Chapter 36 If we don't repay the kindness of the city's "great benefactor" now, when will we ever...?

Having been in the empress's palace for over a decade, Empress Wang had a respectable position but lacked imperial favor, a fact that the people in Kunning Palace had long been accustomed to.

So even if the Emperor summoned other concubines at night or even favored Consort Zhang, Empress Wang would at most grumble a few times, and then she would rest, having grown accustomed to it.

But tonight... those waiting in Kunning Palace felt that the night in the palace had never been so long and anxious.

If the emperor intends to favor someone and a concubine is added to the harem, no matter how low her rank is, the empress must be informed.

Newly promoted concubines, even if they were not entitled to pay their respects to Empress Wang at Kunning Palace every day, were still required to visit the Empress Dowager on the second day after their night with her.

But if it were just a few palace maids serving the emperor, why would they need all these complicated procedures?

Emperor Xuanpei didn't need to inform anyone.

So Kunning Palace waited and waited, but never received a single word.

Jiang Zhu—when Nianqin carefully selected her, it was because she possessed almost every prerequisite that would satisfy Empress Wang.

Now, all that satisfaction has turned into a sharp blade that cuts back at Empress Wang, leaving her unable to sleep a wink all night.

Consort Zhang of Nianfu Palace also had a sleepless night. She hadn't been summoned by the Emperor tonight, and while she felt a pang of sadness, she was even more worried about Jiang Zhu.

As the sky began to lighten with the first hint of dawn, Consort Zhang burst out laughing upon hearing the news that Yin Dong had come to report.

"Hahaha."

"Excellent, what a loyal and devoted Miss Jiang."

Consort Zhang clapped her hands, overjoyed, and said, "That old scoundrel's face must look absolutely gorgeous today."

"Quickly, help me with my washing and dressing. I need to hurry and pay my respects to our Empress."

Consort Zhang, who knew Empress Wang's temperament well, unusually urged the palace staff to dress her up today.

So, Consort Zhang, who usually went to Kunning Palace to pay her respects as late as possible and delayed for as long as she could, arrived at Kunning Palace very early today.

"Her Imperial Concubine has arrived!"

As soon as the announcement was made, the concubines in the hall saw Consort Zhang enter the hall with a smile on her face.

"All my sisters are here; I'm a little late."

Seeing that Consort Zhang was genuinely happy, unlike her usual indifferent or perfunctory smile, he was surprised.

The unusual situation caused the concubines in the hall to exchange glances, their hearts filled with unease. They quickly rose to greet Consort Zhang.

"No need for formalities, please rise."

Consort Zhang, dressed in a flowing, gold-sprinkled, butterfly-patterned gown with peonies, wore a matching half-sleeved garment with a subtle pearlescent sheen, and a pale purple shawl draped between her arms.

Today, she also wore a high bun, with her temples adorned with kingfisher feathers, gold hairpins, and jade hair ornaments, making her exceptionally beautiful and radiant.

She sat steadily in the chair, smiling as she raised her hand to signal the other concubines to rise.

Her posture made it seem as if she were the true mistress of Kunning Palace.

Empress Wang, emerging from the rear palace, looked increasingly displeased at the sight before her.

But for Consort Zhang, who was making a big show of herself, this was nothing.

After rising to pay their respects to Empress Wang, and taking their seats, the palace maids who were serving tea came in as usual to bring tea to the ladies.

Consort Zhang reached out and picked up the teacup, but before she even took a sip, she suddenly burst out laughing.

Sitting behind her was Consort Tang.

Seeing that Consort Zhang had acted out of character since entering the palace, Consort Tang, who was extremely curious, couldn't help but ask, "Why is Your Highness laughing?"

As she spoke, Consort Tang glanced at the teacup and asked, "Is there something wrong with this tea?"

"Your Majesty's tea is naturally excellent; its aroma alone is delightful."

"The palace maids in the tea room are even more skillful and adept; how could the tea they brew be anything but perfect?"

Consort Zhang turned her head to look at Consort Tang and explained in a serious tone, "I am smiling because I am happy."

? ? ?

This nonsensical remark left Consort Tang slightly bewildered. She subconsciously pressed for an answer, asking again, "Is Your Majesty pleased with this tea...?"

"What are you saying, Consort Tang?"

Unexpectedly, Consort Zhang suddenly became dissatisfied: "It's just some pre-rain Longjing tea."

