Chapter 2023: Pain Twisted
w that things have come to this, I think we should have an honest conversation. Tell me, how did you meet the former crown prince"When she thought of that man, Huāduǒ's entire demeanor softened. When...The Empress couldn't believe what she was hearing, her eyes fixed on the maid beside the bed.
The palace maid quickly replied, “Your Majesty, I heard it too. It’s the Emperor who has arrived.”
If in the past, when His Majesty stepped into her Kunning Palace, the Empress would surely be excited, agitated, and in high spirits.
At this moment, the Empress was startled by the sudden arrival of His Majesty.
She sat on the bed, at a loss. Her mind was still wrestling with the decision of whether to get up and greet the Emperor.
Just as she was about to get up, the palace maid beside her changed her expression and immediately reminded her:
"Your Majesty, the news from Kunning Palace today is... Your Majesty is seriously ill and can hardly get out of bed. If Your Majesty were to rise now to greet His Majesty, I'm afraid people would seize upon it as proof that Your Majesty is feigning illness."
"..."
The palace maid's reminder brought the Empress back to her senses. She quickly lay down, "Quickly, quickly, check my complexion and see if I look pale, or if there are any signs of deception"
Hearing the Empress's words, the palace maid finally dared to raise her eyes and look.
Today, just in case, they put something on the Queen's face to make it look pale and bloodless.
"Now that I can see the Empress's complexion clearly, the palace maid whispered, 'Your Majesty, please rest assured, the white grease is still on your face. Your Majesty does indeed look unwell right now, and there are no signs of anything amiss.'"
Upon hearing this, the queen closed her eyes with peace of mind.
Just as the maidservant straightened up, the door to the inner palace was suddenly pushed open.
The emperor walked in with a sullen face, and the palace maids immediately curtsied to him.
The emperor frowned and waved his hand, "Get out of my sight!"
The palace maid's face was uneasy, and she subconsciously glanced at the bed.
She had been a maidservant to the Empress for many years, having served by her side even before she entered the palace. As a trusted confidante of the Empress, she couldn't fathom what the emperor might be planning and certainly wouldn't dare leave without permission.
Seeing this palace maid hesitate, the emperor narrowed his eyes and let out a cold snort. "You are still loyal to the Empress, aren't you But haven't you forgotten where you are To dare disobey my order is simply to court death!"
It was clear that the emperor was truly furious, and the palace maid hurriedly knelt on the ground begging for mercy.
Just then, the empress on the bed ‘weakly opened her eyes’, feigning just having woken up. She slowly looked around.
Upon seeing it was the Emperor, the Empress' face paled. She stared at his face for a moment before exclaiming in a voice laced with feigned surprise, "Your Majesty, you... how did you get here"
As soon as she finished speaking, her brow furrowed. She pushed up on the bed frame with both hands, her face contorted in agonizing pain, struggling to get up.
The Emperor saw her in such pain, his emotionless eyes narrowed.
"Hold on," he said, raising his hand. "Stay still, my love. I'm not here to cause trouble, so there's no need for you to be so tense."
After saying this, his cold eyes swept over the maidservant kneeling on the ground, "Did you hear I'm not here to trouble your Empress. I still have some personal words to say to her. Now get out!"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
This time, the palace maid didn't hesitate anymore. Perhaps she had also seen that the emperor seemed truly willing to have a good talk with their Empress.
After she finished, she subconsciously glanced at the Empress. Seeing the Empress nod slightly to her, she immediately retreated.
When only the Emperor and Empress remained in the palace, the Emperor walked expressionlessly to the bedside and sat on the edge of the bed.
His deep eyes fixed on the empress's face. Seeing her pale complexion, he furrowed his brow, "I saw my beloved concubine a few days ago, and she was still radiant. What happened these past few days Why has she become so haggard"
Queen: "!"
What the emperor said sounded insincere to the empress.
How could she have become so haggard The Emperor wondered countless times.
To think, the empress who ruled over six palaces would be bullied by a mere new concubine.
The emperor still stood blindly on the side of the Noble Consort, forcing her to vacate Kunning Palace.
When such a thing had happened, His Majesty still pretended to inquire about her, asking why she had become so haggard. How could she possibly answer that
Wouldn't she want her to pretend nothing happened and still put on a show of love for the emperor
Thinking of this, a sardonic glint appeared in the Queen's downcast eyes.
After the emperor finished speaking, he saw that the empress had not answered. He couldn't help but narrow his icy eyes and asked again, "What's wrong with my beloved Are you so weak that you can't even speak In that case, 'I shall order the imperial physician to come.'"
“Your Majesty, I...I'm much better now. The imperial physician came a few hours ago. I was merely overcome by heat and a chill, which caused me to feel weak and bedridden for a while. It's nothing serious, Your Majesty, please do not worry."
The emperor's deep eyes fixed on her, catching the weight of her words.
"My dear, tell me why you're so angry. As the Empress, the mistress of all palaces, who in this vast imperial palace would dare to make the Empress feel such anger"
"Your Majesty, this concubine...this concubine truly doesn't understand. Is there something I haven't done well these past years Why is Your Majesty treating me this way"
The emperor frowned, "What do you mean, my love Could the person who angered you be me That's impossible!"
The Empress wasn't sure if the Emperor truly had no recollection or was putting on a show for her. She said nonetheless, "Your Majesty asking me to move out of the Kunning Palace isn't enough to make me feel wronged"
The emperor was taken aback, "Didn't the imperial consort choose to move out of Kunning Palace herself"
"!" She stared at him, her eyes wide with shock. She didn't even think about anything else; all she could do was fix her gaze on the Emperor. Making sure he wasn't joking with her, she finally spoke:
"Your Majesty, what are you saying That day, it was clearly Your Majesty's own decree that I must, no matter what, vacate Kunning Palace for the newly enthroned noble concubine. Does Your Majesty not remember"
As for what the Empress had said, the Emperor truly couldn't remember. His memories suddenly became hazy.
Just as he was trying hard to recall the events of that day, a sudden sharp pain struck his mind, causing him to furrow his brow and his facial expression gradually becoming contorted.
After she finished speaking, the Empress had been staring at the Emperor. Seeing that he suddenly looked pained, she forgot all about pretending to be ill and immediately stood up, grabbing hold of the Emperor's arm, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, what's wrong with you"
The emperor winced in pain and flung her hand away, clutching his head.
The Empress, seeing him like this, was frightened and immediately shouted outwards, "Physician, fetch the physician!"
Let me know if you have other text you'd like me to translate! When Yun Si finally recovered, Ke Ming was nowhere to be seen. Even if he chased now, he wouldn't catch up.His profound eyes followed the departing figure of Ming Deng, then after a moment's contempl...