"Hah! You're overthinking things. You've done a good job. A very good job indeed. I never thought that you'd do so well." Long Heng caressed her head. He knew that she must've had quite a long day today.
Bai Xiangxiu was relieved when she realized that Long Heng didn't blame her for anything. It almost seemed like anything was achievable when she was with this man. The couple was then received by a very furious emperor once they entered the palace. When the very confident Su Yun set out to prove that she had nothing to do with anything, he'd never imagined that she'd come back even uglier than ever before. But his problems didn't stop at just that. Suddenly, he found himself on a very shaky political footing. People had even come all the way to the palace gates to cause trouble.
They managed to arrest some of the major rioters, but quickly realized that they were nothing but common citizens. They just wanted to help after being angered by Noble Consort Su's actions. They hadn't done anything overboard and it'd be heresy if he were to sentence them to death after just a day's worth of trial. So, they were all released with stern warnings.
Noble Consort Su had actually quarreled with him over this and called him a short-sighted pansy. Indeed, he liked the fact that this woman was different from any he'd met before. He liked her boldness, her wit, and definitely her ruthlessness. Because of that, she was the only woman he thought capable of keeping up with his footsteps. She wasn't like other women who would only hide when there was a problem. However, she'd gone extremely overboard today and seemed to have forgotten her place. Because of that, he furiously stomped out from her room. He didn't even ask if she'd be able to restore her previous looks.
Seeing Bai Xiangxiu's face after that horrendous face made him realize the stark contrast between them. He finally realized that a fake beauty would never be better than a real one. Noble Consort Su might seem extremely beautiful, but she seemed extremely unnatural at the same time. The main reason for that was because she hadn't fully recovered from the various surgeries yet, so she didn't even dare smile too widely.
"You may rise. The floor is too cold for kneeling. Princess Consort Li, I heard that you were injured. If so, why enter the palace?" The emperor had calmed down a bit, which showed in his manner of speech. He even seemed to be flirting a little.
Long Heng clenched his fist and chose not to rise. "Your Majesty, forgive my wife for being discourteous to the Noble Lady. She only wanted to lend Noble Consort Su a hand, but didn't imagine that her intentions would be misread instead."
"I will investigate this matter clearly."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I hope that the noble consort won't bear too much of a grudge for this matter."
"Why would she do that? I'm more worried for your well-being, Princess Consort Li. Why don't you stay in the palace and let the palace doctors tend to your injuries?"
"A doctor has already tended to her injuries, Your Majesty. She's always been a little fragile, but it's nothing a little bit of rest wouldn't cure."
"If that's the case, you may return and rest. However, the matter in the capital..."
"This subject will announce that Noble Consort Su has forgiven her."
"Mm. I hope that everything will end here. You are dismissed!" It wasn't a pleasant feeling to see a beautiful woman falling weakly into the arms of another man. However, Long Heng was protecting her well. In fact, it felt like a luxury to be able to catch even a few extra glimpses of this woman.
Why would such a demure, well-behaved, and most importantly, intelligent, woman stay by his side? The one by my side is simply too arrogant! But I better still show her some concern. I've cast my empress off to the cold palace for her, so now she's the only one keeping my imperial harem in check.
The emperor suddenly realized something. An emperor like him was actually feeling helpless in the face of a noble consort! Upon further thought, he realized that Su Yun was simply too clever. He didn't know how, but she'd pulled together a few officials to support her at some point. He didn't think too much of it at first, after all, she might become his next empress...
But now, he finally saw this "empress" of his. Her face was frightening beyond belief. When she wore a veil before, her forehead and her eyes were actually quite mesmerizing. But now, even if she were to cover her face, there was red scars all over her forehead that looked like newly cut wounds which made it impossible to look straight at her. She'd never be able to be an empress like this. It would probably destroy the nation's image whenever an ambassador from a foreign nation came.
"When will the noble consort's wounds heal?" The emperor no longer wished to see that face again and turned to the palace doctors. There weren't too many doctors in the palace anymore, likely due to fear of this noble consort and the rumours swirling outside.
Chapter 275: Noble Consort Su Falls Out Of Favor
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