Chapter 327
**Chapter 325: The Birth of the Noble Consort**
Shen Wei set down the book she was reading and instructed Cai Ping to go gather information immediately.
The next day, Cai Ping returned with news for Shen Wei. It turned out that the officials in Yunzhou were plundering the people's resources, embezzling most of the disaster relief grain and cotton sent by the court. Additionally, the burdensome taxes had increased.
The common folk, deprived of relief grain and faced with harsh taxes, rose in anger and set fire to the granaries of the county government.
“The Emperor has sent people to Yunzhou overnight to pacify the people, distribute winter grain, and severely punish the corrupt officials,” Cai Ping said, her eyes darting as she lowered her voice. “My lady, it’s said that the Emperor has surrounded the residence of Duke Lu and taken away five or six male members of the Lu family.”
The Duke of Lu's residence was the largest family in Yunzhou, controlling vast tracts of land and trade routes. Without the Duke's orders, local officials would not dare to openly seize the winter grain from the people.
Shen Wei took a sip of hot tea. “Greed is like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.”
With the downfall of the Dantai and Xie families, any family with a bit of sense had realized that the Emperor was cracking down on the aristocracy, choosing to remain low-key or actively submit. Yet, the Duke of Lu was unwilling to relinquish his interests, continuing to exploit the people's resources.
He was digging his own grave; he deserved it.
...
Li Yuanjing dispatched two trusted generals from the Ministry of War, leading five thousand troops to Yunzhou to both pacify and suppress the unrest. Within ten days, the smoke of conflict in the cold winter of Yunzhou dissipated.
The implicated officials were shackled and thrown into prison carts, paraded before hundreds of thousands of citizens as they were taken to Yanjing for trial. The people braved the wind and snow, hurling stones at the prison carts, resulting in at least ten corrupt officials being killed.
The snowstorm in Yunzhou continued, showing no signs of letting up.
On this day, Shen Wei was in the warm chamber reading when Cai Ping rushed in, her feet crunching on the snow. “My lady, the Noble Consort in Changxin Palace has fallen and is about to give birth!”
Shen Wei's expression froze for a moment.
She jumped off the long couch. “Fetch my cloak! We need to go to Changxin Palace.”
The snow began to fall again.
When Shen Wei arrived at Changxin Palace, she was met with a strong smell of blood, and the anguished cries of Lu Xuan echoed through the room.
Lu Xuan's child was not yet full-term and was facing complications during birth, having struggled all night. Fortunately, there was a skilled midwife from the Imperial Medical Bureau, and after a series of efforts, the child was finally born safely at dawn.
It was a little princess.
Shen Wei leaned over the swaddled infant and saw that the child was frail and tiny, her skin a translucent red, almost revealing the beating of her heart beneath.
The newborn did not even cry.
The midwife wiped the sweat from her brow and gently informed Shen Wei, “Your Highness, based on my years of experience, I fear this child may not survive.”
Shen Wei scrutinized the midwife before her, who appeared to be around thirty, with an unremarkable appearance. “What is your name?”
The midwife respectfully replied, “I am Gao Chunhua. I used to work as a pharmacist at the Jimin Medical Hall in Yanjing. Thanks to your grace, I was able to enter the palace as a midwife.”
Shen Wei noted the name and instructed her, “Gao Taiyi, take good care of the child. Even one more day of life would be a blessing.”
Though Shen Wei and Lu Xuan were rivals, the child was innocent.
The midwife accepted the order and devoted herself to caring for the Noble Consort's newborn. Unfortunately, the child was too weak and passed away in the bitter cold just three days later.
With the child's tragic death, Lu Xuan's health deteriorated further, leaving her bedridden and reliant on medicinal soups to survive. She became increasingly despondent, her spirit completely broken.
Shen Wei visited her once.
Lu Xuan had lost a significant amount of weight, lying weakly at the head of her bed, her complexion waxy and her eyes slightly bulging, completely devoid of her former beauty.
“Why did the Noble Consort fall in the snow?” Shen Wei summoned a servant from Changxin Palace to inquire.
