Chapter 238 You are sincere to the Queen
Bai Yuxin's heart suddenly tightened, and her pretty face turned slightly pale.
After a while, she lowered her head and smiled faintly, then replied, "I would like to ask the Empress Dowager what you mean by this..."
She lowered her head, making it impossible to see her features. Only her white, pointed jaw could be seen.
Empress Dowager Jiang laughed, picked up the pastel-colored porcelain bowl of Plum and Willow Tea, and took a sip. She didn't rush to answer, but instead said to Zang Xiu, who was standing by her side, "I guess my tongue isn't very flexible with age. Why does this Queshe Bud Tea, which was only harvested this year, taste so stale?"
A hint of surprise crossed Zang Xiu's face. She turned and quickly walked over to a small black lacquer-inlaid, mother-of-pearl double-sided cupboard, opened it, and took out a small jar with a plum-green ice pattern. She lifted the lid and sniffed it, her expression changing immediately. She quickly put down the item in her hand and bowed, saying, "It was my negligence that led to such a theft in Shoukang Palace."
Empress Dowager Jiang put down the tea bowl in her hand and smiled slightly, "So, I am not old enough to be blind and deaf, to be deceived by others, and still be ignorant and unconscious."
As soon as the words fell, Zang Xiu knelt down and said, "I am guilty, and I will accept your punishment, Madam."
Although Zang Xiu was a few years younger than the empress dowager, she was over fifty years old. Her bun, decorated with grass insects, was interspersed with strands of silver threads. The sunlight shone through the moon-white cicada-wing gauze window and fell on her aunt's head, making it appear grayish-white.
Seeing this, Bai Yuxin felt her knees go weak and she knelt down as well.
The room was completely silent for a moment. There were three or five palace maids standing at the inner and outer doors, but no coughing could be heard. Only the sounds of Princess He An and the young lady from the Liu family playing and laughing could be heard from the courtyard.
Bai Yuxin knelt on the bluestone floor tiles carved with lotus flowers. The heating in the palace had been turned off long ago in late April. The coolness of the stone tiles kept coming through her thin silk pants, and fine beads of sweat oozed out of her neck.
Those years of chanting before the Buddha seemed to have utterly eroded Empress Dowager Jiang's aura. Even the slightest hint of her edge intimidated everyone. She was still the same empress dowager who had spent half her life in decisive battles and dominated the world.
I don't know how long it took, maybe a cup of tea, or a stick of incense, or maybe a meal, until Bai Yuxin's legs became numb from kneeling and her knees were in unbearable pain, and then she heard a clanging sound from above.
It turned out that Empress Dowager Jiang took off the Jianan bracelet on her left wrist and placed it on the kang table.
She finally spoke, "I never blamed you, why are you kneeling?"
The voice was slow and calm, and one could not tell whether the Empress Dowager was happy or angry.
Bai Yuxin suppressed her fear and replied in a trembling voice, "To answer... the Empress Dowager, I am now in charge of the palace by the Empress's decree. The theft occurred in Shoukang Palace. It was my fault. Please punish me, Empress Dowager."
Empress Dowager Jiang chuckled and said, "Raise your head and let me take a closer look at you."
Bai Yuxin had no choice but to raise her face as she was told, but her eyes remained drooping, not daring to meet the empress dowager's sharp eyes.
Empress Dowager Jiang narrowed her eyes and carefully examined her eyebrows, eyes, mouth and nose. She raised her hand and touched her cheek, then smiled and said, "Her eyebrows and eyes are ordinary, not as beautiful as the Queen's. She is a girl with delicate skin and tender flesh."
Bai Yuxin didn't know what the Queen Mother meant, so she carefully chose her words and replied, "I am ugly, how can I be compared with the Queen?"
Empress Dowager Jiang smiled and said, "You are an honest child. Let me see your hands again."
Bai Yuxin became more and more confused, but she still extended her hand to the empress dowager.
Empress Dowager Jiang held her hand, examined it carefully, and said, "Those are the hands of a skilled worker. Was the embroidered portrait of Guanyin that I embroidered for my birthday banquet made by you yourself?"
"Your Majesty, it was the Empress, who was still the Imperial Concubine at the time, who was holding the needle. I was merely assisting..."
Before she could finish her words, she was interrupted by Empress Dowager Jiang's loud laughter.
Empress Dowager Jiang nearly cried with laughter. She wiped her eyes and said, "Oh, stop playing dumb for her. I know Yan's needlework very well. If she dares to claim second place in this palace, then no one can claim first place."
The Empress Dowager's smile diluted the heavy atmosphere in the room, and everyone felt a little relieved.
Empress Dowager Jiang laughed a few times, then looked Bai Yuxin straight in the eye and said calmly, "You don't have to be so frightened. I am sincerely praising your exquisite needlework."
Bai Yuxin lowered her head and said softly, "Yes."
Empress Dowager Jiang continued, "Back then, when Miss Yan brought you to present that embroidered portrait to me, I understood its meaning. In the past, mutual recommendations and promotions were common in this palace, and it wasn't unusual. But ever since the birthday banquet, you've disappeared without a trace. Even now, when you frequently come to pay your respects to me, you stick to your duties and never ask me to bring you to the Emperor. I've been in this palace for decades, and I've seen all sorts of faces and minds. But I'm a little confused as to what you're thinking, child."
Bai Yuxin's lips trembled slightly, and after a moment she replied, "Your Highness the Queen Mother, I... I only wish to serve Her Highness the Queen and live a peaceful life in the palace."
Queen Mother Jiang's expression remained calm, but her eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you really mean what I said?"
