart condition.”

   “The heart needs medicine.” Wei Yingluo weighed in. “In Concubine Yi’s absence, His Majesty is the only medicine for her heart.” the Empress sighed and said, “But His Majesty is too busy to care about her! Noble Lady Yu is not Consort Donge and where can she find another Lord Shizu ...”

   When Consort Donge died, Lord Shizu was so ill that he left his house for her.

   After a pause, the Empress laughed a little ruefully as she felt she had lost her tongue: “Look how confused I am, what’s all this talk!”

   Wei Yingluo knew what was on her mind. What woman wouldn’t want to be Consort Donge but expecting too much would inevitably lead to disappointment.

   With the intention of comforting her, Wei Yingluo thought for a moment and said: “Lord Shizu treating Consort Donge with infatuation is indeed something to be envied but look at it in a different light and it feels completely different!”

   “Oh?” the Empress said, somewhat curiously, “You say.”

   “Her Highness Empress, Consort Donge, died of illness and Lord Shizu was so distraught that he stopped handling the government affairs for five days, burned two palaces and countless jewels and even ordered the death of thirty eunuchs and palace maids! For Consort Donge, she was lucky to have met a loving king but those 60 innocent court members, who also had family members, were also alive! What’s more, His Majesty has put millions of his subjects at risk for the sake of Consort Donge.” Wei Yingluo sighed and said, “I am only afraid that the civil and military officials, the common people and the other concubines in the harem would only wish that the Emperor were heartless.”

   “How dare you!”

   A man’s voice suddenly rang out, startling Wei Yingluo and the Empress into rising in unison and then falling to their knees towards each other.

   A pair of bright yellow boots marched up to Wei Yingluo’s eyes.

   It was the second time she had seen the boots.

   “Who gave you permission to talk about Lord Shizu, you deserve to die!” Hongli’s voice rang out from above her head, saying with endless anger, “Someone--”

   What to do!

   Wei Yingluo’s heart cried out in distress, she did not expect that an emperor would have a preference for listening to corners and now she had run into a gun.

   Wei Yingluo gritted her teeth and shouted: “His Majesty, didn’t I say that?” before the Royal Guard entered and took her down.

   “Oh??” Hongli said coldly, “Who said that?”

   Wei Yingluo said: “It’s Lord Shizu.”

   Hongli froze at his words.

   “His Majesty, Lord Shizu has left an edict of guilt, mentioning that he treated Consort Donge too favorably and regretted failing to stop his feelings with courtesy.” Wei Yingluo took advantage of his daze to finish the rest of her sentence, “I was merely repeating Lord Shizu’s words.”

   If he were to punish her for this, wouldn’t he be reprimanding his ancestor?

   Hongli was silent for a moment and said slowly: “What about your accusation that Taizu had the palace buried in martyrdom, did Lord Shizu say that again?”

   “That’s not true.” Wei Yingluo said.

   Hongli immediately sneered and said: “Someone--”

   Wei Yingluo said: “It was Lord Kangxi who said that!”

   Hongli: “...”

   Wei Yingluo said: “Lord Kangxi has long since decreed that martyrdom is forbidden and that there will be no more martyrdom for the living since then!”

   Hongli was again silent for a long time, or a moment of stifled frustration.

   This His Majesty, who seemed to be a bit cautious, did not seem to be prepared to let her go and after thinking about it for a long time, he finally remembered one more thing and said through gritted teeth: “Well, then I ask you, what did you mean just now when you also said that the people preferred the Son of Heaven to be merciless?”

   Hearing this question, Wei Yingluo recoiled in relief.

   Because that’s all she said in total and since he took this to ask, it was obviously the last question.

   “Back to His Majesty.” Wei Yingluo bowed to the ground and slowly said, “I have heard that His Majesty rises every day at dawn, when it is still light in summer and just after five o’clock in winter. When there is an army in the west, even at midnight, His Majesty will urgently call on the Minister of Military Affairs to discuss the matter and even though the Minister of Military Affairs is on duty once every five or six days, he still finds it very tiring, let alone His Majesty who does this every day and every year. However, His Majesty was too busy with his government to care for his harem and the Consorts and Concubines were left out of the picture, so it is clear that to be a wise ruler, one must have love for the people and the world but only cold heart for the Consorts and Concubines!”

   When Hongli heard this, he opened his mouth to speak but no words came out for a while.

   “Good, great love is merciless and His Majesty is such a wise and diligent ruler!” the Empress suddenly approached, waved her hand and said, “Well, go down, I want to speak to His Majesty.”

   Wei Yingluo’s heart immediately dropped, knowing that the Empress was taking the heat off of her and that after the Emperor’s three questions, she would be completely safe once she got out of this door ...

   “Wait!” The man’s voice, however, suddenly rang out above her head saying, “Lift your head!”

   Not only was Wei Yingluo astonished but even the Empress was astonished: “His Majesty?”

   “This tone of yours, this voice of yours, the more familiar I hear it...” Hongli’s voice had a hint of doubt in it, as well as a hint of scrutiny.

   At these words Wei Yingluo dared not raise her head again but prostrated herself on the ground, as motionless as a stone statue that had been carved over the years.

   “I remember...” Hongli’s voice suddenly turned cold as he said, “You are--”

   “Get out!” the Empress’ voice suddenly interjected saying, “Don’t upset His Majesty, go outside and kneel down!”

   “Yes, Her Highness!” Wei Yingluo rolled and rushed out.

   Behind them, the sound of the Emperor arguing with the Empress.

   “I saw her once as a lowly court maid and within a month she was in the Changchun Palace and trusted by the Empress, which shows that she has evil intentions and designs! the Empress, how can you keep such a person by your side?”

   “His Majesty, I, Zhuzi, know best what Yingluo’s character is.”

   “Empress, be overly lenient and watch out for the tiger!”

   “His Majesty, I trust my eyes, Yingluo is not the kind of person you say she is!

   Wei Yingluo suddenly stops dead in her tracks and stares back in disbelief.

   Isn’t she that kind of person??

   No, the emperor is right, she is a person with an evil heart and a bad intention.

   “But I will not fail you.” Wei Yingluo says to the Empress in her heart, “I will never let anyone hurt you.”

  

  

   The Story of Yanxi Palace《延禧攻略》CHAPTERS