Yan Wan is reborn as a legitimate wife: Curing Ruyi's Douyi syndrome

(Just like the Jingwan chapter, this chapter uses the titles of imperial concubines, not the titles of dowager consorts.)

Shoukang Palace

Spring is coming to an end.

The woman sitting by the window stared blankly at the pear blossoms falling outside, muttering to herself.

Hearing this, Xipo, who was pouring tea, replied, "Yes, Your Highness. It's been ten years since you entered the palace."

The woman turned to look at Xipo. Her face, without any makeup, was still stunningly beautiful. Time seemed to have been exceptionally kind to her, leaving no trace on her face.

This beauty was none other than Han Xiangjian, the Han princess who had once captivated the retired emperor.

Han Xiangjian said with a sense of loss, "Really? It's been ten years... How much longer do we have to live like this?"

happy Po sighed. Although the Emperor Emeritus was still alive, the concubines were practically widows, destined to spend their lives within the palace walls.

happy Po couldn't help but complain, "I heard that the Seventh Princess petitioned the Emperor to bring Consort Ying back to Mongolia, and the Emperor has granted it. My lady, if you also give birth, perhaps..."

Han Xiangjian also deeply regretted her actions. In her youth, she had confidently declared that "a child should be born to the one she loves," but the loneliness of the deep palace had tormented her to the point that she desperately wanted a child.

Seeing that Hanxiang seemed to be softening, Xipo continued to complain, "That Qing Shu is truly ruthless; he actually gave Master such a strong infertility drug."

"This medicine has extinguished the master's hope of having an heir, and has caused him immense suffering for so many years, despite consulting numerous imperial physicians, it has not been able to cure him."

Although Xi Po was complaining, she genuinely felt sorry for Han Xiangjian and hated Ruyi's actions. Her experience of almost being beheaded back then was too real, and she wished she could tear the culprit to pieces.

Han Xiangjian closed her eyes and stopped her, saying, "Alright, Xipo, you can go now."

Hepburn stopped talking and nodded, saying, "Yes..."

It would be a lie to say that Han Xiangjian, who suffered so much during her menstrual cycle for so many years, didn't resent Ruyi. But what good would complaining do? She was already trapped in this deep palace; did she have to live in regret forever?

Back then, it was Ruyi who compared herself to a friend, making her believe that besides her, there were others in the world who believed in, respected, and recognized her love with Hanqi.

Unexpectedly, Ruyi, despite her words of deep affection and loyalty, acted with the naivety and cruelty of a fool.

When Ruyi was first deposed, she, along with Consort Ying and Consort Ke, were still unaware of the situation and ran around trying to rescue her.

Even though she was later so terrified by Ruyi's miserable state in the Censorate that she could neither swallow nor sleep, she never gave up the idea of ​​rescuing Ruyi.

It wasn't until the Emperor Emeritus issued his decree that she realized the grave mistake Ruyi had made. Ruyi had actually poisoned the Emperor Emeritus without her consent!

At first, she thought Ruyi had been framed and tried every means to find the new emperor to seek justice. Unexpectedly, the new emperor sent her directly to the Ministry of Punishments and asked her to question Ruyi herself.

Han Xiangjian was in the Shenxing Division, listening to Rong Pei and Ling Yunche recount the whole story in detail, along with Ruyi's explanation of the matter...

Seeing that she could no longer deceive herself, Hanxiang left the Shenxing Division in a daze.

Consort Ying and Consort Ke had been waiting outside the torture chamber. When they saw Han Xiangjian come out, they hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "What did Her Majesty say?"

Han Xiangjian: "I... saw Her Majesty, as well as Ling Yunche and Rong Pei who serve her. It was indeed Her Majesty who personally poisoned her..."

Consort Ying exclaimed in horror, "This... how is this possible? Her Majesty clearly said that she and the Emperor Emeritus were childhood sweethearts!"

Han Xiangjian: "It's true. Her Majesty admitted it herself. She felt that she only poisoned the Emperor Emeritus because she was afraid that he was incompetent and would be deceived by traitors. That's why she wanted to expose the person behind it."

Consort Ke exclaimed in surprise, "But the Emperor Emeritus's body can't withstand this... Moreover, Your Majesty has administered a deadly poison!"

Han Xiangjian still wanted to defend Ruyi, saying, "Her Majesty said that she only gave the Emperor Emeritus a drug to make him fall into a deep sleep, but that it was a villain who framed her and replaced the drug with poison."

