Chapter 39 (None)
The couch was narrow, and if you turned over even slightly, you would roll onto the floor along with the bedding.
Jiang Ling fell in the middle of the night and slept very restlessly. At dawn, when she finally fell asleep, Wen Juan led Fang He into the room to help her get up and do her hair.
In the bluish dawn light, Fan Ying Pavilion was already bustling with activity. Emperor Yuanming washed and dressed, then went to the main hall. Breakfast was laid out on the table. Jiang Ling stood respectfully to the side, her eyes lowered, and curtsied, saying, "Your Majesty, I pay my respects. Your Majesty's grace is boundless, and I am deeply grateful for your favor. I will never forget it. I take my leave and will not disturb Your Majesty's meal any longer."
Emperor Yuanming was pleased to see that she had finally remembered to get up early to express her gratitude, even though her expression was rather awkward. However, his annoyance at her turning her back on him the previous night vanished instantly. Hearing her muffled voice, which suggested she was still half asleep, he became even more delighted.
All she did all day was eat and sleep, and she was always complaining and grumbling. From now on, he would often stay at Fanying Pavilion and pull her up with him in the morning. He needed to let her personally experience how difficult it was for him to get up early every day to govern the country.
Emperor Yuanming smiled enigmatically and said to Huang Liang, "Give Consort Jiang breakfast."
Huang Liang bowed in agreement. Jiang Ling stopped in her tracks, curtsied in gratitude, but inwardly roared, "Ugh! It's not even dawn yet, who has an appetite for food! I want to sleep!"
Emperor Yuanming was scolded, but he couldn't help but smile slightly, secretly pleased: "I knew you would go back to sleep, hehe, you didn't expect that, did you? I have a unique ability in the world. Your little schemes have nowhere to hide in front of me. Don't even think about succeeding!"
The eunuch quickly brought in breakfast, and Jiang Ling sat down at the table. Emperor Yuanming was already eating and nodded to her, "Eat quickly, or it will get cold."
Jiang Ling agreed, picked up the Taiping steamed bun, and began to eat it in small bites.
Emperor Yuanming ate slowly, sipping fragrant tea and glancing at Jiang Ling from time to time. Despite her poor appetite, she devoured every last bit of the two steamed buns, the dish of pickled bamboo shoots, the two crab roe soup dumplings, the bowl of plum blossom soup dumplings, and the bowl of steamed cheese on the table.
Seeing her reach for the pickled goose eggs again, Emperor Yuanming couldn't help but say, "Keep them for now, and make sure they're properly stored in your food!"
Jiang Ling agreed verbally, but secretly took the goose egg into her hand. She disliked the roughness of goose eggs, but having rarely seen them, she found them quite adorable. It would be a waste not to eat them, so she couldn't resist keeping them to eat as a snack when she got hungry.
Emperor Yuanming watched Jiang Ling's actions and was speechless for a moment. After rinsing his mouth and drinking a few sips of tea, he got up and went to the Chuigong Hall, with Jiang Ling respectfully seeing him off.
Upon reaching the outer edge of the veranda, Jiang Ling stopped and bowed her head in greeting. Emperor Yuanming paused, reached out as if to help her to her feet, and took the goose egg she was holding.
"Look at you, you've truly disgraced me." Emperor Yuanming whispered in Jiang Ling's ear, inhaling her fragrance, his heart pounding with desire. His voice deepened, almost a murmur, "Have I been starving you, hmm?"
Jiang Ling turned his head away, hurriedly curtsying and apologizing, cursing inwardly, "How annoying! Face, face, face! Does a goose egg represent your face? Goose eggs are meant to be eaten, not served on the table for decoration. You let me eat it, then took it back. An emperor, with nothing better to do than meddle in these trivial matters!"
Emperor Yuanming's ears were ringing, and he was so angry that his breathing became heavy. That scoundrel of hers! All she did was talk back to him; outwardly submissive, but inwardly incredibly arrogant!
Cuoya stared at her for a long time, but Emperor Yuanming couldn't bear to punish her, so as not to let his ears suffer any more. He turned and strode away.
Huang Liang and his eunuchs and maids left, and Fan Ying Pavilion finally returned to tranquility. Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief and returned to the side room with light steps. After eating and drinking her fill, she lay down on the familiar couch, and accompanied by the fragrance of winter plum blossoms, she fell asleep contentedly.
Wenjuan came into the room around noon and said softly, "My beauty, Consort Li has arrived."
Jiang Ling had never met Consort Li before, and upon hearing her name, he was momentarily bewildered. "Consort Li?"
Li Jieyu's eldest brother works in the garden, managing the flowers and trees!
Jiang Ling immediately sat up, nervously touching her hair bun, and took the padded jacket Wen Juan handed her and put it on. "Quickly invite her inside to sit down."
Wenjuan busied herself helping Jiang Ling with her hair and clothes, comforting her, "Fanghe has invited Consort Li to the main room, where she and A'ruo are serving tea. Please rest assured, my lady."
