Empress with no Virtue - Chapter 13

When Ji Wu Jiu reached Lu Hua Palace, he saw Li Concubine still crying, both eyes swollen red, her pretty face also lost colour. He felt his heart soften.

“Your majesty”, While wiping her tears she said softly. Most probably because she cried too long, she voice sounded abit hoarse already.

She is still his woman, so he didn’t want to be too harsh. He sat down, and allowed Li Concubine to climb into his bosom, a delicate body is now laying gently on him.

“Your majesty, you must help me!, Li Concubine stated clearly. Although he does not like Ye Zhen Zhen, but if the empress wants to punish a servant she really does not need Li Concubine’s permission.

Futhermore as a concubine, she also fight back against the empress in public.

Originally, he thought Li Concubine was a clever girl who knows how to take care of his heart and listens well, she is pretty too, so he doted on her a little more, but who knew she would be like this now, losing her temper and not following the rules, really not presentable.

With these thoughts in mind, he slowly push away the woman in his arms.

Also, towards why Ye Zhen Zhen want to punish Fan Chun, Ji Wu Jiu knew as well. That is why when he see Li Concubine now, the feel is not as good as before, Ye Zhen Zhen is the empress, in the palace the only person that can bully her is only Ji Wu Jiu, who is Li Concubine.

Li Concubine felt that the emperor’s reaction was abit weird, she looked at him with teary eyes, “Your ma.. majesty..”

“Looks like you still didn’t realise your mistakes” Ji Wu Jiu said, “then you are grounded in your palace for 2 months, please reflect”

***

What happened in Lu Hua Palace was spread throughout the palace in a day, most people changed their opinion about Ye Zhen Zhen and respected her more. Initially they thought that there will be a war between Ye Zhen Zhen and Li Concubine, but who knew it was just one side that was strong. Thinking that Li Concubine got hit, and that she was once the most arrogant one amongst consorts, who knew that today she would be under the reign of the undoted empress.

The empress really has her ways. A lot of people are counting themselves lucky for not offending her last time, and those that got punished who wanted to report to the emperor, all stopped as they have seen what happened to Li Concubine.

Even with many people now respecting her, the empress is not too happy “Will being grounded be too serious? I have already punished her” The most important part is if Li Concubine is no longer in the picture, then who will help her go against Xian Concubine?”

Ji Wu Jiu was sitting at the desk playing  with a globe, this Kun Ning Palace really have a lot of interesting things to play, “where did this thing came from?” Ye Zhen Zhen’s inner thoughts he would know very well, because he understood that’s why he would not let her get it.

“A western merchant gift it to me, he also gift many other types of play things, I wanted to send to you, but it got stopped by the ministry of household affairs, so I let them choose a few, treating them like it was something I bought”

“Why did it get stopped?” Ji Wu Jiu asked while playing with the round globe, making it spin around. On in there was the maps of his country and some others that he knew, but also some that he was not familiar with.

“I think it was because the merchant said something that didn’t make sense so they didn’t let him register”

Though the merchant was stopped, but the item still reached the empress, and also went into his view, what motive did the merchant have? What motive did the empress have as well for doing so?

As the emperor, it is unavoidable that he thinks too much, Ji Wu Jiu looked at Ye Zhen Zhen, “What do you think my empress?”

“I think it is very fun” Ye Zhen Zhen replied honestly, and walked towards the globe “that person said the earth is round, there are a lot of square lands, that is similar to those under our feet, but there are also some covered by the ocean, the ministry people said that he was talking nonsense. Also that the western gods does not ride on clouds, but have wings instead, and the people over there don’t like to wear clothes”

“You think it is believable?”

“How would I know, I did not see it myself. But then again the world is big, since did not see it personally, I can say I don’t know, and naturally I wouldn’t know if it is real. Your majesty take a look at this” Ye Zhen Zhen said, and gave Ji Wu Jiu a stick like item.

That item is made from copper, both ends has a glass piece, Ji Wu Jiu does not know what was that, placing on his hands, it seems that it can be treated as a weapon.

Ye Zhen Zhen brought him to the window, and took the item and placed it at Ji Wu Jiu’s eyes. Because he was a bit tall, that’s why her shoulder’s are getting tired, and shivered abit. JI Wu Jiu just held her hand and closed in, and held the single binocular.

Ye Zhen Zhen “…….:

Ji Wu Jiu looked to the side and saw her serious face, and slowly curved up his lips a little.