After saying that, the three of them froze and looked around.

Fortunately, the three of them were not too far off in terms of intelligence. They knew that it was extremely disrespectful to run around for a criminal who had been personally convicted by the Emperor Emeritus. They had sent their confidants to keep watch and prevent anyone from hearing Han Xiangjian's words.

A villain's scheme? Ruyi's words are clearly implying that someone is using her to plot against the Emperor Emeritus. Now that the Emperor Emeritus has suffered a stroke, isn't the new Emperor the biggest beneficiary?

But since it was Ruyi who had the evil intentions first, how can we blame the new emperor for using someone else to do his dirty work? Thinking of the new emperor who held great power in Mongolia, the three of them were too frightened to speak.

When the new emperor ascended the throne, the Mongols also put in a lot of effort. The memorials supporting the new emperor filled the Hall of Mental Cultivation, hoping that the new emperor would continue to bestow favors upon the Mongols after his ascension to the throne.

Even the maternal families of Consort Ying and Consort Ke sent them letters, urging them to support the new emperor.

Ruyi, her clansmen, and Hanxiang all unanimously chose the latter. If it weren't for their clansmen, who would be willing to travel thousands of miles to become a concubine of the retired emperor who could be their father?

The three hesitated, unable to say anything more to exonerate Ruyi. They looked at each other, speechless, and finally parted ways.

At the time, the three women had no idea how much the change of the throne would affect them.

Not long after, the new emperor ascended the throne. The Empress Dowager wanted to go to the Yuanmingyuan to take care of the Emperor Emeritus who had suffered a stroke. During her greetings, she explained to the palace ladies that any concubines who wished to take care of the Emperor Emeritus could go with her.

The concubines in the palace, whether they sensed the changing times, longed for life outside the palace, or were unwilling to be confined to the palace, were almost all willing to go together to take care of the retired emperor.

Baoyue Building

Consort Ke and Consort Ying came to visit.

Hanxiang greeted the two women as they entered and instructed them, "Harley, Guli, pour tea for the two sisters. Xipo, go and prepare some snacks."

All three answered, "Yes."

Consort Ying and Consort Ke sat down, and Han Xiangjian also returned to her original seat.

Consort Ke asked cautiously, "Sister, when you pay your respects today... you didn't offend Her Majesty the Empress, did you?"

Han Xiangjian knew that Consort Ke and Consort Ying were concerned about her.

After Ruyi was imprisoned in the Shenxing Division, Han Xiangjian grew closer and closer to Consort Ke and Consort Ying.

Although Consort Yu did not avoid the three women like the other concubines, she had a better relationship with Consort Shen and Consort Xian. By being closer to one of them, she naturally distanced herself from the other.

Han Xiangjian smiled and said, "Don't worry, Consort Ke and Consort Ying, Her Majesty the Empress did not blame me. My clansmen have been sent back to the Han tribe by the new Emperor's grace."

Consort Ke breathed a sigh of relief; she was genuinely afraid that Han Xiangjian's stubbornness would flare up and cause her to argue with the Empress.

Things are different now. The Empress's faction is at its zenith, and Consort Ke naturally doesn't want Han Xiangjian to fall out with the Empress.

Consort Ying breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. Sister, today the Empress mentioned going to the Yuanmingyuan Garden. Would you like to go?"

Han Xiangjian thought of Hongli, her smile gradually disappeared, and her eyes showed undisguised disgust. She said coldly, "I won't go. I'll stay in the palace."

The reason for going to the Yuanmingyuan was to take care of the retired emperor. Even if the empress was kind, the concubines still had to take turns taking care of the retired emperor.

Han Xiangjian was naturally unwilling. She wished she could be as far away from the Emperor Emeritus as possible, so how could she be willing to go to the Yuanmingyuan?

Although Consort Ke and Consort Ying had already guessed Han Xiangjian's plan, they still felt somewhat disappointed.

Consort Ying said sadly, "Sister, as you know, Jingwan has suffered from hysteria and offended Aunt Yanwan. I dare not stay in the palace for fear of attracting the Emperor's attention."

Consort Ke also advised, "Yes, sister, why don't you come with us? The three of us will keep you company. Otherwise, you'll be so lonely in the palace all by yourself."

Han Xiangjian, who was always resolute in her decisions, firmly refused, saying, "No, sisters, I don't want to see the Emperor Emeritus again. Please let me stay in the palace."

