Chapter 150 - 130: I Want a Promotion
Hui Pin’s face went deathly pale.
Her whole body began to tremble. She slid to the ground, her knees hitting the ice-cold floor. "Your Majesty, Your Majesty... This concubine... this concubine didn’t mean it like that..."
A coward fears both contracting the plague and incurring the Emperor’s wrath.
"Then why don’t you tell Us what you meant?"
The Emperor’s voice was low and hoarse, a heavy rumble that betrayed no emotion.
Hui Pin stammered for a long time, unable to come up with a proper answer. Women from aristocratic families were expected to be gentle, virtuous, and obedient. She had never been assertive in front of a man before. In the past, whenever she did something wrong, people would smooth things over for her out of respect for her aunt, the Empress Dowager, and her father. Now, faced with the enraged Emperor, she had no idea how to defend herself.
"Since you have nothing to say, then We will speak."
The moment the Emperor finished speaking, Liang Yuyin appeared from nowhere, ready to respectfully receive the imperial decree. "Relay Our command. The woman, Ms. Zhang, has behaved disgracefully in the imperial court. She is disloyal, unworthy, arrogant, and domineering. She is hereby stripped of her title and demoted to..." He paused. His original thought was to demote her all the way down to a mere attendant. "In consideration of her past service to the Empress Dowager, she is demoted to the rank of Consort. Aside from paying respects at Jianzhang Palace, she is forbidden to leave her quarters without a decree and shall spend her days copying scriptures to pray for the Empress Dowager’s well-being."
Hui Pin... no, Consort Zhang felt her world come crashing down.
Realizing this might be her last chance to see the Emperor, her tone grew frantic. "Your Majesty, please see clearly! This concubine has served Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager for many years! I only took my anger out on Gu Pin because I was momentarily panicked. It was not what I truly intended! This concubine has never used my position to bully others in the palace. I beg Your Majesty to show mercy and grant me one chance to repent!"
Seeing the Emperor remained unmoved, Consort Zhang wept bitterly. "My father has served Your Majesty loyally for many years and was even praised by the late Emperor! I have admired my cousin, the Emperor, since I was a child! I beg Your Majesty to be lenient, Your Majesty!"
Playing the "my father is..." card was a particularly bad move.
A muscle in Jiang Xian’s eyelid twitched.
’The former Hui Pin had been able to run roughshod over the harem without the Emperor’s favor, relying not just on her aunt, the Empress Dowager, but also on her father, Zhang Mingci. Unfortunately for her, not only did she and her "cousin, the Emperor" have no history as childhood sweethearts, but she also appeared right when the Emperor was going through his rebellious phase. She was just another woman his own mother was pushing on him. Even if she were a maiden molded from gold and jewels, to a rebellious boy in pursuit of freedom, she was nothing more than scrap metal.’
"You mention the Empress Dowager so often, We were beginning to wonder if she’s your mother or Our Mother Empress."
Just as expected. The Emperor looked at her calmly, but a dark shadow passed through his eyes.
’But her bigger mistake was mentioning her father, Zhang Mingci.’
’After assuming power, the Emperor was constantly constrained by Mr. Zhang, who forbade this and deemed that unfeasible. It was bad enough in the imperial court, but to return to the harem and see the man’s daughter using her father and aunt to pressure him... it was infuriating. Yet, the more furious he became, the calmer his expression grew.’ "The late Emperor appointed Zhang Mingci to assist Us, making him Our teacher. But if he cannot even raise his own daughter properly, how is he fit to teach Us?"
In a situation like this, there was no need for the Emperor to say another word. With a single glance from Liang Yuyin, a few strong eunuchs dragged Consort Zhang away, covering her mouth to stop her from spouting any more wild words that might further provoke the ailing Emperor.
※
After Consort Zhang was dragged away, the room fell eerily silent.
The Emperor raised his eyes to Jiang Xian. His gaze was as deep as an abyss and cold enough to make one’s heart tremble. Jiang Xian curtsied and walked to his side. "Your Majesty shouldn’t stand for too long. Let this concubine help you back to rest."
