My Sin

Loss Of Favor

The empress sat on his throne and slowly sipped his tea. He swept his eyes at the concubines. The concubines shuddered under his calculating gaze. They now truly saw just how much the empress has changed.

"It's going to be the spring festival soon, so this empress had decided to get you, sisters, some shu brocade." The empress said lightly as he calmly sipped his tea.

The concubines were surprised. The shu brocade was the most prominent one out of all the brocades. It meant power and status among the noble wives. Though they were the emperor's concubine and had wealth, shu brocade wasn't something they could wear often, especially the ones with a lower rank.

"We thank you're majesty for your consideration." The concubines hurriedly stood up and thanked the empress.

"No need to thank this empress. It's a given. You are the emperor's concubines so how could you lose face in front of others at the spring festival? If you dressed simply wouldn't people think this empress is not doing his job as the Mother Of The World?" The empress said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Hearing those words many of the concubines shrunk their necks, especially Noble Lady Shu. It might sound like he was dismissing their thanks, but in reality, he was warning them not to make the imperial palace lose face in the Spring Festival because he would be the one cleaning up their mess.

Noble Lady Shu finally sunk in the fact that the empress really did not love the emperor anymore. Because the empress was the beloved Young Master of the Liu Mansion he was very wealthy, so when he came to the palace, wanting to please the Crown Prince he assimilated his wealth with that of the Crown prince.

Even after the Crown Prince ascended the throne and became the Emperor he never separated his wealth from the emperor's wealth because of his love for the emperor. With the excuse that she was the emperor's favored concubine, she spent money lavishly, so much that at a certain point, she looked much more like the empress of the harem than the actual one. She got used to this life. Her son also enjoyed the treatment, but lately, things weren't so smooth.

You could easily go from rags to riches, but it's hard to go from riches to rags. She was used to living a lavish life where she never worried about spending. Now that the empress suddenly cut them off, she had to pay attention to her budget. She was still wealthy but compared to what she had before, it couldn't compare. Plus her favor decreased a little so she had to worry even more.

Even her son noticed the change in their wealth. He used to be able to buy whatever cloth, jewelry, toys, and books he wanted but now he had to cut back on those things. Even the servants' attitudes changed towards them. She used to wear shu brocade whenever she wanted but now it was a different story. The emperor always used the empress's money to buy lavish gifts and bestowed them upon her and her son, but it was different now.

Even the empress's kids changed. Since their mother didn't really care about them they were undoubtedly bullied, plus the crown prince was always alert, so alert that he sometimes refused food from the kitchen, and that resulted in both him and his siblings starving. With their diet so unbalanced they obviously lost a lot of weight. But after the empress had his major change the kids were fattened up, and their features were enhanced. The kids now looked just as beautiful as their mother. Their attitudes also got nobler and the Crown Prince, though very young, knew how to put those below him in their places.

Noble Lady Shu was a little scared seeing the turning tides, but she regained her confidence when she remembered she had a child, a child that was more favored than those of the empress. So she still held her high, but her confidence was once again crushed when she heard that the crown prince placed first in the Xiǎohái exams, whilst her son placed twelfth place. It was normal for the Crown Prince to place first, but this was a crucial moment for them in the harem. As expected the emperor beat the Second Prince as soon as he heard the news.

The Crown Prince was only two months older than the Second Prince so the excuse of him being younger wouldn't help them. Plus the emperor spent so much effort getting the Imperial Tutor to tutor the Second Prince. This move earned him a lot of ridicule since the Imperial Tutor was only meant to tutor crown princes. 

She might spoil her son to the extreme but the emperor was different. He made sure to help the Second Prince with his studies every day, even taking time from his work. But as soon as the emperor turned his back, the Second Prince threw his book away, she always spoiled her son and couldn't say no to him, so she let him play. But this resulted in him not even entering the top ten.

It wasn't just humiliation to them, but also to the emperor, and because of that her favor once again decreased. She was confused. It felt like she had no control anymore. Over the favor she gets or her life. She never used to worry about losing favor, so she didn't know what to do in cases like these. She slumped back in her seat full of worry about both her's and her son's future. How would they live and the future? 

"The emperor has arrived!" A eunuch announced, snapping every concubine out of their thoughts. 

"We greet his majesty! May his majesty live for ten thousand years and ten thousand more!" The concubines all knelled to greet the emperor except for the empress who merely curtsied.

"You may rise." The emperor said as he waved his hand and went to seat on the seat next to that of the empress.

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Question of the day.

What is your aesthetic? What would you call it?