Chapter 82: Repaying Kindness p1
Legend had it that the world was once shrouded in darkness, until a god brought light.
Thus, heaven and earth were created, land rose, waters receded, and life flourished, all by grace…
Wei Xunqin, on the verge of unconsciousness, saw a figure in elaborate, luxurious clothing approaching. The figure knelt beside her. Wei Xunqin’s fading vision, like a dying ember flaring briefly, focused, and with the last of her strength, she saw the person clearly.
It was the Empress!… Looking at the Empress, kneeling beside her with a worried expression, Wei Xunqin suddenly felt that perhaps her luck wasn’t so bad after all. Empress Qin Muxue and Emperor Ji Yan were a young couple, once deeply in love. Although rumors of the Miao concubine’s favor were spreading, everyone knew that the Empress’s position was unshakeable. If the medicine had been given on the Emperor’s orders, then the only person in the palace who could save her child was right here.
“Save my… child…” Wei Xunqin clutched her hand tightly, forcing out the most important words. “It’s the Emperor’s child.” Although she hated the Emperor who had taken advantage of her, if she didn’t say it, the child would probably be considered illegitimate and disposed of.
As soon as she said this, the young Empress froze. A brief moment later, an undeniable pain flashed across her face. Seeing the devastated young Empress, Wei Xunqin suddenly wished her vision was still blurred, so she wouldn’t have to see such sadness.
A deep sense of guilt washed over Wei Xunqin. If she had a choice, she wouldn’t have appeared before the young Empress like this, carrying the Emperor’s child. Even now, facing death, she couldn’t help but recall a snowy night over a year ago. The supervisor of the Imperial Garden cleaning staff was a cruel old woman who delighted in finding excuses to punish the maids and eunuchs. That night, it was bitterly cold, and they, dressed in thin clothes, were shivering as they swept the endlessly falling snow, a futile task. Even the movement couldn’t generate enough warmth against the biting cold. They thought they would freeze to death… It had been a moment of similar despair, and then they had encountered the young Empress, who was accompanying the Emperor on a stroll. Unlike the Emperor, who ignored them, the young Empress stopped and told them to go back inside, to wait until the snow stopped before sweeping, there was no need for such pointless work. Then, someone, emboldened, reported the old woman’s cruelty. The old woman was punished and transferred, and their lives became much easier, until… recently, the old woman, through some connections, had returned, which led to Wei Xunqin’s current misfortune.
The young Empress had shown her kindness. Seeing that it was the Empress who had found her, Wei Xunqin believed she would be saved, but she also felt a deep sense of guilt. Her child and her own life on one side, betraying her benefactor on the other, life was full of such difficult choices.
There was no turning back. The only person who could save her child was right here. Wei Xunqin was too weak to speak, only her pleading gaze remained.
“I will save you… and your child…” The young Empress suppressed her pain, her voice filled with determination. She ordered the servants to carry Wei Xunqin to the nearest chamber and summon the imperial physician.
Hearing the Empress’s orders, Wei Xunqin breathed a sigh of relief. Everyone said that Empress Qin Muxue and Emperor Ji Yan were truly in love, and because of this, the Empress was jealous. In recent years, the Empress had reigned supreme in the harem. Even occasional favorites were short-lived, only the Empress, the Emperor’s childhood sweetheart, enjoyed his lasting affection. The Empress’s methods were well-known. Wei Xunqin had heard these rumors in the palace, but even after that snowy night, she hadn’t considered it proof of the Empress’s kindness. She was poorly educated, but after so many years in the palace, she understood the meaning of “rumors stop at the wise.”
She had witnessed the Empress’s kindness, that was enough. Wei Xunqin had always hoped to repay the Empress’s kindness before leaving the palace, but as a lowly maid, she had no opportunity.
Knowing her own insignificance, and with her freedom approaching, Wei Xunqin had resigned herself to never being able to repay the Empress’s kindness. She hadn’t expected that one day, she would appear before the Empress like this, a betrayal of that kindness. She felt ashamed.
The Empress, appearing like a goddess, promising to save her, despite her guilt, Wei Xunqin felt a sense of relief, as if she had found her anchor. The young Empress anxiously gave orders, and Wei Xunqin felt herself being lifted.
Saved… she thought, and then a sudden, excruciating pain ripped through her abdomen, as if her insides were being torn apart. Wei Xunqin convulsed uncontrollably, feeling something… slip away. She shouldn’t have felt anything amidst such pain, but she clearly felt the sudden emptiness in her womb.
Palace secrets were numerous, and although Wei Xunqin hadn’t experienced them all, she had heard many stories. And… the connection between mother and child, the sense of loss was undeniable. For the first time since being forced to drink the medicine, Wei Xunqin looked down at herself. Her skirt was stained crimson, some areas darker, dried blood re-soaked… And the ground beneath her was a pool of blood…
She had… tried her best… Wei Xunqin struggled against the person who was lifting her, easily breaking free. The servant hadn’t been holding her very tightly. Wei Xunqin collapsed back onto the ground.
The young Empress, who had been urging the servants to summon the imperial physician, heard the thud and turned around, startled. The servants apologized profusely.
Wei Xunqin weakly tugged at the Empress’s skirt. The Empress, ignoring the servants’ apologies, knelt beside her and tried to lift her up.
“No… the child… it’s gone.” Wei Xunqin didn’t have the strength to resist, barely even the strength to speak. She whispered, her voice barely audible, “No need… to save me…” I’m sorry.
The last thing she saw before losing consciousness was the Empress’s shocked expression… Wei Xunqin regretted coming to the Imperial Garden. If she had known the child couldn’t be saved, she wouldn’t have… wouldn’t have let the young Empress witness this. Causing her worry and sadness, and now this shock, it was a true betrayal of kindness. In her final moments, Wei Xunqin deeply regretted not saying those three words earlier. Even in death, she couldn’t apologize to the young Empress.
Wei Xunqin, of course, didn’t die. But the child, was indeed gone.
When Wei Xunqin woke up in a soft bed, she wished she were dead. She had betrayed her benefactor, and her child was gone. What was the point of living? To continue being a burden to the young Empress?
Wei Xunqin wanted to die. She lay still, thinking that without food or medicine, she would probably die in a few days. As for revenge… she knew she was powerless, she couldn’t even find out who was responsible. It was better to die than to be a burden to the Empress. And she couldn’t face the Empress anyway. Wei Xunqin thought this, but a few hours later, the young Empress arrived.
She brought two imperial decrees. One, promoting Wei Xunqin to the rank of Cainü, a seventh-rank concubine. The other, demoting Consort Liu to commoner status and confining her to the Cold Palace.
The young Empress’s expression was complex as she looked at Wei Xunqin, but her voice was apologetic. “I’m sorry, the child couldn’t be saved. I can only give you the rank of Cainü for now, and later, when there’s a chance… as for Liu, she was once favored by the Emperor, executing her directly isn’t possible. But once she’s in the Cold Palace, I can ensure that she’ll never leave. Rest well… you can still have children.” The last sentence was difficult to say, and then she left.
Wei Xunqin’s apology, unspoken, was met with the Empress’s apology, a strange twist of fate.
In just a few hours, Wei Xunqin had become a member of the imperial harem, granted a rank. Although not high, considering her background and the fact that she wasn’t favored by the Emperor, it was actually quite a high rank. And the culprit had been found and punished. Wei Xunqin suddenly didn’t want to die anymore. Not because of the rank or the newfound privilege, but because she felt that after all the young Empress had done, dying now would be too ungrateful.
The elders in her village used to say, only by living could you repay kindness.
It seemed they were right.
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