The door creaked open at this moment.
Zhen Huan, portrayed by Sun Li, entered slowly, dressed in noble and elegant attire, her makeup meticulously applied.
Jiang Ling, her face a mask of disbelief that the Emperor would cruelly sentence her to death, had been arguing with Su Peisheng and others. Upon seeing Zhen Huan, her expression instantly shifted from tragic to resentful, unwilling, and filled with indignation.
Zhen Huan wore a pale purple brocade dress.
This dress was neither made from fabric gifted by the Emperor nor from the imperial household department’s exclusive supplies for concubines. Instead, it was a gift from Consort Hua.
Years ago, Consort Hua, jealous of the Emperor gifting Zhen Huan a pair of shoes made of Shu brocade, felt resentful and managed to obtain two bolts of the same fabric for herself.
However, these two bolts of Shu brocade had been tampered with by Guozilao. The colors were too plain, which Consort Hua found unappealing. She was even more intrigued by the embroidered flower patterns.
Yinxiu, a maid of Concubine Cao, recognized the embroidery and said, "This is called Xiyan, also known as Morning Glory. This flower blooms in the evening and wilts at dawn, perishing before it sees the light of day."
Upon hearing this, Consort Hua was instantly enraged, "Scoundrels! The Shu brocade bureau is becoming increasingly unruly, daring to palm off such ill-fated flowers on me!"
In her anger, she intended to have these two bolts of fabric torn to shreds and sent back to the Shu brocade bureau.
Concubine Cao and Songzhi, terrified, quickly advised her against causing further trouble, lest the Emperor become angry again.
Consort Hua, finding the pattern inauspicious, then had the two bolts of fabric made into clothes, intending for the wearer to suffer a fate as ill-fated as the Xiyan flower.
Little did she know, fate was already sealed. Even if Consort Hua gifted the Shu brocade embroidered with ill-fated flowers, she herself could not escape the curse and become an ill-fated person.
Zhen Huan deliberately wore this Shu brocade today to see off this supremely noble Consort Hua.
In fact, it wasn't just Consort Hua; Zhen Huan was the same.
She was the eldest legitimate daughter of the Zhen clan. Her name, containing the character for jade and the radical for female, should have been Zhen Yuhuan.
Finding the character "Yu" vulgar, she omitted it and changed her name to Zhen Huan, which led to her selection into the palace and her residence in Suiyuxuan.
Love is not something you can buy just because you want to. The character "Yu" is not something you can discard simply because you don't want it.
Suiyuxuan, shattered jade pavilion, was meant to shatter the jade that was Zhen Huan. Even if you omitted the character, you could not escape the destiny of shattered jade.
Thus, Niohuru later said, "The Zhen Huan who just entered the palace has already died. This concubine is Niohuru Zhen Huan."
Indeed, Zhen Huan had been shattered by Suiyuxuan. Upon her return to the palace, she was no longer the same person.
"The Tale of Chun Yuan's Musk" is thus, with its subtle foreshadowing and intricate plotting, many characters carrying the curses of destiny. Even with a protagonist's halo, one cannot escape the fate of "a thousand flowers weeping, ten thousand beauties lamenting in sorrow."
Consort Hua and Zhen Huan viewed each other as mortal enemies. Their eyes met, sparks flying, each wishing for the other's demise.
But compared to Consort Hua's outward aggression, Zhen Huan was clearly much calmer.
Consort Hua's unwillingness to die stemmed from her belief that the Emperor still loved her and would certainly not sentence her to death. She suspected this matter was likely instigated by the Empress.
Zhen Huan, well-versed in the art of killing the spirit, first pointed out why Consort Hua had been favored and how the Nian clan had collapsed, their family ruined.
Upon hearing this, Consort Hua initially resisted, then flew into a rage, accusing Zhen Huan of speaking nonsense. Then, with a lingering sigh, she began to recount how beloved she and the Emperor, then Prince Yong, had been when she first entered his manor.
However, fueled by the grief of losing her child, Zhen Huan coldly revealed the truth about Huan Yixiang.
Consort Hua froze in place, then burst into wild laughter after a long pause, asking dazedly, "Why?"