LOT – Chapter 159 The Emperor and the Empress Stayed Up All Night with the Consorts

In the end, after much deliberation, the consorts decided they couldn’t pass up this opportunity.

They called Emperor Xuande over to participate in the scene.

The Empress earnestly explained to the Emperor, “For the sake of our money-making plan, you just need to experience it properly.”

“Later, they will compete for your favor in front of you. Whichever side you think performs better, you lean toward that one.”

A completely bewildered Xuande Emperor thought: ??? Why do they want to compete for my favor? What on earth are they thinking?

Usually, whenever he went to visit them, they would rush to hide everything in the palace beforehand. They probably secretly hoped he wouldn’t come at all.

And today, they actually want to compete for favor in front of him? This is really crazy!

Eunuch Li, who understood the situation better, whispered to the Emperor, “Your Majesty, this was suggested by Minister Lin. He proposed that the consorts write storybooks for profit—palace intrigue storybooks. The consorts have no experience, so they intend to practice here in front of you to get a feel for it.”

Xuande Emperor: …I recognize every word in that sentence, but why does it make no sense when put together?

As the Empress clapped her hands, two elaborately dressed consorts stumbled in.

“Your Majesty! You must take my side! She actually poisoned me!”

The other consort cried and protested, “I didn’t! I’m innocent!”

The other consorts sitting on the sides bit their lips and lowered their heads.

There was no choice; if they didn’t, they were afraid they would burst out laughing.

These two’s acting was truly terrible; their facial expressions were all over the place.

Looking at the two disheveled consorts kneeling before him, the Xuande Emperor: …

He glanced at the Empress, silently asking: How am I supposed to respond? What am I supposed to do?

The Empress winked at him, urging him to handle it: Answer as you see fit, just go with your own thoughts!

The Xuande Emperor thought for a moment. Go with his own thoughts, huh? Fine, let’s do this.

“You say she poisoned you?” the Emperor said sternly. “All medicines in the palace are strictly controlled. Where did this poison come from?”

The two acting consorts froze: Right, where did the poison come from? They’ve lived in the inner palace for years; they probably couldn’t even get poison.

Even if something was sent from their families, it would undergo strict inspection. Anything leaving the palace had to be inspected by the Emperor’s people. So where would the poison come from?

After thinking seriously for a moment, the consort claiming to be poisoned confidently said, “She secretly took a sedative, left a little each time she drank it, and then used that to poison me!”

Everyone present: …

Are you insane? What kind of excuse is that? Saving a little each time you drink the medicine to poison someone—how long would it even take to accumulate a full bowl?

Even if you did accumulate a full bowl, it’s still just sedative!

The Empress covered her forehead, completely exasperated: That’s it, this is all ruined.

But the two onstage continued acting. The other consort indignantly said, “I drank the sedative little by little each time, how long do you think it would take to fill a bowl? Even if it’s full, it’s still sedative! Why would I be saving it for you?!”

The first consort said seriously, “Exactly because you saved it little by little, the medicine went bad, and you gave it to me! Isn’t that poisoning?”

Watching the two of them continue this immersive performance, the Emperor, Empress, and the other consorts were all silently cringing.

The Xuande Emperor seriously asked the Empress, “Is this your palace intrigue? Is this some kind of children’s play?”

He had never seen such childish palace intrigue. He wasn’t a foolish ruler; how could the inner palace be so loose that poison could casually enter?

Even under the previous Emperor, medicines in the palace were strictly controlled. Poison? That had never happened.

If someone truly wanted to harm another, it would be subtle—using incompatible foods, or exploiting a consort’s dislikes and fears—not openly declaring ‘you poisoned me’.

Moreover, palace maids and eunuchs were ruthless in their hierarchies. Even if the consorts did nothing, just falling out of favor meant the maids and eunuchs could ruin you.

Your privileges would be stripped, food restricted, living conditions degraded—eventually, your health would collapse.

Without doctors or anyone to help, your life could be at stake.

All intrigues were subtle; no one openly shouted ‘you poisoned me!’—this is ridiculous.

“Enough, enough! Stop acting. You all made my hair stand on end. If you want to ask about palace intrigue, you can ask me directly. I grew up in the palace and have seen exactly how consorts of the previous Emperor competed and harmed each other. No one knows better than I do.”

And indeed, it was true. The Emperor, as a prince, had been ignored and mistreated by maids and eunuchs. But because he was a royal, they dared not act too openly.

Disfavored consorts suffered far worse; even disfavored princesses had it worse than he did.

Perhaps because princes could eventually leave the palace and establish households, even gaining power in the court, the maids and eunuchs still had some restraint.

This statement by the Emperor relieved everyone. That night, they all stayed behind to discuss the inner workings of the late Emperor’s harem.

It was a sleepless night. The Xuande Emperor recounted stories of the previous Emperor’s consorts to all the concubines.

The next morning, the Xuande Emperor went to court with two massive dark circles under his eyes.

Lin Mo, standing below, curiously asked, “Xiao Bai, why does the Emperor have such huge dark circles? Did he not sleep last night?”

Bai Xiao, hiding in her sleeve and yawning, said, “He didn’t sleep at all. He stayed in a room with the Empress and a whole group of consorts all night.”

Lin Mo’s eyes widened: “!!! Was it that intense?!”

All the officials present also widened their eyes: !!! The Emperor is a bit too… open!

Even the Crown Prince and two other princes looked slightly uneasy.

The Emperor, suddenly slandered, thought: …Are you insane? Can’t you say the whole thing?!

Already sleep-deprived, the Emperor now had a throbbing headache from anger.

Eunuch Li hurriedly whispered, “Your Majesty, don’t be angry. Your health is more important.”

Lin Mo paid no attention to the others’ expressions; her curiosity had reached its peak.

[Can you tell us what happened last night with the Emperor, Empress, and all the consorts? Was it the kind of thing that would need a mosaic? If it was too scandalous, you can skip the details.]

Everyone present was beginning to understand the meaning of the word “mosaic”—things that couldn’t be said aloud.

They also felt they were gradually grasping more and more of these strange terms.