Chapter 7 Reactions from All Parties
Jiang Ling felt as if the whole nation was on high alert. He stared at Mo Ju for a long time before calling out to Fang He, who was about to leave: "Stop!"
Her voice was loud and urgent, startling Fanghe so much that she trembled, and A'ruo, who was placing the tea canister, was also startled.
"Come here, all of you!" Jiang Ling's face darkened, and he tried his best to strike a pose that would dominate the battlefield.
The two walked to the bed and stood there. A'Ruo shrank back and dared not make a sound, while Fanghe was so nervous that she didn't even dare to lift her head.
"Who delivered the chrysanthemums? What did they say? Besides the chrysanthemums, what else did they deliver?"
Jiang Ling glanced over casually and saw the two looking at each other, clearly feeling guilty. She raised her voice and gave a cold laugh.
"I see you won't shed a tear until you see the coffin! Fine, if you won't talk, my temple is too small to keep two great bodhisattvas like you. You'll have to be sent to the Palace Administration Office for them to deal with!"
Although she's socially awkward, not very eloquent, and slow to react, she's not that stupid. Since Su Yue has come knocking on her door, and she can't fight back, she has to defend herself.
The Palace Administration Office was in charge of issuing orders, enforcing prohibitions, and imposing punishments. It was the superior office of the Six Departments and Twenty-Four Offices and was subordinate to the Inner Secretariat of the Ministry of Personnel.
Normally, the Imperial Secretariat was managed by the Empress, who was in charge of the six palaces. After her death, the inner palace was managed by Consort Zhao and Consort Liu, with Consort Lin assisting Consort Zhao. However, the real power of the Imperial Secretariat remained in the hands of Emperor Yuanming and was not handed over to them.
Upon hearing the name Gong Zhengsi, A'ruo and Fanghe turned deathly pale and involuntarily knelt down.
"Talented lady..." The two women hurriedly opened their mouths to plead for mercy, but Jiang Ling interrupted them sharply.
"Shut up!"
Jiang Ling had already warned them beforehand, and he had treated them with more kindness than ever before. As long as they did their jobs, he never made any extra demands.
If she were to transmigrate into a palace intrigue novel and become overly compassionate, she would be the one to die!
Although Jiang Ling did not know where the gate of the Palace Attendant was located, he remembered that the Palace Attendant had appeared in the book, so he brought it out as a banner.
It seems the title of Gong Zhengsi is quite useful. Jiang Ling was secretly pleased, and with a blank expression, she glanced at the two of them, then pointed to Fang He, who remained in Xie Fang Pavilion: "You answer first!"
Fanghe was frightened and dared not hide anything, so she told the whole story about Xueyan's visit: "Lady, Xueyan came to find me on her own initiative, and I had no choice!"
Upon hearing that there were still two taels of silver left, Jiang Ling stared at Fang He without saying a word.
Fanghe opened her mouth wide, but the words she wanted to say in defense could no longer be uttered.
Even a fool knows that gold won't suddenly fall from the sky.
"My lord, here is the silver." Fanghe opened her clothes, took out a money pouch from her waist, took out silver ingots, and presented them to Jiang Ling with a trembling hand.
Jiang Ling didn't look at the silver, but instead looked at A'Ruo: "How much benefit have you all received from Consort Su?"
Seeing that Fanghe had confessed, Aruo dared not hide anything anymore and confessed all the rouge, face powder, hair ties, and other items that Xueyan usually gave them.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Ling was utterly speechless: "You're really spineless! Rouge, powder, and a few hair ties, and you're willing to betray your own people?"
Most of the time, Jiang Ling was in a daze, cultivating immortality, but she wasn't blind.
"According to palace rules, palace maids are not allowed to wear cosmetics. You love beauty and secretly apply some every now and then, and I won't say anything when I see it. As for hair ties, how much does one hair tie cost? How much do you think the food I usually give you is worth? The cloth I use to make undergarments and stockings from my monthly salary is more than I can use up for my few sets of undergarments. You can take the rest, and I have never complained to you."
