Chapter 9: A Feud
Qiuxia's face was immediately filled with worry when she heard this: "She has Empress Xiuyi behind her? What should we do?"
Lian Qiao didn't really care. "Who cares? Our young lady has His Majesty's support. Why should we be afraid of a mere talent and a concubine?"
Jiang Yingli is not as pessimistic as Qiuxia, but not as optimistic as Lianqiao either.
Xiuyi, you are just one step away from being the head of the nine concubines.
Her surname is Su and she holds such a high position, she must be the daughter of the Su family.
She really can't be messed with.
Moreover, if a feud is created, it will not happen overnight. Your Majesty can support her once, but can he not support her every time?
If I go to see His Majesty every time, I'm afraid that what Lu Cairen said will really come true and His Majesty will dislike me.
However, the people have been saved and the problems have been solved, so there is no point in worrying about it.
Jiang Yingli said to Zheng Baolin, "You don't have to worry about me. But you, living with Lu Cairen, might be in trouble again if you go back tonight. Why don't you stay with me later?"
Zheng Baolin was flattered again and looked at Jiang Yingli with emotion.
On the other side, Xiao Chenglan, who was sitting on the dragon throne handling government affairs, had a cold and solemn expression. When he heard Fulin recount what happened today by the Yueqing Pool, his expression became even colder. However, sometimes his face would be harmonious and the corners of his lips would curl up.
Especially when Xiao Chenglan heard Jiang Yingli say that throwing things into Yueqing Pool would be punished with a stick, his smile became even more obvious.
In the Yueqing Pool, there are countless hairpins, handkerchiefs, and wine cups thrown in by concubines of past dynasties.
Of course, there are also people who go in in person.
So, there is no such palace rule at all.
"You are quite good at making up stories." Xiao Chenglan laughed.
Fulin is Fu Wanquan's apprentice. He is not as smooth as Fu Wanquan in doing things and does not know how to support the main role. Fu Wanquan silently pushed him aside and continued what Xiao Chenglan said.
"Oh, Concubine Jia is so prudent. She managed to scare that talented lady Lu with just a few words."
When Xiao Chenglan heard the three words "Lu Cairen", the smile on his handsome face suddenly became a little cold.
Fu Wanquan observed his expression and said, "Your Majesty, Consort Lü assaulted a concubine and spoke rudely to Concubine Jia. Would you like me to punish her?"
Xiao Chenglan shook his head and smiled lightly.
"No need to punish me, just send someone to fix that palace rule first."
Fu Wanquan shuddered after hearing the first half of the sentence.
Your Majesty's expression, saying there's no need to punish him, definitely doesn't mean he's letting Lü Cai off the hook...
Fu Wanquan quietly retreated and prepared to find someone to revise the palace rules.
Xiao Chenglan sat on the dragon throne, his slender knuckles gripping the imperial vermilion brush, a tool only for emperors. With a slight push, he spun the brush in a circle, dropping a drop of vibrant cinnabar onto the paper.
The thorny red color is particularly eye-catching.
Xiao Chenglan looked at the cinnabar, the gloom in his eyes faded, and he smiled faintly again, muttering to himself:
"When faced with injustice, she stood up for the strong and supported the weak, and made clear judgments about right and wrong. This is indeed the style of a virtuous queen..."
The only drawback is that she doesn't dare to punish anyone.
Forget it, with her personality, she never likes to cause trouble, so she is extremely brave today.
It seems that after careful selection, I chose Lian Qiao, who has a slightly more outgoing temper, and put her by her side. This is indeed a good choice, which can neutralize the relationship between this timid master and servant.
Now that all the important matters were dealt with, Xiao Chenglan stood up and walked out of Changqing Palace with his hands behind his back.
"Let's go to Zhaohua Palace."
Daye places great emphasis on filial piety, and the emperor is no exception to this rule. Therefore, new concubines cannot sleep with the empress dowager before they have paid their respects to her.
This is intended to show the emperor and his concubines' respect for the empress dowager.
Therefore, when the news that His Majesty went to Zhaohua Palace on the first night of the new concubine's entry into the palace spread among the palaces, most of the concubines did not find it strange.
However, the starting point of this calm attitude is that they feel that they just don't have a brand yet. If they had a brand, His Majesty would definitely not go to Jia Jieyu's place.
Therefore, all the concubines are looking forward to tomorrow, when they will pay their respects to the Queen Mother and be able to sleep with her.
Of course, some people gritted their teeth over this news.
