Chapter 196: "Enchanting Consort"
"Lowly Yao Yao pays her greeting to Your Lordship." In that curtsying bow, her silky eyes were bone numbingly seductive and that voice sinfully crisp.
For Consort Luo who's also a female, not even she's immune to that powerful allure radiating off the woman's body.
"Give her to the king, then the queen won't be able to confuse his majesty. This woman is a capable one. She's got looks, knowledge in charming a man, and is a skilled alchemist specializing in divination." Though there's a strong resentment in her heart, Consort Luo in the end turns away by steeling herself.
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Getting the hint by that appearance, Hong Feng realizes the consort had thrown her "man" away in order to allow the sixth prince to step onto the throne.
This woman, if turning around can be more ruthless than any man out there... Not delaying, Hong Feng immediately took Yao Yao with him and left.
Alone inside the chamber now, Consort Luo peers around her surrounding, making sure no others are around to see what she's about to do. Once confirmed its safe, she then moves forward to a corner of the room where a mirror hangs off the wall. With a gentle tap on the perfectly smooth surface, rippling waves started to fluctuate from within.
Very soon, a glimpse of a man appeared behind the mirror. Unfortunately, due to the constant rippling surface, it became difficult to discern the actual appearance of the mysterious man's face.
Going bright in her face, she kneels before the image: "Master, I'm so happy to see you again."
"Luo Wan, did you do as I instructed and bestow the reincarnation Dan pills to Hong Feng?" The mysterious man questions.
"Everything has been done according to your wishes. Hong Feng couldn't resist the temptation as you thought and has become one of my dogs." Consort Luo clearly held a lot of respect and awe for the man, but her eyes also carried a lot of attachment. "Its just that, I don't understand why we must introduce a fox like that to the king."
Whenever the image of that charming and coquettish appearance shows up in her head, Consort Luo can only feel a gush of jealousy building up in her stomach. This was especially true whenever she realizes the vixen had been staying by her master all these years.
Seeing through to the sourness in that voice, the man in the mirror breaks out into laughter. Based on the voice, the owner should be a middle-aged man of high proposition.
"Luo Wan, stash away that temper of yours. Yao Yao's my disciple. Only with her help can our son become Da Xia's next king."
To think Crown Prince Xia Hou Hong was an illegitimate child!
At the mention of their son, Consort Luo immediately changed from worry to happiness.
That's right, master is a figure beyond normal comprehension. No matter how many beautiful the disciples are by his side, only I am able to bear his child. Only I...
In Consort Luo's mind, as long they succeed in pushing her son into becoming the next king, she will then be the next dowager and master will become the king of kings. By then nothing can get in her way to be with the master again.
"I know my fault now," her tone changes.
"There's one more thing, are you sure the sixth prince is healed and that he became a five-cauldron alchemist?" The man in the mirror asks.
The sixth prince going mad back then and wasting away for so many years was all orchestrated by this mysterious man; otherwise, a simple consort cannot possibly know such harmful practices usually reserved within the alchemist community.
"That old fart Longyu came to confirm it in person so there's no doubt about it. Now that master's mentioned it, it's really strange. Didn't master mention that not even you can directly cure the boy? Maybe it's true and is like the old woman said, it's the heaven's blessing?"
It can't be helped that she would start getting superstitious. After all, a rainbow peony blooming in late autumn? Then the sudden recovery of the sixth prince? No matter which one of these, it's all very bizarre.
"Humph, Da Xia is but a small country, where would it get such blessing. This is definitely man-made. This matter is of no concern to you anymore, I will have my people secretly investigate." With the message ending, so does the image of the man behind the mirror. Once again, silence returns to the chamber.
As planned, several days later when the king went hunting with Hong Feng in the eastern suburbs, one of his arrows "accidentally" injured a passing woman. To remedy the problem, the king brought the woman back to the palace for healing. Then without incident, a new consort was born, titled "Lady Yao".
Note: the title she got was supposed to be "Pin", a lower form of a consort. Not high enough to compete with Consort Luo, but still high enough to be above a maid and those newly entered into the palace.
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This was supposed to be a very accidental incident, hence the reason why both the queen and the dowager didn't take it to heart. In the royal palace, taking in new concubines are a daily occurrence that it's to be expected.
But then the situation started to change. From various parts of the inner palace, different concubines began crying to the queen, claiming they are losing their opportunities to be with the king and that an audience must now have the consent of Lady Yao.
"I will decide on the matter, all of you go back first." Queen Liu quietly listens to their complaints without giving a decisive answer.
Once all words were said, the concubines were then dispersed from the Morning Flower Wing, leaving only the queen and her guests in the back room. Coincidentally, today happens to be the day when Ling Yue and Madam Lan visits the palace.
"Both of you heard it too right. What's your opinions on this?" After experiencing the long arduous recovery of her son, Queen Liu also improved a lot and was no longer the ignorant woman of the past. Like the rest of the concubines, she also met with this Lady Yao, and even she had to admit the woman was lovely.
"It is somewhat strange. By right, the first person to raise a fuss should be Consort Luo if the king is keeping all his attentions to one lady." Now that she's entering the palace more often, Ling Yue has become aware of the consort's reputation of being a jealous type.
Over the years when the queen had been living in seclusion, Consort Luo would always without exception make trouble for whoever gets a bit more favor from the king. This was practically an iron rule by this point so it's quite strange that there's nothing happening. It's too quiet.
"If the enemy is not moving then we shouldn't move either. However, you should still send someone to investigate the background of this Lady Yao." Taking a more reserved approach, Madam Lan feels they shouldn't directly butt heads with the woman just yet now that the queen has just regained some ground.
For once both camps within the inner palace were acting surprisingly consistent - the queen sitting still and Consort Luo staying idle.
Finding even the queen had become "afraid" of the new woman, the rest of the concubines can only turn their pleading cries to the dowager.
Originally the old queen was too lazy to meddle with the business of the harem, but after getting some more details from these concubines, she's found the whole situation a bit disturbing.
The king was already forty something this year, leaving his physical strength on the inferior side compared to the younger generation. However, in recent days his majesty was acting like he's in his prime, constantly reveling in the joy of bedding this so called "Lady Yao".
"It is said that this Lady Yao offered a kind of revitalizing Dan pill to the king. Because of it, his majesty wouldn't stop doting on her now and would stay up late into the night with that woman. Some of the maids can even hear that woman moaning and screaming for mercy all the way into the morning. Forgive me for I must say this, but those stuff are extremely suspicious. I fear it might be harmful to the king if it's taken over a long term." After hearing this disturbing explanation from one of the concubines, the dowager's worried heart was raised.