After the greetings were over, apart from Consort Zhou, Consort Chi was the first to stand up, and the new ladies-in-waiting silently made way for her.
Consort Chi paused briefly as she passed Consort Fu, her hands, stained with henna juice, making them appear even whiter and more delicate: "Consort Fu, let's go."
Huo Qinghe vaguely remembered that Consort Fu lived in a side hall of Consort Chi's Chengqian Palace.
The once arrogant Consort Fu in the side hall finally gritted her teeth and replied with a "yes" after a long while.
Consort Chi laughed wildly, her voice unrestrained: "What is this..."
She said this as she passed Huo Qinghe, and opposite her was Consort Zhou.
It's unclear whether this sentence is referring to Consort Fu, Huo Qinghe, and Consort Zhou, or perhaps it's a curse directed at them all.
After most of the high-ranking concubines had left, Huo Qinghe took Green's hand and walked out.
As soon as they stepped out of Kunning Palace, they saw Cuiqiao waiting on the palace road not far away.
This was naturally meant specifically for Huo Qinghe.
"Miss Yi said that you have been wronged today, but you shouldn't have been so reckless. If you have offended the Imperial Concubine, I'm afraid even I can't protect you."
Huo Qinghe's composure from Kunning Palace vanished. After Cuiqiao finished speaking, she showed a reprimanded expression: "I was careless. Did I cause any trouble for my elder sister?"
Cuiqiao smiled and said, "Since you are new to the palace, it would be best to inform Lady Yi beforehand to avoid any mistakes. Lady Yi sent me to deliver this message because she was worried that you might be wronged. I will take my leave now."
Huo Qinghe watched Cuiqiao leave, and then she suddenly smiled, though it was mostly sarcastic.
With her head bowed, Luyi couldn't help but say, "Consort Yi, why didn't you come in person..."
Huo Qinghe waved her hand to signal her to shut up: "There are too many people paying their respects today, and it might cause unnecessary trouble. Let's go back too."
As she finished speaking, she turned around and met Xie Guiren's gaze, which was still fixed on her from not far away.
Caught peeping, Xie nodded slightly, a hint of embarrassment in her eyes.
Huo Qinghe was somewhat surprised, but instinctively nodded politely.
She remembered that Consort Xie lived in Zhongcui Palace, and since they didn't go that way, they turned around and parted ways.
The greenery was indeed not as lush as the locust trees; as usual, we didn't encounter many people on the way back to the palace, especially as the area became increasingly remote.
However, Huo Qinghe was stopped just as she was about to reach Yanxi Palace, her steps halted by the commotion coming from behind her.
"Isn't this Little Huo?"
Huo Qinghe recognized the voice as Zhou Pin's. She turned around and saw Zhou Pin sitting on a ceremonial staff, her face covered, with the tassels in her hair swaying wildly as she spoke.
Consort Zhou had a weapon, and although she was kept in Kunning Palace for a while, she was still faster than Huo Qinghe.
Huo Qinghe first performed a proper curtsy, her eyelids slightly lowered: "May Lady Zhou enjoy boundless blessings."
"You have a nice way of speaking, so I'll let you go first." A breeze stirred Zhou Pin's veil, which she disliked as she raised her hand to press it down.
Huo Qinghe did not move: "Please go first, Your Highness. This concubine dares not overstep her bounds."
With her eyes fixed on Huo's fair and smooth face, Consort Zhou suddenly smiled: "You're more sensible than your sister. Let's go."
As Huo Qinghe moved forward with her staff, she finally looked up. Her upward gaze was perfectly positioned so that it brushed against half of Consort Zhou's face when the gentle breeze blew.
They could also clearly see the red rash on Consort Zhou's face.
It's really scary and ugly.
Huo Qinghe withdrew her gaze, and an idea immediately formed in her mind.
When she returned to Yanxi Palace, there was a loud noise of bowls and cups being smashed in the main hall. Even the hand that was supporting Huo Qinghe was startled and trembled.