Lu Cairen covered her face with her hands, hatred still in her eyes. When she looked at Su Xiuyi who was sitting at the top, there was a bit of flattery in her eyes.
"Jia Jieyu is truly a scoundrel who has achieved success. She couldn't wait to show off in front of me, a new bride, in broad daylight, saying that she has a swing in her palace."
Su Xiuyi's originally calm expression finally showed a ripple of emotion as she asked, "Is there really a swing in her palace?"
Lü Cairen nodded quickly and added, "Yes, she even told me that no one else would have this honor except her."
The swing was not a rare thing, they had all played with it in their boudoirs, but now this swing was more than just a swing, it represented an honor.
Su Xiuyi snorted disdainfully, "She's just lucky. She stumbled upon His Majesty's downfall and ended up serving him. His Majesty appointed her a Concubine out of gratitude for their past friendship. How dare she be so arrogant? If she had met me today, I would have taught her a lesson."
Lu Cairen flattered her at the right moment, "Your Highness has been a ceremonial assistant since entering the palace. I'm sure His Majesty was very fond of you during the selection. Tomorrow, when His Majesty chooses his first new bride, it will definitely be you. Then, let alone a swing, you'll have everything you want!"
Girls from aristocratic families all know that their high status is due to the strength of their mother's family, but no one dislikes to hear such flattery.
In particular, after Su Xiuyi knew that the current emperor was very handsome, she especially liked to hear that his emperor favored her.
She had originally remembered her family's teachings and entered the palace to win honor for her family. However, at her age, hearing others praise His Majesty's unparalleled handsomeness would also make her heart waver.
She entered the palace to become the queen, but she believed that she could not only gain status and honor, but also win the favor of His Majesty.
She could have both. After all, she was the daughter of the Su family and she was so beautiful. She should have everything.
A determined smile flashed in Su Xiuyi's eyes as she stroked her beautiful cheek.
"Needless to say, I will naturally be the first one to be picked. Just wait and see. Tomorrow, His Majesty will come to me, and the day after tomorrow morning, I will be promoted to Zhaoyi, ranking first among the Nine Concubines, and I, Jia Jieyu, will soon be forgotten by His Majesty."
Lu Cairen quickly complimented her, "I, your concubine, congratulate Your Majesty in advance!"
Su Xiuyi finally gave Lu Cairen a smile.
"You're such a sweet talker. Don't worry, Jia Jieyu hit you today. Later, I will give you the opportunity to hit her back yourself."
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lu Cairen's brows were filled with joy, as if she could already imagine the pleasure of slapping Jiang Yingli in the face.
Lu Cairen knew very well that it was difficult to survive in the palace with a low status, so she secretly used the method of currying favor. Among this group of people entering the palace, except for the daughter of the Song family, no one could be more prominent than Su Xiuyi.
Unfortunately, the girl from the Song family didn't appreciate her kindness and ignored her.
Now, she has won Su Xiuyi's appreciation. Once Su Xiuyi is favored, she will also rise rapidly.
After leaving Su Xiuyi's palace, Lu Cairen looked at the smallest side hall of Qixiang Palace with unfriendly eyes, but there was no light there.
"Has Zheng Baolin not come back yet or has he gone to bed?"
"Replying to the talented person, Baolin hasn't come back yet."
After hearing this, Lu Cairen, who had originally wanted to teach the two a lesson to vent his anger about what happened during the day, had to give up.
This morning, she had humiliated Zheng Baolin for Su Xiuyi's amusement and had successfully curryed favor with Su Xiuyi. She had no resentment towards Zheng Baolin.
However, the swing incident made her completely disgusted with Zheng Baolin.
Lu Cairen waved his sleeves and walked towards his palace.
Forget it, there is still a long time to come. As long as Zheng Baolin stays in Qixiang Palace, she has plenty of time to teach her a lesson!
At this moment in Zhaohua Palace, Jiang Yingli had a midnight snack on her table, and Zheng Baolin was eating with her.
Jiang Yingli didn't feel uncomfortable with the presence of one more person. After all, Zheng Baolin rarely spoke and only answered her questions quietly.
When the news of His Majesty's arrival came, Jiang Yingli and Zheng Baolin were both a little surprised.
Especially Zheng Baolin, she didn't expect to see His Majesty so soon. She dropped half a piece of cake in her hand on the ground, feeling nervous and uneasy.
After packing up, the two of them hurried to the front hall to welcome the emperor.
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