"You seem a bit distracted these past two days. If you're not serving the Emperor well, you should go somewhere else to calm down."
At the door of the room, the nanny who had been waiting there saw Cheng Lin come out with a teacup, took it from her, and didn't forget to say a few words of advice.
It wasn't that the nanny was deliberately causing trouble. Although Cheng Lin received a lot of attention when she was brought back, the Emperor didn't actually put her in the Emperor's presence to serve him. He just had her do odd jobs in the tea room.
Cheng Lin endured a rather difficult initial period, and by relying on her sweet talk and relationship with Uya, she successfully built up some connections in the Qianqing Palace.
The old woman's reminder was partly well-intentioned but also partly self-serving. After all, if anything delivered to the Emperor went wrong, those of them who handled it would face severe punishment.
"Don't worry, Granny, I understand the purpose of your visit and I won't neglect one aspect for another."
Cheng Lin quickly spoke up, while feigning sadness. After all, the matter of the Wuya family had become widely known, and as a member of the Wuya family, she had to show her support.
“You, sigh, you’ve had it tough too,” the old nanny, having been in the palace for many years, knew exactly why Uya was in trouble. However, these were not things a servant like her could say. “Think it over carefully. Only if you stand firm will you have a chance.”
After saying that, the old woman patted Cheng Lin on the shoulder, turned around and left with the tray.
Cheng Lin watched the other person walk away and was about to close the door when a young eunuch came from a distance and called out to her.
"His Majesty wants to drink soup. I've heard you're very good at making soup. Go to the small kitchen and prepare it."
It was a rather abrupt and seemingly unrelated sentence, but Cheng Lin couldn't afford to be careless. She quickly replied with a "Yes," and then carefully closed the door to the tea room before hurrying towards the small kitchen.
"Eunuch, has His Majesty said when he wants to drink?" Cheng Lin caught up with the young eunuch, raising a smile as she asked.
“The Emperor didn’t say,” the little eunuch looked Cheng Lin up and down, his tone displeased, “Just do what I told you to do, why are you making so many excuses?”
If there is a delay and the Emperor is displeased, I will go and apologize to Lord Liang myself.
After saying that, the little eunuch snorted and deliberately bumped into Cheng Lin as he walked past her.
Caught off guard, Cheng Lin stumbled from the impact and fell to the ground.
"Ugh, why are people like this?"
The people from the small kitchen ran out and helped Cheng Lin up, asking her how she was doing.
Cheng Lin shook her head blankly, and slipped the extra letter into her sleeve from where the other person couldn't see her. "It's nothing, he's probably in a hurry. Don't wait here, His Majesty wants some soup, I'll go prepare it."
The soup took quite a while to simmer, and Cheng Lin was busy in the small kitchen for a long time before leaving.
By the time we entered, it was already pitch black.
Exhausted and hungry, Cheng Lin did not rest. Instead, she locked the door and opened the letter that had been put into her sleeve that morning.
The letter's cover bore a sentence that made her suppress her emotions.
Cheng Lin remained expressionless as she opened the envelope by the candlelight in front of the octagonal table, took out the contents, and carefully read through them.
"Phew, so Grandfather had foreseen this all along. Thank goodness."
Cheng Lin finally breathed a sigh of relief after suppressing her emotions for so long. She patted her chest and then burned the letter in her hand to destroy the evidence.
The letter was brief but contained a wealth of information, including the connections that Uya had left for Cheng Lin, ensuring her safety in the palace even without Uya Esen.
“Grandfather is right. The most important thing right now is to keep a low profile and draw all attention away from me before we can take any further action.”
Clenching her fists, Wu Yachenglin roused herself and decided to follow her grandfather's advice: to plan big things and prioritize patience.
...
April, the sun is shining brightly.
"Stop the sedan chair"
Upon exiting Shou Kang Palace, Xiu Ning saw that the flowers in the Imperial Garden were in full bloom, so she simply waved and got out of the sedan chair.
Chunyu, supporting Xiuning's arm, said, "My lady..."
"You can go back now, there's no need to wait."
Xiuning turned to the eunuchs carrying the sedan chair and spoke to them, then called Chunyu to go for a stroll in the Imperial Garden with her.
Chunyu, while helping Xiuning walk inside, reminded her to be careful.
"It's not as dangerous as you say," she said. Besides, she wasn't pregnant, so even if she bumped or bruised herself, it wouldn't be a big deal.
Chunyu felt that she still had to be careful. "Consort Nara fell badly and I heard that her appearance was damaged."
And since it was quite hot at that time, the ointment wouldn't heal easily.
When Chunyu mentioned Consort Nara, Xiuning felt that this person was also an unlucky fellow.
I don't know if it was intentional revenge, but Consort Nara has had a very difficult time in the last two months.
How unlucky is it? When I go out for a walk, I get bumped into for no reason and then I fall and get injured.
Just like Chunyu mentioned, her appearance is damaged. She bumped her face while walking. I don't know how serious it is, but she hasn't been able to come out to pay her respects for several days.
“How many of these concubines in the harem are Nara concubines?” Xiu Ning shook her head, but slowed her pace, showing that she was willing to listen to advice.
After turning a corner and walking through a passageway, Xiuning saw the apricot grove with its petals almost falling.
This apricot tree is for ornamental purposes; the fruit it bears is not edible.
Whether she has something to do or not, Xiuning often comes to this apricot grove to stroll and sit, relaxing her mind.
Today was no different. Thinking that there was nothing to do back at the palace, Xiuning came to the Imperial Garden.
"It's quieter here. Ider has been quite lively lately."
Xiuning sat on the clean steps, unable to resist complaining about her increasingly unruly son.
Perhaps it's because the weather is warm and she's wearing fewer clothes, but every day when Idel wakes up, she either babbles or cries. Even though Xiuning is her biological mother, she can't stand the child's fussing, so she has to run away to find some peace and quiet.
Listening to her master's complaints, Chunyu couldn't help but smile. "The little prince is so lively, it's all because you've raised him so well."
Everything they eat and use is exquisite and meticulous, even the Emperor praised it when he came.
“If a child is raised well, he will have a lot of energy and can cause a lot of trouble,” Xiu Ning thought that it was not a good thing for a child to be too lively, as it would at least reduce the amount of time she could freely arrange.
Of course, this is not a sign of disdain; in fact, others might even envy Idel's liveliness.
Xiuning and Chunyu chatted, occasionally bringing up some gossip about the harem. They were all things they were willing to talk about without fear of being overheard, since they were still outside and had to consider the surrounding situation.
"Consort Nara, what do you mean? It's one thing to not properly greet me, but now you're leaving without even saying hello. Have you forgotten the proper etiquette of respect over time?"
A sharp, shrill female voice came from afar. Xiu Ning was startled and looked at Chun Yu beside her. "Go and see which colleague is throwing a tantrum in the Imperial Garden this time."
Chunyu nodded and started to walk out. Just then, a voice came again, "...Your Highness, no...I, ah!"
Xiuning: !!!
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