Chapter 151 Relocation of the Palace
"Greetings, Consort Zhuang. These are the things Her Majesty sent us to deliver. Her Majesty is taking care of the Princess and cannot come in person, so she asked me to convey her gratitude to Consort Zhuang for saving the Princess."
"Auntie, you're too kind."
An Lingrong reached out to help up Mo Yan, the head maid of Yanxi Palace who was sincerely thanking her, and showed a humble smile, "What Lingrong did was just her duty, there is no need for Consort Shu to go to such lengths."
"Please rest assured, Your Highness. These things are not enough to express even a fraction of Her Majesty's gratitude. It is rare to find someone as kind and virtuous as Your Highness in this palace. Her Majesty means that if Your Highness has time in the future, you may visit Yanxi Palace more often."
"Alright, thank you for your kindness, Consort Shu. I will definitely visit you when I have time."
An Lingrong no longer refused and accepted Consort Shu's kindness with a smile. Seeing her generous and open demeanor, Mo Yan was even more satisfied. She liked people who were humble but not pretentious.
After politely declining An Lingrong's offer to see him off, Mo Yan and his entourage, accompanied by An Lingrong's personal maid Zisu, left Ningxiang Residence, preparing to return to Yanxi Palace to report back.
"Go back now, no need to see me off. If Consort Zhuang encounters any difficulties in the future, you can come to Yanxi Palace to find me."
"Yes, thank you, Aunt." Zisu stood at the gate of Zhongcui Palace and obediently bowed. Seeing that Mo Yan and the others had left, she was about to go back when she happened to run into Huanbi, who was returning from collecting Zhen Huan's monthly allowance.
"Tch - flattery."
The palace gates were so large, yet Huanbi seemed oblivious to them, bumping into Zisu's shoulder as she walked in.
"Huanbi!"
Zisu was furious, clutching her shoulder, angry at both her behavior and her words.
"Oh dear, I'm sorry I bumped into you. I apologize, okay? Becoming a noble lady's maid certainly makes you much more precious."
It seemed like an apology, but it was actually sarcastic. Huanbi rolled her eyes dismissively and flicked her handkerchief perfunctorily.
“You…” Zisu was never one to mince words, but she was so angry that her eyes turned red, and she glared at Huanbi hatefully.
"I've already apologized, why are you still looking at me like that? Do you really think that just because you've become a noble lady's maid, you're something special? Everyone knows how your mistress, An... rose to such a rank, from sparrow to phoenix, dream on."
Huanbi glared at Zisu, then flicked her handkerchief and left, her back view radiating arrogance. Zisu trembled with anger, but considering An Lingrong's thoughts and her own inarticulateness, she could only watch helplessly as Huanbi walked away.
Wiping away her tears, she swallowed her anger and went back to complain.
Outside Zhongcui Palace, upon seeing Huanbi, Mo Yan suddenly remembered some rumors he had heard before. He stopped and sent a eunuch back to the door to investigate. The eunuch overheard the entire exchange between the two, or rather, Huanbi's one-sided account.
"Bang!"
"What's wrong?" Zhen Huan leaned against the headboard, still looking unwell. Seeing Huan Bi storm in and slam the moon silver on the table, she asked with concern.
“Your Highness…” Huanbi looked at Zhen Huan, appearing very aggrieved, “You have no idea how arrogant that Zisu is. I accidentally bumped into her when I came back, and I apologized, but she still wouldn’t let it go. She’s not as obedient as before. If you ask me, it must be because Consort An has become too arrogant after gaining power that even the palace maids around her are so rude.”
"Alright, it was just a little argument."
Zhen Huan knew that Huan Bi must have been hiding some information that was detrimental to her. Even so, when she fell into disgrace because of Consort Wan's actions, An Lingrong suddenly rose to prominence and surpassed her to become a Consort, which naturally left her with some resentment.
"Lingrong... has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel, so don't talk nonsense. Prepare a congratulatory gift for her promotion."
"Your Highness is too kind. You used to take such good care of Consort An. Now that she has gained power, she hasn't come to visit you or expressed any gratitude for your help."
Huanbi was full of resentment, completely forgetting that it was because Zhen Huan was bothered by the rumors and didn't want to see anyone recently that An Lingrong hadn't come to visit. However, she had always looked down on An Lingrong's background, and seeing her suddenly promoted, Huanbi felt very resentful, mixed with some indignation and jealousy that she herself couldn't understand.
