"My daughter is so thoughtful." Yinzhen sighed, took the bag and handed it to Su Peisheng, telling him to keep it safe and use it when summer came.
Qian Shengyan's eyes flickered: "If Your Majesty says so, does that mean Hongli, Hongshan, and Xiaoqi and Xiaoba are not good enough?"
"Of course, they are all good." Yinzhen said with a smile, but after laughing, he inexplicably spaced out for a while.
After a moment of stunned silence, he took Qian Shengyan's hand and kneaded it for a while, then sighed, "Thank goodness for you."
Qian Shengyan: ...
Although I couldn't understand it, I was inexplicably quite happy.
She thought for a moment and then suggested, "Your Majesty, Consort Ru has been in the palace for half a year now. She has always been diligent and courteous, and because she came from afar, she is often ill. It is truly pitiful. Why doesn't Your Majesty promote her to a higher rank to get rid of her bad luck?"
Yinzhen: ...
Can one get rid of bad luck when promoted?
It seems to make a lot of sense, yet it's also somewhat inexplicable, but it's just right.
Now, Aruhan could indeed be promoted in rank, which would put the Borjigit clan at ease. He did not intend to blame them for the Mongol defeat this time; he had long been aware of the strength of the Dzungars and the abundance of their generals.
He did indeed intend to discuss this matter with Qian Shengyan, but... it was really difficult to bring it up. He hadn't done something like this in a long time, something he had to do and had to go through the harem to achieve his goal.
It's really embarrassing.
Yinzhen squeezed Qian Shengyan's hand, said nothing, and patted it gently again.
The next day, Aruhan, lying in bed looking ashen-faced, suddenly received an imperial decree to promote her to a higher rank.
She could hardly believe it. She staggered out of bed, took Lan Yun's hand, and asked, "Read the Emperor's decree again!"
Consort Ru, Consort Ru, she has really been promoted to the rank of Consort!
She will be a lord of the palace from now on and can live alone!
I can see whomever I want, and I can go to the emperor whenever I want. I will no longer be controlled by others or have to endure their cold looks!
Aruhan was so overjoyed that she burst into tears. She didn't even have time to put on her shoes, and stood on the ground in just a pair of socks, hugging the imperial edict and crying loudly.
"Master, it's time to pack up and go express our gratitude." Lan Yun had received the news earlier than Aruhan, and she was able to remain calm.
Unexpectedly, Aruhan slapped her across the face: "You blind servant, can't you see what I'm doing! Why are you interrupting me! Get out and kneel for half an hour!"
Lan Yun: ...
Lan Yun: "But, Master..."
"Get out!" Another slap landed, and Aruhan, feeling satisfied, kicked Lanyun in return, then burst into laughter.
Clutching the imperial edict, she cried out frantically, "Consort Ru! I am Consort Ru now! No, no, I am now the Empress!"
Lan Yun tried to intervene, but was instead punched and kicked. The other palace maids trembled and dared not try to persuade her anymore. After laughing enough, Aruhan lazily called out, "Lan Yun!"
Lan Yun ran in with a red and swollen face.
Aruhan gave her a look of disdain: "What did you just say, what gratitude?"
Lan Yun then explained in a low voice, and Aruhan snorted: "Come, help me with my hair and makeup, I'm going to pay my respects to the Emperor."
"Your Majesty, the Emperor is busy. You only need to go to the Imperial Noble Consort to express your gratitude... Ah!"
Lan Yun was kicked hard, and clutched her stomach in pain, squatting on the ground. Aruhan sneered, "I'm going to see the Emperor first, what are you going to do about it?"
"You blind lackey, get out and kneel for half an hour!" Aruhan continued.
Lan Yun closed her eyes, went outside and knelt at the door. Her stomach was churning with pain from being kicked, but she dared not cry out.
Another palace maid named Feng'er was summoned by Aruhan to help her get dressed, but Aruhan complained that she was too short and made her collar uncomfortable, so she slapped Feng'er twice and made her go out and kneel with Lanyun.
Feng'er was young and couldn't help but sob softly. Lan Yun gently tugged at her sleeve, reminding her not to cry out loud.
Last time, a palace maid was beaten again because she cried out loud and was heard by Aruhan.
Aruhan couldn't find anyone suitable to serve her, so she looked up and saw the eunuch standing at the door. She beckoned him over to help her change.
This eunuch was quite eloquent; with just a few words, he made Aruhan beam with joy: "What's your name?"
"Please forgive my ignorance, Your Majesty. My name is Wu Quan. Your Majesty may call me Xiao Quanzi." The eunuch bowed and scraped as he finished speaking, then paused. "My name is not good. It sounds similar to the name of Eunuch Quan of the Yangxin Hall. Your Majesty, please give me a new name."
"Alright, then you shall be called Xiao Dezi," Aruhan said with a smile, praising his excellent service skills.
Su Peisheng was standing guard at the entrance of the Zhengda Guangming Hall. Inside, there was a fierce argument. He sighed and felt tired for the emperor. In the blink of an eye, he saw Aruhan standing at the bottom of the steps.
...He suddenly felt even more exhausted.
But the Emperor's decree revealed everything. Su Peisheng forced a smile and said, "Oh, Consort Ru, is there something you need? Unfortunately, the Emperor is busy."
"I've come to express my gratitude." Aruhan looked at the servant's smiling face and couldn't help but feel smug. "Eunuch Su, why don't you help me announce His Majesty's arrival? What if His Majesty is busy but still willing to see me?"
Su Peisheng: ...
He couldn't help but curse inwardly, but dared not disobey for the time being, and could only smile and say, "His Majesty and several important ministers are discussing matters..."
"Go and inform me," Aruhan said coldly, enunciating each word clearly.
Su Peisheng choked, and as he turned away, he couldn't help but roll his eyes. It was quite noisy inside, and he wasn't going anyway; whoever wanted to go could go.
Aruhan waited for a moment, and seeing that the dog servant was standing still, she couldn't help but feel annoyed. But since he was someone the Emperor trusted, she didn't dare to lose her temper and could only swallow her anger and ask, "Eunuch Su? Eunuch Su?"
Su Peisheng was determined to pretend he was deaf and dumb, but Aruhan patiently urged him several times. Helpless, Su Peisheng came down and said to her, "Your Highness Consort Ru, once His Majesty is finished with his work, this servant will definitely report to His Majesty that Your Highness Consort Ru has come. At this moment... this servant really dares not go in."
There was nothing Aruhan could do about it, so she had no choice but to leave.
"Master, shall we go and pay our respects to the Imperial Noble Consort?" Xiao Dezi asked, bowing. "According to palace rules, when Your Highness is promoted, you should go and pay your respects to the Imperial Noble Consort."
"Then let's go." Aruhan was a little dejected; she had thought she would finally see the Emperor!
Upon arriving at the Jiuzhou Qingyan Palace, Aruhan couldn't help but feel jealous again—yes, Consort Yu's residence, Wuling Chunse, was already quite exquisite and beautiful, but how could it compare to Jiuzhou Qingyan? Especially since this was the Emperor's sleeping quarters.
The emperor, however, preferred to let a woman live there.
Aruhan stared at the sign for a moment, her resolve growing stronger.
She wanted to climb higher and higher—from concubine to imperial consort, to noble consort, and even higher. In the past, all the women of the Borjigit clan were empresses, but now the empress's position in the palace was vacant. Who could say that it wasn't prepared for her?
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