Chapter 9
Ruan Jiqing rushed with his people to Renshou Palace, but the Empress Dowager refused to see Wen Wan altogether. Instead, she sent Ruyan to send her away.
The Empress Dowager was indeed somewhat angry with Qi Junmu, feeling that he had done wrong. Wen Wan could act this way, but the Empress Dowager could not simply accept it.
Wen Wan's actions were a blatant slap to the Emperor's face. If the Empress Dowager accepted Wen Wan's plea of guilt, then the next day at court, someone would surely use this incident to attack Qi Junmu, calling him unfilial for angering his mother.
The Emperor had just ascended the throne, and the Empress Dowager naturally did not wish to see him attacked for a moral failing — that would be a terrible thing. The Empress Dowager still understood this much in her heart.
As for whether there would be any lingering resentment, only the Empress Dowager herself knew.
Wen Wan had walked all the way from her own Weiyang Palace. Naturally, there was no palanquin to take her back.
Her health was not good, and Renshou Palace was a considerable distance from Weiyang Palace. With the north wind cutting at her face like a knife, she coughed from time to time.
In a sense, many people witnessed this scene. Even if no one spoke of it openly, they were definitely murmuring about it in their hearts.
Yutao, the palace maid attending Wen Wan, felt distressed seeing her like this: "Niangniang, you haven't fully recovered from your illness. Why did you have to make this trip? You knelt in front of Renshou Palace for so long, and the Empress Dowager still refused to see you. When His Majesty finds out about this, he will surely feel both distressed and heartbroken."
[娘娘 (niáng niang): an honorific address for a high-ranking imperial consort, an empress, or a goddess]
Yutao had been brought into the palace by Wen Wan from the outside. She was very loyal and valued by Wen Wan, and was even allowed to crack an occasional joke in front of her.
That Qi Junmu cherished Wen Wan was something everyone serving in Weiyang Palace knew. Whenever the Empress Dowager gave Wen Wan a cold shoulder, Qi Junmu would always step forward to defend her.
Unfortunately, Wen Wan's health was truly poor. Ever since the wedding, she had been constantly ill and had never yet received the Emperor's favor. And yet, that favor had always been there.
Wen Wan lived up to her name — gentle and graceful. She was delicately pretty, with a tender and touching quality in her expression. The slight furrow of worry in her expression could stir pity in anyone's heart.
She understood Yutao's implication. After a moment of silence, She parted her lips, which were pale from illness, and said: "As the Empress, when the Emperor angers the Empress Dowager, I must find a way to appease her and share the Emperor's burdens."
Yutao actually wanted to ask, Aren't you afraid the Emperor will truly be angry? But of course, she dared not voice it. All sorts of messy thoughts swirled in her head — until they scattered the moment she saw Ruan Jiqing walking toward them.
Yutao steadied Wen Wan. Though the Emperor was nowhere in sight, everyone in the palace knew that Ruan Jiqing represented the Emperor.
If Ruan Jiqing was here, could the Emperor be far behind?
Yutao, like everyone else in Weiyang Palace, assumed the Emperor had sent Ruan Jiqing to check on things because he was afraid Wen Wan would be mistreated by the Empress Dowager. Even Wen Wan herself thought so.
When Ruan Jiqing saw Wen Wan, he closed the distance in quick strides. As usual, he saluted and offered his respects, his face betraying no emotion.
After Wen Wan permitted him to rise, a light smile appeared on Ruan Jiqing's refined face. He said, "Niangniang, His Majesty has an oral decree. He says that since Niangniang is unwell, she should rest and recuperate properly in her own palace. He says that as the sovereign, having been carefully instructed since childhood by the late Emperor, and now bearing the weight of all under heaven, he knows well what he should and should not do — and does not need others to act on his behalf. His Majesty also said, if Niangniang finds everything objectionable, then she might as well attend court in his place and approve memorials for him in the future."
Ruan Jiqing's face beamed with smiles, but his words struck like countless daggers straight into the heart. Qi Junmu's original words had been far more merciless — what Ruan Jiqing said was already a polished version.
Otherwise, the scene would have been even uglier.
Even so, by the time he finished, Wen Wan's face had turned deathly pale. Her legs went weak, and she swayed, barely able to keep her balance. The Emperor's words were so venomous they might as well have been accusing her to her face of plotting to usurp the throne.
That was a crime no one could bear.
Yutao hurried forward to support her. Then she looked up at Ruan Jiqing, her face full of worry: "Eunuch Ruan, His Majesty couldn't possibly have said this to our Niangniang. Could there be some misunderstanding?"
"Does Miss Yutao mean to accuse me of fabricating the imperial decree?" Ruan Jiqing's smile vanished, his face turning solemn. "You've been in the palace for some time now. As Niangniang's trusted attendant, if anyone else heard you say such things, they would think the people serving in the Empress’s palace have no manners. His Majesty is well aware that Niangniang is soft-hearted, and since you were brought in from outside by her, even if you're usually lax, Niangniang would not reproach you. That is why His Majesty has specially instructed the Imperial Household Department to select some more capable attendants to serve Niangniang."
The heavy hat of impropriety landed squarely on Yutao's head. She immediately knelt and said, "This servant misspoke. Please forgive me, Eunuch Ruan." Even as she said this, she felt deeply wronged.
Before, Ruan Jiqing used to be eager to chat with her. Now he had suddenly become so condescending. She wondered whether this was the Emperor's will or if Ruan Jiqing was trying to distance himself from them now that Wen Wan had been rebuked by the Emperor.
If it was the latter, that would be one thing. But if it was the former, then the Emperor was certainly angry at the Empress. As for the people being sent to Weiyang Palace — were they there to spy on the Empress, or was the Emperor truly concerned for her?
Wen Wan, too, was sizing up the situation. Regardless, she could not bear the accusation Ruan Jiqing had laid out.
So Wen Wan's eyes reddened. She knitted her brows, coughed several times violently, and said with a pitiful expression: "Eunuch Ruan, I understand what His Majesty is saying. But as the Empress, it's my duty to remind His Majesty..."
She did not finish before Ruan Jiqing cheerfully cut her off: "His Majesty instructed this servant to ask — is this how Niangniang reminds him? Before going to Renshou Palace, did Niangniang actually know what had happened? And even if you did, did you see it with your own eyes, or did you hear of it secondhand? Without concrete evidence, on what grounds did Niangniang come to confess her guilt?"
Since marrying Qi Junmu, Wen Wan had never been confronted so aggressively. For a moment, her composure wavered.
Ruan Jiqing did not wait for her to respond. He glanced behind him and said, "All of you, escort Niangniang back to the palace and serve her well from now on." Then he gave Wen Wan a slight bow and left without another word.
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