Chapter 27 Providing Timely Help
The discovery of a palace maid's body in a well in the Imperial Garden, which happened to be witnessed by three young ladies, spread like wildfire throughout the palace overnight.
The palace maids were from the Eight Banners and could not be killed arbitrarily without fault, which caused widespread panic.
The implication in the words of Consort Hua and the Empress was that Consort Wan, though seemingly clever, was actually a useless pretty face who had fallen ill and lost her chance to gain favor.
Lu Yingfeng personally took Shu'er to the west side hall and showered An Lingrong with concern and care.
It was late autumn, and there was only one charcoal brazier in the palace. It was made of the finest silver wire charcoal sent by Lü Yingfeng. An Lingrong, who was warm in the room, was only wearing an undergarment. She looked as pink and tender as a little rabbit and awkwardly held the equally pink and cute little princess.
Seeing her flustered appearance and her pitiful eyes looking at her for help, Lü Yingfeng was amused.
"Don't be afraid, little sister. Our Shu'er isn't a porcelain doll; she won't break if you hold her. Just play with her for a while." Lü Yingfeng covered her mouth and laughed, perhaps feeling that she had been too rude, but still comforted her.
An Lingrong blushed and lowered her head, tightening her grip on the little figure quietly playing with the cloth tiger in her arms. She knew that Consort Xin had brought the princess to visit her because she was afraid that she would be frightened as well, and her heart was overflowing with gratitude.
"The princess is so lovely and has such a wonderful mother like you, Your Majesty. I am truly envious." She lowered her head and gazed gently at the little one in her arms, her voice soft and easily overlooked if one did not listen carefully.
After spending these past few days together, Lü Yingfeng realized that this young girl was a sensitive person. But that didn't matter, as she was always straightforward. Seeing this, she stopped smiling, took An Lingrong's hand and patted it gently. "Sister, I'm a few years older than you and entered the palace a few years earlier. There are some things I want to say to you because I know you're not incapable of listening."
Seeing her look up at her nervously, Lü Yingfeng turned and gestured for Xuexin to carry the princess away.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the crackling of the candles popping.
Lu Yingfeng leaned closer and spoke slowly in a low voice: "In this palace, the emperor's favor is certainly important, but it is also the most difficult to grasp. Tell me, who in this palace has not received the emperor's favor, and who has not lost favor?"
She stared absently at the flickering candlelight, her voice tinged with reminiscence—"Even someone as noble and proud as Consort Hua could be angered and neglected by the Emperor, which shows how fleeting the Emperor's favor is."
Feeling the hand beneath her palm tremble slightly, Lü Yingfeng looked down and saw An Lingrong sitting there with red eyes and unease, her anxiety even greater than before. She couldn't help but chuckle—"I'm not telling you this to scare you, look how nervous you are."
As he spoke, he took the hot tea that Xuexin had just poured and handed it to her.
Lü Yingfeng: "What I want to tell you is that the emperor is not scary, and being favored or losing favor is even less scary. If you want to live a peaceful life like me, you have to be able to time things right and seize opportunities."
An Lingrong knew that Consort Xin was teaching her how to survive in the deep palace. Very few people would teach her so generously. She engraved every word in her heart and even wished she could write it down in a notebook.
"Your Majesty, what kind of person is the Emperor?" Perhaps it was Lü Yingfeng's gentle tone that made her relax, or perhaps it was the warmth of her palm that she found so appealing, but she couldn't help but ask a question that she shouldn't have asked.
Hearing her say this, Lü Yingfeng pondered for a moment, glanced at An Lingrong for a moment, and did not answer her question directly. "There is no shortage of beauties in the harem, but someone like you, sister, is very rare. But sister, just remember one sentence from your sister."
Lu Yingfeng said seriously, and An Lingrong listened attentively—"You can be timid and pitiful in front of the Emperor. But you must never let him think that you are afraid of him, understand? Our Emperor dislikes being forced the most."
An Lingrong nodded earnestly.
These words were like chewing up food and feeding it to me. If I still couldn't understand, I might as well go and keep Xia Dongchun company.
——
These days, the old palace women have been sleeping soundly, for no other reason than that when a new concubine enters the palace, the emperor inevitably goes to her first. He often stays with one for two days, another for three days, and so on, almost going through them all. For a month or two, he has not summoned them.
It's said that everyone was rotated, but actually a few were missed, such as the young Chun Changzai, the sick Wan Changzai, and... An Yingying.
Consort Hua and Consort Xin were alright; the Emperor would sometimes come to Yikun Palace for lunch, and sometimes he would accompany Hongzhao on his way back to Yongshou Palace from the Imperial Study for a short rest.
Even so, Consort Hua almost ground her teeth to powder.
Watching the palace servants hurriedly move all the chrysanthemums out of Yikun Palace, she still angrily flung her sleeves and entered the inner hall.
"This Shen Meizhuang has been seducing the Emperor for so many days and it's not over yet. She's even been allowed to learn about the affairs of the six palaces!" Songzhi looked at the Empress who was in a bad mood and carefully coaxed her without daring to say a word.
The Empress was furious about the mistake of moving the wrong green chrysanthemum earlier; Consort Shen is probably in for some trouble.
"Go and summon Cao Qinmo!" Consort Hua shouted sharply, and a young eunuch ran towards the side hall from the doorway.
Yongshou Palace.
Lu Yingfeng watched with amusement as An Lingrong moved around like a rabbit, taking some things to Suiyuxuan today and some things to Suiyuxuan tomorrow. Today it was almost afternoon, and she had already tidied up a bunch of things. Baojuan was about to carry them out.
Lü Yingfeng leaned against the door, looking at her with a smile in her eyes.
An Lingrong had spent several months with her and knew what kind of person she was, so she was no longer afraid and happily gave her a curtsy.
Seeing Lü Yingfeng staring at what Baojuan was holding, An Lingrong explained, "Your Majesty, you don't know, Sister Wan is still ill. Without Your Majesty's kind assistance, she would be having a very hard time. I am grateful for Your Majesty's care and have nothing to lack, so I thought I would share some of my resources to make things easier for Sister Wan during the winter."
Lu Yingfeng didn't know what to say about this girl. She was the only new concubine in the palace who had reached a certain age but was still ill and had not yet served the emperor. She was not worried about herself at all. Even when the emperor came to Yongshou Palace, she would close her room early and not come out.
Could it be that I spoke too harshly that day, leaving her completely unmoved?
"You're moving like an ant, when will you ever gather enough charcoal for the whole winter?" Lu Yingfeng shook her head, chuckled, and pointed at her before turning to Xue Xin and giving her instructions.
"Xuexin, take Hong Xihai and An Daying with you. Take more charcoal and winter clothing and fabric to send over."
"Lingrong thanks Your Majesty on behalf of Consort Wan!" She excitedly tried to bow down, but Lü Yingfeng stopped her. "Your allowance is not much to begin with, so you should keep some for yourself. My allowance for my three children is more than enough, we can't even use it all. Go on."
Watching her light steps leave Yongshou Palace, Lü Yingfeng silently calculated the days and made a plan in her mind.
——
“Now that Consort An has a powerful backer, she doesn’t need to come over every day.” Huanbi placed a plain white cup without any patterns heavily in front of An Lingrong.
An Lingrong was excitedly talking with Zhen Huan and Shen Meizhuang about the things she had brought and those sent by Consort Xin when she was interrupted by this noise. Her expression changed immediately, and she stopped talking.
Xuexin and Hong Xihai had just delivered the goods and hadn't gone far when they heard a strange, sarcastic voice coming from inside. They exchanged a glance and understood the complex meaning in each other's eyes.
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