Chapter Forty

Before the Lantern Festival, Fifth Princess spent every day in Cining Palace, keeping the Empress Dowager company. Since Qing'er's sudden death from illness, the Empress Dowager had been deeply saddened. The Empress, fearing the Empress Dowager would grieve too much, arranged for Lanxin to move to Cining Palace to keep her company. The Empress Dowager was initially reluctant. It wasn't that the Empress Dowager disliked Lanxin, but with Qing'er's example, she feared raising another ungrateful child. Lanxin was clever; she had her nanny take some of her belongings and stay in Cining Palace for a while. She didn't talk much, usually going to Yongshou Palace. Back in Cining Palace, she would tell the Empress Dowager about the latest news from Fourth and Fifth Princesses. Gradually, the Empress Dowager got used to Lanxin living in Cining Palace. If Lanxin returned late from Yongshou Palace, the Empress Dowager would even send Gui, the nanny, to check on her.

That day, the Fifth Princess was spending her time in the Cining Palace. The Empress Dowager remembered that Lan Xin had said that the Fifth Princess had begged the Emperor to give all the palaces lanterns that she had given her. So the Empress Dowager asked the Fifth Princess, "Heya, what lanterns did you give to the palaces?"

"Reporting to Grandmother, the lanterns that Heya sent to each palace were made by the servants according to the names of each palace. They are very ornate, and Fourth Sister was quite envious when she saw them!" Fifth Princess replied to Grandmother with a smile. Although they were made according to the palace names, there were many hidden meanings behind them. She was not sure that she could not get to Consort Ling.

"Heya is very thoughtful, but why didn't Heya make one for Grandmother as well?"

"Of course Grandma has it, it was made by Fourth Sister. How could Heya steal the limelight from Fourth Sister! Fourth Sister will grind her teeth."

"Oh, could it be that He Rui can bite He Ya? He Ya, tell Grandma Huang, and Grandma Huang will stand up for you."

"Grandma, you're so biased! He Rui is not happy about it." The Fourth Princess, who had been watching from the sidelines, was indignant. She looked at the Fifth Princess and sighed inwardly. Was this a good thing or a bad thing for her?

Joy filled the Cining Palace, and the mistress of Yanxi Palace was also in high spirits. She was pregnant, and with that, she would have more power; who would have the last laugh was uncertain. Thinking of this, Consort Ling's smile became even more enigmatic, and the servants close to her all lowered their heads.

"Hang up the lanterns that Princess He Ya sent. It's been windy these past few days; don't let them burn." Consort Ling wasn't sure what this princess who served the Empress was up to, but she didn't want to be led by the nose. If the Emperor blamed her later, she could just say the wind had broken them.

The servants, with their heads bowed, dared not question it and immediately carried out their master's orders, hanging the lanterns in a conspicuous place where they could be seen in the wind.

Consort Ling gazed at the lanterns hanging high, bracing herself for the wind to break them. Unfortunately, her hopes were high, but reality was...

"Your Majesty, this lantern is made of the finest silk, and inside is a large bead. There's no place to put the candlestick," Dongxue reported to her mistress immediately after examining the lantern.

Consort Ling was taken aback after hearing this. What was the bead for? "Go and bring that lantern to me so I can take a look." Consort Ling found it quite strange; this lantern was different from the ones she had seen before.

Upon receiving the order, Dongxue immediately took down the lantern and presented it to Consort Ling. Consort Ling examined the lantern; from the outside, it seemed unremarkable. However, looking inside, she recognized the bead. She thought she had seen it when she served Empress Xiaoxian; the bead glowed at night. Consort Ling frowned, staring at the lantern. She hadn't seen the bead since Empress Xiaoxian's death. How did Heya Gege have it? "Dongxue, go see what the lanterns in the other palaces are like," Consort Ling said, suspecting that Heya Gege had done this on purpose. After Dongxue left, Consort Ling continued to examine the lantern. She knew the bead's value; Heya Gege wouldn't be foolish enough to only give her this kind. So where did Heya Gege get so many beads? She remembered that apart from Empress Xiaoxian, none of the other concubines in the harem had ever received such beads, demonstrating their high status.

Princess He Ya wasn't foolish enough to only give special lanterns to Consort Ling. The lanterns in Yanxi Palace were different from those in other palaces, all because of the lantern stands. Whether it was Dongxue and Lamei deliberately trying to harm Consort Dong when the lanterns were being taken, or Princess He Ya secretly doing something, the lantern stand had a red pole with a phoenix head. When Consort Ling saw the stand, she felt something was amiss, but when she asked Dongxue and Lamei about the other palaces, they both replied that they were the same. These two had no idea that the lantern stands in other palaces were all the same simple, standard red poles.

The Lantern Festival arrived as scheduled. Consort Ling, despite being pregnant, was the last to arrive. The two palace maids leading the way carried the same lantern given to her by Princess Heya, while another lantern was a replica, made by Consort Ling herself, based on the one Princess Heya had given her. Of course, instead of beads, it contained candlesticks. The Empress Dowager, seated at the head of the table, frowned as she looked at the lantern in Consort Ling's hand; the fiery red phoenix head was something she could handle. The Empress lowered her brows, remaining silent. This was a gift from Heya, even though they had taken the lantern themselves. Heya had complained to her about the lantern stand, and had specially made a yellow phoenix head stand for her. The Empress hadn't expected Consort Ling to so openly present it, and even to have one made exactly the same.