Fanghe subconsciously pressed down the hem of her clothes; when she took out her purse earlier, her undergarment had been exposed. The fabric of the undergarment was exactly the same as the one Jiang Ling was wearing.
A'Ruo didn't dare to utter a word. Jiang Ling seemed to care about nothing, but he knew exactly what was going on.
"With your brains, you still dare to do bad things!"
Jiang Ling suddenly felt a sense of intellectual superiority, but quickly realized that his statement was contradictory.
If the two women were smart and knew how to calculate, they wouldn't have been lured in by Xueyan's small favors.
Stupidity and wickedness complement each other and are inseparable. Who knows when a fool might strike with a brilliant move and deliver a fatal blow?
Jiang Ling was at her wits' end, unsure how to get the two away. However, the two weren't the main concern right now. Looking at the black chrysanthemum in the box, Jiang Ling couldn't figure out Su Yue's tricks, so she simply picked up the box and headed to the west courtyard.
Although I don't know how to deal with Su Yue, I must tell her that I am aware of what she has done and that she will not succeed!
"Talented Lady, Talented Lady, they're back, they're back!"
Mingcui lifted her skirt and ran a few steps forward. Remembering Su Yue's scolding, she quickly slowed down and went into the house, reporting again: "A'ruo also took a jar, which is exactly the same as the tea jar that Consort De gave to the lady."
Su Yue heard Mingcui's words and her expression turned sour. She hummed in agreement and said, "Go out, I understand."
Mingcui bowed and took her leave, saying, "This servant will go and fetch food for Lady Cai."
Xueyan felt uneasy and said, "Lady, should I go and find out more information from A'ruo?"
Su Yue shook her head and said, "No need."
The room was dark and inexplicably oppressive. Xueyan dared not say anything and took out a tinderbox to light a lamp.
Su Yue sat motionless, her fair face appearing exceptionally pale under the palace lanterns.
Just then, Xueyan heard footsteps outside. She was surprised; the kitchen was far away, and Mingcui couldn't have returned so quickly. She couldn't help but lift the curtain and go out. When she saw Jiang Ling striding towards her, she was stunned: "Consort Jiang is here."
Jiang Ling nodded to Xueyan. It was her first time visiting the west courtyard, and she looked around.
Similar to the main house, the house has three bays with side rooms. There are two pomegranate trees in the courtyard, and two round jars with water lilies in them on the left and right.
The room was small, but enough for one master and two maids to live in.
Jiang Ling's anxiety suddenly dissipated. Face was a minor matter. If she was forced to move from the main house to the west wing, as long as she had food and clothing, it was just a change of scenery and she could still survive.
Upon hearing Xueyan's words, Su Yue slowly turned her head. Jiang Ling had already entered the house.
"Lady Su." Jiang Ling couldn't bring herself to address her sister by her formal title, so she said, "Ink Chrysanthemum is too precious; I dare not accept it."
She placed the box on the low table, then took out the silver ingots that Fanghe had handed over: "I have no right to receive a reward without merit, so I'm returning the silver ingots to you."
After saying that, Jiang Ling ignored Su Yue's reaction and turned to leave.
Xueyan stood at the door, watching Jiang Ling walk out without looking back, then looked at Su Yue with a chilling expression. Her heart was in turmoil, and she asked uneasily, "Lady, what does she mean by this?"
Su Yue remained silent throughout. She took out the black chrysanthemum from the box, tore off a petal, and crushed it forcefully. Her fair fingertips were soaked in the flower juice, like dried blood.
“She returned to Moju to show her power; she has the backing of Funing Palace.”
Su Yue spoke, her voice hoarse, her eyes gradually turning crazed: "I tried so hard, flattered and fawned, and racked my brains to please the Emperor and Consort Zhao. They only used me to vent their frustrations, treating me like a dog."
Xueyan was so shocked that her eyes almost popped out. Su Yue continued to tear off the petals and crush them, leaving the ground covered with precious, mud-like black chrysanthemums.
"I come from humble beginnings and have no distinguished family background, so no matter how capable I am, it's useless. But why, why?"
