Chapter 41 Who Wears Shu Brocade?

Things turned out exactly as she had predicted.

An Lingrong, overjoyed, saw off the beaming Jianqiu, then turned back and sat alone by the door, sobbing uncontrollably.

"My lady, it's a joyous occasion that Lord An has been exonerated. Please don't cry anymore." Baojuan leaned down to comfort her with heartache.

An Lingrong knew this principle well, but she just couldn't control herself—"Sister Mei usually calls me her sister, but when something happens, she avoids me like the plague. I've come to realize that no one's words are as effective as the Empress's."

Seeing her so dejected, Baojuan softly echoed, "And there's Consort Xin. Last night, the Emperor went to see Consort Xin, and this morning, Noble Lady Wan went to see the Emperor as well. These two are truly devoted to you, Your Highness."

An Lingrong remained unmoved. Her bloodshot eyes, unlike their usual bright ones, held a hint of reproach and blame—"Even Consort Xin, despite her illness, helped me so much; I naturally remember her kindness. But Sister Wan..."

She paused, then softly uttered the unfinished words—"It's just icing on the cake; anyone can do something like following the crowd."

——

Zhen Huan had no time to worry about An Lingrong's many thoughts.

In recent days, her drowsiness has become more and more severe, and sometimes she can't even wake up when the emperor comes.

This day was again.

Huanbi carefully placed a delicate pink silk flower in her hair, stretched her light willow-colored brocade jacket with floral patterns in front of the mirror, and happily carried a teacup as she gracefully approached the Emperor.

"Your Majesty, my lady is still asleep. Please have a cup of tea to cool off in the summer heat." She smiled gently and placed the teacup in front of the Emperor.

The Emperor did not look up at her, but the look in the eyes of Eunuch Su behind him was quite different.

Having served the Emperor for so many years, he was certainly not ignorant of quality. Just look at this floral-patterned jacket; judging from the weaving pattern, it should be made of the finest Shu brocade. The Shu brocade in the palace was generally brought in as tribute from Shu. It took ten people three months to embroider one bolt of such satin, and an inch of it was worth more than ten bushels of gold. Only during festivals or when bestowing gifts upon people could the empresses and concubines receive one or two bolts.

Huanbi, a mere maid, can so brazenly wear Shu brocade on her body. Doesn't Consort Wan teach her any manners?

Su Peisheng lowered his head to hide his complicated expression, secretly wondering if it was a mistake to transfer Jinxi to Suiyu Pavilion.

Seeing that the Emperor had not noticed her, Huanbi spoke up again, unwilling to give up. "Your Majesty was supposed to have Taiping Houkui tea, but I thought that this tea is cold in nature and the weather is hot now, so Your Majesty must have had iced tea. Therefore, I took the liberty of changing it to Biluochun. Does Your Majesty like it?"

Yinzhen frowned and looked up gently, his gaze sweeping over her smiling face and then down to the pink flower in her hair, his brows furrowing even more deeply—"You did indeed act on your own initiative."

His voice was low, cold, and devoid of any emotion. The imperial aura caused Huanbi to lose her composure, her legs went weak, and she knelt on the ground, trembling and unable to speak, not knowing what had gone wrong.

If she didn't understand, that would be fine. But as she moved, the little jacket on her body wrinkled, and the gold and silver threads of the Shu brocade covered the entire surface, making it seem as if it were rippling in the sunlight.

"Your clothes?" The Emperor's expression was grave. He put down his teacup and leaned back impatiently in his armchair, looking at the person prostrate at his feet.

Huanbi was completely flustered at this point, so she answered whatever was asked, "Your Majesty... this servant's clothes were a gift from Your Highness, that's why..."

The Emperor, impatient with her words, flicked the jade beads he was holding—"I don't recall ever bestowing Shu brocade upon Consort Wan. Where did she get it from?"

Seeing that the Emperor was angry, and Huanbi was stammering and looking around incoherently, Su Peisheng quickly bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, the Shu brocade to be presented as tribute this year has not yet been delivered. However, Consort Xin's family has lived in Shu for many years, so they must have some left over."

"Consort Xin..." Yinzhen murmured softly. Yes, Consort Xin had many good things, and she was always generous, so she was naturally willing to give them to others. However, her good intentions were not appreciated at all.

"You said this is a garment bestowed upon you by Consort Wan, and that she instructed you to wear it?" He narrowed his eyes, the sharpness in his gaze almost tangible.

Huanbi was taken aback and realized where the problem lay. Her hands trembled as she tried to pull the jacket off her body, but summer clothes were light and airy, and she didn't know where to put her face if she really took it off. She was caught in a dilemma, her face flushed red and she was almost crying.

But the Emperor still didn't let her off the hook—"Consort Xin is frugal. I have never seen her wear such fine clothes more than a few times. How could a servant like you wear them? Since Consort Wan doesn't want to wear them, then she will never have to wear them again. From now on, Suiyu Pavilion will only supply basic brocade and cotton fabrics. There is no need to send such fine materials."

After saying that, he glanced irritably at the teacup beside him, got up and left with an unpleasant expression.

Su Peisheng followed closely behind, and as he passed Jinxi, he gently shook his head at her and sighed.

Huanbi bit her lip tightly. The main hall door was open, and the palace servants and eunuchs coming and going could see her disheveled appearance. She dared not turn around, and she could almost hear the pointing fingers and strange looks from the crowd.

Seeing her like this, Liu Zhu couldn't help but step forward, squat down, and try to help her up.

Huanbi suddenly raised her arm and pushed her to the ground. She slowly got up, covered her face, and ran out crying.

When this matter reached Lü Yingfeng's ears, it was because the Emperor, after returning home, felt increasingly guilty towards Consort Xin, so he opened the storeroom, took out five bolts of shimmering brocade, and sent them all to Louyue Yunkai.

Looking at the satin and the smiling Eunuch Su, Lü Yingfeng was both amused and exasperated.

The colors and patterns of the shimmering brocade on both sides are quite classic, and it won't be out of style even when Shu'er is older.

However, when Zhen Huan woke up and realized that she had angered the emperor in her sleep, her reaction was unknown.

I heard that the palace maid named Huanbi went to apologize to Consort Xin outside her palace, but Consort Xin was still ill and did not see her. I have not heard of any other punishment.

Counting the days, Lü Yingfeng has been ill for a month now.

Even the most severe cold should be getting better by now, and the Emperor inquires about it every day. Even if Lü Yingfeng is unwilling to get involved in this struggle, she can't hide for long.

However, there are ways to avoid attending small gatherings after recovering from a serious illness. She skipped two out of three small get-togethers, figuring that the odds of this happening should be reduced.

But this evening was different.

"Your Highness, this is what His Majesty said himself, inviting the concubines of the harem to a small gathering. Please don't make things difficult for me." Songzhi invited her with a smile, even quoting the Emperor's words. Lü Yingfeng looked at her silently.

Perhaps sensing Consort Xin's unease, since her mistress was only able to exchange a few words with Consort Xin in the harem, Songzhi did not want to make things difficult for her. After a moment's thought, she said meaningfully, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, it's just a banquet. Even if something happens, Your Majesty has just recovered from a serious illness, so it won't have anything to do with you."

With just one sentence, Lü Yingfeng understood that Nian Shilan was about to cause trouble, but it wasn't aimed at her.

Then... let's go see what's going on!