Bai Yuxin bit her lip and said, "Yes, I dare not deceive the Empress Dowager." She bowed her head and said word by word, "I, a humble concubine, have been chosen to enter the palace. This is already a great blessing from heaven, and I am deeply grateful. How could I dare to harbor any more improper thoughts? For the rest of my life, I only wish to accompany and serve the Empress, and I ask for nothing more."
Empress Dowager Jiang raised her lips slightly, "You are indeed infatuated and loyal to the Queen. However, there is no room for useless people in the palace."
Bai Yuxin lay on the ground, not saying a word, almost biting her lips until they bled.
Empress Dowager Jiang looked at her thin back, sighed, and nodded slightly, "You should get up and answer."
Bai Yuxin obeyed the order, but when she was about to stand up, she was shocked to find her legs were numb, swollen and painful, and she couldn't move at all.
Seeing this, Empress Dowager Jiang glanced at Zang Xiu.
Zang Xiu stood up and stepped forward to support her. Bai Yuxin leaned on her aunt's arm and managed to stand up. Her face pale as she apologized to the Queen Mother, "Please forgive my impoliteness, Queen Mother."
"There's no need to say any more empty words." Empress Dowager Jiang waved her hand. "I don't blame you for the tea thief incident today. After all, there's someone in charge in the palace..."
Bai Yu was worried that the Empress Dowager would vent her anger on the Empress, so she ignored all palace rules and said, "The Empress is pregnant and has no time to take care of other things. I am the one who takes care of all the miscellaneous affairs in the palace. It's all my fault..."
Before she could finish her words, Zang Xiu, who was holding her, hurriedly said, "Lady Bai, this is against the rules."
Empress Dowager Jiang smiled slightly, and her eyes looked at her with a little more kindness. "You are still somewhat sincere towards the Queen. You don't have to worry. I don't blame you, nor will I blame the Queen."
After saying this, she added sternly, "I'm only using today's incident to warn you that in this palace, apart from the emperor's favor, everything else is illusory. Whether you manage palace affairs for the empress is good or not is secondary. If you're doing well, it's just to keep the palace peaceful. If anyone tries to make trouble, like today's tea disaster, it will not only hurt you but also implicate the empress. If you can maintain some favor with the emperor, you can still save yourself. If not, you'll have to force the empress to save you. Is this the situation you envision?"
Bai Yuxin heard the empress dowager's hidden meaning and was horrified.
Just as she was about to say something, Empress Dowager Jiang picked up the Jianan bracelet on the kang table and put it on her with her own hands.
"This bracelet was given to me by the abbot of Nan'an Temple when I accompanied the late emperor to Xituo Mountain for the Fengshan ceremony. I have never taken it off in all these years. Seeing that you are a child with wisdom and talent, I gave it to you."
Bai Yuxin became increasingly anxious and uneasy, trying to find an excuse to refuse, but Zang Xiu, standing beside her, pinched her arm and said, "Lady Bai, you have received the Queen Mother's reward, you should be grateful."
Empress Dowager Jiang waved her hand and said, "No need. I'm tired. You can leave. There's no need to bring the two little girls outside into this room. Send them to Changchun Palace. I want to lie down." As she spoke, a look of fatigue appeared on her face.
Seeing that the empress dowager had ordered them to leave, Bai Yuxin didn't know how to respond, so she had to do as she was told and leave Shoukang Palace.
After she left, Zang Xiu ordered the palace maid to come in and clear the teacups. She then stood beside the Empress Dowager and asked softly, "Empress Dowager, are you...looking after Concubine Bai?"
Empress Dowager Jiang closed her eyes slightly, supporting her forehead with one hand as she spoke slowly, "I've observed her coldly these past few days, and I've found her sincere devotion to the Empress. Although I'm old, I still have some insight. Furthermore, she comes from a humble background, and her mother's family has no significant influence. Even if she gives birth to a prince or princess in the future, the consequences will be limited. All I can do is wholeheartedly assist the Empress."
Seeing the empress dowager's weariness, Zang Xiu followed her old habit and placed a plum blossom cake into the gilded copper double-handled incense burner on the windowsill. She then tentatively said, "However, considering the relationship between the emperor and the empress, I may not be willing. After all, ever since the time of the crown prince, the emperor has refused to take anyone else."
"mutual affection!"
Empress Dowager Jiang sighed heavily, her slightly opened eyes filled with a deep and distant light. "Let alone in this palace, even in the mundane world, how many couples can withstand the test of time? They are the most unreliable things. I am old, and while I can still earn money, I should leave a reliable person by Yan's side. Two people are always better than one."
Zang Xiu knew the Empress Dowager was worried, so she lowered her eyebrows and smiled, changing the subject, "Your Highness truly loves the Empress from the bottom of her heart. Such a mother-in-law is probably rare in the world, and I wonder how many daughters-in-law envy her."
The corners of Empress Dowager Jiang's lips sank, forming deep lines. "Back then, she was Hao'er's sweetheart. If she wasn't happy, Hao'er would be unhappy too. And she was such a lovely girl, so naturally, I loved her even more. Now, I've made her empress, and she's pregnant with the heir. It's the Great Zhou's foundation that I want to protect. Haven't you seen these past two days? Those officials at court have become restless again, submitting memorials and clamoring for a new selection. Having a few more women in the palace isn't a big deal; the Emperor and the Empress are fine for now. But in the future, when I'm not around, who knows what the situation will be like in the palace, what the Emperor's thoughts will be like? There's no guarantee that a fight for the throne will arise."
Zang Xiu's heart trembled, and she hurriedly advised, "That's all in the past, Your Majesty, don't keep it in your heart. From what I've seen, although the Emperor and the late Emperor are father and son, their personalities are very different. He is a man of deep affection and will certainly not repeat the late Emperor's mistakes."
"Who knows what will happen in the future? Even I won't be able to see it."
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