The servant replied truthfully, “The Noble Consort was alarmed and frightened upon hearing about the turmoil in Yunzhou. She intended to seek an audience with the Emperor to plead for the Lu family and slipped on the snow, falling.”
Shen Wei understood.
The chaos in Yunzhou had enraged Li Yuanjing, who seized the opportunity to purge the Yunzhou officials from top to bottom, appointing newly elected officials from the spring examinations. As for the Duke of Lu's residence, it faced severe reprimands, with many male members of the Lu family being imprisoned.
Lu Xuan likely sensed the impending downfall of the Lu family, which led to her anxiety and the premature birth of her child.
...
This winter was particularly harsh, with Changxin Palace shrouded in frost and snow all day long.
Lu Xuan, weak and frail, leaned against her bed, gazing out at the falling snowflakes, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Inside, the room was warmed by plum blossom charcoal, as cozy as spring. Shen Wei had not skimped on the winter charcoal for any palace, and Changxin Palace was no exception.
“My lady, please take your medicine,” the maid Xiao Qi said, holding out a bowl of medicine with a pained expression.
Lu Xuan asked vacantly, “Has the Emperor come by?”
Xiao Qi lowered her head. “The Emperor is busy with state affairs. Once he has time, he will surely come to visit you.”
Lu Xuan closed her eyes, her eyelids heavy from the tears she had shed in recent days.
When she went into premature labor, the Emperor hadn’t come; when her child died, he hadn’t come; and now, as she lay on the brink of death, he likely wouldn’t spare her a glance.
The incident in Yunzhou had given the Emperor the chance to rectify the situation there and deal with the Lu family.
Her heart ached with a dense pain.
Lu Xuan felt deeply sorrowful and resentful. “My father is foolish. The Dantai and Xie families are cautionary tales, yet he remains unrepentant.”
She hated that she was not a man.
If she were a man, she could take on the power of the Duke of Lu's residence, shielding her family from the storm, and would never commit the foolish act of exploiting the people's resources.
But she was a woman, full of talent yet barred from the imperial examinations, skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting only to please men, forced to use her beauty and body to gain the Emperor's favor.
Her entire life depended on the pity of men, which was truly pitiful and heartbreaking.
“Xiao Qi, being a woman is so hard...” Lu Xuan sighed deeply, despair slowly wrapping around her heart.
Xiao Qi's eyes turned red. “My lady, please take your medicine. The physician said you are severely weakened, and if you don’t take care of yourself, you may not have long to live.”
Suddenly, a soft, sweet voice rang out. Lu Xuan's two-year-old son ran into the room, tilting his little head. “Mother, mother, drink your medicine.”
Tears fell again from Lu Xuan's eyes, silently.
She touched her son's small face. “Alright, mother will drink her medicine.”
Lu Xuan knew she could not save the Lu family. All she had left was her young son.
...
...
With the chaos in Yunzhou quelled, the officials faced death or exile. The Duke of Lu realized the gravity of the situation and, under the advice of his aides, rushed to the capital to meet Li Yuanjing, bowing and admitting his mistakes.
Mistakes come with a price.
The Duke of Lu suppressed his heartache, offering up thousands of acres of fertile land and several key ports to the court, along with double the tax payments for three years.
This act of self-sacrifice earned him the Emperor's temporary forgiveness.
Sweating profusely, the Duke of Lu emerged from the palace, nearly exhausted. As he rode back to Yunzhou, he was so furious he could almost grind his teeth to dust. He calculated that to save the Lu family, he had paid a total of six hundred thousand taels of silver to the treasury!
His eyes reddened as he thought of Li Yuanjing's lofty demeanor, gritting his teeth in anger. “That young brat, just as he’s spreading his wings, he turns the knife on his own kin.”
He was deeply dissatisfied with Li Yuanjing.
Yet, Li Yuanjing held the military and financial power, his position secure. It was difficult for the Duke of Lu to unseat him from the throne.
Lu Ying sat in the carriage beside him, observing her father's furious expression, knowing her opportunity had come.
Lu Ying spoke gently, “Father, my sister has just lost her child and is in poor health. I wish to enter the palace to care for her.”
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