"You dare to say anything now, I can't order you around anymore. Liu Zhu, go."
Zhen Huan felt somewhat embarrassed and annoyed, unsure whether she genuinely thought Huan Bi was right, or if she was feeling resentful because the person she used to need to take care of had suddenly become more powerful than her.
"My lady, I was wrong. I won't say anything more. I was just upset for you..."
While Huanbi was kneeling before Zhen Huan's bed, pleading her case, Mo Yan returned to Yanxi Palace, composed herself, and made sure she hadn't brought any dirt or grime with her before quietly entering the inner hall.
At this moment, Consort Shu, Song Wan'er, was sitting by the bedside, quietly watching over the sleeping Bulhe. Seeing the healthy rosy complexion on her daughter's face, Song Wan'er felt much relieved, but she still couldn't bear to look away.
"Your Majesty." Mo Yan stepped forward and bowed softly.
"You're back. How was it?"
Song Wan'er reached out and tucked the blanket around Bu'er, then turned to look at Mo Yan.
"Consort Zhuang accepted the gift and said she would come to visit later."
"That's good. Bu'erhe is my life. Consort Zhuang saved her, so she is my benefactor. No amount of repayment is too much. Mo Yan, is there anything else I can do to help her?"
Song Wan'er was filled with gratitude towards An Lingrong and was eager to repay her. Meanwhile, Mo Yan, who was standing to the side, recalled the conversation he had overheard before leaving and some information he had previously gathered, and an idea came to him.
"Your Majesty, I'm thinking, how about we move Consort Zhuang to Yanxi Palace?"
"Moved to another palace?" Song Wan'er was somewhat surprised, but she quickly thought of another person in Zhongcui Palace. "Could it be that Consort Wan bullied her? Aren't they on good terms?"
Mo Yan nodded. In her opinion, without the master's permission, how could a mere palace maid like Huanbi dare to speak so recklessly?
"Your Majesty, you previously instructed me to investigate what difficulties Consort Zhuang might be facing. I discovered that the maidservants serving Consort Wan often disrespected Consort Zhuang. However, remembering what I had heard about the affection between the two, I didn't say much at the time. Until today, before I left..."
Mo Yan recounted Huanbi's words and actions, which made Song Wan'er so angry that her face turned red. "How dare you! What a palace maid who twists the truth! Could it be that Consort Wan also can't stand to see Consort Zhuang promoted?"
"That's what I think too. Consort Zhuang is kind-hearted and considerate of Consort Wan's kindness, so she's always tolerant. But I don't think Consort Wan is very sincere. Otherwise, she wouldn't have let the palace maids bully Consort Zhuang."
Furthermore, when it comes to genuine care, Consort Hui is more sincere. While Consort Wan clearly shares a palace with Consort Zhuang and knows Consort Zhuang hasn't yet served the Emperor, every time the Emperor goes to the palace, the maid Huanbi treats Consort Zhuang like a thief. This is probably why Consort Zhuang dislikes going out.
Upon hearing this, Song Wan'er frowned deeply. Although she didn't insist that Zhen Huan share the emperor's favor, guarding against someone else gaining favor made their sisterly bond seem too fake.
Song Wan'er naturally didn't want her benefactor to be humiliated. But she was worried about whether An Lingrong would agree, and besides, there were already two concubines in Yanxi Palace, so she didn't know if the Empress would approve.
"I would be happy to, but I don't know what Consort Zhuang thinks?"
"I will secretly send someone to inquire. If Consort Zhuang agrees, all will be well. If Consort Zhuang is not interested, I will not let anyone else know."
Hearing Mo Yan say this, Song Wan'er nodded. Soon, an inconspicuous palace maid approached An Lingrong with Song Wan'er's good intentions.
An Lingrong, on the one hand, was not a lowly person and naturally did not want to stay and suffer Huanbi's humiliation. On the other hand, after noticing the slight resemblance between Zhen Huan and Huanbi's features, she was also eager to get away from this trouble that could erupt at any moment.
Therefore, Consort Shu's invitation was like sending charcoal in snowy weather, and she accepted it without hesitation.
Upon receiving the news, Song Wan'er immediately set off for Jingren Palace to plead with Yixiu. Yixiu had a good impression of An Lingrong, the young noblewoman who had saved the princess and prevented her from suffering too much trouble. Therefore, without Song Wan'er having to say much, she readily agreed.
Therefore, An Lingrong was able to move into the left hall of Yanxi Palace without any trouble.
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