Chapter 356: Empress's Diary (Part 2)
"The 23rd of February, the third year of Emperor Yongye, the Empress Dowager hosted the Spring Banquet. Prince Shun brought her along; she was still beautiful but had visibly lost a lot of weight, even the Wenhua Seal between her eyebrows had dimmed significantly. I heard that after she lost her child, she had been searching all along. The look she gave the Emperor contained no affection, only hatred. The Emperor was distracted the entire night. When the palace banquet dispersed, I went to send sobering soup to the Emperor. Outside the Imperial Study, I saw the Emperor crying and begging her, begging for her forgiveness, saying that bygones be bygones, only asking her to return to his side, promising her the position of Empress. I was shocked, spilling the palace maid's medicine dish. The Emperor, hearing the noise, in a fit of rage, drew his sword and chopped off the head of the palace maid beside me, the sword nearly reached me when Prince Shun suddenly appeared, he saved me. He took that woman away, that night, the Emperor had me locked in the Water Prison for three days and nights."
"The twenty-eighth of February, the third year of Emperor Yongye. Once I was rescued and caught my breath, I learned that due to the cold, I would never be able to conceive again. That day, the Emperor shockingly received Xiao Yingying, the legitimate daughter of the Xiao Family, into the palace, all because during the Spring Banquet, the Emperor found her voice slightly resembled that woman's. After that day, day after day he visited different women. Without exception, these women somewhat resembled her. Either their faces, or figures, or names..."
"The records in the following pages of the book, no longer bear dates and have also simplified a great deal."
"Dongfang Cheng was the Emperor's first child, though he is the Eldest Prince, his mother was only my foot-washing maid, only because her hands resembled that woman's, she climbed onto the dragon bed. I took good care of her, let her give birth to the child. When the child was born, I had someone drive bamboo skewers into her ten fingers. Without those beautiful hands, she was indeed sent by the Emperor to the Cold Palace, where she died."
"The mother of the Second Prince is Consort Wang, her back especially resembled that woman, the Emperor favored her for more than a year. When she gave birth to the Second Prince, I ordered that she be given a lot of tonics. That foolish woman thanked me profusely, during childbirth, the baby was too large, and she died in a difficult labor."
"The mother of Dongfang Qi was appointed by the Empress Dowager for the Emperor, she does not resemble that woman, the Emperor, being filial, visited her for a few nights, after she gave birth to Dongfang Qi, the Emperor no longer went to her palace."
"..."
"Out of all the concubines, I detest Xiao Yingying the most. Among these women, she resembles that woman the most. She and I have been at odds since we were young, she is the legitimate daughter of the main Xiao Family, born into glory and clear skies, a status my side branch could not compare to. Originally, our horoscopes complemented the Emperor well, so the Xiao Family chose me. After the Emperor's ascension, seeing that I had not produced any heir for years, the Xiao Family deliberately arranged the younger and more beautiful Xiao Yingying. Three years after entering the palace, she dominated the harem, giving birth to Dongfang Li. I tried several times to harm Xiao Yingying, but the Emperor was aware of it."
"On the 15th of July, the eighth year of Emperor Yongye, Prince Shun returned with a boy he found amongst the common people. The entire Prince Shun's Mansion opposed it, yet Prince Shun brought the child to the palace, meeting the Empress Dowager, claiming the child was his lost one from outside. It was time, I knew, that woman was dying, she was terminally ill, and before her death, she entrusted the child to the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager was very fond of the child, I had seen that child once, on that occasion, the Emperor was also present. It was the first time I saw the Emperor grow angry in front of the Empress Dowager. That child had a pair of terrifying eyes, naturally heterochromatic."