Chapter 202.3

Xiao Shunzi glanced at them without leaving a trace and snorted, then said to the young eunuch, “His Majesty is a remarkable person. How could he be interested in those mediocre women? If those young palace maids try to bribe you with pouches and sachets to get close to His Majesty, refuse them right away. Don’t let yourself be greedy for a moment, or you’ll regret it in the future.”

The young eunuch laughed awkwardly, saying, “How could that be? We’re not so easily swayed by a pouch or a sachet. It would be too disgraceful.”

“It’s best if that’s the case. Don’t accept any money, not even silver. Otherwise, if something happens later, don’t say that I didn’t warn you. As for our master’s niangniang, she is the apple of His Majesty’s eye. Haven’t you noticed how busy His Majesty has been these days? However, as soon as he has free time, he quickly brought her into the palace…”

Outside, Xiao Shunzi spoke loudly, and inside, the turmoil finally subsided.

Yaoniang’s legs were trembling. Finally, Emperor Jin’an let her go. She quickly turned around and slipped away.

Little did she know that the person behind her would not relent. He pressed closer and began nibbling at her smooth shoulder, his hand sliding down to her waist, kneading it.

Yaoniang couldn’t bear it any longer and turned around to plead, “No more. You’re asking for my life.”

She was truly pitiful, her face and the corners of her eyes reddened, tears streaming down. Her whole body trembled, and even her voice quivered when she spoke.

Emperor Jin’an looked at her intently for a moment before reluctantly releasing his hand from her waist and back. After a moment of silence, he reached out and vigorously rubbed her waist, saying, “Don’t go back. Tomorrow, Zhen will arrange for them to move into the palace.”

“Is that possible?” It was currently a festive season, and the Emperor Emeritus and the dowager consorts and imperial concubines had not yet moved out of their respective palaces. There was no available space, so the younger generation naturally had to defer to their elders.

“Zhen says it’s possible so it is. Since it’s just you and the two children, we’ll move to the Yangxin Hall for now and stay together,” he replied.

The next morning, Emperor Jin’an went to court early. Yaoniang had already become accustomed to his early rising, so she simply turned to look at him before falling into a deep sleep once again.

She didn’t consider it a big deal, but the palace maids who served her had a different opinion.

They were astonished by Yaoniang’s behaviour—refusing to serve His Majesty when he woke up or help him change clothes. If any other consort had acted this way, it would have led to her immediate downfall. But Yaoniang did it, and His Majesty didn’t say anything. Before leaving, he even instructed them to wait until she had enough rest before serving the meal.

Yaoniang slept until late morning. When she woke up, not only did Hong Chou and the others already arrive, but Xiaobao and Erbao had also arrived.

“This servant brought the young masters here. The new residence is being prepared. This servant heard from Xiao Shunzi that His Majesty wants the relocation to be completed today.”

Yaoniang nodded and suddenly remembered something. “What about those two?”

Those two were naturally referring to Side Consort Liu and Side Consort Xu.

Since giving birth to her two children, Yaoniang hadn’t seen those two at all. She didn’t ask, and naturally, no one had the audacity to mention it to her. However, Yaoniang had heard some rumours. She knew that Side Consort Xu had been restricted by Jin Wang, but Side Consort Liu had not. However, Side Consort Liu rarely appeared in public.

She usually ignored the matter, but now that Jin Wang Manor was relocating to the palace, she couldn’t help but face these two women.

In truth, Yaoniang’s feelings toward them were quite complex. On one hand, she felt guilty for monopolizing Jin Wang’s affections and leaving the two consorts guarding empty chambers—especially Side Consort Liu. On the other hand, she desperately wished they had never appeared before her.

Upon hearing her question, Hong Chou was taken aback. “This servant hasn’t heard about that, but there should be arrangements made.”

Yaoniang didn’t ask further. Just the thought of this matter gave her a headache. She would naturally find out when the time came.

What she didn’t expect was that everyone who was supposed to be relocated to the palace from Jin Wang Manor had been moved, except for Side Consort Xu and Side Consort Liu. And this matter was ultimately blamed on her, almost tarnishing her reputation and getting labelled as a jealous woman.

In reality, the whole incident was a result of an unfortunate oversight.

Although it was said that Jin Wang Manor was being relocated to the palace, in reality, only the masters and their close attendants were moving. They naturally had to bring some personal belongings, but only the ones needed for daily use. Everything else was already available in the palace, so there was no need to transport items from Jin Wang Manor.

Jin Wang Manor, as the current emperor’s former residence, would remain there. The servants in the mansion remained the same as before; everything was just as it had been.

Under such circumstances, it was only natural for the two side consorts, who rarely appeared in public, to be forgotten.

Of course, it could also be that the servants below wanted to curry favour with Yaoniang and intentionally played a show of power over the two side consorts. But who knew for sure? In any case, it was due to the commotion caused by the Xu Family outside that everyone became aware of the situation, and the news eventually reached Yaoniang’s ears.