"No matter what, I am still the head of the Nianfu Palace. How could I be so easily swayed?"

Upon hearing this, Consort Xian and Consort Sheng on the opposite side both twitched their eyelids and simultaneously raised their heads slightly to look at Empress Wang at the head of the table.

Sure enough, Consort Zhang, who was holding a teacup, also looked at Empress Wang.

She beamed with joy, a truly hearty laugh. "I am happy, naturally because of the virtue of our Empress."

"Our virtuous Empress has gone to great lengths to accomplish this task..."

Seeing that Consort Xian and Consort Sheng remained silent, Consort Zhang turned to look at Consort Tang, who was sitting in the back seat and seemed confused, and asked with feigned surprise, "Consort Tang, you don't know?"

Well... to be honest, Consort Tang had also vaguely noticed something was amiss and was secretly regretting her loose tongue.

But looking at Consort Zhang's extremely imposing gaze, with a half-smile, how could Consort Tang dare not answer Consort Zhang's question?

She had no choice but to bite the bullet and cautiously continue, saying, "This concubine is truly foolish; please enlighten me, Your Highness. This concubine should know..."

"Look at you, you have no idea how virtuous our Empress is."

Consort Zhang feigned a complaint about Consort Tang, then launched a full-scale attack on Empress Wang.

"Our virtuous Empress sent a tea-serving maid to the Emperor."

"Your Majesty, seeing how much effort you've put into bringing this person to the Emperor... the tea-serving maid must have an exceptional skill in brewing tea."

Consort Zhang's tone was unusually sarcastic despite its apparent intimacy.

"Your Majesty, you really are something. You've kept this tea-serving maid a secret from us all this time. Are you afraid we'll snatch her away?"

"I know you are virtuous and always think about His Majesty, but you sent him here in a bit too much of a hurry."

"At least let us have a taste of Miss Azhu's cooking."

In fact, since learning this morning that Jiang Zhu had become a palace maid serving tea to the emperor, Empress Wang, whose heart had been burning with anger all night, was both angry and slightly relieved—at least their emperor still remembered her and left her some face.

But looking at the sarcastic and self-serving Consort Zhang in front of her, Empress Wang tried hard to suppress her unpleasant expression but failed.

Jiang Zhu and Zhang Nianyue—in the future, Empress Wang will surely cut these two into a thousand pieces and turn them into human pigs to quell her hatred.

As Empress Wang hardened her heart, the fist she had been clenching tightly in her wide sleeves loosened slightly.

He knew that the more excited he became, the more that lowly maid Zhang Nianyue would laugh at him.

Empress Wang nodded, feigning indifference, and said in a nonchalant tone, "She's just a mere tea-serving maid. What can't Nianfu Palace offer?"

"Why does Consort Zhang have to be so preoccupied with this?"

"You are, after all, a palace lady. If others see this, they will only think that Consort Zhang is a greedy, insatiable, and petty person who will take an inch and then a mile. You will only become a laughing stock."

"Clatter—"

Consort Zhang placed the teacup she was holding on the table.

Perhaps because she was sitting at the lower end of the table, Consort Zhang always seemed to tilt her chin slightly upwards when she looked up at Empress Wang.

"Our Empress is truly kind and benevolent."

"The tea-serving maids trained in Kunning Palace dare to offend the emperor when they go out."

"If there were such an audacious and disrespectful servant in my palace, I would punish her severely without mercy. It would not be an exaggeration to drag her away and sentence her to death on the spot."

"Why is it that when it comes to Her Majesty, it's all so casually mentioned?"

Before Empress Wang could speak, Consort Zhang laughed to herself: "In the end, she is still our Empress... Hahaha, she truly has the heart of a bodhisattva of unparalleled kindness."

In the silence of the entire hall, Empress Wang, sitting at the head of the table, couldn't help but clench her nails so tightly they dug into her palms.

"Consort Zhang!"

Seeing that Empress Wang was truly enraged, Consort Zhang, who had already gained the upper hand today, had no interest in retaliating.

Instead of getting up to apologize, she raised her hand to her chest and suddenly felt nauseous in front of everyone.

This sudden turn of events left all the concubines in the hall stunned.

Even the originally furious Empress Wang was stunned. In an instant, she thought of a certain possibility and subconsciously leaned forward.

"If Her Highness the Imperial Concubine is unwell..."

Consort Xian, also thinking of a possible case, quickly said, "Should we invite the imperial physician to take a look?"