Several concubines watched Consort Ling coldly, some gloating, others feeling sorry for her. Consort Chun smiled; she hadn't even received the phoenix-headed banner yet, and Consort Ling thought she had already secured the rank of Consort? Even if she were a Consort, she wouldn't be worthy of that banner. Consort Yi pursed her lips, covering her mouth with a handkerchief; Consort Ling was truly a fool.

Emperor Qianlong didn't notice Consort Ling's two protruding arms. Seeing her bowing with her pregnant belly, he immediately greeted her with a smile. The Empress Dowager coughed. She was already acting so pampered after only two months. Who was she trying to impress? The Empress smiled insincerely and said, "Your Majesty, today is a family banquet. Besides, it's understandable that Consort Ling might be a little lacking in etiquette due to her pregnancy."

Emperor Qianlong raised an eyebrow and turned to scrutinize Consort Ling. His gaze immediately fell upon the imperfections in her "etiquette." A dark feeling settled over him. He looked at the Empress; he knew the lantern had been sent by He Ya, and the one Consort Ling was holding was presumably from He Ya. What was the Empress trying to do? But then he thought, this was something the Empress, so meticulous about etiquette, wouldn't do. So… Qianlong gave Consort Ling a cold look. Had Consort Ling become too ambitious now that she was pregnant? He thought about how Consort Ling had repeatedly summoned him to Yanxi Palace under the pretense of illness, and how she had mentioned the Imperial Noble Consort Shujia. Qianlong felt uneasy. The Emperor enjoyed the vying for favor in the harem, as it proved his charm, but if anything came of it, he wouldn't be happy.

Sitting at another table, Princess Heya glanced at her unresponsive father and curled her lip. Princess Herui found her sister amusing and gave her a knowing look. This kind of opportunistic kicking someone when they're down was a specialty of those concubines.

As the family banquet progressed, Consort Ling felt a chill creep down her spine as she thought about the strange look in the Emperor's eyes. Consort Ling's rise to her current position wasn't solely due to her experience serving under Empress Xiaoxian; she was also adept at interpreting the Emperor's intentions. The Emperor's expression just now clearly indicated that something was amiss. Had she done something wrong? Consort Ling pondered carefully. Could it be because she had made another lantern based on the one given to her by Princess Ya? Consort Ling knew that Princess Gulun's status was far higher than hers as a mere consort, but… she couldn't possibly bring two different lanterns to the family banquet!

As Consort Ling was pondering this, she heard the princes begin their congratulatory verses. Looking up at them, she felt a surge of resentment. She was determined to have a son this time. Given her growing favor with the Emperor, she could boast about her prince's intelligence before him. What did it matter if the Fifth Prince was valued, or even if he was a legitimate son? It was all just a stepping stone for her little prince. If the Fourth Princess knew Consort Ling's thoughts, she wondered how much she would laugh.

As the family banquet ended, Consort Ling stared blankly at the lanterns carried by the other concubines. She hadn't noticed the lantern poles, but rather the number of lanterns. They were all odd numbers; only the Empress Dowager carried four, the Empress carried two, and she, a mere concubine, was above the Imperial Concubine. Her etiquette was clearly flawed. Upon closer inspection, Consort Ling nearly jumped out of her skin in fright—none of the concubines' lantern poles had phoenix heads. Consort Ling turned pale with fright, and swayed.

"Your Highness!" Dongxue immediately called out, and Lamei quickly helped Consort Ling up.

Supported by the Empress Dowager, the Empress, who was walking slowly with her pregnant belly, stopped with her and turned to look at Consort Ling. The Empress Dowager looked at Consort Ling with disdain. "This servant's servant is utterly unfit for public service. Your Majesty, I'm sorry to trouble you."

"Your daughter-in-law has failed in her duty. Rong Mama, go and see what's wrong with Consort Ling."

Walking on the other side of the Empress Dowager, the Emperor glared at Consort Ling because of her mood. "She's truly despicable," he thought, then glanced at the Empress's belly. "Wu Shulai, go and take a look." Consort Ling, don't make me lose my patience with you.

Consort Ling's speculation about the Emperor was not unfounded; she could naturally guess some of his thoughts. Seeing Wu Shulai, who had come with Rong Mama, secretly winking at her, Consort Ling immediately put on a smile and explained to the two of them that she had just stepped on a stone and lost her balance.

The two quickly returned to report, and the Empress Dowager simply said, "She's really too pampered!" She patted the Empress's hand and walked forward.

The Emperor merely glanced at Wu Shulai, then helped the Empress Dowager and respectfully escorted her back to Cining Palace.

"Sister, you are truly skilled. I am impressed," Consort Chun said with a smile, quickly catching up with the Empress Dowager's entourage with her maids. This was a time to make a good impression.

"Sister, your method of attracting the Emperor's attention is truly something I've learned," Consort Yi said with an exceptionally respectful smile. Consort Yu merely nodded to Consort Ling and left without a word. Consort Shu simply snorted coldly at Consort Ling.

Author's Note: My laptop broke down. I took it to get it repaired today, and they said it would take a week. Everything inside is gone—my saved files, my movies, everything!

This chapter was written live, I'm so sorry everyone!!!