Jiang Ling forced a smile; how could she be at ease? She quickly fastened her clothes and hurried to the main room, where she stepped forward to greet the lady: "I've kept you waiting, Consort Jieyu."
Consort Li was sitting at the head of the table drinking tea when Consort Jiang quickly put down her teacup, stood up, bowed slightly, and offered her hand in a gesture of support. With a smile on her face, she said, "Please rise, Sister Jiang. It was my fault for coming here unintentionally and disturbing you."
Jiang Ling was not familiar with Consort Li and was really not good at dealing with people, so he couldn't help but feel awkward. He forced a smile and said, "Not at all, Consort Li, I'm overjoyed that you could come. It's an honor to have Fanying Pavilion here."
Li Jieyu paused for a moment, then covered her face and giggled, her eyes, like cat's teeth, shining like stars.
"Everyone says that Sister Jiang is interesting, and after seeing her, I can confirm that she truly lives up to her reputation."
Li Jieyu took a handkerchief, dabbed at the tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes, turned her head and looked around, feigning surprise, and said, "I didn't see any light anywhere!"
Jiang Ling looked embarrassed and said with a forced smile, "I'm not good with words, so please don't laugh at me, Consort Jieyu."
Consort Li smiled again, her delicate nose twitching slightly, and said, "Your room is truly filled with the fragrance of winter plum blossoms. Nowadays, it's fashionable in the palace to display winter plum blossoms in the room. These winter plum blossoms are even more sought after than daffodils."
Jiang Ling shuddered and instinctively became alert, replying, "I heard Qin Shanggong say that there's a growing need for winter plum blossoms everywhere."
Li Jieyu nodded and changed the subject, saying, "I've heard that the scenery at Fanying Pavilion is beautiful. Perhaps Sister Jiang could let me see it?"
"Please, Consort Li." Jiang Ling stood up and gestured for Consort Li to go first, leading her around the pavilion.
The weather is cold in winter, and apart from the evergreen flowers and trees, Fanying Pavilion is not much different from other places.
Consort Li walked around for a while, then sat down on a side railing in the corridor. She beckoned to Jiang Ling and said, "This place is bright and spacious. Let's make a warm room here and talk."
Jiang Ling greeted her and sat down with Consort Li. Wen Juan quickly sent someone to install the lattice windows on both sides, leaving only a small half-open window with a light green gauze curtain hanging down, allowing for ventilation while blocking the cold wind.
Aruo Fanghe brought over a censer and set out a small stove with tea and snacks on a table, and the room quickly warmed up.
"Jiang Meimei, this place is spacious and quiet, it's really nice," Li Jieyu praised sincerely.
Consort Li now lives in Cuihan Pavilion, a five-bay house with a main room, east and west wings, side rooms, and front and back porches. Besides her, two low-ranking noblewomen live with her.
Fanying Pavilion was a seven-bay room, more spacious than Cuiwei Pavilion, yet it housed only Jiang Ling. Unsure how to respond, she forced a dry laugh and replied, "You flatter me, Consort Jieyu."
After Wen Juan served the tea, she left. Li Jieyu glanced at her, picked up the tea, looked down at the tea in the cup, and took two sips.
The tea was a Dragon and Phoenix compressed tea, a gift from Emperor Yuanming to Jiang Ling, and the teacup was a pale blue teacup. Jiang Ling kept glancing at Consort Li, secretly becoming nervous.
The bedroom, the tea, and the teacups all seemed to be silently showing off. If only I had known, I would have had Wenjuan brew the tea she used to drink, using the same ordinary teacups.
However, Jiang Ling quickly stopped thinking about it. After all, everyone already knew that she lived in Fanying Pavilion.
Consort Li was considered favored; her rank was high, and no one dared to withhold her monthly allowance. Emperor Yuanming's rewards were also plentiful. As for mere tea leaves and teacups, she wouldn't even glance at them.
"The scenery here is truly beautiful. In winter, there are only some holly bushes, and you can't really tell what it is. But when spring comes, the magnolias in the east and the apricot and crabapple blossoms in the west are in full bloom, sitting here to enjoy the spring is the best thing ever."
Li Jieyu pointed to the east and west sides. Seeing Jiang Ling look in the direction she was pointing, she smiled and said, "Mansions in the capital are expensive. At first, our family only had a small courtyard. My father loved flowers and plants, so he planted quite a few in the courtyard, wherever there was space. My elder brother and I learned a lot about planting flowers and trees from him. Plants like wintersweet, daphne, daffodils, and camellias are common in winter, but they are not easy to grow. For example, wintersweet might suddenly stop blooming, or a perfectly healthy daffodil might rot from the roots and become beyond saving."
Jiang Ling's heart was pounding. Li Jieyu's sudden mention of daffodils and winter plum blossoms was definitely not just idle talk.
Unable to discern her intentions, Jiang Ling dared not respond easily, only managing a forced smile and echoing, "Your Highness, you even know about flowers and trees, truly impressive."