Consort Zhang waved her hand, frowning and looking at the teacup on the table with a look of disgust.

"I thought it was some fine tea, but it turned out to be so disgusting."

At this moment, Empress Wang had no time to care about Consort Zhang's words. She glanced at Consort Zhang's lower abdomen, but a hundred thoughts flashed through her mind.

A heated "paying respects" drama, which had just reached its climax, unexpectedly came to an abrupt end.

The greetings were hastily concluded, and now, groups of two or three concubines were emerging from Kunning Palace.

Aside from muttering about the tea-serving maid who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, everyone couldn't help but secretly speculate as they watched Consort Zhang being helped into a sedan chair not far away: Was Consort Zhang... pregnant?

"Your Majesty."

Yin Dong, who was attending to the side of the sedan chair, couldn't help but ask, "Your Majesty... would you like to summon the imperial physician to examine you?"

"laugh--"

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhang burst into laughter.

She looked at Yin Dong, who couldn't help but look at her lower abdomen with concern, and shook her head and laughed, "It's one thing for others to have wild thoughts, but how could you not know how I am?"

As Consort Zhang leaned against the sedan chair, thinking of the blurry mass of flesh and blood in her memory, the smile on her face turned into a painful, ambiguous one.

She knew her own body best; she had been injured back then... and could no longer conceive.

Consort Zhang blinked repeatedly, refusing to let any of the hot tears in her eyes roll down her cheeks.

"Back then, I suffered a miscarriage and was physically harmed, but in the end, I still had Mao'er to rely on. But Consort Yi lost both her child and her body... When a person dies, it's like a lamp going out. Look around, who in this entire palace can still remember her now?"

The scenario of sisters turning against each other is all too common in this palace.

After all, even sisters in the same family have their disagreements and arguments, let alone in this dazzling and luxurious palace.

That's what happened between Consort Yi and Consort Zhang back then.

The palace was rife with intrigue, and Empress Wang's deliberate instigation nearly brought the two to the brink of a complete falling out.

Unfortunately, not long after entering the palace, both of them became pregnant, one after the other...

"Our Empress has probably been gloating for a long time about killing two birds with one stone."

Consort Zhang smiled, her hands gripping the armrest tightly.

We'll see.

"I think this Jiang family girl is really promising."

"She can get away unscathed after such a confrontation with the Emperor. I'll wait and see her properly in Kunning Palace one day."

......

Today is the Grand Assembly.

Early in the morning, Eunuch Chen accompanied Emperor Xuanpei to the outside of the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Fuhai, however, stayed behind.

At this moment, he was leading the "promising" "Jiang family girl" into the side hall that had been cleaned and decorated overnight—Chonghua Hall.

Since entering the hall, A-Zhu has been dazzled by the sights, unable to take it all in, and hasn't even blinked... which is a bit pathetic.

A-Zhu had always been in the palace. Even though she was in the inner palace, it wasn't some remote, impoverished place where someone would suddenly appear out of nowhere and be so ignorant of wealth and status.

On the contrary, wealth and luxury may be lacking everywhere else in the world, but they will never be lacking in the palace.

Putting aside other places, how bad could the Empress's Kunning Palace be?

But no matter how nice those places are, they are not places that A-Zhu can live in.

Her only options were a large communal room or a cramped single room shared by four people. She wasn't even qualified to keep watch for Empress Wang, otherwise she would have had an extra small makeshift bed on the floor to sleep in.

But from this moment on, the Chonghua Palace before them belonged to Azhu.

Regardless of whether it's a temporary stay or not, the person living here now is her.

Although it only took one night, the interior of the palace was tidied up meticulously.

We walked past arched curtains and embroidered tents adorned with auspicious cloud patterns.

Beyond the sandalwood landscape screen, there's a palace lantern shaped like a crane carrying a branch, and on either side, delicate blue-and-white porcelain gourds are interspersed with hydrangeas and carnations...

"Miss Azhu."

After looking around, they entered the inner hall. Fu Hai bowed slightly and smiled at A Zhu, saying, "His Majesty has specially added many furnishings to this hall for you."

"He also specifically instructed the servants that if Miss Azhu feels there is any arrangement that is not to her liking, she should simply have the people from the Imperial Household Department replace it for her."

From the very beginning, Eunuch Chen and Fu Hai were exceptionally polite to A Zhu.

In front of such a person, A-Zhu would unconsciously adopt a polite and humble demeanor.