“Your majesty, what did you see?”

Ji Wu Jiu squinted his eyes, and tried to see through the glass, and saw through the item, this item can actually allow him to see further things nearer, very clear.

In his view, there was an eunuch he never see before walking towards Kun NIng palace’s back hall, looking back and front, and shook his sleeves a little, then left with his head down.

His actions were very small, if from far it would not have looked suspicious.

Ji Wu Jiu moved his eyes and stopped at Ye Zhen Zhen.

Ye Zhen Zhen didn’t understand and asked “ whats there?” She took the binoculars and looked carefully, but couldn’t see anything.

“Let’s go out and see” Ji Wu Jiu said, stopped abit and added “Feng You De, call the imperial doctor”

Kun Ning Palace’s back garden was not big, the flowers and grass was fluttering with the wind, but Ye Zhen Zhen normally sit here to sun bath. The clear autumn afternoons, with a big day bed, laying on it to look at the blue sky making one feel to be able to fly in the sky, but always stops at the start of a flying gesture, as the calmness and wind will bring you to sleep deeply.

Kun Ning Palace is located in the middle of the inner palace, left and right are palaces for the other consorts, front is Gan Qing Palace and back is the imperial garden, although there are special walkways outside her walls, but because of convenience, there are people crossing the gardens of Kun Ning Palace as well. Therefore, although inside her palace is guarded strictly, there are still people that can pass through outside, and it could be anyone.

Today, Ye Zhen Zhen was standing in front of the garden, and saw Ji Wu Jiu walking towards somewhere, and the imperial doctor went to dig out some soil, and brought to smell at his nose, and used his nails to get some and placed on to his tongue.

“Your majesty, in the soil someone placed a slow effect poison, if smelled frequently will make someone weak and easy to fall ill, and also…”

“And what??””

“Unable to be pregnant”

Ji Wu Jiu paled.

Ye Zhen Zhen got shocked as well “Will it kill?”

“Er.. if always in the long term.. “ the doctor was trying his best to reply.

Ye Zhen Zhen did not wait for his reply and placed her hands out “Fast, help me check!”

Got really scared eh~! Ji Wu Jiu thought in his heart.

The Ye Zhen Zhen who is afraid to die finally got diagnose by the doctor as nothing wrong, it looks like this poison was only placed not too long ago. Ye Zhen Zhen finally felt relieve, tomorrow she will get people to dig up the entire garden, and change all the soil.

“Thank you your majesty” Ye Zhen Zhen said sincerely, because he could have not told her at all.

“If you want to create chaos in the inner palace, you must first protect your life” Ji Wu Jiu knocked her head alittle and left.

Now Ye Zhen Zhen got a bit confused. Ji Wu Jiu and her have never been on good terms, both of them understood this very well, but why today he helped her? He could have just been an observer, it was a slow poison anyway, there should be nothing wrong in the mean time, and wont die so fast. Furthermore, what if she died, wouldn’t he feel its more appropriate?

Then again, they are a married couple, and if she died and he clapping happily, Ye Zhen Zhen felt it would be too obnoxious.

However, Ji Wu Jiu was thinking differently; What ever happens between him and Ye Zhen Zhen are their business, other people does not need to bother. First it was Li Concubine thinking that she was doted on tried to embarrass the empress, then now someone tried to harm her quietly, this inner palace really has skillful people with all sorts of tricks, once they know Ye Zhen Zhen is not doted on, they all want to step on her as well, they really forgot who is the actual master of the palace.

Clever people hates other people trying to act clever and play tricks in front of them, therefore in the eyes of Ji Wu Jiu, so comparing with these people Ye Zhen Zhen who always does think proudly and with such a straightforward manner, it appears that it is quite cute.

Realizing that he placed the word “cute” together with Ye Zhen Zhen made him feel a bit uncomfortable.

So all the way from Kun Ning Palace, his emotion changed a few times, although most people would not be able to detect, but Feng You De has followed him for many years, so he could feel that there was some conflict in the emperor’s mind.

“Feng You De” Ji Wu Jiu called after returning to his chamber

“Yes your majesty”

“Find me an eunuch, could be a maid servant dressed up as one too, his right hand has a birth mark. After you found out, no need to let anyone know, no need to bring him here, you only need to tell me which palace he is from”

“I understand”

“Also send someone to ministry of household, I want to meet the western merchant”

“Yes your majesty”