Consort Ying knew of Han Xiangjian's pain and only advised, "Sister, I have already inquired and found out that almost all the concubines above the rank of Consort have gone to the Yuanmingyuan. The task of serving the Emperor Emeritus may not be yours."

Even if you were assigned this task, it would only be once every ten days or so, just mundane tasks like feeding medicine and wiping mouths. If you don't want to, you can let the servants do it, and you can just watch from the sidelines.”

Consort Ke chimed in, "Yes, sister, Shou Kang Palace is not a good place. You don't have any familiar concubines to talk to. How will you get through the days to come?"

Han Xiangjian remained silent for a moment before replying, "Thank you for your kindness, sisters. I still wish to stay in the palace. I can no longer return to my hometown. I only wish to spend the rest of my life upholding my chastity for Han Qi."

Consort Ying and Consort Ke, upon hearing this, did not dare to persuade her any further, and after sitting for a while, they took their leave.

Han Xiangjian watched the two leave hand in hand, and said to Hali and Guli beside her, "Hali, Guli, I have asked Her Majesty the Empress for permission. You may return to the Han tribe with your people. Pack your bags and leave the palace tomorrow."

Hari and Guli were struck dumb, and knelt down, crying, "Princess, we don't want to leave! We want to stay with you! Princess, please don't send us away..."

Han Xiangjian looked up, trying hard to hold back the tears welling up in her eyes, and forced herself to remain calm, saying, "I'm already trapped here. Do you want to be trapped with me too?"

Hari and Guli cried, "Princess, we are willing, we only want to stay with you."

Han Xiangjian said resolutely, "Hali, Guli, I'm enough trapped here by myself. There's no need for you to suffer with me. If you don't want to leave, then I don't want to live either."

Hari and Guli stopped crying at Han Xiangjian's angry words and replied, "Princess, please don't frighten Hari/Guli. We are willing to return to the Han tribe and we will pray for the princess."

Han Xiangjian nodded and replied, "Go down."

Harley and Gul wiped away their tears and took their leave.

Then, Han Xiangjian turned to happy Po and said, "Xi Po, you are the same. If you want to leave, I will ask the Empress for permission to send you out of the palace."

Xi Po was stunned; she hadn't expected Han Xiangjian to consider her feelings as well. Han Xiangjian had always disliked being assigned tasks by the Emperor, favoring Hali and Guli from her hometown and refusing to even let her serve them personally.

Xi Po smiled bitterly. She was originally a palace maid in the imperial court, and she had always acted properly and without making a mistake. She had planned to leave the palace when she reached a certain age and find a marriage, relying on her past influence in the imperial court to secure her future.

Unexpectedly, the Emperor was infatuated with Han Xiangjian and wanted to do everything for her. Jin Zhong, who was in the Emperor's service, understood the Emperor's intentions and found her to come and serve as the head maid in Han Xiangjian's household.

happy Po never expected that such a task would fall to her. There are many palace maids in front of the emperor, but few are experienced and reliable, and even fewer have power behind them.

Jinzhong was a cunning man, so naturally he chose this helpless orphan. What could Xipo do? She naturally nodded in agreement.

Although Han Xiangjian was favored, she was arrogant and never got close to anyone, so she was disliked by everyone in the palace.

Fortunately, Xipo was not valued in Baoyue Tower. People in the imperial court pitied Xipo's plight, and Xipo had some influence in the palace. Gradually, Xipo stopped thinking about leaving the palace.

As the memories faded, Xipo replied, "My lady, I am past the age to leave the palace, and I have no one left at home. Please allow me to stay with you."

Han Xiangjian also knew that she owed Xi Po a lot. First, she wouldn't let happy Po serve her closely, and then she insisted on drinking Ruyi's medicine, causing Xi Po to be punished with ten strokes of the cane and to lie in bed for half a month before she had to force herself to get out of bed to serve her.

Looking at Xipo now, Hanxiangjian couldn't bring herself to tell her to leave. She only said, "If you want to be more carefree, I'll ask Sister Ying and Sister Ke to take you to the Yuanmingyuan. There aren't so many rules in the palace there, and you can live a better life there."

happy Po was naturally unwilling. She had been in the palace for a long time, and all her connections were there. What would she do at the Yuanmingyuan? Besides, Consort Ying and Consort Ke both had personal maids, so Han Xiangjian was a better choice.