Moreover, now that the little troublemaker Azhu is no longer in imminent danger of losing her life, she is still a little... a little reluctant to give up the "loyal title" that she has cultivated over more than ten years.

After all, that was the "faith" that sustained A-Zhu for nearly ten years, helping her endure the harsh rules and lessons of the Imperial Palace.

Empress Wang ruthlessly shattered A-Zhu's beautiful illusions and dreams about this noble lady in the palace.

It crushed her and her brainless fans' fanatical "loyalty"... but it couldn't crush A-Zhu's desire to create a false image of "unwavering loyalty," even if it was just self-deception, and her twisted pleasure in enjoying this "unwavering loyalty."

Therefore, in front of Fuhai, who treated her with such respect and courtesy, she was moved to tears.

As if realizing that others knew her, knew that she was not just a simple tea-serving maid in front of the emperor... feeling "quite" embarrassed, A-Zhu lowered her eyes, bit her lip, nodded and shook her head with a red face.

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great favor! Thank you, Steward Chen..."

As she spoke, A-Zhu glanced up at Fu-Hai, then lowered her eyes again, her long, thick eyelashes trembling.

"Thank you so much, Eunuch Fu, for your trouble."

"Everything in this palace is fine... but this servant is truly unworthy of it."

Who could remain unmoved by Ah Zhu's state of mind?

Having listened to Eunuch Chen's praise for Azhu's unwavering loyalty, Fuhai's stance wavered in an instant.

He sighed softly and began to comfort A-Zhu in a low voice.

"If you, Miss Azhu, feel unworthy of this, who in the palace can bear the responsibility?"

"You have always been loyal to Kunning Palace, and everyone has witnessed this."

"But... but fate is cruel, it's all about timing and destiny."

“Miss Azhu, forgive my bluntness, but now that you have come to serve the Emperor, you should at least think about your own future.”

Once, Azhu knelt before Empress Wang and swore countless times that he was truly loyal, even going so far as to defy Emperor Xuanpei for it, but no one believed him.

They were so stingy and petty that they wouldn't even offer her a compliment.

Now, when the eunuch serving the emperor spoke with such certainty, tinged with emotion, Ah Zhu felt a tingling, pleasurable sensation well up from the bottom of her heart.

She trembled slightly with pleasure, biting her lip to remain silent, but tears welled up in her lowered eyes.

When A-Zhu appeared before him, she lowered her head, trembled, and tried to hold back her sobs without saying a word, but tears like dewdrops suddenly rolled down her cheeks. Even Grandpa Fuhai felt heartbroken for A-Zhu.

The people outside are saying such awful things about Ah Zhu.

But the way she was born... it's not A-Zhu's fault.

Miss Azhu is as beautiful as a flower, yet she is pure of heart and loyal as the bright moon. In the past, she did not want to embarrass the Empress, so she risked offending the Emperor and refused his favor. Now... she doesn't even want a title.

Thinking of this, Grandpa Fuhai's voice became even gentler.

He carefully chose his words, and even said to please Azhu, "Miss Azhu, you worked hard in the past, which made your body weak. You still need to take good care of yourself."

"His Majesty specifically ordered the dispatch of two palace maids to assist you... Do you have a preferred candidate?"

"real?"

With her eyes tinged with rouge, her eyelashes glistening, and tears welling in her eyes, A-Zhu looked up at Fu-Hai with a hint of surprise. Fu-Hai nodded repeatedly.

"Absolutely true!"

Ah Zhu quickly started calculating in her mind.

Kunning Palace... that's out of the question. Ah Zhu is barely managing to protect herself right now.

If she dared to extend her hand into Kunning Palace, Empress Wang, who would see it as a provocation, would definitely go mad and deal with her without regard for anything else.

A-Zhu, who didn't get along well with many old friends, quickly thought of her "great benefactor" whom she had always remembered—Mingxia.

During this time, Fuhai waited patiently by his side.

Until he saw A-Zhu look at him and say softly, "Eunuch Fu, when I was in the Yeting Palace, I became friends with a palace maid named Mingxia."

"But after the palace selection, we parted hastily, and I was in Kunning Palace... I didn't have time to inquire about her."

"I would be grateful if you, Eunuch Fuhai, could do your best to inquire about this."

"If Mingxia is doing well and is favored by noble people in the palace, then we will not disturb her... If she is not doing well, then please invite her here."

Fu Hai nodded repeatedly, almost patting his chest to assure her: "Don't worry, young lady."