Su Yue suddenly looked at Xue Yan, her eyes bloodshot, her thin lips as white as her face, filled with resentment and bitterness.
"Why do they treat me like this? That idiot Jiang, why does she have the audacity to come and swagger in front of me like that!"
“Lady…” Xueyan mustered her courage and said tremblingly, “Lady, don’t be anxious. The main house is just returning the ink chrysanthemum. How can Consort De support her?”
“Consort Zhao sending her tea is a slap in the face to me. She looks down on me, which is why she is so brazen in slapping me in the face.”
The two black chrysanthemums were torn to shreds by Su Yue. She crushed them with her toe, let out a long breath, and her expression gradually returned to calm.
"Flowers don't bloom for a hundred days, it's not the end yet, I'm not in a hurry."
*
Funing Palace.
After Jiang Ling left, Granny Huang said softly, "Your Highness, may I inquire about what exactly happened at Xiefang Pavilion?"
"Why bother asking?" Consort Zhao examined her fingernails and chuckled. "Even if you break their heads, they're just small fry jumping around."
Granny Huang paused for a moment, then hesitated before saying, "After all, it concerns Her Highness. It's always best to be on guard against Her Highness being resented."
"If what Su said is false, Jiang will settle accounts with her herself, so why would I need to take action? If what Su said is true, there are plenty of people in the palace who resent me, so one or two more won't make a difference. Besides, once Jiang finds out, she will be furious and will still go after Su. Su's intentions are clear; she is scheming to curry favor, but only wants to use my influence. I have already let her use my influence, but unfortunately, she is too proud and doesn't have the ability."
Consort Zhao withdrew her hand, her expression icy. "In this harem, people like Lady Su don't live long. What's the use of complaining? What's not yours will never be yours."
After pondering for a moment, Granny Huang said with a forced smile, "That's true. Consort Su is quite clever. Whether it's true or not, she ultimately wants to use Your Highness to deal with Consort Jiang. Why should Your Highness take on the trouble to help her? I noticed earlier that Consort Jiang is dressed simply, and her features are truly beautiful. If Your Highness were to send her to the Emperor, I'm afraid she would be more appealing to him than Consort Su."
Zhao Defei glanced at it, and the sharp edge made Huang Mama feel a chill down her spine.
"Whether it's fragrant or foul, I'm being offered to people. Am I supposed to become a brothel madam?"
Granny Huang broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly said, "It was my mistake, Your Highness, please calm down."
"Since you said that Jiang is beautiful but not very bright, slow and dull, in the harem there are many smart people, but fools are rare. Being beautiful and foolish makes it the easiest to win people's favor."
Consort Zhao sat up straight and said, "A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Whether it is Funing Palace or Chonghua Palace, whether it is full of flowers or deserted, it is just a matter of His Majesty's word."
Her gaze darkened, and after a moment, she said, "There's been no movement from Hua Palace, and Zhao Wanying continues to put on airs, pretending to be a kind and generous older sister. A-Jue is the most important person; we must keep a close eye on her and make sure nothing happens to her."
Outside, Xiao Yunjue's impatient voice rang out: "Mother, Mother, I'm hungry!"
"The Second Prince is back." Granny Huang hurriedly went out to greet him, and Consort Zhao also stood up, repeatedly calling for water and food.
The Funing Palace was brightly lit, and Consort Zhao, Granny Huang, along with palace maids and eunuchs, surrounded Xiao Yunjue, creating a lively scene.
Chonghua Palace.
Just as brightly lit as Funing Palace, the palace was quiet and peaceful, with the maids and servants walking on tiptoe.
Consort Lin sat upright on the couch, carefully examining the eldest prince Xiao Yunrui's homework. She was slender and delicate, with a refined and aloof air. Coupled with her strictness, everyone in the harem feared her.
Xu Mama quietly stepped forward and whispered, "Your Highness, there's been a commotion at Xiefang Pavilion, and that person from Funing Palace has gotten involved too."
Consort Lin didn't even look up, and said calmly, "It's a small matter. Go and deliver the message to Consort Zhao."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