Her arms were slender but surprisingly strong; she practically had to carry the Emperor back to the couch.
He had been drifting in and out of consciousness for days, but he wasn’t completely unaware for all twenty-four hours of the day. Every time he opened his eyes, Jiang Xian was there. He would often wake up dozens of times throughout the night, and each time, he would see her.
’I’m not used to her being gone.’
He didn’t know where he found the strength, but he’d gotten out of bed to look for her, only to stumble upon the scene of Hui Pin using her status to bully her and spout nonsense.
’And I even heard her deny she had any love for me, saying she was just fulfilling the duties of a concubine.’
"Your kindness to Us... is it just you fulfilling your duty?"
The Emperor’s voice had recovered somewhat.
It was like fine sand hidden at the bottom of a deep pool—cold, yet lingering.
’It sounded intimidating at first, but really, it was just a big cat throwing a tantrum.’
※
The thought that Gu Pin might not truly love him made the Emperor unhappy again.
When a normally gentle and easygoing person gets emotional, it’s especially intimidating. But his displeasure with Hui Pin and his anger at Jiang Xian were different in a way that even he hadn’t noticed. While he was genuinely angry in both cases, his anger toward Jiang Xian was full of the petulant feelings of ’Hurry up and soothe Us,’ ’We’re going to throw a fit,’ and ’I’m sick and my whole body hurts.’
A flutter of the heart cannot be faked, and the favorability points accumulated through her efforts to please him and her constant companionship couldn’t be erased in an instant.
Xie Che was a Young Emperor who had grown up coddled in honey and wealth. He never lacked for food, clothing, or anything else. A single raise of his eyebrow would have nannies, eunuchs, and palace maids scrambling to serve him. With his basic desires met, he began to pursue more ethereal, spiritual needs—to rule personally, govern the state, realize his ambitions, and achieve limitless satisfaction.
But then, at that very moment, Jiang Xian appeared in his life.
Jiang Xian said, "Your Majesty, what’s wrong with fulfilling my duty?"
"We are asking you, yet you dare to question Us back."
Jiang Xian replied, "This concubine simply wishes to understand Your Majesty’s needs, so that I may better reflect on myself."
She sat on the edge of the bed, her expression focused and sincere.
This was where her lack of experience in romance was a disadvantage. ’Sometimes, when it comes to the empty promises of love, attitude is more important than action.’
"Our needs? We would rather hear about yours."
"This concubine only wishes to stay by Your Majesty’s side. I have no other desires."
Xie Che was not so easily fooled. He grabbed her wrist, his eyes burning as he pressed her, "We want you to tell Us the truth."
’When the boss says he wants to hear the truth, that’s the one thing an employee can never say.’
’But...’
’Jiang Xian thought back on her time with the Emperor. The word "boss" didn’t quite cover it. This boss is a good person. He treats me well and is considerate of me. Maybe... I should re-evaluate the Emperor.’
System: [Host, are you going to start seeing the Emperor as a lover?]
Jiang Xian: [He’s so good to me, maybe I should treat him as a business partner. I’ll contribute my skills for a stake in the Royal Family.]
System: [...]
’Oh well,’ the system thought, ’as long as the Host is happy.’
"Wanting to stay with Your Majesty for a long time—that’s the truth."
Jiang Xian didn’t want to go it alone; she had seen too many examples of people who started their own ventures only to work themselves to death. "Also, this concubine wants a promotion."
The atmosphere froze.
He could almost hear the sound of his own glass heart shattering.
Xie Che said, "...You’ve told Us this before. We promised you would be Our most beloved woman..."
Alarm bells went off in Jiang Xian’s mind!
’When a boss says you’re his most trusted employee, it either means he’s about to make you the legal representative to take the fall for something, or he’s about to pocket your bonus. You’re his most trusted employee, so shouldn’t you help the company through its hard times? Get ready to work for free!’
"Your Majesty, we can talk about love later. This concubine wants a promotion."
"..."
This time, Xie Che finally, belatedly, understood the subtle oddness in their daily interactions.
’She... she really treats serving Us as just a job to be done!’