When Lanqin and Xinyi returned to Yonghe Palace, Consort De and Consort Cheng were still resting. As they were both elderly, they naturally needed to be well-rested for the evening banquet. The children were also being served a nap by their respective wet nurses.
As soon as Lanqin returned to her assigned room, she immediately had Cui Niang help her lie down. After socializing with everyone outside, she was truly exhausted, not only mentally but also physically.
"My lady, I didn't go with you. Are your hands tired?" Cui Niang noticed that Lan Qin's complexion wasn't good, and even her lips were dry, so she must not have drunk much water.
“In those empresses’ palaces, people can only stand or sit as assigned by their families; they have no say in what they do,” Lanqin said. Nianxue quickly poured her a cup of hot tea.
"Your Highness, you haven't suffered any mistreatment in those palaces, have you?" Cui Niang asked as she combed Lan Qin's hair.
“Where isn’t there? Consort Hui is really jealous. She even remembered that the deceased Empress Niohuru came from our Niohuru family and said a few words about it. Consort Yi, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to know what’s going on and hasn’t spoken to me and Xinyi directly.” Lanqin said.
"Consort Hui is the most prone to taking advantage of her age. Since she has lost the Emperor's favor, she likes to take advantage of any opportunity to bully younger concubines. Consort Yi may seem warm and friendly, but she is actually very cunning and scheming," said Cui Niang.
"Anyway, I don't deal with them. The only one I need to beat up is my mother. By the way, we haven't gone to Consort Liang's place yet. Sigh, I'm really tired and can't walk anymore," Lanqin said. Consort Liang's Xianfu Palace is in front of the Western Six Palaces, not far from Yikun Palace, but Lanqin and Xinyi forgot about it as soon as they came out. They only remembered after walking for a while, but by then they had already walked quite a distance.
"Consort Liang has just ascended to the position, and she comes from a humble background and has a very gentle nature, so it's alright," Cui Niang comforted her.
“We can’t afford to be rude to them. What should we do?” Lanqin said.
"How about I go and say that this is the first time the Consort has come to the palace and wandered around like this, and that's why she didn't go to pay her respects and wish me a Happy New Year. She'll probably be going tonight anyway, so you can go and apologize to her then, and that will be the end of it," Cui Niang quickly comforted her.
Upon hearing this, Lanqin nodded and said, "Alright, Cui Niang, go and pay your respects."
Cui Niang agreed, and told Nianxue and Xicha to continue serving Lanqin while she put on a fur cloak and went out.
Lanqin lay in bed, unable to sleep, her heart still pounding with excitement. After all, the banquet tonight, held in the Imperial Garden, was of the highest imperial rank. The high-ranking officials attending were all of great importance; ordinary officials, like Lingzhu, were unlikely to be able to participate. It was said they were all in the Hall of Supreme Harmony in the front courtyard, probably still listening to Emperor Kangxi's instructions.
“My lady, it’s almost time. Shall I help you get up and comb your hair?” Nianxue reminded her.
Lanqin groaned inwardly, "Oh no, I have to wear those exhausting headdresses again!" But now that she was a concubine, she couldn't act as unruly as she did in the Fourth Prince's residence.
So, Lanqin had no choice but to let Xicha get dressed, and then Nianxue pressed her down into a chair to start dressing up.
Meanwhile, when Cui Niang arrived at Xianfu Palace, she saw that although it was not remote, there were not many palace servants coming and going, and no masters came to pay their respects for the New Year, which was quite different from other palaces.
After Cui Niang explained her purpose to the gatekeeper of Xianfu Palace, the palace maid guarding the gate was surprised and quickly let Cui Niang in, while she herself ran quickly into the main hall to report to Consort Liang.
Soon, Lianxin, the head maidservant of Consort Liang, came out herself and said to Cui Niang, "Our mistress invites you in!"
When Cui Niang entered, she saw Consort Liang dressed in the court robes of a concubine, with a spiky headdress on her head. She had a calm demeanor and an elegant temperament.
"This servant greets Consort Liang!" Cui Niang bowed and said.
"Get up quickly! Is your mistress the concubine of the Fourth Prince?" Consort Liang asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty. Our mistress was thinking of coming to Xianfu Palace to pay her respects! But she wasn't familiar with the palace roads and got lost. Her mistress was worried and specially sent me to inquire after Your Majesty!" said Cui Niang.
"Thank you for your kindness, Lianxin!" Consort Liang gestured for her to get a red envelope for Cui Niang. Although Consort Liang held a high position in the palace, the noble ladies and concubines didn't take her seriously. For example, during New Year's greetings, even though she was the legitimate mother-in-law of the Eighth Prince's wife, the Eighth Prince's wife herself looked down on her, let alone the other princes' wives. Usually, the gifts were returned to Consort Hui; no one paid any attention to her, her own mother!
"This servant thanks Consort Liang for the reward!" Cui Niang felt a bit sorry for Consort Liang. Lan Qin was right; she should have come.
Lanqin let Sihua fix her hair and then started on her afternoon snack. She hadn't enjoyed her lunch with Consort De very well, and she had another meal in the afternoon, so she was already starving!
Besides, we definitely won't get enough to eat at the palace banquet tonight, so we should eat something early to fill our stomachs, otherwise we'll be starving later.
Just then, Cui Niang returned, her head and body covered in fine snowflakes.
"Is it snowing again outside?" Lanqin noticed that snowflakes were sticking to the outside of Cui Niang's fur cloak that she had taken off.
"Hmm, it's just a light snowfall, it's alright, it might stop again later," said Cui Niang, patting the snowflakes on the hem of her skirt.
"Well, what did Consort Liang say?" Lanqin asked.
"Consort Liang is very polite. She kept saying that Your Majesty is too kind and shouldn't take it to heart. She even said she would speak to Your Majesty during the banquet," said Cui Niang.
"That's good. Although Consort Liang doesn't have much of a background, the Eighth Prince's wife has visited Yonghe Palace before, so we can't be rude to her!" Lanqin said.
"Yes, Consort Liang's place looks very deserted! They're both consorts, but the difference is truly stark," Cui Niang remarked.
“Liangfei is a newly appointed concubine. She has no powerful maternal family to back her up, so no one will go to her. It’s only because of the Eighth Prince that the palace has such a concubine!” Lanqin said.
“What Your Highness says is very true. In this palace, people are always on the side of the powerful and disdain the weak. If Eighth Prince doesn’t protect his own mother, I’m afraid no one will take her seriously,” said Cui Niang.
Lanqin sighed inwardly. It seemed that Consort Liang had died before the Eighth Prince was recommended to Emperor Kangxi by the ministers. In other words, she didn't have many days left. Historical records say she died of illness.
"What do you think of Consort Liang?" Lanqin asked, her heart stirred.
“You look like the most beautiful lady I have ever seen.” Cui Niang thought Lan Qin was asking about her appearance.
"No, how is her mental state?" Lanqin asked.
"She looks quite well. I haven't heard that she's sick. There's no smell of medicine in the palace, so she must be in good health." Cui Niang didn't understand why Lan Qin suddenly became concerned about Consort Liang's health.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