"Thank you very much, Eunuch Fu."

Having received A-Zhu's request, Grandpa Fuhai left with great enthusiasm.

Seeing that there was no one else in the hall, A-Zhu let out a "woof" and turned to pounce on the bed.

The things for the emperor are always of the highest quality. Even the quilt for Ah Zhu has a silk core and a Suzhou embroidery back, which feels soft and smooth to the touch.

Ah Zhu, whimpering, wrapped herself in the blanket and rolled from one end of the bed to the other, repeating this several times before finally lying still.

The immense wealth was only partially revealed, yet it was already incredibly captivating.

Ah Zhu closed her eyes, sprawled out on her limbs without any regard for her image, and lay on the soft, comfortable bed that was even filled with a faint fragrance.

She doesn't want to go back to the past, not at all.

Even in death... she would rather die in this luxurious haven within the brocade curtains.

Ah Zhu opened his eyes.

She stared intently at the pomegranate and vine pattern on the tent, thinking that if she wanted to enjoy this wealth for as long as possible—

The first thing she needed to do was get rid of that "monster" that always brought her bad luck whenever it rang.

Because the palace was extremely averse to this thing, A-Zhu dared not tell anyone.

Her original plan was to establish a foothold in Kunning Palace before making further plans... Now that she was in front of the Emperor, if this unlucky "devil" got in her way, it might be the end of her life.

The second one is Empress Wang... This empress was even more ruthless.

Ah Zhu didn't want to die, so she naturally tried every possible way to survive.

Even though he was so self-deceptively "loyal" that it almost "poisoned" his brain, A-Zhu never thought he was the smartest person in the world.

Since that's not the case, let's find some smart people to help.

One person's plan is short-sighted, but two people's plans are long-sighted.

Although Consort Feng died a tragic death, she was far more knowledgeable and capable than her.

She had to think of a way to get this empress out of the cold palace.

......

While A-Zhu was busy calculating her plans, Grandpa Fuhai was also tirelessly searching for A-Zhu's "benefactor."

Don't be fooled by how cautious Eunuch Fuhai was in front of the Emperor, barely daring to breathe, and how he was constantly being scolded by Eunuch Chen like a "grandson".

But once he stepped out from before the Emperor, within this palace, Eunuch Fuhai was a figure of great importance wherever he went.

In less than the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, Fuhai had already found out where Mingxia was.

Qingyang Palace

This is where the palace holds small sacrificial ceremonies during festivals and holidays; it is rarely visited on ordinary days.

Mingxia was assigned here to have a more relaxed life.

No matter how popular Qingwen was, she was still just a palace maid serving a noble concubine.

Out of respect for her, Mingxia, whose face was half bruised, was already being treated well by not being bullied.

Or perhaps you still want to be a pampered lord who just eats rice for free and receives a monthly stipend?

Pshaw, dream about it. You can have anything there.

Mingxia has to work every day, and even if the work isn't heavy, she can't just sit idly by.

Hearing a commotion outside, Mingxia acted as if it were none of her business, casually wiping the table and candlesticks with a rag.

"Mingxia, Mingxia..."

The palace doors were pushed open in a great hurry.

"They're looking for you everywhere, and you're just sitting here like a stray cat, not even making a sound?"

Deputy Steward Ma rushed in, grabbed Mingxia's arm and pulled her out, saying, "Hurry up, they're summoning you."

Mingxia was stunned. She hadn't even put down the rag in her hand when she was being dragged away.

Upon hearing that someone was looking for her, her eyes lit up immediately: "Manager, is my sister here?"

"What do you mean by 'your' or 'your' sisters/brothers'?"

Deputy Chief Steward Ma kept muttering, "That's Fu Hai, the eunuch who serves the Emperor."

"You'd better keep your eyes open later, girl. If you say something wrong and get into trouble, no one can protect you!"

Ever since her face was injured, even though Mingxia was poking Azhu and wanted to curse him until he bled, she knew that she was destined to be deprived of all good things.

When she suddenly heard that someone was looking for her, and that it was a noble person whom even the arrogant "Three-Eyed Ma" fawned over, she panicked.

Who in the palace still cares about her?

Who exactly is coming?

Could it be that something happened to her sister?

Amidst her anxious and confused thoughts, Mingxia was dragged along, stumbling and falling, to the front hall.

......

-----------------------

Author's Note: [Heart][Heart][Heart]