Two days later, a palace maid from the Empress's palace went to the laundry department to retrieve her clothes and returned to tidy them up. To her surprise, she found two unique wedges on her clothes. Although they were insignificant, she still told Lingxiu about them. Lingxiu knew the Empress's temperament and would never allow anyone to touch her clothes without permission. She wanted to throw them away but found it strange, so she took them to show the Empress.
The Empress carefully examined the embroidery on her clothes and was quite surprised: "How could anyone know that I like winter plum blossoms? Even the colors are right..." It turned out that the two plum blossoms on the Empress's clothes were embroidered by Lady Fucha and Lady Wuya. Lady Wuya knew that when the Empress was a consort in the Prince's mansion, she liked winter plum blossoms the most, especially the rare pinkish-purple winter plum blossoms.
The Empress instructed Lingxiu: "Go and inquire privately to see if there's anything unusual about the Imperial Laundry..."
Lingxiu cautiously agreed, and soon after, she used the excuse of delivering something to the Xin Zhe Ku (laundry storehouse). After asking carefully, she learned that Fucha and Wuya had been demoted by Consort Nian to work as laundry maids in the Xin Zhe Ku. For several days in a row, the clothes sent from Jingren Palace were washed by the two of them.
Lingxiu dared not delay and immediately reported back to the Empress.
"How did Fucha and Wuya get involved together?" The Empress was very curious. "It seems that the embroidery on my clothes is indeed of the two of them."
Lingxiu's eyes darted around, and she warily advised, "Your Majesty, it's best to be careful of Lady Fucha. She's always been cunning and scheming; Consort Nian suffered a lot at her hands back then."
The Empress laughed dismissively, "So what? He was still sent to the Cold Palace, and now he's been demoted to the Laundry Department."
While massaging the Empress's shoulders, Lingxiu said, "Your Majesty, don't underestimate this Fucha clan member. The Emperor has never truly harmed her. Even though Consort Nian hates her to the core, she can't do anything about it. The only thing he could do was send her to the Laundry Department, which shows that the Emperor still has some consideration for Fucha. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Right now, Consort Nian is spoiled and domineering, and someone needs to keep her in check. Why doesn't Your Majesty consider Fucha..."
The Empress felt that Lingxiu's words made sense, but hesitated to believe them easily: "That's true, but Fucha is, after all, someone the Emperor has abandoned. It might not be good to use her again..."
Seeing the Empress hesitate, Lingxiu knelt down and advised, "This perfectly demonstrates Your Majesty's benevolence and magnanimity. The Emperor may want to keep Lady Fucha, but he is hesitant to say so due to face-saving concerns. Your Majesty is understanding and reasonable, forgiving Lady Fucha for the Emperor's sake, and doing a good deed for him. Lady Fucha will surely be obedient to Your Majesty in return. Why not do it..."
Thinking that the Fourth Prince had never been truly cruel to Lady Fucha, the Empress was even more tempted if she guessed his intentions correctly at this moment, which would surely earn her his special attention.
Lingxiu's lips curled into a slight smile as she recalled Fucha's promise to her in the Laundry Department, her heart filled with anticipation. It turned out that Fucha had secretly promised Lingxiu that, in order for Lingxiu to speak well of her to the Empress, she would find a way to get the Fourth Prince to favor her once she left the Laundry Department.
Lingxiu was unwilling to remain a servant forever. She was captivated by the opportunity to become a mistress, fantasizing about rising to power overnight. She spoke so many good words for Empress Fucha, and when she sensed the Empress's interest, Lingxiu became even more excited. She secretly rejoiced, and the pressure of her massage gradually lessened, but the Empress remained completely unaware.
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