"I wouldn't call myself an expert; I only have a rough idea."
Consort Li chuckled, paused slightly, and said, "My sister-in-law came to the palace a while ago and complained to me about my brother. He's been exceptionally busy this year and hasn't been home much. He said it's because he's been taking meticulous care of the flowers and trees in the garden, but the flowers are still blooming haphazardly, and many of the daffodils have died too. He's been guarding the garden and doesn't dare to leave easily, for fear of making a mistake in his duties."
She looked at Jiang Ling, gave a bitter smile, and said, “Since the weather turned cool in the capital, there have been continuous festivals. Every household holds banquets every few days, and flowers and plants are much more expensive than in spring and summer. It’s the same in the palace. With several major festivals in a row, such as the Mid-Autumn Festival, the Winter Solstice, the New Year, and the New Year, the flowers and trees in the gardens are almost gone. Sister Jiang, you are in charge of the Imperial Bedchamber Bureau, so you should know that daffodils, daphne, and camellias are in short supply. Winter plum used to be plentiful, but now it has become a hot commodity, and even winter plum can’t be supplied. The Emperor summoned the Minister of Works, Xing, to question him. Xing found my elder brother and scolded him, telling him to find a way to prepare the flowers and trees the Emperor wanted. Now, winter plum in the capital is more than twice as expensive as in previous years. My elder brother is really suffering.”
There was no shortage of winter plum blossoms; it was only the first physician, Li, who knew that Emperor Yuanming had taken most of them. If he had reported this first and instructed the Imperial Treasury to purchase more from the common people, he wouldn't have been reprimanded by Minister Xing.
The reason he remained silent at first was either because he was incompetent in his duties, or because he wanted to buy winter plum blossoms and stockpile them to make money before the imperial treasury was opened.
Consort Li said that she and her siblings both knew about flowers and trees, and if Physician Li was as responsible as she said, he would definitely inform the Imperial Treasury first and give Qin Shang Palace a heads-up in advance.
Therefore, there is only one reason: Doctor Li needs to make money first.
Jiang Ling had no idea what Emperor Yuanming said to Minister Xing, how Minister Xing approached Physician Li, or whether the two were involved in any collusion.
Li Jieyu's words were a mix of truth and falsehood, spoken flawlessly. In the past, Jiang Ling certainly wouldn't have thought much of it. But now that she's been dragged into this, she's been forced to be more careful and isn't so easily fooled anymore.
Jiang Ling's feelings were very complicated. There were no easy people in the palace; they were all shrewd and calculating.
"My elder brother was frowning in the mansion, and my sister-in-law rushed to the palace to see me, saying that my elder brother was about to lose his job, and cried and asked me to think of a solution."
At this moment, Li Jieyu stood up and curtsied to Jiang Lingying, saying, "I'm sorry to have troubled you, Sister Jiang. Please don't take offense."
Jiang Ling was startled and quickly stood up to help her up, saying, "Your Highness, this is too much for me. Please rise, Your Highness."
Li Jieyu insisted on kneeling deeply before slowly standing up and said, "The garden is short of flowers and trees, and my elder brother is ultimately to blame. Sister Jiang is in charge of the Imperial Bedchamber and has been implicated for no reason. I am also slow-witted; it was only when my sister-in-law came that I remembered that I should come and apologize to Sister Jiang on behalf of my elder brother."
Jiang Ling was truly unsure of Consort Li's intentions, and cautiously said, "Your Highness is too kind. The tea has gone cold, let me get you a fresh cup."
The two sat down again. Jiang Ling poured hot tea from the teapot. Li Jieyu took a sip, feeling the glaze on the teacup, and said, "Sister Jiang is a magnanimous person and doesn't take it to heart, but I can't pretend not to know and deceive a gentleman."
"I can't accept that, I can't accept that." Jiang Ling's head was throbbing with pain. Dealing with this group of intelligent people was even more difficult than dealing with Emperor Yuanming.
"In the future, if the Imperial Bedchamber needs flowers and trees, just let me know, Jiang sister. I can't guarantee anything else, but I will inform my elder brother so that he can prepare them as soon as possible, so as not to make things difficult for Jiang sister."
At this point, Consort Li put down her teacup, took out a golden toad from her sleeve, and placed it in Jiang Ling's hand: "Sister Jiang, we are all sisters in the harem, so let's visit each other more often. Brother Yuanyou will certainly not forget Sister Jiang's kindness."
The golden toad was slightly smaller than a baby's fist, gleaming with gold and heavy. In its open mouth was a ruby about the thickness of a thumb.
Its ruby red color is like pigeon blood, pure and translucent, without any impurities, and worth a fortune.
Gold! Gems!
Jiang Ling stared, her eyes wide, her hands trembling slightly.
The temptation was too great. Even if Li Jieyu had ulterior motives, she couldn't wait to put it in her bosom immediately!
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