Chapter 21 Consort Hui's Disposal
A group of people knelt in front of the main hall of Chengqian Palace.
Consort Tong's gaze swept coldly over them, her voice still clear in the cold wind, "Li Delu."
The head eunuch kneeling at the front stiffened, his expression somewhat obsequious, "This servant is here."
As the head eunuch, Li Delu managed all the eunuchs and daily affairs of Chengqian Palace.
"Who was on duty last night when His Majesty rested in the side hall?"
Despite the cold winter months, Li Delu broke out in a fine sweat and hurriedly replied, "Your Majesty, yesterday the guards outside the side hall were the young eunuch Xiao Qianzi and Consort Wuya. Consort Wuya said she wanted to add tea to the side hall, so she went inside."
Uya agreed that as a palace maid, she would be a second-class tea maid, and serving tea in the side hall was a perfectly reasonable thing to do.
"Add tea?" Consort Tong sneered. "The Emperor is in the side hall. When did it become the place of a second-class palace maid to add tea?"
The main hall was only a few dozen steps away from the side hall. If someone wanted more tea, her attendants would do it. When would it be the turn of a second-class tea maid like Wuya to eagerly approach the emperor?
When your master is angry, everything you say is wrong.
Li Delu could only kowtow.
The palace maid's problem is indeed none of his business.
Fortunately, Consort Tong quickly remembered another person in charge—the head maid who was kneeling in the front row with Li Delu.
She gave him a cold look and said, "I don't think you're doing your job as a head maid very well."
The head palace maids also had ranks; at least in principle, a second-rank palace maid was under her jurisdiction.
The head maid protested her innocence, "Your Majesty, please understand! On the surface, Wuya did not violate any rules at all! She is a tea maid, and serving tea is in accordance with the rules. The Emperor has taken a liking to her; that is His Majesty's will. This servant simply could not control her!"
That's true.
According to palace rules, it was only proper for the palace maids in the tea room to serve the emperor tea; it was their job.
Uya did not trespass or do anything out of line, so even if someone wanted to investigate afterward, they couldn't find anything wrong with her.
But it was precisely this impeccable quality that made Consort Tong even angrier.
A seemingly honest and dutiful palace maid, at the most crucial moment, did the most proper thing, and in the end, she stepped on the emperor's face to gain favor and be promoted in rank.
Moreover, she herself requested to be promoted to the rank of second-class palace maid!
The head palace maid still wanted to argue.
She never expected that the seemingly honest Uya would do such a thing!
“Li Delu, as the chief eunuch, you have failed in your supervisory duties, allowing unauthorized persons to approach the Emperor at will. You shall be fined three months’ salary and given twenty strokes of the cane.”
Li Delu kowtowed, a sense of relief flashing through his mind.
Twenty strokes of the cane wouldn't break his bones, and he could still serve in Chengqian Palace. But if the Imperial Concubine completely rejected him, then he would truly have no way out.
Unlike palace maids, eunuchs cannot serve people closely. Although he is now addressed as "Grandpa" and "Grandpa" by his subordinates, if he were to lose his status as the head eunuch, no one would pay him any attention, no matter how much he tries to please them.
"As for you," Consort Tong looked at the head maid, thoroughly annoyed by her attempt to shirk responsibility.
She couldn't control what she meant by "it's all the will of the emperor."
Is it still the Emperor's fault?
“You are in charge of the palace maids, yet you can’t even see through the thoughts of your subordinates. You allow her to curry favor with the emperor, and you have failed in your duty of discipline. Go back to the Imperial Household Department.”
The head maid's face turned deathly pale instantly.
After being sent back to the Imperial Household Department by the Imperial Concubine, what good place could she go? She could only go to places like the Laundry Bureau of the Laundry Department.
She wanted to beg for mercy, but when she met Consort Tong's cold gaze, she swallowed her words and could only kowtow heavily: "Thank you for your grace, Your Majesty."
Having dealt with the main person in charge, and made an example of him, Consort Tong glanced at the remaining palace servants and sneered, "Wu Ya agreed to serve the Emperor, that's her good fortune, but not everyone has that kind of good fortune."
"Don't have any improper thoughts. If it happens again, you'll all be sent to the Department of Cautious Punishment."
This whole ordeal, which lasted less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, spread like wildfire throughout the palaces after the Imperial Concubine had dealt with the palace maids.
It also drifted into Uya's ears.
She was placed in the most remote corner of Chengqian Palace by Consort Tong.
The furnishings inside the room were very old. Even in the cold winter, there was only a thin cotton quilt on the bed, which looked stiff and was not even as good as when she was a palace maid.
The only slightly better thing is that she's the only concubine in Chengqian Palace, so she can live alone.
Unfortunately, the palace maid assigned to serve her was the very one she had taken over the task of making tea.
Already harboring old grudges, Chunxiang was no politeness to Wuya at this moment, leaning against the doorway in a sarcastic tone, "Look, isn't this Wuya, who has climbed up the social ladder? What, the tea room isn't enough for you, so you've set your sights on the emperor's bed?"
"So what if you become a concubine? Look at your treatment," Chunxiang blatantly looked around the room and clicked her tongue. "I'm afraid it's not even as good as when you were a palace maid."
Chunxiang had some complaints about Uya's agreement.
You can tell from her name, Chunxiang, which starts with the same character as Chunzhi, and she was also a candidate for first-class palace maid.
She took the name of the palace maid who left the palace before her. If she waited a year or two, she would eventually become a first-class palace maid serving the Imperial Concubine.
However, Wuya intervened and she became a third-class palace maid.