As I passed by, I could vaguely hear Consort Zhou's shrill voice: "Take it all away! Where is His Majesty? I want to see His Majesty!"
Huo Qinghe returned to Yanliang Pavilion expressionlessly, seemingly ignoring what she had heard.
Green Locust only came to serve her at lunchtime: "When Madam was not here, Jinzhan kept saying that her legs were almost healed and that she wanted to come and serve Madam."
Huo Qinghe surprisingly didn't object: "Let her rest today and come serve me again tomorrow."
She couldn't possibly eliminate Jinzhan herself.
As for vying for favor, she had to keep a low profile for the time being, as her elder sister had suggested. Right now, she needed to get rid of Jinzhan and other spies, and ideally, make sure her elder sister had no reason to continue planting spies.
...
On the second day after the new concubine entered the palace, the emperor finally summoned her to his bedchamber, but it was not Consort Fu, but Consort Xie.
The Xie family background was not bad either, so it wasn't too surprising.
Huo Qinghe did not hear any of the sounds of the so-called Phoenix Spring Grace Carriage at night.
Yanxi Palace was too remote. She didn't hear the sound of the Phoenix Spring Grace carriage, but she was kept awake by the noise of Consort Zhou scolding the palace servants in the main hall.
If it were just one day, it would be fine, but for several days in a row, the main hall was in constant turmoil.
It was probably because the Emperor hadn't visited Consort Zhou for several days, while the new concubines had summoned Consort Meng and Consort Xu every other day, and Huo Qinghe had been temporarily forgotten by the Emperor.
Huo Qinghe didn't do anything for several days. With Jinzhan serving her, she would go to Xianfu Palace every other day to inform her elder sister...
Huo Qinghe pretended not to see it and showed no sign of resistance or dissatisfaction with Jinzhan's meddling in everything.
Under Jinzhan's instruction, the maids, including Lvhuai and Lvyi, all obeyed her orders, which naturally further fueled Jinzhan's arrogance.
Jinzhan also secretly kept a lot of the things that Huo Yiyun sent. Since several palace maids lived together, Luhuai and the others, who had eyes, could naturally see the extra things that Jinzhan had.
These green locust trees were all secretly discussed with Huo Qinghe.
These few green leaves hadn't yet reached the golden cup after many days, but Huo Qinghe herself remained calm: "Wait a little longer."
On the day of paying respects on the fifteenth of April, Huo Qinghe naturally brought a golden cup with her.
The Empress's main hall was large enough to accommodate all the concubines in the palace. However, according to the rules of the ancestors, only those of the rank of seventh-grade beauty or above could enter the main hall to pay their respects. Lower-ranking concubines could only stand outside the main hall to listen to the instructions.
Huo Qinghe was ranked last, and her position was naturally at the very end, which had the advantage of being inconspicuous.
More than half a month has passed, and Consort Zhou's facial injuries have not fully healed. This time, she was not late for her greetings, but she still appeared with her face covered.
Empress Xue seemed even less energetic today, and Consort Chi did most of the talking, mainly about the Dragon Boat Festival banquet next month, and then it was just casual conversation.
Huo Qinghe has not been favored by the Emperor for the past two weeks, and today she is no longer the focus. Most of the conversation revolves around Consort Zhou, who has been neglected recently, and Consort Fu, who is equally flamboyant.
After speaking for about 15 minutes, Empress Xue, feeling unwell, dismissed the conversation.
There was a lot of fighting outside Kunning Palace, and Huo Qinghe walked rather fast on the way back, almost causing Jinzhan to fall behind.
When she arrived at Yanxi Palace, she was already out of breath. Seeing Consort Zhou coming down from the procession in the distance, Huo Qinghe suddenly spoke up.
"I wonder what's wrong with Consort Zhou? She's quite worrying to see."
Jinzhan, who frequented Xianfu Palace, already knew the inside story, and had been spoiled by Huo Qinghe to the point of being lawless. At this moment, she couldn't keep her mouth shut.
"Not yet..."
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