The palace maid, dressed in palace attire, stopped in her tracks upon hearing the sound. She turned around and bowed while holding the lotus flowers.
"Your Majesty, it was His Majesty who ordered these lotus flowers to be moved to the Funing Palace. I suppose His Majesty likes them, and these lotus flowers are still in bud, so naturally they should be brought to His Majesty's presence."
They were all palace maids serving in the West Warm Pavilion, so naturally they didn't know that Huo Qinghe had sent lotus flowers yesterday. What they were saying now was mostly just their guesses.
However, she did indeed think that the lotus in her arms was very healthy.
I wonder who in the imperial court went to the trouble of finding this person; they really know how to please the emperor.
Huo Qinghe understood and didn't keep the palace maid any longer: "It's too much trouble for you to carry her. Since it's His Majesty's will, you can go now."
She smiled gently as she spoke, her eyes fixed on the lotus flowers held by the palace maid, which she seemed to like very much.
The palace maid responded and quickly withdrew.
Only after the palace maids had left did Huo Qinghe stop smiling.
Yes, yesterday she sent someone to deliver lotus flowers to the Emperor, which should have been in the Emperor's Funing Hall.
But last night, these lotus flowers appeared in the West Warm Pavilion.
This naturally leads people to think that this was a deliberate arrangement by the Emperor. If we think further, then it's something the Emperor wanted her to see.
Further down the line, Huo Qinghe could only guess that the lotus flowers she sent yesterday had indeed touched the Emperor's heart, or perhaps she had just stumbled upon something the Emperor liked; who knows, the Emperor might just like lotus flowers?
However, given the Emperor's reticent attitude last night regarding his likes and dislikes, Huo Qinghe was no longer inclined to casually inquire about the Emperor's preferences.
Huo Qinghe was lost in thought for a while, and when she looked up again, she was startled back to reality by the sound of the palace maids coming in to serve her.
Today, the person leading the group is an unfamiliar old woman.
"His Majesty said there's nothing to do today, and that you can sleep in a little longer. His Majesty held an early court session today, and he also said that if he finishes early, you can have breakfast with him."
The old woman had a flattering smile on her face when she said this.
Although the Emperor did not stay in the West Warm Pavilion last night, he was only rewarded with having breakfast with her the next day. This beauty, Huo, is the first among the new talents.
Even some of the more senior concubines in the palace might not have enjoyed such an honor.
This was certainly an honor, but Huo Qinghe had accompanied the emperor until late last night, and hearing the old nanny's smiling words now made her scalp tingle.
At this moment, Huo Qinghe's legs were trembling even just sitting on the edge of the bed, but on the surface she still had to pretend to be extremely happy.
"This, this... Granny, please don't laugh at me. How can I sleep after you said that? I'd better not sleep now..."
Right now, it's obvious that Huo Qinghe is favored, but she doesn't put on any airs whatsoever.
The old nanny laughed even harder upon hearing this: "Yes, seeing that you don't seem to be in good spirits, I've prepared some ginseng soup in the small kitchen. Please have a cup of ginseng soup to calm your nerves."
Huo Qinghe couldn't figure out what the official meant, so she just smiled and agreed to the old nanny's words.
Today, Green Cloud came to the West Warm Pavilion to serve Huo Qinghe. After drinking the ginseng soup, Huo Qinghe took a nap. The nannies helped Huo Qinghe wash and dress. After Huo Qinghe finished washing and dressing, the emperor finished his morning court session.
"His Majesty is probably still being helped by Jin Yang to change into his everyday clothes, my lady, please don't worry."
Huo Qinghe wasn't in a hurry; she was just afraid that if she arrived late, the Emperor would be displeased and angry.
This was Huo Qinghe's first time serving breakfast to an official, but having the experience of serving lunch to an official last time, she didn't make any mistakes this time.
The emperor asked her to have breakfast with him, and it turned out to be just that—mealtime.
However, halfway through breakfast, the Emperor remembered Huo Qinghe's hard work serving him the night before, and then asked Huo Qinghe to sit down.
Huo Qinghe was still hungry when she came out of Funing Palace, but thanks to the bowl of ginseng soup she had drunk earlier, she wouldn't be so hungry that she would drool while serving the dishes.
But Huo Qinghe could still see clearly that the Emperor's current attitude towards her was at most a sign of favoritism.
It wasn't even a matter of pampering.
Every time Huo Qinghe left the Funing Palace, her back ached and she felt uncomfortable. Her knees, which had only recovered a few days ago, would probably need to rest for a while longer.
Green Cloud carefully helped Huo Qinghe walk towards Yanliang Pavilion, feeling both happy and distressed.
She was so focused on helping Huo Qinghe that she didn't have time to pay attention to the reactions of the people along the way.
Huo Qinghe was always observant, and as she walked along the road, she naturally noticed that the expressions of the palace maids when they greeted the emperor were somewhat amiss.
She didn't rush to speak, but slowly returned to Yanliang Pavilion with Green Cloud's help.
...
Huo Qinghe returned to Yanliang Pavilion.
Consort Cao in Zhongcui Palace barely managed to get up, yawning.
She sat in front of the mirror with her eyes half-closed, while Zhu Shi gently put a pair of gold-inlaid jade gourd earrings on her.
These earrings were a gift from the Emperor a while ago, and Consort Cao has been wearing them very much lately.
Zhu Ting didn't come in quickly from outside, but Consort Cao, with her sharp ears, still heard her.
"What's wrong? You went to order breakfast and you're only back now? What have you been doing? How long have you kept that bitch in the West Warm Pavilion? I don't know what the Emperor likes. What does he see in her petty manners?"
Consort Cao grew angrier as she spoke, and the jade gourd earring she had just put on swayed back and forth. Seeing this, Zhu Shi quickly stopped, afraid that his mistress might hurt herself by wearing the earring in anger.
She was furious at the thought of how the Emperor had summoned Jin Yang last night and humiliated her.
She wasn't angry that the official hadn't come; she was only angry that it was Xiao Huo stirring things up in front of the official.
Zhu Ting replied, "Yes. Consort Huo, I heard that the Emperor invited Consort Huo to stay for breakfast after court. I suppose Consort Huo has already gone back by now."
No one wanted to offend Consort Cao, and Zhu Ting lowered her head very low when she replied.
Consort Cao wasn't one to sit still for long, and upon hearing the voice, she turned around abruptly: "Why is His Majesty keeping her for breakfast? Does His Majesty like her that much?"
Zhu Ting didn't dare to look up, but forced herself to continue speaking.
"I have something else to report. There are some rumors circulating in the palace today. They say that His Majesty bestowed a pair of ruby earrings upon Consort Huo yesterday."
Consort Cao frowned upon hearing this: "A ruby earring? I've never heard of such a rare item in the Imperial Treasury. What worthless thing is it that she even bothered to spread the news about? She's really short-sighted and petty."
Not everyone would think of the red jewel on the hat worn by the emperor when he conferred the title of king.
After all, that item was so rare that no one would have thought the emperor would order the ruby on the top of the official hat to be removed.
Even though Consort Cao was an old acquaintance, she could hardly have imagined it.
Zhu Ting paused for two seconds: "Yes, but I heard from the palace servants that the ruby on that earring was as big as a pigeon's egg. What you said is true, Madam..."
Consort Cao suddenly realized something halfway through her conversation.
"Help me wash and dress. I'm going to Yanliang Pavilion to see Consort Huo."
At this moment, Consort Cao already had a guess in her mind.
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