hotmtlnovel Chapter 232
Chapter 232
why?
consort yu looked at the empress's secret edict, feeling increasingly indignant. she had been loyal to the empress's faction from the beginning, and had even poisoned jiang xinyue together with the empress.
why...
why in the end did the empress only think of helping their common enemy, without even mentioning her once?
the xuanwu emperor had no interest in understanding consort yu's resentment. the only reason he still kept consort yu around was because she was foolish - so foolish that every time she schemed against others, she ended up hurting herself.
if not for the fact that she was the birth mother of the eldest princess...
consort de was also caught off guard by this secret edict.
although the rise and fall of positions in the harem was ultimately up to the emperor's whims, without the empress's approval, it would not be proper or justified.
the emperor ruled the court, while the empress managed the harem - this was the rule established since ancient times.
it was like how a common man needed his wife's approval to take a concubine.
the emperor didn't care whether the empress agreed or not, because he was different from ordinary men, and the empress wouldn't dare to defy his wishes.
but if the empress disagreed and the emperor insisted on making jiang xinyue the noble consort, everyone in the harem would be dissatisfied, and even the court officials would disapprove of the emperor's actions.
now, with the empress's secret edict in hand and the emperor's protection, who could say jiang xinyue was unworthy?
both the emperor and the empress believed she was capable of fulfilling the duties of noble consort. if you still insisted otherwise, wouldn't that just reveal your own desire for the position?
consort yu realized that once she could no longer claim the moral high ground to criticize the emperor and jiang xinyue, she had no other way to attack jiang xinyue.
was jiang xinyue truly so virtuous that she had never harmed anyone?
no!
consort yu believed that jiang xinyue was simply too skilled at scheming, never being caught doing evil deeds.
"this concubine... also congratulates noble consort on her new position..."
if a lowborn concubine like jiang xinyue could become noble consort, why couldn't they?
but when they learned that even the empress had secretly urged the emperor to appoint jiang xinyue as noble consort, their attitude towards jiang xinyue changed from resentment to curiosity and admiration.
captivating the emperor wasn't such a great feat - if they had jiang xinyue's beautiful face and alluring figure, they too could have the emperor wrapped around their finger.
but the empress was a woman.
how could she be so generous towards her own rival?
was jiang xinyue truly some kind of enchantress, able to bewitch not just men but women as well?
whether jiang xinyue was an enchantress remained to be seen, but the daily palace greetings couldn't be skipped.
now that she was noble consort, jiang xinyue couldn't slack off anymore.
the other consorts already didn't respect her, so if she wasn't diligent, some would look down on her even more.
consort xiao stood behind consort yu, whispering to those nearby: "did you hear it last night? there were terrible screams coming from somewhere. it scared me to death."
"my lady heard it too? i thought i was the only one! it truly terrified this servant."
consort yu turned around: "what are you all whispering about?"
consort xiao fawned over her: "your grace, this concubine and shu xiang were talking about the screams we heard last night. could it be that the palace is haunted?"
consort yu waved her handkerchief and dabbed at her lips: "there have been countless deaths in the palace over the years. it wouldn't be strange if there were ghosts."
if someone like jiang xinyue could become noble consort, the first to crawl out of the ground and protest would probably be her sister, jiang yutong.
consort yu muttered softly: "when a wicked consort holds power, wild ghosts wail in sorrow."
consort xiao and shu xiang exchanged glances and lowered their heads, giggling.
"noble consort arrives—"
all the delicate beauties in the room knelt down: "paying respects to noble consort."
"you may rise," jiang xinyue said, wearing the ceremonial robes of a noble consort in the same color as the emperor's dragon robe, looking both majestic and dignified. "what were consort yu and consort xiao laughing about just now? why don't you share it with me as well?"