The treatment there didn't just plummet from heaven to earth, but it wasn't that much different either.
The most important thing for a first-class palace maid is not her monthly salary, but that she can serve her master closely; the majority of her income comes from the master's rewards.
Furthermore, when a first-class palace maid who gained favor left the palace, she would receive a dowry prepared by her master, which served as a guarantee for her after leaving the palace.
She had a bright future ahead of her, but Uya's promise ruined it all.
Unfortunately, she later ended up in the emperor's bed, which made Chunxiang even more resentful.
Since you've already decided to climb into the emperor's bed, why are you trying to steal my job?
Originally, your tea was brewed so well that it won the favor of the imperial concubine, so she accepted that she was simply less skilled than you.
But what she valued so much was just a stepping stone in Wuya's eyes.
She ruined her!
Seeing that Wuya agreed to remain silent in a cowardly manner, Chunxiang snorted coldly, "I'd like to see what kind of good life you can live with this rank of 'Consort'."
Chunxiang completely disregarded Uya's agreement.
Having offended the Imperial Concubine in Chengqian Palace, this concubine is unlikely to have a good time.
She still had to go and exert herself to Sister Chunzhi, because anyone who wanted to serve her was destined to have a bad end.
Chunxiang glared at Wuya one last time, deliberately slammed the door shut, and hurriedly left.
-
It was getting late when Baoqing returned to Yanxi Palace.
Having had a pleasant day, Baoqing was so happy that he forgot that his nanny would report his day's events to his mother.
So after dinner, he was questioned by his mother.
Why not before dinner?
Yunyun believes that dining is a joyful experience and should be enjoyed in a good mood.
As for finishing eating.
Mood doesn't matter anymore.
Yun Jun held the warm teacup in her hands, her tone devoid of any interrogation, as if engaging in casual conversation: "Baoqing, did you have a good time out today?"
"So happy!" Bao Qing beamed, recounting the day's events. "I had a lot of fun playing with toys with my little brother, the Crown Prince. I also had a great time watching the ice skating this afternoon. Those guards were amazing; they could do somersaults on the ice!"
As she spoke, Baoqing gestured excitedly, looking at her with expectant eyes, "Mother, next time we go ice skating, shall we go together?"
"Alright," Yun Jun smiled and ruffled his hair, then changed the subject, her tone still gentle, "But Baoqing, besides playing with toys and watching ice skating with the Crown Prince, did anything else interesting happen today?"
Bao Qing selectively forgot about sneaking away during the day, shaking his head, "No, that's all."
"Is there really nothing left?"
Faced with her mother's gentle smile, Baoqing lowered her head, a hint of guilt barely perceptible in her voice: "No, not at all."
The old woman couldn't find him.
Moreover, he was caught by the crown prince's younger brother's uncle while trying to escape, and he didn't get very far at all.
In Baoqing's mind, this was not a successful sneak-out.
“But Mother heard that Baoqing secretly slipped away from the nanny today,” Yunyun’s smile remained gentle. “So, Baoqing, can you tell Mother why you slipped away from the nanny?”
Yunyun hadn't really intended to make a fuss about it.
It's normal for children to be naughty; their occasional whimsical ideas should be tolerated.
Baoqing is considered a very well-behaved child; he has never caused any trouble.
But lying is not allowed.
In particular, his lying skills are clearly inadequate.
Baoqing looked up, her ears instantly turning red as she saw her mother's smiling eyes, and her voice even became softer, "How did you know, Mother?"
I've heard that children tattle, but I never knew adults would do that.
Did Father Emperor tell Mother?
Baoqing was a little angry; her father was too mean.
Yunyun denied his guess, "It was Granny Sun who told Mother."
How could it be Granny Sun?
Baoqing stared wide-eyed at Granny Sun with disbelief.
Didn't the nanny notice that he had sneaked away?
In Baoqing's mind, Granny Sun knew that his presence with the Emperor meant that Granny Sun believed he hadn't sneaked away.
The wonderful logic of children.
But now that my mother has found out, what should I do?
Baoqing felt a little wronged.
He thought the matter was over, but he never expected that the nanny would tell his mother everything, and he never expected that his mother would specifically bring it up and ask about it.
Yunyun asked again, "Can Baoqing tell Mother why she wants to get rid of the nanny?"
When her mother found out, Baoqing's attitude in admitting her mistake was quite sincere: "Because I wanted to go out and play, but I knew that my nanny wouldn't agree."
Yunyun patiently persuaded, "Why wouldn't the nanny agree?"
“Because it’s cold outside, I’ll get sick if I go out to play,” Baoqing said, looking aggrieved.
He knew he couldn't, but he just wanted to go out and have fun.
Children also have a heart that yearns for freedom.
Yunyun coaxed him, "But Baoqing shook off the nanny and ran away on his own. The nanny will worry if she can't find Baoqing. If he gets sick, Mother will worry too."
"You can't shake off Granny next time, understand?"
"Understood," Baoqing nodded.
"Is it possible for Baoqing to not eat pea flour cakes until New Year's Eve?"
It just so happens that Baoqing has been eating too many sweets these days, so this is a good opportunity to limit her intake.
Baoqing knew she had done something wrong, so she didn't make a fuss and obediently accepted the small punishment, saying, "I understand, Mother."
He keeps his word.
Seeing his appearance, Yun Jun's heart softened, but she didn't give in. Children need to know that they should accept punishment for making mistakes.
"Alright, it's getting late," Yunyun gently pushed Baoqing away and straightened his clothes. "Let the nanny take you to wash up and go to bed early."
A note from the author:
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