It doesn't seem like it was written by the eunuchs.
So the Empress didn't ask. She'd find out eventually.
Yan Nangui herself said, "I have never been good at writing since I was a child, Your Majesty need not mind. I think even Buddha would not blame me."
"It's alright. As long as it's your own writing, how could Buddha blame you? Take it and burn it, and offer incense properly." The Empress said, handing the item to Su Jin.
The matter concerning Wu Baolin can be considered temporarily put to rest.
A few days later, on the morning after Cheng Xiaoyi had served the Emperor, just after seeing him off, the palace maid Rose said, "This servant was just helping His Majesty change his clothes when I saw a tooth mark on his shoulder. Although it wasn't bleeding, it was red and swollen. His Majesty was at Zhaochun Palace just two days ago... Could it be?"
Cheng Xiaoyi waved her hand: "Go and pay your respects."
Rose responded with a snort, then pouted.
Upon arriving at Fengxiang Palace, after everyone had arrived and paid their respects, Cheng Xiaoyi stood up after the Empress finished speaking: "Your Majesty, I have something to report."
Rose was startled, thinking, "Are you going to talk about teeth marks? How could I possibly say that?"
"Oh? Go ahead." The Queen nodded.
“When I entered the palace, I brought a maid named Rose. This is the one I am today. Rose is too talkative and is really not suitable to serve in the palace. I dislike noise, so she is also not suitable. I beg Your Majesty to allow her to leave.”
That's interesting.
This rose was her personal maid; those brought in from outside were usually trusted confidantes.
Cheng Xiaoyi actually doesn't want it anymore?
Rose was so frightened that she immediately knelt down: "Xiaoyi..."
“There are rules in the palace, and you’re not suited for them. If you’re forced to stay, and you break those rules one day, I won’t be able to protect you. Why not go back sooner? There are plenty of maids in the palace, and I won’t have to worry about being served. You’re old enough to go back and get married,” Cheng Xiaoyi said calmly.
The Empress looked at it for a while and nodded: "Alright, although you'll be a palace maid once you enter the palace, you haven't been here long enough to adapt, so it's fine to send you out. If you need someone, just assign another person to serve you."
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I have no shortage of servants. I will come to you again when I need them in the future," said Cheng Xiaoyi.
"Alright, since that's the case, you can make the arrangements yourself." The Empress smiled.
“Cut-off when necessary, Cheng Xiaoyi is indeed a good person,” Yan Nangui smiled.
Although I don't know why, it has to be said that it was rather ruthless to drive away such a close confidant.
"Thank you for your praise, Consort Yan." That was all Cheng Xiaoyi said.
Cheng Xiaoyi was not favored at home, simply because she was born out of wedlock and because she was too cold-hearted.
After her aunt passed away, she was relegated to the margins of society.
Although no one deliberately tormented her, what kind of good life could an unfavored illegitimate daughter have? Naturally, she could only barely make ends meet.
Now that she's entering the palace, she's just someone the Cheng family has pushed out to test the waters.
The one they really wanted to send to the palace was Li Wanyi, the niece of the Cheng family matriarch, Madam Li.
Li had no daughters, only three sons, and her position in the Cheng family was secure.
Naturally, she looked down on these illegitimate children. She preferred to have her illegitimate daughter pave the way for her own niece, so that both her maternal and paternal families would benefit.
Rose was one of Li's people, a supposedly reliable person, sent to Cheng Xiaoyi as a maid.
Cheng Xiaoyi may not say it out loud, but she can be ruthless.
She could see that the Cheng family's meager background meant nothing to His Majesty.
Only those with a family background like Consort Ye or Consort Yan are considered useful.
Otherwise, it's all just fluff.
Gaining favor in the harem depends on oneself.
So she's not afraid of offending her family; in fact, she'd prefer to offend them to die.
In a few years, if Li Wanyi enters the palace, she will be told to rely on her own abilities. She has no intention of depending on the Cheng or Li families.
So, finding a reason today, I naturally have to drive the roses away.
After the greetings were over, Rose knelt before Cheng Xiaoyi and said, "Xiaoyi, why do you suddenly want to send me away? I am, after all, Madam's person, and I have served you with all my heart. The palace is not like home; how can you be without anyone to serve you?"
"Even if you're gone, there are still Fen Dai, Yao Huang, Wei Zi, and Ge Jin. There are plenty of palace maids; surely they can serve you? You should pack your things and go back." Cheng Xiaoyi stood up indifferently, ignoring her.
Rose was furious, thinking to herself, "I'll go back and tell Madam, and see what she does then!"
Inside Zhaochun Palace, Yan Nangui changed his clothes and laughed, "The Cheng family sent someone in, but they didn't send someone easy to handle. This Cheng Xiaoyi has no aunt and no brothers or sisters, how can they handle her? Look, she's rebelled."
“Yes, but I suppose the other two concubine’s daughters aren’t as beautiful or of good looks as her. Otherwise, they would have chosen someone else,” Jiangxiang said.
"It should be. Gaining wealth and status also depends on one's ability. Families who raise daughters, even if they are not very close, will not mistreat them. It's rare to see a family like mine. Isn't it all for the sake of the future, so that even a concubine's daughter can rise in status? It's common for women to marry into wealth or marry into lower-status families. Once a woman rises to a higher social status, her family will also benefit greatly. I imagine that Cheng Xiaoyi's life wasn't easy when she was with her family."
“Yes, don’t think about it anymore, it’s all in the past,” Jiangxiang said.
She was afraid that her master would feel upset when he thought about the past.
Yan Nangui didn't explain whether he was feeling unwell.
He simply said, "These days, it's hard to tell who's good or bad among the newcomers, but if Cheng Xiaoyi continues to be so shrewd, she might just rise to prominence."
"Yes, this Ye Xiaoyi...it seems she has failed the Empress Dowager's expectations," Jiang Xiang said with a smile.
Apart from that first day, His Majesty never went again.
In the harem today, among the concubines, it is Lady Xia and Lady Qu who are favored.
Among the newcomers, it's not yet apparent.
It is clear that Lo Wan-yee is pregnant again, but she doesn't seem to receive as much attention as before.
Consort Jiang occasionally served the emperor, so it seems she was a decent person.
"Hiss, now that I think about it, this Consort Mu... isn't all that great," Yan Nangui said with a smile.
“That’s right. During the past few years of mourning, she rarely served me. After the mourning period ended, she only served me two or three times,” Jiangxiang said.
"Consort Mu's aloofness is quite different from Consort Cheng's. It shows that men aren't completely oblivious to things."
Murong was not faking it; she genuinely loved poetry and books, and also appreciated simple and elegant things. She had a somewhat cold personality.
However, after having a child, things changed. She still loved poetry and books, but that coldness was gone. This isn't surprising; women always change before and after childbirth.
She's doing well now, but as for this person, if you don't get to know her well, you'll know that she's not simple-minded at all.
"It seems that His Majesty prefers those with a simpler temperament."
Yan Nangui raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself, "Of course! He himself is too deep-thinking. If he meets someone even more deep-thinking, how could he possibly succeed?"
Thinking about it this way, some people will never be able to enter His Majesty's heart.
"Ugh, it's too complicated. Let's not think about it anymore. Let's go for a walk while it's still not too hot."
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