Jade of Another World

Upon learning that Liu Yushu was to marry into the palace, Consort Zhao went berserk, smashing many jade artifacts in her bedchamber. The bedchamber was a mess, broken jade pieces scattered everywhere, reflecting a cold light. Consort Zhao's face was flushed, her eyes bloodshot, like an enraged mother beast, continuing to smash anything within reach.

"Why! Why is Liu Yushu allowed to marry into this family!" she screamed hoarsely. "How could His Majesty treat me like this!" Since entering the palace, Consort Zhao had been single-mindedly focused on monopolizing Nangong Jin's favor, regarding Lin Ning as her biggest rival. But now, Liu Yushu had appeared. Shouldn't Liu Yushu have been abandoned by His Majesty long ago? Now…

Supported by her maids, Consort De slowly entered the hall. Looking at the chaotic scene before her, she frowned slightly and softly reprimanded, "Enough! What kind of behavior is this!"

When Consort Zhao saw Consort De arrive, she not only did not restrain herself, but rushed forward, grabbed Consort De's sleeve and cried, "Your Majesty, you must do justice for me! With that vile woman here, His Majesty will not even give me a second glance."

Consort De gently shook off Consort Zhao's hand, her expression stern: "Look at you, where is the slightest bit of a concubine you should look like? To be a woman in this palace, you must learn to be magnanimous, otherwise, how can you survive in this deep palace? Do you think the emperor only has one woman?"

Consort Zhao bit her lip in resentment, tears welling in her eyes: "But Your Majesty, I really can't swallow this. I thought my only enemy was Lin Ning, but I never expected that Liu Yushu would use some unknown means to get His Majesty to marry her."

Consort De shook her head slightly, her eyes revealing a hint of helplessness and warning: "Things in the palace are very complicated. Liu Yushu is no ordinary person, as he was able to get His Majesty to decide to marry her. If you go to argue with His Majesty now, it will only annoy him and will not do you any good."

Hearing Consort De's words, Consort Zhao felt resentful but dared not act rashly. She lowered her head and sobbed softly, "Your Majesty, what should I do? Should I just watch that lowly woman marry in and compete with me for status?"

Consort De walked to the chair and sat down. She picked up the teacup handed to her by a palace maid, took a sip, and said slowly, "You should calm down first and think carefully about how to deal with this. In the harem, it's not just about His Majesty's favor, but also about having your own methods and strategies. You must not act impulsively again and ruin your future."

Consort Zhao nodded slightly and wiped her tears with her handkerchief: "Yes, Your Majesty, I understand. But... I am still unwilling."

Consort De looked at Consort Zhao, a complex expression flashing in her eyes: "I understand your thoughts. But in this palace, one must learn to assess the situation. Now that Liu Yushu has married into the palace, we should both pay close attention to her and see what she is capable of."

Consort Zhao responded, but secretly vowed to make Liu Yushu realize that it was not so easy to gain a foothold in the harem.

On the day of Liu Yushu and Nangong Jin's wedding, the palace was brightly decorated and filled with joy. Crimson silk hung all over the palace walls, and golden "double happiness" characters gleamed in the sunlight. Guests, dressed in their finest attire, came to offer their congratulations, and laughter echoed throughout the palace.

Dressed in magnificent wedding attire and adorned with a purple-gold crown, Nangong Jin stood dashingly in the hall awaiting the arrival of his bride. Liu Yushu, clad in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robes, moved gracefully towards Nangong Jin with the assistance of the wedding attendant. Witnessed by all, the two completed their solemn wedding ceremony and entered their bridal chamber hand in hand.

However, amidst this festive atmosphere, something unusual was lurking. Wanyan Qiang, initially the prime suspect in everyone's eyes for disrupting the wedding, surprisingly displayed remarkable magnanimity. He not only came in person to offer his congratulations but also presented a seemingly extremely precious gift. The gift was contained in an exquisitely crafted box, inlaid with various gemstones that shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, drawing the attention of everyone present.

After the ceremony, when the attendants were preparing to put the gifts into the storeroom, they discovered that the contents of the boxes had vanished, leaving only empty boxes. Everyone looked at each other, at a loss for what to do. The news quickly reached Nangong Jin and Liu Yushu's ears.

"What exactly is Wanyan Qiang up to?" Nangong Jin frowned, his heart filled with doubt.

Liu Yushu also looked worried: "Your Majesty, his actions are really strange. He used to pester us relentlessly, but now he accepted so easily and even sent a congratulatory gift. Now the contents of the gift have mysteriously disappeared. There must be something fishy going on." Just then, someone came to report that after the Second Prince learned that there was a problem with the gift, he not only did not intend to investigate, but also sent several pieces of precious medicinal herbs from Nanzhao and Shu brocade as compensation. He also claimed that since they were not destined to be together, he would return to Nanzhao soon.

Nangong Jin and Liu Yushu exchanged a glance, both seeing deep suspicion in each other's eyes. "The more nonchalant he seems, the more I feel this matter is not simple," Nangong Jin said. "Send the order down to Xuanyuan Che to keep a close eye on Wanyan Qiang's every move. If he really wants to leave Dayu, he will definitely make a move."

"Yes, Your Majesty." The attendant acknowledged the order and left.

Yu Shu felt a growing unease. She knew that Wanyan Qiang would not give up easily, and that a huge conspiracy might be lurking behind this seemingly calm situation. She had to be fully prepared.

On their wedding night, in the magnificent bridal chamber, the dragon and phoenix candles flickered with an ambiguous light, but Liu Yushu's heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cellar. Nangong Jin arrived in haste, looking slightly tired. He exchanged a few perfunctory greetings before making an excuse that he had other business to attend to and turned to go to his study. Watching his departing figure, Liu Yushu felt a mix of emotions, and all her expectations shattered in an instant.

After Nangong Jin left, Yu Shu slowly walked to the dressing table and sat down. Looking at herself in the mirror, her phoenix coronet and wedding robes were still magnificent, but her eyes revealed a hint of loneliness. She gently removed the phoenix coronet, letting her long black hair fall loose, and thought to herself, "I thought that marrying His Majesty would mean we could stay together forever, but now it seems that it was all for show, just an act. Life in the palace doesn't seem as wonderful as I imagined."

Seeing Liu Yushu so dejected, the maid Yue'er stepped forward with heartache and said, "My lord, don't be too sad. His Majesty may have really been busy with important matters today. He will definitely spend more time with you another day."

Yu Shu shook her head slightly and said with a wry smile, "Yue'er, you don't need to comfort me. I understand that His Majesty married me only to deal with the current situation, not because he truly loves me. But since things have come to this, we can only try to gain a foothold in this palace first."