Chapter 208 – A Steep Fall

The night had turned deathly silent. The air inside the emperor’s chambers had turned ghastly cold.

Lu Wushuang, who had been ruthlessly shoved, had knocked against the low stool before falling to the ground.

While still there, she felt excruciating pain in her back. Even so, the pain could not compare to the torment of her heart at the moment. She looked at Mo Rongzhan strangely, unable to believe that he had treated her as such.

And yet, that was not all it seems…

“Wang Fei Lu!” His thunderous roar sent chills down her spine, her whole being stilled. “What do you want when you break into my palace late at night?” His frosty eyes made no secret of his disgust.

It took her a moment to find her words.

“Your Majesty, I… I heard that some palace maid did not know the rules, so I wanted to come over… ”

Lu Wushuang’s face was as white as a sheet. She just could not get a hold of her senses. Could she even hear herself? Clearly not!

Mo Rongzhan sneered, the flame of doubt that had been steadfastly burning within him fueled his wrath. For long he had ignored her impudence… was this the opportunity he was waiting for?

“You have come for that? Who do you think you are? Do I need your approval if I choose to favor any palace maid? Wang Fei Lu, you are just an imperial concubine!”

No matter how high her status, even the empress dowager who was in charge of the six palaces was not entitled to have a say in matters pertaining to the emperor bestowing special favour upon whichever woman. To think this woman had the gall to say so!

Even someone with a remote sense of sensibility would have known when to stop. But it looked like someone would not shed tears until they saw the coffin*.

[*not to shed a tear until one sees the coffin: 不見棺材不落淚 Chinese idiom, is a cautionary tale that suggests you are unknowingly (though it should be obvious）on a bad course. It further suggests that you will not realize your folly until the worst has happened. Fig. refuse to be convinced until one is faced with grim reality.]

“Your Majesty has not visited the Palace of Earthly Tranquility for so many days. Is it because of that lowly maiden?!”

Lu Wushuang pointed to Ye Zhen behind the curtain, her face full of disdain. She had only caught a glimpse of the palace maid’s garb. She was even more certain that there was a woman behind it.

Mo Rongzhan’s face turned darker than the bottom of a wok. “Lu Wushuang, are you taking control of me?” He demanded. Just because he had turned a blind eye to her antics, she thought she could hold him on a tight leash?!

Even though Lu Wushuang was seething in anger and jealousy, she dared not say that she wanted to take control of him. But how could she ignore the deep indignation she was feeling now? Indeed, the way he was behaving currently, the lowly maid seemed to have a better status than her. He was blatantly humiliating her!

“I dare not. I just miss His Majesty. Is it appropriate for a Wang Fei like me to be even inferior to a palace maid?”

“You look like a shrew now, any palace maid is better than you!” Mo Rongzhan said curtly.

His words savagely pierced her heart, her eyes welled up with tears, face appallingly pale, throat felt dry.

“What… what did I do wrong?” she looked him in the eye and asked.

“You don’t know your wrongs?” Mo Rongzhan looked at her lightly. “It seems that the education of the Lu Family is lacking. Since you do not know what the rules are as a Wang Fei, return and stay at the Palace of Earthly Tranquility for self-reflection. For the time being, the Empress Dowager shall be responsible for the affairs of the Inner Palace. You must ponder over your mistakes for three months behind closed doors. If you still do not know how to act as a Wang Fei, then might as well not be one.”

What does he mean? Lu Wushuang could not even pretend to be pathetic. How could she not understand what the emperor meant?

Is he… trying to cast me aside?

“Ford, what is the use of you guarding there? You cannot even stop people from entering my residence!” Mo Rongzhan bellowed in rage while looking at the door where the eunuch stood.

“Your Majesty, this slave deserves death for his incompetence.” Eunuch Ford dropped to his knees without delay.

Mo Rongzhan’s icy glare leveled on the sobbing Lu Wushuang as he barked orders. “Kill all those who were blocking you.”

The deathly silence descended yet again.

Eunuch Ford was shell shocked, only now did he know just how furious the emperor was. He did not dawdle further.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Lu Wushuang’s face was paler than snow. She had forgotten to breathe. She had been dealt blows one after another, giving her no time to recover.

However, she was still in denial. She was unable to believe that Mo Rongzhan had punished her. How could he be so ruthless?

Who in the capital did not know that the emperor only favoured her? She too had always thought that Mo Rongzhan viewed her differently. Well, why not? For such a long time she was the sole occupant of his Inner Palace. She did as she pleased, he doted on her immensely. She had grown accustomed to it, complacent even.

But now, she could not even compare to a palace maid! She had lost to a lowly palace maid and how! She did not see this coming. It was indeed a rude shock.

“Your Majesty, all of those palace servants are just subjects. Their commitment and loyalty is towards protecting their master.” Lu Wushuang pleaded on the pretext of righteousness.

Mo Rongzhan smirked. “In this palace, is there a master other than me?”

Suddenly, the shrewd Lu Wushuang was rendered speechless.

“Send Wang Fei Lu back to the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. She is to be confined to its premises for three months hence.” Mo Rongzhan was decisive.

Well, one must not be quick to judge this emperor now. In fact, when seen in a prudent light, this punishment was not as harsh as it appeared. He did not banish her to the cold palace or worse sentence her to death for impudence like his predecessors.

However, to Lu Wushuang, this conniving woman who coveted absolute power, it was a fatal blow. Never had she thought that one day Mo Rongzhan would treat her like this. She had fallen, hard and deep.