Chapter 87 Noble Son
Upon entering Yanxi Palace, A'ruo wore a cold expression and, without greeting Ruyi, headed towards the west side hall.
Anyway, the two had already fallen out. Ruyi felt that A'Ruo had betrayed her master, while A'Ruo felt that Ruyi was hindering her chances of climbing the social ladder, since she had not yet served the emperor.
A'Ruo thought Xin Yan was right; it was because the Emperor disliked Ruyi that he didn't summon her to his bedchamber.
Ruyi also disliked A'ruo. The little bit of master-servant affection had already dissipated when A'ruo became a concubine. The superficial peace was also lost because of A'ruo's constant troubles. Ruyi no longer cared about her image and was unwilling to maintain it.
After Ruyi was demoted from the main palace to a Noble Lady and no longer resided in the main palace, she no longer had a legitimate reason to punish A'Ruo. Therefore, apart from certain disagreements, the two mostly maintained a state of mutual indifference.
But today, Ruyi suddenly called out to A'Ruo.
"Wait a minute."
A'Ruo turned around, clearly not wanting to give Ruyi a chance to cause trouble, and gave a perfunctory bow, "Is there anything I can do for Consort Nala?"
Ruyi frowned, looked A'ruo up and down, and remained silent.
A'Ruo rolled her eyes silently, knowing that Ruyi had been mistreated outside and was deliberately using the formalities to torment her. So, without waiting for Ruyi to call her up, A'Ruo stood up directly, "If Consort Nara is alright, this concubine will take her leave now."
Ruyi's face turned cold. "Haven't you always wanted to serve the emperor?"
Sui Xin, who was following behind her, froze. No, is this the kind of thing that can be discussed at the palace gate?
Su Xin quickly stepped forward with a gentle smile: "Consort Shen, why don't you come back to the palace with our young mistress for a chat?"
Ruyi gave Su Xin a satisfied look. In the end, Su Xin understood her. No wonder Hongli specially sent her to her through the Empress Dowager.
"Alright," after hitting a sore spot, A'Ruo hesitated for a while before finally choosing to go back with Ruyi. "Let's see what Consort Nara has to say."
Seeing the two walking into the palace, Su Xin breathed a sigh of relief. Good, she had barely managed to save face.
Upon entering the inner hall, A'Ruo had barely sat down when she eagerly asked, "Tell me, what method does Consort Nara have to help me serve her in bed?"
Ruyi looked at her and sighed. As expected of someone born into a servant family, she was so shallow.
"What kind of look is that? What do you mean by that? Are you asking me to mock you?"
A'Ruo caught a glimpse of Ruyi's expression, and her anger flared up instantly. She was most annoyed by Ruyi's disdainful look. She was already the Emperor's concubine, no longer a servant girl. Why did Ruyi look at her like that? She immediately got up to leave.
"Be cautious and avoid haste."
At this moment, Su Xin was still playing the role of a loyal servant, and quickly stepped forward to comfort Aruo. She handed her a cup of warm tea, saying, "Shen Changzai, why don't you listen to what our young mistress has to say first?"
"snort"
A'Ruo snorted coldly, still preoccupied with the matter of serving the emperor, and sat back down, but her resentment towards Ruyi only deepened.
Ruyi curled her lips at Suxin, who returned a faint smile and then stood behind her, inwardly rolling her eyes to the heavens.
You're trying to win over Aruo, so why are you looking at her like that? Are you trying to win her over or make an enemy?
"A'Ruo, do you know which child in the palace is the most precious?"
Faced with Ruyi's question, A'Ruo was puzzled, and Su Xin became wary.
“Naturally, it’s the eldest son.” A’Ruo answered decisively. “Just look at how the Emperor made Yonglian the Crown Prince; that shows how much the Emperor values the eldest son.”
Ruyi was very unhappy to hear this, if only she didn't have no children...
With a slight downward curve at the corners of her mouth, Ruyi said inscrutably, "In this palace, the legitimate son is important, and the eldest son is also important. The Crown Prince is only valued by the Emperor because he holds the position of the eldest legitimate son."
Ruyi clenched her fists. What did she mean? Ruyi, you still want to target the Crown Prince?
"However, besides the eldest son and the legitimate son, there is another son in the palace who is quite important."
Ruyi's "wise" demeanor lured A'Ruo in, who hesitantly asked, "Is there another child?"
Ruyi glanced at A'ruo gently, "Naturally, he is a noble son, the first son after the Emperor ascended the throne."
"A precious son?" A'Ruo asked in a daze, "Isn't that the Third Prince?"
Ruyi shook her head and said disdainfully, "The Third Prince was conceived before the Emperor ascended the throne, so how can he be considered the first son after the Emperor's ascension? Xiaoqi is nothing to fear."
For a moment, Su Xin's face twisted in disbelief. "Isn't your statement contradictory? First you said she was conceived before the ascension to the throne, then you said she was a child born to a concubine. Seriously? Do you even know what a child born to a concubine means? Aren't you devoted to the Emperor? With a child born to a concubine, what about the Emperor's reputation?"
"So you mean..."
A'Ruo's heart pounded. After years of being mistress and servant, A'Ruo quickly realized the ambition in Ruyi's words.
"Isn't the Empress Dowager's intention clear in Cining Palace today?"
Ruyi wore an expression that said, "This child is hopeless." She continued, "The Empress Dowager always goes along with the Emperor's wishes. She values a son, and naturally the Emperor values a son too. If one could give birth to a son..."
A'Ruo excitedly twisted the handkerchief in her hand, no longer caring about Ruyi's gaze, "You mean... but I haven't served the emperor yet..."
"His Majesty values his offspring, and after observing mourning, he will inevitably visit the harem more often."
Ruyi glanced at her disdainfully. If she hadn't been unable to conceive, she wouldn't have thought of A'Ruo. Over the past three years, she had come to her senses. Hongli valued etiquette and didn't enter the harem during the mourning period, only sleeping in the nunnery. She had been so focused on him that she had neglected the mourning period.
Aruo is of lowly birth, but if she could give birth to a noble son and raise him to be her son's father, not only would her rank be restored, but it is also likely that with this child, she could win back Hongli's heart.
A'Ruo felt a little shy thinking of the Emperor, but she was still very nervous. "But what about the Emperor's feelings for me..."
Although she resented Ruyi for hindering her rise in rank, A'Ruo also knew in her heart that the Emperor had originally designated her as a concubine in order to spite Ruyi.
Seeing her blushing expression, Ruyi was displeased. It turned out that A'Ruo had long coveted Hongli, but for the sake of her plan, Ruyi could only endure it for the time being.
"Don't worry, I come from the imperial clan, so I naturally have ways to help you, as long as you obey me."
For the sake of serving the emperor and for the sake of the precious child, A'Ruo was naturally willing to temporarily compromise. She immediately stood up and bowed to Ruyi, saying, "I was ignorant before, but I will certainly obey Your Highness's orders from now on." As for the rest, she would deal with it after she gave birth to the precious child.
"It's good that you understand. In this harem, it is ultimately I who can protect you. I disdain Consort Jia's methods of winning people over..."
Su Xin, standing behind Ruyi, had been speechless for a long time. She didn't care about Ruyi's self-reference, nor did she care about the two former mistress and servants gossiping about the other concubines.
After racking her brains for a long time, Ruyi still couldn't figure out which sentence the Empress Dowager mentioned the precious child. Is it now the Empress Dowager's turn to take the blame for Ruyi?
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