By the time Concubine Xin was fully awake, it was already lunchtime.
Yu Pei was busy in the kitchen steaming buns and tinkering with his homemade dishes, while Wei Shuyi stayed by her side, pressing the herbs on her neck from time to time, trying to relieve her discomfort.
"Sister Yi?" Consort Xin rubbed her eyes and stared at the main entrance of Qingming Pavilion in fear. "Has the Imperial Preceptor left? He wants to kill Senior Brother!"
"Don't worry, they've all left. Taoist Yu is fine too, he's busy preparing lunch for you!"
She finally breathed a sigh of relief and lay back down. "I had originally thought that the revered Imperial Master, the Living Buddha of the Great Zhou, must have a kind heart, tolerant of all things. Who would have thought that just because my eldest brother had once refuted him, he would suffer such a devastating disaster! Isn't that too narrow-minded?"
"I've told you before that both Rong Zhaoyi and the Imperial Preceptor are targeting us at Lin'an Palace. Since we can't fight them for now, we must learn to evade them." Wei Shuyi decided to explain the stakes clearly to her. "The Imperial Preceptor simply sent someone there and tricked you into coming here. If I hadn't arrived in time, do you know what filthy pretext he would have used to frame you? It wouldn't just be Master Yu who would be punished, but you, too!"
Xinxuanshi was terrified after hearing this. "I was so worried about Senior Brother that I rushed over here... and as soon as we met, the Imperial Master stuck a needle in my neck? I didn't see it carefully, I just felt dizzy and heavy, and Senior Brother quietly punched me, and then I fell asleep."
"The Imperial Master wants to frame Yu Daoren for defiling the imperial concubine. This is a dead end. If the Emperor hears about this, he will definitely not forgive you. As for..."
"As for whether I'll lose to such a despicable trick, don't worry about me!" Yu Pei walked out with two pots in his hands and a few bowls on his head in a funny posture. "If I hadn't been so cruel and knocked you unconscious, and if you hadn't been poisoned by his aphrodisiac, who knows how ugly you would have been!"
"What?!"
Concubine Xin felt a chill: she only had admiration for Yu Pei, and thought that her senior brother was knowledgeable and capable. The fact that he was recognized by the emperor had elevated her admiration to a higher level.
"He is a Taoist after all. How could he be so obsessed with love and use such drugs?" She frowned and assured Yu Pei, "Big Brother! I have never had any romantic feelings for you! I swear! I just want you to teach me more about Taoism, nothing else!"
"I'm not that narcissistic. I'm old, injured, and walk ungainly. My face looks even more like a monster. How could a beautiful young lady like you, a government official, like me?"
Wei Shuyi helped him put away the dishes and reminded him worriedly, "Master Yu, he might come looking for trouble again in the future, or even set a trap. You must take good care of yourself!"
"I understand. Ever since I decided to stay, I knew what he would do."
"I'm in the harem, so I can't come to Qingming Pavilion to chat all the time. I'll take good care of Sister Xin." She added a few more worried instructions, "Master Yu, you'll have to rely on yourself for the most part."
"Just because Noble Yi cares about me, I'll tell you a fortune for free, right?"
"good."
"Loyalty and righteousness are fine qualities, but they shouldn't be displayed in Yonghua Palace." He turned the chopsticks. "Similarly, grief must come to an end. If you place your affection in the wrong place, you'll suffer the consequences."
After hearing this, Wei Shuyi bowed and said, "Thank you for your teachings, Taoist Yu."
Although, she still doesn't understand the meaning of it yet.
——
In the west wing of the Yanxi Palace, Zhang Da Ying was examining the scar on his arm. Sure enough, after applying the ointment, the scar had faded considerably, no longer appearing as sinuous and hideous.
Not only that, even without using incense, you can still smell a subtle fragrance all over your body. It’s really a good thing!
Seeing this, the nanny couldn't help but advise, "My lady, although I may be short-sighted, I understand that even in the palace, this thing is not available to everyone! Noble Lady Yi saw that you were injured and took the initiative to reward you with medicine. You must remember this kindness!"
"Who knows if she used this trick to deceive others?"
"Oh my dear little aunt! Don't always think the worst of people!" The nanny came over anxiously, muttering, "I understand. You suffered a lot of injustice in the mansion. But now you are in the palace, and you have the Empress to make decisions for you. If things get worse, there is also our Emperor. No one dares to bully you!"
Zhang Da Ying didn't respond, but continued to play with the exquisite medicine jar in his hand.
"My dear, did you listen to what I said?"
"Grandma Jiang, if it's really like what you said, why don't they take the initiative to befriend me?" She said with a world-weary tone, "Isn't it because they despise my family background? Besides, when a new concubine comes to the emperor's bedchamber, others get a turn at the favor twice, but what about me? It's like the emperor doesn't even remember me!"
"My lady, please don't say that! If the Emperor really had no interest in you, why did he choose you to enter the palace in the first place? Everything has its priorities. During this time, that person passed away, and Concubine Wen is pregnant. The Emperor is alone and can't handle everything!"
Zhang Da Ying was still dissatisfied. She stood up and leaned against the door frame, pointing in the direction of the east side hall. "We all live in the same palace, but others are daughters of the Minister of the Central Secretariat. They were showered with favors the moment they entered the palace and even had an heir. And me? A mere concubine's daughter who entered the palace as a substitute! They're dying to have me enter this cruel place to ward off disaster for their own daughter!"
The old nanny was so frightened that she disregarded the rules and dragged her back to the hall: "You child, are you crazy?! Be careful, there are ears on the other side of the wall!"
"There are only a few servants around here whom I don't know, and they still have time to gossip about me?" Zhang Da Ying became angrier and angrier as he thought about it. He couldn't help but lie on the table and sob. "If I had known they would humiliate me like this, I would have been rejected!"
The nanny quickly comforted him in a gentle voice. The eunuch who had been responsible for sweeping in the corner finally found an opportunity and ran to the palace next door.
Noble Lady Wen heard the news and couldn't help laughing: "Another ambitious concubine's daughter? What official position does her father hold that dares to be compared with my father?"
"I heard that she was an eighth-rank official at the Imperial College." The personal maid also scoffed disdainfully, "Could it be that Zhang Xiangying in our Yanxi Palace also dreams of transforming herself into Consort Zhang?"
"Hahaha... is she worthy?!" Noblewoman Wen tasted a berry and suddenly remembered something. "Tell me, if I could find the right opportunity to help someone like this, would she follow me wholeheartedly?"
"My dear, you want to win her over?!"
"Distant relatives are not as good as close neighbors. After all, they are from the same palace."
She left half of her words unsaid, and thinking of the farce that was about to unfold, her eyebrows and eyes turned into crescent shapes.
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